Alive and Kicking

Sorry to all of you who keeping checking this blog, only to find that the blogging well has been dry for quite a while.

To be honest I haven't felt like blogging at all.  In a way that is sort of a good thing.  This blog started its life as a way to keep in touch with family and friends far away.  It then became my outlet to vent and process the day to day difficulties and reflections that related to our son Cole, and his eventual diagnosis of High Functioning Autism Spectrum disorder.  The last post I left you with, Cole was beginning the year in Junior Kindergarten.

Cole has had an exceptional year.  He has progressed so well socially, verbally, and with his various motor skills.  Cole loves school, and I'm sure all the interaction and challenges he gets there has really helped him to excel.  He also attended a social skills playgroup in the fall, and after Christmas Cole took part in a swim program for special needs kids for 10 weeks.\

As of right now, Cole has been discharged from the Child Development Centre and all therapy associated with it.  His final speech assessment last week puts him at the average level for his age.  After several years of perseverance and persistence, Cole is finally potty trained.  He only wears pull ups to school, but we are finding he is now using them more out of laziness.  So as of the end of the school year we will no longer be buying them for him.  Even though scissors are still a challenge for him, Cole can now write his name and we have figured out that he is right handed (he had us and his OTs stumped for a while).  Cole has finally begun to colour and this week for Father's Day, Cole drew his very first picture, his favourite Moshi Monster, for his Daddy.  Cole has taught himself to read over the last year.  He can sight read pretty much anything and reads me entire Dr. Seuss book on his own.  This has been a huge help with his communication barriers.

Sure there are still signs of his autism, but day to day life has become a functioning well oiled machine for our family.  There are still challenges, but I no longer find myself up endless nights trying to come up with strategies to help my son communicate and learn.  No needing to get all those thoughts out  onto the computer screen in order to get some peace of mind and as a result sleep.  So I guess that's why this blog has been silent for so long.  That's a good thing right?!  Dear God, please don't take this as a challenge ... ok? ... ok!  :)

P.S.  Kendall is doing fine as a VERY active and verbose 3 year old.  She's a free spirit who like the wind in her hair, the dirt between her toes, has a HUGE sweet tooth, and chats all day long with a vivid imagination.  She's extremely bright, loves helping out, and considers everyone she meets her "best friend".  On the other hand she can throw one of the best temper tantrums you've ever seen, even though mom and dad don't give in to them one bit.  However, she is quick to apologize after.  We like to call every facet of her personality as "passionate".

At Cole last assessment by the developmental pediatrician, she observed "that I definitely had my hands full with that one", and she was not referring to my ASD child but rather Kendall, who had tagged along and been playing and chatting to herself during the whole appointment!

Welcome Fall

Sorry its been quiet all summer.  The desire to blog seems to come and go and this summer ended up being a dry spell.

But, its a new season full of fresh starts.

Cole started Jr. Kindergarten this week.  He goes full days, Tuesdays, Thursdays and the occasional Friday.  I'd be lying if I wasn't anxious for him.  I don't think the boy has eaten lunch ever in his entire life without either myself, his dad or his Grandma looking after him.  Over 1 year later, and we're STILL working on the potty training thing, so that's also a concern.  Oh, and we were working with the speech pathologist this spring specifically getting Cole to use words to request things.  BUT ...  I remind myself that teachers everywhere deal tonnes of kids like Cole, some with more or less needs, every year all year long.  They seem confident and so should I.  So far he loves school, especially computer time.

This fall has also been the start of ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) therapy for Cole.  Dave and I are attending sessions for parents and Cole will be attending a group after school on Tuesdays.  He did fantastic during his first session, especially considering it had also been his first full day at school.  Needless to say he's one busy 4 year old.

Not to leave Kendall out, her and I are taking a Tall and Small gymnastics class every Thursday.  The girl's got energy and definitely needs an outlet.  If you ask her what her favourite part of gymnastics in she'll tell you the "trampoline!".  Cole's first day of school was the longest the two siblings have been apart.  Kendall likes to keep busy, so without her brother to play with, Mommy was quite in demand.  Of course with only one child around that meant NO fighting and squabbling.  I have to admit that was a huge treat.

