Jenzola

Oh for heaven's sake. Western, in order to continue to get students to school during the strike has obtained 47 vans to shuttle students who live more than a 30 minute walk to school from 7 set points throughout the city. The vans are free and driven by volunteers. And yet the bus driver's union claims that this amounts to scab labour and is considering picketing at Western, forcing faculty and staff to cross picket lines if they want to work. This isn't at all like company X employing scabs for money to keep pumping out widgets to make a profit. I can totally see how that is deplorable. But for goodness sake Western is using volunteers to help out stranded students. What's next, will the transit protest all citizens who are offering rides to elderly folks who can't get to the doctor's because after all they're providing transportation services? sheesh.
Here's the link if you're interested. http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2009/11/17/11778301.html
Right now to get around I'm employing the taxi Mom while Andrew is at school. She works for coffee :)Thank goodness because otherwise I'd have a cold 2.5 hour walk home from the midwives.

Yup, I am pregnant again! I'm 12 weeks along and due on May 26th, 2 weeks before Sullivan turns 2!
I just told my Mom today and she was so thrilled. Of course she had news even more shocking than mine so it was kind of a letdown :p. I was at least expecting a squeal of surprize! I have yet to tell my Dad and my MIL (heaven help me) so no one post about this on facebook, alright?
Andrew has been bugging me for a while for baby #2 but I kept putting him off because Sullivan wasn't sleeping at night very well and I didn't want too close a spacing. But around August he asked if we could try in September. He said it would probably take a while since I'd only had one period and that was back in May and it was mostly just spotting so I probably wasn't fertile yet anyways. So I agreed to start trying at the begininng of September. Well, according to calculations I got pregnant on September 2nd. So that's the last time he convinces me to try for a baby by telling me it'll take a while! Of course I was thrilled even though it happened more quickly than I'd anticipated!
Anyways the moment the test came back positive I ran to the phone and called the midwives and I got in this time! I'm in prenatal care heaven. My first midwife appointment was a 1 hour conversation about my last pregnancy and birth and my hopes for this one. It was incredible. Then, a few days ago I called my midwife all panicked cause my pants still fit (with Sullivan I was out of my pants by 8 weeks!). So she told me she had an opening the next day and asked if I'd like to come in for a quick checkup and listen to the baby's heartbeat. Of course I did! Our baby has a heartbeat of 168 beats per minute and everything is just fine! My pants still fit apparently because I've actually lost some weight thanks to the swine flu. But it was so wonderful of her to sneak me in just for reassurance! That wouldn't have happened with a doctor! With Sullivan Dr. Shakyhands lectured me on my 5lb weight gain 3 months in and later on I'd wait for hours just to see my OB for 5 minues. The difference is incredible. My midwife said if I gained another 40lbs this time it would be just fine and so far I've never waited more than 5 minutes.
I felt much worse this time around than with Sullivan. I had nausea, and 2 weeks of it was really bad. I even threw up once. But I am feeling tons better now although still a bit nauseous once in a while and I am rather dizzy and quite lazy :p
Andrew has nicknamed our new baby "baby 2.0". I am getting a 'boy' vibe although I'd love a girl!

In other news, Sullivan's tyketalk appointment went pretty well today. Although the receptionist had no idea where to send me and I got lost on my way back from the bathroom, we did eventually get where we needed to be. The language therapist said he's a bit behind on receptive language and talking. But it can probably be solved just by talking to him using simple words and pointing out objects more. I'm actually not that worried as Andrew was a late talker and Sullivan communicates in other ways (like by dragging me around) and he imitates gestures. He's always been a quiet laid back baby. He rarely cries, doesn't babble as much as his friends, and doesn't have tantrums. Sometimes I wonder if he just doesn't care to talk because he doesn't need to- his needs get met pretty well and if I can't figure something out he doesn't get too upset, just wanders off and finds something else. I always figured he would talk on his own eventually but it's nice to have some exercizes to help things along because I'd rather he say 'hungry' or 'food' than grab my pants and drag me to the kitchen :p. I did think our speech lady was a little over the top. How many times can you repeat the word 'car' in half an hour? I think our speech lady probably set a new record. And Sullivan just wanted the car. He did do a fantastic rendition of my fake barfing noises at my Mom's nickname for her new bf on the way home. Since Sullivan doesn't repeat sounds too often I'm sure our speech lady would consider it excellent progress!

