My children routinely make my whole day. They’re hilarious (mostly) and just have a sense of humour that is to die for. I don’t typically talk about MY potty mishaps, but really, I was reading another blog today about something that happened between a Dad and a son over at How To Be A Dad and I thought that since I’m not above embarrassing myself, I will share them with you. You’re welcome.

Having 2 girls makes it fairly easy for potty breaks. However with one kid in a wheelchair and the other one standing around, it gets cramped in those tight quarters. Obviously, I would clearly prefer to go on my own, but alas, I sometimes have to bring the kids.

Usually I bring the girls into a handicapped stall with me. Totally calls for some inappropriate conversations.
Jillian: “Mommy? What are you doing?”
Me: “Shhhh. I’m peeing”
Jillian: “Are you surrrrrrre you’re peeing?”
Me: “shhhhhh! yes! I’m peeing!”
Lauren: “MOMMY! Did you just TOOT?!?!”
Me: “Uh. No. I didn’t”
Meanwhile I hear giggles from a few stalls away.

Sometimes, the handicap stalls aren’t available. Or it’s not big enough to fit all of us inside. When that happens, I generally pick the stall at the far wall, and leave the girls right outside the door, with the door slightly open. (Good thing I don’t suffer from pee anxiety) Obviously hurrying to avoid potential embarrassment (I really should know better by now), the girls always think of fabulous things to say.
Jillian: “Mommy. Why did you leave the door open?”
Lauren: “She wants to watch us while she pees”(sounds slightly creepy)
Jillian: “Hey mommy! I see your bagina!”
Me: “Well. that’s great. Thanks for pointing that out”
Lauren: “I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about vaginas in public”
Jillian: “Oh? Well, I can still see her bagina. Mommy? What is taking you so long?”
Lauren: “Because she’s kinda big. Maybe a lot of pee?”
Me: “Ok, really?! can we just stop talking?”
Jillian: “Well, I guess. Please pull up your panties, you shouldn’t go out without them.”

Finally… It’s always a treat when that unwelcome ‘aunt’ comes to visit. (Who came up with that phrase anyway?! So stupid!)
“Mommy? What is that orange thing? Is it a diaper? Are you going to wear a diaper?! I thought you told Lauren big girls pee on the potty.  Were you kidding?”
Me: “Jillian, why don’t we talk about this later?”
Jillian: “no thanks. How about now?”
Me: “I’ll explain it when you’re older. Or when we’re home”
Jillian: “Well, I want to know’
Me: “Hey. How bout some chocolate?”
She forgot her questions about that little orange package. I can only imagine how great it will be when we have to revisit that topic again!

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
Lauren: “Stop picking your nose”
Jillian: “No, I won’t toot on you” (Jillian’s initial response was: “No fingers in your vagina and stop smelling your magical pee” Rhea said I shouldn’t have censored her. LOL)

 2. What makes Mommy happy?
Lauren: “No more accidents”
Jillian: “when I kiss you”

 3. What makes Mommy sad?
Lauren: “Not peeing on the potty at school” (I’m noticing a trend)
Jillian: “when you get mad on the phone”

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
Lauren: “Tickles”
Jillian: “Tickles” (at least we’re constant)

 5. What was Mommy like as a child?
Lauren: “You liked to eat.”
Jillian: “You tooted a lot” Alrighty then.

6. How old is Mommy?
Lauren: “21″
Jillian: “22″

 7. How tall is Mommy?
Lauren: “Stand up and I’ll tell you”
Jillian: “Taller than me”

 8. What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?
Lauren: “Writing a grocery list”
Jillian: “Taking pictures of us”

 9. What does Mommy do when you’re not around?
Lauren: “she’s no where” Lauren: We’re getting good at these!
Jillian: “you toot” Great. Bathroom humor

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Lauren: “You’d be famous for talking. And famous hair”
Jillian: “Riding on a horsey”

 11. What is Mommy really good at?
Lauren: “You’re good at writing your letters! And giving letters to people”
Jillian: “Making cookies”

