Wardrobe Woes.

When the newborn sleepers are too tight and the 0-3 month ones are too big...

Bedtime just got seriously cuter.  And funnier.  And before you know it, she'll be out of these ones too!

Things that have happened since I last wrote:

1)  We read a book (or attempted to read a book) called "Eleanor" which made Nory go absolutely giddy.  It's no longer a Parkinson-approved bedtime book.

2)  We took Jet to the hospital after some concerning coughing-until-her-face-goes-purple-and-vomit-comes-out fits. Turns out she had a bad cold (now gone, thank goodness!) mixed with reflux.  Moving forward, feedings are to be upright (as well as the 30 minutes following a feeding) and they suggested she sleeps in an inclined position.  These things have helped, but she still has a cough/wheeze/irritability throughout the day which means there has been lots of cuddling.  LOTS!  Surprisingly though, she still manages to be a quiet little thing (and strong too)! 

Under observation at the hospital.  It was FREEZING in there!!!

Nory believes in pet therapy for reflux ;)

3)  I ate a chicken mcnugget happy meal.  Ew.  It's shocking that I'm still alive to talk about it...

4)  I updated the little blurb in the blog sidebar.  The family profile needed to be revamped to include our newest little lady :)

5)  Nory had a blast with her twin at the mall.  Her twin was much quieter but equally as active.

6)  We (ah-hem, ELEANOR) brought a white cat to the courtyard.  Said cat has since been whirled through the washing machine in an attempt to return it to its original colour.

7)  I admitted to my limited contribution in the execution of Juliet's baby shower.  To which I was reminded that I've actually played a key role...

8)  Phil and I had a really romantic evening of eating Kraft Dinner (chez moi) and watching YouTube videos to figure out our various baby carriers (THANK YOU, PHIL!).  I'm pretty sure we could call that a date at this point.....

9)  Juliet's due date arrived and we decided that December 5th was so much trendier.  And warmer.  And better for Phil's basketball schedule ;)

10)  Nory served me a donut, a cake, and eggplant for lunch yesterday.  My reaction was so enthusiastic that she decided it was a great dinner choice too.  YUM!!!!!!!  #thankgoodnessforpretend

11)  After 8 failed attempts with the Moby Wrap, four failed attempts with the Ergo (plus infant insert), and three failed attempts with the Baba sling, Juliet finally caved last night and allowed me to go hands-free as she slept in the Moby.  PHEWF!  Let's hope she continues to find comfort in the most complicated wrap ever sold.

12)  Nory and I matched.  You guys know that matching is my FAVOURITE!  Even our steps match!!!!!! #thatishowweroll

Oh - and THIS just in - Nory was crying "sick, sick" and then proceeded to vomit twice about twenty minutes after that.  So if the blog ever gets quiet (which it often does)......and you're wondering what in the world we're up to over here.....just know that we're LIVING THE DREAM ;)  HAAA!!!  Let's hope she doesn't pass whatever this bug is along to Juliet!

MADAM.

Kumari has been calling me "Madam" since we hired her.  I remember how much it bothered me in the beginning...how I was constantly reminding her to drop that title and call me Lindsay (minus the Madam!).  But the woman refused (as she does with many things that act to dissolve that strict employee/employer boundary) and I have since dropped the issue altogether.  Oh well.

But then the other day I got thinking.  The fact that I am called "Madam" is SUPER, SUPER weird.  I mean, I am the "Madam" of the house.  THE BOSS.  Someone apparently important.  The one that gives Kumari - the lady who is not only older and wiser than I am, but the lady who has raised a bazillion children throughout her career - orders on how to raise our babies.  HA!  Really, think about this.  Little old me, less than two years a mom - giving BABY INSTRUCTIONS and HOW TO'S - to a woman who has, I'm sure, worked with every type of baby you can imagine.  HA!!!!!!  It's super weird, guys.  SUPER, SUPER weird.

In other news, today I wanted to both jump out the window AND add at least ten more children to our family all within the span of a few hours.  Stop with the faces, people - if you're in the club, you've been there ;)  GOODNIGHT ALL!!!! xo

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

*  I finally managed to get into The Real Housewives of Orange County (#firstworldproblems).  Currently watching Season 8!

