Three Years of Crazy

Three weeks ago Seth and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary.  Although three years isn't long in the grand scheme of things, we have gone through so many changes in this short period of time.  Sometimes I find this fact a bit overwhelming, especially when I realize that the life I knew for so long, a child in my parents' house is gone and gone forever.

On May 31st, 2008, Seth and I, two university students got married and moved into our first apartment on Hopewell Avenue.  We have moved two more times since.  We both "finished" university, Seth graduating, me "taking a break" to work for awhile (haha).  Seth was working at Scotiabank when we got married, he later quit to focus on school and graduate sooner, and has had THREE more jobs since then.  Two for the government, and one with Navigators, where he is still working.  We got two cats.  AND, the biggest change of all, we had two babies.

Now all of these changes are probably pretty normal for the first few years of a young couple's marriage. We probably have done things a bit faster than most people, being as crazy as we are, but still, these have all been positive things and we are so happy with our little family.

Even though these changes have been positive, there have been a lot of not so happy changes that have made change of any kind difficult for me to handle.  Since we've been married a lot of people have left Ottawa, including my sister and her family, and some of my close friends.  The least happy change of all though is the passing of my mother.  The loss of her in my life alone is enough to make me terribly sad.  Since her passing, my dad has sold our old house, the one I lived in for 18 years of my life.  I have to admit that house seemed like a safe haven for me.  Somewhere I was always welcome and that felt like home no matter how long I had been gone...and from the time I was four I don't think I've gone longer than 6 weeks without being there! Not only that, but my two childhood kitties, Zipper and Lilly have had to be put down.  We got Zipper when I was 4, so she's been around pretty much as long as I can remember.  In addition to all this my dad will be getting remarried this summer.  As glad as I am that he's happy, it's just another reminder of how my life is never going to be the same as it once was.

So the point of all this?  Well I realized, that with my life changing so quickly, and all of this change being beyond my control, I was avoiding the change that I could control.  One of these things was my hair.  The last time I got my hair cut was in November 2009.  I knew that I needed to get it cut, but part of me was terrified to do it! I knew that I didn't want to become somebody who kept the same hairstyle for decade after decade  so, with some encouragement from Seth I made an appointment.  I was really nervous the day of my appointment.  It seemed so silly to feel that way, but I couldn't help it.  Not only was I getting my hair cut, but I decided to donate it again, so the change was going to be big.  I did it though, and I am glad I did!  I felt awesome after.  It feels so nice to have short hair, especially with two babies who love to wrap their little hands in it.  My hair has never been this short as long as I can remember.

I have to admit, I find it hard being a "grown-up".  I feel like I'm still a kid in so many ways.  I wonder if I'll ever really feel like an adult or if I will always feel like I'm just pretending. Does anyone else ever feel this way? Or is it just me?

Well, that's it for today, it's taken me two weeks to write this blog!! I know, I know, what about the babies??  Well I guess you'll just have to look at my facebook pics for that!  A picture's worth a thousand words right?

Thanks for reading!

Mother's Morning

5 Time outs for one little lady,
4 new outfits, two just for the baby,
3 poopy diapers puts mom in quite a mood,
2 naughty kitties tear open their new food,
1 icky earwig creeping across the floor,
Oh what a day! Wait...it's only 9:24!

Mornings like these can make a mom feel stressed,
We're lucky if we can grab a bite, let alone get dressed.
It's easy to think fondly of the days it was "just me",
How the days passed without much difficulty.
But though morthering certainly isn't a life of bliss,
There are way too many good things you wouldn't want to miss.
Like

5 hugs and kisses, the sweetest things for sure,
4 minutes of snuggles with cute kitties while they purr,
3 little giggles, meant just for you,
2 squeals of delight when they discover something new,
and 1 little tear for the minute that you rest,
and have the time to realize your babies love YOU best.

And then there were Four

Well it's been awhile! These days I feel fortunate whenever I get a chance to get on the computer. It's so rare, that the blog is one of the last things I end up doing while I'm on it. Even now I just remembered I need to get the Hydro bill paid before Jonah wakes up. I end up doing most of my emails and facebooking from Seth's iPod, which means that most of my replies are quite short.

That being said, life with two babies is crazy! I wonder how my mother did it with 8 kids 10 years old and under. I feel like there are so many things I would love to ask my mom. Things I never would have thought of asking before I had kids. (I still find it weird saying "kids") Even though it's been a year and a half, I still miss my mom like crazy. I like to imagine what my life would be like if she were still here. I picture her coming to visit, imagine how she would interact with Naomi and Jonah, if she would say they looked like I did when I was a baby, and if Naomi would be as excited to see her as she is Grandma Potter. I could probably get very depressed about all this if it were not for the faith that I have that I will see her again one day!

Now where was I? Oh yes, crazy babies! Taking care of both Naomi and Jonah is definitely a challenge. Naomi is 17 months now. She is constantly testing the boundaries, seeing what she can get away with, and is climbing with the skill of a two year old. Yesterday she climbed into her highchair all by herself, and she is continually climbing onto the kitchen table (which is promptly followed by a time-out of course). We recently bought her a plastic climbing structure and slide for the basement. We did this because she had gotten into the habit of pushing her play kitchen over on it's front and climbing onto it. (See picture below.) Needless to say, the kitchen has been put away till she is older, and she is having a blast with her new slide!

It's not all tears and time-outs though. She is getting cuter everyday and is a true toddler now. She is full of hugs and kisses and snuggles, and is learning how to do fun things like coloring. She loves her little brother, and has tons of kisses for him. She even tries to rock his bassinet when he cries. It's very sweet.

Speaking of crying...that's what Jonah does. Don't worry, that's not all he does, but he definitely does a lot more of it than Naomi did. Being the second of the family, he doesn't have the privilege of being attached to me 24 hours a day like Naomi did when she was his age. He is 6 weeks old now, and already weighs 13 pounds 3 ounces! (He was 8 pounds 5 ounces when he was born.) He has also outgrown all of his 0-3 month clothing, and has moved into the 3-6 month stuff. I think he's a pretty handsome baby! He's only given us a few smiles so far, and seems pretty serious. Seth and I think he might just be a serious boy, but I don't know if we only think that because he hasn't really started smiling yet...I'll let you all know if we change our minds! He is a bit of a wuss though (don't tell him I said that). He gets VERY offended if you handle him the wrong way, and heaven forbid you try to feed him when he isn't hungry! Because of this, he isn't as big a fan of his affectionate sister as she is of him. I'm sure that will change as he gets older though. Overall, Jonah is a wonderful baby, and I can't imagine life without him!

Well, I'd better get that Hydro bill paid!

Thanks for reading!