I haven’t updated on Rowan much these days. He is finally taking his medicine willingly, which is a really nice change of pace. He’s never fought it too terribly hard, but having three hands would be an asset. I no longer have to ask Dekker for help, though he was always so willing to hold one of Rowan’s hands for me, and to his credit, he never let go. But now, Rowan associates his medicine with wellness, and its wonderful to see!

Unfortunately, it seems that while he’s found some relief, its not quiiite enough, and he’s struggling again. He is waking up a bit more in the night and really fighting his bottle in the day. Its always harder accepting that after we’ve seen such improvement, but knowing its medical rather than just defiance helps a lot.

So today, I took him in to see Dr. Mike again. We’re waiting to see Dr. Guselle again next week to see if we can up his dosage, but until then, we figured a bit of chiropractic help would be beneficial.

I’ve said it time and time again, but Dr. Mike is exceptional. He took Rowan from me and walked him around the room a little bit, showing him stuff, and getting him comfortable in new arms. He gave him something to play with and then began treating him. He sort of gets down on one knee and props Rowan up on the other knee, and feels along his spine. Its sort of like a little massage. The best part is that it tickles Rowan. While Dr. Mike was “tickling” Rowan, Ro would belly laugh and lean back, very intentionally, and turn his head to try and find someone to snuggle with. Dr. Mike happily obliged his request, and nuzzled him through his treatment. When it was all over, Ro clapped for Dr. Mike. It was pretty sweet, honestly. Dr Mike agreed that Rowan needed the adjustment. He said he wasn’t too far gone, and that he straightened up very easily, so thats a plus. He gave us some tips, but they basically all centre around being diligent with what we’re already doing. Keeping his meds up, holding him correctly, encouraging him to roll both ways, encouraging more and more solid foods (to strengthen tummy muscles and push down reflux) and just basic things like that. It was a really good treatment, though. I felt confident when we left, knowing it was good to have brought him and that help was certainly on its way.

We ran a few more errands, grabbed supper, and came home right at bedtime. The kids are still pretty riled up but we’re feeling good. Brady and I both had really good days, the kids are happy, and we have absolutely nowhere to be tomorrow!!! I think we’ll do laundry and virtually nothing else. Perrrfect.

The kids and I went to see some friends for a playdate today. I think the last time we spent a day with them was about two years and three children less. We each had one, and now there are five between us. It was a long overdue date.

Getting out the door to drive there was a bit of an endeavour. Remember how yesterday was deathly rainy and windy and just begging to push every vehicle into the ditch? Today, most of the ice was gone, and driving conditions were just generally better. It was colder, though. So I started the van probably fifteen minutes before I planned to leave, and got the kids all dressed and ready to go.

We all made our way outside slowly, careful not to wipe out on the sidewalk and such. I went to the side of the van that we usually let the kids in, and tried to open the door. And it was frozen shut. The dumbest part of it was that the automatic sliding function that we love SO much makes it way harder to fight with. I reefed on it like crazy, but the thing just clicked. It was basically laughing at me. So I had the pleasure of bringing them all around, putting Rowan in his car seat, and unceremoniously loading Dekker and Laela into the van overtop of his seat, making sure to smack their heads on the roof good and proper on the way in. Mom of the year award? I think yes. Then, for any neighbours already watching me in amusement, I had the pleasure of climbing into the van overtop of Rowan as well. I closed his door behind me in an effort to warm us all up again, and I buckled everyone in. I also pushed the “open” button of the frozen door, and solidly bodychecked it at just the right time, successfully breaking the ice and rendering it useful again! Win!

We did finally make it out the door, once I managed to defrost the windshield enough to use the wipers. It was kind of a mess getting out of the driveway, but I was pleased to see the highways were pretty well clear, and much more comfortable for travel! We made it to our friends place in good time.