*  Have any of you tried gel nails?  I dove in for the first time last week and I'm just not sure what to make of them.  I mean, leaving the nail salon without having to worry about smudging my nails was a good thing, but these supposedly "un-chip-able nails" starting chipping for me on day #2.  DAY TWO, PEOPLE!  Clearly I need a lesson in gentle nail care because people are shocked when they hear this result.  #notevenanailbiter #youstillhavetogetthemremovedatthesalon

*  Jet is still fighting this nasty cold.  And it's getting more and more difficult to clear her nose because her eyes are starting to focus better and she can see the dreaded nose-sucker coming!  Nights have been a bit longer than usual (wait - days have been too), but I'm trying to stay positive and savour all of these "cuddle me please" moments because they simply won't last forever.  (For some kids, they don't exist at all!  #nory)

*  HASHTAGS.  I dig them. 

*  Yesterday I made some homemade cheese crackers and during my time in the kitchen I decided that I will forevermore only make heart-shaped crackers.  It's my belief they taste significantly better that way.  So I'm sticking to it!  We also had family pizza night and Nory took on the role of sous-chef.  She did a great job putting the seasoning on the pizza crust and a really, really great job of putting the cheese on too (only the second part is true....unless you like lots of tablespoons of seasoning on your pizza).  Next time, we will all grow from this wonderful family experience and limit Nory's role to "cheese gal".  She will totally excel at that ;)

*  Today Nory and I are getting a ride into "town" to go and cheer on the bulldogs at a basketball game!  We will meet Phil after his practice and then head over to the old campus to cheer on those boys that we still love so much!  GO BULLDOGS!!!!!!!!  Also, I can't wait to get out into civilization.  The type of civilization that does not revolve around a doctor's appointment. 

*  Emily (and not so much me) is really busy planning Jet's "Welcome to the World" party and Nory's second birthday party.  She is the "go big or go home" type, which means these are going to be some pretty OUTSTANDING events :)  Thank you God Mama Gem for all the hard work you put into making beautiful memories for our family!  WE LOVE YOU! xo

*  Somewhere along the way I have developed a pretty intense fear of cats.  I mean, our family cat (now in cat heaven....maybe) has always caused me to be a little bit anti-cat, but since his passing I've become even more skeptic that I could possibly develop a loving relationship with these spastic creatures.  My notion on unpredictable creatures remains true to this day:  they scare me.  Cats.  Birds.  Other animals in nature.  And, at times, toddlers. 

*  I get really attached to my travel mugs, you guys.  For the last 4 years, I have used a green Starbucks mug that Phil and I purchased during our wedding trip to Cyprus.  One piece of the lid had broken off, there was condensation in the formerly pretty outside casing, stains on the inside and some taste retention had also taken place (you know, where your coffee tastes like coffee with a little extra something).  Anyways, I took the plunge (as I did with gel nails - there's a theme to this post, people!) and purchased a new flashy Starbucks mug before Christmas.  Well, GOOD NEWS!  The old one has been tossed and I am IN LOVE with my brand new one :)  In fact, it's become my go-to mug for both INDOORS and OUTDOORS.  HOORAY!

*  Receiving the news "you haven't gained weight, but you haven't lost much either" from your doctor is a little odd.  Is she disappointed in me?  Is that a bad thing?  Didn't you ban me from intense physical activity for weeks?  Haven't I been trying to survive this transition period of toddler plus newborn?  I don't know.  But now I feel guilty and, not only is my FitBit ON, it is being used as a motivational tool.  If Jet can't sleep at night, you can bet I'll be walking the flat...back and forth....back and forth....

*  The final season of Parenthood is giving our tear ducts a workout.  I'm telling you, we didn't even last 30 seconds in last week's episode before we were crying like babies on the couch.  And I don't think it's because of my hormones.  Or because we're overtired.  I think they were legitimate tears that normal people would cry out! 

