We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Today, Leif, Harriet and I read We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. Leif loved it so much that we had to read it three times in a row, and then we had to go out for our very own bear hunt.

Harriet, we're going on a bear hunt.

We're going to catch a big one.

What a beautiful day!

We're not scared.

Did he say a bear hunt, mom? I might be a little scared.

Oh-oh! Woods!

A leafy, dark wood.

We can't go over it.

We can't go under it.

Oh no! We've got to go through it!

crunch!crunch!

crunch! crunch!

crunch! crunch!

Oh-oh! Puddle!

A deep, round puddle.

We can't go over it.

We can't go under it.

Oh no! We've got to go through it!

splish splash!

splish splash!

splish splash!

shhhhhhh . . . I think the bear is close. 

There he is!

 I guess in Leif's world bears can fly.

. . . tee hee!

 Then, when Leif was done hunting bears, he grabbed my hand and said:

Home, mom.

Yes, Love. We can go home now.

 I truly am the luckiest woman in the world.

The Night Shift

With Mr. Level-Headed in Nunavut, our sleeping arrangements have changed slightly. Leif no longer sleeps in his crib beside our bed because  . . . well, there really is no good reason other than the fact that I am selfish and I adore squeezing my way in between two sleeping bundles of adorableness each night. Oh. My. Land. This is my heaven! I know for certain that these moments will be those moments I long for when Thing 4 and Thing 5 grow up. I love how peaceful our nights are and how snuggly my babies are when the room is dark and we are curled up under the covers together. I quickly fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow knowing that they are safe and feeling pretty proud of myself for having survived yet another challenging day. 

Now, I say peaceful, and for the most part, I am blessed because both babies sleep soundly most nights and if they do stir, they are quickly soothed back to sleep with a quick nursing. However, there are some nights when Harriet's insatiable appetite for milk gets the best of her and she is plagued with tummy pains, or when Leif decides that sleep is a waste of his precious time and that it would be better spent talking to his mama and practicing his gymnastics moves. I will be honest, those nights are rough and during those nights I fantasize about grabbing the car keys and getting out of Dodge all by my sweet lonesome, but thankfully, like I said, those nights are few and far between.

So, the other night when Leif woke up excitedly practicing his newest word, I instinctively began to look for my keys.

Nice knowing ya babies; I am outta here!

BUTT!

what?!

butt . . . butt . . . butt . . . butt . . . butt . . . butt

ugh.

Yes, my niece Ava says words like over-zealous and my boy says butt. I swear I am living in an episode of The Simpsons sometimes.

Anyhoo . . .

Over and over again, while clearly enunciating the last t sound, Leif would whisper butt in my ear and then erupt in giggles. I started to feel my frustration mount as he refused to listen to my soothing suggestions to go back to sleep:

Time for sleepies, Leif.

butt . . .

Lie down on your pillow, Leif.

butt . . .

The dragon mama was about to make an appearance and unleash her fury when I noticed two large blue saucers peering up at me. Harriet was wide awake now and was excitedly kicking her feet and swinging her arms:

Yay! Mom and Leif are up. Let's party!

Knowing that he now had an adoring fan, Leif took it up a notch:

Butt . . . Butt!

And for some reason unbeknownst to me . . . okay, let's be honest, it is one hundred percent due to the fact that I have officially lost my mind, I began to laugh and my heart filled with joy watching these babies giggle and play together. Sure it was 3am and I was exhausted, and yes, we had to get up in four hours to get ready for church, but oh my goodness, I could not get over how cute these two babies of mine are. I really am the luckiest mama in the world!

awwwww . . .

 Then after what felt like an eternity but was probably only a minute, I decided the dragon mama's fury was not my most useful tool at this moment and opted to unleash an even more powerful trick of mine . . . the boobies. The babies did not stand a chance and within minutes they were both back to sleep.

Mom: 1

The two-under-two crew: 234, 768, 999

. . . tee hee!

