All My Friends are Going to Humpity Bump ...

And I can't.
Cause I'm pregnant.
Okay - that's not exactly true. It's called Hump Day Bump. And, not ALL my friends are going. Just some. And, truth be told going clubbing on a Wednesday night isn't generally my thing. And, they did kindly say I could go if I wanted to.
But, I have rules about going drinking while pregnant.
Especially while visibly pregnant.
Truth be told, I really would just like to say "I went to Humpity Bump" because I think it's a really cool thing to say.
But the fun thing will be tomorrow, when they are hung over, and I can cheerfully sip coffee and maybe eat in front of them just to rub in that I'm not hung over. So, I guess it's not all bad.
It is just slightly sad that when they are leaving to go out, I will likely already be sound asleep. Ahhhh sleep. How I love my sleep!
--------------
Yesterday I had yet another OB appointment.
I love my ob. Really. She's young and funny, and she knows what stresses me out and avoids the topic. For instance, despite the fact that I already have my c-section booked, I am really quite terrified of my baby growing large. Because what if I go into labour and don't have time to make it to the hospital (or I make it to the hospital and they send me away and Phat Daddy has to deliver the baby in the car) for a c-section? This is when I'd rather a smaller baby. Because at 8 lb 10 oz (I think) Doodle was a lot of baby to push out.
So, perhaps when my ob asked why I was so worried about size, and I told her, she was quite wise to just say the baby is a little big.
But, I've gotta tell you, this is one stubborn child already.
On Saturday when I went for my 3D ultrasound it took forever to convince her to move so we could see her face.
Yesterday I got an impromptu ultrasound (due to her increasing size) and there she was, SMILING for the camera. Seriously. I had to laugh.

Eight more weeks till I meet Miss Baby. I have a feeling it's going to be quite the ride! And, even though I won't be going to Humpity Bumpity right away, I have a feeling I'll be getting someone to bring me some sort of alcohol pretty quickly!!!

And he vaccuums ...

Four years ago when I knew I was having a son, I made some plans. I decided that no matter what, my son was going to grow up to be a man who was responsible.
Of course I wanted a child who is kind and loving, but I also wanted to have a son who is more than happy to share in the household duties. I have good examples for my son to model himself after. My father has always shared household duties with my mom. My husband usually is in charge of dishes and loves his vaccuums.
My plan has always been to just encourage Doodle to do stuff right along with us. He brings his plate to the kitchen like we do. He is awesome at making Shake 'n Bake chicken. He sort of sets the table. You get the picture.
Tonight when Phat Daddy and I were loading our new dishwasher Phat Daddy asked Doodle to tidy up his toys. We continued on checking out all of the features when we heard the vaccuum going. We walked into the living room, and in 5 minutes flat he had not only cleaned up all of his toys, he had vaccuumed the living room carpet.
Seriously.
It was pretty impressive.
Yesterday when I was at Shoppers I picked up some Method Cleaning Wipes. Since the child had very little aim at the potty I figure that I'm going to make it a fun little job to clean up all the little drips!
Someday my future daughter-in-law will be thanking me.
I just have to figure out how to get him to clean his room.

