Granny Nanny!

We had a busy weekend. My mom is still here and we've been taking advantage of the help. It's funny because we haven't gone out for dinner or the movies instead we've done a bunch of errands. It's very strange to be able to hop in the car and go out just the two of us. The highlight of the weekend was definitely buying a BBQ. We got it yesterday afternoon and had it assembled and fired up in time for dinner. It was delicious. Another perk about having my mom here is that I can drive John to the GO train station so we have the car during the day. Last week we were out everyday. We have been checking out the places around the house. There is a lot of countryside nearby and we found a farm that I'm sure the girls will love when they're a bit older. There are lots of places to go pick berries, apples and pumpkins. We're going to try and check out Bronte Provincial Park this week. There is so much green space here compared to where we were in Mississauga and I am starting to appreciate living in "the sticks". The girls are doing well. Hard to believe they'll be one a week tomorrow. Emma is crawling up the stairs. We bought a second gate which will have to be installed asap. She's quick and obsessed with the stairs and it's a bit scary. We had our 30 day home warranty inspection this past week and there are very few defficiencies in the house. They are for the most part small cosmetic things that I think only John can see. We did have a leak in the ensuite shower and Mattamy was here about 10 minutes after we called to fix it. Somehow a nail went through the pipe which caused the leak. Two more families have moved in on the street behind us but we haven't seen them yet.

They still love the bath!

still blue...

Maybe all the hundreds of people who thought they were being very witty by telling us we had our hands full were right!

Family Shot

A trip to the dentist

I had a dentist appointment tonight at 7pm. Our dentist is across the street from the condo and for the past two years going to the dentist has been very convenient. Not anymore. I think we'll have to look into getting one closer to home. I parked in the parking lot in front of the condo and it was very strange to be there but not be home. We've been so busy lately that I've really only missed the mall and not really given much thought to the condo itself. It was such a nice night out and it would be perfect on the balcony. I immediately counted 13 floors up and noticed that "our" balcony was empty and all "our" curtains and blinds were closed. I hope they're taking good care of "our" condo. The people at the dentist are all really nice and they like to keep track of their patients which I'm sure is comforting for those who are scared of the dentist. I hadn't seen the hygenist I had today since October 2003 and I guess that day she had marked on my file that I was a bit down because that day at work 25% of my company had been laid off very suddenly. I was very confused at first when she asked me about it but I had no trouble remembering that awful day. So while I was lying there listening to her talk it occured to me that I was just pregnant with the girls at that appointment (but didn't know it yet). I thought that was neat. By the time I was done with dentist I was in full reminiscing mode and walking to the car I couldn't help but think of what was going on this time last year. Although I didn't know it, I was in the final stretch of the pregnancy and very uncomfortable. The one thing that stands out about my condo arrest pre babies was a compressor on the top of the Novotel. I guess it was broken because every 15 minutes it would make this big noise that you could hear even with the windows closed. Insignificant to most (John never really noticed it) but that noise nearly drove me insane. It was like a timer ticking away telling me how little time had past when all I wanted was for time to go quickly so I could have the girls and be comfortable again.

A trip to Ottawa

It's been awhile since I've posted. John had some work to do so the girls and I decided to go to Ottawa for a week to give him some peace. I had been moaning and groaning about not having any family to help us out so I decided to bring the girls to the help. I was a bit nervous about the 5 hour drive but they did really well. They cried for a bit before I could stop for lunch but for the most part they slept and giggled while I sang and tossed them the occasional Arrowroot cookie to keep them happy and quiet. My mom came back with us today so it was nice to have help in the car and it will be nice to have help while she's here. Our visit was good. My mom and dad did most of the feeding/bathing and diaper changing so it was a real break for me. I visited with some family, friends from high school and all the neighbours who I think are still a bit in shock that I have kids. The weather for the long weekend was terrible and I was very grateful that I don't have to rely on my weekends for sun. John missed us a lot and he was very excited to see the girls today. He couldn't believe how much they'd changed in a week. Emma can now say "eeeeah" (Leah) and "mmmmmaaaaahhh" (Emma) and is crawling properly for the majority of her travels. Leah got a lot stronger and she can pull up on her knees and is just generally a lot more agile than she was last week. They both can cover their eyes to play peekaboo and Leah will give out kisses but only when she feels like it. Oh I can't forget that Emma is scared of grass!! We had them out in the garden at my parents before the weather turned sour and Leah was crawling all over trying to eat the flowers. Emma started to scream when we put her on the grass so we got her a blanket. She would not go off the blanket and if the grass touched her she got back on that blanket as fast as she could. It was pretty funny. On Victoria Day we took them over to Quebec (where the shops were open). They thought it was funny when people started pointing and saying "les jumeaux, les jumeaux!". Oh and Emma screamed her head off at the puppies in Ottawa but she thought the ones in Quebec were cute. I guess she likes French dogs.