12. What is Mommy not very good at?
Lauren: “you’re not very good at building” (Maybe if she let me play with her legos I could prove her wrong)
Jillian: “You’re not good at playing Daddy’s games”

13. What does Mommy do for her job?
Lauren: “Working on a computer site”
Jillian: “Tooting. HAHA! Going to meetings”

14. What is Mommy’s favorite food?
Lauren: “yogurt and chocolate”
Jillian: “grapes”

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
Lauren: “Helping me write my letters” (Good thing I went to school)
Jillian: “Going to meetings”

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Lauren: (giggling) “Dora. You get lost but you don’t have a map”
Jillian: “A smurf”

 17. What do you and Mommy do together?
Lauren: “We bake.”
Jillian: “exercises from Amber. And lunch”

18. How are you and Mommy the same?
Lauren: “We aren’t the same. And I am going to be taller than you. Like Daddy”
Jillian: “brown hair and eyes”

 19. How are you and Mommy different?
Lauren: “I am small, and you are big”
Jillian: “I toot more than you”

 20. How do you know Mommy loves you?
Lauren: “You hug me and cuddle me”
Jillian: “You don’t toot on me” (I am noticing a huge trend)

21. Where is Mommy’s favorite place to go?
Lauren: “The grocery store”
Jillian: “Bloorview”

There ya have it… A lot more bathroom humor than I thought. It was fun though and the girls and I were laughing hysterically.

Oh Botox. My love/hate relationship with you continues. If you’ve been following our Botox saga (found here and here) we have a small update.

Jillian’s next appointment for Botox injections will be on February 15 at the Hospital For Sick Children under conscious sedation. Good news, right? Well, I’m not exactly jumping for joy yet.

In a previous discussion with our insurance company, Manulife Financial, they have agreed to donate two rounds of Botox. Good, yes? Well… Kind of. They’re trying to find another way to get this covered by the province. I’m not holding my breath… It just makes me feel anxious that in 6-8 months, I will be right back to square one if we don’t find an alternate payment method for Botox. Maybe I’m just being pessimist? When that’s really not my area of expertise? I think I’m just worried about getting burned again. I’m not sure how much more I can handle, although… I do have some hope that we can reach a decision soon.

Our next round will target the same muscles as her first round. We saw immediate response, so we’re hoping we’ll have the same luck this time! I heard her coughing a little bit at bed time, fingers crossed she doesn’t get sick!!

There’s a few things rolling around in my brain lately. I’ve realized that it was easier to explain Jillian not walking when she was 2. It’s harder when she’s 3. When she was 2, I would hear from other parents “Oh! it’s ok!  my kid was a late walker too!” Well, that’s awfully reassuring and all, but to be honest, we don’t know if she’ll ever walk without some sort of equipment. Some days I take the time to answer questions, some days I just smile.

It’s been getting harder and harder to watch Jillian watch her peers or children younger than she is, running and walking without a care in the world. I too, look fondly at toddlers, starting to walk, wishing that it would be just that easy for Jillian. She realizes that kids her age don’t only crawl (primarily) and corrects anyone that calls her a baby. (As she should).

Jillian is still making gains at physio. Especially great news since her last round of Botox injections wore off around a month ago. We just finished a fairly short block with OT (how her sessions work: Jillian has a series of weeks, usually 6-8 with OT, then another 6-8 week break.) we’ll continue with OT in April. I wish we could have added some extra weeks since she missed a bunch from being sick. Before OT ended, we were working on pre-printing skills and spoon feeding. Oh so much fun!

Speaking of pre-printing skills, this last update is the one that has me so stressed and confused, and perhaps a little conflicted as well.

From the beginning, I was adamant that Jillian would go to public school. Preferably the one Lauren attends now. Not that many of the special needs children are segregated, but I’ve always wanted her to be as ‘normal’ as other kids.

A few months ago, Jillian’s PT planted a seed in my brain. She told me she’d be the perfect candidate for the Bloorview school. It’s still an integrated class, but she would receive all therapy at school, whereas the public school she probably wouldn’t get much, and we haven’t had much luck with the agency that would provide services. Basically, it would be all on my shoulders. (Not that I’m not doing it now!)