*  We have REALLY, REALLY wonderful friends here.  The type that message you just because, drop off hand-me-downs for the girls, or send you videos of your little one dancing up a storm.  It's so nice to belong to this community in Kuwait :) 

"The Dip"

I don't know why we call it this and I'm not sure why Jet likes it so much.  But it is an ideal, go-to position of ours.  It allows you to be entertained with various cute baby faces all the while providing a good range of motion to soothe her back to sleep.  It also allows you to eat the snack you made several minutes prior and drink a coffee while it's still somewhat hot (three cheers for being HANDS-FREE)!  Maybe we should patent this idea too...... 

She's ONE MONTH OLD!

It's a real wonder that all of these endless nights, dirty clothes, and cups of coffee have added up to 30 whole days of life for our littlest one.  Sometimes (like at 2 a.m. when I can no longer keep my eyes open....even a smidgen!), the days seem to drag.  At the same time, it's completely logical that the clock ticked all the way to ONE MONTH while we snuggled Jet silly and kissed her forehead a billion times.  Happy moments seem to accelerate time in every instance I can think of.  No matter the case, here we are at ONE MONTH OLD!

Jet continues to be a quiet and EXTRA cuddly little sweetheart!  The only time she really shows any discomfort is right after we take her out of the tub to dry off.  She is NOT a fan of being cold (hmmm...where might that trait come from?) but Phil and I have developed a post-bath-time "mute button" which should probably get patented and shared with parents across the globe ;)  It goes like this....

1)  Phil heats up beanie in the microwave.
2)  I lay Jet's towel out on the bed and wrap the hot beanie inside it.
3)  We give her a bath.
4)  One of us gets the (now warm!) towel from the bed and the other gets Jet out of the tub.
5)  Wrap her up!  Bring her back to the bed and lay her beside (the still warm!) beanie! 
6)  Laugh about how INSTANTLY her cry switches off and then pat her dry and get her ready for "bed".

I'm telling you people.  Short-term results for this procedure are FIVE-STAR!  I will get back to you on the long-term outcome of our post-bath-time mute button :)

Wait.  Back to step six where I remark "get her ready for bed".  HAAA!!!  Jet is still getting up to eat every 1.5 to 2 hours on average (sometimes sooner!) and I think that's been the hardest part of being her parents so far.  Nory was already sleeping in long stretches at this point, but the doctor said that Jet has more catching up to do and this sleep trend is very normal for preemies in the first little while.  At yesterday's weigh-in, she scored a 7.5 (pounds!) and in the past three weeks she has grown 5.5 cm!  The pediatrician was so thrilled!!!!  WAY TO GO, JET - that nickname of yours is proving to be more and more fitting.  Let's hope you get over your first cold (BIG BUMMER) as quickly as you have done other things.

Before I sign off here, I would like to thank really bad (or amazing!) television for keeping me somewhat alert during all these exhausting, nighttime hours.  I would also like to thank a noisy little toddler who also lives here for keeping me ON MY TOES during all these exhausting, daytime hours.  Our house is a bit of a circus right now and, at this point, I'm almost certain we could start charging admission.  Just ask our good pals in Kuwait!  The night time show is usually the best ;)

Oh how I love being a Mama to two little girls.  They are the GREATEST.  No sleep and tantrums included.

Speechless.

MARRIED!

It's strange that I have been able to handle five Christmases away in a row, yet crumbled to pieces (ah-hem, cried for 1.5 days) from missing my brother's wedding on Saturday.  Why did I cry for 1.5 days (instead of just one?!), you wonder?  Because the thing about being 8 hours ahead is that the fun is still going on in Ontario even though it's a shiny new day in Kuwait.  It's unkind to wake up the following morning and realize that the entire family is still dancing up a storm.  Thank you Time Change for prolonging my achy, achy heart. 

Oh well.  The truth is that I would have likely cried as much if I were at the event too!  My brother and his wife are two incredible people, with each of them being so thoughtful and compassionate - making it very clear that FAMILY is the MOST IMPORTANT THING.  They (both of them!) have this special ability to make you feel important and when you tell them anything at all, you know that they didn't just hear you, but they actually LISTENED to what you had to say.  They're the greatest!  By marrying Aubrey, my brother Graeme has grown our family in the most beautiful way :)  We love you both so very much!

