Happy Birthday Micah!

Micah just turned 10 months old this week. Unfortunately, we found out today he has double ear infection -- which explains why he is so grumpy and waking up every hour at night. He also took his first step with his walker by himself. He was very happy and Mattie feels he is "helping" the baby.



We also went to see Santa's parade on Sunday. Mattie was very excited, but he was all confused when Santa didn't talk to him personally and he didn't give him any presents. I guess the whole parade idea doesn't make sense to a two year old.

First wedding

Mattie was the ring bearer for the first time over the weekend. He was so good. Here are some funny moments:
1. When asked, who is Aunt Jackie going to marry? Mattie replied, "who?" and I said, "Uncle RJ" Mattie's reply was "How silly!"
2. When the boys went out for pre wedding drinks, Mattie said, "where are the boys?"
3. Mattie went back up the aisle to find the bride.

Crazy week

Peter has been working like a dog the past week so the house has been going crazy. It all started last Thursday. Over the weekend, the weather was bad so we had playdates and visitors. Mattie was NOT very generous with his guest and his friend bit him which ended the playdate. Needless to say, we will not have her over again. Then Monday night, Mattie started having a fever and a crazy cough. Next thing you know, he is puking and having diarrhea. He pretty much stopped eating since then too. Now I am going crazy by being cooped up in the house with a sick child and just no help. The laundary is piling up from all the puking and spitting. Baby is trying to be good, but he loves to crawl into the kitchen and the bathroom. The more I tell him no, he thinks it's funnier. He would turn around and laugh when I say "No, no in the kitchen." then next thing you know he would crawl faster. I don't know how other doctor's wives do it, but I can't imagine having more kids running around.

Micah strikes first

Last Friday we made a quick decision to go to Ottawa to celebrate Peter's aunt's birthday. That night we had a quick celebration with the neighbors and Mattie had a great time with their 3 children. When we got back to the house, we decided to have Mattie sleep with Peter while I sleep with Mikey in another room because Mikey is teething. He has been waking up at least 4 times during the night and most nights I end up sleeping with him because he just wants to nurse for a long time. Mattie was very upset and stayed up until past 1 screaming. Then right after Mattie fell asleep, Mikey started crying. Next thing I know, his finger was in my eye. It was painful, but I didn't think much of it because I thought I caught it in time. Then morning comes and I was in PAIN. I could barely open my eye and pretty much had it patch up until today. I couldn't believe it --- little tiny fingers could really do damage.

We have pretty much been home bound since we got home since I couldn't be in the light. Of course, Mattie started coughing and last night had a slight fever. Mikey is still miserable from teething and maybe coming down with a cold. I hope this is the end of crazy episodes of our life and I can start writing about our outings again.

Micah's 8 Month Birthday

I can't believe it, little Micah is 8 months old!! We went to swimming class. Micah played in the pool with 4 other little boys. He loves splashing water and kicking around. We had our first play date with Luca today. Here are some pics of Micah crawling around and standing up. He is truly becoming a big boy.

Men on Bikes

I was driving on a local highway on Monday and saw a black car parked on the side. My basic instinct is to move to the inner lane and ignore the car. I figure if it's broken, I can't hlep it, and if it's not then the driver must be up to no good. Well as I pass the car, a guy start walking onto the inner lane. I was thinking, this guy must be crazy, but I am the only car around. Then I see him waving at me, and I was thinking -- do I stop? what if this guy is psycho? He kept walking so now I am like, this guy definitely lost it.

Well, turns out this guy was waving a speeding gun at me and he was a cop. He and his partner has two bikes behind the black car and they were writing him a ticket. I was concentrating on the car that I didn't even notice the bikes behind it. (There were no flashing lights or anything) I didn't even know police men use motorcycles on a highway and is it legal to stop someone without flashing lights? He gave me a ticket for going 100 km in a 80 km lane. Afterwards, Mattie kept saying, policemen on motorcycles not in police cars.

I filed for a court date to talk to the judge. I think I reacted to too much CSI shows thinking this guy is trying to kill me and not realizing he is a cop. I guess I also am used to cops wearing blue and have shiny badges. It's just another freaky episode in my life.