After approaching the Bloorview school and I was told that they don’t do tours until we’ve been accepted, I was caught in a rock and a hard place. I feel like this is a HUGE decision to make and I want to make the right one.

Adam and I decided we would enroll (or at least start the process) at both schools. The secretary at Lauren’s school said I needed to make an appointment to speak with the principle… that they weren’t sure if they could handle Jillian’s needs.

During my brief chat with the principle, a few things stood out. Once I stated her diagnosis, the principle replied “OH! I think my brother had that! How do you spell it?!” Wait. Think? And you can’t spell it? Wowzers. She then said that since there aren’t any stairs at the school, Jillian should be fine. I mentioned she would probably qualify for an aid and she said “oh? really? Why?” I really wanted to say something like “well… this whole not walking thing is kind of important” Ugh. I don’t think this was a good omen!

Cross your fingers for us, Jillian’s next botox appointment is on February 15. We’ll be targeting the same muscle groups as her first time. Her calves and hamstrings. This combination what allowed us to see flat feet in the first time in almost 3 years!

So… there’s my update. What’s new with you??

I brought up an idea with my friend Laura at Holland Bloorview. I wanted to create an outpatient parent support program. I have had parents approach me to talk, feeling quite the same way I did when Jillian was first diagnosed. Thankfully with some staff baking, Parent Talk was born. If you are an outpatient parent with a child with special needs, please join us on February 23rd. Our group will meet on every last Thursday of every month!

I am SO excited to be able to start working on this, and I hope you’ll join me! If you are close to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, please join us for an informal get together. If your child is not a patient at Holland Bloorview, that’s ok too, but please contact June Chiu (her contact information is on the attached poster) to RSVP. Please click the picture to enlarge if need be!

As I was wandering around aimlessly trying to decide if we really needed more craft supplies or another doll, I came across “Lego Friends“… Cue inner monologue now. “Cheryl… Really? Pink and purple lego. You played with lego as a kid… You like them, but is it really necessary to have pink, purple and other typically ‘girly’ coloured bricks? Not to mention what they look like they’re doing in the picture. Baking, beauty shop, etc. what gives?! And the price?! Wowzers.

(Yes, Rhea, I stole your picture… All’s fair in love and…………. Lego)

I’ve already mentioned how much I talk to Rhea on a daily basis, so obviously this very topic was brought up for debate first thing in the morning. Without coffee.

I’m often telling the girls that they can do whatever they want. There’s no such thing as ‘boy’ toys vs. ‘girl’ toys. And girls can certainly do everything boys do… Without the convenience of peeing standing up. (Although… I’m sure some girls can actually do this, I can’t!) Obviously, I googled to see if I had any backing support. This post by Jessica Gottlieb agreed with me.

I’m left wondering if I’m being ridiculous about this. I don’t like the idea of this particular Lego set being targeted to girls. Rhea posted her post on Facebook and everyone agreed with her stance. Maybe I’m trying to project my own inner tom boy on my girls since I’m not head over heels in love with pink. I find it almost degrading that they felt they needed to come up with a product like that. Sadly in 1981, it wasn’t much better. Or was it?

Traditional blocks, check… Girl looking somewhat boyish, check. Would I have had a problem with it if she were in a dress? I don’t know. I just wish instead of the “Lego Girl” products that have just launched, they could have found less female stereotypes.. I’m trying to remind my girls that they can do whatever they want, not to be pigeon holed by “traditional” girl activities.

Am I reading too much into this? Overreacting? How do you feel about those new Lego Friends?