At least I can say I won one.

At Least I am Not Her

Lately, I feel like Leif, Harriet and I are the Three Muskateers. The situations we find ourselves in are ridiculous! Like the other day, I had to take the van in for an oil change. The three of us had already made four stops before this one and needless to say, the babies were squirrely. I decided to try out the new Mr. Lube by Costco since we had to stop there next after our oil change. I felt unsure as I pulled up because I did not see any cars outside of the garage. Then a man opened up the bay door and waved me in. As I pulled into the shop, I looked around and noticed there was nowhere for the babes and I to go, so I rolled down my window and asked the attendant:

Do we stay in the car?

Yes, you do.

Okay, now I am a bit melodramatic on the best of days, but I kid you not, I swear I heard the angels herald. I have never been so happy in all of my life. Then he asked if I would like something to drink and if Leif could have a balloon.

Yes and yes.

When he told me that I would also receive free windshield wipers, I nearly slapped a big wet kiss right on his lips!

What?!

So, there the three of us sat as happy as we could be; Harriet cooed away, while Leif bounced his balloon and I drank my water. I was so happy that I started texting my sister, Hilary, extolling the virtues of Mr. Lube to her. Occasionally, Leif would hit his balloon into the back seat so I would have to climb out of my seat and head to the back of the van to retrieve it, but it was all good because WE WERE STILL IN THE VAN! It was only until my oil change was coming to a close when I suddenly looked around and began to laugh. Here I was sitting in the loser cruiser, with its rusty bits and broken door handle, tossing a balloon around with my boy and loving every minute of it, while there on either side of me are two brand new sports car. Each of their owners, who were coiffed and appeared completely unaffected by the pampering service of their Mr. Lube attendant, stood in stark contrast to me. I love moments like this because they always make me laugh when I imagine what they must be thinking right now:

Thank heavens I am not that poor girl.

The other morning was even more foolish. The two-under-two-crew woke up and, as I was about to change their diapers, I remembered that I was supposed to wash their diapers the night before. EEEEEEEEK!

So, I threw on the clothes I wore the day before (to Mr. Lube no less) and packed the babies into their car seats with wet diapers and jammies on. Then we headed to Superstore where I saw they had their Pampers diapers on sale. While we were driving, Leif began to cry for a snack. It was only then that I realized that I had forgotten to pack any snacks and the poor baby did not have any breakfast. I assured him that I would buy him something to eat at the Superstore, but clearly this did not make any sense to him because he continued to cry. I can only imagine how the three of us looked as I pushed the cart around the Superstore. Again, I could almost hear people whisper under their breath, 

At least I am not her.

What people can't see is how ridiculously happy I am right now. I love spending my days with the two-under-two crew. I love hanging out with my big crew, and I love my Mr. Level-Headed! Sure, I am  that woman whose husband works away and who has been left alone with five kids, one of whom is sick (and yeah is still really sick so please pray for her); the woman people can use to their measure their own lives against to feel better about themselves, but that is okay. Yes, I have my moments, but that is all they are, moments. Deep down I am completely head over heels in love with my life and all of its ridiculousness, and that is worth far more than any sports car . . . I think.

. . . tee hee!

He really was hungry . . . eeeeek!

4 Things That are Making me Smile Today

I have the biggest smile on my face this morning. I probably look absolutely ridiculous and I am sure the kids are concerned that I have finally cracked, but I can`t help it. I am just so darn happy!

First and foremost, there are no hospital visits on our agenda today, tomorrow or the day after. That`s right; Zoe was finally discharged . . . woohoo! Now, she can rest at home and let her new medication work. Thank you everyone for your prayers, your positive thoughts and your voodoo . . . tee hee! Okay, I am kidding about the voodoo . . . I think. But whatever you did on behalf of my Baby Girl, it worked so I thank you.

Secondly, I did not have to make a single meal this week and no one in my family starved. I am truly humbled by all the meals and dinner invites we received from friends and family. With all of you on my side, I think I can face just about anything. Thank you!  