We arrived mid morning and stayed into the mid/late afternoon. It was so long overdue, and I throughly enjoyed our visit! Dekker didn’t play shy really at all, and all four of the kids (minus Ro) played beautifully together!! At some points, Laela and her little 18 month old playmate were playing downstairs, just the two of them. It was adorable. We ate well and played well and chatted forever. I certainly hope this is something that can happen more than every two years, because it felt like something I would enjoy much more regularly 🙂 Its so good to catch up with friends, no matter how long its been.

When we did leave, we were not on the road for five minutes before all three of my children were cashed out. We even lurked in our driveway at home for a bit while they lulled awake. They were tuckered right out, but in a really really good way 🙂

And now I am also tuckered out. As per usual, a soak and a snack are in order. And then early to bed, like our new usual. It feels amaaaaazing to be getting extra sleep! Everyone should try going to bed before 10:00 one of these days. I know, I’m a night owl too. Just feels great trying something new!

After my incredibly long day (after my incredibly short night) I am both pleased and embarrassed to have fallen asleep at 9:15 last night. My children lulled me awake very gently, through the monitor and Ro from his playpen, but I was able to lay still and rest until a solid 8:00. It is a beautiful thing that Dekker is now comfortable enough to go to the bathroom on his own in the morning. Its not that he doesn’t pee by himself, because he always does, but he has never been mischievous enough to leave his room in the morning before I come to get them. So it took a bit of convincing for him to know it was ok to leave his room without my permission. But he does it now, and climbs right back into bed. He actually even pees in the night on his own! Its awesome, and makes way less risk for morning accidents. Win!

Anyway, I had a great night and was feeling so ready to go to Kims for a playdate, but of course, if you live anywhere near here, or have the internet, you’ll know we got our first snowfall last night, and it completely iced the highway over. SO many people in the ditch, and not just because “people can’t drive in winter,” but because the wind was wicked. My husband is an incredibly confident winter driver, and he was constantly being pushed into the other lane. No good. So our playdate was cancelled 🙁 again. But we had a nice cozy day, tucked into blankets, pj-clad and happy.

The kids were happy today. They played beautifully! It was almost strange how little they tried to get on each others nerves. Rowan slept like a champ, over three hours in one stretch, and while Laela fully boycotted her nap and never went to sleep, she was a great little charmer right up until bedtime, when she seemed to lose her cool. But its bedtime. We don’t expect it to be smooth every day.

Last nights bath was a total bust. It was like sitting in a hotel cold pool that isn’t especially cold, but definitely colder than a bath should be. So we sat in it for just a few minutes before getting out, shivering. But with the wind blasting our house and making crazy sounds and cooling the place down juuust a touch, I’m so ready for a hot squishy bath!! Maybe I’ll even pull out a Lush bath bomb….. Luxury, guys.

I’m sure the whole world knows about how every day seems to be “National Whatever Day.” Well, I decided today was a day that I was going to label.

I declared that today be Watch TV All Day Day! Also, a more articulate name for it could be Lethargic Zombie Day. Both sound like a riot, I know.

Todays holiday is brought to you in part by sweatshirts that are pulled out of the closet that somehow already have snot on the sleeves. Additionally, today is sponsored by being awake since 2:00 this morning.

I have to tack this on here, though. The one positive of having one of the worst, most anxious nights ever was that Brady was sleeping fairly restlessly, so I felt like I had some company. He would periodically check on me, snuggle with me, and even pull out his phone and play mad libs with me. He made it possible for me to rest much easier, which is a close second to actually sleeping. I am incredibly grateful for him, and for that.

As you would expect, though, the kids were big fans of Watch TV All Day Day. Before you judge me too terribly much, know that my kids still play beautifully when the tv is on. Its much more about background noise around here. Also, even if they stared blankly at the screen for hours on end, we all get a day sometimes!!! Today was ours.

I prayed all night for sleep, and it just wasn’t in the plans, I suppose. But if you feel like praying for us tonight, I know we could all use some solid hours! How funny is it to see Rowan sleeping better than anyone else in this house, all of a sudden???