Today Katie came over and we're going to bake cookies tomorrow, dye my hair and hit up the Santa Claus parade! hooray! We went shopping for supplies and also got Sullivan an adorable fisher price nativity scene that he can play with. It is sooo cute.

Anyways it's jammie time! :D

Arg. I am just hoping they don't strike before my Tyketalk appointment on Friday. Sullivan and I have already rescheduled twice due to swine flu. But it will be so hard to get anywhere. And I just have a stir crazy toddler and desire to get out for my own peace of mind. What about the elderly who need transit to get to the doctor? What about single moms who need the bus to drop off their kids and get to work? What about the 500 000 000 students (slight exaggeration) who take the bus to and from school every day?
I hope they resolve this quickly!
interestingly enough apparently I have a tag already specifically decrying the ltc's crappy service. huh.

Could anything be worse? Poor Sulli and I are due for a wet trek to the bus stop today!

painting with pudding in the bathtub! Lots of fun and cleanup is as easy as turning on the shower :)






Sullivan decked out in his Halloween costume. He wouldn't hold still so all the pictures are blurry. Unfortunately he didn't get out to see anyone as he fell asleep right after supper. Oh well, the costume was borrowed and he sure does look cute!

I had a bad case of the flu last week. High fever, coughing, sore throat, runny nose, chills, aches, etc. I was stuck in bed for a whole week unable to do much of anything but whine about my sad predicament. But I have the most wonderful friends :). So many people have called to wish me well. I got a very sweet get well card in the mail today from katie, Tam and Julian. My friend Jeanette came from Welland last Wednesday and Thursday and took Sullivan out for me so I could lie in bed and rest. Andrew did a great job looking after Sullivan so I could rest and recuperate. So thank you all so much, I really appreciate it! I ended up at the ER due to my cough on Saturday and was diagnosed with probable H1N1 influenza. Apparently it's spreading like wildfire through London. Anyways I'm happy to report I'm doing much better. The fever has been gone since Saturday. My cough which was horrible is starting to improve. I've been having these awful coughing fits where I ended up coughing, not being able to stop and then throwing up. It didn't happen at all today. Almost, but I was able to stop coughing in time. And the wheeze is gone. Sullivan and I went out to playgroup today. And aside from getting a few dirty looks for my cough (I'm not contagious anymore! telehealth promised!) we had a great time.
Anyways, thank you to all my wonderful friends for all your healthy prayers and vibes, they really worked!

