imaginary friends

Since turning three, Love Bug has been very into imaginary play. He is always pretending to do something. Anything from flying in the sky to doing tire changes on his riding toys. He now also has an imaginary friend. It is McQueen, the lead character from the movie "Cars". He is OBSESSED with the movie and now McQueen actually accompanies us on journeys. I don't mean a little toy version of McQueen. I mean "imaginary" McQueen.

If you listen o the Love Bug playing on his own you will hear him talking to his "friend", giving him trouble and generally just playing with him. McQueen apparently even came to the cottage with us the last time I took the kids up. We went out for an ice cream while at the cottage and I forgot to ensure that McQueen was in the car when we left. Love Bug told me that I forgot him, so my step-dad got out of the car (to where Love Bug was pointing) and "tried" to get him in. It didn't work. I got out and tried to get McQueen in and it didn't work. I then opened the window on the van and told "McQueen" to jump in. Nothing was working, so I left.

The Love Bug was devastated. I just wasn't sure how long we should keep trying to get an imaginary friend into the mini-van?!? I encourage his "friend" but it is so hard when you can't see it! I explained that the good news was that McQueen is a car and he knows the way to the cottage. Later that day McQueen came back...thank goodness!!!!!!!!!! And, he has gone on many more journeys with us since then. I really try hard now to ensure he makes it back into the van before we leave now!

Why? Why? Why?

Lately the Love Bug has been asking "why?" all of the time. It started a couple of months ago but has gotten crazy over the last few weeks. It is difficult to get through a book, tv show or any activity because we have to constantly stop, answer questions and explain everything. I know this is a natural phase they go through and I try my best to answer the questions. But sometimes he get me!

Last week he asked me "Mommy, why do I have to go to bed now?"

I replied "Because the moon is coming up, it is getting dark and everyone needs to get some sleep in the night."

His reply "Mommy, you can still sleep when the sun is up! Why do I have to go to bed now?"

I think I eventually came up with a reason other than "because I said so".

Relief!

Today we went to the Love Bug's appointment with the pediatric cardiologist in our area. He had an echo cardiogram and an EKG done. My hubby watched on very intently and thought the doctor did a great job with the echo cardiogram. The good news is that my Love Bug's heart and arteries look ok...thank goodness!

He still needs to take aspirin for two more weeks and we will go for a follow up appointment in two months, just to ensure everything is still ok. When we got into the car after the appointment I started to cry. I was just so relieved that nothing is seriously wrong with him. I didn't realize how anxious I was about it all until after the appointment.

Oddly enough, my brother had his big annual appointment with his cardiologist at Toronto General today too. His check-up also went well. So, I think today was actually a good day health wise for us (since it has been a pretty tough year so far).

Menu Plan - week of August 4th

Today the Missus is 19 months old. I am going to write a milestone post tomorrow. I feel like I need to do a good one since I missed her 18 month post due to the Love Bug being sick.

Here is my menu plan for this week. A couple of new recipes, but I am trying to keep it easy.

Monday - Beef stroganoff (Emeril cookbook)

Tuesday - pecan chicken, sweet potato fries, corn - one of the Love Bug's favourites

Wednesday - Homemade perogies and salad

Thursday - Chicken cordon blue (Emeril cookbook), rice pilaf and green beans - I have never made this chicken from scratch before...hopefully it is worth the effort!

Friday - leftovers - the kids and I are going to my mom's cottage for the weekend.

A trip to the pediatrician

The Love Bug went to the Pediatrician on Friday. The doctor was quite happy with his progress and wanted us to get some blood work done. So, we went over to the Peds floor at the hospital and had it done there. The Love Bug was a superstar getting his blood taken this time!

I was really hoping that we would know when our appointment at the pediatric cardiologist would be but they just faxed the referral letter while we were there, so we are still waiting. We will likely have to go for a few appointments with the cardiologist over the next year and Love Bug will need some Echo cardiograms. The pediatrician also told us to keep him on the one aspirin a day to minimize impacts to his heart.

I was feeling pretty positive after leaving the Pediatrician's office, but then my hubby looked up the Love Bug's blood test results (he works at the same hospital so has access to these things) and Love Bug's white cell count/platelets are still high and his ESR (this measure the infection/inflammation in his body) was worse than when he was in the hospital. So, I guess he is still fighting it.

