Feb 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 - A Very Busy Week!!

Sooooo....as some of you may have noticed I have not been updating my blog much this week. Let's just say it was rather hectic. Feb 23rd was fairly relaxed. Anth was home during the day and took care of the kids while I went to an inservice on rapid sequence intubation for a little refresher. I had to work the next day so decided to put off the blog.....and so the procrastinating began!

Feb 24th was my 1st day back at work for this set and it was INSANE! I was finally able to step off the floor for 5 minutes to get something to eat by 1530 which ended up being my first and last break. We have had some VERY sick kids and A LOT of kids too. Needless to say, by the time I got home from a 12hr day of running my butt off, put my slightly cranky kids to bed (Anth was already at work so my dad and Brandon were over watching the kids until I got home) and had something to eat, blogging was the last thing on my mind. All I wanted was sleep, especially since I knew I had to be up by 0500.

Feb 25th was my first day teaching my clinical group. It was orientation day which isn't super exciting for the students or the instructor. Just going over a lot of basic things - syllabus, powerpoints, Peds assessments, tours, shadowing, etc. I think it went well and I'm looking forward to our first shift on the floor. All my students seem pretty excited about Peds. Once again, by the time I got home, it was just early to bed = no blogging.

Feb 26th was my night shift for my set and I knew I was going to be in for a crazy night again. I was dreading it actually but it ended up being OK. Busy for sure, but not running around like a chicken with your head cut off busy. I actually got to sit down 2-3 times for about 5-10 minutes at a time.

Feb 27th - My parents offered to take the boys for the afternoon so Anth and I could clean the house in preparation for their FIRST BIRTHDAY! I slept from about 0800-1200 after my night shift and then got up to say goodbye to the boys before Anth dropped them off at my parents. Then it was cleaning/baking time. I love when the house is clean but HATE cleaning it. I was excited to make the boys' cake for their birthday but it may have turned out wrong. My sister-in-law assured me that the food dye she lent me turned the icing a really nice red color and that it turned MUCH more red once it was in the fridge. Well, after decorating the darn cake for about 2hrs or so (damn icing!) I have a beautiful PINK fire truck cake for my boys' birthday :( I do have some pictures of it but I think I'll wait to post some pics of it tomorrow. So so so disappointing!!! Oh well.

Anyways, we did manage to take some pictures of the boys throughout the days so I'm just going to post a group of them.

Gavin woke up with a crazy hairdo - I usually keep it so short that it never really gets messy

The boys were trying to help with the cleaning - the LOVE the vacuum, mop, swiffers

We have a few cookie tins on a shelf low enough for the boys to reach and they are CONSTANTLY at them - above and below are the results

Gavin can reach the door handles downstairs now and knows how to open the door - time to re-babyproof!

The boys also love the laundry room and love staring into the washing machine while it's on.

Feb 22 - Teething Babies

The boys were still cranky today, which is to be expected. Luckily Anth got up with them this morning because I had a splitting headache. He actually took care of them until they were finished eating lunch and then he had to take a nap before work tonight. I took a few pics after lunch of the boys getting into trouble.

Caught in the act trying to steal Baby Mum Mums off the side table.

OK I guess you can have one!


Playing with their new favorite toy :)

Gavin just decided to climb on the gate we use to keep Mav out of the living room.

The boys were holding onto the gate dancing to the music!

Gotta cut this one short - I have a screaming baby. Damn - I thought I had them down for the night!

Feb 21 - Visit with Jenn and Jake

Today was pretty relaxed. Anth had to work so it was just me and the boys. They have definitely been more cranked than usual (once again!) and I think I may have figured out why now. Gavin is getting a new tooth, which I knew, but what I didn't know is that it is a MOLAR! Poor guy. He is cutting one of his upper molars. Here I was thinking that he should be fine by now because the tooth is half way through but only one point of it is and the other point is just sticking through so the gums are still intact in between the 2 points. I figured since he was getting one Carson should be too (they get all their teeth around the same time) and, sure enough, Carson's is on the way too, it's just a little behind Gavin's. I suppose I'm probably in for another week or so of cranky teething babies. There always seems to be something lately.

