there are no words really

to describe my day...
in a nutshell
he woke well before 6
just fell asleep at 9:15
in between he tried to nap for over 2 hours
very unsuccessfully
ate me out of house and home
busted my new bedroom blind
successfully used the potty 4 times
sat in the middle of the livingroom
surrounded by all things Christmas and declared
"need some new toys mama"
ended the day with a fall after dinner about 6pm
running from mama who wanted to change him
slipped
smashed his head into a piece of duplo
hardly cried
mid change I noticed the blood on the couch
just a smallish pool
special
very very special
only had to rinse out the bloody cloth twice
then it stopped
kept him up for a while
by visiting the neighbours for a bit of play time
he's fine
he's sleeping
10 or 11 hours would be nice thank you very much
at least

tomorrow we are going out to pick up some "hockey boy" stuff
a helmet and skates
don't be surprised if you see him wearing the helmet
in the living room
every single flippin day
for the rest of eternity

sleep...please

Home from the grands up north and trying oh so hard to reestablish some sort of sleep routine.  

When there is change in little manh's life 

there is change in his sleep

when there is change in his sleep 

there is change in my sleep

when there is change in my sleep

there is change in little manh's life

cause mama is grumpy...

More later about the time

(3:40 pm, today)

when the little manh

who should have been sleeping

was silently destroying the second story of the house

and mama learned all about it 

when he shouted from the silence

"oh no mama!  Bery big disaster up here!"

Picture Perfect Christmas...

A little stocking action...

the coveted Cranky the Crane from Santa Claus...

the hands down favourite of the day for all of the boys

(with monster trucks running a close second)

Some cooperative puzzle fun

Some not so cooperative puzzle fun

A balanced snack of fruit loops, high iron puffs and oranges...

He only ate fruit loops.

A ring pop follow up...

Blue babies were everywhere... 

Sugar coma???

Hmmm...must not claim that which is not yours using violence to make the claim.

Just saying.

You might end up in time out.

A whole lotta monster truck action...

 Some Grandpa cuddles... 

What a great day.  Great fun.  Great cousin bonding.

There was an endless flow of fattening food today,

trust me.

No need to take pictures...I'll just look at the scale on Tuesday when I get home.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Most Especially Uncle Stinky and Auntie Quack Quack 

stranded up in their mountain cabin...

their quiet serene mountain cabin.

Christmas Eve Fun

Out sliding on the farm.
I'm at the top, Ben is at the bottom.
NOT a toddler hill.

See the little path?
Yeah, he went down there alone.
The 8 year old gave him a little push.
Screaming for more the whole way down.
Missing the blue sled on the right by inches.
Mama just about died.

We are apparently going back for more tomorrow
between gifts and horse drawn sleigh rides.
I expect to see more of this...

Long nap and the cousin arrival and the rest is history.

Give em a few helium balloons and a box and let them go.

And new pyjamas...(oops the shots are out of order...the box lasted a long time)

Not everyone was equally thrilled with the bedtime pj gift idea.
But if you remember baldy from earlier posts you can see he is growing hair (and a temper)

Hoping to be tearless in the morning.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

gingerbread and dragons

Take a ginger santa,

eat his face,

an arm,

bust him in half on the table edge,


a few more bites,
then try to rebuild him- fail,

keep eating until your drool runs red

done.

Now, dress as a dragon,
one on a sugar high,
with Santa bits and drool on your face 
as evidence
of your dragon-y ways

run about town,

climb mountains,

laugh in the face of danger...or your mama...whichever,

tumble about on glaciers,

pull loads of imaginary "catch dragon stuff mama",

return home 2 hours later 
pleased that your mission is complete...

Then, like all good dragons, nap for 3 hours.

Getting into the spirit!

Of Christmas that is.
Throw in some sledding

And gifts.

Especially this one...

(Thanks to Ange for this sweet find...for 15 bucks I might add, in perfect condition.  Wow, was he thrilled.  Now he just needs to learn to pedal. )

 A beautiful meal at Auntie Carol's complete with a singing moose.

And a new guitar ornament that plays rocking around the christmas tree.

Some gleeful dancing.

Follow it up with more flyer shopping.

And there you have it.
A recipe for Christmas fun.

An important day

Today sweet Ben had his very last appointment with the developmental paediatrician.