Juno, Vampires and Peace

If I could describe this weekend in on word it would be peace.
Sure the weekend was hectic. Actually, when I think about how much we squeezed into this weekend I'm surprised we got everything done.
But, despite the fact that our house is still kind of messy, we all look a little tired, and I feel like I need another day added to the weekend it was great.
On Saturday morning I went for another 3D ultrasound. I went about 8 weeks ago for a gender assessment, and found I was having a baby girl. (yippee!) But because I was only about 20 weeks along, I decided I needed to book another more complete screening. It was booked for Saturday. I spent an hour, with my family and a friend looking at images of the baby in my stomach.
It was a truly incredible experience. I've felt so anxious this pregnancy, and to get the reassurance that everything looks okay was pretty wonderful. We got to see some smiles and yawns. It was amazing.
I'll post pictures, but I need to crop out all of the personal information first. And, honestly, even though the pictures are pretty amazing it's not quite the same as being there and seeing your baby move around.
Saturday evening we dropped Doodle off at my sister's house for a sleepover and then we went out for dinner and a movie. It was incredibly nice to sit for a quiet dinner at Milestone's (a restaurant Phat Daddy designed) and have an actual adult conversation. We talked a bit about Doodle, a bit about the baby and a lot about just us - work, life, house, etc.
And then we watched the movie Juno.
It was an absolutely incredible movie. I wasn't sure that I would really enjoy it. But, I'd heard such good things that we decided to go. It was an excellent choice. And, it kind of put a lot of stuff into perspective. I feel like I've been so busy trying to make our house perfect, our lives perfect, manage pregnancy, run to doctors appointments over my lunch hour and pretend that I can handle it all - when all I really want is to sleep.
So guess what? Instead of waking up this morning and going cleaning crazy I slept in. Okay I got up at 7, but it sure beat 5 am. And when I got up I had some breakfast and then sat and read. and read. and read.
I've become completely obsessed with the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Phat Daddy thinks it's hilarious because I'm reading books about Vampires and Werewolves. But, I don't care. I love love love these books! My friend lent me the first one which I spent a week reading on the train all week. And, when I finished it on Friday I insisted on going to Chapters to get the next book in the series (breaking my new year's resolution not to spend so much $ on books). I fully anticipated taking a week to read this one too. Ha.
I started it Friday night. Had about 100 pages read by last night, and finished the 2nd book of the series today. By about 4 pm I gave up my plan to find the last book at the library and headed back to Chapters to buy book number 3. Not only did I pick up my book, but I bumped into my sister and a friend and had a few minutes to sit and chat.
It's been a long time since I've just spent most of the day reading and it was wonderful.
And in the middle of all of that ... Doodle and I decided to have a little nap together while Phat Daddy went to pick up our new dishwasher (which he is attempting to install). I rarely get a chance to see Doodle peaceful and quiet, but today he was just that. And, when I woke him up from his nap we just hung out in my bad chatting about life.
It's those moments, these days that will matter a whole lot more than the fact that I didn't actually sort the clothes I had every intention of sorting today. Today I'm accepting that our Sunday dinner is frozen pizza from the grocery store, not a roast. And, instead of trying to get some last minute cleaning done tonight I'm going to have a nice warm bath and just appreciate the fact that I have a family who loves me, a kid who is pretty amazing and house that will survive even if there are toys strewn across the living room floor.
And, with all of that I have an overwhelming feeling of peace.

Monster Baby

Not long after we told Doodle that I'm pregnant he started talking about "Monster Baby".
Monster Baby, a girl, is in his tummy just like my baby is in my tummy. The origin of the monster book comes from a story they read at daycare from the Sesame Street books where there is apparently a monster baby.
We've never corrected him and said boys can't have babies.
He knows it's imaginary, and he likes to talk about it. In time he'll learn it's not possible, and he already knows daddies can't have babies, so he'll sort that out himself.
But, he frequently discusses Monster Baby. He'll ask how my baby is, and then he'll give me the Monster Baby update. Or he'll tell me that Monster Baby cries in his tummy. I find it quite fascinating.
The other day I was having a rough (read:hormonal) day. I was crying, and being argumentative. Everyone was getting on my nerves, and I finally turned a movie on for Doodle explaining that Mommy needed a break. He asked why I was sad and I told him that sometimes having a baby in your tummy makes you sad or upset.
I'm not quite sure how you explain mood swings to a 3-year-old.
I didn't think much more about it until today.
Apparently Monster Baby has been the cause of some unusual behaviour. For instance, when Doodle refused to nap, Monster Baby was keeping him up. Doodle pushed Liam because "Monster Baby doesn't like Liam." And there were a few other things, all, of course blamed on Monster Baby.
It made me realize just how much you have to censor yourself around your child. Realistically I knew that I was having a rough day because I was hormonal. But, I think I need to realize that this child absorbs way more than I consider.
Lately he'll come out with things that he has heard us say or do and I'm reminded yet again that Doodle is a child, a sponge, and I need to be really careful.
But, hey, we have 9 weeks to go, and if I can use the baby as an excuse for eating ice cream, being moody and other assorted problems, I think I can be a little flexible about Monster Baby's effect in Doodle's life.