Emma on the blanket

Granny and the girls

Curious Leah

GET ME OFF THE GRASS

Soon to be toddlers

Playing together

Look what you're missing Emma!

Cat!

We got the Focus back today. I am pretty excited. The van was very handy when we were moving but it was not fun trying to load both babies with only one sliding door. When we got our carseats checked they insisted that they were too reclined the way the manufacturer had us install them. When we fixed the recline there was "tons" of leg room in the front so there was really no reason for us to have the van anymore. I am pleased to announce that Emma is saying her first word. We have been hearing it a few times over the past week or so but I was waiting to be sure that she was indeed making the proper association. What is it? Mama? No... Dada? No... She's saying cat! It's pretty cute. She says it a lot which made me think that she had just found a new sound but then Jackson will walk into the room and she'll say it. Leah is still saying Mama but it's harder to tell with her because I'm always around. Emma is also pulling up on everything now. We keep on waiting for her to take a good spill but she's very good at keeping her balance. She can cruise along the couch and nothing is safe anymore. Emma is also starting to crawl properly. She'll go 4 or 5 feet and then drop down and do the commando. Leah is also progressing. She can pull herself up to her knees and she is definitely getting stronger. John and I are starting to think that Leah should have had the jumperoo or the exersaucer. We can see that she is slowly gaining lower body strength and we work with her by getting her into positions where she has to use her legs. Of course most of the problem lies in that we can compare her to Emma. The two of have proven to me that every baby develops differently. They have both been exposed to the exact same thing but their development is very different. We have our next NICU follow up clinic next month - it will be interesting to see what they have to say.

We didn't do much this weekend. A bit of shopping and no unpacking. The girls were a handful yesterday and I think we were both counting down the minutes until it was bedtime. Emma has had another few rough nights and we are both pretty tired. She's been waking up several times at night and crying so hard that we have to go in and rock her back to sleep. I was so tired last night that I thought maybe she wakes up and is scared because it is so dark. It is much darker in their room than it was at the condo. I turned on the lamp in their room and she woke up 3 times crying but rather than getting hysterical she cried for about 10 seconds then went back to sleep. Fingers crossed for tonight. Leah continues to sleep through no problem. I can't even imagine what shape we would be in if she decided to misbehave at night!

Stupid moving stuff

I can't believe it's already Thursday. We've had a busy week. The phone guy came on Monday and was able to hook up the house so we were phone ready. Unfortunately the main phone box still needed work so he left us without phone. On Tuesday, right as I was about to go for walk with the girls, a Bell truck pulled up. One of the construction workers working on the house beside us walked over and started what I thought was talking to the Bell technician. I went outside to see if they needed in the house or could I go ahead and take the girls. The construction worker kept on saying "he's not going in your house". He was rude but at this point I'm used to people being rude when it comes to the phone. As I was packing the girls up, the construction worker left and I got to talk to the Bell employee. Apparently the construction worker was a striking Bell employee and he was basically threatening the Bell employee if he tried to get in my house. I was so mad. I got on the cell phone and called the builder right away and told them what their workers were doing. Ten minutes later two Mattamy trucks pulled up and I told them exactly what had happened and pointed the guy out. They went over to talk to him and let's just say I got some pretty nasty looks when I finally went for my walk. Bell had accused me of missing two appointments (because I'm rarely home during the day ;).... ) and now I think I have an idea of what happened. The happy ending to this story is we now have a phone!! But we have no mail.... Yes, it's true. I paid Canada Post to forward our mail from the condo to the house. When I went to pick up the mail, they said my address didn't exist. When they finally figured out that I wasn't crazy, they said I didn't have any mail. The woman on the phone didn't think it was strange at all that in over 3 weeks we had no mail. I now have a "case" (all my former coworkers will understand the quotes) with CanadaPost. I wonder who has all our mail. I have started taking the girls for walks during the day. I will admit that as much as I love the house, I do miss all the things we used to do at the Condo. I was very excited to find a nice path around a little lake that is just behind us. The dust is starting to get to me. It hasn't rained in days and everytime a truck drives by you can't see. They send a water truck around every couple of days and he sprays water everywhere and makes a bit mess. There is still only one other family but I think there are quite a few others moving in this month. I have met a few of the people on our street and everyone seems nice. The babies are doing well. Yesterday afternoon we drove to Sarnia (2.5 hours) for John's cousin Jeff's confirmation. They were pretty good in the car and exceptionally good in church. I was a bit worried about Emma but she was very good. They both slept on the way home but Emma woke up in the transfer from carseat to crib and it took a bit of convincing that it wasn't time to play. What else? I gave them tofu today. I just mixed it in with their food and they didn't notice. It's a nice easy way to give them protein and I'm hoping it agrees with them. I also fell down the stairs with Leah today. I had my new glasses on which make me feel super tall and I slipped and landed on my butt and bumped all the way down. I scared Leah and myself but we were both fine. John tried on my glasses tonight and they make him feel super tall too - hopefully the feeling will pass. All the proper people have been informed so I can now announce that I told work I will not be going back. I'm going to stay home with the girls. They are still so much like babies that I am very grateful we are able to make this work. Although I haven't worked in over a year now it was still a bit weird to me to resign. I guess it was a bit of a security blanket knowing I had a job to go to if we needed it financially or if I was going bananas locked up in a house all day with two teething babies in dirt city.... but seriously, they are two little monkeys and I don't need anyone to tell me how lucky I am to be able to be at home with them.