Because we weren't able to make it to the wedding, we were asked by the wedding party if we would like to send a little video to show instead.  Being the least tech-savvy couple on Earth, we said yes!  HAAAAA!!!!  One very long night of iMovie tutorials ensued and I decided in those very frustrating hours that I have never missed my grade 6's so much!  Next time I have an "assignment" like this one, I'm recruiting their help.  And next time I give an "assignment" like this one, I'm giving them all A's.  The new generation knows what's up ;)

Here is what we came up with!  FYI:  Aubrey is AMERICAN!

CONGRATULATIONS, GRAEME AND AUBREY!!!!!!!!  Although we missed your special day, we hope that this star-studded video made up for it just a wee bit.  Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and adventure together! xo

The tale of two moms.

Actually, it's just the tale of one mom and that mom is ME!  They say that every child is different and I'm beginning to think the way you parent each child is different too.  Or at least it is in some ways...

When we brought Nory home from the hospital, she slept in a bassinet by our bed (a sorta expensive wooden one).............................for ONE night only.  Haha/Whoops!  Yep, I remember telling Phil that NOT ONLY did we need a crib in Nory's own room, but we also needed an adorable bassinet for her to sleep in during the first several weeks.  And since Phil knows way better than to argue with a pregnant (first time mama!) lady, the arrangement I envisioned came true!  Too bad said arrangement made the financial output so unjustifiable.  Haha/WHOOPS!  It's just that Nory's little grunts and moans were driving me crazy and I couldn't get any sleep with her in the same room as us.  In fact, I even contemplated turning off the baby monitor some nights because it had the same effect as an in-room baby at times.  Anyways, Nory was relocated to a crib in her own room and stayed in there from that point forward.  Money was wasted, but sanity was saved so....whatever.

With Jet, things are SO MUCH DIFFERENT!  I still wake up to every single noise she makes (sometimes she giggles in her sleep and it's the sweetest thing ever!), but this time around I just can't move the girl to any place on her own.  Not because I no longer value sleep.  Not because there's no other place for her to go (we have a baby-bed-like contraption in almost every room of the house), but because.......I don't know.  Sleep deprivation and all, I just can't.  Maybe it has to do with her being born early.  Or maybe it's because I realize how fast these smile-in-their-sleep days go by.  Nonetheless, I can't stop checking on her and, until I'm good and ready, she's staying beside me!  And thanks to a darling couple in our building, there will be no more getting out of bed, sitting up in bed, or straining my eyes across a dark room to see Juliet's sweet face.  The all-star couple lent us this glorious thing called a "co-sleeper bed" and it means that all I have to do is OPEN MY EYES and - BAM! - I can see Jet sleeping soundly beside me.  (That, you guys, is the magic of different parenting ideas and the wonderful mamas who share them!)

Easy peazy!  One quick look and I know she's okay :)

I'm curious to see how our approach to parenting changes in regards to other things.  I remember with Nory we were (or at least I was!) SUPER anti-pacifier.  Then, with Jet, my opinions on it became much more flexible as I started to think that she might be the type that could benefit from a little extra soothing.  And you know what?  We bought some pacifiers and tried them out!  Jet totally disliked them (or has so far), but if she HAD found comfort in using one, I would have been okay with it.  It makes me wonder what all of these parenting decisions depend on.  Is it prior experience?  New knowledge?  The children themselves?  I have no idea.  But I do know that parenting remains the most intriguing job ever.  It's like I've never been so sure before but I've never second-guessed myself so much....

There's a reason I posted a picture of JET sleeping and not ME!

In other sleep-related topics of discussion, have you guys noticed how people become progressively LESS CUTE SLEEPERS as they grow older?  I mean, at what point does the open mouth, snoring, drooling, sleeping face come into play?  If you've ever been on a red eye, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about people!  It ain't pretty.  But newborns are.  If only evolution decided to keep that quality forever more......