THe Power of Watermelon

I figure tonight definitely deserves a post. Mattie started preschool this week and it's going really well. He enjoys it and wants to go back :) Although, he is only going half days this week so he naps at home still. I came home and felt the apartment smelled funny. I couldn't describe it, but I figure it was probably the garbage. I had a little trouble putting him down -- and when he woke up, we realized the toilet wasn't flushing. We went to management and they said they would look into it. Come to find out, all the upper apartments were having problems because of a pumper problem. It was fixed by the time we came home from dinner --- no big deal we thought.

Then I decided to do some cleaning in the kitchen to resolve the "smell" issue. After all the scrubbing -- the smell continues. I decided maybe I just needed to air the place out. We got the kids to bed and we laid on the bed. Then we hear water running. I was thinking, "is it the bathroom?" Peter went out to check and it turns out something was leaking from the kitchen cabinets...... I further did some investigation and it turned out our watermelon essentially rotted from the inside --- it bursted with liquid. Now the kitchen really smells.. and because of it's position before the massive self-destruction, it leaked under our fridge.

After 40 minutes of cleaning -- I was tired and I figure I will do what I need to do tomorrow morning since by this point Mattie is screaming for a hug and cuddle and Mikey is crying from being woken up by Mattie. THen the phone rang while I was calming Mattie down. Nobody talked on the other line. THen we hear rustling noise and still can't figure out where that came from. It was like a full moon or something. NOw I am up at 3 in the morning thinking my place will be infested with ants and stinks forever. (I was actually woken up by the stink in the kitchen). So Mattie and I swap place to sleep tonight and I think it's becuase he thinks it smells bad too. Now I am nested on the couch feeling all nervous about the crazy kitchen.

Sitting and Crawling

My little guy decided to sit up by himself yesterday!! He is such a big boy now... he also had his first taste of regular food -- puried carrots. In addition to being able to crawl around, he can sit up and attack you with carrots.

My Little Boy Growing Up

This is a sentimental entry.

Mattie is growing up so fast. After he started talking in April, Mattie has grown so much. First we were shocked that he knew all his letters, numbers, and shapes. Then he started rambling away and copying everything we say. Then in end of May, he tells me one morning "no diapee." I was surprised, but I figure what do I got to lose other than few more pieces of laundary. Of couse, there were no accidents for a whole week until Daddy came home. (I think after a while, the newness went away and he forgets when he is having fun). Then we went on our vacation, and he had lots of fun. After the trip, we decided that it's time to let him go and sleep on his own. He was upset the first night, but now he is pretty good at going to bed when we say it's naptime or bed time. He still calls for "Mommy" once in a while. I definitely miss cuddling him at nights. Today we went to visit his preschool for the fall and he held my hand in the classroom, but ran off on his own when we hit the playground. He is really growing up. He even tells me "Go away, Mommy, I do it by myself!"

I got this from the preschool:
Children are like kits.

You Spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground.
You run with them until you're breathless-
they crash - you add a longer tail
they hit the rooftop - you pluck them from the rainspout
you patch and comfort and adjust and teach.

You watch them lifted by the wind and then they are airborned,
butthey need more string and you keep letting it out with each twist of the ball of twine

There is sadness that goes with the joy
because the kite becomes more distant and
somehow you know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will sanp the lifeline that bound you together and soar as it was meant to soar -
free and alone.

US vacation

We just returned from our 3-week vacation. We went to Vancouver to our friend's wedding --- and enjoyed the beautiful weather there. It was so nice to be by the ocean. The boardwalk was awesome.



It was nice to relax with family.



Then we went to Seattle to visit my aunt and Mattie fell in love with my cousin. He is still talking about him since he is the cool uncle that can juggle and play piano backward.





Lastly, we went to NJ to celebrate my best friend's engagement and attend a shower and bachelorette party.

Exciting Month

First of all, congratulations to my hubby -- he passed his Canadian Boards. We are on our way to make money :) Well, it was definitely a stress reliever if nothing else. The boys finally get to see Daddy during the waking hours.

We took a short trip to Quebec City with his uncle and aunt after the exam. The boys were relatively good for the ride. The weather was beautiful for outdoor dining and walking. It was pretty steep at parts so it was scary watching Mattie running around.

After we got back, we celebrated our anniversary. Well, we both forgot, but someone reminded us the day before so we went out for bubble tea and crepe with the boys. Mattie loves to snack and have junk food. He thinks everyday should be a celebration and receive presents. What a great outlook on life huh?