The Difference Between Monkeys

Today in the van today Phat Daddy told me to ask Doodle to tell me the difference between monkeys.

Me: What's the, difference between monkeys, Peter Pan? (he likes to be called Peter Pan)
Doodle: Smart Monkeys say 'ooh-ooh ah ah.' Dumb Monkeys say 'ooh ooh eee ee."
Me: What makes a monkey um?
Doodle: Dumb Monkeys watch lots of tv. Smart monkeys only watch a little tv.

Seems like our plan to cut back on tv is working.

Sister Date & Shoes

Last night my sister and I had a sister's night.
They seem to be few and far between these days, but we decided that we were going to meet up at Yorkdale for shopping and dinner.
We had an amazing time.
I have to admit that it's been ages since we've gone to Yorkdale together minus children. I'm not sure we even had kids the last time we were there. Needless to say the stores we went into were different from the ones we would have visited a few years ago.
We were thrilled by the sale at the Disney Store (how could I pass up sparkly yellow minnie mouse shoes for baby-to-be) and then went a little crazy with gymbucks at gymboree. We easily walked past stores where we would have spent hours in the past, and then enjoyed the peace and quiet that came from eating a leisurely dinner that did not include chasing after kids or cleaning up spilled juice.
All in all a fun evening.

How adorable are these shoes???
---
On the way home in the car my sister was telling me a story about my 5 year old niece (Miss K). For those of you who don't know me too well, my 5 and a half year old niece and I get along very well. People have been known to confuse our names on a regular basis because she reminds people of the 5-year-old me in many ways.
Anyway, she was at the doctor the other day, and was telling the doctor about how she was saving up her money. The doctor asked her what she was saving her money for.
"For shoes" was her answer. "I have lots of shoes and I love shoes."
So, her doctor said "how many pairs of shoes do you have?"
Her response? "Oh ... about 89." (a bit of an exaggeration)
And then she added, "My aunt really loves shoes too. She has bought me a lot of those shoes you know."
She would be right. I love shoes. I love buying shoes for myself, but I also really love buying kids shoes. Doodle isn't that thrilled by shoes, but Miss K definitely shares my passion. The brighter the colour, and the more sparkles the better.
---

Sad

Today I left work early to attend a funeral.
A good friend of ours, who happened to be our real estate agent, passed away late last week.
I wrote a long post about what he meant to me, about why it makes me so sad to say goodbye. He was a good man, a man who cared about a great many people.
I introduced Phat Daddy to him last year when we were purchasing our first real home. And, he instantly understood what made this man so special.
Instead of forcing us to make a decision on our home, he told us he would pray for us.
As we jumped many many hurdles to get into the place we now call home (including the sale of our condo falling through the day we were supposed to close), while everyone around us, lawyers included, freaked out and I was just generally hysterical, I called him to ask for advice, and he told me calmly "this is the time you have to learn to trust God. This will work out."
The thing is, of all the many pieces of advice I got, his was really the only one we could take.
He checked in a few times over the past year. The thing is, he never asked for a referral. He just wanted to see how we were fitting into the community. He'd ask about our family (he's known me since I was 4).
A few weeks before Christmas he stopped by to wish us a merry Christmas. He was thrilled to find me home on a weekday, and delighted when I told him I was pregnant.
As he left he gave me a big hug, and said he was so happy to see our family happy and thriving. That was our last conversation. I found out this morning that he'd passed away at the end of last week.
The funeral I attended today was a testament to a man who cared about people more than he cared about business. And, as sad as I was to attend, it was such a wonderful tribute to someone who made a huge difference in so many lives.
I left realizing that at the end of the day what matters more than anything is loving and caring for the people around you. I hope that someday I can make as much of a difference in the lives of people around me as he did.

