Coffee & Chaos: December 2009

January.

Wow - so long ago. I think the biggest thing in January is that we discovered that we were having a baby boy. This made planning the rest of the pregnancy fun! Baby boy things everywhere! Chelsea looked so much more babyish a year ago!

What a difference a year makes!

February.

February was a month of milestones for Chelsea. Feb 7th was her last night in her crib and then, together, we pushed it into the nursery to give it to the baby. She loved her big bed. On Valentine's Day, she had her first major haircut, making her look all grown up!

In February, we also started to visit more with our now good friends, the Enns' from Altona. Good times. Andrea and I were expecting babies at roughly the same time, so that was fun!

March.

Yay for warmer weather. We were finally able to start going for walks outside. Our favourite activity however, was going swimming in Grandma and Grandpa's pool. Chelsea loved going swimming and we loved it because it would tire her out!

April.

In April, we were sent to Winnipeg to have a fetal assessment done on the baby because I was consistently measuring 9 weeks ahead and they just wanted to make sure everything was good. It was - he was healthy and we were very relieved. This was also around the time when the nickname "Walter" was created for our baby.

Chelsea turned 2 on the 15th. Where does time go!? She was so grown up for 2. I had a great time surprising her with her cake!

We decided to keep the celebration simple, and just had one set of aunts and uncles over and Chris's parents. Chelsea was happy though - we had balloons, streamers, presents and cake - it was the best party ever in her eyes!

May.
Because of pain in my hips and lower back and a spike in blood pressure, I was on sick leave for the month of May. I loved having this time to spend one-on-one with my little girl, but I also enjoyed taking naps every afternoon!

May was also the start of a very laid back approach to potty training. Chelsea was pretty ready, but I didn't want to rush it, knowing that in a month or so, her world would be drastically changing with a new baby, so we took it slow.

Now, I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but over the past year, we have become very close to our neighbours to the north. Chelsea is always over at their house or their girls over here. We hang out in each other's houses and yards constantly. It's the best.

We did fence in our yard this month because one day, when we both thought C was playing on the deck, she was across the street, trying to get into the school! Chris bought the lumber the next day and that weekend, with some help from friends, Chris and our neighbour built us a big, beautiful, safe fence!

June.

I was due June 3rd with "Walter."

He didn't make his appearance until 11 days later, on June 14th.

Most of June was a blur. We got to come home from the hospital on June 17th, my 28th birthday. I felt so blessed to have my healthy baby and was feeling great, even though I had another c-section. My mom came out, my sister came out, and somewhere in there, C was pottytrained. It was a whirlwind.

July.

Most of July was spent trying to keep Chelsea happy and trying to figure out Gavin. I was back into decorating cakes, so Chris and I spent many late nights working on wedding cakes together.

Chelsea loved going to parades and so we made sure to go to three of them. She even joined the neighbours for a parade when we weren't able to go. I can't wait for this summer when we'll get to be outside all the time because Gavin will be older.

August.

I honestly don't remember July or August. I know that I spent a lot of time sitting in the nursery and on the couch nursing. Nursing, nursing and more nursing. I felt like I was missing out. I couldn't go out with friends, I could rarely play with Chelsea and I barely got outside. I wasn't very happy. It was a rough month. I loved having my baby, but I just couldn't figure out how life was supposed to work with 2 kids. I freely admit that Chelsea didn't get outside much and spent way too much inside watching tv.

But, we did try to make the best of it. Chelsea spent a lot of time swimming in our backyard, jumping on her trampoline and playing with the neighbours. I felt bad that every time they came outside, C with there with them, but I soon learned that they loved playing with her as much as she loved hanging out with them.

September.

September was beautiful. We spent September long weekend in GP, visiting my parents. Chelsea went on her first quad ride, we had a bonfire and we went to a petting zoo.

Chris and my step-dad went fishing and Chris finally caught his first Master Angler. It came in at a whopping 13". I always thought masters were these big, huge, monstrous fish, but it all depends on the kind of fish.

A few weeks later, my little brother got married. Chris was the best man. It was good family times.

October.

Life is finally settling into routine. Gavin started to go to bed around 8, not 12 or 1, so I started to feel a bit more normal.

Another big milestone for Chelsea happened in October. We finally took her soother away. I know, I know. 2 1/2 is more than too old for a soother. She was pretty much only using it for the car and for naps/bedtime, but suddenly she started whining for it during the day. I was annoyed by her whining and figured that if I was going to be annoyed when she had her soo, I might as well take it away and be annoyed by that whining. This backfired in a good way though, as she only asked for it about 3 times and that was it. I thought it was going to be a much bigger deal!

November.

November was a rough month. C was sick with crazy high fevers and we were frustrated. It lasted for a long time. I missed my happy little girl.

Even when she was healthy, she was whiny, irritating and begging for daddy, all the time. I tried not to go bonkers, and I guess as I sit now writing about it, I survived. It was a rough month though. Gavin kept me sane with his smiles. He was and is, without a doubt, the happiest baby ever. Aside from a bit of a wonky napping schedule, which we are still trying to sort out, he is an amazing baby.

We started feeding him cereal and homemade baby food at 5 months. He kept reaching for food off our plates and he was almost 20 pounds, so we figured it was time. He loved it and hasn't stopped eating since. I have a feeling I'm going to be busy trying to keep enough food in the house for him for the next 18 years.

Such a big boy! He was already sitting by himself. I loved having a bit more independence with G eating solids. I was able to go out more and accept the hands of friendship that were being extended. I spent November reconnecting with old friends and developing friendships with a few amazing ladies. I felt refreshed and blessed and reconnected. I felt wanted again and I was happy.

December.

And this finally brings us to December. Little man is 6 months old. I can barely remember life without the mohawk.

Chelsea is really starting to interact with Gavin now and I am so anticipating the next few months. I keep praying that these two will be close as they grow up.

Christmas is done. The decorations packed away, the tree taken down, and Chris goes back to work on Monday.

We are going to miss him. It's great having him around to play with the kids. I've been going out every night with friends. I've been napping and have been able to take C outside to play in the oodles of snow.

As much as I hate being outside and in the cold, I go, because I love playing with Chelsea. Right now we're building a fort on the neighbour's front yard.

I'm tired of typing. I know much more happened that I simply can't remember, but this is good enough for me.

Happy New Years! I pray that your 2010 is better than your 2009. Health and happiness!