Cutting hair

On birthdays, the kids go to the local salon for a haircut. I like that. Otherwise, I'm the one weilding the cutting implements.

Until this year, DS hasn't really been interested in what his hair looked like. He's quite fair and his hair is straightish and average thickness. If he wanted long, I left it alone. When he wanted short, I got out the clippers and did the best I could. Now that he's six(!) he has ideas of how his hair should look.

"Short, Mom, with a line."

What? So I cut it short on the side and gave him a mohawk.

A quick look in the mirror and I got the same description. "Short, Mom, with A LINE." hmm. and he pointed to the side of his mohawk, where it was already pretty short(a 1 clipper). huh.

I clipped off all the hair and put in a thin, thin line using the clippers freehand. Another look in the mirror and I got it again. "Short, Mom with A LINE!"

I widened the line to finger width. Perfect and a big grin on his face. Not what I would have chosen, but it's his hair.

DD on the other hand has a lot of hair. It's thick and plentiful with great body and highlights. Quite beautiful, actually. Her ears do not get cold in the winter. As summer came on she began to sweat and her face would flush and then pale as she tried to regulate her temperature. She was looking sick from the heat and it was only June!

I cut her hair. Apparently, it's a bowl cut. And she looks adorable. And she doesn't care. I can still put it into two pinktails if she wants. I hope this stage lasts for a while.

BG's haircut is coming up. I think I'm gonna get DH to do it. That way he can get the praise/blame instead of me!

the chicken

We were in the car last night, on our way home from yet another open house. DS, DD and BG in their carseats behind us.

DD pipes up, seemingly out of nowhere, "We go to Costco. They got chickens in the eggs at Costco. I like Costco eggs."

It's the little things that just keep you going. I bought more eggs today. hopefully, they don't have chickens in them.

Pottying

Sometimes I really struggle with the whole potty thing. I forget that DD needs help as much as she does. I guess that's the downside of having such a fiercely independent child who learned to potty before she was two.

Take today for example. we pottied her in the night-took her to the bathroom while she was asleep, she peed and we put her back to bed-she never woke up.

This morning, she didn't have to go upon wakening. She held it until we dropped DH off at work. She LOVES to use the toilet there. I guess it's nicer than the one at home.

We did all of our running around, went to the play place at the KPRC then to McD's for our 'treat'. That's from 9 until 1:00 without using the potty. I was the next one in line, after what felt like a five minute wait, and she comes tearing across the restaurant "I have to go pee. I have to go pee. I have to go right now." That means stop everything and go to the toilet now in DD's world. You have less than one minute. We made it, but she was peeing as I sat her down. Whew.

She's been twice since we've been home. I've needed to attend as the wiping part isn't so good yet. I know it's part of growing up, but I'm really looking forward to not having to be in the bathroom at the same time as a small child.

breastfeeding challenge

I was reading the other day about a woman who did not understand the point of the breastfeeding challenge ( http://www.babyfriendly.ca/challenge/mother.php )...'I breastfed my child. I pumped when I went out. I used a blanket. I had mastitis, cracked and bleeding nipples. I weaned at six months. I felt defensive when asked why I did so and said I wanted my body back.' I felt so sorry for her. She missed the whole point of the challenge.

The breastfeeding challenge is to celebrate the normality of breastfeeding. To find your community resources. To encourage other women on their journey through motherhood. This was my sixth!!!! year at the challenge. I went with DS; DS; DS; DS and DD; DD; and DS and BG. I have always left feeling amazed with the power of women and part of a larger wonderfully supportive community.

When we as mothers get the support and information we need, many common difficulties are avoided. When we can reach out to each other through things like the challenge, LLLC meetings or bosom buddies, we help each other give our children the best nutritional start they can have.

September's last week

Well, the last week has been fun. I locked myself out of the house on Sunday. My neighbour used his extension ladder to go in through the only open window in the house. I knew it was the only window that was open because I had gone around before I left, locking them all. Thank God for small favours, as my DH, DD and DS were out of town and I had BG with me. My DH managed to lock us out on Wednesday. sigh. At least our back door was wide open:)
BG began sitting up this week. That is so exciting. I still remember when DS did it for the first time. It's such a thrill. Mind, I haven't yet written it into her baby book. these things take time, you know.
DD is struggling with the night weaning. We (I) am too tired to nurse two littles at night. It was like they were taking turns waking up to nurse every hour. It's not so bad when you don't have to completely wake up, but when DD says "I want mama milk" quite loudly at regular intervals throughout the night, I get a little (lot) annoyed.
Now the rule is no nursing upstairs for DD. She doesn't like it much, but it's better than cutting her off cold turkey. We learned our lesson when I was pg with BG, though. We tried the night weaning thing then but it wasn't a consistent thing. We tried substituting a bottle of water for her nursings then. She woke up a lot, and we had to change her diaper a lot too. We aren't substituting with a bottle of water this time. This time she just gets cuddles. It's going to get better, that's what I keep telling myself.

locked out

BG and I went to the local Food Basics in the stroller today. Well, she was in the stroller, I was pushing it. My cell was on the kitchen counter. "We're just going to the store. I shouldn't need it."



We picked up the fixings for tonight's veg lasagna. It was a beautiful day, sunny, 15C, light wind.



BG fell asleep on the walk back.



"Perfect, I can get the lasagnas made before she wakes up." Got all the way back to our front door and up the steps before I looked at my key ring and remembered that I had not put the house key back on it. RATS!



"That's OK," I says to myself. "Oli has a key. He dropped by before we went out. He should be home. I'll just get him to open the door for me." So, I push BG and our groceries back up the block to his house. Uh-oh. No car. I ring the doorbell anyway. No answer. I trudge back home. trudge trudge trudge. It's still a beautiful day, but I'm not feeling it.



Our neighbours are home. I knock on the door and ask if I can borrow their cell to text my DH (who is still in TO) to let him know I'm locked out. John asks if any of our windows are open. Yes. One. the guest room on the 2nd floor at the front of the house. He asks me about the back door. "Oh, I know that one is locked because I checked it before I left."



My very kind neighbour gets his extension ladder, goes through my upstairs window and lets us in. BG wakes up. It was another hour before the lasagna went in the oven.



It's a beautiful day again.

starting up

G'day eh?

Welcome to the first of many, I'm assuming, posts of daily life in our household. I know I am off to a rousing start as my youngest has just stuck the power cord thingy for the laptop into her mouth. I only realized it because my screen flickered as the power drained out of the battery at its regularly alarming rate. Now she's nursing, I'm typing one handed, eating some pizza from Gabrielpizza.com and trying to decide if I'm going to use a fork for my poutine or just dive in with my fingers. Decisions, decisions.

It's a busy weekend, sort of. I had a meeting this morning and DH is out of town with DS and DD and the car. I called up the LLLC leader who was leading the meeting for a ride. We had fun installing the rear-facing car seat. We had scheduled our time to do that. Unfortunately, we had not taken lane closures on the Queensway into effect. Drat. Little things like that can throw off your rhythm. One of the mothers donated some books to the group library. Very exciting. I can't wait to get my hands on them.

Pretty much all I've done this afternoon is nurse BG, nap, potty her, wash diapers and look for diaper free blogs. Tomorrow I'll do some of my planned weekend tasks, like make lasagnas after I pick up the rest of the ingredients, vaccuum under the beds, play with BG.

Poutine with fingers it is.