• The reflux and the swallowing delay are officially a thing of the past (I'll have you know he pretty much emptied that plate last night at our first christmas dinner-including the turkey!)
• He grew a pound or so and a couple of cm's in the last 3 months putting him firmly at 50% in weight and 50% in height on the growth charts.   The worry had been that his weight curve (75%) was dipping at the last 2 visits, 3 and 6 months ago, but it has steadied itself and all is well.
• He talks up a storm, in 5,6 or even 7 word sentences and both the doctor and nurse were easily able to understand him so no more follow-up with the speech pathologist/feeding specialist.

What a lovely way to start the holiday!

Now, on to toilet training!

He's back

The skunk  that is.
I smelled it as I let the dog in.
I was very worried.
Very very worried.
Falling stomach want to vomit sort of worried.
But it seems the smell is coming from someone else's backyard.
Someone else's dog.
So sorry for them.
Soooooo thankful for me.

Breathe...

2 years ago

It was concert night at school.
I was NOT into it.
I was waiting
as I had been for 3 1/2 months since referral
for that all important call that I could travel to my baby.
To Ben.

He had been in my heart since the very first glimpse.

It had been 6 months
and my arms were aching to hold him.

Then, as I dressed oompa loompas in the library I took a quick peek at my emails.
and I was changed,
forever.
I wept.  Big ugly weeping.  Dream come true weeping.

2 weeks later I traveled

to this

How can a person not be irrevocably changed by that sight?

2 years later

each day more precious than the one before
I am so very truly blessed.

mine mudder

So we were settled under our reading blanket, in our reading chair, reading and reading and reading.  Dude even pulled the laundry basket full of favourites over so "I not walking so far mama.  Read los of books".  Cozy sweet family scene.  


We can read literally dozens of books in a single sitting.  An hour, sometimes more.  Time flies.  Pick a book, read it, chat about it, put it on the couch and find the next favourite in the bin.  Sometimes we don't put the books away so that then next time we cuddle the basket books are new to us and not reburied under the couch pile.


Just before we declared the one more book bedtime rule Ben dug around and found "Are you my mother".  He loves this book.  A lot.  He is a very big fan of the snort and is very happy that the snort is a "rescue snort mama, like fire chief".


So we read.
"Poor baby bird.  No find mama.
Like heffalump.  Sad and crying."


Kitten, cow, hen, dog, snort...seems a losing battle.  No one is his mama.
If you know the story, a happy ending of course.


Then it happened.
Little Manh of my heart turns to me, takes my cheeks in his hands, stares me down and brings tears to my eyes.
"Mama, you no kitten, no dog, no big boat, no snort.
You mine mudder.  
Ben G****"s mudder.
and I love you."


Oh my god.  I melted into a puddle right then and there.

It wasn't worth it

Just so ya know.
The never ending nap.
Not worth it.  At.  All.
Bed time sucked so very badly tonight.
As in he just fell asleep this very minute.
10:32

In bed before 9.
And here we are an hour and a half later.

Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

sleeping

and sleeping and sleeping and sleeping.
Seriously the boy has been out cold for hours.

Any guesses what ridiculous time he will go to bed tonight?

Newsworthy? eh...

Well as I've said (a lot) dude is under the weather.
His eyes hurt.
The drops make him angry.
The oral antibiotic does nasty things to his intestines.
And his skin is sucking.

But really?

He is mostly happy and even tempered and wanting to keep busy.

In a napless drive mama crazy fashion.

Given all that we are making the best of it.
Hanging out in the back yard where the snow is fresh and clean
(he is looking like such a big boy here)

'Makin snowmans' is a very favourite activity.

The only thing ranking higher is the beheading that soon follows.

In imaginary play land there is much work this holiday season for the fire chief.

Checking the baked goods and watching the tree for sudden ignition is a priority.

And of course there is the obligatory Christmas shopping

(commonly called get mama and baby who won't nap out of the house before she loses her ever loving mind)

Today dude was not impressed that the play place was out of bounds.
But really, who wants my infectious kid sliming his way around a  public play place?
And Santa?
We watched him from afar
actually saw him giving other kids candy canes
from the little basket in his hand.
Ben really wanted a candy cane.
But again?
Santa covered in pink eye slime?

Not so popular with the other mama's in line I'm thinking.
And he so would have screamed.

Tomorrow more snow arrives.
Packing snow.
First thing in the morning
we are heading by sled up to the grocery store
to buy a nice big carrot nose of course.