In the afternoon Jenn and Jacob came for a visit. It was such a nice visit - we haven't seen them for a while and it's always nice to break up the day. Jacob and the boys did a good job of distracting each other so Jenn and I could chat. I totally forgot to take pictures of their visit for the blog :( Jake is such a cutie and totally photogenic. I guess I'll have to get some next time.

I was definitely happy to see Anth when he got home from work. I had the boys in the bath when he got home so they were happy at the time but we had to do lots of entertaining once they were out of the bath.

Anth trying to entertain Cars

Gavin trying to stand on his head!

It's definitely nice once the boys go down for the night on days like this. Luckily, so far, they've only been up about once each a night for only about 5 minutes. I'm crossing my fingers that that doesn't change.

Feb 20 - Payback BBQ

My parents got us a new bbq as a gift just this past Christmas. It's a gas bbq so my dad and brother also had to pipe in the gas line so we would have something to power our beautiful new bbq. Today was the payback dinner. We've been trying to plan it for a while but trying to work around 3 shift workers is definitely difficult. Of course we made the plans for the dinner BEFORE I was up until 1am the night before and BEFORE we knew that Anth wouldn't be home from his night shift until 1pm that day (he had to go sell tickets for the Harley Davidson raffle at Costco) and BEFORE Carson decided to get up at 7:30am that day!! haha Needless to say I was TIRED and still had to clean the house, make dinner and take care of 2 whiny babies! Today was NOT a great day in the world of being a mom. If one of the boys wasn't whining, the other was and the FIGHTING was crazy!! Whenever one of the boys takes a toy away from the other the screaming that goes on is just insane! Anyways, I got a little motivation and it all went off without a hitch! We had steak, salad, and sweet potatoes for dinner and then Angel Food cake with peaches and whipped cream for dessert - YUMMY!! I have to say that the best part of the meal was the steak for sure. Anth did an amazing job with the steaks - probably one of the best steaks I've had in a long time and the best steak he has ever cooked! Once dinner was over we played with the boys for a while. I'm not sure if all babies are like this but they LOVE balls. Any size, shape, kind they love them. They will both carry one or two around with them while they are crawling around and playing. It looks hilarious actually because they carry them in their hands and then crawl on the balls - they kind of look like gorillas!! haha I couldn't get a good picture of that because as soon as the camera comes out they sit up.

Carson was being a little clingy tonight and still a little whiny so I decided to see how he liked riding on my shoulders. He actually thought it was hilarious! Anth put Gav on his shoulders too so the boys could look at each other (which they usually think is funny) but Gav didn't enjoy it as much.

When the boys went to bed we all played a game of UNO. Anth was the first one out and I was right behind in points but then the underdog rose up!!! haha I didn't end up winning but I did come in second!! For those of you who know UNO - I was in the 400's for points and my mom, dad and Bran were still in the 200's and I beat my mom and dad and only went out when Bran had 442!!!

It was straight to bed once the game was over. Both Anth and I were so tired! I LOVE sleep!

Feb 19 - Big Boy Carseats!!

We decided to go out grocery shopping today and, since the boys are growing out of their baby carseats, we decided to bring out the big ones!! I know that the rules state that, in order to put your baby forward facing the the car, they must be at least 20lbs AND 1 yr old. They aren't QUITE 1 yet but we decided that since the boys are about 25lbs AND 9 days away from being 1 we'd probably be OK :) On a side note - thank goodness I bought the baby carseats that go up to 30lbs and not 22lbs or else we would have had to buy the convertible carseat for sure!

Gavin was still napping when we brought the carseats out but Cars was ready to help!!


Once Gav woke up we decided to do a trial run inside before taking them out to make sure we had the straps at the right height. He looks so little in his big carseat!! Well, in comparison to his baby carseat that is :)

Off to the store we go!! The boys seemed to like their new carseats!!