Summer was fun. yaaaay!
Ugh so much happened since my last post I can't possibly recount it all :p Oh well.
Sullivan is almost 15 months old now and he is a growing concern! Into everything, climbing everything. He learned the word 'this' and is constantly pointing at everything saying 'dis? dis?' it's pretty cute. He also give high fives. He's getting molars in now and that's a barrel of fun. We've been up a hundred million zillion kajillion times a night now for like a week and he cries every time I try and put him back down, so much that the other night the people living below us began thumping on our roof with a broom or something. I was thisclose to leaving a screaming toddler beast on their doorstep. Despite all that though I do love this age. He's so much fun! He find everything hilarious and is always doing the silliest cutest things.
What else? Oh, those of you who are sick of hearing me complain about my babysitting gig will be happy to hear that I have but 3 more treacherous days of babysitting. I told a little white lie about moving closer to Fanshawe College (well we are moving closer to Fanshawe College, but only by about 2 blocks)and told her I couldn't babysit anymore. So yay. Bad news is I'm babysitting all by my lonesome for 9 hours on my birthday.
Andrew is 25 now. I can't believe it! I remember being there for his 19th birthday all those years ago. Or maybe it was his 20th? Well either way, happy birthday Andrew, and many more! Now you're officially a grown up.
As for me I'm about to turn 24 and getting ever closer to that grown up cut off. Man, I still don't even know what I want to be when I grow up. At least I know a few career choices I won't be making. Call center collections agent. Burger flipper. Babysitter...
We're moving in just 22 short days (but who's counting) and I can't wait. Did I mention we're getting a dishwasher? And our own bedroom. I'm so excited I'm bouncing off the walls! Wheee!
Anyways nothing else much is new. I'm sad to see all the leaves starting to change colour ringing in the doom of winter just around the corner. The weather this summer sucked the big one and I certainly haven't soaked in enough heat and humidity to deal with the frigid weather ahead so be prepared for copious amounts of whining and complaining throughout my livejournal all winter long.
Anyways I have some serious knitting to do!

Andrew went down to the car today to go pick up some lunch when he noticed that our car's doors had been messed with and the ignition was all punched in and damaged like someone had taken a screwdriver to it! We called our landlord (they've had a few problems of this kind recently and are installing cameras as of *tomorrow*). We called the police (they took down our details and filed a report). We called our families. I complained on my online Moms forums.
I'm just grateful that they didn't actually manage to steal the car. It shouldn't be too expensive to fix (and my Dad offered assistance if it is). But if we'd lost the car....
Andrew has a mechanic friend who does repairs for us for booze and parts. So we'll be giving him a call tomorrow. And we're getting one of those club things for our steering wheel. Andrew was thinking of getting one a while back but I said "who would want to steal our '96 neon?" Apparently, lots of people since they're easy to steal and not very conspicuous. So here it is Andrew, for all the world to see. You were right, I was wrong. Don't get used to it. :p
I'm happy we're leaving this building soon, according to other tenants it's really gone downhill and there is a lot of theft and vandalism going on.

Does anyone have any interest in helping me to create an anime music video? I have a vision but no idea on how to translate it into reality :p

Why am I awake??????

It's a mommy haircut for sure. I look about 45. Boohoohoo. Why can't I be beautiful? /totally unproductive dwelling in self pity

Sullivan is pissed off too.

How time flies!

This is the strangest kijiji ad I've ever seen!

http://london.kijiji.ca/c-services-other-Woman-to-sit-in-a-bathtub-of-noodles-W0QQAdIdZ133860510

I wish I could take today and put it in a bottle and then whenever I was feeling down or worried I could take today out again and breathe it in and I would be taken back to this beautiful day.
Sullivan has been an angel all day. He is starting to walk (!!!) and is thrilled with this new development. We went to visit Grammy this morning and take some pictures. Then, my friends and I went to Kidscape which has this padded area for babies and he was just smiling and laughing and running around having a great time. Then we came home, played together and sang. Oh he is my sweet faced angel. My toothy smiling belly laughing soft and roly poly cheeks soft as butter and twice as sweet little peach. He was so cuddly this afternoon and would cheerfully walk to mama, come in for a big hug and with a gorgeous dimply smile pat my neck making purring noises. After supper he gave me open mouthed kisses with sticky cheeks. I love this age, I really do. He is so sweet and soft and cuddly, so full of joy and laughter. I love his personality. What an easy to get along with baby I have. Today was like a glimpse of the very meaning of life. Videotaping this day wouldn't do it justice because I would lose the total delight, the feeling of soft chubby hands patting my neck, the smell of baby lotion in Sullivan's hair, the way your ribcage feels after laughing too much. No, I need to bottle today. I want a bottle of today to pull out when I'm old and grey so I can taste those sweet baby kisses forever <3