Happy Mother's Day!

We've had a busy week. My parents stayed until yesterday morning. I took advantage of the extra hands while they were here and we were out everyday. I am now used to driving the van and I'm more open to the idea of taking the girls out by myself. The van only has the one sliding door and I am a bit paranoid about loading one baby while the other one sits outside in the stroller. I think I will just put them both on the floor in the back of the van and then load them up. My mom and dad noticed a big change in the girls. They are alot of fun now and they each have such strong personalities. They were here for the terrible teething Emma and they still love her! John and I went out by ourselves on Thursday night and bought a new table for the eating area in the kitchen. On Friday, we went to The Keg for dinner. It was the first time we had gone since "our last supper" the night before we brought the girls home from the NICU. We spent a good 20 minutes talking about just how much our girls have thrived after their rough start. Yesterday John helped Troy move some stuff while Jess, Sarah, the girls and I went for a walk to Walmart. Dora (The Explorer for those of you who aren't in touch with kids tv) was there and Sarah got her picture taken with her. She was so excited to see "backpack" (what she calls Dora) and it was pretty cute. Last night Coby, Carrie and Ronan came over for supper. Jeff, Alicia and Amelia dropped in and it was a bit weird having so many babies around! I had a very nice Mother's Day today. The weather was just like summer. The girls were very good. We took them over to the Oakville mall (which is TERRIBLE compared to my beloved Square One - who ever thought I would get attached to a mall!!) and I finally got my glasses ordered. Afterwards we went for lunch at Costco (my pick - I like their yogurt cones) and then we came home. I had a nice nap while John fed and entertained the babies. John's dad and Drew dropped by with a standup freezer (very exciting!) and after they left we ordered pizza. Well that's it for now...I'm off to enjoy my new tub.

We're 11 months old!

I wonder how long it will be until we're outnumbered! (Emma, Ronan, Leah and Amelia)

Emma standing at their new table

Leah's curls

They won't sit still for pictures

My first Mother's Day with Emma

My first Mother's Day with Leah

With Mom

"Come on and help me! I know those cookies are in here somewhere..."