He really does seem more like himself though. Not so irritable and he is really hungry. So now we just have to wait for that appointment to ensure there was no long term damage. I'll feel a lot better once that is done!

A rough week

So, I have been a little absent this week. I haven't had the time or energy to blog. It has been a very mentally and physically draining week.

It all started on June 24th. My Love Bug started getting sick with a fever. The very next day the Missus started with a fever. She was miserable. She was so hot (with a fever) and just wanted to sit on my lap and cry "mommy". The Love Bug had a fever too but he was in pretty good spirits. On June 26th we ended up taking the Missus to the ER to make sure she didn't have pneumonia. She had a chest x--ray and was diagnosed with a viral infection. We went home and just tried to keep her comfortable. We didn't have the Love Bug checked out because, again, he was in good spirits, although he clearly had the same thing. The next day I got it and the day after that my husband got it. We cancelled our plans to go to my mom's cottage that weekend in order to rest and get better.


On July 1st we had plans to go to my FIL and step-MIL's cottage. We didn't want to disappoint them so we decided to go even though we weren't 100%. The Missus, husband and I all seemed to be doing better, but Love Bug didn't. He had a couple of days on the weekend where his fever was low, but for some reason, it seemed to come back on Monday and got really high.

Our visit to the cottage wasn't good. Love Bug was having trouble sleeping, wouldn't eat anything and seemed to be burning up (although we didn't bring our thermometer to tell for sure). And, he was so cranky. Unbelievably cranky and yelling constantly. It was very out of character for him.

We came home around lunch time on Friday and my hubby looked into Love Bug's ears (he told us his ear hurt). Sure enough he had an ear infection. So, we figured that was why his fever had come back. We got him antibiotics and waited for them to kick in. Nothing. We kept treating him with advil and tylenol but as soon as it was starting to leave his system his fever would rocket to over 40. Celsius...even reaching 40.5 sometimes.

After 2 days of antibiotics (the proper protocol for treating ear infections) with no results, we took him into Emerg. He had blood tests, urine tests, physical exam and a chest x-ray. None of these are fun with a screaming, feverish, very sick 3 year old. He ended up being admitted to the hospital with Kawasaki Disease. I had never heard of it before. Around 5:30pm I took the Missus home and got things organized while my hubby waited with Love Bug for him to be admitted to the Pediatric floor. Once my mom was able to come look after the Missus I went back to the hospital and spent the next 24 hours there. (I went home for the night and then was there again for the day).

The Love Bug was put on an IV and seemed a little better as soon as he had some fluid in. He has lost about 3 pounds, which is quite a bit for someone his size. They started him on IVIG/Gamma Globulin (which are antibodies made from blood products) and high doses of aspirin (4 pills, 4 times a day). He also got 2 rounds of IV antibiotics while we were there.

He was released from hospital on Wednesday afternoon and we just finished the high doses of aspirin yesterday. He will now need to take one a day for 4-6 weeks. He has an appointment with a pediatrician next week then we will be going to see a pediatric cardiologist in the next couple of weeks. His heart will need to be monitored over the next year to ensure that no long term damage was done from the Kawasaki.

I am so relieved that he is doing better. And really hope that we started the treatment in time (there is a 1- day window of opportunity to minimize long term effects). The fever is gone and he is eating a little bit better. He is still really tired and his mood swings are CRAZY. It apparently is a side effect of Kawaskai disease.

The whole experience has me a bit shocked and I felt like I was walking in a daze. I am being brave and positive though....willing my baby to be better.

The origin of chocolate milk

This weekend I took the kids to my mom's cottage since my husband was working. On Saturday, my mom and step-dad took the Love Bug out with them to do some errands while the Missus slept (to give me a break). While they were out they passed some cows.

My step dad said to the Love Bug "Look at the cows. Those white cows make white milk."

The Love Bug said "Ya."

Then my step-dad said "And brown cows make chocolate milk."

The Love Bug looked at him and said "No Zaidie. Chocolate milk comes from Starbucks!"

Too cute!

