Playing In The Leaves

Let Freedom Ring

Every year that I have been a teacher, I have always done a unit on the Civil Rights Movement. It is something that has touched me deeply since I was old enough to understand it. The kids are always passionate about it and are so angry at how Black people have been and still are treated - it gives you hope for the future.

I went to bed too early to see the results of the American election last night but when the alarm went off this morning, I waited and hoped. The first words out of the announcers mouth about Barack Obama's SWEEPING victory brought real joy to me. I listened and tears poured down my face, which sounds rather trite but true. What a great day for the world.

It makes me think back to all I have learned about American History, all the shocking stories of the racism endured by Blacks as they broke through the colour barriers. The people that died - this is a country where people lynched other people based solely on the colour of their skin only 50 years ago. It is amazing to witness this piece of history. In a time when there doesn't seem to be much to cheer about, this can give us all some hope.

I was relieved to see that Americans voted with their brains this time. Maybe some of that will rub off on us Canadians in our next election.

I can't get down even 10% of how I feel today, but I just had to write something.

By the way, this would be a great time to read or re-read To Kill A Mockingbird - it is way better now than it was in grade 10 English...

Martin Luther King Jr must be smiling...

Flossing Freak

He watched Grammy floss the other day and now has an obsession with doing it at their house. In reality, he totally enjoys sucking the mint taste off the floss more than anything else.

Iain And The Scary Dinosaur

By the end of the night, Nathaniel was quite happy to be in Iain's arms sucking on his mask. When we got back to Kris and Alana's, his mask was soaked with spit and snot.

Lots Of Fun And Giggles

Some More Highlights

The Cousins

Lee, Erinn and Henry were down for Halloween so we all descended upon Kris and Alana for a little trick or treating. Coincidentally, all three of the boys were dinosaurs which made for a pretty cute trio trotting around the streets of Devon.

The Dragon With Vampire Fangs

Quick Preview Of Part Of The Costume For Tonight...

The Marker Incident

Bath Fun

Not Impressed With The Traditional Leaves Shot

Playing Outside In The Freezing Cold

The Towel Warrior

You Know You Are Tired When

Quarantined

So, I have been quarantined by my doctor to not go to work. As crazy as this sounds, it is true. There has been a case of Fifths Disease at school and although it is not usually a big deal, it is if you are pregnant.

I have to find out if I have immunity to the disease as it is apparently quite common (although I have never heard of it until this week) and if you have had it before, you have immunity and there is nothing to worry about. If I do not have immunity, then I cannot be at school for awhile. In the meantime, I cannot return to work until my blood work gets back.

It is a massive pain making up lessons for my supply but the nice thing is I have been able to spend two days so far with Nathaniel, which is pretty nice. Plus the fact that in a few more months I will have two babies pushing my current state of exhaustion to a new level is making me enjoy this bit of time and it is a great opportunity to recharge the batteries.

Warning - Your Eyes May Get Sore If You Read This

I have long had a hate on for stupid warnings that anyone with a teaspoon of common sense would know not to do. Example - on an infant bath tub, "Do not leave baby unattended". You think?!

I have especially noticed these warnings seem to rise exponentially as you buy more and more gear for your kids. I have always blamed these ridiculous warnings on Americans who gleefully sue over anything and everything.

But I have reached the breaking point.

I was pouring Nathaniel some organic (of course), straight from the earth, made by Amish people no name Cheerios the other day and on the top of the box it said, and I quote, "Should only be fed to young children who have the ability to chew solid foods while seated with supervision".

Good thing I read this. I was seriously considering not breastfeeding this next baby. I thought it would thrive if I shoved Cheerios down its throat while I left it unsupervised in its swing on the highest speed.

Is there any hope for us if we need this printed on cereal boxes?

I just had to get this off my chest.

Stinky

I had to take the afternoon off because I received a call from Nathaniel's daycare that he was sick. He had a bad case of diarrhoea and was not feeling so well. This morning on the way to work, we could smell something a bit nasty in the car so I fully expected a rank diaper to greet me but he was fine. I guess that was a bit of foreshadowing of events to come.

While he was at daycare, he had a terrible "episode"-I guess it was half way up his chest. One of the workers said she had to use gloves, it was so bad. It wasn't only the sheer quantity of it but I guess the smell was so bad that the workers in the room next door were checking the 2 year olds to see who shit themselves.

We are so proud!

I just had to put this old picture of him up to illustrate his day.

Baby #2

Well, we may as well make this official. There is another Baby Aitken on the way, due on April 12th!

Today I went for my 12 week ultrasound and we saw the little wee one punching and kicking it's way around. My doctor said that we would be able to find out the sex today but we were told that it was impossible to tell yet and we would have to wait until the 18 week one. Since the babe is all of 5cm from crown to rump, I can imagine trying to discern anything down below would be quite the challenge. I could make a nasty joke about if it was a boy, like father like son, but I won't. Oh wait, I just did...

