Special Visitors

I mentioned in my previous blog post that we have some very special visitors staying with us right now. My husbands parents are here from Ontario for about 10 days to get in some time with their only grandchild and to celebrate an early Christmas with us all.

Noah skypes a lot with his Grandmaman so he warmed up to being around her in person very fast and wants to be with her constantly. He loves his Grandpapa too, but he is still not too sure about him haha.

It's been so nice having my mother in law around to help out with Noah. It gives me a chance to get off my feet more and relax, especially considering I have been battling a horrible cold for almost a week now. One of the most awesome things is that every morning once Noah starts making noise, Grandmaman sneaks in and takes him from his pack n play so Matt and I can continue sleeping. I know any parent out there would understand how wonderful that truly is!

We went to our church Kick off to Christmas party last night which was fantastic as always. I probably should have stayed home and rested, but it's pretty much my favourite event of the year and I really didn't want to miss it. I'm trying to be better about not pushing myself too much and surrendering to what my body is telling me, so I stayed home from church this morning. It turned out to be a really good idea because by 9:30am Noah was passing out on the living room floor and went down for a very early nap. Too much partying for a toddler I guess!

Tonight we are going to the Michael W Smith concert out in Abbotsford with Matts parents and my whole family (Noah will be home with Matt.) We went two years ago and it was a great show so I'm really looking forward to it. So until then I plan to lay low and relax.

Hope you are all well. 

Double strollers & baby carriers - solved!

Thank you everyone for all your input on my last post. It really helped me out!! I love having helpful mommies out there :)

We purchased a double stroller Wednesday night off of a couple on craigslist. We got the Phil & Teds double jogger and we are very happy with it. We got it for a fantastic price and they even have us the rain cover and a Graco car seat adapter for free. Saved ourselves ALOT of money! Because this stroller can be used as a single or double we plan to sell our Graco jogger to earn back a bit of the money. I loved that stroller but we really don't need two in this case.

As far as a carrier, we went with the ergo and have been able to buy one off of a couple we know through church who had an extra. Still need to get a newborn insert but another church friend offered to let us borrow there's. again I say, you mommies are so awesome!

I feel like things are coming together for baby number 2! We already purchased the perfect toddler bed for Noah off craigslist for $40 so we can use the crib we already have for the baby. My friend and cousin has offered to let us use their swing once they are done with it, and if we have a another boy we will have lots of clothes to use already.

Speaking of baby gender, we have a 3D ultrasound booked for January 5th! We could ha e had it done a week or so earlier, but with the holidays hours are weird and I don't know what our schedule will be like. Hubby still says girl, because he says it's been really different this time around. I say boy, just because I said girl last time and I was wrong, so I'm assuming its a boy haha. We shall see! I am really not sure which I prefer at this point as there are benefits to both. So, I will leave that in Gods capable hands to decide.

We have some special visitors here right now staying with us. Sure nice to have extra people around to entertain my son, especially considering I've had a nasty cold the past few days.

Enough rambling from me. Take care all!

Double Strollers & Baby carriers

Okay mamas of multiples (and by multiples I do not mean just moms of twins... although I welcome your suggestions as well) I need advice!
As I look towards the arrival of our second child and ponder the few purchases we plan/want to make, I'm curious to know what you who have been through this did.

First of all, double strollers. This is one thing we plan to get as we will end up having two under two for a while. Even though our son Noah can walk very well, If I am out at the mall or we are doing a day trip/vacation he is not going to be able to walk all day. We love the single jogging stroller we have now (Graco Orbit) and we plan to keep it, but I don't think a double jogger is really going to be necessary for us. We are seriously considering the Graco Ready to Grow double stroller that changes in multiple ways and accommodates both toddler and infant well. It's also priced at around $180 which fits my budget quite nicely. However, I am willing to do some craiglist hunting to buy something more top of the line if I can get it for a good price. Thoughts? What did you use?

The other question I have is in regards to a baby carrier. I didn't look into them too much with my first because my two hands were pretty much always free to hold him if need be. I also was scared off quickly by going into a store one day and asking about a sling and being told that they are highly dangerous and should be avoided. I'm not someone who hikes, so I don't need a super heavy duty carrier that is comfortable to wear all day long. I just want something to put baby in that will keep him/her close to my body while I move around the house with a toddler. Again, what did you ladies use? Or am I ridiculous in thinking that I'd use one of these?

PS - if any of you out there are cloth diapering mommas and can suggest a good diaper sprayer I am in the market for one of those too.

PPS - I just finished my entire Hawaii 2012 vacation video in an hour. Go me!!!

Carolyn

Busy weekend

It's been a bit of a crazy weekend around here.

Friday night we had a house full of friends for a little 'trimming of the tree' party. Lots of food, lots of laughs and lots of fun. It was the first time I've really entertained in months and it felt awesome to have the place filled with loved ones. The boys weren't a great help when it actually came down to decorating the tree, but thanks to the ladies it got done!

