Benjamin and Caitlin: The Ultimate Tag Team

The Liquor Store

2011-04-18T00:56:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Caitlin was playing with a Scooby Doo stuffy.

Me: Where's Scooby going?
Caitlin: He goin' to da liquor store!

Say what?!

A few days later Caitlin's playing dress-up. She puts on a dress, shoes, puts her 'baby' in the stroller, grabs her purse, and announces: I goin' to da liquor store!

God help me. People are going to start to wonder!

The Big Playground

2011-04-18T00:55:00.000-04:00

I am SO not ready for this.

I just got an email from Ben's teacher (she mass emails the monthly calendar, news letter, etc. to all the parents); it states on the calendar that the senior kindergarteners will start going to the big playground on May 25th (instead of playing in the fenced kindergarten area). This is a in preparation for grade 1 next year.

Grade 1?

It just hit me like a tonne of bricks.

I want my baby to stop growing up!

Ben's FIVE!

2011-03-06T14:28:00.005-05:00

And has been since December! Ugh, I've been horrible at keeping this blog updated. In my defense I held off on Ben's birthday post until after his party which was held in January after he and his friends returned to school.

I look back at pictures and just can't believe that my boy is getting so big, thoughtful, and grown up. His mind is always going. He always has a question that needs answering or a unique perspective that I've never considered. He's incredibly helpful, empathetic, sweet, and funny. And he takes such wonderful care of his little sister; he plays with her, helps her get drinks and snacks, helps her get out of her boots and coat, and shares with her. Of course, he yells at her sometimes when she wrecks whatever project he's been working on and teases her sometimes, but he wouldn't be normal if he didn't. ;)

Like a true boy he's crazy about Hotwheels, Playmobile (especially the knights), and video games. He's quite good at solving puzzle games and his favourite has been Ilomilo, and more recently The World of Keflings and any sort of racing game. He loves reading Captain Underpants and Ricky Ricotta, and he really enjoys Roald Dahl (especially Fantastic Mr. Fox).

School's still going well for Ben this year. He definitely prefers more hands-on activities like building over printing and circle time, but who can blame him? Having been in his classroom a bit he seems a bit bored at times, but his focus is improving with age. His printing and spelling has come such a long way and his reading is coming along slowly, but surely.

For his fifth birthday we had a little family party with Granny and Grandad. Ben chose his own special dessert (he didn't want a cake), so this is what we ended up with:

pudding, whipped cream, topped with strawberries and marshmallows

Then, as I mentioned earlier, we threw Ben his first real 'friends' birthday party. We hired an entertainer through Mad Science to come in and do science tricks for the kids. Ben LOVED it and really enjoyed being the helper and having the spotlight for an afternoon. The kids had a lot of fun. Well worth the effort. :) (We had chocolate cupcakes because I couldn't bear the thought of 12 children running around my house with bowls of pudding.)

Happy 2nd birthday, my beautiful girl!

2010-12-08T12:51:00.006-05:00

Today Caitlin turns two. I say this all the time, but it's hard to believe how quickly these two years have passed. I was looking at photos taken just before and after she was born and can hardly believe how much has changed in these two years.

Honestly, I don't even know how to put into words just how much we love our little girl. She really is a shining star who brings smiles to everyone around her. She's so pleasant, funny, determined, and clever. (I'm sure I'll have to remind myself of the 'pleasant' bit when she becomes a stroppy teenager.)

Caitlin loves singing, music, dancing, reading, and mimicking Ben. She loves to sing The Wheels On the Bus with me and she's absolutely adorable when she does. She's really good at colour and shape sorting, number recognition, and she's learning to count (we got to five last night). She's a really quick study, this one.

As much as Caitlin loves playing with Ben's cars, Lego, and will happily play rough and tumble, she also has a real girly side to her. She loves jewelry and has her own little stash. She often asks to wear a 'pitty neckie' (pretty necklace). She's also crazy about 'pretty shoes' and having 'pretty hair' and 'pretty toes'.

Our sweet little Caitlin has brought so much to our little family. We love her dearly and we look forward to seeing her develop into her own little person in the years to come.

Here are a few pictures from the past couple of years.

Newborn Caitlin:

Caitlin on her 1st birthday:

Caitlin on her 2nd birthday:

Lots of hugs and kisses, my sweet!

And as you say... Cake!!! ;)

Ben made a new friend at school

2010-11-15T22:24:00.002-05:00

A little girl named Emma.

At the end of the school day today Ben invited Emma to our house. I chatted with her mum a bit to make arrangements for another day to get the kids together during which time I noticed Ben reach out and hold Emma's hand. (So cute!) And as we were leaving Ben blew Emma a kiss, then yelled 'Did you get it??', to which Emma replied 'Yep!' holding up her little fist. (Adorable!!)

Caitlin's obsession

2010-11-15T22:22:00.002-05:00

Ben's stuff. She loves Ben's stuff. And I'm not talking about whatever toy he's playing with, but the oddest things.

Example A: I give her and Ben a bowl of cereal for breakfast in the morning. Ben finishes first and leaves the table. Caitlin pushes her bowl away, slides Ben's bowl over and eats the scraps instead of eating her own, usually still half-full, bowl.

Example B: We come home from being out somewhere. We all take our shoes off. Caitlin puts Ben's shoes on and continues around the house. She's wearing them right now and has a fit if they come off.

Example C: She likes to wear Ben's underwear. The other night she went to sleep wearing a pair of his underwear over her jammies. So, this morning when she went to help herself to a pair of his underwear I thought I'd surprise her with her own underwear. I brought her a bag with packs of girlie underwear, opened a pack, and she totally shunned them, put them all back in the bag, handed the bag to me, and went back to Ben's room for his HotWheels underwear which she then wore for nap.

Halloween '10

2010-11-01T20:36:00.007-04:00

At Ben's suggestion the kids went as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat.

I made the costumes. It was totally simple. Red pants, red shirts, 'dark shirt' iron on transfers, blue fleece (for single seam hats, as hair), and basic image editing to create the shirt logos. I got the hat for hair idea from a youtube video.

Here are my little Halloweenies this year!

(If you click the image you can see it in full size.)

So incredibly proud of Ben!

2010-11-01T20:28:00.004-04:00

This is what my boy - the one who finds reading and spelling 'boring' - did at school last week!

I'm so, so incredibly proud of Ben. I burst into tears when his teacher showed me what he'd done (she invited me in at the end of the day to see). He worked so hard on it and was so proud of himself. What a kid.

Caitlin's one busy girl!

2010-10-02T09:00:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I last posted an update on Caitlin. She's learned so much stuff since the last full update.

First, she recognizes many shapes and can sort them: beside the standard shapes, she also recognizes diamond, heart, oval, rectangle. And she picked it up so quickly. I brought out one of Ben's old puzzles and she had it all figured out in about five minutes!

Caitlin is also incredibly curious about what's going on in the kitchen and if Nic or I attempt to do anything at the counter (make a sandwich, coffee, whatever) she's dragging a chair over from the table and climbing up so she can keep her eye on everything. She, however, also pulls a chair over when she's unattended and can get into everything so we've become very knife cautious, especially since the day I found her holding up a large carving knife. Ack.

Caitlin has many, many words. More than I could possibly count. She'll attempt to say just about anything and will mimick anything you say, so if you teach her a word she'll bank it pretty quickly. Her latest (and cutest) is 'grasshopper' which she pronounces 'gobohboh'. It is the. sweetest. thing!

She's also learning numbers and seemingly quickly. We've been reading a few counting books and much to my surprise she recognises and names most of the numbers from 1-9.

I've just started taking a swim lesson with her to get her more comfortable in swimming pools. She's perfectly happy as long as she's in my arms, but the minute she's in a floatation device or someone else's arms she's very unhappy and makes it known. The funny thing though is that her favourite part of the lesson is being dunked under water. She comes up laughing and asking for more every single time.

And finally, at bedtime she's started insisting on a kiss on the lips. I often give her forehead kisses because she has her soother in her mouth, but now she pulls it out and puckers up. So cute! And then she'll stick her feet in the air so we can give each foot a kiss on the bottom. Adorable.

I'm sure there's lots more, but I'm out of time for now.

The Fox

2010-09-14T08:34:00.003-04:00

Ben told me this morning that he wanted to give all the money in his piggy bank to "the fox that runs on one leg". He means Canadian legend, Terry Fox. He'll be participating in The Terry Fox Run at school at the end of the month.

Ben has had a great first week in senior kindergarten!

2010-09-10T16:26:00.002-04:00

Ben's still on a full day/alternate day schedule this year, and so far so good. No tears at all and has told me he's had good days. He was quite happy after his first day at school. He has the same teacher and some of the kids in his class are the same. The other night when I was tucking him into bed he told me that this year school was 'different' and that he 'felt braver'. I'm sure it helps not being the absolute youngest (with a two year gap in some cases)!

Here are a few pics from the morning of his first day:

Caitlin peed on the potty!!!