Happy Birthday, Phat Daddy!

Today is Phat Daddy's birthday.
We're off to see the Monster Jam show at the Rogers Centre today. We went last year and loved it (despite the fact that no one in our family has a mullet!) Both Doodle and Phat Daddy have been talking about it all year. So, I decided to surprise both of them and get tickets to see the show.
Of course I'm going.
As much as it isn't exactly something I would do on a regular basis, the excitement of watching Monster Trucks smoosh cars and mobile homes is just too much to pass up.
Of course, we did a few other things to celebrate Phat Daddy's birthday.
Since Doodle had a birthday party to go to last night, I took Phat Daddy out to a super yummy dinner at one of our favourite Mexican restaurants. The birthday party was from 6-8 pm, perfect for timing for a dinner for 2.
I was pretty hungry, so ordered the biggest dinner in the world, and ate about a quarter of it. So, the rest will be lunch for our family today. It was that huge!
And, what was my other present for Phat Daddy? A gift card for a games store. I didn't end up selling the XBox (which, as it turns out is an XBox 360), and I decided to get Phat Daddy a game since it's his newest toy and I think he only has a couple of games. I went to the local games store, and when I didn't know the name of his system (I didn't even know there was a difference between an XBox and and XBox 360), and was overwhelmed by all the choices, I decided to buy a gift card.
I actually think a gift card is a pretty impersonal gift for a wife to give her husband, but Phat Daddy was thrilled, partly because I didn't choose a stupid game, and partly because he loves researching games.
Whatever works.
And, in between all the celebrating? well, it's work for me. We have a big deadline approaching at work, and so I managed to log a few hours getting some work done.
All in all a fun, but way-too-tiring weekend!

A Little About my Spine

I understand that everyone may not find my spine terribly interesting, but I do.
Here's the thing. Almost four years ago when I gave birth to Doodle I had a forceps delivery. It was not pleasant. My tailbone was fractured and I was in a lot of pain for a really long time.
This time around I'm having a c-section. A huge part of this decision was due to the fact that both my family doctor and my ob are unsure whether or not childbirth could cause my tailbone to get injured again. (though the fact that this baby is breach and large are also contributing factors).
And, as my pregnancy has gone on my tailbone has started to hurt. Thankfully the excuciating pain that I remember is not present. But, still ... the pain is there and I don't want to get the excruciating pain back.
So, my ob sent me to physio and I went last night.
This was the most fascinating experience EVER.
I'm not into biology, and though I have always wondered about my tailbone, there was never a time to ask the questions I had. Until last night.
So, here's the picture of a human spine.
If you look at it fairly closely you can see that at the very end of the spine there is a sort of triangular piece right there at the very bottom. Do you see it? The bottom triangle there is the tailbone, and the bottom little piece is the piece that, in my case, cracked off. (obviously not completely since I still have it). So, this is kind of what my tailbone was looking like. (on the left).
And, since I really just kind of left things alone and didn't do anything, and there isn't really too much to do, it did eventually heal, and though now it hurts I've been pretty lucky for the past few years that it has gotten better.
But, last night it was fascinating to me to actually touch a lifesize plastic spine and fully understand the concept of why I've been in pain.
Anyway, the good news is that there is also a solution to all of this. I'm not getting some adjustments and exercises to avoid the pain. How exciting!
I realize this is probably the most boring thing I have ever written, but really, to me, it's fascinating!

Soooo Excited!

