Playing for Keeps!

With Valentines Day just behind us, and seeing and hearing all the expressions of love (in all its many forms), I was thinking of when Charlotte was a newborn. People would come visit us, ooh and aah over the baby and say things like, "She's so beautiful, I think she's a keeper". Then they would look at Sarah and ask, "What do you think? Should we keep her?" Sarah, being three, didn't understand this question to be rhetorical, she took it quite literally, and would answer, "Yes!"

A few weeks later when the baby visits ended, Sarah and I were saying "I Love You" to each other and she, so sweetly and genuinely, added, "I'm going to keep you Mama." I was taken aback but smiled and replied back, "Well I'm going to keep you too, baby girl." I'll never forget that moment - so sincere in it innocence and yet so unknowingly full of wisdom about what love is truly about.

It seems that we are constantly bombarded by false images of love. Movies show people "loving" their spouses and then "loving" their boyfriends/girlfriends on the side. Everything looks so exciting and fun and adventurous, without portraying the hurt and betrayal. It's all "live in the moment" with no sense of commitment to anyone but oneself. And we are left confused. We think we can do the same. We don't seem to know what true love is anymore.

Love, to me, is not always fun and exciting, passionate and romantic. (Or else, I would also be divorced for long ago! Sorry honey!) These things are wonderful, yes! But, let's face it, I can have "fun" with just about anyone. Love is a decision. It is a decision to be committed. It is about staying even on the days when the feelings seem to have vanished into thin air. To have that loving feeling - it is the most amazing emotion in the world. To say "I Love You" is great. To hear "I Love You" in return is greater still. Too often, though, the words (important as they are) become only words and hold no meaning.

But, to me, to be able to say to someone "I Keep You!". No matter what. No matter how I feel today. No matter your faults, your insecurities, your craziness. No matter if we're fighting or making up. No matter what life brings. I keep you! And I keep you through it all. Now that's something. I sorta think Sarah had it right.

Here's to playing for keeps.

Can I hear an "Amen"?

Charlotte's First Snow Day

It was a couple of weeks ago now. We finally got snow and I decided to take the girls outside to play.

Sarah had fun making snow angels.

Charlotte was unimpressed.



So, I asked her about her dislike of the white stuff and she said,

"No, I do not like it in the snow
I do not like it - no, no, no!
I did not like it on your back
I did not like wearing that hat
No, I did not like it -
And that is that!"

I told her I thought she was exaggerating slightly (can we say "her father's daughter) as she did in fact fall asleep in my "back pack" for about a 1/2 hour.

Then she replied,

"Why yes, oh yes, I fell asleep
While you were in the snow knee-deep
For I had nowhere else to go
When you were shovelling that snow."

Hmmm...clearly, Charlotte has been reading far too much Dr. Suess!

I wonder what she'll say when I tell her we're going out again today?

My Pizza

Just a couple of weeks after Charlotte was born, it was clear she was not happy about something. Turns out she has an intolerance to cows milk, or the protein in cows milk, to be specific.

Suddenly breastfeeding, though still a top priority of mine, became even more challenging. My diet needed to be completely dairy free - no milk, no cheese, no butter...GASP! NO CHOCOLATE!

After a couple of weeks of not knowing how/what to eat, I began some intense research and discovered lots of great options - Soy milk, pudding, and "ice cream", vegan "butter", goats milk cheeses, the introduction of a Calcium supplement, and most importantly, that I could still eat dark chocolate!

Here's one of my recipes - it's so delicious and easy, I just had to share. I guarantee I'll still be eating this after I go back to having cows milk again.

Step 1: Ingredients. Mine are:
Naan bread or flat bread (Non-dairy)
Pizza sauce
Cooked chicken breast pieces (or if I've cooked a turkey, use leftovers instead)
Spinach (you can use fresh, but my only option right now is frozen, nuked and drained)
Variety of goats milk cheese (i.e. mozzarella, marble cheddar, and feta)


Put it all together

Bake it at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes

Slice and enjoy!