2010-08-27T20:04:00.003-04:00

YAY CAITLIN!!!

Ben demonstrated potty usage for her and within minutes she had her own pee on the potty. Such a clever girl.

I've been planning to start Caitlin with the potty soon, so I guess now is as good a time as any. Time to get the rugs off the floor!

Niagara Falls

2010-08-23T22:07:00.008-04:00

After our trip to the cottage we took the kids camping for a few nights in Niagara Falls. We spent a day at Marineland and another day at The Falls. Both kids had fun and Ben did something he hasn't done in at least a year -- napped! Each day following our outing he crashed in the car on the drive back to the site.

Here are some pics from that trip.

The cottage

2010-08-23T21:58:00.006-04:00

Nic took a couple of weeks off work during which time we spent a few nights up at the cottage. The kids had a wonderful time. They loved going for walks, picking berries, and playing in the water. Sound sleep followed each night.

Potty training is looming

2010-08-06T21:30:00.003-04:00

Caitlin has recently started telling us when she's pooped, so yay for her! Big milestone. So, we have the potties out and let her sit on them occassionally. No action yet. I have a feeling that Caitlin will be more of a challenge to train than Ben (who was pretty easy), though, because generally speaking she can be very strong-willed when it comes to something she wants/doesn't want, likes/dislikes (a trait that is likely to serve her well in life!). We shall see!

Empathy at a tender age

2010-08-03T17:54:00.005-04:00

The other day Ben, Caitlin, and I were driving in the car. Somehow Ben and I got on the topic of babies and where they come from. It's come up before, but he was much more curious this time and asking more direct questions. Eventually we got to this...

Ben: How does the baby get out? Through a hole in in the tummy?
Me [being as honest as I can without too much detail]: Sometimes, yes, but usually the baby comes out through the vagina.
Ben: [silent and thinking]
Me [assuming he's wondering how on earth that works]: And it hurts, because a baby's big, and well, a vagina's small, but women's bodies are designed to do this, so it doesn't hurt for long.
Ben [a little more silence, then]: I wouldn't like that if I was a woman.

I think Ben's watching too much TV

2010-08-02T00:03:00.001-04:00

This morning Ben was eager to get playing and was bugging Nic to play a game with him. Nic was still drinking his morning coffee on the deck and said 'Well, I'd like to finish my coffee first. Why don't you sit next to me and we'll chat?' So Ben does, and Nic starts talking about what we've done this weekend so far and tells Ben that he'll be taking a couple of weeks off work this month and what we'll do while Nic's off work. Finally Ben sighs and says 'Can we skip the commercial and just get to the game?'

Swim rave about Ben!

2010-07-26T21:05:00.004-04:00

Since school let out I've had Ben enrolled in swim lessons. He's in the preschool programme through our town (the children's programme starts at age six) and has taken the same level lessons three times (he's in his third round now). He's been a bit nervous about floating on his own (front and back) and using floatation devices on his own to glide forward and backward.

In the previous lessons he got a handle on using floatation devices, but he was still nervous about floating on his own. However, he'd completely nailed the front float (for min. 3s) during his lessons, and on the weekend we had him at the pool ourselves where he figured out the back float. It was so awesome to see how proud he was of his accomplishment. I was SO excited for him. And his instructor today was so pleased for him, too.

So now Ben gets to level up and will start his new lessons in August. Yay Ben!!!

Caitlin's vocabulary and other stuff.

2010-07-02T10:07:00.002-04:00

Jeez, it seems like as soon as she mastered walking my baby girl just grew right up! She has lots of words and phrases already, and is quick to pick up new words (like Cleo's name when we were visiting Granny and Granddad recently).

Her favourite word is 'outside' - she absolutely loves to be out in the backyard and can entertain herself for hours it seems.

She's been doing a few signs and uses the 'more' sign a lot and combines it with words, like she'll sign 'more' and say 'bubbles' after we've blown bubbles.

I don't think I could possibly compile a comprehensive list of all her words at this point, but here are some of her words that come to mind:

apple (ah-pah)
Ben (Bah)
Mama and Dada
bubble (buh-buh)
no (she likes this word, too!)
hello and hi
bye-bye
Pablo (from The Backyardigans)
Cleo (Granny and Granddad's pug)
meow
ball
star

No more nighttime pull-ups for Ben!

2010-07-02T10:06:00.002-04:00

Ben has started staying dry through the night, or he wakes when he needs to go pee. Yay! No more pull-ups at night for my big boy.

Caitlin WALKS!

2010-06-03T10:30:00.003-04:00

FINALLY!! Just shy of 18 months. She's been cruising for so long and for months we've been saying 'any day now'... the day is here!

She started taking bigger and bigger clusters of solo steps over the past week or so and now she's going from room to room, crossing rooms, and avoiding obstacles in the yard.

So happy for her!

I think I'll really have my hands full now since she is already an accomplished climber.

"I just had to organize my penis."

2010-05-20T22:12:00.005-04:00

Add that to the list of phrases I never thought I'd heard spoken out loud.

It went like this...

Ben grabs at his crotch a few times and notices I'm looking.
Ben says "I don't have to pee. I just had to organize my penis."
Then he follows it up with "It was stuck to my leg."

This kid keeps me laughing!

Ben's spring concert

2010-05-11T20:31:00.005-04:00

First, I wish I had photos, but I knew his teachers would be taking lots so I'm waiting for theirs.

Second, it was SO, SO cute!

Ben sat right up front and center for his public school concert debut. The theme was the ocean and titled 'Oceans of Fun'. His class sang The Beatles' Octopus' Garden and an unnamed dolphin song.

Based on Ben's level of enthusiasm we'd say his favourite parts were the air guitar segment of Octopus' Garden (adorable) and putting on a pair of super-cool shades during the dolphin song.

Here's a pic of Ben looking handsome in his hand-crafted octopus hat. :)

Walking is near... for real this time!!

2010-05-11T20:29:00.003-04:00

Several times today Caitlin has taken a string of steps; about five or six at a time, and is walking around holding onto one of my fingers.

She must've overheard me on the phone with Grandpa the other day telling him she'd probably start walking sometime during their visit. I guess she thinks she better get on it sooner!

Dada, Mama, and... Pablo

2010-05-07T15:14:00.005-04:00

For the longest time Caitlin called everyone 'dada': Nic, me, Ben... even complete strangers. So, I thought I'd work on getting her to call me 'mama' consistantly. Finally, after much fanfare each and every time she called me 'mama' she started calling me 'mama' regularly... however, now everyone is 'mama': myself, Nic, Ben... even complete strangers.

You see the pattern, right?

Just when I thought one name for everyone was all she needed we stopped at the video store where, while sitting in her stroller next to a wall of 'new release' videos, she pointed and said 'Pablo'.

So, there is everyone and there is Pablo. I don't see Pablo getting her snacks and changing her diaper! :P

A couple of pics of the kids from Easter

2010-04-26T18:25:00.003-04:00

A little late with these, but better late than never.

A couple of Ben musings

2010-04-26T18:20:00.004-04:00

Yesterday at dinner Ben pointed at me and said 'boss', then pointed at Nic and said 'lady boss'.

Today Ben was playing with some other kids after school. I called him over for a moment. When he approached he looked at me and said 'What's up, little mama?'.

Oh, and on a non-musing related topic, Ben did up his coat zipper for the first time ever today. Yay Ben! He's also started buckling himself into his car seat and announcing how he's cut my work in half.

Such a sweetheart! (And other things.)

2010-03-30T20:23:00.003-04:00

Caitlin is just too cute! After I lay her in her crib at bedtime she gets up for another kiss, then promptly lays back down with her head on her pillow and snuggles in. Heart melting!

She's also showing off her little personality at a local indoor playground these days. Today she figured out the toddler slide, going up, sliding down (feet first on her tummy), and then getting up and doing it all over again. When some of the older kids were taking too long to take their turn she'd start whapping them on the back and yelling at them. Ha-ha! She certainly doesn't shy away from the bigger kids at all.

From babydom to toddlerhood

2010-03-12T19:42:00.002-05:00

Caitlin is finally making the transition. She's not walking/toddling independantly yet, but she is doing very well with her walker, and she's learned to manouver it with serious expertise! Today she's started pushing herself into a stand independantly and holds it for a second, but it's a real step towards independant walking. So, the princess may walk soon!

Her comprehension is really coming along, too. She understands simple requests, like, 'put the wipes in the basket' and 'try to stand up' and 'where's your milk?'. And she has a few words: Dada (no 'Mama' yet), uh-oh (used in context), bye-bye (more like 'buh-buh', once in a while), and the other day we could have sworn she said 'oh dear'.

Her new favourite food appears to be clementines. We were at a friends house the other day and shared a couple, then before I knew it I had a half gnawed whole clementine in front of me (Caitlin swiped one and chewed through the peel desperate to get to the good stuff!).