Anyway, Iain and I are very excited/slightly overwhelmed. We look at Nathaniel who is still such a tiny little thing and the thought of another baby on its way very soon is enough for us to have a severe case of the shakes. To put this in perspective, on Nathaniel's 1st birthday, I was a month and a half pregnant. Nothing classier than being knocked up twice in one year.

New Bed

We borrowed Karson's toddler bed and Nathaniel had a great sleep in it last night. He was asleep when we put him in it then he woke up in the middle of the night and was a bit confused with what was going on. I turned on the light, he looked around, was quite delighted, then promptly went back to sleep. He looked so cute in it that Iain and I couldn't stop cooing over him.

The Newt Suit

With all the crazy wind and rain we experienced today, Nathaniel got a chance to parade around in his full piece rain suit - I am sure he will be very proud of these later on in his life.

Walking

Nathaniel started walking last weekend and has been getting better and better every day. At first he was much more interested in crawling due to it being much quicker but the last few days there has been a significant increase in the walking. He looks so cute as he stomps around - time is flying!!

Sore Teeth And Sour Popsicles

Nathaniel loves popsicles, especially with teeth breaking through on a weekly basis. His first molar came through this week-that was super fun for all of us. Nathaniel had just his bottom 2 teeth for so long that he decided teeth were overrated. When his first top front tooth came in, he was delighted to grate his bottom ones against the top one which made the most ungodly sound that we stuffed his soother back into his mouth full time for about 2 weeks. Now that he has 6 teeth, he has realized they are good for more than biting into apples-they also cause people to have a severe reaction when he nips their body parts. It's not that he bites hard, he just uses the element of surprise - like when we were grocery shopping today and he bit my hand as I was pushing the cart and scanning the shelves. I almost jumped out of my skin - he thinks it is hilarious. Can't wait for his first "hilarious" incident at daycare.

Stripey Jammies

Brent and Andrea came over for dinner with presents - chocolate and an adorable pair of pyjamas. Thanks-need to keep Nate warm in this chilly house.

Bath Time

These two just keep getting bigger and bigger! In the last few months, they have been having a great time playing together. The giggles and fights are entertaining and annoying. Let's just say, sharing is not always high on the list.

Upsy Daisy. Igglepiggle. Makka Pakka. The Pontipines. The Wottingers. The Haahoos. And last but not least, The Tombliboos.

If you recognize these names, you know where this is going. If this sounds like gibberish, count yourself lucky.

We have managed to avoid kids TV because we both hate it. But we have succumbed. Nathaniel sits on the couch and drinks his milk under the intense trance of "In The Night Garden" which is one of the most fucked up shows I have ever seen. It seriously makes me think you should be under the influence of something stronger than orange juice to understand it. I don't even know what the point of the show is, what is going on, what the heck all of those creatures with the crazy names are and why it is bright in the night garden. To be honest, I don't really care because he doesn't move a muscle for 20 minutes which lets us get things done in order to get off to work more or less on time.

Still, it is one freaky show.

Daddy And Nathaniel

These two were very excited to see each other when Iain walked in the door.

It's All About The Acoustics

His newest trick is to put anything over his head and screech. He loves the muffled sound of his voice. This also includes putting bowls and cups over his face/mouth which has led to a few messes.

The Stool

The stool is now pushed around the house and used to get new views of things and added leverage for climbing. I know I am going to walk into the kitchen and he is going to be standing on the counter any day.

My brother had a good description of Nate's chompers the other day. Kris picked him up and Nathaniel gave him a big smile, Kris laughed and said, "Looks like a mouthful of Chiclets in there". Pretty apt description if you ask me.

Breakfast With Great Grammy Jean

Gram came and spent the weekend with us which was a lot of fun. Nathaniel loves her to death and I am pretty sure the feeling is mutual. He spent a good portion of his time feeding Gram bits and pieces of his breakfast - she was a good sport and actually ate some of it. He was surprised because he usually only gets fake nibbles from Iain and I. I don't know, there is just something unappealing about slimy drooled upon food from a grubby little fist.

Check Out The Pearly Whites

It seems like the week he turned one, he decided to leave babyhood behind and turn into a little boy. I think teeth make a big difference. His two front bottom ones came in around May and then there were no signs of any for months. Iain and I were afraid he was dentally retarded. In the last month or so he has 3 new teeth with a few more making their way - what a relief!! Ha ha! I do miss that gummy little smile!

The FREX

The FREX is a huge rip-off. You could easily drop $100 if you brought two kids to it. We went and Nathaniel went on all of 3 rides so I figure it costs us about $20 a ride. Steal of a deal.

Little heads up - we went to the Gagetown Fair this weekend and it is way better and way cheaper, so hold out two weeks and enjoy the pretty village rather than the greasy FREX. Even the carnies seemed cleaner.