Thirdly, skype! Oh my goodness, I love seeing Mr. Level-Headed`s mug on the computer each night. It is so cute to watch Leif wave at him and hear the kids bombard him with all the tales from their day. Avery has been scoring a ton of goals this week in his school`s soccer games, and I think being able to boast about it to his dad over the computer is really motivating him. 

I also love to hear about how different life in Nunavut is. Did you know that twelve cans of Coke costs $25! Oh. My. Land. It`s a good thing Mr. Level-Headed is the one working up there and not me because I would have no money left to show for my efforts . . . eeek!  He also walked to work yesterday morning with snow on the ground and a brisk -19` windchill blowing off the Hudson Bay right into his face. I guess he should have packed some goggles like his wise wife suggested . . . hmmmmm.

Fourthly, Harriet is totally making me laugh out loud this week. Her unique personality is starting to shine through and I love it! She is ridiculously serious. We really have to work for those giggles and more times than not, she glares at us with disgust or feigns disinterest in our antics. But the funniest thing this week has been her intense attachment to me. Harriet has always loved her mama, but recently she has stepped it up a notch and become my sidekick in all things. She loves nothing more than resting on my hip and helping me make supper, do laundry or reprimand the other kids. When the doctor`s would come in to discuss their grand plans for Zoe, Harriet would sit on my lap and hang onto their every word. A couple of times, the doctors could not help but laugh. The other night, when I had to get up out of bed to clean up Leif`s projectile vomit (gosh, my life is glamourous!), she immediately woke herself up the minute she felt my body separate from hers. She rolled back and forth, grunting and rubbing her eyes until she was able to open both of them and fussed until I propped her up so that she could watch my every move. I could almost hear her cheer me on and voice her disgust over Leif`s inability to aim. Then, when I was done, she promptly returned to sleep as soon as I laid down beside her. Gosh, I love my Thing 5

Now for the obligatory photos:

I call this series the many faces of Harriet. Note that only 1 out of 5 times is she smiling.

Boredom:

Mild Interest:

Total Disinterest:

Eureka! A smile:

The Pout

(Harriet pulls this one out when she realizes that she is no longer attached to her mama)

Seriously, no matter how rough my days can get, I am never lonely and for that I am grateful.

Late Night Thoughts

Last night as the big kids prepared for bed, Mr. Level-Headed and I sat on our bed watching the two-under-two crew play. What are those babies doing up so late? We were wondering the same thing. Leif was practicing jumping with two feet while Harriet was practicing blowing raspberries; I guess some things are more important than sleep. Mr. Level-Headed and I smiled as Leif bent down to kiss Harriet on the head after each jump and she returned his thoughtfulness with a grin and a coo.

This is the most challenging stage of my life so far. I am being stretched in more ways and in more directions than I would have ever thought possible. It's funny because when having more children was simply a dream of mine, I would envision them just joining us for the ride. I forgot that each baby brings with them their own purpose, their own unique set of needs and their own dreams, and that my role as their mom is to ensure that they are able to find their own path and have the tools they need to navigate it successfully when that time comes. These babies are not mine and all of THIS has nothing to do with me. THIS is for them, all five of them, and by being given the opportunity to raise these five amazing individuals, I have found my own path. Although I often feel like I am completely incapable of taking yet another step, I do and then I take another step. My entire life has prepared me for this moment. All those years I cared for and toted around my plastic baby, Laura, I was preparing to love and nurture my real babies. All those years I spent getting an education and eventually obtaining two degrees has helped me to teach, inspire and encourage my own children to do the same. And all those years I longed to hold more babies and all the pain and heartache I suffered trying to have them taught me how to truly appreciate my babies when they finally arrived. My life has taught me patience. It has taught me perseverance and it has shown me that I can do hard things. No matter how difficult my days of being a mama of five are, I know I can do it. I was made for these days, and I am going to cherish every moment of them. 