Dear Doctor,

I appreciate you so much. I’ve received all kind of medical care in my life and yours is above all the rest. Never before have I had a doctor who trusts me the way you do. Never before has my opinion mattered so much. Never before has my mental health been held just as high as my physical health. My kids have been cared for so lovingly. Never have we been in an appointment with you where you haven’t addressed each of them individually. You are an exceptional woman. I couldn’t ask for better care from a more understanding person.

When I brought Rowan in to you, all I had was stories of frustration and a big baby boy who was certainly not wasting away. You listened to me ramble off our stories before asking me what I thought it was. I told you my suspicions, and you thought about it for a second before saying “Well, its not a perfect theory, there are some holes in it, but I think thats a very safe place to start!” You had witnessed no symptoms, only a thriving child bouncing on the lap of an exhausted, discouraged mama. I know, you probably would have reached the same conclusion about him without my input, but I LOVE you for letting me weigh in.

Because of you doing this for us two weeks ago, I have a completely different baby. He eats SO much better! Not perfect, but he is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was. He is sleeping like a champ as well, while he was an overtired mess at our visit with you. He actually gave us a full nights sleep, finally, last night. But best of all, my Rowan is engaged. He is RIGHT THERE. His face is bright, and his eyes are shining. He has always been handsome, but he has never looked like this. He has color, and pizzaz, and LIFE. You have brought his quality of life up immensely.

I cannot thank you enough for helping my boy feel so much more comfortable.  You know that delicious feeling, after you feed a baby, and he’s all dozey and squishy, and you can wrap him up and rock him and cuddle him while he lays in your arms, mostly asleep, blissfully unaware of his surroundings? I have never had that with Rowan, until now. How I have missed that!! THANK YOU for giving me my baby boy. And thank you for valuing my hunch as his mommy and giving him exactly what he needed. I value you SO very much, I hope one day I can actually explain to you how much you mean to our family.

My deepest thanks,
Hailey (& Rowan)

PS: I wish we could have seen you today at his check up. I know you’ll be so happy to read in his chart that he’s gained 1.5 lbs in the last two weeks! You really gave us exactly what we needed. THANK YOU.

We weren’t feeling quite brave enough to tackle church today after the whole debacle last week with having to leave the service in a less than ceremonious way, aka very loudly. We, instead, took the kids to the city for breakfast at Tim Hortons, to do something just as a family. Our regular Tims location is currently under renovation, and was drive-thru only. We drove to a different location nearby that we’ve only ever driven thru, but Tim Hortons is Tim Hortons, right?

When we got there, I noticed all of the bagels were jalapeno, tomato, or other more “lunchy” kinds. I asked if there were any more plain ones rather than the tomato or jalapeno. The cashiers response was “Yes, we have jalapeno.” I finally got my message across, and yes, they had some plain ones kicking around. So we ordered some of those for the kids. I had planned to order them the yummy yogurt that I like to much. I noticed that they have greek yogurt now, which the kids haven’t had before. So I asked if they only carried the greek yogurt, or if they had the original kind as well. The answer – “We have strawberry and vanilla.” So you can imagine that we were off to a bit of a rough start, but we finally got what everyone wanted and paid up.

We went to pick a table while we waited, and I went to find a high chair for Rowan, who now hates sitting in his stroller when its not moving. He much prefers being up with all of the action now. After a full sweep around the restaurant, I went and asked at the front if there were high chairs. Same woman I ordered from. She looks at me like there are watermelons growing out of my ears, and says “Ummm, no, haha, we don’t have high chairs.” How foolish am I to assume a family-friendly fast food establishment would have high chairs? My bad, my bad.

Anyway, I know, this is a big whiny post, and honestly, if I have any choice, I’ll likely not bring my family there again. BUT!, the kids were happy with their food and were very happy for the outing, blissfully unaware of the annoyance Brady and I were feeling. Happy kids makes almost everything better, so we enjoyed our food and got out of there once everyone was done. Everything boiled down to the right stuff, and thats what matters in the end.

