dougheyes

Final Post

2008-09-20T19:21:22Z

Over the summer, my energy, time & enthusiasm for LJ seriously waned. Despite my best intentions to pick it up again, and possibly use it as a place to blog about my other growing interests besides parenting (simple living, meditation, buddhism, environment), I find that I am not able to muster the energy that it requires.

Therefore, this is my final post. I have truly appreciated the support from various LJ friends over the past couple of years. I have enjoyed hearing about your children & their accomplishments & funny stories, and about the challenges that you have faced & passed through.

I wish you all the best that the world has to offer, and very peaceful content lives.

Protecting Fruit from birds and squirrels

2008-06-23T23:46:09Z

So, I just have to post this, because I'm really happy that I found a cheap solution to protecting our cherries from getting eaten by birds & squirrels.   In the five years since we planted our trees, we've watched in frustration while squirrels swung from branches and ate every single cherry before they could ripen..

Basically, the commercial options that I could find on the internet were to buy commercial grade nylon mesh and drape your whole fruit tree. But this was a concern for birds & squirrels (and in New Zealand, for flying foxes) getting trapped, plus was expensive and ugly and not too practical for me to buy that much fabric, etc.

So, I opted to take some white translucent shiny gift ribbon (about 2" wide) that I had from some wedding presents, and wrapped it around the branches that actually had some cherries still ripening (the squirrels had stripped most of them by the time I figured this out). I cleared some leaves around the bunches of cherries, but mostly wrapped right over leaves & cherries.  I tied soft knots in the ends of the ribbon.

Today, after a couple of weeks, the cherries are nearly completely ripe and I haven't seen a single squirrel hanging from the trees eating the cherries.  We just ate a couple of the cherries and they're nearly perfect!  I saved the ribbon, since it's in great shape and not stained or torn at all.

Wild Life in the City

2008-05-23T21:51:05Z

Well, apparently the past two days are Cat Procreation day, because the neighbourhood strays (who are actively encouraged by a woman who lives nearby, it seems) are at it again. And it ain't pretty. They keep playing out a father-son-daughter menage a trois that is just kinda yucky to have happening in your backyard. Why doesn't that woman have the male cats neutered? If I could catch the dad & son, I'd pay for it, just to keep the cat population down. And it's also upsetting, because the daughter that the father & son were fighting over today, is likely the reason that the pregnant mother cat disappeared last fall.

In other wildlife news, the racoons knocked over our compost bins AGAIN last night, so I had to figure out a time to sneak out while the kids were occupied (safely) and shovel up the yucky garbage.

AND, to top it all off, while Kieran was having his "quiet" time and Adele was asleep, I was cleaning out the car (part 2) and all of a sudden I realized that there was an entire pigeon in pieces next to the kids climbing gym. So, I had to then get the shovel AGAIN and shovel up pieces of pigeon so that I could bring the kids into the backyard this aft without Adele bringing me pigeon feet for show & tell. I wanted to vomit. I have a hard time cutting up chicken breasts from a package, let alone scooping up the innards of a pigeon just freshly dead.

Online Shopping Question

2008-04-28T22:52:36Z

I've ordered online (& been happy) from a few clothing companies over the years, such as Expressiva, Milkface, JCrew and LandsEnd. But I'm considering ordering some yoga pants from Victoria's Secret and I've never ordered from them before.

Any advice? Experience with them? Just asking, not really expecting anything in particular.

Finished!

2008-04-03T17:47:19Z

I am finally finished my course!!!!!! No more desperately editing my poems that I'd re-read 40 times and found no more joy in! I handed in the final portfolio, the process portfolio, and a reading journal and I am FINISHED! (until next year, that is.)

Wooohooo!!!

I wasn't even sure I could do a course and have two young children all at the same time and I managed it!!!!!

Yay for me!

Adele Rolled!

2007-06-29T00:16:13Z

Okay - so Adele rolled from her tummy onto her back last night. And she was trying really hard to roll from her back onto her tummy. So, um, she's only 14 weeks old. Does that seem early?

I have a video of Kieran trying to roll and he was probably at least 18 weeks old, probably even more.

I think some of Adele's unhappy times are due to frustration at not being able to do what she sees Kieran doing. She watches him constantly whenever he's around. :-)

Had a good day today. Lovely toddler, lovely infant. All was lovely.

I'll have to catch up on friend's LJs shortly.

Cold

2007-05-24T20:09:01Z

kieran is running a fever with goopy eyes & a runny nose. He's down a second time in his crib (that only happens when he's sick.)
i thought cold season was over.

