Little Critters and Sookies!

I have been tasked with finding Little Critter books.  You know, the ones from OUR childhoods long, long ago.  With the cute little critter...

Well, my dear, sweet, can't-sit-still, little Quinny had developed a love for these books.  I got him one at a garage sale for ten cents, and he started reading it with me recently.  He will actually sit still and listen to me read it, then he will re-read it to me!  And when that is done, he flips the book over to the back, and picks out all the OTHER books in the series he wants to read!  I have looked in my usual places (Kijiji, Ebay), and the prices are OUTRAGEOUS.  I'm talking people wanting $10+ for a used old copy.  Ouch. So if anyone knows where I can find some of the books for relatively low cost, let me know!

I haven't written a post about Quinn's sooky going bye-bye because it still lives on.  I decided with Quinn's personality, I had to pick a method that would allow him to give it up when he wants.  I tend to avoid any method that will result in weeks of unbelievable drama-filled shrieks that would be suitable for a horror movie...  I went with the cut a bit off each day method.  That was about 9 days ago, and he has nothing to grasp his teeth on, so he gets no pleasure out of the thing, but he is still keeping it.  It has been easier than I thought though, and I can see the attachment getting weaker.  For example, before I cut it, he would steal Charlie's sookies if he could find them, but now he sees them lying around, and doesn't suck on them.  I will post again when he throws it out. He will be going to his first movie in the theatre when he throws it out,because that is what I got when I stopped sucking my thumb!

GROUPON

I am posting today about groupon.  If you haven't heard of it, this site is a deals site for the city you live in.  Groupon is a combination of the words group and coupon.  It basically works like this.  If you register with them, they will email you deals for Halifax. If enough people choose to get the deal, everyone will get a coupon.  If not enough people sign up for the deal of the day, then you are not charged.  Just make sure to read any fine print, expiry dates, exclusions, etc. 

Today, I signed up for the Discovery Centre.  I got 2 tickets for $8.  This is worth $17, and I have been planning to go for a while, so it is good for me!


http://www.groupon.com/r/uu7570031

Check it out!

Waaahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Action shot since she will not stay put!

So, HC had to go back to work today. BOO!   He has been off for the past 12 days, and it was an interesting vacation. On his first day off, he got some surgery done that typically has a quick recovery time.  We assumed he would be  average or better since he has a high threshold for pain, and is in very good shape.  Well, that so didn't happen.  Poor HC was bedridden for half of his vacation, and very sore for the rest. At 5 this morning, he was begging me to call in sick for him, dreading walking downtown for 12 hours.

So, we hung around the house a lot, just hanging out.  It was quite nice, even for us go, go, go type A people. We talked, played, watched movies, but did not get a lot checked off the to-do list.

The slow pace probably helped us since Charlie is well into her 4 month sleep regression.  This thing has been lasting for almost three weeks already!  I think the end is near, as she is not trying to party all night.  Poor thing just got her needles on Monday, and yesterday evening, she had a really hard time to get to sleep.  It did make me value how good of a sleeper she usually is.  It is also bringing back memories of trying to get Quinn to sleep.  He only had one cry, it was loud and long!  Charlotte has distinct cries for hunger, reflux pain, or being overtired.  It makes it easy to diagnose what to do.  Last night from 8-10, she cried "owww!".  The funny thing was that Quinn was having a hard time settling down in his room, but as soon as she started up, I never heard a peep from him until this morning.  He hates to hear her cry.

The good news from the check-up was that she gained back all the weight she lost while struggling with her meals.  She is now 16 lbs, and has gone from the 20th percentile to the 70th percentile.  WOW! She still struggles with her meals, but in the end she eats a lot!  Her height is also good news, she is 28", and off the top of the chart.  It is not hard to believe, since she is wearing 9 and 12 month clothing!

Weekend Away

HC and the gang, hanging out

We were away for the weekend visiting Nana Rose and Papa Gerry in Amherst.  It was a nice visit but too short.  The reason for the trip is unimportant, I will just say it had to do with guns and hunting and blahblahblah...

Quinn always likes to go there and stay in a big bed.  This bed also happens to be next to a window that faces the train station.  In other words, every time he hears a train whistle, he sits by that window and watches the train go by.  He stays as quiet as can be, and tells me about it the next morning.  It is times like this that make me smile.  I can get so caught up the everyday rush, and I need to chill out.  My Quinn is making lifelong memories of having fun at his grandparent's house, I hope he can keep these memories forever.