So, when Mr. Level-Headed looked up at me, smiled and commented:

These two are going to be so close.

Even though I was very tired and wanted nothing more than for this day to finally be done, I smiled back:

Yes, they are, and that is why we are doing this.

I love you, two-under-two crew!

When You Give a Toddler a Puddle . . .

Yesterday was a wet, wet day. The two-under-two crew and I were housebound since our big, Baby Girl demanded  . . . er I mean . . . asked if she could have the car for the day. If you have ever been a teenager or have a raised a teenager then you know that the world revolves around them and we, the parents, siblings and friends, of the teenager are merely here to make their life more comfortable and enjoyable. If for a moment you feel the need to question this universal law then I warn you: duck and hide . . . duck and hide!

Anyhoo . . .

So, we were housebound and rainy days are no fun to be housebound with a toddler and an infant. Okay, I am lying. Rainy days are great opportunities to snuggle with an infant; it's the toddler that makes things challenging. By noon, we had read stories,coloured pictures, played trains, ate snacks, and napped. Oh, and he, the toddler, coloured on the couch with a highlighter, dragged clean clothes from room to room, brushed his teeth at least ten times (we have the toddler toothpaste with no fluoride - phew!), stood on the table and threw soggy cheerios on the floor for Scout to eat, washed Harriet's face with at least ten baby wipes and put Zincofax cream all over her jeans, After we ate lunch, I was done with the toddler, but unfortunately, I can't just be done with the toddler. So, I needed to think fast. I looked outside and saw the raining coming down. When there is rain, there are puddles, and if you give a toddler a puddle . . . well, let's just say this mama gets a break. 

 I was still in my pajamas and Leif was only in a diaper and a shirt, but I didn't have it in me to wrestle some pants on him or to wrestle my own pants from him in order to get dressed. We grabbed our rain boots and rain coats. I tucked Harriet inside of my coat, and we were off. For the next hour, life was good.

He splashed.

He fished.

And of course, he played soccer.

He collected rocks.

He took his clothes off. 

And he splashed again.

Harriet loves watching Leif play, and each time he splashed in a puddle, she would giggle. She was feeling very Seusical yesterday, which could also explain why she was so giddy.

When we went back inside, life returned to normal; Leif made messes, Leif threw tantrums and Harriet continued to giggle. She is such a sweetheart! But for that one hour we spent outside, life was blissful. Thank heavens for puddles!

Thank You!

I am overwhelmed by the responses to my blog post yesterday, and I want to thank everyone who took the time to comment on my Facebook post as well as everyone who sent me private messages. I am very blessed to have so many friends and family who care about me and my family. I am doing okay. Monday was a rough day. We all have them, but for some silly reason I feel the need to share mine. Writing about the day is my way of unpacking all the thoughts, concerns, emotions and ideas that tend to pile up and weigh me down. There is no greater feeling than when a post is finished, particularly one like yesterday's, and I can hit Publish, sending all of my concerns off into cyber space. Once my post is published, I am ready to start a new day with hope and enthusiasm. It works!

I am also able to learn from the previous day's mistakes. I was not prepared for Monday. I should have recruited some help, particularly with Thing 4, but now that I have a long list of potential babysitters thanks to yesterday's post . . . tee hee!, I hopefully will not make that same mistake again. So, thank you everyone for being so considerate, for caring about me, for reading this silly little blog and for just being you. You are awesome, and this girl loves you!

Anyhoo . . .

Let's talk about Thing 5's name - Harriet Winona Grace Webster.

It's a mouthful. When she was born and we told the nurses and doctors her name, one of them laughed and said:

Well, she is all ready for a career in country music.

I admit it is a crazy name. You will probably never meet another Harriet Winona Grace, and that is okay. In fact, that is why I love it so much. This name has been reserved for my baby girl ever since I became pregnant with Leif, and the more I get to know her, the more I think it suits her to a tee.