Here are a few pictures of how Kendall spent her first day without her brother:

Making soup

Colouring a picture

Helping Mommy with the laundry

Going for a walk

Taking the babies for a slide

 

Hanging out in the playhouse

 

Quiet time

Broken toes, diamonds, hives, paint fumes and a Graduation.

I think you can get the gist from the title of this post that the last couple weeks have been pretty busy.

It all started out with me breaking my toe.  Well at least we think I broke it.  That's the whole thing with broken toes.  If you only fractured the toe and nothing more serious (say as well as some other bone in your foot) there is nothing you can really do for it.  First aid includes buddy taping to the neighbouring toe, staying off the toe when you can, and wearing a supportive shoe if you must walk on it.  So even though I saw the doctor, an x-ray is never taken since the prognosis is the same, given whether it is broken or not.  So we assumed my baby toe was broken.  I'm saying very likely considering it bruised up nicely and was painful to walk on for a week.  Even now if I'm on it too much it feels a bit swollen.  I was suddenly very conscious of how many times I go up and down the stairs in a day, since we live in a 4-level side split. 

Like most personal injuries, I have no cool story involving extreme stunting or heroic.  It was of course done in a mundane, stupid kind of way.  I was simply talking to my son in the hallway upstairs when my daughter called to me from the bottom of the stairs.  As I turned around, I stepped forward at the same time and caught my baby toe on a piece of molding on the corner of our baseboards.  I heard a pop or a snap, and instantly began the furious hopping and cursing under your breath (yeah I'll admit it), that always accompanies when one stubs their toe.   I had the instincts to tape it instantly.  Dave had work appointments all day and we only have 1 vehicle, so Kendall and I went to the after hours clinic later that night.  She had a blast even though we had to wait over an hour.  For the last week, every time I go to the leave the house she asks me if I "hurt-ed my toe".  It's really cute.  So maybe this was my first broken bone ever, if it was actually broken.

2 days after my injury, Dave and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  We agreed that since finances were tight, we'd just pay a babysitter and go out and skip buying each other gifts.  Of course Dave lied (I guess you can do that when you oversee the finances) and got me a dozen roses and some expensive jewelry.  This explained "that look" Dave had for a while after we had to replace the bumper on our car, followed by the break down of our air conditioner, since he would have already have bought the diamonds.  Regardless, we're not the jewelry buying type, so it was very sweet and appreciated.  Dave mumbled something about having to have some kind of equity for all our spent money.  I love his sense of humour. 

Originally for our "hot" date, we were going to go shopping for some desperately need summer clothing, followed by dinner. Hey, when you have preschool aged kids, you take any opportunity you can to go shopping alone, even your celebration of a decade of marriage.  However, since I wasn't too mobile with my gimped up foot.  We decided to see a movie instead.  It's really sad when you can't remember the last movie you saw as a couple, because it had been too many YEARS.  I want to say WALL-E, but I really don't know.  Now I know nothing expresses the sentiments of 10 years of marriage to the love of your life like a good comic book, action flick, but we really wanted to see The Avengers.  Sure everyone else in the theatre was either a mid-thirties single guy or a 12 year old boy, but we enjoyed ourselves and the movie was good.  Of course it was the first time we got to see a movie in 3D considering movies weren't using that kind of technology way back when we saw our last movie.  Instead of a romantic dinner we gorged ourselves on high priced movie food and popcorn, but we were okay with that too.

Last week Cole had his very last day of Preschool.  Next year he will attend Jr. Kindergarten 2 full days a week and every other Friday.  The parents attended the last half hour of class for cake. Kendall thought this was fabulous.  Cole was blessed to have fantastic teachers this year, who genuinely loved and cared for him.  Releasing him could have been much more difficult if it were for these fabulous ladies. 

2 days later Cole finally had an appointment for allergy testing that we had been waiting for, for well over a year.  Cole was very brave and did so well considering the whole unpleasant and foreign process.  The fact that Daddy brought a few presents probably didn't hurt.  During this session Cole was only tested with two possible allergens, peanuts which he's had a previous reaction and blood work done for, and birch (which can possible be related).  The skin test showed a definite reaction to the peanuts and nothing to the birch.  In another 3 months we will go back and they will discuss the blood work results and then test for tree nuts.  Nothing we didn't already know, but at least the ball is rolling.

