one thing I like about Noah

He gets so excited about what's inside the Kindersurprise egg, he will forget to eat the chocolate.

one thing I like about Molly

She would never leave chocolate uneaten.

one thing I like about Marc

he buys Kindersurprise.

weird fact about Noah

As a baby/toddler, Noah was a very picky eater (and still is), but we never had any trouble getting him to take even the most vile tasting medicine.

guilty little secret number 3

I secretly hope that if/when we do get pregnant, it's boy/girl twins.

Holy doodle

Molly is now bringing artwork home from daycare. She loves to draw. She has a lovely style all her own in which she draws lots and lots of circles and swirls. She's getting good at getting stickers off the sheet as well. She is such a little dynamo that her love for drawing comes as a huge relief. It means she will sit still for 5 minutes or so. Of course, you can't really leave the room while she has a drawing implement unless you want to find her circles and swirls all over the table, the floor, the bookcase, the potty . . . and the list goes on.

Noah's drawing is becoming more and more interesting. He likes to draw pirates and knights. He went through a very messy period for awhile where he would tell a story as he was drawing, so there were lots of squiggly lines showing where the characters had gone and what they had done, but the finished product was a little hard to decipher.

I love it when I can get the kids to sit down and draw. Not only is it a bit of a break from the active play-acting games they love, it shows a little bit of how their minds work. It also gives me something colourful to decorate my cubicle at work.

guilty little secret number 2

I look for lucrative job postings for my husband in the hopes of quitting my job.

guilty little secret number 1

The reason I volunteer to drive Noah to swimming lessons is that I get to sit in the stands for half an hour without anyone talking to me.

tiny dancer

So, our little Molly is crazy for music, and she loves to dance. I wish I had a video I could post. She has a style all her own. Last night, after her bath I brought her downstairs to watch a little something while I made lunches. Marc was still in the kitchen washing dishes and listening to music (Pavement, I think it was). Molly made a bee-line for the kitchen, and the dance party began. Noah got in on the act, and soon the kitchen was more like a mosh pit. No one got hurt, but no one seemed very sleepy after that.

Molly's favourite TV show is a new program on CBC Kids called Bo on the Go. It's sort of like Dora, but the kids are invited to move and boogie. It's pretty cute to watch. The dialogue is not fantastic. The main character is always saying things like "bo-tastic" and "wait a bo-beat".

noah-ism

Here is how the conversation went as I remember it:

Noah: when you grow another baby, it will be adopted.

Me: huh?

Marc: what does adopted mean Noah?

Noah: Having 2 Moms and 2 Dads. Me and Daddy would be the Dads, and Molly and Mommy would be the Moms.

lists

In the spirit of Sei Shōnagon's Pillow Book (and Ruth Ozeki's My Year of Meats), here is a list entitled:

Things that give a feeling of well-being and accomplishment:

Knowing how to get to work using public transit even if you don't have to.

Knowing for a certainty that you are not pregnant.

Knowing for a certainty that you are.

a day off part 2

So, Noah got his day off last week. Molly was sick, so I decided we would all stay home. Guess what the little dickens said mid-morning?

"I wish I was going to Shar's (daycare) today"

There's just no pleasing some people :)

maybe not

There may not be room for one more after all.

I'm not sure if I can provide for more than 2 children, and I don't just mean financially, although that is a part of it. I am finding it difficult to be patient with 2. I raise my voice more than I would like.

I would like to be able to go to Noah's soccer games and actually watch them instead of chasing a toddler. I want to really enjoy Molly and Noah's ages and stages.

I know that a parent's capacity to love grows with each child, but when I think of the reality of three, I think of dividing my attention.

So, that's how I feel today.

Of course, if I were to discover I was pregnant tomorrow, I would be overjoyed.

a day off

My heart broke again this morning. Noah begged me to please please please let him take a day off.

Take a day off? You'd think we were sending him to work in the mines, not to school and daycare.

Take a day off? The phrase does not belong in a 4-year-old's vocabulary.

I am so terribly sad for my Noah.

either and both

I love watching my kids play together when they are getting along. One Sunday at Grandma's, Noah was revving a fire-engine up and down the hall. Molly picked up an ambulance and followed. When I told Noah that Molly was copying him, he got the hugest smile on his face and continued the game for a good 15 minutes.

Of course when they're not getting along, I don't get to enjoy either of them.

Noah only bathes every second night, and Molly gets a bath every evening. I really look forward to this time alone with my little girl. When they are both in the tub, Noah does all of the talking and gets most of my attention. When I have Molly alone, I can play with her and give her a nice massage afterwards. I get to marvel at her beautiful baby skin instead of drying and dressing her as quickly as possible.

victim

My blog has become a victim to facebook. I'm addicted. I'm also a little paranoid. Do I have less friends than anyone else? It's kind of like high school that way . . . tee hee.

I took the bus for the first time in a month this morning. It's too cold and wet for Marc to take the kids to school and daycare in the bike-trailer. I had time to write a few things. I think it's pretty sappy, but there it is . .

Noah is my heart. There's no other way to describe it. His joys and pains live in my heart.

Molly is my sunshine. She delights in her world, and she shows it. She gives big hugs, big smiles and screams for joy.

They are so different these children of mine. Their skin, their eyes, their hair. how wondrous and marvelous.

signs of spring

Spring has finally arrived in Winnipeg. How do I know? I had my first sighting of a woman wearing a parka and sandals! tee hee. It made my day.

i'm turning into my mother?

So, we all say it ladies: I'm never going to be like my Mom.

And, then inevitably it happens, and for me at least, it turns out not to be such a bad thing.

But, I must say some things are a little weird. . .

Ways that I am turning into my mother:

1. We have the same hair cut. (mine has yet to turn completely grey)

2. I think my hair cut makes me look like a man (well, OK, I say butch . . . and that's not really a word my Mom uses!!)

3. Like my Mom, I have started wearing dangly earrings to counteract the mannish hair.

4. We got the exact same pair of fleece PJs for Christmas, and were both delighted.

5. I have become addicted to Greek Salad, although mine is a Greek/pasta salad and hers is just lettuce.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, and my lunch hour is over, so I'll end this here. It's just something I think about. Perhaps I'll add more later.

a nice email

from Marc about the kids' day:

Good pick up, so nice to see noah happy and vibrant

He and tuva got married 'not just in play time but in real life', they're going to wait a few years before they have kids

He wore his hat and mask to shar's and all the kids loved it. They were all outside so I was able to drop him off on shar's front yard while she brought them all in for lunch. Molly was happy and walking around outside, but I think she wanted a longer visit from me. She cried when I left.

things I like

With a view to creating some kind of home business, I am listing things I like or like to do:

shopping: I like shopping. I really do. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it. Not sure exactly why, something about being materialistic possibly? Anyhow, what I like best is bargain hunting.

baking: I like to bake though I'm not really the best at it. Given some time and some recipes, I think I could get good at it.

books: pretty evident from my career choices so far: library, bookstore, editor. . . I especially love children's books and have always loved them even before I had kids. I think of this love of children's literature as a common link between all my siblings. My Mom made sure there were lots of good books around and took us to the library regularly.

home-made things: I'm not a sewer, a knitter, a quilter, but I appreciate these things. I'm going to learn.

music: I haven't played my guitar in a long long time.

So, it looks like I should run a cafe-bookstore where I can play guitar for the customers. hmmm.

edited to add: my hubbie and kids are not on this list because I thought that went without saying. I'm adding this in case anyone (Marc!) thinks it's not.