When I tell people her name is Harriet, I get one of three responses:

First, there are those who are in utter shock and do not know what to say. They tend to make a noise like:

Ohhhhhhhhhh . . . .

followed up with:

well, you don't hear that name too often.

Then there are those who absolutely love it and their response tends to go something like this:

Harriet! I love it! I just love old names. What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl!

and so and so on.

And finally, there are those who loathe the name and they tend to cringe in horror:

Harriet?! . . . Seriously? Harriet?

Unfortunately, all of Harriet's grandparents had this response, but I am happy to say that they have either warmed up to the name or have finally realized it is not going to change and so have stopped saying anything about it.

I adore the name Harriet and have for years. When Zoe was a little girl, I bought a book for her titled: Harriet, You'll Drive me Wild. It is about this adorable little girl and all the mischief she manages to stir up in a day. To me, Harriet is the perfect name for a little girl because it is spunky yet classic, it is unique and it is strong. Whenever I think of names for my girls, I try to imagine them presenting their dissertation on some grand idea in literature, the sciences or business and having a fellow academic introduce them:

It is my pleasure to present Harriet Webster . . .

But it also has to be pretty enough for someone to whisper:

Harriet, I love you and nothing will ever change that.

without that person cringing in horror . . . tee hee!

And both Mr, Level-Headed and I agree that Harriet is the perfect name for our final Baby Girl.

Harriet's middle name is her grandmother's middle name and completes our obligation to name each of the grandchildren after one of their grandparents. I should note that this obligation is something Mr. Level-Headed and I imposed on ourselves because we were both given one of our parent's names and like that family connection.

Zoe was named after my mom: Zoe Elaine

Elliot was named after Mr. Level-Headed's dad: Gerald Elliot

Avery was named after my dad: Avery Derrick Kurt

and Harriet was named after Mr. Level-Headed's mom: Marylee Winona

Yes, Leif was left out of this tradition, but his name is a Danish name and was given to him to acknowledge my father's Danish heritage.

Now for Grace. Well, I believe that names have to roll off of your tongue. They need to sound nice when they are said aloud; therefore, we added Grace at the end to soften the sound of her first two names. We also wanted to include Grace because both Mr. Level-Headed and I realize that both of these babies that we have been blessed to have later in life are only a part of our family thanks to God's grace. He did not have to give them to us. He especially did not have to give us two of them, but He did, and for that we will be forever grateful.

We love you, Harriet Winona Grace, name and all:

Letters to my baby, Baby Girl

Dear Harriet,

You laughed for the first time yesterday. I had laid you down on a blanket, while we watched Avery's soccer game against RNS. It was a beautiful fall afternoon. The sun was shining and there was a light, cool breeze blowing. You were so happy to be lying on your back in the sunshine, stretching out your arms and legs after spending the afternoon at Costco, cozily snuggled in your sling. Avery's principal came over to meet you and as soon as she bent over to talk to you, you gave her one of your award-winning smiles, where your nose and eyes scrunch up and your neck rolls threaten to swallow up your face. Your smile grew so big that you could no longer contain it and the sweetest giggle I have ever heard, well probably since your big sister, Zoe was your age, erupted from your plump, pink lips. I couldn't help but squeal:

That's your first laugh, Baby Girl!

I can't believe how quickly you are growing up, Harriet. You turned 3 months old this week, you occasionally sleep through the night for us, you have lots to say, you no longer stay in one spot anymore as you use your feet to push off from and slide yourself around the play mat on your back, you are trying to reach for your toys and sometimes you are successful but sometimes you are not, and today, you wore your very first pair of jeans. Let me tell you, baby girl, you rock those jeans! 

I love you, Harriet, with all my heart. It makes me sad that sometimes you have to put yourself to sleep when I am dealing with your high maintenance brother, but thank you for being so self-reliant, and thank you for being goofy and sticking your tongue out all the time. It makes me smile.