My teeny little baby who was just born yesterday all tiny and squirmy is about to turn one. And boy is he ever cute! I love this age although it's much more difficult than the newborn who did nothing but eat sleep and poop. Sullivan has blossomed into a very active and adventurous little guy! He can now take 4 or 5 steps between objects. He gets mad if you move him away from things or take them away (and to think, I was worried when he didn't meet this milestone sooner... :p) He is smiley and cuddly but always on the go. He's half baby half little boy. Fun to toss around but also great for a cuddly nurse to sleep in my arms. I love how his personality is emerging more and more. Although he can be a tornado of destruction and frustration at times. It's interesting, when I thought about being a mom when I was pregnant it only extended about as far as 3 months postpartum. I never really thought about having a toddler. And I never really knew that as wonderful as motherhood is, it can be super hard at times too. I don't know how I managed to be in such a state of denial. While I adore being a Mom and it's certainly the best thing I've done with my life there are days when I just want to tear my hair out. Like last week for example. I went to a get together with 5 friends and their babies ages 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months and 13 months. We were having a farewell BBQ for a mom friend of mine who is moving to Welland (ugh, I don't want to think about it)
Anyways, it was a bad scene. Sullivan tore around wreaking total havoc. In the first 5 minutes he overturned a lamp, took down a candle and candle holder, and upended a coffee table. In the time it took me to get to the kitchen to get myself a hotdog he'd stolen 2 sippy cups from their unhappy owners and snacked upon dog food. Not only that but he was such a bully. He ran around the whole time knocking over, stepping on and attempting to pull himself up to a stand using other babies. Picture me, hotdog and plate of potato salad in one hand attempting to keep my baby from harm with the other hand. It was chaos.
The other babies, 2 of them quite mobile, played nicely with the toys set out and made nowhere near the attempts at destruction my kid did.
Add to this that by the end of the day he was so overtired, we got in a bit of a row
S- "waaaahhh!"
Me "no baby, I'm sorry but we don't use other babies as climbing aparatuses"
S -"WAAHHH!!"
Me "baby, mommy's about to sell you to the gypsies, please sit still!"
S-"WAWAWAWAWAHHHH!!!! WAHHH!!"
Me "Mommy just wants to eat her hotdog, please calm down or I'll send you out to play in traffic!!"
yeah, it wasn't one of my better mommy moments.
Thankfully, those days don't happen too often. As always I thank my lucky stars for such an easygoing baby even if he can be destructo tot supreme.
Sleeping is getting better but it's still a work in progress. We're getting there slowly though. And, thanks to sudden nightweaning my period which was joyfully absent for about 21 months has now returned. Blaaahhh.

In other news, I start my job babysitting for a little girl named Neveah on the 25th. I'm excited to get started but a little concerned because I know nothing about almost 3 year olds. But I am thrilled to have a job where I can stay at home with Sullivan.

time is just flying right now because I'm enjoying life so much. This last year has been great, but now that it's summer and it's warm and I have mom friends and playdates and Andrew's home life is just so fantastic it's speeding away from me much too quickly. I wake up and it's Monday and the next thing I know it's Friday and I've just lost all these days with playdates and library trips and visiting. I know one day I'll look back on this time so happily. Just like that summer when I was in Guelph. If there's one thing I regret in years past, it's missing out on those times! I do hope, now that Andrew and I have a car that we can go visiting more often. Right now I'm trying to arrange a get together with Katie. :)

I guess that's all that is new for now!

Yesterday I sprouted another 6 grey hairs.
Andrew had just gone out for a smoke and Sullivan was playing near the patio door while I picked up the living room. I heard some buzzing and figured that Andrew had let in a fly when he opened the door and Sullivan was bothering it. I turned around just in time to see a GIGANTIC bumblebee buzzing around frantically while my baby, smiling gleefully, poked at it. I'm reasonably certain his eventual goal was to capture and eat said bumblebee.
I ran to the door, snatched up the baby and issued a stern "We do NOT play with bumblebees!" (which I'm sure was fully comprehended and filed away for future reference by my 11 month old who is certain to never frighten his mama in such a way ever again). I then hustled us into the bedroom where I took several deep breaths and waited for Andrew to come in and get rid of it. (apparently he shooed it out and it flew away without futher incident).
If Moms have nine lives, I'm certainly down one today.