Anth took a pic of me pushing the boys into Costco. I have to admit I was a little excited about my new Olympic mitts I had just purchased at Zellers!

The boys did really well shopping, especially since we shopped right through their nap time. A couple baby cookies always help as well. On the ride home both of the boys fell asleep in their carseats and they looked SO uncomfortable! I'm sure at that point they were both wishing they had their baby carseats back. Poor guys!!


Once we got home and unloaded the car, Anth had to get ready for work. Emma called and suggested a girls night with Long Islands :) I cleaned up the house a bit then Em came over for some drinks - WAY overdue and SO fun!! Can't wait to do it again!!

Feb 18 - No Pictures :(

The night shift went OK until about 5 minutes before it was time to go home - one of my babies started misbehaving and I ended up at the hospital until 7:40am. I was already a little disappointed about how the end of my shift went and then I was putting the garbage out and a piece of ice slid off the lid and cut my hand! Grrr! Anth had to work today so my dad showed up at about 6:45am to watch the kids until I made it home and had a short nap. I didn't end up getting to bed until 9am and then was up by 12:30. Needless to say I was, and am, BEAT!! Which brings me to the "No Pictures" title of this blog. I just couldn't muster up the energy to really care about getting some good/fun pictures today. Oh AND Anth informed me today that he would be coming home from work from 6:30pm-7:30pm and then leaving again for a meeting. AAHHH!!! No rest for the wicked!! haha Anyways sorry about the no pictures and now I am going to bed...ah :)

Feb 17 - Night Shift

Today was my sleep in day for my first night shift. Anth was off so he got up with the boys and I slept in until about 11:30am. It seems as though Anth decided to stick our two gigantor babies into the same car and drive them around the basement!! haha He said he had to hold the little car door closed as he was driving so one of them didn't topple out!!

It was such a nice day so we had planned to go for a walk. Unfortunately the boys had a different idea. Carson has been a little difficult going down for his naps the past few days so by the time I finally got him to go down, Gavin was getting up. Opposite naps does not an outing make. So we just ended up hanging around the house, tidying a bit, Anth cooked dinner, and I headed off to work. It was the first time that Anth had both boys all night by himself. I thought I would be a little sad - it's another small milestone afterall - but the boys were being pretty whiney so I have to say, I wasn't all that sad to walk out the door!!!

Feb 16 - Wrong Side of the Bed

Today was my day to get up with the boys in the morning and, although I didn't realize it until about noon, I DEFINITELY got up on the WRONG side of the bed. I just couldn't shake my grouchiness ALL day! I don't know what was up but I couldn't even bring myself to keep the only plans I had made - to order my new glasses. Usually that type of plan would have fueled excitement but not today. I'm so lucky that my husband puts up with me and humors my bad days or else I'm pretty sure I would be in divorce court ;) Anth took a couple pics of the boys in their new 'car' from Nana and Dida. They LOVE it!! Actually we have the same sort of car on Peds and it was the ONLY thing that would keep Cars happy while we were trying to keep him NPO (nothing by mouth) before his ultrasound when we were in the hospital last week.


We had volleyball tonight and I was definitely not feeling up to it which was fine since it was Anth's turn to go anyways. I started feeling a lot happier in the evening - Let's just say that a few Long Islands and a People magazine did the trick!!! I read my magazine while the boys played for the evening. They have been especially interested in the water cooler lately which is OK for now but they haven't figured out how to work the levers yet and once that happens I'm going to be dealing with a large puddle of water. It seems like no matter what I babyproof, they find something else to get into. I'm guessing that's how every parent feels.

I still love them to PIECES though!!!

Feb 15 - 1st Day Back at Work!