Bonus: This is a fantastic quick and easy meal idea. With the premade crust and toppings handy, everyone can have their own unique pizza ready to eat in about 15 minutes. AND, it's super easy for kids to make their own too!

Enjoy!

Charlotte Aime des Grenouilles

Warning: The following contains graphic images of a frog-devouring baby.

It seems Charlotte has decided "enough is enough!" with the milk-only diet. I, however, did not expect her to take an interest in french cuisine so soon.

"Oh, Oui, oui...this frog is lookin' mighty tasty Mama"


Unbeknowst to Monsieur Froggy, those are not just sloppy kisses...


Shameful display of gluttony


Whatever happened to rice cereal?

Merry Christmas!!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and remember the true meaning of the season!

Love Myrna, Jamie, Sarah & Charlotte

xox

Where I Found Sarah One Day...

Sarah, overall, has been great with the new addition.

She wants to constantly hug and kiss her to the point where I sometimes think Charlotte will be smothered.

She wants to 'help' with feedings, even tho' I am breastfeeding. You can probably imagine the conversation I'm having with my 3 year old about "boobies" and where the milk comes from.

She wants to share. Of course, Mommy nearly had a heart attack when that sharing meant trying to feed Charlotte a candy one day! Eek! Another reason on my "Why to never trust a 3-yr-old for even 2 seconds" list.

She wants to bath the baby which usually consists of squirting Charlotte in the face with water from all manor of bath toys and making her cry.

She wants to soothe her. This means sticking her little finger in Charlotte's mouth and saying "Shhhh, shhhh, shhhh...it's ok, Mommy's here..."

But sometimes, Sarah still just wants to be the baby...

Tshirts and Purses

The hubster said I couldn't possibly want another purse for Christmas.
"You already have a million!" he said.
"Well," I said, "I don't have even close to the number of purses as you have in tshirts".
"What?!" he exclaimed, "I only have about 30 tshirts. You have about 50 purses!"
"Oh, no way! You definitely have that backwards!"

So, today I counted.
I have 21 purses. And yes, I could possibly want another.

The hubsters tshirt count: 70!!!
Yep, that number would be a 7 followed by a 0 - SEVENTY!!
No joke! The man is obsessed with tshirts but yet wears the same dozen or so over and over.

We'll have to wait and see if Santa ups the count. Whatever happens, I think goodwill is in need of being stocked up on tshirts AND purses.

What is your obsession?

It's hard to find a good OB/GYN these days!

He delivered Charlotte on HIS birthday. After telling me to go home because I wasn't in labour, to wait another two weeks until my due date. I knew he was a jack-ass!

Click on the link:
Shock and dismay in reaction to charges against city doctor - Local - News - The Western Star

This is What Happens...

when Mommy allows her 3 year old access to scrapbooking supplies and then leaves the room to feed the baby...

Have a great weekend! The girls and I are off to Ontario for 10 days to visit my sister and her family...and hopefully do lots of Christmas shopping :)

Bad Tummy Time

She sleeps best on her tummy. If I put her down during the day on her back or side, she's up within minutes. On her tummy, she's good for a while. It might be because she seems to have an achy belly a lot, maybe the pressure feels better.

At night, I always put her on her side. On her back, she's always gagging and waking herself up. So, on her side, at 2 weeks old, was the first time she managed to roll herself onto her tummy! My gosh, what is this kid doing to my nerves?! I'm in a constant state of paranoia and always checking for breathing.

Go figure I'd have a child who would go against the "rules" right from the start. Charlotte, don't you know we're not allowed to put babies to sleep on their bellies??!!

Charlotte with her purple mouth (we were being treated for thrush with very purple gentian violet!)

Charlotte's pooky "Made in Canada" cloth diapered tooshy.

Bye for now from the busy mamma,
Myrna