She hasn't shown much interest in baby signing, despite my efforts. But, she's found other ways to communicate with us. She tends to point to things that she wants to hold, have, or know the name of. And if there's any sort of food on her tray she isn't interested in you'll find it meets the floor rapidly. If she wants more of something you'll be met with shrieks. She's also mastered the emphatic head shake (for 'no') and 'yeah!' and can answer a lot of questions that way.

Caitlin really enjoys books. She's not always keen on having a story read to her, but she loves to hold books, thumbing through them looking at the pictures.

And I must say, she's a very appreciative audience. Even when you think she's not listening she'll take the time to drop what she's doing and clap when I've finished singing a song. Such a funny girl!

cold + teething = misery

2010-02-27T10:43:00.002-05:00

Poor Caitlin. She's been feeling awful these past few days. She's had her share of colds since Ben started school, but this latest coincides with the cutting of all her canines (all four at once, but hopefully means she'll get a break before her two year molars come in).

Canines were a challenge for Ben and they are brutal for poor Caitlin. She didn't eat much for a few days, but bounced back a bit yesterday, and she's been sleeping a lot. The poor thing is so cranky and clingy when she's awake -- so not her usual, easy-going, happy self.

It's so hard when your wee ones are feeling lousy and there's nothing much you can do but wait it out.

Caitlin's new skills

2010-02-08T14:12:00.002-05:00

Caitlin is beginning to sort shapes, and she's pretty darn good at it too. She has a little dessert plate shape sorter that she loves to play with.

She's also beginning to say some words. She's been saying 'uh-oh' for some time now, mostly mimicking, but recently she's started saying it in context, like when she drops (read: throws) food on the floor. And yesterday we could have sworn she said 'bye-bye' while waving good-by to Granny and Grandad.

Caitlin also responds to simple requests, e.g., where are your toes?, find your milk, etc. Of course, being a girl she will only entertain you when SHE feels like it. :)

Little update on Ben and kindergarten

2010-02-08T14:02:00.004-05:00

Let me start by saying how much Ben's learned since starting school. His printing and drawing has come a long way; what were once random scribbles (at the beginning of the year) are now legible letters and images. There's nothing more enjoyable to see in his school folder (which comes home at the end of each school day) than pictures Ben's drawn all on his own.

From a social standpoint I think it's been a bit tough on him being the youngest. He's incredibly social and engaging when he's playing in a small group outside of school, but at school he's not interacting a whole lot with the other kids, even during free-play time. It's a departure from preschool where he made friends and played easily with the other kids. I think part of the problem (for Ben) in kindergarten is that there is a 'three kids to a bin' rule, presumably to cut down on squabbles over toys, and Ben isn't forward enough to get himself into a group early on and ends up either playing alone or spaces out a bit, off in his own imaginary world.

I think next year will be a bit easier for Ben since he'll be in senior-kindergarten and still in a JK/SK blended class, so there will be children younger than him. And he'll have had the experience of JK behind him.

Caitlin, Caitlin, look at you go!

2010-01-24T18:34:00.003-05:00

Caitlin's really coming along with her walker these past few days. I don't think it will be too long before she starts letting go. Then I'll really be in trouble!

And the stairs - oh my! We have to keep them gated otherwise she beelines it and climbs the stairs with haste!

A few other things Caitlin's doing:

wanting to know what everything is called, e.g., she points, waits for you to name the object, then points to something new - the girl is always pointing!
knows where her toes are and can find them when you ask
will point to Ben if you ask her where he is
pretend eats food, which is something she's picked up from Ben and our tea parties
says 'dada' and 'uh-oh' - no 'mama' yet, but she seems to call me 'ba-ba'
loves flipping the pages in a book when you read to her
LOVES to feed herself; we just put her food on her tray and she has at it, and if you try to spoon feed her you have to fill the spoon and pass it to her so she can do it herself, otherwise she shakes her head and gets mad

I'm sure there are a tonne of other things, but this is what comes to mind at the moment.

She sure is a lot of fun. It's such a pleasure watching her learn new things and explore the world around here. My heart just swells right up when I see her beam with pride with each new accomplishment.

Ben - true Canadian kid!

2010-01-24T18:28:00.003-05:00

Ben's started skating this winter. Initially I wasn't sure how it would go. He gets so easily frustrated when he's not immediately good at something. We enrolled him in skating lessons - he's had three so far, and he's done SO well! He gets right back up when he falls down and keeps on trying. He's definitely determined!

When Ben first started lessons he hadn't been on skates at all. He was very reliant on a skate trainer to hold onto to assist him with balance. His last lesson, however, he did three widths of the rink with only one fall in the beginning.

I've had him out a few times myself and the improvement each time is quite impressive. And I was so proud of him last week when he let go of the trainer to skate next to me - he announced 'I'm skating! I'm skating!! I'm skating with YOU, Mama!!!' What a wonderful moment that was and one I'll always hold close to my heart.

I'll try to post a few pics in the next few days. I often forget to bring along the camera when we're out - which is probably fine by Ben as he isn't crazy about having his photo taken - but we do have a few.

Cruising and more.

2010-01-11T10:55:00.002-05:00

In the past month or so Caitlin's gross motor coordination has come a long way. She's much more quick to get on her feet, she's cruising a bit, and has been climbing the stairs. She's been doing a couple of stairs for a long while now, but only in the past few weeks has become brave enough to climb all the way upstairs. In fact, one day I forgot to close the gate at the bottom of the stairs and the next thing I knew Ben was alerting me that Caitlin was upstairs. I didn't even know she could climb all the way up... or would be brave enough!

Caitlin had a follow-up appointment with the paediatrician. I don't know if I'd mentioned in a previous entry, but there were a few things our extremely cautious GP had refered us for (heart murmur, small head circumference, and red reflexes in the eyes) all of which I'm pleased to say are fine and the paeditrician has no concern with. The only reason we returned is because Caitlin had lost a small amount of weight between her first and second appointments. Today we found she gained, but has dropped in percentile; instead of remaining on the 50th percentile curve she's dropped to somewhere between 50th and 25th. Again, however, no cause for concern because she is gaining and she eats very well; I think she's more likely to take after Nic's side of the family and be smaller framed and lighter weight (whereas Ben was the complete opposite -- always topping the charts, so I'd guess he takes after my family).

So long, bottles.

2009-12-21T19:30:00.003-05:00

Today is Caitlin's first bottle-free day and it has been a piece of cake. I figured she'd wean easily, but it was almost too easy.

I used the same method I did for Ben: replacing a bottle per day with a cup of milk for the first week, then two bottles per day the second week, and finally replacing the last bottle at the start of the third week (which is today). I just gave her a bedtime snack and some milk and she was good to go.

The trick with Ben was finding the right cup, and in his case it was a silicone straw cup, but Caitlin took to a spout cup right away so there was no guess-work involved.

So yay for my big girl! I'm happy to see her adapt so quickly, but kind of sad to see an end to the bottles because it means our baby isn't a baby for much longer.

Update on Ben's peanut allergy

2009-12-16T12:49:00.004-05:00

So yesterday was Ben's scheduled appointment for the oral challenge for peanut at Sick Kids Hospital. They start the appointment by checking his vitals and then by administering a skin prick test for the allergen using an extract (as well as positive and negative controls).

Unfortunately we didn't get past the skin prick test as he had a strong positive response to the peanut extract. This is following a previous negative test to both the peanut extract and peanut butter in August. We don't know what to think. I've left a message with Ben's allergist's office to find out what we should do next: go into the office for a repeat test, wait 6 months (for what would be Ben's usual annual appointment), or wait 12 months.

To say we're disappointed, I suppose, would be an understatement. Despite knowing the test could go either way it's difficult to not hold out hope that this could be it and Ben wouldn't have to consider this allergy long-term. But, on a positive note, I would much rather find out without him having a terrible reaction. Not getting past the skin prick test, however, just feels like a step backwards, especially after months of waiting for the challenge date.

We were a bit blindsided by the allergist performing the skin test. I'd discussed the best way to mentally prepare Ben for the challenge with his allergist (the supervising allergist on duty at the Sick Kids allergy clinic the day of the challenge) at a previous appointment and he'd suggested to not get into detail until the result of the SPT at the challenge appointment - sounded like a great plan to me. If the result had been negative then we'd proceed and explain to Ben that he would eat a little bit of peanut. BUT the allergist performing the test had a different plan and told Ben while he was administering the scratch test that he would be eating peanuts. Ben immediately got upset and said he didn't want to, and so Nic and I were left trying to explain the situation to him -- and in the end all for nothing because he had a positive skin test anyway. Grr. (On a side note I will say that I am very impressed with my boy's adamant stance on not eating peanut. Such a smart boy.)

Our independant boy

2009-12-16T12:47:00.001-05:00

When we got home from school on Monday I'd noticed Ben's entire outfit had changed: shirt, underwear, pants, and socks. So naturally I asked him what happened. He tells me he tried to pee standing up and proceeded to explain that the toilet was in one direction and his pee went in another (and apparently all over him - oops!). So I asked him if his teacher helped him and he said 'No, I handled it pretty well all by myself. I cleaned up all the pee with paper towel!' (And he was so proud of himself!)