The phone was on Adam’s side of the bed and he isn’t a huge fan of talking on the phone. He didn’t ask questions I would have… Or maybe I would have forgotten! We were having a baby! After painstakingly packing my bag shortly after 34 weeks, I unpacked it all and repacked. I’m sure the nurses laughed at us. “Oh silly first time parents… they bring everything!” We arrived shortly after 10 am. Since my veins suck even while pregnant, they couldn’t get a line. Good times! Pitocin and water broken commenced at 11:00 am. Meanwhile my inlaws arrived (Yes. My MIL was welcome in the room. No, I hadn’t lost my marbles… yet…)

Let’s just say from here on out, I was in a zone. I wasn’t talking, I wasn’t looking around, I was just doing my thing… Finally after being on pitocin for almost 7 hrs, I relented for the epidural. Bummer for me, I was 8 cms when I requested it and 9.5 when I laid back down. But of course, true to Lauren style she couldn’t come the ‘normal’ way. Nope. Toes wrapped around my rib cage (literally) silly kid needed a quicker exit. Off to c-section. I cried when this happened. I said I felt like a failure and the nurse almost hit me. Apparently I wasn’t a failure, but they can say “Failure to progress” in my chart, nice, right!?

Anyway… 11:01 pm, Lauren Danielle was born. Thrust into 2 parents who were in love, in awe and absolutely scared shitless at this girl wrapped all in pink. I used to wonder if her “real” parents would just show up one day and take her back. Oh maybe I still wonder that.

(See those feet?? Yeah… they hung out in my rib cage!)

This morning, when I woke up, I pulled Lauren in for a hug and whispered “Happy Birthday” I looked into my confident 5 year old’s blue eyes as they sparkled with delight. She still needs me, but there will come a time when she’ll think she doesn’t. Let’s hope teenage hood isn’t the end of us both.

Happy Birthday, beautiful girl!

A way that I have always shopped is look at various flyers every week, finding the best deals available. When we first moved to this area (about 1.5 years ago) I would pour over 5 different grocery flyers, comparing prices.

Obviously in our fast paced technology driven world, some websites have cropped up to help us out with that! One in particular that I have found helpful is MoneySupermarket. Not only do they compare typical grocery items but MoneySupermarket compare electricity prices as well.

Another thing that works for us (sometimes) is opting for the store brand as opposed to the name brand. Obviously, there are some products I stay true to, but I’m not opposed to trying the store brand. Sometimes, we even find that we like the store brand better. It’s always worth a try.

What are your favourite money saving tips? Do you try to coupon? Do you hunt for the best deals in town or do you just go for the tried and true?

(Photo Credit)

1- You let her lay in her bed crying way too long while you do what you need to do.
Ok… I can kind of understand this one. You’ve fed, changed, played with your kid and they still insist on crying. I’m not sure I’ve just let them cry for a long period of time just to finish something… That’s probably why my house looks like a bomb went off in it.

2- You lie to him all the time.
The example given was telling your child the DVD they want to watch is “tired” the only time I recall doing this was when I was babysitting and the kid wanted to watch more Barney. After watching 2 hours already. I told her the tape was done. She told me to rewind it.  Luckily for me, my children tend to change up what they want to do often.

3- You love the baby more than the older kid.
I don’t have favourites. I never have. Perhaps since the girls are so close in age, I still felt Lauren was a baby when Jillian came along? Plus, Jillian came along with a lot of stress, so I never compared the two.

4- You think playing with your child is really boring.
False. At least for me. Again, since the girls are close in age it’s almost like a built in playmate/fighting partner. Since I was an only child, I love playing with the girls. They’re only small once.

5-You ignore the papers they send home from school.
Nope. Since I’m so vested in Jillian’s care, I want to be the same hands on for Lauren. I read everything they send home, even if they are just asking for money every second day. Oh the joys of public school!

6- You leave her locked in the car while you run into the house to pee or get something you forgot.
Sure don’t. Probably because Lauren used to freak out if she couldn’t see me. Plus, it doesn’t give me warm fuzzies to leave them alone in the car.

7- You use TV as a babysitter way too often.
Ok, this one I can get behind… Admittedly, my girls watch TV, and they like it. And so do I. Sometimes mama needs to maintain her sanity.

8- You would rather sleep, sometimes even work, than be with your children.
Sometimes… Does that make me a bad parent?  I’m not a morning person, so that’s usually when I want to sleep rather than be with my kids. Although, once I’m up I’m present. I might growl at people originally, but I’m still here. Slow, but here.