These are the moments...

Micah celebrated his four months birthday this week. I thought it would be nice to remember why babies are so lovable.

- giggles in the morning
- smiles and the coos
- sticking his tongue out for a laugh
- cuddly chins and chubby thighs

best of all, you can stare at them for hours and not get tired.

Pee pee hurt, pee pee ok

We had another run in with the Canadian healthcare system last week. Mattie woke up from his nap last Friday saying "hurt" when he went to the bathroom. After questioning and pointing, I figured out it was in his genital area. It was all red and that night we decided to take him to Sick Kids. It was relatively short wait to see the resident and the attending. After deciding to get an ultrasound and a straight cath, it was lots of waiting. Then while we were getting the ultrasound done, the staff gave away our bed. Then we were waiting in the hall for a nurse to find us to do the cath.

Then after telling us the cath is fine. The resident gives us a prescription for antibiotics and send us on our way. Interestingly, he never told us what the diagnosis was, how to prevent future episodes, or much of anything. We got the prescription filled and by the time we are all home it was past midnight. Mattie was miserable all night with fever and lots of whining.

We felt really bad to put a diaper on him because of all the pain. I think he had an UTI because all weekend he would say "hurt" right before he needs to pee. It was good because he didn't make any accidents in the house. Funny thing is now he wants a diaper and tells us that his pee pee is "ok."

What's Up in the World of Ms

I have been pretty busy with the boys last week since Peter left to take his exam in Ottawa. We have transformed our "dining" area to a play room. I found a BRIO train table for $40 on Craigslist and set up a cool layout of train tracks for Mattie. He added his Bob the Builder toys on top of the Thomas stuff. He is starting to play with a story line now.

In addition, I have been reading up on how to teach kids to read. I purchased some books and flashcards and is slowly working up to actually starting the process. I figure since Mattie always wants me to read to him, I might as well use the opportunity to teach him to read. Plus it gives me a project to do. Any ideas on other things to teach Mattie?

I also picked up some books to read. I started the "Twilight" series from Stephanie Meyer. It seems like it's so popular, I figure I would give it a shot. It's pretty interesting so far. I figure it's a good break from reading children's books or books about children.

My next pet project will be the cross stitch for Mikey... it's slowly making its way back on my list of things to do.

Little Babies Growing Up

I can't believe it, Mattie turned 27 months yesterday and Mikey is almost 4 months. Mikey recently started to be very antsy lying down so we set up his exersaucer and he is bouncing away. He likes to press the buttons for the animal sound -- well I think he just whack whatever he can get his hands on. Mattie likes to show him all the different toys and spin him around -- although I think the enjoyment isn't mutual. Here are some pics of Mikey in his new toy.

With the new outbreak of Swine Flu, we are also taking some precautions and limiting our times in organized gatherings so we have put story times and play groups on hold. In the meantime we set up a train table for Mattie and lots of home activities such as sticker books and painting. Maybe he will pick up a new hobby?

Bugaboo

Hi, I am a stroller-holic. I bought a Bugaboo off Craigslist. I was reading the instruction and playing around with my purchase, but only to find out the stroller's handle bar is stuck -- so I can't adjust the height. I called their customer helpline to see how to trouble shoot --- and here is how the conversation went.

Customer service - "I am sorry, but we are doing inventory so we can not send anything out this week. Sorry for the inconvenience, but as soon as we are able to send next week, we will send you a new one"

Me - "No, it's not broken, but it seems like it's stuck. Is there a way to make it lose so I can adjust the height"

Customer service - "oh when that happens we will replace the part"

Me - "But how do I take apart the handle bar?"

Customer service - "no, we will replace the chassis"

I was totally shocked. Essentially I am getting a brand new stroller then. The seat and the basket is only part that will be used. So I guess that's why Bugaboo charges so much for their stroller. I definitely give them A+ for customer service, although I wonder if there is a way to fix the chassis...

I am also trying to contact the seller.. I am annoyed that they didn't tell me there is a problem. I asked how to adjust the height and they just said oh it's easy just pull up or down, but I should have known better when they wouldn't do it.

My Sweet Prodigy

Micah just celebrated his three month birthday yesterday. We went to baby story time and he rolled over. It's not a typo --- he just rolled over from tummy to back. Everyone was shocked. It was definitely a big milestone.