I'm not sure if anyone has been watching the Steven and Chris show on CBC. I LOVE it. I have set my dvr to record it every day, and the show is great.
I loved Steven when he was on Cityline, I loved Designer Guys. I loved the Steven and Chris makeover show. But, I'm loving their talk show even more.
Whenever I watch it I think of a friend of mine, who happens to have a big crush on Steven. We used to work together and one day we were walking in the underground path and saw Steven taping a segment. My put-together, mature friend went into full teenage idol mode when she saw him standing there. And though she refused to get an autograph, she convinced me to take a picture of him with her camera phone.
And, on the occasional bad day I could cheer her up with just a little e-mail of Steven's picture!
So, though we no longer work together, she got a squealing phone call from me announcing that we HAVE to get tickets to a live taping.
And we did! We're going in a couple of weeks.
I'm so excited.
Who doesn't love a show on fashion and decorating hosted by 2 gay men? Really. What's not to love?
And, because the CBC building is so close to one of my favourite restaurants (Lonestar ... yum) we may just have to go there for a very early dinner. Maybe they will even make me a virgin margarita.
My mouth is watering.
First the boys. Then the fajitas.
Yummy!

Pregnancy Is a Full Time Job

I love being pregnant.
Well, I love what being pregnant leads to. I don't exactly glow. But, I'm surving, and with 10 weeks to go I'm doing pretty well.
But I've gotta say, lately being pregnant seems like a job on to itself.
Forget about the fact that I'm exhausted so I go to bed earlier, waste tons of times on maternity message boards and my head is generally full of all things baby related.
In addition to all that, these appointments are running me ragged.
Today I had an OB appointment.
I've now switched to bi-weekly appointments. Luckily the doctor isn't too far from my office. So, once every other week I take an extended lunch for that.
On top of that, bi-weekly, I go see one of the counsellors at the "Pre- and Post- Natal Life Stages clinic" (for the unitiated, this is a clinic to handle anxiety and depression - currently I fall into the anxiety category).
I'm supposed to be going for pre-natal massage at least every other week.
And now I'm going to physio (for my previously dislocated tailbone - thanks Doodle) quite likely once a week.
I'm EXHAUSTED!
I'm grateful that between the Canadian health system and the benefits at my work and Phat Daddy's, anything out of pocket is reimbursed. But still ... running to all of these appointments is insane. Trying to remember which floor the respective people are on in the correct building can be a task. And the cost of taxis and subway fare adds up.
The good news is that I have a healthy, though apparently rather large, baby growing inside of me. She's so big, in fact, that I have to go for another ultrasound to make sure that the dates we're working with are okay.
I'm sure they are.
And the other good news - since my last appointment (before Christmas) I only gained 1.5 lbs. Who only gains 1.5 lbs over Christmas. That brings my total weight gain up to only 15 pounds. I'm not complaining.
So far so good!

Jesus is a Girl (?!)

Doodle has been enamoured with all things religion lately.
We're not sure if one of his friends at daycare talks about Jesus a lot, but for some reason the topic of God is big our home at the moment.
The other day in the car Doodle said to us, pretty much out of the blue, "Jesus is a girl."
We didn't quite know how to respond.
So, we went with it.
He then added "Jesus loves me very much."
I said "that's right."
We have these conversations all the time. He asks about Jesus, and about Jesus Christ and about whether Baby Jesus is Jesus Christ. In his mind he's trying to figure it all out.
But, he is certain that Jesus is a girl.
For our part, we are encouraging this new found interest. We've taken him to church off and on for the last year or so. Our plan is that we give him the choice. At this point he enjoys church. He wants to go. He talks about it. He tells us he likes Sunday School. At the same time, there are some Sunday mornings, yesterday for example, where he's excited to go when I ask. There are also Sundays where he does not want to go. Those weeks we stay home.
At this point, with no commitments to a church, I don't think it's necessary to push him. There are some days I'd rather stay on the couch in my pyjamas. I also feel that we get him up for daycare at 6:15 every morning, and he has no choice about that. So, if on the weekend he decides he needs a day off I think he's entitled.
Phat Daddy and I had somewhat different backgrounds religiously.
Though we agree on the basics, our upbringing in the church was radically different. Phat Daddy went on Christmas and Easter. His parents were rather lenient about things in his home.
I grew up in a fairly strictly religious home. I went to Christian School. I went to church on Sundays and went to Bible clubs on weeknights.
I can't talk for Phat Daddy. But, as far as I am concerned I was a pretty happy kid. All my friends were in the same circle, so it never felt like I was being forced to go to church. When I wanted to quit the Bible club I was in (AWANA), my parents agreed. When I didn't want to go to youth group for awhile my parents didn't force the issue. They encouraged, but they knew when to draw the line.
But, being involved in church I saw far too much of the opposite - kids who REALLY didn't want to be there being strong-armed by their parents, and resolving to never go to church when they grew up.
Guess what? Their resolutions held true.
So I'm finding now with Doodle I'm being very careful. I think church is wonderful. I want him to have some of the experiences that I did. But, I also want him to know that church is a choice, a place that you don't go because you feel you need to, but rather because you want to.
As for me ...
Well, I have to admit that after a year I'm actually feeling pretty comfortable about going to church. I see some familiar faces. I have a friend to sit with. I don't feel like people are staring at me.
Now as for whether or not Jesus is a girl ... I'm a feminist, and I've gotta say I think my child is on the right track there!