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

I have a confession to make.  Posts of these sort are cop-out posts.  Like ones that I write when I don't feel like sorting my thoughts into longer, more meaningful posts.  Or the ones I write when I truly have nothing longer or more meaningful to say.  Perhaps you know that already.  Glad you came back anyways ;)

*  HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!  Phil and I had a very quiet NYE together.  We enjoyed some appetizers and pretend bubbly all the while trying to keep our eyes open for a single episode of Greys Anatomy (romantic, right?!).  Then Phil took one look at me - decided I looked like an exhausted wreck (the romance continues! ha!) - and sent me to bed by 10 o'clock!  And - GET THIS - I slept for EIGHT HOURS IN A ROW!!!!!!!!!!!  Not because Jet slept that long.  But because my husband is the best ever and didn't come knocking for a rest until 6 this morning.  THANK YOU HUN! 

*  You know there's a newborn in the house if.......you decide a sweatshirt is still clean when "there's only a bit of spit-up on it."  Ha!!!!!!!!  Phil didn't even question my train of thought either.  

*  I started watching a show called "Face Off" this morning.  By started, I mean I only lasted two minutes.  It's a reality show about the incredible people who do special effects make-up.  The concept was great (the show has been on for 7 seasons!) but the effects were kinda frightening at times and so I had to quit it.  The last thing I need right now is nightmares ;)  In other tv news, Chasing Life has proven to be quite enjoyable :)

*  Nory.  Oh Nory.  Today we went to a nearby mall and what the entire experience taught us was that our daughter is officially "TWO".  TWO.  Of the terrible variety.  Eek!  Things that happened on our journey?  A huge, very public hissy fit about NOT purchasing some colourful spoons (#mortified).  The realization that she can reach the passenger door handle (#lockitup).  And an independent escape from her car seat (#nowwhat?).  When re-positioning her in the car seat, she continued to tell me "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!" until Phil turned around and said "excuse me?!".  To which our darling daughter reciprocated, "EXCUSE ME?!!!!"  And it's a gosh darn GOOD thing that laughter came out of the three of us because the alternative would have been a full fledged tear fest given the embarrassment Nory put us through in the mall.  Sigh.  We're not quite sure how we're going to navigate the upcoming challenges of this parenthood thing, but we're 100% certain that ELEANOR DOUGLAS is going to put us to the test.  Unfortunately, it's not one of those "study like mad and ace it!" sorta things either.  Otherwise, I'd rock it.  On my first attempt.

*  My brother is getting married in two sleeps and it's really hard to be here and not there.  REALLY, REALLY HARD.  You know, I thought I'd be able to "woman-up" and deal relatively fine.  I even thought I could "mom-up" and make it out okay.  But, you guys, it's tough!  Especially when you think about it AFTER your toddler has a serious meltdown in a jam-packed children's store....HA!

*  I love black and white photos.  LOVE, LOVE.  You might recall that our entire wedding album is black and white and I often turn my Facebook/Instagram photos into B&W too.  Not only do they reduce things down to a simplistic moment in time, they get rid of some of the blur that consistently happens with a toddler.  WIN/WIN! 

*  Bad news - my iPhone's touch screen capabilities are starting to get fussy.  As in, I SOMETIMES have to restart my phone in order for it to work.  My fear is if I ever have to make an important call and I am unable to do so before restarting my mobile.  I'm going to try restarting it every morning to see if that helps prevent the issue.  I'm not ready to part with this phone just yet.  Nor am I willing to fork out the cash for a new one! 

*  GO CANADA GO!!!!!!  We've been fortunate to be able to watch some of the World Junior Games with Canadian pals over the break.  This morning we watched the USA vs Canada game and MAN, the last few minutes were stressful!!!!!! 

*  REALLY GOOD NEWS!!!!  We have applied to get all of our passports either renewed or acquired!  We also applied for Jet to become an official Canadian citizen!  (We = Phil, by the way).  We're hoping to have these documents returned to us as soon as possible but, as with Nory's citizenship, the process can take 6-12 months.  We'll let you know when she's a REAL DEAL Canadian Girl!