Now Charlie, she just will not sleep at her Nana and papa's house.  We have tried a few times, and she just screams for most of the night.  She stays in a pack 'n play in Shawn and my room, but she wakes up constantly screaming bloody murder.  It is so disheartening since she is a fantastic sleeper, and I am rethinking future visits and how long they should be, since we are wrecked by the time we leave!

Blast from the past.

Just going through some old pictures, and came across this one of Quinn "driving" the Disney bus.  The pose, and the excitement totally remind me of Jon when he was about the same age.  He was allowed to "drive" a postal vehicle, and it made his year.  So dad and Jon, do you remember this?

Free Stuff!!

I will try to update the blog when I find out about good deals.  One way to get a few free good samples is to go to Procter and Gamble, and sign up for brandsampler.  You just give your information, and answer a few questions, and they will send you samples.  They have done a few in just the last few months, and I haven't had to buy a razor for a LONG time!

https://www.pgbrandsampler.ca/en_CA/home.php

Let me know what freebies you get!

First Trip to the Dentist!

Well, my little boy is quickly growing up!  He had his first visit to the dentist yesterday.  He was quite excited to go since he could brag about how much he loves brushing his teeth (it's true).

Brave boy!

Not to sure about this...

Just get it over with!

 Well, it ended up being fairly normal for Quinn.  He sat pretty good while I was getting my cleaning done.  He had his head almost in my mouth to see what was going on.  The poor hygienist, had her hands full as he talked non-stop to her asking many questions.
By the time he was to get his check-up, he was so over the whole dentist thing!  I got him in the chair long enough for some pics, and then he refused to open his mouth for the dentist!  I managed to get him to open up by sitting him on my lap and getting him to say awwwww!  The dentist was amazing and she was able to see all his teeth.
Unfortunately for Quinn, the visit is going to be much more traumatic.  The dentist notices a slight overbite.  It has no real ramifications for his teeth IF he had different genes... BUT both of his parents had braces, and this means his sooky has to GO!!!!  Oh my, this could be a most interesting development. You see, my dear Quinn has had a first love since he was 2 days old, and it is his sooky.  He has not been able to give up his sooky at all, we managed to get him to use it only for sleeping when he was about 2, but that has been as far as we have gotten.  I have researched many many methods of getting rid of the sooky, and none of the methods seem like they will work for him.  For example:
*offer a nice new toy and say the sooky has gone with the sooky fairy.  He has already told us that he would trade mommy and daddy to keep his sooky.
* Have him give it to us to give to deserving babies, HA yeah right.  He has crawled over us to get to Charlotte's sooky!
*Snip off the end, and he will choose to give it away since it doesn't satisfy him anymore.  When one got a hole in it a while ago, he was heartbroken, and carried it to his daddy.  He sobbed that daddy can fix anything, so he needed to fix the sooky!

Poor baby at the hospital for an ear infection (old pic)

So, there will be drama, there will be yelling and screaming, and it will be happening very soon.  Pray for us, we will need it.

Welcome!

This will be my first time blogging.  I have been following many other blogs for a while, but have really just been too busy with life to maintain one.  This is not in any way a reflection on how much free time I have while I am home on maternity leave.  Well, ok, maybe a little ; )
As far as being a SAHM for this year, I am learning a lot about myself, my relationship with my husband, and my children.  It is changing the way I look at most everything, and I know I will not be the same person after a year of staying at home.

A bit about myself:
I am Crystal, and I love my God, my family, traveling, and saving money.
I am married to a most wonderful man that loves me like crazy.  He is a Police Officer, and will not want his name used on here, so he will be known on my blog as Hot Cop (HC).

Quinn and Charlotte

I have a three year old spirited boy named Quinn.  He lives life to the fullest, and teaches me a lot about not being such a Type A.  He has a way of throwing off any plans I try to make.
I have a new baby named Charlotte.  She is a great baby, and a good napper.  Naptime will be when I likely blog...  She has had some health issues since birth with GERD (acid reflux), and eating issues, but both of these are starting to get a bit better...


I like to say I have a nice boring life, and that is not putting us down, I mean that we have a life with little drama, and try to keep things simple.  I simply would not thrive in a chaotic environment.