Anyway, I had a feeling his teacher wasn't aware for a few reasons: a) his wet clothes didn't come home in his bag, b) he'd forgotten to transfer his epipen to his new pants (he told me he didn't know how to clip it on), and c) she hadn't mentioned it to me when I was chatting with her at the end of the day.

So, forward to this morning. I asked her if she'd known and sure enough she didn't. He really did handle it all by himself! He made a mess, cleaned it up, went out and got his bag of spare clothes, changed, put all his wet clothes in the bag and put them back in his cubby. I'm impressed!

Our baby girl is ONE YEAR OLD!

2009-12-08T12:41:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to our beautiful girl, Caitlin! One whole year old today!

I didn't cry at her birthday party (which we held on Sunday) and I didn't really feel I was mourning the loss of my infant like I did with Ben. It's hitting me a bit today though. Especially since I'm quite sure she's our last baby. But I know how many wonderful things we have to look forward to, and so I'm not sad for long.

What a wonderful year it's been. I won't lie, the first few months were rough going. It's so hard adjusting to being a mum of two. You can't help feeling like you're always failing someone, and when the 'someone' is a wee little soul you've been blessed to care for and provide for it's tough to not feel overwhelmed with guilt at times. But once we got past that hump everything improved drastically.

Caitlin is an amazing little girl. She's so happy, social, cheeky, curious, and ambitious. Oh, and tolerant. She can take a lot from her big brother... and she's learning to dish it too.

We're beginning to see Caitlin assert herself more and when she doesn't like something she will let you know! And she sure can get mad when you take something away from her that she's not supposed to have. Foot stomping mad!

We absolutely cannot imagine life without our girl. She has brought so much to our family and I feel we've all learned more from her than she from us so far.

Happy first birthday, Caitlin. Mummy, Daddy, and Ben all love you very, very much!

Ben's first letter to Santa

2009-11-26T08:12:00.002-05:00

Ben dictated his letter to me, I printed it, and he'll sign his name.

Dear Santa Claus,

I want to write a note so you know what I want.

I am three.

I want curved Lego (Duplo), Santa Claus.

I want eggnog, Santa Claus.

I want candy canes from Santa Claus.

Caitlin crawls because she’s a baby. Maybe she will want markers.

She’s my sister.

She also climbs up on the couch. And she climbs on me! And she climbs on Mama. And on Daddy.

I’ve been a good boy and helping Mama.

I like school.

Thank you for all the stuff you gave me and for all the dinners that I have (but not from Santa). Thank you!

Love for Santa Claus,

Ben

An all-around allergy update

2009-11-23T10:23:00.004-05:00

Okay, so that isn't me, but it sums up how I feel about ##$$#@ allergies.

Let me start with Ben.

As I mentioned in a previous post he'd reacted to raw egg. I since brought him back to the allergist who didn't bother testing him with raw anyway. He feels based on Ben's recent history of consuming cooked egg that it's just a matter of time before he outgrows it completely and to keep going as we have been, i.e., keep offering him cooked egg and other forms that he's been fine with and avoid whole egg mayo and other raw forms, like whole egg eggnog (Ben's been fine with store-bought since it's egg yolks only). So that's good news. I hope. The allergist did advise me to bring along an egg to Ben's peanut challenge (even though I had one for his appointment) and he'd skin test him with it then.

And now Caitlin.

As I also mentioned in an earlier post Caitlin was tested for egg and peanut and tested negative for both. The allergist said we could introduce both foods anytime. We haven't intro'd peanut since we don't keep peanut in the house, but I have given Caitlin scrambled egg on two occassions and both times she reacted (redness and small hives on the chin). Today I was at the allergist for my own appointment (seasonal and pet allergies) and I mentioned Caitlin's reaction to egg, so he tested her with raw egg and she reacted. Not strongly, however, which indicates that this will be something she'll also outgrow. In the meantime he recommended we continue to challenge with egg at home. Caitlin has had quiche with no problems and some baked goods, so I suspect the scrambled wasn't as well cooked hence the reaction.

Man oh man, it sure would be easy if this allergy business were more straightforward.

As for me, I'm still allergic to cats and dogs, and have more seasonal allergies than before (throw in grass and a bunch of weeds). The allergist didn't recommend allergy shots and definitely didn't recommend we have cats or dogs as it could make my allergies worse to the point of asthma, and I definitely don't want that. So now I have to figure out what our family pet options are. Fish and birds just don't cut it.

What Caitlin's up to lately

2009-11-22T19:08:00.003-05:00

It's been a little while since I've updated on Caitlin's milestones, so here's a little on Caitlin's recent achievements.

She's been proper hands-and-knees crawling for about a month now with a smidge of commando crawling thrown in now and again. And she's getting around very quickly too! The little smartypants takes off on me when I say her name... she knows a diaper change (which she loathes) or a clothing change (which she loathes almost as much) is coming up. I usually get halfway through one or the other and the little bare-bummed girl takes off at full speed, looking over her shoulder laughing. Silly monkey.

She's also pulling herself up on furniture, and her most recent trick is to climb on Daddy when he's laying on the floor next to the couch, then climbing up onto the couch itself. Once she gets up onto the couch she turns around, sits, and claps for herself. She's so funny and way too cute!

I recently mentioned she'd discovered gravity, but she hadn't yet coupled the discovery with food. Yeah. She's discovered it now. Lots of messes and good times to come.

And I've had a recent discovery of my own. Occassionly Caitlin becomes overtired. It's not common because she doesn't get over-stimulated/tired nearly as quickly as Ben did when he was an infant/toddler (he would ramp up so fast you wouldn't know what hit you!) and having had the experience of getting one child through infancy and toddlerhood I am quicker to notice the signs, but we can't be perfect all the time now, can we? So, it does happen on occassion and she cries like there's no tomorrow. Until recently Nic and I would hold her and rock her in the chair, then try to put her down, and of course, more crying the minute we put her down, and so we'd rinse and repeat. One night after shuffling her around from crib to chair to our bed to crib to chair, etc. in an effort to soothe her she just screeched in my arms. She'd totally had enough. Mummy *finally* clued in. I put her in her crib screaming her wee head off and left. Literally two minutes later - silence - she was out like a light. Duh. Apparently my infant translator wasn't plugged in. Crying doesn't always = "hold me, don't leave me"; sometimes it means "Piss off! I'm trying to sleep and you're messing things up!"

An unusually beautiful November day

2009-11-08T19:37:00.007-05:00

A perfect day to take lots of pics of the kids!

Crap. Back to the allergist with Ben.

2009-11-08T10:37:00.005-05:00

I'll have to make an appointment tomorrow. Despite Ben's negative egg test back when he was 2.5 yrs (with our former allergist who failed to test Ben with anything other than an extract, i.e., didn't perform a skin prick test with actual egg) he is still reacting to raw egg.

This morning this is what he looked like after sampling some cookie batter that contained one egg. The photo doesn't do a great job of capturing the hives (clicking the photo will show a slightly larger image), but I'd say there were about fifteen of them. I took his shirt off so I could watch and see if he developed any more, but fortunately it didn't spread beyond his face.

Ben is printing his name!

2009-11-03T19:51:00.002-05:00

Ben recently learned to print 'Ben'. I'm so proud of him. He's come leaps and bounds with his fine motor skills since starting school. I'll have to take a photo of his printed name and update the post later.

Thank goodness I have a blog!

2009-11-03T19:45:00.004-05:00

Otherwise people might get tired of me gushing about my kids!

Caitlin's learned a couple of new 'tricks' lately. :)

Dropping objects is fun. Especially when riding in a shopping cart and Mummy has to keep picking them up. She is experimenting on her own, too, by just picking up random items and dropping them on the floor to see what happens. So far her food stays on her tray. For now she likes food way too much to throw it. I'm sure it's coming though.
Food sharing. For the first time this evening Caitlin offered me a bite of her apple slice. Such a sweet gesture!

Besides this she continues to impress us with her self-feeding skills and her interest in eating all types of foods. For example, tonight we had pasta primavera alfredo and she gobbled it up. Veggies and all. And now that she has eggs in her diet she tried her first poached egg this morning and polished off almost half.

What a wonderful little girl she is. She's just so much fun. We are just love her so much!

Halloween '09

2009-11-01T09:57:00.005-05:00

I dressed up both the kids and took them out, then brought Caitlin home to give out candy with Daddy and took Ben out again. Both seemed to have a great time and looked adorable in their costumes. Ben went as a dragon again this year; last year's costume stilll fit him. He originally wanted to be a ghost, so I made him a costume, but changed his mind once I was finished making it (such is the way of children), so now he has a dress up costume. But Ben made a great dinosaur, growling and roaring at everyone, a couple of houses gave him extra candy for his enthusiasm. :)

Ben the dinosaur and Caitlin the ladybug.

Daddy sneaks into the picture.

Ben growling at Caitlin and her presumably thinking "you don't scare me".