In addition, he is starting to pull on toys to play -- such as the toys on the bouncer and his playmat. He makes coo coo sound.. and gets frustrated if he can't swat the one he wants (well at least that's my interpretation).

He definitely had a very productive three months - he learned to go on the potty for number two, rolled, and stared to coo coo.

Tales from the Crib

I recently started reading novels again -- and I came across Tales from the Crib by Jennifer Coburn at the library. It begins by Lucy (the main character) announcing being pregnant after several miscarriages on the day her husband, Jack, decides he wnats a divorce. Jack feels the best arrangement would be for them to stay together for the sake of the child, but have an open marriage. Lucy goes through her turmoil of staying in this bizarre arrangement and watching Jack and the new girlfriend take their baby out. She found comfort in the Le Leche League.

I thought it was interesting how they had couseling throughout the novel. From marriage counselig to child psychologist visit after a birthday Barney got into a fight with the Dad. The other day someone suggested maybe Mattie needs counseling for being so jealous of Mikey. It makes me wonder if my kids will require counseling --- why do we need to talk about everything? Can a person just be upset? And is really talking to some group better?

At the Le Leche League, they discussed children. They compared and boast about their children. Does that really make the child feel better? Everyone knows I adore my two boys --- even if Mattie isn't the fastest, smartest, or whatever... I think by talking to people it actually makes me depress about the boys. I remember thinking how all the kids in the playgroup seems to be talking faster, running quicker, and they can .. JUMP. If anything I feel that by talking about kids make me feel even more inadequet as a parent.

Anyhow, now I am reading a depressing novel --- World Without an End by Ken Follett. It's a historical fiction --- it definitely take your emotions up and down with all the ups and downs through people in one town. Definitely a good read if anyone is up for a 1000 page turner.

Nature versus Nurture

We came up to Ottawa last Friday to accompany Peter for his Principle of Surgery exam. It rained the whole entire way --- took us 7 hours. The boys start of well, both asleep for like 2 hours, but once Mattie woke up, he was bored. Mattie wanted to play and move. Mikey just stared out and sucked his fingers.

Once we got here, Mattie immediately feels like home. He grabbed his great aunts and uncles and went all over the house. Micah just slept. The first two days we had a great time shopping at the mall and on this artsy part of the town, but starting Monday night, Mattie started having a fever. He didn't break his fever until Wednesday night. The entire time Matte was sick, he wanted to be held and cradled like a baby.

It's very interesting, Mattie is always very attached to me and wants to be held. Ever since he was a baby, he would want to cuddle with me in bed whenever he can (probably why he still sleeps with us). He loved to be in the Baby Bjorn and always preferred facing in. However, when Micah couldn't sleep on Sunday night, he did not want to be cradled. He wanted to be held to look at things he can't normally see. He prefers to lie on his back to look around rather than to be held.

I don't think we did anything differently with the two boys since I do believe in attachment parenting and we practice on demand feeding. Essentially, we let the babies tell us what they want -- but it seems like Micah is just more independent. He prefers to look at the world rather than lie in my arms. I wonder how they would be as children or adults.

I also celebrated my birthday here. Here are some pics, although it looks like we are celebrating Mattie's birthday.



Another one of the family:

Boy Chases Girls

A boy once told me that boys should chase the girls and do all the courting stuff. Boys should open all the doors, pay for all the dinners, buy flowers, etc. Ok, so he was definitely one of those that would fit well in Medieval Times, but secretly I liked it.

I always want to raise my boys to be like that -- to treat girls really nice. Mattie is definitely girl crazy. Today at the playground he wanted to do everything Lila did. He climbed up a really high slide, but then he realized he never came down by himself before -- on any slide. But the Lila came down... so he did. I was shocked since we had try everything other than having a girl to convince him to come down even a baby slide by himself. Mattie chased Lila all over the playground. It was really cute. *Note, Lila is only 18 months, but she is much more adventureous than Mattie.

Our New Schedule

Spring is here and we have a new schedule now. Mondays we go to play group first and then we go to toddler story time at Lillian Smith Library. Tuesdays we have music time and a different playgroup. Wednesdays will be our swimming day. Thursdays will be family story time at Sanderson Library and play time at a community center. Fridays will be a flex day between play group and Native Indian center.