The best gift of all

My husband didn't work last week and picked up the Love Bug from nursery school on Wednesday. When they got home, the Love Bug had made a couple of things for Mother's Day. The first one was a card/sign saying "I love my mommy because..." Can you guess why the Love Bug loves me? Some kids said because their mom vacuums or make dinner, etc. My son said "Because mommy takes me to Starbucks." True, true.

He also had a little bag that he decorated saying "to mommy love Love Bug". I put it on the desk in the kitchen figuring that I would open in on Mother's Day. Well, after lunch, my Love Bug said that he wanted Mommy to "open it now!" He went and got it, climbed up on my lap with the biggest smile on his face. He just sat there staring at me and smiling. When I opened the bag, my heart melted. He had made me a necklace. There were beads on it that he had painted. He was so happy and excited to give it to me. I started to cry (thinking my heart might actually burst). He said "Put it on Mommy." So, I did (and wore it the rest of the day and on Mother's Day). He looked at me and said "Mommy, you look beautiful!" I think I will treasure that necklace forever.

Moments like that are what makes being a mom the most important thing in the world to me. It truly makes it all worth while!

By the way, I did get some other nice things from the Love Bug and Missus (that the hubby helped pick out) on Mother's Day too. I am a very lucky Mommy, that is for sure.

16 months old

My little girl turned 16 months old last Sunday. It is so weird to think of her as that old...when the Love Bug was that old I was halfway through my pregnancy with the Missus!

The Missus is a very active toddler now- always running and into everything. She still loves to be held though, which I think is just part of her personality. She is in her glory when we have family get-togethers. She just goes to her grandparents and aunts/uncles asking everyone to pick her up.

She has been moving from two naps a day to just one...and I don't think she is always happy about it! She often goes to the stairs and begs to go "night nights" waaaaaay before it is nap time. I have given in to her the odd day and let her sleep for an hour in the morning (so that she will still have an afternoon nap).

I have decided that I love to make her look pretty. I feel very lucky to have both a boy and a girl because there are great things about each. I do love buying clothes and accessories for my baby girl, for sure. And, she loves it too. She is a shoe gal already! Anytime we go into a store, she goes right for the shoes.

Currently, the Missus and I are enrolled in Toddlergym one of the mornings when the Love Bug is in nursery school. She loves it! Her brother liked it when he was her age too. She enjoys both the singing and active play. After the very first class she already knew the actions for the "Sleeping bunny" or "Sleeping monkey" song. It is too cute! Sometimes she will lie down on the floor and look at me with a big smile, waiting for me to sing it to her.

Some other amazing Missus points:
-she already has mini temper tantrums when she gets frustrated..something I think she may have picked up from her brother (when he was going through that phase). Should be interesting when she turns two.
-she can turn the pages of a book and is getting better at sitting still when being read to.
-she is completely attached to her "Bwankie"! She picks it up and rubs one of the corners against her nose as soon as she sees it.
-she is still a climbing machine and you have to watch her at all times (she has fallen down stairs a few times, much to my horror)
-she can take off pieces of clothes by herself and sometimes I find her walking around the house topless.....and always shoeless in the car.
-she surprises me every day with the amount of words she is using and the things she can do!

Food for thought

I was just thinking the other day about how interesting it is to watch your child's food preferences develop. Both my kids have gone through similar stages. When first introduced to solid foods, they started liking cereal right away. They were also pretty good with fruits and veggies. Meat was another story all together. I had a hard time with jarred meat.
Then they went through a stage where they would try and eat almost anything you put on their tray. And, they couldn't seem to get enough food!

Now the Love Bug is very picky and the Missus is starting to become more so, although she is way more open to trying things than her brother.

Here is a list of the Love Bug's top 10 favourite things to eat (in no particular order):
1.Chocolate (a boy after my own heart)
2.Cheese
3. Ginger Molasses cookies from Starbucks (when asked the other day which Starbucks he wanted to go to he replied "the one with the Ginger Lasses cookies mommy!"
4. Strawberries
5. Pancakes - we have them at least once a week, usually weekend breakfast.
6. "baby oranges" (mandarin)
7. Lunch (which consists of bread or crackers, cheese and turkey - sometimes I ask him what he wants for breakfast and he will say "Lunch!"
8. Kraft dinner with Daddy (because I don't eat it)
9. Chicken fingers and fries (I try to make them healthier and make them myself)
10. mustard - I know it isn't a food, but the guy loves it!