Caitlin makes off with some of Ben's Halloween loot.

Daddy trying to isolate the candy, and Caitlin making her way over.

Now this is what big brothers are for!

About a third left of an enormous lollypop Ben scored at one house. He was determined to finish it before going to bed... and he did!

Yum!

A cute Ben story.

2009-10-30T15:52:00.003-04:00

The other night at bedtime I was telling Ben how much I loved him a la 'Guess How Much I Love You'. Our conversation went like this:

Me: I love you!
Ben: I love you, too!
Me: I love you more.
Ben [illustrating by extending his arm]: I love you this much.
Me [illustrating by extending my arm]: I love you this much.
Ben: I love you to the moon!
Me: I love you to the moon and back!
Ben: I love you to the moon and to Mars and to... [insert pause]
Daddy [helping out]: To Pluto...
Ben: To Pluto, and to Mickey Mouse, and to Saturn!

Adorable. I love this kid!

Great allergy news for Caitlin!

2009-10-30T15:46:00.003-04:00

Since it's flu season, and the season of H1N1 no less, I wanted to determine whether or not it'd be safe to give Caitlin this season's flu shots and the deciding factor was whether or not Caitlin had an egg allergy. Ben had to opt out for a couple of years due to an egg allergy, and since Caitlin's at greater risk of food allergy because clearly it's in the family, I decided allergy testing prior to administration of a shot that could potentially cause anaphylaxis in an egg allergic person was the prudent route to take.

Anyway, after a brief chat with our new allergist (whom I looooove -- he's so awesome) we decided to go ahead and test for egg and peanut. I am ecstatic to report that Caitlin tested NEGATIVE to both! Woohoo!!!

Such a sweet talker!

2009-10-20T20:06:00.004-04:00

Ben, that is. He's way too cute for his own good.

Tonight he found a necklace he made for me last year in preschool, placed it around my neck, then followed with 'Mama, you look pretty with that necklace on.' and rounded off the night by saying, before bedtime, 'I love you, Mama. You're the best mama I've ever had.' as he gave me a big hug. Haha! What a cutie pie, this kid.

School drop-offs

2009-10-19T09:36:00.000-04:00

My poor boy. He cries every morning that I drop him off at school. Last Friday, however, we were running late so everyone was inside when we got to school and I just ushered him in, said a quick good-bye, and all was fine. But usually when we arrive on time the kids are in the school yard with a few playing, but many just standing in line waiting to go inside. Most times Ben will bring his bag into line then run back to me sobbing, telling me he'll miss me, and it's so heartwrenching (but I remain calm and don't show any upset myself as I know he'll settle in when he gets inside).

But this morning. Oh man. My heart was bleeding for my boy. He said good-bye to me at the gate, we had a hug, talked about the fun stuff he does at school, and off he went. He stood against the wall with the other kids outside, in line, waiting to go in. But when I looked at him I could see he was fighting back tears and wiping them away. And then his face began to contort and I knew he was crying. He tried so hard and couldn't hold it in, yet he didn't come back to me. He was trying so hard to be strong. I so wanted to just give my boy the biggest hug ever and hold him forever.

Commando crawling and other stuff

2009-10-05T10:59:00.004-04:00

Caitlin's been crawling the last little bit. She's not up on her hands and knees, but rather drags herself around using her forearms while pushing with her knees and feet AKA 'commando crawling'. She really gets around too! It's so much fun watching her explore and the things she gets into. She's fascinated by door stoppers and heat vents. And she's stealthy! I couldn't find her this morning! Eventually I located her under the dining room table. I think I'm in trouble with this one! Not to mention her love of scavenging 'floor food'. The other day I found her picking out and eating puffed wheat from my floor sweepings. Yum.

She's also able to push herself up into a sitting position from her tummy. I think she's been strong enough to do it for a while now, but only recently figured out the logistics.

Ben has to guard his HotWheels at all times. I call Caitlin 'my little magpie'. She loves shiny bobbles, and especially shiney bobbles with wheels.

Caitlin also had her first swim at the public pool this past week. She loved it! We have another water baby on our hands. :)

A long overdue photo update

2009-10-05T10:46:00.006-04:00

I'm sorry I've been so negligent! I find myself much busier these days that the blog is being a bit ignored. Not to mention that I find use Blogger a bit annoying, cumbersome, and time consuming to format, so I've been hoping to find time to transer everything to Wordpress in hopes that it'll make publishing quicker and reduce the amount of formating time.

Anyway, enough about my Blogger woes. Here's the good stuff - a bunch of photos of the kids! :) (Plus a few with Grandpa and Nanny taken during their visit in late August.)

Caitlin's made the connection between the remote controller and the TV

2009-09-13T23:07:00.004-04:00

Caitlin LOVES remotes, phones, anything with buttons. She works so hard to get them only to have one of us take them away. And she lets us know that her majesty is displeased.

Last night, however, I was getting her ready for bed in the master bedroom, as usual, and let her play with the remote while I was getting her dressed. During her frenzy of crazed button pushing she managed to turn the TV on, which completely piqued her interest. Then she changed the channels and turned up the volume to deafening, at which point I shut the TV off, set the remote to a non-existant appliance, and let her have at it again. She wasn't nearly as amused though because every time she fiddled with the remote a bit she'd quickly arch around on her back to see if she'd had any success with the TV. Clever kiddo!

More JK pics!

2009-09-11T11:11:00.003-04:00

Today is Ben's first full day on his own. He was a little hesitant this morning, but his teacher came over and then he was more comfortable going in to join the other kids on the playground.

There were tears today (mine), but I saved them until we had dropped Ben off and were walking away. I might have been fine if Grandpa hadn't started first. :)

I managed to snap a few pictures this morning. It's hard to get pics of Ben posing or facing the camera because, a) he doesn't really like having his picture taken, and b) he had enough to deal with without me pestering him for photos too.

Ben's first day of junior kindergarten (JK)

2009-09-09T20:05:00.004-04:00

Ben started JK today. My big boy. It was a half day (afternoon) and parents were welcome to stay, so we did. Fortunately Nic's on holidays so he was able to come too.

Here are some photos from today.

Ben's first full day will be this Friday. He had a good day today and was really cute at the end of class when their teacher played a couple of songs. He was dancing up a storm!

School snack/lunch practice

2009-09-03T09:36:00.002-04:00

With Ben starting junior kindergarten next week (who can believe it? where did the time go??) I've started packing his morning snack and lunch in his school lunch bag and putting it into his backpack so he can practice at home. It's allowed him to become familiar with getting his food from his bag, opening the containers, and packing things back up. It's going well. And it seems to be building his confidence too. One less hurdle for him to jump when he starts school.

And the bonus - he is genuinely excited to see what's packed and eats it instead of complaining that he wanted something else!

Another Caitlin update!

2009-09-03T09:24:00.003-04:00

I think we'll see the two upper lateral incisors soon which will bring her tooth count to eight. Teething isn't very hard on her at all, so let's hope it stays this way.

She's still rolling around everywhere desperately trying to crawl and she gets so mad when she's trying to go somewhere but her body doesn't cooperate.

Ben has to keep an eye on his toys because she beelines for his Hot Wheels. He's pretty good at giving her something else to play with when he catches her with a toy of his that either isn't safe for her or that he doesn't want to share.

Caitlin has a wonderful appetite. She'll eat pretty much anything. And she's not fussy about textured foods either, so often I'll make a small batch of alphabet pasta or rice and mix it with pureed meat and veg and she gobbles it up. She also likes to self feed and is so funny when you dump some puffed wheat on her tray. She snatches it right up. She also likes blueberries, banana, and gnawing on big chunks of soft pear.

Caitlin continues to sleep well. We never hear from her through the night. Once in a while I'll find she's awake when I peek in on her before I go to bed myself. And she's so sweet. I'll be greeted by two little eyes and a big smile in the dark. I can't help myself picking her up and giving her a big snuggle during which she'll gently play with my hair and stroke my face. I love that time with her.

Everyone who meets her just adores her. She truely is a sweet little girl.

So sweet

2009-09-03T09:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Ben fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon. This is only the second time he's fallen asleep in the afternoon since he's stopped napping. He was startled awake at some point and was quite upset because he'd wanted to keep napping. I cuddled him on my lap in my arms and he went back to sleep. I can't remember the last time Ben slept in my arms. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Grandpa and Nanny are back for another visit!

2009-09-03T09:12:00.002-04:00

And the kids are wearing them out! Ben monopolizes most of Grandpa's time and they're really enjoying playing together. Caitlin is busy rolling around and getting into everything. She's such an inquisitive girl! She really enjoys stories with Nanny and Nanny's animal imitations. Always big smiles and laughs.

Grandpa and Nanny will be here for about another 1.5 weeks. We'll be really sad to see them go.

Teeth and gettin' around

2009-08-16T14:37:00.002-04:00

Caitlin now has five teeth. Her two upper central incisors, her two lower central incisors (the first two to cut), and now a lower lateral incisor with the other not far behind. Teething seems to be going easy on her, and if not she hides it well!