My parents came over for the rest of the day! We shared lunch and supper with them, and got caught up on some visiting before they’re soon heading out on a trip to BC to visit some family. Its always nice to spend Sundays at their house, but we really desire to host them more often, and today was a good day for that. Hopefully there are many more days like this in our future. Who knows. Maybe eventually we’ll even live MUCH closer to them, and it’ll be even EASIER!!! We keep praying, and ask you all to do the same 🙂

Dekker has entered a new stage of his life. He lies. A lot. Nothing big and harmful at all,  but deception nonetheless.

His first lie of the day earned him a time out. When I called him out of his time out, I warned him that if he lied again, his punishments would get worse. It wasn’t long before he threw another lie out, and Brady and I tried to figure out a consequence that was outside the norm. I think it killed Dekker more standing in front of us while we thought about what to do with him.

We finally settled on diaper duty. Not really that bad of a job, but one that would last all day. The job meant that, every time we changed Rowan or Laela’s diapers, no matter where we were or what we were doing, Dekker had to bring us the diaper/wipes/cream, and when we were done, he’d take care of the diaper. As soon as I explained it all to him, he cried and cried, but that was mostly just because he knew he was being punished. Once he had all of the rules explained, I asked him to grab the diaper at the bottom of the stairs and bring it up to the diaper genie in their room. I didn’t realize that Brady had already thrown it up the stairs, but Dekker headed upstairs, located it, and put it away without complaining.

He rocked that punishment today, I’ve got to say. He didn’t whine or fuss over it, but I knew he was aware of it as a punishment still, because usually, if there are two diapers, he suggests Laela helps with one. But none of that today. He’d just take both. He worked really hard to have a good attitude.

Coming up on the end of their day, Brady gave them the heads up that they had about ten minutes before we’d start tidying toys and getting ready for bed. Dekker surprised us all by suggesting that we just “start right now.” So we did! We tidied the toys and made it upstairs in what felt like record time. They did their bathroom stuff and then came into their room for Laela and Rowans diaper changes. As soon as the old ones were rolled up, Dekker put them in the diaper genie and informed us that it needed to be emptied soon, which it really did. As Brady changed the bag, I asked Dekker if he remembered why he was on diaper duty today. “Ya, because I lied.”

I am SO thrilled with how well the day turned out. Dekker took his punishment very well, as in without complaint, but fully realizing that he was in trouble all by himself. I hope it starts to sink in soon. But either way, I am incredibly proud of Dekker today <3

I had a waxing appointment this afternoon, and thanks to Bradys materials being too late to site again, he had the afternoon off. He was loving enough to rush home in between, leaving just enough time to get dressed and help get the kids out the door. I’m more than capable to get everyone ready on time, but it is AMAZING to have the extra set of hands so I can actually get some makeup on and feel a bit more alive. Also, I vastly prefer driving together rather than just convoying home. I feel like we see each other so little, I often call him and we talk on the phone as we drive home. Its a lot nicer just being in the same space 😉

My appointment was really lovely, as usual. I love my waxing girl for lots of reasons, but she always gets my eyebrows looking perfect, and I love having fresh eyebrows. If you need an eyebrow girl, I have one for you! We hit up a nearby mall for a few little treats when I remembered that Starbucks had a FABULOUS deal on today until the 15th, where from 2-5pm, their holiday drinks are “buy 1 get 1 free.” So I grabbed a pair of lattes for Brady and I. Yum.

We ran a few little errands around the city today, but not too many. We stopped at the Gap outlet to buy some little girl jeggings for Rowan. I know, it sounds not quite right, but my kids SUCK at pants. They just do. Its hard to find pants that fit them. I think lots of people have similar issues. By the time the waist finally fits, they’re too short. Can I get an “amen?” Anyway, Rowan has started rocking Laela’s jeggings, and he’s actually fitting some that are still a little bulky on her. Its absurd, I know. But they wear the same size of diaper so I guess it adds up. So I found some potential pairs, and we’ll see how they fit soon. Afterwards, we stopped in Walmart and let the kids run around a bit more while we grocery shopped, as well as picked up a couple of things for Christmas. Last Christmas, I finally got on the wreath bandwagon, and I LOVED it! But I didn’t have a way to hang one on my door, so we just hung them on nails on the wall. It was fine, except that since then, we’ve painted and filled in all of the nail holes. We’re not hoping to add many more before it sells, so we snagged a door hanger for one anyway. Its time to get festive up in here!!! (PS: Is there a rule about how soon I’m allowed to decorate? Considering showings and such, we strive to have our house as perfect as possible each and every time. Would early Christmas decor be off-putting?)