My 3 year old Love Bug

As promised, here is a little synopsis of my Love Bug at 36 months.

He is a very complex little guy. He can be quite serious sometimes and other times he is a clown. He has always had a great sense of humour and knows what can make other people laugh. In particular, he cracks his sister up with almost everything he does.

He has never been the best sleeper. We struggle constantly with naps and staying in bed at night. He is probably outgrowing his nap (sadly) but still needs a couple naps a week for sure.

He has been suffering from night terrors...that is what the night time temper tantrums were about. He will usually wake up crying and screaming within 3-4 hours of going to bed. We just go in and hold him. He usually doesn't make sense and will go back to sleep fairly quickly.

He loves attention at night (other than the night terrors) and will come up with ridiculous excuses to get us in his room, like he doesn't want a blanket on his bed. Um...take it off then silly!
He is so affectionate and I don't want him to outgrow this! He loves to sit on your lap and talk, read books or even watch tv. He will just come up and say "please hold me mommy". Even his teacher at nursery school thinks he is super cuddly.

He talks non-stop. Sometimes he can be on a monologue for 10 minutes. It is nice to have conversations with him now though.

He still isn't potty trained (so sad). He was doing really well for a while and then totally reverted back to going in his pull-ups after he had the stomach flu about a month ago. I need to figure this one out.

He knows all of his colours, shapes and letters.

He loves clocks. He will notice a clock anywhere we go. And, he wants them to turn more. We have to explain that clocks turn slowly unless they have a seconds arm that moves quicker.

He loves cars and the movie by the same name. He has a little McQueen and a bigger McQueen and they are always around - sometimes in my diaper bag for trips in the minivan.


Some of his favourite expressions are "What happened?", "What's that smell?"

His favourite shows are Max & Ruby and Backyardigans. We have a bunch taped on our PVR and he knows and wants specific episodes all of the time...picky.

He is a Starbucks addict already. He know my order and knows his order too...a kid's hot chocolate no whip cream and a ginger molasses cookie. He shares both of those things with his little sister though. And, he loves the Starbucks drive-thrus...which makes it way too convenient for me to take them... a lot!

The Love Bug had an interest in books at an early age and still does. He loves to read lots of books including ones that require a pretty good attention span like Muncsh and Dr. Seuss. His love of reading makes us happy since both my husband and myself like to read (my hubby reads more than anyone I have ever met).

He LOVES to help with just about everything!

I can't believe that he is 3 already. He still had a baby-ish look about him until recently but now he definitely looks more like a little boy. I guess ultimately, he always will be my baby boy though.

My 3 year old guy

I started writing this on his birthday, but just finished today.

The day started off well with the Love Bug having a good sleep...yeh! So, he got a sticker on his "Stayed in bed all night chart". He was a little bit grumpy when I dropped him off at nursery school and kept saying "please hold me mommy." When it was time for me to leave he went immediately to his teacher (who he loves) and snuggled her. We had made some chocolate cupcakes with blue icing (as per Love Bug's request) to bring for snack time at nursery school. So, he got to share them with all of his school friends and they sang happy birthday to him.











When the Missus and I picked him up from school at lunch time he was in a really good mood. We came home and had lunch and he opened his presents from us. I decided to have a nap with him so he would rest because I though he has had a lot of excitement lately. It worked and he had a decent nap.




















When we got up we went to Chuck E Cheese for dinner. We haven't been there in a while but the kids LOVED it!!! They had a great time playing with all of the games and rides. And, we had pizza for dinner...what more could any 3 year old ask for.



















Afterwards we went to Starbucks (Chapters is right bedside Chuck E Cheese conveniently :) and had some drinks. The kids shared a kids hot chocolate and a cookie. What a great way to end the day!











I will post some more about my 3 year old preschooler (yikes - no longer a toddler!) in the next couple of days. I need a little time to reflect and adjust to my baby boy turning 3.

Menu Plan - week of April 21st

One day late in doing this!

Monday - leftovers from the Love Bug's party

Tuesday - Pecan chicken, sweet potatoes & asparagus

Wednesday - Chuck E Cheese for the Love Bug's 3rd birthday!