She's also getting around a lot by rolling. She rolls all around the family room. I really need to get rid of the coffee table and free up some space for the kids, because between Ben 'making movies' and Caitlin's rolling space can be a rare commodity in that room.

No crawling yet, but I don't think she's far off. My guess is she'll be crawling in a month's time. Maybe a bit sooner.

And such a funny girl too. Caitlin has become so much more giggly and easier to get giggling. Ben gets some really good laughs out of her. Watching the two of them together is really heart-melting. Well, until someone starts to cry. Usually Caitlin because occassionally Ben forgets she's not ready to wrestle yet.

A little Caitlin update

2009-08-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

Oh, where to start? I feel like I could gush about her for hours, yet I have nothing to say that hasn't really already been said. :)

She's such a content, happy girl. Her favourite song is 'Rolly Polly' (rolly, rolly, polly - up, up, up - down, down, down - etc. for those of you who know it). She could be crying and I just start into that song and a grin instantly spreads across her face. At least someone around here likes my singing!

She's over her bout of rotavirus, or at least that's what the doctor figures it was. Thank goodness. She really took it like a trooper. Not to mention cutting her two upper central incisors at the same time. They've just completely broken through the gums (it's taken about a week to get this far), so I think the most painful part is past.

Solids feeding is going very well. She's not as particular about texture as Ben was. He was pretty firm 'purees, hold the lumps', whereas Caitlin is perfectly happy with moderately textured foods, like mashed fruits/veg. She definitely prefers fruit to veg, but quite likes corn... I guess being one of the sweetest veggies. And oh, how she loves Rice Krispies. Sometimes she can't shovel them into her mouth fast enough. You spill them on her tray and her fist is like an iron filing to a magnet. And she's hilarious eating blueberries. She gets one in her mouth, chews on it a bit, and eventually she spits out the skin after eating all the blueberry goodness.

She's such a little ray of sunshine. She brings us all so much joy. Ben just loves her to bits, and she adores him too. I love when he makes her giggle. It's just the sweetest thing.

Anyway, a few pics I've taken in the past week so I thought it was time I get some new ones posted!

A boy and his worm

2009-07-30T09:07:00.003-04:00

The other morning we found a nightcrawler when I was pulling some weeds in the yard. Ben was absolutely smitten, named him 'Mater' (of course), and played with him all morning. I reminded him to be gentle with his new friend because I had no desire to clean mashed worm off my child. Yuck. And fortunately ben was nice to his little pal.

When it came time to go in I told Ben to send his friend home (back to the dirt). Ben decided that 'Mater' needed to drive himself home in a car. He even had 'Mater' stop at store, get out, and get back into his car before reaching his destination. Ha-ha! What a funny kid.

Caitlin is on the mend - finally!

2009-07-30T09:05:00.002-04:00

FINALLY her diarrhea is letting up. Things started to improve yesterday (naturally, because I booked a doctor's appointment); she went from having anywhere from ~10 bowel movements per day (not pretty ones either) to 5 less gross BMs, and today so far she's only gone once. We went to the appointment anyway and our GP figures it's rotavirus (PSA: if you have an older child, it's worth getting for RotaTeq for your newbie). He weighed her and she's still on her curve, so that's good. She's been eating well anyway, so I'm not really surprised.

What a little trooper

2009-07-24T14:39:00.003-04:00

Caitlin, that is. Oh boy. She picked up a gastro bug from Ben, and Ben being the age he is and not in diapers it wasn't too bad for him. And it seems to have run it's course, for the most part. But poor Caitlin is pooping up a storm. I've been washing her bum with warm face cloths rather than wipes because they just sting her so badly. Her bum and bits are terribly red and the skin is starting to break a little. Ugh.

And as if that isn't enough for the poor girl, she cut one of her upper central incisors today. We were out shopping (for rice cereal, pureed bananas - since mashed bananas seem to be too hard on her system right now - and super strength diaper cream) I noticed a small streak of blood near her mouth, I took a quick peek in and could and sure enough, a tooth was cutting.

For the little trooper part - Caitlin's not at all had a complaint! What a heavenly baby. Seriously, who wouldn't complain about a sore bum and bleeding gums?! One tough little cookie here.

A Day Out With Thomas

2009-07-19T14:45:00.003-04:00

We drove down to St. Thomas, Ontario yesterday (just south of London) for A Day Out With Thomas. Besides a variety of activities, the main event is a ride on Thomas himself. It was a surprise we'd had planned for Ben for some time now. Ben really enjoyed himself, and Caitlin too!

Ben surveying the site from the haybale maze.
Fun with bubbles.

Jumping in the bouncy castle.

Toot-tooting on Thomas.

Caitlin and I (she was a sleepy girl, she hadn't napped most of the day).

Ben and Daddy posing by Thomas.

Caitlin finally crashed.

Ben playing at one of the many train tables in 'Imagination Station'.

At the Lego Thomas table.

My littlest budding artiste!

2009-07-19T11:12:00.003-04:00

Allow me to present Caitlin's first finger painting. :)

I think he's trying to rapidly age me!

2009-07-19T08:05:00.002-04:00

In addition to Ben's adventures in breakfast preparation the other day, this is how I found him this morning.

A good time to post an update on Ben's peanut allergy

2009-07-17T13:38:00.003-04:00

Ben had an appointment with his new allergist on July 13th (last Monday). He only showed the slightest response to the skin prick (historically he's always had a very strong response to the peanut skin prick). The allergist then retested with actual peanut butter, same result. The doctor was optimistic. He ordered blood work (RAST) and said if it was negative that he would schedule a food challenge at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

Fast forward to today.

The allergist's office called to say they got the results and they were negative (<0.35 KU/L) and they are submitting a request for a food challenge. It will take about two weeks to get the appointment and the challenge itself isn't likely to take place for a few months, so in the fall.

I'm hopeful and nervous. We have everything crossed for Ben.

Caitlin and food

2009-07-17T08:45:00.003-04:00

Boy, she sure is loving food these days! I started out making her purees, etc., but found I was having a difficult time keeping up, not to mention having enough of the right sized storage containers, etc. so I just started buying some jarred foods too. PC Organics (priced on par with all the other non-organic baby foods).

Caitlin's not a big fan of cereal, but she's doing quite well with veg and fruit. She's crazy about bananas and banana blends, and she can easily pack away a small jar of puree in one sitting.

She also loves her baby safe feeder:

When did he become such a big boy??

2009-07-17T08:41:00.001-04:00

This morning I was about to start drying my hair when Ben got up. We were all upstairs. One minute he's happily playing with Caitlin, the next he's gone. I stop the hair dryer and hear rummaging around in the kitchen, cupboard doors, etc. Then Ben yells up 'I'm making myself cereal!'. Unsure whether to try to salvage my kitchen or finish drying my hair I figured I'd stick with the latter and deal with the mess when I got downstairs.

So, I finish up, Caitlin and I go downstairs, and there's Ben happily eating his rice crispies at the kitchen table. No mess. And I just about burst into tears. He just seemed like such a big boy! And I said 'wow, you didn't even make a mess!' and he says 'oh, I did make a little mess, but I cleaned it up.' (I sure hope that sticks!)

However, it dawned on me that the milk bag wasn't opened. I put a new one in the container in the morning but hadn't cut it opened. Turns out he used a knife to open it...! I nearly had a freakin' heart attack. I told him next time to ask mummy for help when he wants to use knives or scissors. God help me. But he sure is resourceful!

Professional family photos

2009-07-17T08:26:00.006-04:00

We've finally had some photos of the family taken. The last time we had proper photos done was our wedding!

Amy Schuster and Angela Shepherd (www.guelphphotography.com) took the photos. We're so pleased with the outcome! Here are some of our favourites.

Ben's week at JK camp - a success!

2009-07-11T13:28:00.002-04:00

Ben had such a great time this past week at junior-kindergarten camp at the school he'll attend in September. All schools should offer something like this for all the new little students. The teachers were wonderful and engaging. We didn't have a single difficult drop-off. Ben learned so much in such a short time, too. And he's so proud of his new found independance. When we stopped at a public bathroom this week he didn't want me in the stall with him. He wanted to do it all by himself. :)

"Is air pretend?"

2009-07-07T09:17:00.002-04:00

Ben asked Nic the other day in the car. He wondered if air was pretend because he couldn't see it. Clever kid!

We've been explaining that air is a gas and gas is usually invisible, kind of like how you can look through glass, but that you can feel it when the wind blows or when you put your hand out the car window while driving.

Caitlin's first food allergy

2009-07-07T09:15:00.002-04:00

Oats.

I suspected because I'd used Aveeno lotion on her a few times and noticed the following day she had a pinprick type rash (looked like heat rash). The first time I thought it was the perfume in the lotion, switched to the unscented, same thing.

Then she tried oatmeal, and I kept in mind to watch for a reaction, nothing obvious initially, but after a few times she started developing some eczema on her face. It started as little bumps, then began to get a little red and irritated looking. No other obvious symptoms.