It was my first day back at work today and everything went just fine. We were very lucky that Anth was off so he had the boys for the day (really the best scenario I could hope for). I had a moderately busy day. One of my patients was a little prem baby who is about 6 months old and only about 11lbs but he smiled and cooed at me all day - I LOVE PEDS!! It is SO great to watch little people prosper against all odds. I really do have the best job in the world, in my opinion. Anth obviously had no problem with the boys. He is SO good with them. Today is the longest he has ever had both boys at any given time but it was no prob for him. He took them to his parents for a visit and they all went for a walk and then his sister and our nephews showed up and they all had dinner together. How GREAT!! I made sure Anth took some pictures for the blog and I'm so happy he did. I LOVE them!

Nana and Dida pushing their grandsons on the walk. Looks like they're having a pretty good time!

Cohen (our youngest nephew ~ 20months) playing with Gav. Anth dressed both our boys in little plaid shirts.

Nana cuddling with Cars.



Anth thought it was such a good idea to snap a few pics of me just arriving home from work. Thanks a lot!! It was a LONG day but definitely not as bad as I was anticipating. I really DO love my job! Thankfully there was a delicious dinner waiting for me courtesy of my inlaws :)

Feb 14 - Happy Valentine's Day

Today it was just me and the boys for Valentine's Day and my last day of Mat leave :( We got some really good news though - our friends Liana and Andrew welcomed their 3rd girl to the world this morning, Julia Leigh. Must be the best Valentine's Day present of all time!! I don't think Andrew will ever be able to top it!

The boys sported their olympic attire (Thanks McElrees!) today in preparation for a long day of playing :) I spent most of the day sorting through all the pics from our camera - I was WAY behind! We had 1000 pics on our memory card!

My parents came over in the afternoon with a Valentine's Day present for all of us. The boys got some toys, some dried fruit, a wooden puzzle, and balloons, Anth got Pringles chips (he is a chip MONGER) and I got a People magazine and chocolate (Perfect!). The boys absolutely LOVED the balloons, especially Gavin. He kept throwing it at my dad and then getting so excited. Uncle Bran stopped in too for a short visit with the boys.

Anth brought me home 2 small Toblerones and another People magazine (luckily a different one) AND made me a Valentine's card with a pic of him and the boys on it. LOVE IT!! It seemed like the boys had to go to bed way too early today. I realize I spend almost every hour of everyday with them but that's the problem - tomorrow I will only get to see them for about an hour. I'm feeling a little sad about it and a little mad that I have to go back to work.

Feb 13 - Family Day

Since Anth has to work on Valentine's Day and I go back to work on the 15th, he let me sleep in this morning as my final Mat leave sleep in. I closed our bedroom door once the kids were up so I could take maximum advantage of the opportunity. I got out of bed around 11am (SO nice) and we fed the kids lunch and then playtime! Once again the dog bed was the center of the entertainment for them.

We randomly decided to go out shopping in the afternoon. I have been looking for some new glasses and we wanted to get out of the house so we went on a glasses search. The kids were unbelievably well behaved all day. They are usually pretty easy going but today was exceptional. They were totally quiet in the stroller while I tried on numerous glasses and then they just both drifted off to sleep!! Not even a peep out of them. I love it when we have days like this! I was able to pick out a couple pairs of glasses that I like but haven't purchased them quite yet. Once the boys woke up it was around their dinner time so we decided to take them out for their first ever dinner in a restaurant for their first Valentines Day. I am aware that it was the 13th but it was OUR Valentines Day since Anth works on the 14th. We went to Boston Pizza and once again we were amazed at how well they behaved. The first dinner out went great!

After dinner we headed out to a family friend's house. Gord and Giselle were in town from Terrace babysitting Linden and Makenna for the weekend while Gord (Jr.) and Nanc played OTL. It was an impromptu visit and we didn't get there until 7:45pm so we weren't sure how the boys would be but with Linden and Makenna entertaining them it went so well and we were able to stay until about 9:30pm.

Linden was making faces at Gavin and Gavin was just killing himself laughing!!

Kenna is such a sweet girl. She wanted to hold the 'babies' and take care of them. Such a little mother hen!