Thursday - Curry chicken & steamed basmati rice

Friday - BBQ sausages & salad

Saturday - Chicken & bean burritos & salad

Sunday - TBD/leftovers

Party time!

My little Love Bug is turning 3 on Wednesday! I can't believe it. We has a very small party for him yesterday (Sunday) at lunch time. It was hard to plan anything this year because my hubby worked Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. And, he is working all of this upcoming weekend. The only time slot we had available was Sunday at lunch time because the hubby didn't start work until 7pm.

I debated for quite a while about whether or not to have a kids party this year. But due to my hubby not having a lot of time and the grandparents WANTING to be a part of the birthday celebration, we just had the grandparents and my brother, SIL and niece over for lunch and cake. I think next year, when he turns 4 (gulp) we will have a party with his friends for sure.







Anyway, I think he had a really great time. He has been asking to turn 3 for weeks now. I believe he knows that birthday = party = cake + presents. When asked what he wanted for his birthday he would reply CAKE! He wanted a chocolate cake with pink icing (something that I'm sure his dad loves). He happens to love cars right now, including the characters from the cartoon movie Cars. So, he got a Car cake with a miniature car on top. It was very cute and he loved it.

We also bought a helium tank and balloons from Costco and filled the family room with 50 balloons. The kids loved it. Are there are kids out there that don't like balloons 'cause my kids go crazy for them!

He was very spoiled (as usual) and got a sand box, water table that looks like a real sink, books, toys, clothes and money for his birthday. After opening every present he would day "Please open this now!" We haven't even given him our gifts yet.

After everyone left he was exhausted and started falling asleep on me. My hubby was taking a nap before his shift, so I decided to load the kids in the car and take them through the new drive-thru Starbucks (as per Love Bug's request). We brought Daddy home a coffee for when he got up too.












When I put Love Bug to bed that night he gave me a big kiss and said "Thank you for taking me to Starbucks today Mommy." I'm not sure why he was so happy to go today because we go every day (it is my vice). I asked him if he had fun at his party and his reply was "Yes! Thank you for decorating for my party Mommy!" So, I guess the streamers and balloons were a hit!

Sick of being sick

It seems like the last month has been just one illness after the next in our house. It started off with the Missus being sick with a bad cold for a week before Easter. Then, Easter Monday she came down with stomach flu. The rest of the family caught it one by one and the week was a write-off. We had a week off to recover and then Love Bug got a really high fever for a couple of days early last week.

Once the fever broke I thought he was ok. But, he was miserable! He was throwing temper tantrums left, right and centre. It was crazy! Then a couple of days later I started feeling really achy. It hurt to shower. My whole body felt bruised. It turns out that the Love Bug had the flu and was probably feeling horrible (if he felt anything like I did!). He seems to be over it but I am still fighting it off right now and it has been almost a week. Now the Missus has a fever and a runny nose. It just never seems to end!

I have so much I would like to post about but just haven't had the time or energy. Hopefully I will catch up soon.

Mommy of the year

This is an award that I will NOT be winning right now. Lately, it has been a bit of a struggle. It feels like we have been constantly battling illnesses the last month which have pretty much zapped me of my energy. Due to these illnesses, the kids have been more to handle too. Particularly the Love Bug who is really a handful these days. It turns out he has been suffering from night terrors. We have developed a system to deal with that which seems to be helping. Last weekend his tantrums actually got better and he was my nice normal guys again - which was wonderful. This week he got sick again and since then has been a holy terror. I haven't had a break in forever and think I need one. I just am running low on patience. I am usually pretty calm but I don't think I having been dealing with the constant screaming and demanding as well as I could be (I have been raising my voice more than usual and am being inconsistent with discipline).

My FIL and step-MIL have offered to take the kids overnight this weekend and I have agreed to it. I am a little worried about it because they have never slept over there without us. And, the Missus has NEVER slept apart from me in 15 months! I know I need the break, but it is stressing me out a bit at the same time.

Freaking out

My formerly sweet, well behaved little boy has turned into a nightmare since the whole stomach flu thing a week ago. He is a different person. I'm not sure what happened. Perhaps that he is turning 3 in just a few weeks has triggered some strange personality transformation. For the last week he has been a defiant little pain-in the bum. He is constantly screaming to get his own way and almost everything seems like a struggle. He doesn't want to get dressed in the morning, I have to practically glue him to his seat for meals and he is constantly telling me "NO!" I feel like I have to keep correcting him "no thank you mommy", "I would prefer Max and Ruby instead of Backyardigans mommy" etc. instead of a big, loud NO all of the time.