And finally, if we hadn't been busy enough already (with these things, and everything else I haven't mentioned), we decided to tackle a painting project.  Until this point our front entrance and upstairs hallway have been a display of patchwork and 2 toned paint (a different colour had been used over the patching).  After many months of our front entrance acting as a test canvas, I finally picked a paint colour (I know, I can't believe it either!) and we decided it was time to tackle the project.  That and Kendall kept scraping at the poly filler and licking it off her fingers!  I also decided to paint the new closet doors we purchased.  We keep looking at the two tiny walls we've painted so far with great satisfaction.  Why did we live so long long with what was there before?  Isn't that always the way?

Next on the agenda ... Dave and I are headed to Winnipeg for a week for some meeting and leaving the kids with my mom.  1 week in a hotel with no kids, catching up with friends ... it going to be glorious.



They are cute, aren't they?!

31 Kisses

Before going to bed, the kids like to give each other a hug and a kiss good night.  Recently Cole has decided not to give Kendall just one kiss, but 31 kisses.  In Cole's mind 31 is an rather large number.  So I'm not sure whether he just really loves his sister and is showering her with generous kisses, or merely prolonging his departure to bed.  Either way, it's still pretty cute as we count each kiss out loud.

The Importance of Water Safety

Not sure about you ... but apparently Kendall is concerned about scraping up her elbows in the pool.

Siblings

Tonight the kids were playing with the pirate swords and pretending to be Jake and the Neverland Pirates (from Disney Jr.).  I grabbed a couple of old scarves I still had to complete their pirate looks, which they thought was great.

"Yo-ho-ho!"

It dawned on me how much things have changed in a year.  This photo was taken last June after I fashioned crowns for them out of the floormats in Kendall's room.

A year ago they were smaller, spoke less, and were just interacting with each other.  Talk about different!  Right now the kids are at an age and phase where they fight constantly!  Some days I think I'd go insane if wasn't for moments like tonight.  Where for a brief few minutes they are enthralled in an imaginary adventure.  At least until Kendall doesn't do things Cole's way.  Then it's back to giving Mommy gray hairs.

You Might Have Preschoolers If ...

I shared this photo on facebook today.  It was pretty popular in the "likes" department so I thought I'd share it here.

Potty Language and Much More

*Warning*:  If you don't want to read about the toileting habits of my 4 year old, please skip this post.  I'm posting this kind of stuff because other parents are always searching for advice on potty training, and even more so when it relates to Autism.  If you keep reading and you're disgusted, it's on you for not taking my caution seriously.

There have been a couple of huge events in the Brown household this week.

First, Kendall cut all 4 of her 2 year molars in one week (yeah, the week leading up to that was fun :-(  ).

Secondly and most importantly, Cole pooped in the potty.  (Poor boy, he's going to be so embarrassed if he ever reads this one day.)

Autism and potty training is usually tough slugging.  Breaks in communication processing, and sensory issues, make toileting a real challenge.  This has been true for Cole.  If you remember we started potty training last August. 

Cole has s-l-o-w-l-y made progress over the last 10 months.  I remind myself of this whenever I get frustrated about our present progress.  Cole has gone from not even wanting to sit on a training potty, to now doing both manners of business on a regular toilet. 

This last hurdle (pooping) was a biggie.  Since the beginning of our journey, he has just refused to have a bowl movement in anything other than a diaper, and then a pull up (when we switched).  The boy has amazing control.  We're talking days of holding things in because, the only time he wears a pull up is at night, when he's sleeping, when he goes to nursery school 2 afternoons a week, or when we got out to do something in public.  So as you can imagine we get smelly greetings when we open his door in the mornings.  Also, public errands are usually interrupted by awkward "diaper" changes, or abandoned midway ... and God bless his preschool teachers!

So how did he do it?  How did he finally get over such a "blockage", so to speak? ;)  Two words,  A BRIBE.

Now we've been using a reward system off and on this whole time.  The thing with Cole is that there was nothing he wanted bad enough that would persuade him.  Stickers mean nothing, and he just doesn't care for sweets or food that much.  My Happy Meal toy collection from my youth had been exhausted.