Fortunately it appears to be a mild allergy, not epipen worthy, and I suspect she'll outgrow.

Ah, good times being back in the food allergy discovery world. *sigh*

My little library helper

2009-07-04T20:08:00.004-04:00

Since rekindling my love of reading and making time to read daily, we've been frequenting the library quite often, sometimes to just pick up books I have on hold, and other times to go up to the 2nd floor and peruse the kids section.

As a result Ben's become quite in tune with the whole library experience. He knows the drill. He opens the door for me and Caitlin, returns our old books, chats up all the librarians, knows where to bring our books to check them out, hands over the library card, and then loads them into our bag or stroller. He seems so pleased with himself for having these new responsibilities, and he does so well with them.

We've been checking a lot of children's stories out for Ben too, which are great. We've found a few that he really enjoys. Lately he's partial to reading stories about cats. Poor boy really wants a cat (my stupid allergy prevents us from having one).

I sure hope his love of the library sticks.

Caitlin update!

2009-07-04T19:45:00.002-04:00

This one's all about Caitlin!

First, I can't believe she's almost 7 months old already. I'm sure I've said this before, but I'll say it again, time passes SO much more quickly the second time around.

She recently had her '6 month' check-up a little late, and did fantastic. She's weighing 8.5kg, so 18.75 lbs, which maintains her weight curve of 75th percentile. Her height curve dropped, but I think that's more likely due to our doctor's measuring method than anything else. Her head circumference is following the 25th percentile curve as it always has. She took her shots like a champ, cried briefly and soothed quickly, left happy. And despite being overdue for a nap you would never have known it - she was content and cooperative.

I've mentioned that she's sitting and rolling, but doing it so much more effectively now. I still keep a pillow behind her incase she pitches backwards, as she does from time to time, but she's really strong, and so when she tips herself too far over she gets her arms out and no longer face plants. As for rolling, she can go front to back and back to front, quite well now. She doesn't seem to mind being on her tummy at all.

She's also learning to pull herself around on her tummy to face in a different direction and she's beginning to try getting her bum up. I think she may be more inclined to crawl on her hands and knees rather than bum scoot as Ben did since she does enjoy tummy time so much more.

Caitlin continues to be a content and cheerful baby. She's just so pleasant, and it takes a lot to ruffle her feathers. Of course teething makes her cranky or if she's a bit under the weather she likes to be held a lot, but other than that she's quite independant and will happily play on her own with her toys. It probably helps that Ben is often playing with his own toys right along side her.

She doesn't seem to have a favourite toy, she'll play with pretty much anything, but she is quite interested in Ben's cars (he's not too crazy about that, but he's learning to share), and books, particularly the books I get from the library which have the plastic film over the cover. Must be the crinkle, because she's also crazy about paper and cardboard.

Caitlin's food repertoire:

banana
pear
rice, barley, and oatmeal cereals
green beans
sweet potato
carrots
prunes

So far her favourites are pear, banana, and barley cereal. She's not crazy about being spoon fed, and her tongue thrust reflex is still fairly strong, though she is getting the idea and opens up more regularly now. She loves her mesh baby-safe feeder; she'll gnaw on that for a good while. I think she'll be an early self-feeder.

So overall Caitlin's doing great. She's a tonne of fun, and I can't imagine our lives without her. She's brings us all so much joy! We love our sweet, beautiful girlie-girl.

Ben's preschool 'graduation' on June 19th

2009-07-04T19:28:00.004-04:00

Ben had his last day of preschool on June 16th, followed by his 'graduation' on the 19th. It was so cute. They all wore little motarboards fashioned from construction paper with little yarn tassles - adorable! Then they all got little certificates rolled up as diplomas.

Ben did great; we're so proud of him. He had a good year at his preschool and it was a wonderful introduction to the 'formal' learning environment. His teachers were very good with him and all the kids. And although Ben wasn't always thrilled about going to school, he was always happy, smiling, and having a great time when I arrived to pick him up.

Our big boy will start junior kindergarten in September. He'll attend a JK kick-off camp for a week of mornings starting July 6th, which will be a very good thing for him, I think. One of the teacher's running the program will be his homeroom teacher when he starts school in September, so she'll be a familiar face.

Ben's in the green, white, and navy stripes. :)

Leading the way for the grads.

Singing to the kid next to him.

Getting his diploma from his teachers, Mrs. Karen and Mrs. Sue.

Officially a preschool grad!

Ben with his teachers.

Standing by the 'Class of 2009' cookie, waiting anxiously to dig in.

Ben's flower.

Pics from Grandpa and Nanna's visit

2009-07-04T19:18:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately I didn't get as many photos as I normally would have. We were all under the weather and managed to infect Dad (aka Grandpa) while he was here, and so there was less activity than normal during our annual visits. The upside is that Grandpa and Nanna hope to come back again towards the end of the summer and hopefully then we'll make up for lost time. It was so nice having them here and we miss them lots.

Here are a few from our visit in May.

2 kids + summer + rekindled love of reading = neglected blog

2009-07-04T19:14:00.002-04:00

Sorry, sorry. The poor blog has been grossly neglected. I have so many things to post and so many things to say that I'll break it up into a few entries.

Highlights to come:
- pics from Grandpa and Nanna's visit
- pics from Ben's last day of pre-school
- update on Caitlin

Caitlin's started sitting up!

2009-06-15T09:47:00.002-04:00

She's still easy to topple, but she's doing quite well. She seems to be enjoying this new found ability. Ben seems to like this too as he can sit on the floor and play with her more easily. Lately he likes to stack blocks for her to knock over.

Caitlin's second tooth has arrived!

2009-06-12T08:29:00.001-04:00

As expected the second lower central incisor has cut. My big girlie has two whole teeth now. Bring on the steak and corn on the cob! :D

Caitlin cut her first tooth today!

2009-06-08T15:18:00.002-04:00

She's been a little off, and a 'little off' for Caitlin is very subtle since she has a fairly unshakable sunny disposition. She fussed at her bottle a little and had been chewing - a LOT. I felt her lower gums with my pinky and sure enough, my finger was met with a sharp little tooth: her right lower central incisor. The left appears to be not far behind. Yay for our big girl Caitlin!!

It's a good thing we've all gotten over our colds.

2009-06-08T09:18:00.002-04:00

To make way for a new cold virus! Arggh!!!!

Ben started coughing and sneezing a couple of days ago, I started yesterday, and this morning poor Caitlin's nose was running like a faucet.

So far it doesn't look like it's going to be as bad as whatever it was we all just had, so hopefully it passes quickly and with minimal discomfort to everyone.

And the magic food is...

2009-06-08T09:15:00.002-04:00

barley cereal!

I would never have guessed it would outshine carrots and banana??! Caitlin loves it though. Opens for every single bite and chows down. I'll have to get some pics later this morning.

Games at school for Ben

2009-06-06T10:58:00.003-04:00

Last Tuesday when I was picking Ben up from school another mum of a little girl in Ben's class said that following Monday's class her daughter said to her "I played with Benjamin today!" (in a very girly-girl was, drawing out Ben's name), and when her mum asked her what games they played her daughter replied with "Hugging and kissing!" HA!!

Ben, however, insists they played 'car games'. Funny!

More food for Caitlin

2009-06-06T10:50:00.002-04:00

So far Caitlin's tried three different foods: banana, rice cereal, and now carrots. Tomorrow we move onto barley cereal. So far so good, no reactions observed. And she's starting to get the hang of it too. She hasn't *loved* anything she's tried yet, but she hasn't outright rejected anything yet either.

I've been avoiding dairy with Caitlin since Ben had a mild dairy allergy as an infant. It's really surprising how many infant cereals include skim milk powder considering how common dairy allergies are among infants (and I wouldn't be surprised if early exposure to dairy - whether it be from unhydrolized cow's milk based formulas or cereals - accounts for a lot of infant eczema cases). I could easily find rice, brown rice, and wheat cereals that don't contain milk, but oatmeal and barley were a bit tougher. Fortunately there are a few organic, whole grain brands (Earth's Best and My Organic Baby) that offer these sans dairy. Much more expensive, of course.

Caitlin's first food: banana!

2009-05-29T15:53:00.005-04:00

So today I decided it was time to let Caitlin have her first taste of food. I decided on banana, mashed a small piece up, mixed it with a little formula, warmed it a touch and gave it a try. Caitlin opened right up like a baby bird. So cute. She had a couple of bites and wasn't so sure. I don't know if it was just the taste, the texture, the newness of it all, or 'all of the above', but she wasn't quite sure about it, although she seemed much more interested once she was in charge of the spoon.

Right after her first bite. Stunned.

'Ew, get it out!'

'Not so bad now that I'm in control!'

It's been a while!