11 month update

One month til they're one... They girls continue to do well. You can really see them turning from babies into little girls. Although they don't know it yet (hopefully one day they will agree with me), they are very lucky to have each other. They play side by side all the time and now that we have more space, they follow each other around. It usually works out well except for when one of them decides to open the drawer and then try and close it when the other has put her fingers in to investigate. We are going to have to baby proof! Here is the update. We had a busy day today and I didn't have time for pictures. Hopefully we'll have time tomorrow. Teeth: Ah...teeth. Not a good subject around here lately. Emma got her 7th tooth and is currently working on her 8th. They are both bottom teeth and they are causing her lots of pain. We have had a few crappy nights and it's still not over. Baby Ambesol and cold baby yogurt seem to soothe her. Leah still has her 7 teeth. Hair: Some people seem to think they are getting more hair. I think they're lying ;) Sleep: At the beginning of the month both girls were going 12 hours without waking up. We were all well rested and they were only taking 1 nap per day. Right after we moved, Emma started teething and we have had a few rough nights. A couple of nights ago she was inconsolable (even when we held her) for 3 straight hours. My mom finally got her to eat yogurt and we gave her Tempra and she got to sleep with us that night. She doesn't like going to bed as much either and will cling to you when you go to lie her down and then cry when you leave. We won't let her get away with that once she's finished teething but until then we will spoil her. Leah is still a good little sleeper and very rarely wakes up in the night. I should also mention that they were down to 1 nap for 2 weeks but since we moved they are back to 2. They also finally each got their own crib when we moved. Getting around: Emma has started to pull up on things and cruise a few feet along the couch. For a couple of days she couldn't figure out how to get down but she's mastered it now. She has very good balance and she is very strong. She is also started to crawl properly for a few feet before she goes back to the commando crawl. We have also noticed a great improvement in Leah's strength. She can go from sitting to crawling, get up on her knees and grab things and hold herself up standing for a short period of time. They both love all the room in the house. They follow me around and especially like trying to get in all the drawers. We need to childproof the kitchen. Food: We are slowly making progress on the food front. We finally figured out that they do like some chunky things just not mushy stuff with chunks in it. They love yogurt. I'm almost thinking I could give them yogurt for years and never let them have ice cream...would that make me mean!? Thankfully My Mom and Dad also got them a Costco size pack of Arrowroot cookies which have been a big hit. It's great for keeping them happy and quiet. They also like toast, cheerios and fruit puffs. They have been getting 3 bottles and 3 meals a day. We have gone a couple of days with only 2 bottles and we will be making that transition this month. They are doing much better with sippy cups but I still don't offer them as much as I should. Now that we are moved and settled I have no excuse. Talking: They say all kinds of sounds these days. Somedays you would think they know what they're saying but we're not sure. Leah definitely says "MUM MUM" and I'm pretty sure she's referring to me but not 100% sure yet. They will repeat sounds back to you which is fun. Cute stuff: Emma can wave when you say hi or bye to her, she can clap, blow raspberries and repeat sounds. Leah can clap, wave, blow raspberries, repeat sounds and today she started kissing me, John and Jackson. It's so cute. She sticks her mouth on you and goes MMMMMMMAAHH and then stops when she pulls away. Personalities When the girls were small Emma was very laid back and Leah was pretty high strung. They have switched. They have completely different personalities. Emma cries easily when meeting new people or facing new things. She cries when she sees the puppies in the pet store, when "new" people hold her, or when we put her down when she is not comfortable. When she cries now she is very clingy to both of us. She holds on extra tight and buries her head for comfort. Teething has made her pretty uncomfortable all the time lately but when not teething, once she warms up she is a happy girl. Emma loves to cuddle when she's tired or sad. She definitely knows what she wants and she is very determined. She is very rough and will wack (pat!) the cat and grab things from her sister. My dad calls her the little bruiser and it is very fitting. Emma stopped using her soother this month and we are not going to give it back to her. Leah is very easy going. She only gets upset when she's tired or hungry and we are usually able to anticipate both and keep her happy. She doesn't mind new people or new things and she will still go to everyone. She is very gentle and likes to examine everything. Leah is still very attached to her soother but we only give it to her when she's in her crib. She is not at all clingy and for the most part is happy enough to crawl around and explore.

The snowbirds return

My mom and dad are due to arrive sometime tonight. They have been in Florida since November. My mom saw the girls when she was here in January but my dad hasn't seen them since they were true babies. Same with the house - my dad saw it when there was just a street and my mom saw the frame in the middle of a snowstorm. Emma is teething again and she's not very happy when it comes time to go to sleep. Bedtime last night was a fight and we ended up giving her some Tempra because she was so worked up and in obvious pain. It has been the same routine (with Ambesol rather than Tempra) for this morning's nap. I keep on telling her she has to be well rested for Granny and Grandpa but it's not working! All my nagging paid off and Alicia and Jeff have made a website for Amelia aka Peanut. I have added the link to the places I go list on the right.

House Pics and Emma is pulling up!

Nothing terribly exciting to report. We've had a busy weekend getting things organized and some stuff put away. We had to drop off the old digital box and modem in Mississauga and it was strange driving out there rather than driving to Oakville to see the house! Jeff, Alicia and Amelia came over to see the house today but besides that we've just been out shopping and home unpacking. The babies are doing very well. They are sleeping right through and still waking up later. The second crib is up so now they both have their own bed. Yesterday we bought and installed the baby gate at the top of the stairs. We still have some more baby proofing to do but the gate couldn't wait. Emma has started pulling up. She's doing it on the couch which is really funny to watch. She's also trying to crawl up the stairs so I'm sure next weekend will be spent getting a gate for the bottom of the stairs. Here are some pictures of the house and the girls...

The front/side view

The back

Computer nook

Kitchen

tv room

Girls in Emma's crib (they finally each have their own!)

Emma saved pulling up on the couch for the new carpet!