Hoodie Update

First of all, is it hoody or hoodie? I never know.

I agreed with all of you and decided I would HATE the hoodie every time I wore it and that I might as well buy a new one because I really did love it so much. So, I called Aritzia, told them my SOB story and asked if they had any yellow hoodies in my size in stock. The girl said yes but they may not be the same shade of yellow as last summer as they are always changing their colors except for the standard black and white. I had her put one aside and hoped it was the same shade. She called it "light lemon" and I could see that fitting.

I walked into Aritzia and immediately saw the yellow hoodies. SADLY, they are not the same shade. This one is not "light lemon," it is "washed-out-yellow-because-I-laundered-it-with-something-green-or-maybe even-blue." NOT CUTE.

I went to the front and looked at the one the gal had put aside for me and sure enough it wasn't the right color. The right size, but that didn't do me any good.

I'm still hoping that somehow they'll get that shade of yellow back this summer but the gal told me not to count on it, they don't repeat lines.

Boo.

Edmonton

It is going to be a GREAT summer!

We LOVE our apartment and LOOOOOVE the amazing view of the river and downtown from our 8th story windows. We have a baseball field literally across the street from us with lots of green grass where the kids can play outside. I bought a gently used double stroller off Kijiji today so I am totally ready to take my boys on walks. There is a mall within walking distance from our apartment. It has been SO fun getting reacquainted with friends from last summer (minus a few). We have a real homey feel as we set up a proper TV, house phone and packed much smarter this year. I have other friends and family to get together with here so we don't feel so isolated. Porter thinks his "Edmonton house" is "cool!" Our apartment has a gym and I am going to lose my mummy tummy asap. We have a PVR. Neil is already selling like a pro. We are close enough for people to visit/me to go home. AND the Shaw guy that got us all set up today was totally good looking.

So there it is. I really could go on and on, it's going to be a good 4 months.

I want your opinion

Ok, I bought this amazing, adorable and fantastic yellow hoodie at Aritzia in Winnipeg last summer. I spent more on it than is morally reasonable but I love it, love it, love it! Last week Porter got strawberries on it so I took it down and put spot remover on the strawberries. SOMEHOW I forgot about it and didn't throw it in the wash until later the next day. Well you can imagine my DEVASTATION when I realized that the spot remover had slightly bleached the spots where the strawberries were. SERIOUSLY. I was (and still am) so mad I could spit.

So, these are my options:

I live with this hoodie (which by the way is basically brand new because I wasn't able to wear it all fall/winter while I was pregnant, so I JUST started wearing it again, *whimper, whimper*) with the slightly bleached out spots (and there's a lot of them) and HATE myself every time I wear it, OR bite the bullet and cough up the dough for a new one (assuming they still have that color and my size) and just forget the whole thing ever happened and go on loving my new hoodie like it's the one I originally bought. I don't like either option. I thought if I prayed hard enough and washed it again the spots would be gone but they're not, go figure.

What would you do?!

Rigby's photo shoot

So, my favorite photographer took the most beautiful photos of (one of) my favorite boys. You can see them here. You must go look, she's absolutely fantastic and ok, he's absolutely adorable! :)

Benign Neonatal Sleep Myoclonus

No mother wants to find out that something is wrong with her brand new baby. When Neil and I noticed that Rigby was doing something out of the ordinary I tried not to assume the worst. Neil told me one evening that Rigby had been twitching in his sleep and that it kind of concerned him. I hadn't noticed and figured it was the type of jerking that all babies do - we've seen them flail their arms and wake themselves up, they all do it. That night as I lay in bed with Rigby asleep on my chest I experienced what Neil was talking about. In his sleep Rigby would twitch and jerk for minutes at a time. It's difficult to explain unless you see it. In the dark of the night I lay there sick to my stomach wondering what could be wrong with my baby. We noticed it off and on over the next few days and it really concerned me. At our next doctor's appointment I asked about it and the doctor asked me questions back, trying to rule out seizures and other conditions. He told me signs to watch for and to keep an eye on it. Having the inquiring (and worrying) mind that I do I started to do a little research on my own and that's when I learned about Benign Neonatal Sleep Myoclonus - basically a very long term for a baby that has an immature nervous system and twitches and jerks in it's sleep. I didn't want to self diagnose but as Neil and I researched it more and more it so perfectly and exactly described what Rigby was doing that there was no doubt in either of our minds that that is exactly what he was experiencing, it has very specific manifestations. The research we gathered assured us that these twitches have zero affect on the baby's brain or system in any way and that they typically outgrow them by 2 months. Here is a video showing what it looks like. Warning: it is a little disturbing but keep in mind it is not harming the baby in any way at all (and this baby has it more severely than Rigby ever did). I am so happy to say that over the past few weeks he has had these episodes less and less and within the last 2 weeks I haven't seen him do it at all.

I wanted to post about this as we have learned that Benign Neonatal Sleep Myoclonus is an under-diagnosed condition and often goes misdiagnosed which can lead to unnecessary testing and medication. I wanted to share what I had learned to maybe help other mothers who see the same thing in their little ones and worry about it as I did. I am so grateful it was nothing to worry about and that Rigby has already outgrown this condition.