2009-05-26T09:46:00.004-04:00

Sorry I haven't been on top of the blog lately. My dad and Jean (Grandpa and Nanna) are visiting, plus we've all been sick for weeks. Hopefully there's an end in sight soon. Both Caitlin, then Ben, had pink eye. Caitlin's has been cleared up for a few days and her drops are done. Ben will be on drops until the weekend, but his eyes are looking much better so he's at school this morning. Poor little guy's been so clingy, not wanting me to leave him, telling me how much he'll miss me. It's so hard to drop him off at school, but his teachers are great and hold his hand until he finds his bearings, then he has a great time, and knowing that makes it easier.

Ben and Caitlin have been very much enjoying their visit with Grandpa and Nanna. Ben and Grandpa have been playing in the yard a lot. They have a gravel/tractor pit they 'work' in, digging in the sandbox with Ben's digger toys, filling up dump trucks, hauling and dumping, and then they take breaks to eat imaginary snacks at 'Nanna's house'... tea, biscuits, and cookies. And Grandpa's been getting lots of giggles out of Caitlin by blowing on her belly.

And speaking of Caitlin's giggles, she was really giggling up a storm at Ben yesterday. It was the most we've heard her laugh. Ben would put his head close to her and she'd touch his hair and laugh her head off. It was adorable!

I've been taking lots of photos with my new digital SLR camera Nic and the kids gave me for mother's day. I'll be sure to post some when I get a chance.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:53:00.004-04:00

What a wonderful day we had. I've taken tonnes of photos, but I'll have to upload them later when I have a bit more time. Watch this entry for an update.

I slept in. Ben and Nic went out to McD's to pick up breakfast this morning. Nic surprised me with a digital SLR camera that I was hoping to buy from a former colleague (I wasn't sure I could convince Nic it was a worthwhile investment - but I guess I did!), cards, and flowers.

Caitlin's extra special gift was laughing for the first time today. Baby laughter is such a beautiful sound. I get the warm fuzzies just thinking about it. As it turns out Caitlin's sense of humour is much like her brother's - she laughed at toys being dropped on the floor.

There was a carnival in town so we went to ride some rides. Ben and Nic went down the massive slide several times - Ben loved it! Then Ben and I rode the bumper cars and the mini-coaster. Caitlin slept through most of it. :)

Oh man, I really bungled that up!

2009-05-05T09:58:00.002-04:00

The other night I was putting Ben to bed and he started talking about how Caitlin was in my belly. Then he paused thoughtfully, then asked 'how did she get out??' I always thought I'd answer gracefully and frankly, but no. I wasn't quite sure how to proceed. After a minute of 'um... ah... hmm' on my part I finally said 'well, mommies have a hole in their body that babies come out of.' Which quickly spawned the next question: 'where is it??' Oh my god, I thought I was going to die! After more 'hmm... um... um... hmm... ah... well...' on my part he spared me and moved on to another topic.

I really need to get better prepared!!

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

2009-05-03T12:38:00.002-04:00

Some babies will just fall asleep anywhere. Ben was never one of those babies. He was a good napper and night sleeper, but conditions had to be right, i.e., in his crib, darkened room, white noise, soother and blanket. If we were on the go Ben needed a blanket draped over the stroller, we HAD to be moving, he absolutely needed his soother and blanket - and that hardly worked beyond 8-ish months when I really became a slave to the nap.

Caitlin, on the other hand, is one of those babies who'll drop off almost anywhere. We went to Chuck E Cheese yesterday. You can imagine the noise - video games galore, music, plus what sounded like a million 2 - 8 yr olds running around and screaming at the top of their lungs. I was playing pinball, Caitlin was in her car seat on the floor between the game and my legs. One minute I looked down, she's playing with her toy, the next she's out like a freakin' light. SO bizarre. Poor Ben would have been a red-faced screaming mess.

I remember seeing random pics of babies asleep in their high chairs in the middle of a meal, on play mats, wherever... and I could never figure it out!

So close to full on giggles.

2009-05-02T10:10:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Caitlin and I were at Costco and I was SO close to getting full-on giggles with her. The closest I managed to get were laughs reminicsent of my late Uncle Archie - a quick burst "HAH!"

What seemed to be doing the trick was me repeatedly saying 'Boo!'. It probably helped that she hadn't napped much through the day and was tired. Seems I'm always funnier when the recipient of my efforts is either tired or intoxicated.

Bathroom humour has entered the household.

2009-05-02T10:05:00.002-04:00

And it doesn't show any sign of leaving soon.

Typical of all little boys, Ben has learned that bums, poop, and toots are quite hilarious. He thinks it's quite funny to joke about things coming out of his bum, and he loves to play 'the poop game' - yes, we have a game. He thinks it's hysterical to imagine there's a poop on everyone, and especially funny when we yell 'ew! get it off! get it off!'. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? :)

Although Ben was saddened when he was using the toilet this morning and Daddy turned the bathroom fan on to 'suck up the stink'... Ben was quite upset about 'losing his stink', so Daddy turned it off, Ben sniffed and was once again a happy boy for getting his stink back.

Ben loves Caitlin

2009-04-29T15:37:00.003-04:00

Gosh, Ben is just so sweet to Caitlin. He loves to hug and kiss her. Her always wants to play games with her. He can hardly wait until she's moving around and interacting with him more.

He always says goodnight to Caitlin and tells her he loves her, and a phrase he often uses is 'Awww. Caitlin's CUTE!' although lately he's also started saying 'Caitlin's pretty!' And he often walks up to her and says 'Hi Caitie-girl!' (which is what Nic and I often call her) and it just melts my heart.

Caitlin's gross motor skills are coming along.

2009-04-29T15:06:00.002-04:00

Caitlin is becoming more of an active baby these days, rather than a lumpish newborn. She's reaching and grasping a lot more, showing a lot of interest in her toys, and kicking up a storm.

And oh, does she LOVE to jump! She's hilarious in the Jumperoo. I'll have to get some video of her because she's so funny. Once she gets going she doesn't stop... she has such strong little legs I think she might launch herself right out of it one of these days! And she gives the biggest gummy smiles the whole time.

Another favourite toy is the playmat. She's on it right now chatting and kicking away.

It's so much fun watching her develop and grow.

Caitlin also remains a pretty laid back baby. Sometimes she's so quite you'd hardly know there was a baby in the house! But she's starting to let us know when she's bored or would like a bit more attention. :)

Caitlin's 4 month appointment

2009-04-17T22:19:00.002-04:00

Caitlin had her 4 month appointment today. She's still following her growth curves and weighed in today at 7.1 kilograms, so a little more than 15.5 lbs. She's a big girl!

She was fantastic for the doctor. A little crusty, but considering she was dead tired and desperate for a nap I was impressed by how well she held up.

Caitlin also got two shots today. She cried following the first needle, but after the second she settled within a couple of seconds. Just a little rub on the tummy seemed to make her feel better.

She seems to be meeting all the important milestones. The only thing she's not doing yet is laughing out loud. It's interesting, especially considering what a happy baby she is. Ben was much more serious, yet he'd laughed by this age. She does happily squeal and chatter though, so maybe we just need to try harder, or find what it is that tickles her funnybone. With Ben it was bonking myself in the head and dropping things on the floor. Who knows what will get giggles out of Caitlin, but I can hardly wait to find out!

A couple of Ben funnies

2009-04-17T22:13:00.005-04:00

1) Yesterday Ben and I were having a nice hug, during which I say 'Ahhh Ben'. Ben quickly replied with 'Ahhh Diesel 10'. I looked over my shoulder to see Ben had a firm grip on his Diesel 10 'Thomas' die cast.

2) I went shopping this evening. When I arrived home I tried on a new top to get Nic's opinion. Ben quickly and enthusiastically said 'It looks nice on you, Mama!'. (Soooooooo cute!)

The Easter express!

2009-04-12T21:25:00.006-04:00

Yesterday we went to Tottenham to ride the Easter train. They advertise a steam engine, but really, it's a diesel. Ben enjoyed it all the same. It was cute though. They had some games and the Easter bunny. Caitlin didn't sleep at all, but didn't complain until the end of the ride, and it was a pretty mild complaint.

A few pics from the day. :)

Caitlin's given up the soother

2009-04-12T11:10:00.002-04:00

So strange for me! Ben loved his soother at nap and bedtime, but Caitlin has been very adamant that she's not interested. She spits it right back out and sometimes the soother even gets air!

She's happy to be rocked, which we do to help her get into her relaxed/drowsy state, but we don't rock her right to sleep. Usually when I put her in her crib she'll fuss for a moment (like literally one minute) and then she's out. (I've tried the whole routine of picking her back up, rocking some more, etc. but all that does is prevents her from falling asleep.) It's quite something that at this young age that she's able to fall asleep on her own.

Of course, we *could* rock her until she's sound asleep, but I really think that'd be more for me than her. If she can fall asleep on her own I think we'd be doing her a disservice in the long run by getting in the way. And eventually babies get big, and heavy, and the rocking phase becomes longer and longer as babies become older and more alert, and bedtimes become a challenge, and that's when people find themselves at their wit's end. And then people consider hard-core sleep training tactics, like cry it out, and I really, REALLY don't want to go down that road.