First words

Sam doesn't talk. He is almost 19 months and nothing. Don't get me wrong, he babbles and makes tons of noises, especially his bowser laugh, He understands what you say to him and will go get things you ask him for. He will grab you hand and take you wherever he wants to show you what he needs. He communicates, just doesn't verbalise.

I have been concerned about it. There is no "mama" no "dada" none of those first words that so many children younger than him are saying. Trevor says it is probably because Elizabeth talks enough for the both of them.

I booked him an appointment with our family doctor last week when I was there with Abigail. And in the natural fashion, when you decide to do something about it of course the problem starts to sort itself out. He has said his first words.

What would you expect as a first word though. mama, dada, nana, no etc. Easy to say, easy to form. Sam however busted out "stuck" honestly. He says it all the time. his blanket is "stuck" in his crib. The chair is "stuck" under the table. He is "stuck" behind the rocker. His toy is "stuck" in the box. Honestly how do you come up with stuck as a first word, those are fairly difficult sounds I think.

I am going to keep the doctors appointment just in case.

I LOVE this little Man.

C Jane

My Mom always send me emails. Emails with links to blogs, church talks, forwards, inspirational messages. In all honestly, quite often I don't read them. I'm just not a forwards and links kind of person. I guess I figure if it is really really good she will just tell me about it later. She doesn't like that I don't read them but she loves me anyways.

Today I got this email.
"read cjane today. It will be good for your soul. Mumma" it also had a link to the blog for my convenience.

I had checked my email on my blackberry so I couldn't check it then anyways. by my inward sceptic said "oh my. Good for my soul Eh. I doubt it. maybe I will read it later" With no actual intention of doing so. I put in some laundry, puttered around and sat down to pay some bills online. When I got done I realized that unless I could find something good to do I should really go vacuum. So I decided I should get some "soul food" and see what she had sent me.

Logging into my email would be to much effort, so I opened a new tab and hit the link that comes up on my google screen of all the most visited sites. My mom reads this blog all the time and she has been at my house a lot lately so I knew it was there.

I started to read. Well as I should know by now my mother is ALWAYS right. It was good. I loved it. Amazing. You should all go read it HERE!!

But for those of you who don't do links and forwards like me here is my favorite part.


"I am not right.

And that is the point. I am not right because I am not listening to what is right. Right for me, my body, my season of life.

My season is not about house decoration. It is not about glass vases on low centered tables (as lovely as it looks, and it looked lovely). I need a simple house without toddler traps. Good organization and lots of cues from nature.

A clean house.

My season is not about fashion. It is about picking a few items, showing off the best part of my body. Easy laundered shirts for the inevitable snot trails that end up on my shoulder area. Look nice, but not encumbered.

Clean clothes.

My season is not about cooking elegant meals. I do not have the heart to treat food the way it should be treated. It is okay to eat peaches, apples and toast. Pirate Booty and Lorna Doones.

Just eat something.

My season is for babies. For sleeping when my baby naps and early morning bottle swapping. For belly and breast expansion and retraction. Music in the nursery and afternoons in the backyard. A season for schedules and predictability. A quiet time, a time to be at home, a time to focus on growing and gathering.

Love this season.(I don't want to ask my energy to do more than this, though some women can.)

Then, then, then! I will start to dream again. I will dream of the season of glass vases and vacuum lines in my carpet. The time to cultivate a more sophisticated wardrobe and mornings to stay in bed until noon. I will earn my way to a kitchen full of spices and surprises. Parties, gatherings, social outings." taken from "c jane"

Now that I have enticed you you should really go read the whole thing.

"It will be good for your soul"

Clothing

I have my family pictures this weekend!!!! I am so excited. I am having them taken by Devon Durocher. I won a giveaway she did last Feb for a print credit and have been waiting anxiously for the chance to get them done. She was nice enough to wait all this time so that I could have Abby first.

Now for my dilemma. As most of you know I really have no sence of fashion or style. Anything nice I own is because someone else told me "yes that is good." So now I am trying to figure out what to have my family wear in pictures. As well as stressing out on what to wear on my post baby body (ugh).

I also NEED to find a really cute hat for Abby so she doesn't get the wind in her ears down in Lethbridge.

Cute hat, cute matching clothes (not matchy matchy but coordinating) and something to make me look slimer. oh goody

No more pop :(

I have always acted kind of take it or leave it about pop. I didn't realize just how much I like pop until I figured out that when I drink pop (any pop...even ginger ale) Abby doesn't sleep. So now I am off pop until I am done nursing. And let me tell you. I can go weeks and not miss it but the second I am told I can't have it I WANT IT ALL THE TIME. This is going to be a long year. Hopefully it will be just the thing I need to break the habit I guess. So as you drink pop think of me and know that I envy you.

Happenings

goofies!!

Trevor had some free time lately from his State Farm stuff so we took the chance to go to the zoo. Abby's first time as you can see she got a lot from it. lol.

The kids were so happy to have him around. They were his best friends. They looked at al their favorite animals.

Trevor also took the classic pictures of the kids outside the zoo on the animal statues.

Starts with Bread

One of the worst things to find in your washing machine . . . bread. sick sick sick. Don't know how it got in there, but I was royally grossed out.