Dear Husband

Dear Beloved Husband,

It is Saturday morning.
I have been up for more than 2 hours now.
Your son has been up for more than an hour. And as usual, you are asleep.
I estimate you'll be sleeping for another hour, as you tend to do.
Since I've been up I've started our week's laundry, sorted the stuff that was left in the dryer, done all of the dishes, started the dishwasher and cleaned the bathroom.
I'm not sure how you are sleeping through all of this noise. But you seem to be able to.
When you wake up you will stumble grumpily downstairs, pour the coffee that is already made for you, and and complain to me that you didn't have a great sleep.
I get that.
I was awake about 8 times last night.
Not that you'll ask. You never do.
The thing is, I'm pretty sick of the way our weekends work.
I clean. I grocery shop. I wake up with Doodle and make sure he has breakfast and uses the potty. I feed the cats. I make whatever plans we have for the weekend. And, I generally ask you to do some task around the house for which you roll your eyes, mumble and may or may not accomplish.
The thing is, I'm tired of arguing about this.
Remember the last 17 times I asked you to clean the bathroom? I'm still waiting.
You know the half finished bedroom wall? Still waiting.
The half painted kitchen that you promised to finish? Still waiting.
You know the nursery that has to be emptied out, cleaned and painted? I've recruited help for that one because you don't seem interested.
This is getting ridiculous.
I would love to wake up on Saturday morning and find a clean house. Just like you do.
I would love to go to the basement and see there's no laundry to do.
I'd love to go to the washroom and not see a dirty toilet.
And barring all of that, I would love it if just one Saturday morning you set your alarm for a decent hour (how about 8?) and got up and took us out for breakfast. There's a bakery nearby. That would be a start.
But as of now, I quit.
I'm not your servant.
I didn't sign up to be Molly Maid. If I enjoyed scrubbing toilets, doing dishes and vaccuuming I would find myself a second job and get paid to do this stuff.
But, really, I hate it.
And, I'm pregnant. Crawling around the toilet cleaning Doodle's pee stains hurts. Today when I was trying to clean I was crying because it all just sucks. All of it.
But you wouldn't know. Because you were sound asleep.
I've given you lists. I've begged and I've pleaded. I've left things until I couldn't stand the filth. But, now I quit. If you don't want to help me I'm hiring help. Sure it's expensive and it's not really in the budget. But I'm sure there are expenses that we can cut. I'm sure we could cover at least a few week's worth of cleaning bills by selling our large screen tv and the XBox. After that, well, I'll get creative.
But these weekend mornings. Enough. We're supposed to be in this marriage 50/50 and that includes the stuff we don't like as much as the stuff we like.