Have I mentioned on here that there are FOUR ladies at our church pregnant? Maybe this doesn't seem like that big of a deal to others, but we don't go to a mega church. There are under 100 members, so to have four babies due within six months of each other is a pretty crazy thing. It's pretty awesome though and we are very excited!

3 out of 4 pregger ladies. Approx. 35 weeks, 30 weeks and 14 weeks.

Yesterday we had a shower for my cousin and her new arrival at my moms house. More food, more family, more love. Awesomeness. Today my coffee mommas group was suppose to have our monthly Starbucks get together, but due to illness and busy schedules it just didn't work out. I love getting together with that group, indulging in a treat and chatting about all things parenthood. Hoping to reschedule soon. Tonight we'll be at my parents for dinner as we do most Sundays.

Look at the pure joy on this kids face. He LOVES slides. Thanks Jason for the great pic ;)

With busy weekends like this, you can see why I like my Mondays to be quiet and laid back. The in laws arrive in a few short days and we'll once again be fairly busy. Can't wait though!

Hope you all had a great weekend too! Much love.

Hello Christmas Tree!

Last night Matt and I, with some 'help' from Noah, put up our Christmas tree. He wanted to be involved in every moment! We followed daddy downstairs to get the box, he stood right next to daddy as he pulled out the pieces and even climbed underneath the tree while daddy hooked things up. And when the lights came out, boy oh boy was that exciting. Once all the lights were strung and we turned it all on, Noah stared at the tree with a big grin and said a whole bunch of words that we couldn't understand. He also grabbed several of his toys and through them under the tree. I don't know if he actually understands that toys will be under the tree or if he just thought that was a cool spot to put them. But I try to never underestimate my child, because I kind of think he is a smarty pants (don't we all think that of our children?)

Tonight we are having a few friends over to 'trim the tree' and make it look all pretty. It's the first time I've had people over in a long time because my house has been a disaster. I'm really looking forward to it! I'll be sure to post a few photos of the finished product.

Christmas memories

I'm sitting here, alone in my quiet house while the little one naps upstairs. I just finished watching a Christmas movie all warm and cozy with my feet up.

My mind is wandering, thinking about our family Christmases as a child. For some reason, there are a few things that just stick out so strongly in mind.

I remember standing on the upstairs balcony of my house, next to my bedroom door. It was completely dark except for the lights shining on the garland of the banister. My mom was sitting in her rocking chair in the downstairs living room, pregnant with my little brother Matthew. She was listening to Carol of the Bells and quietly rocking back and forth in the darkness. I wonder what she was thinking about. For some reason, that moment in my memory feels so magical that I wish I could relive it.

Another one that stands out was a repeating occurrence on Christmas Eve. We always went to my Grandma & Grandpa Creamore's around 4pm to open our gifts from them. For whatever reason, I always think of the fact that we would have a glass of Pepsi and eat rippled chips with French onion dip. It was tradition. Even to this day, though my grandpa has passed on and my grandma no longer lives in that apartment, I still think of that. And I always find myself craving that glass of Pepsi and those chips. Odd isn't it?

Another? Pjs. I remember getting a new set of pajamas every Christmas Eve. It was so special because I always felt pretty and cozy when I went to bed that night.

There are many more, but I just felt like sharing a few if those moments with you. I hope I can recreate moments like that with our children. Memories that aren't all about getting the best or most expensive gift. Memories of special times with family. Because those are the moment that stick with us forever.

Feeling good!

I am happy to say that I am finally feeling normal again! I have the energy to do what I need to (for the most part) and other then being starving half the time my tummy is behaving! I still go to bed early, but that was pretty standard with my last pregnancy so I'm thinking that is just normal for me.

I'm hungry pretty much all the time now and everything I eat taste way better then I remember. Noah and I made banana chocolate chip muffins this morning and I've already had two. Yeah, bad Carolyn. But I'm making sure to balance it out with lots of healthy things. Noah enjoyed tasting a few chocolate chips while I baked.

Mmm! These things are good!

Speaking of Noah, he is going through a bit of a picky phase. He definitely has his foods that he loves (mainly cheese, cheerios and yogurt) and it's difficult to get a good amount of vegetables into him unless it's in the form of spinach. I realise that's totally normal for kids though and I am just trying me best to give him a balanced diet.

My husbands parents are arriving next week from Ontario and will be spending about 10 days with us. We have tickets to the Michael W Smith concert as well as the Christmas train in Stanley Park. There is also a Kick off to Christmas party at our church that we will be attending with them. It'll be so great to be able to celebrate with both sides of our family this year. Very special!

Well, I am on the family computer downstairs and it's pretty much freezing. So I am off to warm up on my main floor. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!