Cole got a Leapfrog Tag system for Christmas.  He ADORES this and plays it for hours over the course of a week.  You should see his reading skills as a result, it's amazing.  During my Mom's last visit for Kendall's birthday she brought a present for Cole as well.  There was one condition ... he ONLY got it IF he pooped on the toilet.  The "poop present" (as we dubbed it) was a "The Cat in The Hat" book for his Tag.  He REALLY wanted it.  We put it right out in the open on the bathroom counter next to the toilet, where he could see it every time he sat there.  I'm going to tell you right now that it sat there for a couple of weeks.  Cole tried everything from asking, pleading, sweet talking, even telling us that it was not a "poop present" but a "pee present" in order to convince us.  Finally one morning we found him in his room, in what I like to call, his "poop stance".  Dave quickly got him to the potty, and with one last push he technically did poop in the potty.  Now since he did push, and he recognized that he had indeed pooped, and then put the equation together that it meant he got his present, we praised him highly and let him have the book.  We figured maybe this would break that barrier in his mind and reinforce the desired behavior.  But weeks past and we never had success again.  We began reassuring him that if he pooped in the potty again, he could have another Tag book.  Nothing.  Finally Dave came home one day with a Chuggington book for his Tag system.  It took a few days but finally after sitting on the toilet by himself for a long while, I went to check in on him and he told me he pooped and began to talk about his poop present.  Of course I had to verify for myself, and it was true.  He had pooped, completely and on his own!!  We called Daddy at work to give him the good news, and Cole got his book.  He was so proud of himself, and of course THRILLED to have his prize.  To make it even better he did it again later that day, and after one accident, again the next day.  He even gave us a tally after the last one and he was right!  There's been nothing today, but hopefully he's gotten the idea that this can be done and stick with it.

Unfortunately we still have one huge hurdle to overcome, and that's initiation.  Cole will NEVER tell you that he needs to go to the bathroom (in either circumstance).  He will not take himself to the bathroom, or ask for help to use the bathroom even despite detailed explanations of how to do so.  The boy will be squirming, dancing and in pain and will always have to be told to go use the bathroom.  Even then, sometimes he refuses and we have to force the issue (sometimes with hostility).  The flip side is that he will simply wet or soil himself and then do nothing about.  He will not call out, or come find you.  He doesn't get upset about it.  He just remains glued to his spot going about his previous business.  Why he does this, I can only guess.  Probably because he hasn't figured out his body's signals yet, even though its obvious to everyone else, and despite trying to make him aware of this at the appropriate time.  It's just like if he's hungry, rather than telling you he is or asking for something to eat, Cole will just get cranky and angry.  Also Cole continues to struggle with his communication, especially in the area of requesting.  Presently he is in speech therapy where we work on the simple task of getting Cole to ask for things.  If we are making a puzzle, he must verbally ask for each and every piece without us prompting him.  Initially it took Cole a long time to grasp the concept that he actually had to ask each time to get what he desired (for eg. each puzzle piece).  Then he had trouble transferring the skill to a different activity for example, a ball popper, where he had to request each ball.  Each time the "rule" of requesting had to be modeled for him.  He has made amazing progress with his "I want ..." phrases over the past several weeks.  However there is a long road between "I want that toy" and "I think my body is telling me I need to go pee. I should go use the toilet".

We have learned from Cole's development that along the way there are huge walls, that take time to scale in his own way, when he is ready of course.   Trying to push Cole too soon, ends up with his head butted against the wall half-way, and he's left disoriented and sometimes shy to try the challenge again.  However, we know that sometimes Cole is content to simply sit at the bottom of the wall and make no attempt, or worse yet, he manages to convince us to continue scaling it for him.  The trick is finding the right time to give him a gentle nudge in order help him make success on his own.  Believe me, we are left questioning and second guessing when this opportune time is in each and every circumstance.  When do we need to be sensitive to our child's "disability" and when do we need to make sure we are not sheltering them to their own detriment, because of it?! 