Shutout

If you are anything like me it happens more often than you'd like that you forget you have a load in the washing machine only to happen upon it a few days later to find it a little mildewy and a lot smelly. Sound familiar? (Please tell me I'm not the only one!) You wash it again and maybe even again but that smell is next to impossible to get rid of (ever dried yourself off with a towel that smells like that - yack!) Well, let me introduce you to Shutout. Neil brought this home from Bert and Macs when he worked there (yes, I've been keeping this amazing product a secret for that long) as I guess it's typically used as an athletic detergent - to get the stink out of men's icky hockey and sports gear. Well it works wonders on my forgotten undies too. I'm serious, with only a couple cap fulls and a re-wash you would never know you ignored your laundry for days. I figured I couldn't be the only one with this problem and that I had best spread the word because this stuff is honestly amazing. Head down to your local sports store and pick some up. I'm not even getting commission.

This. Is. Disgusting

When we bought our home we were very careful to wash all the walls before painting them. The place had been a rental and the walls were in rough shape. We scrubbed them with TSP and then primed and painted them and have been very happy with the results - what a coat of paint can do! Any time that Porter has a cough or a cold we put the humidifier in his room as that helps a lot in this climate of ours. Recently we have noticed that the humidifier seems to be pulling hidden gunk out of the ceiling - which we did not wash, prime or paint. It has now gotten to this point and I am seriously grossed out. Neil's best guess is that somebody smoked in the house and the crud in the cigarettes is now collecting on our ceiling. I have yet to get up there to clean it (it's on this week's to-do list I assure you!) but I'm guessing a little TSP and some elbow grease will do the trick (Cynthia - do you have any suggestions?) I'm just glad I'm not the one that has to lay in bed and look up at this mess... poor Porter Boy!

To fully appreciate the degree of this nastiness you really must click on these photos to view them in their full size glory.

Nerves

In less than 2 weeks we leave for Edmonton for 4 months. Of course I knew it was coming but I have to say I can't believe how fast it's come! I'm very excited for another summer adventure but I really don't want to leave. As you know Neil hasn't been working much this winter and we have LOVED having him home with us so much, especially since Rigby has joined us. I think a lot of my nerves regarding this summer have something to do with the fact that I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to function without Neil around. I have honestly become dependent on him. I don't know what to do without an extra pair of eyes and ears in the house, an extra hand to grab a kid, someone to help fold and put away the laundry, to chat with while I do dishes, to vacuum the house, and to hang out with all day. I know we have been SPOILED but I have to say I've really gotten used to it and I'm a little nervous for the change. APX summers consist of a lot of not seeing each other and wives being single mothers for 4 months. I know I am a capable person and imagine everything will be fine but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely nervous about having 2 kids alone all day every day. Ah well, the only thing I can do is just do it, and enjoy it... and miss Neil.

Niles

When I was pregnant with Porter Niles was my constant companion. Every time I sat or laid down he was right there snuggling up to my big belly. After Porter was born Niles became my nursing buddy, snuggling against Porter while he ate. This past October we had to give Niles away because he was making Neil's asthma act up. I really missed him during my pregnancy with Rigby and often think about him while I am nursing. He was such an affectionate cat and I miss his lovin'. Yesterday for Easter Monday we headed out to Milk River to my SIL Mandy's house - which is where Niles lives now. I was so excited to see him and was thrilled when he obviously remembered us and purred and meowed at me. Twice during our afternoon there I had to nurse Rigby and without any coaxing both times Niles jumped up on my lap and snuggled up against the baby, in his rightful place. Oh, my heart!

Pregnant with Porter Boy


Niles and Porter


Niles and Rigby

We've come full circle

On Good Friday Neil and the boys (can I just tell you how much I love saying that - "the boys..." tee hee!!) and I went to Waterton. We enjoyed a great picnic lunch and then drove up to Cameron Lake. On the way up we listened to Destination Beautiful by Mae - an album Neil and I used to listen to quite often when we were dating/friends. One song in particular, "Embers and Envelopes," came on and I couldn't help but get a little teary eyed (I'm still getting over all these hormones....) as I remember very specifically one sunny day in 2003 when I skipped my college practicum and Neil and I headed to Waterton. We were driving in his little Geo Metro and as we drove up that exact same road to Cameron Lake I fed him broken pieces of bagels and Bridge Mixture, Embers and Envelopes played and we talked about what good friends we were and what a wonderful day we were having together. A few years later on the exact same road the exact same song came on - this time we were driving as a married couple, in our minivan with our 2 precious sons in the back. What a full circle moment! I grabbed Neil's hand and squeezed it tight, if only I knew back in 2003 how incredibly happy and content I'd be...

My Big Sister's Blog...

... sung to the tune of "My Best Friend's Girl." Ahhh, aaaanyway!

You have to check out my sister's blog. Not only is she absolutely adorable and tons of fun she's super crafty and creative too! She just started blogging and has been posting all her creations and handiwork. Check her out here.