And I'm rocking Adele in the stroller with the other hand. She's almost asleep. If it lasts I might get 30 mins to myself.

Time Away!

2007-05-10T17:35:06Z

Wow - I had two whole hours to myself, to do WHATEVER I wanted to do. Chris's parents took Kieran and Adele out to the park, and I didn't even know what to do with myself.  This is only the third time that I've been out of the house without one or the other of them, since Adele was born.

In the end I hopped on the streetcar down to Bakerberry Bakery (which looks better than it actually is). It felt so LIGHT not to be wearing 11 pounds on me, and pushing a 30lb stroller with a near 30lb kid in it.

And when I got back, lo and behold, Adele was starving (actually I rushed back so I wouldn't leak thru my shirt in public which is really freakin' getting on my nerves, incidently) and my MIL was able to get her to take the bottle of expressed milk! HALLELUJAH!   I won't be trapped with a baby who refuses to take a bottle of breastmilk for the next 11 months! I'm seriously ecstatic!

This great day was preceded by another crappy night where Adele wanted to nurse or suck on my finger every hour. So, I'm understandably relieved.

Plus, they're both NAPPING at the same time! Woohoo!

Kieran is 19 months today!

2007-05-04T12:11:09Z

Wow - I almost forgot!

Let's see:

* he's saying sentences like "Mommy! Dat toy - up there!" when he wants the cat toy to play with our cat.
* He nods yes when I ask him if he wants something, and says no if he doesn't want it. (new this week)
* He can now climb up into his highchair on his own, and he buckles himself in. Luckily he can't unbuckle yet. (new as of two days ago)
* he kisses Adele and says "mwah"
* he tries to put Adlele's soother into her mouth (she still won't hold it herself) and when it falls out he says "no, no, no" and tries putting it back in. (awwww....that just makes me laugh & love him so much)

Wow! A good day & night

2007-05-04T11:52:50Z

Holy cow - yesterday was fairly awesome, with Adele going to sleep FOUR times (without my intervention in any way) swaddled and in the vibrating bouncy chair! So, I thought that was pretty awesome, and that the night would probably suck, but...

last night, during her normal "fussy" time (8pm - 11pm), I nursed her and she started crying as per usual, so I swaddled her & put her in the bouncy chair again. She cried for all of 1 or 2 minutes and then went to sleep at 9:30! And, to make it even better, she didn't wake to nurse until 12:40 (so she went about 3.5 hours without nursing) and then woke up at 6 again to nurse! Holy long stretches of sleep!

AND, she's sleeping right now! Will wonders never cease?

Feeling Blessed

2007-04-30T19:05:09Z

I read something today that made me really feel blessed to have two healthy children, even if it is crazy busy and occasionally quite stressful. I am really looking forward to when Adele is able to sit up and smile at Kieran. That's going to be so fun to see!

Favour from LJ friends

2007-04-28T20:00:46Z

I almost forgot. I want to start a new book and I don't know what to read. Any suggestions of fiction books you enjoyed would be appreciated!

Well, False = Real, Apparently

2007-03-19T22:16:16Z

By about 11 last night, I realized that my "false" labour contractions were getting regular again - 10 minutes apart, and I could literally feel them doing the pulling up action.

By 1:45 I was certain enough that we called the midwife, and she came sometime after 2. When she checked me I was already about 6 cms dilated, and that was with relatively far apart contractions. They were just more effective I guess.

At 7:14 this morning, we had a baby girl (who will be nameless until tomorrow when we get a better sense of her). She is 9lbs 8oz and 20 inches long!

It was a faster labour, and I was more lucid, but I must say that doesn't make it more enjoyable. Also, she got stuck at the very end, and everyone was urging me (2 experienced miwives & Chris) to push, with quite a sense of panic and I couldn't even feel how to push anymore, because they were having to maneuver her shoulders out, and she was all wrapped up in her cord (not around her neck, but still around her body). As soon as she was out though, she started cooing (not really crying), and was happy on my chest with me patting her bum. Awww.

I decided to post because it's impossible to sleep with Kieran running around downstairs, but Baby is sleeping, and I'm bored.

Birth details later...

One Big Thing Down. Two Smaller Things to Go.

2007-03-13T00:36:46Z

I handed in my creative writing portfolio today - three weeks earlier than everyone else will be handing them in. I really really needed to get it done ahead of time because I knew there was no way I could do it once the baby comes. So, it's finished. It's not great (and my inner perfectionist side wants to have a big cry about that), but most of it is polished.