Now I'm not sure if all those who read this blog know that I'm a pastor's wife.  I obviously have certain beliefs in God and faith.  What I have to say next expresses this.  If you're not the religious type, I hope that you will continue reading because it is been extremely helpful and I hope by sharing such thoughts, it may be helpful to you as well.  Now back to my previous question about sensitivity vs. sheltering ...

I regularly pray for wisdom on this very dilemma because it is continues to be beyond my insight and knowledge.  As a parent we tend to believe that we know our children better than anyone else.  But who knows our children better that God?  A God who doesn't see the world or our being as "normal" or "autistic".  God understands each of our inner workings because we are his creations (Psalm 139).  Who better to ask for instruction on a most precious possession than the one who constructed and assembled it themselves?  This is how I've learned (and continue to learn) to walk through life with Cole, and as a result, autism.  All of the therapy and professional help has been a blessing.  I am so thankful to live in a country that allows our family to have access to all these medical aids without financial burden.  But after our few hours of therapy are over, there are many long hours at home, hard at work by ourselves.  I am even more thankful for that we have the heavenly support "up above" to give us the strength we need, and will give us his ear whenever we need it.  No voice mail or ext. number needed.  Though on the hardest days I wish God would just give us Cole's user's manual.  Of course, as a kid, I think I would have been extremely annoyed if my parents knew about everything I was going to do and why.  On second thought, I think I'll keep free will.  Trusting God it is!

The A Word. A Diagnosis.

Back at the end of February we had a follow up appointment with the developmental pediatrician concerning a questionnaire both us, and Cole's preschool filled out regarding his social behaviour.  Apparently our answers were so similar, that the doctor asked us if we filled out the questionnaire together.  We even came to the same score, which never happens.  It was the social component of Cole's assessment back in August 2011, that required further observation before making a final diagnosis.  If you remember Cole was given the label of "Global Delays" after his initial assessment in August 2011.  After the parallel consensus of the questionnaires, the Pediatrician finally gave us a diagnosis of high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Since then life has been a bustle of various appointments for Cole regarding different therapies, as well as preparing him for Junior Kindergarten in the fall.  Every time I've thought about blogging this significant milestone in our journey, there just hasn't been what I have deemed enough time or the clearness of thought after putting the kiddos down for the night.  So here I am, with a terrible sinus cold, and possible infection ... unable to sleep.  After hearing from a couple of friends perhaps just starting this journey of diagnosis, I thought it was about time I shared the end result of ours.

We've been told by several professionals that we are taking the diagnosis quite well.  This can be a devastating blow for many families.  Frankly, to be honest, it was more of a relief.  For myself, personally, I have suspected Autism since Cole was almost a year old.  At two years, I was almost certain.  The next almost 2 years was more of a waiting game while jumping through the proper hoops amidst a move across the country and provincial health systems.  I'm not pretending that this was at all easy, but I think I did the bulk of my "grieving" 2 years ago.  I say "grieving" because I'm not sure of how else to describe the feeling that a diagnosis like Autism gives.  I think this may be a whole other post in itself.  I'm going to  have to save that one for another day.  I don't think my aching sinuses could handle the emotional release that rehashing those feeling would give.

So what does Cole's new diagnosis mean for us?  As a family, not much.  Cole is still Cole, just the way God made him.  Like any kid he has his own challenges and learns at his own pace.  These challenges are a reality that we have learned to accept and work with since he came into our lives.  We will continue to help him achieve, learn, grow, love and gain Independence just like any other child.  How we approach this may just be a little different.

What does Cole's diagnosis mean for him?  Cole doesn't know that he is different from anyone else at this point.  He has always been Cole, and that's normal for him.  This diagnosis will merely give him the resources in our society (for eg. school) to help him navigate his way in a world that functions differently than he does.

What does this diagnosis mean for others?  I believe it means that people can now have a reference point as how to relate to our son.  An awareness of what Autism is can result in an understanding of why and how Cole does what he does. 

One final thought ...

I read a number of blogs written by parents whose children have ASD (autism spectrum disorders).  One mom in particular at MOM - Not Otherwise Specified, did an excellent presentation to her son's class about what Autism is and blogged about it.  She titled it "A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world" I highly suggest you read it.  It will make you think about Autism in a very tangible way and she expresses it better than I ever could.