Buying bread on the other hand I have found a secret. Superstore bread. Pretty good, but you can get it for about $0.80 a loaf. stellar. Pick up a coupon off the wall when you first walk in for $0.50 off and they only cost a $1.25 without the coupon.

_________________________________

Lizzy loves Abby

She will lay down by her and talk to her. I can't wait to hear them giggling together, sharing their secrets. My beautiful girls. One of my great hopes is that my kids will always stay fast friends. Because they are so close together in age they play together really well.

___________________________________

For MJ -

MJ is our amazing friend. She was frinds with my brother Matthew before his mission. Then when Trevor attended Mount Royal they became friends. She babysits for us. no no she tells us she is going to come and hangout with our kids and evicts Trev and I from the house. She recently went to New York to visit her Sister and brought back clothes for my kids. Sam's are a little big for him yet but Lizzy's fit just right.

Rant

City of Calgary is a joke. They have COMPLETELY shut down all access to my street. They are tearing up the road so that it now looks like a giant checker board. I have construction vehicles parked not only in front of my driveway and my car blocking all access to that, but a giant crane. They gave us no notice about blocking us in. It is shear luck that Trevor is out with Elizabeth right now, or I would have no way to leave my house. Their solution for me, park in the lane, pray I don't get ticketed and towed, and haul my children through the mud bog back there to get into my house. Lovely. Wish I owned some gum boots.

One of the things I always think is fun to document is how they promise they will be done asap, and yet they all work so hard.

Picture 1

5 employees - 1 shoveling
- 1 driving the orange thing (technical term eh)
- 3 watching



Picture 2

7 employees - 1 driving the semi truck
- 1 driving the digger
- 1 sweeping the same patch of road for the past 10 minutes
- 4 watching.


Now I don't know if the guy sweeping and the guy sitting in the semi truck really count as "working" so I will split it. Sweeper is working, truck driver not working.

total men on site - 12
total men working - 4
total men not working - 8

nice

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LOL 10 minutes later I have a picture update

Just in case you were worried about them straining themselves standing there, don't worry they found a seat.


and if those 4 didn't have it down, there are these two, they found a nice shady spot. I hope the people who live in that house don't mind them taking a break there.


I'm glad the city found such steller contractors to spend tax money on.

Little Girl

I love this little girl. She is so sweet.

Do you think these two could be sisters??

words

I was reading a magazine in the doctors office yesterday when I came across an article with 10 points to a better life. The first point was to "Practice Happiness". I liked that.

Relocation and Start em young

We relocated our little party to my mothers house for the weekend. With the boys and my dad home it is nice to have all the extra help. My dad took Sam grocery shopping this morning and my brother is taking Lizzy and Sam to the zoo this afternoon.

We didn't know where Elizabeth was this morning so we called to her. "Lizzy where are you" to which she responded "I'm READING!" She was sitting at the top of the stairs in the book closet reading her favorite books. My mom has an AMAZING children's book collection I think it is second to only my grandmothers (she has a wall about 14 feet long with floor to ceiling book shelves stuffed with books.) anyways. Lizzy then came downstairs with a few of her favorite and decided that Abigail needed some culture

.

She sat there and read to her and let her look at all the pictures. At the end of each book there was a big THE END.

As I was taking the pictures off of my moms camera I found these. The hat came from the Drumheller Canada Day parade. The cuteness comes from me hahahahha

And of course some kissy faces

The goods

Abigail was born on Friday September 4th at 8:45 am. We went into the hospital at 6:30 so they could start my IV and find various other ways to torture me (catheter without freezing?!?!). They pumped me all full of fluids and took me into the operating room. I have to say I was very proud of myself, I barely cried. Previous times I have ended up in tears about the Spinal and IV etc.

All I have to say is Morphine knocks me out. I can't wake up to save my life. I think there is something wrong about being so relaxed (can't feel anything) and drugged that you have to force yourself to stay awake for the birth of your child. Yes that's right all I wanted to do was sleep, and all I did for the next 24 hours was sleep, until they took me off the morphine.

She was 6 lbs 13 oz and an incredible 21 inches long. It is debatable if her hair has any red in it or not. She has the same dark blue eyes as her siblings and HATES having her diaper changed. Can I just say she is an AMAZING newborn. She is a dream child. I am so scared that it won't last if I say it out loud. First night she slept from 10 until 2 - woke up to eat - and then slept from 2:30 to 7:30. 8 hours with 1 interruption. Then she slept from 11 until 5 - and woke up to eat - and went back to sleep until 8. She only cries when she is hungry. She is awake and alert for hours but just sit quietly and looks around. Honestly, my other kids were monsters as newborns, I don't know where this came from but I am enjoying it while it lasts.

She is the sweetest little girl.

Life with 3 kids is great, Lol that could be because I have 2 live in "maids" right now. My Mom and Grandmother have been here to help me. The cook and clean and play with my kids. I am so spoiled. My only job is to love my baby, sit in my recliner, eat, sleep and nurse. More on that as my help leaves me.

Anyways there it is. Not as exciting as a natural birth but that's the way I do it.

Abigail Morgan Smith

We LOVE this baby girl. She sleeps amazing, she is so easy. Her brother and sister just might love her to death. They hold her and kiss her until I rescue her. Life is good.