In additon, we are also exploring the city more. It turs out the libary is having this musueum program where they are giving out passes to toronto museums every week. So far we have gone to the Textile Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. We are hoping to see them all through the summer. It's a pretty neat program -- but waiting for the passes is definitely a challenge. I couldn't believe people would get up and wait in line at 8 in the morning on a Saturday!

I am also hoping we will squeeze in some workout schedule. I want to lose the baby fat soon...

Earth Hour

Today we celebrated Earth Hour (http://www.earthhour.org/home/). The boys and I sang songs and did nursery rhymes in the dark. Mattie tries to count to 10 and coming up with train names starting with A to Z. We only got to F and he got bored. Mikey usually doesn't join in on our nightly ritual, but since he wasn't asleep by 8:30 he listened to us sing and goof around.

I think it was great to have an Earth hour to remind everyone to conserve. We got a free Brita today because they are trying to reduce use of plastic bottles. So here are some things we will try to do to help Planet Earth ---

1. reduce disposable diaper use
2. reduce battery-powered toys
3. reduce plastic bag use (Ontario is starting to ban use of plastic at the superarkets or at least you will have to pay for bags starting June)
4. turn off lights -- or go outside more until bedtime
5. recycle things -- finish food rather than thrwoing anything away. either to good will or people we know

Notice I say "reduce" since I don't know if I can eliminate. We tried cloth diapers for a while, but it was hard to keep up with the diapers between cleaning and constant changing. We will try with Mikey when he is fully trained for number 2.

Funny Moments

Our family has been hit with some strong, malcious virus this week. Pretty much everyone is sick including the baby, so we have been home to recover. Mattie has been "blowing" his nose all day so finally he decided he will just put a cloth on his nose to avoid keep coming to me to blow his nose.



I have been so busy with calming the kids down. I didn't even realize why he is falling over all the time. Do you see what is wrong with this picture?



I guess it's not very obvious on the picture...... his two legs are in one leg pants. It took me a while to understand why he couldn't climb up to the couch to read a book with me.

Uncle Sam Strikes Again

We have the worst luck when it comes to taxes. Prior to having a home and children, my accountant always said I had no deductions because I didn't have them. Then when I bought a home, the interest was low so it made little difference, but I was ok with that since I wasn't paying a lot on interest to begin with. Two years later when I delivered my first born, I was told I made to much to really have the benefit of having a child (I should have done it when I was in school).

So for 2008 taxes, I was excited thinking I will get a lot back because I was paying regular taxes in my regular tax bracket, but my income was slashed in half since I only worked half a year. Well, come to find out, Uncle Sam treats Peter as an American even if the rest of the governmental division doesn't. So instead of getting thousands back as I expected, we have to pay on Peter's income in Canada. In additon, Peter's income is a stipend so it's in a complete different tax bracket (higher than normal).

I almost died when the accountant told me Peter is considered an "alien resident" since we have been filing married jointly since we got married. So apparently, I have accepted him as an "American." Too bad they can't just grant him citizenship since I accepted him as an "American." I guess this is just another twist in my crazy life.

New Milestone

Mikey went number 2 on his potty for the first time today! He is definitely growing up. He was definitely a pro -- wasted no time.

We went to Black Creek Pioneer Village today and the boys got to ride on a horse drawn wagon. Mattie thought it was really cool. He also fell on the sidewalk there so he has a big cut on his lip :( But otherwise the tirp was a success.

Rewards

We decided Mattie really need to be potty trained for several reasons, but the top two reasons are:

1. He knows how, but just too busy to go
2. Diapers are too expensive now that we have two babies in diapers

So I started by giving him cookies every time he went. That worked really well until he got tired of the cookies.

Then I told him I will take him to see Disney on Ice to see the Cars if he goes to potty for 3 days. Well that worked for the first few times, but the show is a week away so he didn't understand that.

Then we told him we will get him Henry from Thomas the Tank Engine after 3 days of dry diapers. Well, he thought we get it for him after he goes and he whines and cries after --- then for a week he was so fixated on Henry that he wakes up crying for Henry in the middle of the night.

So I got him a Thomas DVD he wanted and put it in the bathroom. Well, that didn't work either...

So today we went to buy Henry since we feel so bad that he is waking up at nights crying for Henry and throwing tantrums during the day for Henry. But funny thing is, he went to the bathroom today after I ask him if he needed to go. Maybe all thee rewards are causing too many problems.