Summer is Here

After years of the hassle of inflatable pools, we finally got a hard plastic one thanks to Kendall's birthday and a gift from Opa.  Today's muggy weather was a perfect day to break it in.

Kendall is like a duck to water, so her excitement was anticipated. 

Last year Cole wouldn't even step foot into the pool and threw a tantrum about wearing a swim diaper, so we weren't sure what he would think this summer.  As you can see by these pictures it wasn't even a concern this year.  In fact he asked to wear a swimming pull up even though I wasn't planning on requiring him to wear one.

Yes the kids stood the whole time.  I couldn't blame them since the hose water was a mite chilly.  It didn't stop them from throwing water at each other and themselves (or mommy either!).

Waiting for Daddy

BIRTHDAYS!

So it's been a long while since my last post.  I seem to post in waves.  Sometimes I feel like posting, and sometimes I don't.  It's been a dry spell lately.  I've been keeping myself busy though.  Apparently I planned and threw 4 birthday parties in the last month and-a-half.  Here's a recap:

Birthday #1  Cole's 4th Birthday

The Theme was Disney/Pixar's Cars 2.  Cole has a great memory for detail and could recount every decoration from last year.  However, he seems to have missed one major item of importance.  He INSISTS he is TWO.  I guess he doesn't remember the first two birthday parties we threw him, despite showing him the pictures and counting the birthdays.  Now that his sister just turned two, he'll tell you they are the same age.  Most days it seems true, so maybe he knows something we don't. 

 Back on topic ...

Cole once again loved his cake, but didn't want to eat any.  It was delicious though.  The racetrack cake was easy to make.  We made sure to use character cars from the movie.  A couple of our own and a few new friends for the birthday boy.Other presents included a few new books for Cole's Leapfrog Tag and a couple of Innotab games, so he was pretty much entrance for the rest of the day and totally happy.  Cole will start Jr. Kindergarten in the fall, which is almost too hard for me to wrap my head around until I look at him, and see he's now more boy than baby.

Birthday #2 Dave's Birthday

If you know my hubby, then you probably know he doesn't like cake.  Last year I made him a cheesecake (very different) and this year I made him my cherry pie (a favourite).  Dave doesn't like a big fuss for his birthday but since the kids think that decorations = birthday in this house I made a few of my own using a pad of construction paper.  The kids were enthralled by the Muppets colour blocking and it now resides in our family room.

Dave and I loved the Muppets growing up, so as soon as it came out on Blu-ray we bought it and let the kids watch too.  Over a month later it continues to be a favourite and the kids request it at least once a day (which of course I don't indulge them in).  The both have the soundtrack memorized and quote lines from 80's Robot.  Hearing your 1 year old say lines like "Gnarly to the max", and, "gag me with a spoon" is incredibly cute.

 

Birthday #3 Swingsley's Birthday

The Birthday monkey (right) and his Uncle (left)

Party guests arrive

Helping Swingsley blow out his candle

Swingsley's gift from Mommy and Daddy ... a new friend!

One morning Cole informed us that it was Swingsley's birthday and that he was going to have a party with decorations, party hats and a cake and that Swingsley's uncle and monkey friends were going to come.  It was short notice but I had an extra box of cake mix in the pantry.  A few hours later I learned that Swingsley's birthday was the next day ... so now I had a little more time.  The result was a Curious George party.

A banana shaped cake with monkey cupcakes and decorations thanks to PBS kids.org and my printer.  Swingsley got one present from Mommy and Daddy, a new friend.  The picture of Cole's, I mean Swingsley's, excitement is priceless!

Birthday #4  Kendall's 2nd Birthday

After throwing so many parties already, Kendall's birthday kind of got put together last minute.  I was getting pretty birthday-ed out and the thought of adding more cake to my waist line didn't really inspire me.  I didn't decide on a theme or decorations until less than a week before the party. 

Finally I decided on a Sesame Street theme.  "Elmo" was Kendall's first word after all.  Cole's second birthday was an Elmo theme so I had to think of  something fresh.  Thanks to my Pinterest addiction, I found some Sesame character themed poof decorations on Etsy.  I thought "I could make those" and was sold.  I also saw some pins for rainbow cake which seemed yummy and could tie into Sesame's bright colours.  So I ordered some decorations and committed.