The only good thing about this phase is that he is extra cuddly and likes to have time just sitting and snuggling together. He has always been a fairly cuddly guy, but is more so lately.

I still hope this phase is short-lived because it isn't nice being bossed around by an almost 3 year old! I have been good at keeping my cool but it is trying on the patience, that is for sure!

The House of Puke

That is what our house has been this week! It all started with the Missus waking up at 4am on Monday morning crying. I went in to her room, thought I smelled something, sniffed her bum, all seemed ok so I just rocked her until she calmed down. About 45 minutes later she was crying again. This time I turned on the light and noticed large wet puddles in her crib. It didn't look like barf, but it sure smelled like it!

The rest of Monday consisted of me holding the Missus while she dry-heaved or puked everywhere, then changing both her and I into new fresh outfits. She ended up having a nap over 3 hours long in the afternoon. My hubby cam home and I went to get her to find her fast asleep in a puddle of vomit in her crib. It broke my heart and disgusted me at the same time. I called my hubby to change her while I cleaned out the crib.

On Tuesday night around 9pm we heard a weird sound coming from the Love Bug's room. I went in to find him half asleep puking. I picked him up so he wasn't lying down in his own vomit. He looked at me and said "mommy, I'm sicky. I barfed all over." Yes, he did. I changed his bed and threw everything in the laundry while my husband cleaned him up. About an hour later I was running to the bathroom myself. The rest of the night was a blur. I think I spent half of it on the floor of our bathroom. I think I may have actually passed out a couple of times. When I came downstairs my husband looked at me and said "you look ghastly!"

I found out that while I was in the bathroom that night, the hubby had been making numerous trip to the Love Bug's room cleaning up barf. Good times all round! Wednesday was a complete write-off.

Then at 2;45am on Thursday morning, my husband came down with it and spent all of yesterday lying on the couch with a fever and shaking.

I think we are all on the mend now, thank goodness. Now I need to put away all of the laundry that needed to be done as a result of the illness and finish disinfecting the entire house with our industrial sized container of Lysol wipes!

Here, there and everywhere

That is how our weekend went. It was a BUSY Easter weekend! On Friday we travelled to Oakville to have dinner with my FIL and step-mother-in-law. My hubby's grandparents were there too, so that was nice. MY FIL and step-MIL were suppose to come to our house today on there way home from the cottage, however, plans changed (unfortunately) and we ended up going there on Friday.


On Saturday we had some running around to do in the morning and then we went to Burlington to my BIL and SIL's house for dinner. When we made these plans about 6 weeks ago we hadn't realized that it was Easter weekend. It is nice for the kids to get together with their cousins though and we really didn't want to change plans. We had a nice time and the kids really enjoyed themselves!

Yesterday we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house in Oshawa. The Love Bug had a great time with his cousin (who is 5 months younger than him). The Missus, on the other hand, not so much. She was pretty tired and cranky and I ended up carrying her around almost the whole time.

We had a nice weekend and it was nice seeing everyone, but 3 days in a row of travelling with the kids, bringing all of their PJs etc, the Missus missing her afternoon nap ('cause she refused to sleep in the car) and the kids staying up past their bedtime...is way too much!

The Missus has had a cold for about a week now and is also teething. Today she woke up barfing. I have had to change her outfits 3 times today (and myself once). I think she needs to just take it easy, so we are stying in today for sure!

Please hold me?

My kids are pretty affectionate generally, I think. We get lots of cuddles and kisses from both of them. It has been interesting lately though. The Love Bug is in this phase where he will come up to us and say "Mommy/Daddy, please hold me!" It sounds kind of funny hearing this come from an (almost) 3 year old. But, I will take hugs however they come!

The Missus has been a HUGE smoocher lately. She must kiss me about 200 times a day. I will be making dinner and she will walk up and kiss my leg. If I am holding her she will reach over and kiss my lips, face, hair...whatever she can get her lips on. I have been calling her the Kissing Bandit or Smoocherella.

I don't want either of them to stop! This is a good phase!