Our last stop was Costco, where we purchased our first ever artificial tree. I have always loved having a real tree, for the smell, the tradition, and the fact that it just looks nicer to me! But I HATE how long I have to wait to put one up!! If I want it to live until Christmas, I have to wait. And thats hard. So we bought a really beautiful looking tree from Costco for a super price!! We grabbed a few other necessities, and Dekker and Laela scored big, each getting a cookie from the bakery and  a Lindor chocolate sample. The woman who checked us out seemed kind of annoyed that we had purchased a tree, because it was big and hard to load the rest of our stuff around it in the cart (eye roll) but we just pretended we didn’t notice. Leaving the till, some people noticed Laela and started pointing her out and saying her boots were cute. Laela is pretty shy and tends to just put her head down when strangers address her, but this time, from her spot in the cart seat, she lifted her legs up for everyone to see. That girl 🙂

We had a good ride home, and the kids ate their supper well. But everyone was pretty overdone by bedtime, so the night ended with many tears on their end. But its ok. We had a really lovely afternoon and evening together, and it wasn’t even Saturday! I’m so happy we’ll have another family day together tomorrow!!!

Today seemed a bit overwhelming, I’m not really sure why. I felt bad when Brady got home because I felt a bit of relief, where as he hadn’t had the best work day, and was coming home to more chaos. He has reassured me that he prefers home chaos to work chaos, and he’s more than happy to come home to it, but still. I know he doesn’t get the same relief I get.

We spent the evening with three underwear/diaper clad children. Not because they asked to be undressed, or because thats normal right before bedtime. No. Every single kid took their turn being unceremoniously stripped down for one reason or another.

It began at supper.

Laela spilled half a cup of milk on herself. I get it, cups are tricky, but usually she’ll accidentally splash a little, or dribble some down her face if she pours it too fast. You get the drift. But she had clearly brought the cup to her mouth, not tried at all, and poured it down her body. It was all over her high chair, the floor, and of course, her clothes. So we stripped her down and figured it would be bedtime soon enough, so we’d just leave her that way.

Once Dekker and Laela had ran off to go find some fun, Brady and I visited a bit in the kitchen and relaxed a little. He decided to put a load of dishes through the washer, so I grabbed Rowan to take him downstairs to find the others. I noticed right away that his diaper was really fat. I figured he had probably wet through, so I looked into the highchair, and found poop. Because why wouldn’t I? So after that blowout, he also was just left naked. Again, it would be bedtime soon enough.

We were downstairs, and Brady had finally come down to sit with us for a few minutes before we began the big tidy of toys and the rest of bedtime routine. In that moment, Dekker got this scared look on his face and announced that he’d pooped his pants. It still happens sometimes, and it takes everything in me to just say “Oops! Lets go to the bathroom fast and finish up there!” rather than getting suuuper frustrated in front of him and telling him he knows better. So this evening, he pooped his pants, and Brady and I both right away said “Well, let’s go to the bathroom! C’mon, let’s go!” Brady got there and pulled his pants down. There was poop aaaaall down his legs. It was a big, gross, sickie poop. I could see right away how it had gotten away on him. There was compassion, but also dry heaving and preemptive exhaustion towards the upcoming task. We hauled Dekker upstairs to got him on the toilet while we ran a bath. Poop was all over the floor, the bathmat, the toilet seat, the potty seat, and of course everything he was wearing. I grabbed everything that could go in the laundry, and brought cleaning stuff for the floor and seats. Brady scrubbed and then showered Dekker off while I ran a load of laundry with Dekkers clothes, the bathmat, Rowans clothes, the cover from his high chair, and Laela’s clothes.