The poofs turned out great.  But the cake ... I had to improvise on my toes.  One of my coloured layers stuck to the cooling rack and completely fell apart, turning my 4 layer cake into a 3 layer cake.  Oh, and other than knowing I wanted a rainbow cake with white icing, I had nothing else.  I had no idea how to decorate it.  So an hour before the stores closed, I drew up a couple of quick sketches, and then hit Bulk Barn for some inspiration.  I came home with a tube of black icing and some Mike and Ikes, and got to work.  It turned out terrific, if you over look the fact that there was so much red food colouring you had to scrape off the top of each served piece because Elmo's face tasted horrible.  (Note to self:  next time splurge and buy the tasteless red food colouring.)

Needless to say, after having been a guest a the previous 3 birthday parties, Kendall was giddy with anticipation.  Her hands were literally shaking with excitement while she ate breakfast in the midst of the decorations.

I can't believe my baby is now 2 years old!  In comparison to Cole and his challenges, she's grown up so quickly and almost too easily.  She's my last baby and I am thankful that she has let me savour her every moment.

So no more birthdays until next year.  Mine is in December, and I refuse to throw my own party.  But who knows?  There's a lot of favourite stuffed animals in this house that could possible have birthdays coming up.  However, a little more notice for Mommy would be appreciated.

Results: An Update

Remember this post ?!

It was the start of my commitment to shed those extra baby pounds and get in shape.  Well, that was almost a year ago.

Someone may be wondering what's happened since then.  Mostly, because I rarely post pictures of anyone other than my adorable children on this blog.  So unless you've see me in person, its probably been a big mystery.

I'm happy to report that thanks to being smarter about what I ate, and a regular amount of pushing a double stroller around our neighbourhood this summer, I was able to reach my goal weight (and then thanks to the flu this Christmas ... a couple of extra pounds).  Not only was I able to wear something other than my maternity sweaters this summer, but I was also able to fit into a dress for my cousin's wedding in August.

And the icing on the cake ...

After being reunited with my wedding dress (my mom had been storing it all these years across the country), being married just shy of 10 years, and 2 kids later ... I was curious to know...  I decided to be brave during the kids' quiet time and just go for it.  Imagine my delight ... IT FITS!

(Now if you're a guy ... you may want to skip this part.  You've been warned.)

Now without a tummy tuck (won't happen), I will probably never wear a 2 piece bathing suit, or anything clingy again.  Nor will my belly button probably ever return to its original shape, size or position.  But, I'm extremely proud of reaching my goal.  My next one ...?  Now that I'm sure there are some abs down there, to firm them up a bit.  I'll check in again in a year and let you know if I've had another success.  Oh goodness ... I think I'll have to patch up my relationship with Jillian :-P

I'm Back

I've been back for over a week.  Back to reality ...

I think I may have this printed onto a number of T-shirts.

That being said, I had a great time.  It was really cold in Northern Alberta.  It reached almost -50  degrees Celsius one day with the windchill.  However, I wasn't going for the weather.  Fortunately, the friends I left a year and a half ago are still warm and friendly.  It was great to catch up, hang out, and to meet the new additions that were born in our absence.  Now to figure out how to instantaneously transport myself across the country for little or no cost.  That, or get all my friends to move east! 

Thanks again to my wonderful husband and family for the wonderful Christmas/birthday present.  Normally I'm not a fan of joint gifts ... but I think this was a definite exception.

Mom On Vacation: The Sequel

Last year my husband sent me on vacation.  A week to myself without any kids.  Well this year he's done it again.  This year for my birthday my husband got me the wonderful gift of a week back in Alberta with my friends.  My journey begins tomorrow. 

I'm very excited, but have to admit, I really wish Dave could come with me.  It's sad that he's going to miss seeing the friends we made over our 8 years up north.  On top of that, I really like travelling with him, and its been 5 years since we've last done that without the kids.  Of course I will also miss the kiddos, and wish all our friends could see how much they've grown and changed.  Especially Kendall who was only 4 months when we moved!  However, I will not miss all the chaos that is travelling with 2 kids under the age of 4 (one with special needs).  I will thoroughly enjoy having my single seat all to myself, getting to eat my snack, actually being able to watch TV or read a book, and only having to be responsible for luggage that does not include car seats or strollers.  There will be no frantic diaper changes in the airport, and trying to keep kids who have been up early and have missed naps happy. 