Love,
Your Wife

Kindergarten Time

Today we found out from our local school that we can register Doodle for Junior Kindergarten this week.
Seriously.
My baby is turning 4 soon. And he's going to start school.
Ahhh!
I'm actually pretty good with Doodle growing up. I'm not the kind of mom who mourns for his babyhood. (though that's another post for another day). I try to be in the moment, and I enjoy the different ages.
I've liked every year better than the year before. I love that Doodle and I can chat now and that he understands reason. He doesn't always follow through with reason. But he does get it.
But kindergarten?
I'm excited. I remember JK. I loved JK.
But, somehow he seems too little still.
Daycare is one thing. They are really sheltered there. He still has his soother at nap time. They wipe his bum for him if he needs help. School is a whole different concept. It means he's growing up.
The one thing I'm excited about is the fact that I will be home on maternity leave when he starts school. I'll get to see the other kids in his class and meet the teacher. I'll hopefully get to know some of the other parents. That will be nice.
But still. He will be in school!
And then in another year we'll have decide about French Immersion. Yikes. I know ... one step at a time.
I mentioned it to Doodle today. He is VERY excited about school. He thinks it's much more exciting than daycare. We'll see. I just hope the teachers know what's coming!
The good news is that we have researched the school. From what I hear it's a good school. I was hoping some of the other kids from daycare would be in his class, but it doesn't look like it.
Oh well.
I think he'll be okay.
Watch out kindergarten. Here we come!

W-W-Wacky Wednesday

Last night at bed time Phat Daddy read the book "Wacky Wednesday" to Doodle.
This is a favourite in our house. And, it was actually Phat Daddy's from when he was a little kid. Doodle commented that maybe he would have a Wacky Wednesday.
I'm not sure if that was a prediction of things to come or what.
But ...
Today was wacky.
Before we put Doodle to bed we started talking about his totally wacky day.
Our normal morning routine is that I wake up, shower and have breakfast, and then start waking Doodle up at about 6:10. This morning as I was watching the end of the news I heard him upstairs calling for me. (weird, since if he wakes up he just comes and finds me).
So, I got him settled on the couch and finished getting ready.
Except suddenly the power went off. and on. and off and on.
When Phat Daddy came down to help locate candles we looked outside and a transformer blew up.
weird.
Eventually we all were ready.
I went to work, and a couple hours later Phat Daddy called me to say Doodle was sick.
He stayed home for awhile and then I made my way home.
Then, proving he was sick, Doodle allowed me to convince him that we needed to go have a nap. And we both fell asleep in my bed (for 3 hours).
I can't tell you the last time that he voluntarily napped.
Of course, this was all assisted by Doodle's new favourite medicine Gravol which, instead of initially knocking him out, made him giggle non-stop for at least half an hour. So before we had naptime we had giggle time.
Weird weird weird.
His night was capped off by us allowing him to have a dinner of popsicles and freezies. (he tried to eat some other stuff, but couldn't - at least he's hydrated.)
As he kissed me goodnight he said "I loved my Wacky Wednesday."
Me too, Doodle!
But let's hope that Thursday is a little less insane.

I Think We Need a Vacation

I would love to book a proper vacation right now.
I think it would be a blast to go somewhere warm and sunny and relax on the beach for a few days and do very little.
That's not in the cards. But it sounds lovely.
Instead, though, I'm thinking we need a weekend break. A chance to recharge our batteries, to get out of our house (that needs painting and cleaning) and go away. I'm thinking it would be great to go somewhere with a pool that Doodle can swim in and maybe some other sort of entertainment.
I love Buffalo, but I don't feel like shopping.
(I know ... shocking!)
I looked into Great Wolf Lodge and the other waterpark resorts, but when I mentioned it to Phat Daddy he said NO WAY. He kind of has a point.
As much as I love small hotel pools where Doodle can swim and we can watch him (he's hit the point where with his special flotation swim suit on and after swimming lessons he's quite capable of swimming around the pool without me holding him - which is quite nice - though of course I'm always with him), the idea of chasing him on water slides, and convincing him that he can only go on the age appropriate slides does not sound like fun.
My child is a daredevil, and with my ever-growing belly I don't feel like chasing him around a waterpark.
Phat Daddy would get huffy. Then we'd bicker. And it wouldn't be a vacation.
Nice idea though.
So now we're investigating something new. By we I mean me. But I'm sure that once I present the idea (ha, in my blog) he'll agree.
I want to go somewhere warm (at least inside). With a pool. And good food (mmm... pizza) and comfy beds that is a short drive from home.
I'll wait till after I have this baby before I go on an all-inclusive trip somewhere. Afterall, what fun is an all-inclusive vacation when you're sipping virgin cocktails on the beach?