If I can be honest, the vibe from this evening was sort of how the whole day felt. I’m so very glad its bedtime.

My kids are lucky they’re so darn cute.

This evening, I was SO blessed by three different strangers, in a McDonalds, of all places. It reminded me how much a kind word can have an effect on someone and make their day, in some cases.

Brady and I met in the city after his workday. We planned for a quick supper at McDonalds and then a grocery shop at Superstore. Not a lot to do, but we enjoy those kind of outings.

We walked into the McDonalds a little less organized than usual. Lots of people were coming in and out and it was a tight little entrance. That, and we had Rowan in the stroller so I’d hold the door for Brady to push Ro thru, and then we’d all be backed up behind him against another door. It was just kind of a mess. When we finally made it into the building, the kids were just walking straight ahead, which wasn’t where we needed to go. So we had to go gather them and wrangle everyone to one table before I got everyones orders and went to the front counter. We weren’t at all loud or causing an issue, but we did stand out a little bit.

Right after I ordered, a woman was walking away with her order, and stopped by me. She commented on how cute my kids were. I thanked her, and told her they were really fabulous kids. She said she could tell, and she headed to her table to have her supper. It made me feel all nice and warm and fuzzy.

I leaned against a wall and waited for my order, and a woman who ordered after me came and waited right next to me. Not two seconds of standing next to each other, she tapped me on the shoulder and said “Your family is so adorable, you should be very proud.” I couldn’t help but puff up a bit like a mother hen. I thanked her and said that I really am proud of them. We proceeded to have a bit of a sad, deep conversation about her inability to have children. It probably wasn’t the most appropriate conversation for two strangers to have in a McDonalds, but she clearly was comfortable talking about it, and wanted to talk about it! So we talked, and she said how desperately she had wanted kids, and how mine just made that desire stir right back up. I felt sad for her, but she said she had recently married a man later in his years who was past his time of child bearing, so she said she would have chosen him over babies. It was good to know she was content in her life. But I saw her look over at my family many times. She was very enamoured with them.

When the food all arrived, I brought the tray to our table and proceeded to make a few trips to and from the condiments/drinks/utensil area. Once everyone had their meal, straw, napkin, ketchup, etc., we could begin eating. The kids were all doing awesome, and honestly, making us look really good. No one was spilling, they were using perfect manners, Rowan was quiet. It was a scene out of a movie, really. It wasn’t too long before I noticed another woman headed our way. It was an elderly lady, and her husband a few steps behind. She said she’d been observing us, and that our children seemed so happy. She said “You must love them very well, and smile at them a lot.” She just warmed my heart. She asked about all of their ages, and commented on how well behaved they were. I thanked her profusely and made a joke about how they’re just hungry, and that was why they were quiet. But she insisted that they were just lovely kids, which they are. She pulled out her grandma-style little black book, filled with family pictures. Her and her husband have been together for over 65 years, and they had four children. She noticed that Rowan is big for his age, so of course we got onto the topic of my kids enormous birth weights. She was SO funny about it too! I had said “But thats what you want, right? Big, healthy kids.” And she kind of looked at me like I was nuts and said “You don’t want them THAT big!!” But she was SO loving and interested in us. I half expected her to sit down and join us, but she did move on eventually.

This post is not about how great my kids are. Though they really are great. But its about how those few little comments/conversations I had with complete strangers reminded me how a nice word (or a mean word) can affect someone’s day SO MUCH. Its hard to remember to do that all of the time, because it doesn’t feel natural. What is it in us that doesn’t want people to feel good about themselves?? I think compliments are SO important! But I know, there are lots of reasons not to, one of the biggest being that its uncomfortable to just approach and talk to people you don’t know! But I can vouch for the fact that it can feel FABULOUS to have someone who doesn’t know you, or owe you anything, to come up to you and encourage you in such a significant way. I suggest we all do the same, in whatever capacity we can muster up.