I don't know why my father keeps buying me low fat and weight control food items. Perhaps he's trying to send me a message of some sort, but I think it's more likely the message is intended for poor Andrew. Well, he should save his $$ because Andrew won't touch oatmeal anyways and I definitely prefer the real stuff. Weight control oatmeal is chock full of tasty soy protein and sucralose. It has the texture of mushy sawdust and doesn't taste much better (well, one would assume- I've never actually eaten sawdust) (but sawdust at least smells pretty good). I've attempted to remedy the oatmeal by adding sugar and raisins but it still tastes pretty miserable.

In other news, Sullivan is 11 months old today! Be still my heart!

I do sincerely apologize for the state of my livejournal lately. As I recollect, I used to be somewhat amusing but now it overfloweth with sappy descriptions about my sweet little chubbybumkins. It's funny because normally, I'm about as sentimental as a stick of wood (and no, not one leaning *just so* on the horizon) but when it comes to my baby I morph into a puddle of sugary mush (not unlike the doctored weight control oatmeal described above). I really have no excuse for it, I just can't help it. He's too sweet!

Although he does get in my hair sometimes. I wonder if the person who came up with that phrase had a baby obsessed with stroking and twirling their hair. This particular little habit of Sullivan's drives me up the wall. Andrew teases me about how I used to call my hair my precious and now it's Sullivan's precious. Ha. Ha.

Right now my maternity leave is up so I'm looking into finding some sort of part time job. Also, I just got my bike up and running and installed a baby seat <3. Now we just have to find a hemet for Sullivan and off we go! I'm super excited!

This summer is gonna rock!

Sullivan, we took a picture of you today. You were in the bath smiling away with your jack-o-lantern smile and your supper all over your face cause you'd rubbed it into your eyes you were so tired. I wonder if we'll remember this day when you get older? We had 2 friends over for a play date and you delighted in crawling around proclaiming 'mah-mah-mah-mah!' as you attempted to pull yourself up to a stand using one baby's head and poke the other in the eyeball. You were rewarded with a bite in the finger in return. How indignantly you wailed! Sullivan, I wonder if I'll remember how sweet and small you were today with your hair just starting to curl at the back and your cheeks so soft and chubby. I wonder if I'll remember how cheerful and boisterous you were speeding around on one knee and one foot. How shy you were as you cuddled into your mama as the vacuum roared past. How sweet your milky breath smelled when you looked up at me with a big milk dribbling smile while nursing. I wonder if I'll remember how infuriatingly hard it was to get you to stay in one place to change your diaper!
Sullivan, the time speeds by us so fast I can hardly bear it. One minute you're a tiny newborn who can't support your small flopsity head and the next you're speeding around my living room. You're losing your babyness my small sweet one. Sometimes when I pick you up in a cuddle you squirm away with much more important things to attend to. With every step forward and every new phase we leave one behind. It is wonderful you're growing so strong and healthy but I am sad that you need me less and less.
Sullivan, I wonder what you'll be like when you're all grown up. I wonder if you'll be like your Daddy or me. I hope that you'll grow to be a good person who cares for others.
But for now, my dear little one you're still my baby even though you're on the verge of toddlerhood and so I'll savour each cuddle and delight in kissing that chubby tummy before all your baby fat melts away.
And my darling, this picture of you splashing in the bath will forever remind about what a sweet lovely baby you were and how precious and fleeting those baby days are.

<3

It is supposed to be so freaking warm and beautiful this weekend! I am beyond thrilled! Time to break out that sunscreen!