Things I Love

It's winter, and January seems like the dullest month ever. So, to compensate, here are some of the things I'm loving right now!

Food
I'm pregnant. And indulging.
And, I've just found the most delicious wonderful bakery ever. And it's near my house. And the staff already know my name (maybe cause I ate there 3 times in 2 days?)
The best thing I have tried so far is their danish.
This is saying a lot since I'm not a danish person (or a Danish person... ha ha!) But they are yummy. So is their focacia.
The uber-gay staff - LOVE!


Television
I'm loving American Gladiators!
I loved this show 20 years ago. Seriously, it was a long time ago. And, I get excited when it comes on in repeats. I love the action, the adrenaline, and the competition. When we saw it was coming on again I was thrilled, and Phat Daddy and I taped it to watch with Doodle. He wasn't quite as into it as I am, but still.
I think my favourite Gladiator is Toa - the guy who looks a little like the Rock.
I mean, look at him. He has the corniest expression, but he's so serious about it.
He has the tattoos and a nicely chiseled body.
It's kind of like watching wrestling except with more action, more fun and more realistic people! (well, kinda)

My Wonder Product

Lately my skin has been crappola. I blame it on being pregnant, and the weather changes. My skin has been dry and zitty for weeks. I tried everything I could think of and finally went to the Body Shop for advice.
Of course they had just the product I was looking for:
It's nighttime blemish fade moisturizer. It's amazing. In just 3 days it had completely cleared up all the little red blemishes all over my face. And my skin wasn't as dry as before.
Who knew such a product existed? And for $20!
It seriously is the best $20 I've spent in awhile.
And bonus, no harsh chemicals.

The Name Game

Moving to a new blog has been all sorts of fun, including the best part, coming up with names.
I'm still working on mine.
My son's was easy.
The baby's will come.
But then there's my husband. I don't really have nicknames for him. Some people call their spouse something, but I don't. I mean, he gets the occassional "sweetie" and when we were first married we went through a rather annoying "sweetheart" stage, but neither of those monickers are used in public. Nor on my my blog.
So, in desperation I turned to him this morning on the way to the train and asked what he would like to be called on my blog. Without missing a beat he said ...
PHAT DADDY.
Really.
Phat Daddy it is.
I couldn't help it. I laughed. And I'm still laughing. At a little over 6 ft tall and 300 lbs, he is a portly guy. I'd never call him Fat, but Phat?
Let's consult the urban dictionary. The meanings: 1. cool 2. Pretty Hot And Tempting
I love it.
Phat Daddy it is. As for me ...
I'm as yet unnamed. But, maybe by the time you are all reading it I'll have come up with something great.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. For those of you who have followed me from my other blog, thank you! To those of you who are new, welcome.
I've been blogging for about two years now. But, as my son has gotten older (eek ... he'll be 4 soon!) I've become increasingly nervous about security online. Add in the fact that I get some weird google searches, I'm expecting a baby girl, and a ton of colleagues read my blog, (not to mention my extended family) it seemed like the time for a change.
I'll be trying some new things on this blog.
My children will have nicknames. My son's nickname was easy. We call him "Doodle" all the time.
I don't think I'll be using "face shots".
And, I hope to be more liberal with what I can say.
We will see how it goes.
But for now, welcome.
Forgive me as I work out the kinks.