Micah is official

Micah's passport came today and he turned two months today. It's amazing how fast they can pump out a passport when you are not in the country! It took less than 2 weeks! I think it took like months for ours.

What I find interesting about this passport process was that it required the American parent to prove he/she was in US for the 5 years prior to the birth of the child. I don't understand why since the parent is American even if they are not in US 5 years prior to the birth. The other thing is the documentation --- they ask for tax information or transcripts. What if you are a stay at home Mom? Thank goodness I went to school forever so I showed my diplomas since I don't have 5 years worth of W2 to show. Another thing is, I can just make a transcript myself since it's really just a computer print out. It's interesting how many paper pusher there are in bureaucracy.

Mattie and Mikey also had their first play date in this country. Mattie really likes Anderson because he is 3 and has lots of new toys. Chloe is really cute with Mikey too.

Sleeping

Our family has not been sleeping well for the past few weeks --- or shall we say not since Mattie was born but it has gotten worse the past few weeks. Mattie insists on being hugged to sleep, meaning he wants to lie on me the entire night. He wakes up and cries for hugs in the middle of night and demands to be hugged and cradled. Sometimes he cries for hugs even when he is on me. So we tried to explain to him that it hurts Mommy to hold him all night and tried to let him cry it out. Well, he cried 4 hours one night (no it's really 4, not a typo). We had to resort to bring the baby into the bedroom and have Mattie cry outside the room one night because we just couldn't take it anymore. Essentially, we end up being all grumpy the next morning.

Since Peter has been studying the last few weeks, we started bundling Micah in his coccon and put him in the stroller. Then we cover the stroller with a blanket to hide the light. Micah pretty much sleeps in the foyer so it's relatively darker and has a dark blanket over the stroller.

I realized most of you probably have no idea what our stroller looks like so I decided to download some pics of it so you get some idea of how Micah sleeps at night.

Strollers

I always enjoyed shopping, but more with a purpose. I am very specific in what I look for and I hunt down the deals. I don't really "browse" for the purpose of shopping. It has to be perfect and fits my budgeting goal. So after the babies were born, I have focused pretty much all my shopping on them. The two boys pretty much get whatever that I feel are the best out there. Now I have two, it seems like strollers to Moms are like "purses" to girls.

So after much research, I decided a Phil and Ted is what I wanted. But it's not just the stroller, when you talk to the other Moms, you have to have the accessories. It's like you can't buy a purse without shoes that go with it. And that's how companies get you.. they charge extra for a wind cover, a sun cover, cocoon, bag, cup holder, etc etc. It's amazing how one stroller can rack up the cost. It's true I spent like $500 on the stroller --- pretty much like a new Prada purse.

Granted, I really wanted a Bugaboo but it wouldn't be practical since Mattie would have to walk all the time then. I also like the Peg Perego duette, but it doesn't manuever well in the snow. I enjoy it when people comment how light the stroller is and how cool it is to have two boys in it. I especially like to show off my boys in something stylish and have other Mommies envy me on how cute they are. (I know, they are still cute without the stroller but it's a bonus to say they are cute and has style :P )

New pic for the day. Mikey's first experience sitting upright by himself, of course big brother wants to show him the way tho.

To Wire or Not

Sorry about being MIA for a week or so. Our internet started having problems one day, but we kept thinking it was us because it would affect one of the two laptops at home. Peter called Rogers and they claimed it was our router that's the problem. Finally, I decided to call Rogers and wanted to know how to fix the problem. As it turns out, there is a problem on their end. Surprisingly I was the first to call ---since I live in a 19 story condo building with at least 50 units per floor. We had to call several times to get the computer working again after they claimed to have fixed it on their end. A day or so later, my computer is still not working so I decided to just go buy a new router after consulting with some people about my computer not recognizing the signal. At Staples, the salesperson tells me it's not my router if one computer is working... so I ended up calling the router company. Finally, it was because some wiring problem. But now I am back online again.

What I learned from this experience is that, don't get wireless equipment for everything! During this time, we couldn't use the printer because it's wireless --- apparently I can't just get a printer cable and print that way. In addition, lots of problems with the laptops. Now I have new appreciation for the wireless technology.