Love, 

Mom

xoxoxo

That tongue!

zzzzzzz . . . .

You are such a chatterbox and gosh, I love that roly poly belly of yours!

Rock'n the jeans, girlfriend!

p.s. I say it all the time but I think we are going to be the bestest of friends someday.

Pinch Me

I am having so much fun with my babies this week. A couple of times I have wanted to pinch myself and ask if this is really happening. I cannot believe that at almost 40 years old, I have been given the opportunity to raise two more babies, and this time I can just enjoy being their mama and not have to worry about school or work. It is a dream come true! They are so cute and so funny; I just love spending my days with them.

  Last week was a disaster. I was overwhelmed and discouraged, but this week, I put my granny panties on (this job is big and therefore requires even bigger panties), started getting up at 5:30 and it is amazing the difference that one extra hour makes. My big kids were sent to school with hot breakfasts in their bellies, the laundry is all caught up AND PUT AWAY (round of a applause please) and I made suppers that did not need to be barbecued every night this week. Woohoo!  On top of all that, the babies and I have been able to get out each day for a fun activity.

On Tuesday we went to toddler story time at the library, where Leif met the love of his life. A cute Chinese toddler walked into the children's area and Leif made a beeline for her. He stood in front of her, waved and then put his hands on her face and planted a big, wet kiss right on her lips. She was shocked and ran behind her mom's legs, but then moments later, she chased him down and did the same thing back to him . . . tee hee! It was so cute and I still chuckle when I think about it.

On Wednesday, we went to a local playgroup where I got to chat with some friends, while Leif ran around with the kids. His favourite toy was the doll stroller and he ran back and forth all morning taking his baby for a spin. Later, they made a craft. Can I just say that toddlers and crafts are a match made in heaven (even better than vanilla ice cream and apple crisp). I love how he haphazardly drizzled glue all over his construction paper and then covered that glue in feathers. They were supposed to make birds but Leif's looked more like a highway accident involving an entire flock of birds . . . tee hee! The best part, though, was the look on his face when he showed Mr. Level-Headed his craft that evening. He was so proud of it and he chattered on about it for the longest time!  

Then yesterday, the babes and I went to Brunswick Nurseries to look at the animals  . . . and the tractor. Oh, how Leif loves that tractor! We spent an entire hour walking back and forth visiting with each of the animals.

First there was the pigs. Leif would look in their pen and go:

ohhhhh, pop!

Yes, that is their poop.

Then he would creep over to the sleeping pig, crouch down, put his finger up to his mouth and go:

shhhhhhh.

Yes, the pig is sleeping.

Then we would visit the goats, the sheep, and the pony who all share a stall. He would run over to each of them and wave. Then he would ask:

Waz zhat?

That is a goat. That is a sheep. That is a pony.

Then he would hear the rooster crow. He would stop, put his hand to his ear and ask:

Waz zhat?

The rooster.

And then he would sprint over to the rooster's cage. From there we would visit the duck pond and feed the ducks some bread.

 After about 2 minutes, Leif would run back to the pigs and our rotation would begin again.

Waz zhat?

Waz zhat?

Waz zhat?

Thank goodness the tractor began dumping mulch into a customer's truck because I feared we would never be able to leave the animals. It amazes me how toddlers never seem to tire of things they love to do!

Before we headed home, we made a quick stop at the playground so that I could nurse Harriet. I love the Meenan's Cove playground because it is surrounded with sand rather than those plastic, squishy pads most playgrounds now have. They are probably safer and cleaner, but you can't play with your pails,shovels,trucks or dinosaurs in them and, after sliding and swinging, a boy, or my boy at least, likes to dig.

 Yes, I am aware that she is giving me the finger. This one is so much like her mama - saucy with a fondness for mild obscenities . . .Tee hee!

I think the babes and I have a pretty good thing going on right now. Next week, though, I really need to figure out how to squeeze in cleaning my bathrooms  . . . eeeeeek!

Have a great weekend!