9- You allow them to watch movies/shows that are not age appropriate.
This is a kind of for me… The girls occasionally watch Glee, but they’re only really listening to the music. That will stop soon, I don’t need them watching all of that! This question actually made me fight with a resident once. He treated me like a freaking idiot. Remember to brush her teeth and watch age appropriate shows. I said “you know… I have an older daughter who seems to be fine… Thanks” Apparently I scared him and he refused to come back in. Cheryl-1 Resident-0 better luck next time.

10- You give them food you wouldn’t eat yourself.
Nope. I guess my dad had a good idea when I was a baby. He would always taste the first bite to see what i was eating. I did that with the girls as well. The only thing that I wouldn’t eat, yet Lauren will are Brussels sprouts. Ick. She possibly can’t be related to Adam and I.

11-  You wish you had the opposite gender.
I used to. I didn’t think I was cut out to be a girl mom. I have always had more male friends then girlfriends and I don’t do a lot of girly things. However, my girls have shown me to embrace my inner girl.

12- You don’t change his diaper nearly enough.
Generally if this happens, we’re usually on the road or something else. I try to stay on top of diapers since Lauren was really prone to getting diaper rashes.

13- You  let her go days without vegetables.
Also false. But… Also slightly true. Lauren is my fruits and veggies kid and could eat her weight in fresh food. So, she usually gets fruit and vegetables everyday. Since Jillian was vented for a short time in the NICU, we think it might have pushed up her soft pallet. She prefers crunchy foods as opposed to anything else. It’s not behavioural though, it’s actually an oral aversion.We are slowly expanding her repertoire, but haven’t gotten all the way, just yet.

14- You are the last to pick her up from daycare.
Since I am a stay at home mom, I’m rarely late for pickup, it’s apparently in my job description.There has only been ONE day I was late picking Lauren up, we got held up in  traffic after a doctors appointment for Jillian.

15- You let them wear too-small shoes for way too long.
One part I love about being a girl mom are shoes! I love picking them out, I just wish they weren’t so freaking expensive! Jillian has an aversion to shoes too. Seriously, this girl needs help.

16- You forget to put the kids seat belt on.
Another negative. I generally put Jillian in her car seat, buckle her in. Walk around the car to open Lauren’s door, she climbs in and I buckle her seat belt too. There was one incident though… she thought we were at our final destination and took off her seat belt. While I ran in (and Adam stayed in the car) I didn’t think to check her seat belt. Good thing her guilty conscience pipped up

17- You hate breastfeeding (or like it a little too much)
I didn’t get to nurse the girls long, but I didn’t hate breastfeeding. I loved the closeness I had with the girls. However, I did find nursing REALLY overwhelming at times.

18- Your boobs will leak when any baby cries, not just yours.
I haven’t ever experienced this, but most of my friends have. I bet it’s your body telling you to a) shut the kid up b) feed it or c) or give you a painful reminder that your body is no longer your own. The amazing and wonderful things we do for our kids!

So, there’s the list. With bonus commentary. What do you guys think? Have you committed any of these crimes?!

Adam and I have never been huge Valentine’s day celebrators. He complains that finding the perfect “gifts for her” are beyond annoying. I don’t know what’s wrong with him because I could give him a list a mile long about what I’d like! I think shopping for women is MUCH easier than men.

I can also count on only one hand the amount of times I received flowers from Adam. In fact? He even tries to count our wedding flowers as a time he gave me flowers. As cliché as it is, I would totally appreciate valentines day flowers! Girls are so easy to buy for. Boys on the other hand? Not so much.

(Photo Credit. Aren’t these so much fun?!?)

Every gift giving ‘holiday’, I wrack my brain, trying to figure out something to get Adam. One that’s particularly troublesome are anniversary gifts for Adam. There are ideas everywhere, if you’re into getting a ‘traditional’ gift or ‘modern’ gift, however, most things on these lists aren’t really Adam’s style. I’m standing firm with believing that men are harder to buy for than women!

So, do you celebrate Valentines day? What on earth do you give your spouse (or whomever) for gifts? Help a girl out here, I’m lost. Plus, we’ve been together for so long we’ve exhausted a lot of the ‘usual’ gifts!

(Photo Credit)