I will be a bit lonely though.  Just a little bit.  Sorta like missing your left arm.  But don't tell anyone my secret because I'm really excited at the same time ... okay? ;)

Made With Love

My Granny knit hats and mittens for her great grand kids this year.  Here are my kiddos modeling their new headgear.  My kids are pretty cute ... especially in hats made with love.

Out With the Old, In With the New

It's the New year and as they say; "Out with the old, in with the new".

In the last month Kendall has begun putting her feet up on the mechanism under her highchair tray and pushing it so it releases.  We've had to watch her like a hawk to make sure that she's holding out on eating, doesn't end up on the floor.  So, it was time to retire the highchair and move to a booster seat. 

It's no big surprise since by this age, we had already moved Cole out of the highchair so that he would no longer feel any attachment to it when his sister came along.  I was just stalling since the little monkey is SO messy.  Her food is usually scattered about her plate and regularly ends up on her head.  I was really not used to this since Cole learned quickly not to do this and was rather neat.  Kendall however, is a little whirlwind and leaves destruction in her wake wherever she travels.  Fortunately, for the time being, she has not yet learned to rebel against the concept of cleaning up when mommy asks her to.  This includes both toys and sandwich crusts (the least desired part of lunch).

Cole is still a little short to be sitting on a regular chair, so he and Daddy went to Walmart to let him pick out a new seat for himself.  That way his sister could have his old one. 

Today Kendall ate a meal for the first time facing her brother.  It was funny to watch her mirroring each one of Cole's sips, and trying to mimic the way he shoves an entire sandwich crust into his mouth (something we're trying to break him of).  Cole ate Corn Pops for the first time today (he previously has only eaten dry Cheerios), so maybe some of Kendall's "better" eating habits will rub off on him as well (please, please, please).  That would definitely be something great for the new year!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family.

Dave, Erin, Cole and Kendall

Twas 3 Nights Before Christmas

Twas 3 nights before Christmas and all through the house, was the sound of us puking, and the crash when I passed out.

Kendall has had a touch of something since Tuesday (coincidentally the same night Cole came down with croup - again).  She spit up once in her crib in the middle of the night and then promptly went back to sleep.  Of course we discovered this in the morning, after she slept in it all night.  And the parent of the year award goes to ...  After this she mostly had a lack of appetite and a few loose diapers.  But overall, she's been functioning quite well with a little Tylenol.

Then last evening it hit me.  I had been tired all day and decided to lay down while the kids had their quiet time.  When it was time to get up I felt unsettled and called Dave to see if he could come home early from work.  Thank goodness he did because and hour later I was incapacitated.  Literally.  At one point I was on the toilet and passed out.  I now have a bump on the head from where I hit the base of the pedestal sink.  To spare you any more details.  I feel much better now other than its still a little too much to stand up and walk around.  I've been camping out in our spare bedroom since the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, Cole woke up this morning just before 7 and spent the rest of the morning throwing up.  The poor kid hasn't had the stomach flu since he was 9 or 10 months, so he had no idea what was going on.  He'd pretty much just say ouch, scream and then puke (while screaming).  Or at least that's what I heard and was told by my husband, as I laid on my own sick bed.  Cole spent the afternoon laying on the couch sipping water while half asleep.  He's resting and seems to be feeling better.  Somehow his favourite blanket and monkey escaped unscathed.  I'm calling it a Christmas miracle.

Once again the world's most wonderful husband and father has stepped up and taken care of us all.  Here's hoping he remains unaffected.  Just in case my wonderful mother has made the 4 hour trip to stay with us and help out.

We are supposed to be travelling to see my family on Christmas day but at this point I think we'll be taking things one day at a time.  I think the last thing my family would like to receive for Christmas is this nasty flu.  Oh well, things will work out in the end.  They did last time.  5 years to the day to be exact.