I know I should be proud of myself for getting it finished early (and for even DOING the class in the first place, with a toddler running around), but I can't seem to stop fixating on the fact that a couple of the pieces weren't absolutely polished. Sigh.

Now, the only remaining things are: the final exam which is only worth 10% of my final mark. And, Chris's photography website that I'm working on.

On the bus ride home, I had a more uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contraction than normal, and I thought "good! Going into labour AFTER the portfolio is complete is totally cool". But I'm not in labour.

Tick, tick, tick....

Quick post

2007-03-08T01:05:49Z

Yes. Still here. Still pregnant. Aching upper back. Lots of jumbled panicky elated tired emotions, combined with a sense of being frozen in time. I'm just waiting and waiting and doing 1000 "getting-ready" tasks every day. Sometimes I even forget I'm pregnant, and just think I've got a huge uncomfortable belly for some weird unknown reason.

Tons of baby movement too. I'm at the point where I'm starting to get corners. If the baby so much as wiggles, my stomach looks like a lumpy mattress.

It's very twilight zone.

Ah IKEA, the joy, the pain...

2007-02-16T20:11:36Z

We went to IKEA today. It's so great for kids, and Kieran was SO good. He loved the giant basket of berries (balls to play in), and enjoyed looking at all of the toys and displays and lights...

Mommy just didn't enjoy paying for all the absolutely essential things that we picked up. The bill is always SO shocking for all of those little cheap things we throw into the cart. And we got back really late, so poor Kieran is now napping as of 3:00. Normally he'd be down by noon.

Head Down

2007-02-14T17:53:23Z

Baby 2 is head down! Confirmed by my midwife, even though I was fairly certain based on the kicking patterns, etc.

Phew! That's one minor little worry out of the way.

And I can't believe how close it's getting!

Nausea, Low Iron, Aching Back - And The Bathroom Floor!

2007-02-09T01:40:08Z

Big Sigh.

I've been nauseous on and off for almost 3 weeks now, so I'm going to the doctor on Monday to rule out any weirdness that may be happening.

I've been taking the iron supplements for a week now and that hasn't reduced the nausea. I feel overwhelmed, because at this point all of my symptoms "could" be pregnancy or "could" be a virus or "could" be something else weird and ominous.  i.e. my back is aching, I am exhausted (utterly utterly exhausted, even more than normal motherhood & pregnancy combined), I am pale, I am dizzy, I am nauseous (this is the weird symptom that isn't typical to 3rd trimester), etc.

I freaked myself out by searching the web for nausea in third trimester. Seems some pregnant women who get nauseous in the third trimester may have fatty liver disease and it can be fatal for baby & mother if not caught. Granted, I'm not jaundiced or wasting away to nothing, but still.

The good thing is the baby is happily wiggling around, despite my discomfort. So, it doesn't appear to be affecting him/her.

Anyway, my mom thinks I'm worrying for no good reason, and that my sudden exhaustion is probably just that the baby is going through a major growth spurt and is sucking all of my resources. She's probably right.

From here to 40 weeks feels like an eternity. In reality, time hasn't stopped. I'm almost 34 weeks, and surviving. It's just that I think I'd rather be in the midst of mothering two babies, than waiting, waiting waiting.

In other news, Chris has got the bathroom floor laid down, and is getting to the point where he will start staining it. There is still major time to elapse before we're finished, but at this point, we're looking to have a fully finished bathroom (with a real floor!) on Wednesday! WoohoO!

Sigh

2007-01-24T16:17:19Z

I was going to get my nerve up and drive the car up to York today, but I'm chickening out. I think I'll take TTC, even though it takes twice as long to get there and home. It's not the driving part that is scaring me. It's the finding parking at York where I won't have to worry that my car will get ticketed and towed.

dougheyes @ 2007-01-10T14:00:00

2007-01-10T19:04:51Z

I really hate typing up my writing assignments, particularly long ones like the story that I've finally finished. It has to be about 10 pages, and I hand-wrote it all in various pieces over the Christmas break from class. Now I'm trying to type it up (without gagging over how unspectacular the story is) and assemble it into some form of a coherent plot. God, I hope it adds up to something after I finish all this typing.