Another Snowy Day

This morning Mattie felt a lot better. No more fever. He threw up his milk, but I think it was just out of greed. He loves milk, but seems to throw up when he drinks a second cup.

We went to the library this morning and Mattie is very excited at the library. He loves to go through all the videos and gets very excited when he sees trucks, cars, planes,or any other motor vehicles. He was sad because there were no Bob the Builder nor Thomas the Tank Engine videos. I tried to give him books with some cars --- but it just did not do until when we were checking out and the librarian came up to us and said, " We got a new Thomas video today, and we saved it for Matthew because I remember he likes them a lot." I was shocked she remembered and was touched that she saved it for him. It totally made Mattie's day, especially since it has Harold on the cover. In the afternoon, Mattie and I watched the video since it started to snow pretty hard outside. I love to cuddle with him watching movies.

Micah also hit a new milestone today. I realized last night that all the clothes in his drawers are getting too small. I pulled out new clothes for him --- he is wearing some clothes that Mattie wore when he was 6 months old! Micah still has many explosive diapers so he went through 3 outfits today already! I am totally amazed by how fast he grows! He also likes to cuddle with me too -- but not as much as Mattie did. It's still nice that he likes to watch snow with me when Mattie is asleep.

Another Round

As luck would have it, Mattie had a fever all day today. It started this morning when our cook told me that Mattie felt a little warm. Since then, it seems like he was warm and red all day.

Update of Our Last Two Weeks

We had a very exciting two weeks. First my parents came to visit and help me with the baby. As expected, we had lots of doctor's visits. Micah went to have his jaundice checked out twice and completed a hearing test. He passed with flying colors. While we had Micah checked out, we were informed Mattie may have some speech delays. So we were refered to speech therapist and during the initial phone interview we were referred to a multidisciplinary group. Apparently at 24 months, he is suppose to have a vocabulary of 100 - 150 words, knows 2 pronouns, able to repeat different sounds, amongst many other criteria. Now we are waiting for a home visit.

Last week, Micah cried for hours one night (very unusual). I stayed up with him, nursed him, etc etc. Then next morning I found a huge abcess on his perianal area. We rushed to the ER and had it checked out. Of course, the doctors were poking around and wanted to do a lumbar punctur. I freaked out. They ended up not doing one, but poked Micah multiple times for IV access. He ended up with a catheter and antiotics. They can't tell us why he got it, but we are super careful about his cleansiness now.

After Micah came home, we also felt Mattie is probably coming down with something. While he has been throwing up for a few days... he was really not keeping anything down starting Thursday, even Pedialyte. So we took both boys to the doctors to get them checked out. Mattie for stomach flu and Micah for abcess follow-up.

In the midst of this, Peter announces that he will be taking the Canadian Neurosurgery Boards this year. So he quit his fellowship and is studying full time to pass a general Surgery Board in April. If he passes that, he will continue taking Neurosurgery Board in May and oral in June if all goes well. In the meantime, we are down to rice and bean and bean and rice plan. Wish us luck.

Hopefully, the rest of my blogs this month will not be this eventful. But at the same time, maybe this will increase my readership.

Happy One Month Birthday

Today is Micah's one month birthday. He is super duperly alert today. We went to Indigo Kids and read some books and he watched his big brother playing trains. Then he spent his mid day swinging on his new swing and looking around. He was watching us eating lunch and listening to us talk. Now he is napping happily after a bath.

Here is today's fav pic

Baby Micah

Micah Jay arrived on January 16, 2009. He is a beautiful 6 pounder with lots of hair like his big brother. He loves to sleep and eat. It was amazing how he slept through the night pretty much on the first night. But as he got older, he requires less sleep and wants to be fed more.

He recently had a photo shoot for his birth announcement. Here are his pictures.

Baby Number 2

We had a false labor drill this past Tuesday. It was very unexpected since I did not have one with Mattie. I felt totally silly since everyone is looking at me thinking, you already have a kid, how can you not know what real labor is. Anyhow, it gave us an opportunity to figure out what are some of the holes in our plan when I actually go into labor.

Ever since they told me on Tuesday that I started dilating, I have been anticipating the baby's arrival - of course he is taking his sweet time. Still no sign of water breaking. He is just kicking me and inhibiting me from sleeping.. what else is new from my baby.

Hopefully, we will get to meet his this week before Peter has to go on call again.