I actually cleaned the fridge out today! In 15 minutes. I swear, it feels so great to get rid of stuff, instead of hanging onto it. I could get addicted to this 15-minutes-a-day cleaning blitz. It's such a quick way to feel like I've accomplished something. Way easier than trying to write a 10 page intelligent story. :P

FlyLady: helping me find my inner hero

2007-01-09T21:08:53Z

It's been two weeks since I morphed into a FlyBaby. Basically, I was looking up some parenting website for how to cope with two children, and FlyLady's website kept being mentioned by people. So, I checked it out and decided to try it. It's free, and basically, they send you daily reminders (a lot of them) to keep you building better habits (both personal- and home-related). So, now, in the span of two weeks, I have not woken up to a counter & sink overflowing with dishes every single day, I have actually swept my floors, AND swept my front porch, cleared out two shelves in the cupboard of food that has sat there unused for three years or more...

The list goes on and on. And I'm making sure to take care of myself as well as Kieran and the house. The whole Flylady premise seems to be that you can do anything for 15 minutes without wanting to die, and actually it felt truly amazing to get my porch & front walk swept in 15 minutes. If anyone had asked me before that, I would have thought that I'd feel crummy and exhausted and overwhelmed by the sloth-ful state of my home, but instead I felt energized and actually effective!

Oh, and it's not that my house is spotless now. But it's definitely on an improved path.
Yay me!

11 weeks to go

2007-01-06T17:31:50Z

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date...

Oh wait. I still have 11 weeks or so to go. Hopefully not less than that.

On that note, I'm heading upstairs while K naps (I hope) to sort through his outgrown baby clothing bin and start making a collection of the newborn to 3 months outfits for Baby 2. Awww. I'm sure I'll get all nostalgic & emotional about how little he used to be. I got all teary-eyed reading the obituaries this morning. I'm emotional enough without adding pregnancy hormones to it.

Chris is downstairs in his workshop (aka messy basement) preparing for making our own co-sleeping crib for our bed.

dougheyes @ 2007-01-05T12:18:00

2007-01-05T17:26:27Z

The holiday season sure tired me out. And now it's back to the same old, same old. Yesterday, Chris & I went out to dinner at Le Select Bistro, to celebrate my 29th birthday. I was a little glum during the day, mainly because the only people who remembered were my parents and Chris's mom, and I was alone with Kieran as per usual. Anyway. I'm mostly over that "getting older and being forgotten because I'm a SAHM" feeling now.

My general New Year's goal is to breathe while my toddler pushes my buttons, and to remember that I can only control myself. I can't "make" anyone else conform to my expectations. Also, I'm hoping to remember to be my own mother and be really nice to myself because this is likely to be the busiest year of my life. :0)

I feel like I had tons of news to post, but now I've forgotten it all.

My birthday gift to myself is a new pair of non-skid slippers that won't send me skidding down the stairs. And getting my lip & brow waxed. Ah, a tidy less hairy face does wonders for me.

So, Kieran is NOT napping today, it appears, so I'm back on duty.

Random: My favourite product from Pregnancy #1

2006-12-14T19:36:53Z

This is my absolute most successful purchase ever (so far). Butterfly Weed Belly Butter

I attribute it to me surviving pregnancy #1 with no stretchmarks (not one) except on my upper thighs (which I couldn't see at the time & therefore did not apply cream to.) And Kieran was 9/bs 10 oz, so I did a whole heck of a lot of stretching and should have had stretch marks.

And, now in pregnancy #2, so far so good. I'm slathering on the belly butter, (remembering the thighs this time). My approach last time was to apply it before bed every night and after the morning shower. That seemed to give me 24 hour coverage.

I would recommend this product to every single preggers lady I know. I think it's the Evening Primrose that prevents the stretching if you make sure to keep it on for the whole pregnancy.

Ah, yoga...

2006-11-12T17:16:04Z

Nothing beats getting out of the house without my little pet monster. For the past 4 weeks now, I've headed to yoga on Sundays, while either my sister or Chris watches Kieran. It is SO refreshing to just have a little time to consider my current state, and the current baby I'm building, not just the pet monster bobbling around at home. : )

Also, lately, I've been envisioning what April 2007 is going to look like. Holy crap! Between Kieran's diaper changes (4-5 a day) plus a newborn baby's poo changes (8 - 12?), I don't know where I'll get a second to myself. I'm basically assuming I will have not one solitary little moment on my own, unless someone comes and takes my spawn out of my hair. And while this is not a pretty picture, I'm finding that it's best to just accept, accept, accept, because my choices have always been my own.

And did I mention that K had a poo this morning that was oozing out of his diaper into his pants???!! It's been a long time since that happened, and I had the added joy of having to physically restrain him, since he's no longer a immobile little blob. He was trying to roll around, etc, etc. It strikes me as amazing that only now, as a parent myself, do I begin to see what support systems my own parents provided, to get me to today. Day in, day out. The unknown life of parents.