And This Shall Be The Last...

I'm sitting on my couch surrounded by boxes and disassembled furniture penning my last words before moving. So it's time to say good-bye to this place and I have to say I don't feel like I really have any ties to it. So this is the start to our new life and hopefully a very long time at our new home.

My wish is that the move goes smoothly, without damaged furniture! My biggest concern though is that both kids adjust well to a strange place and feel like they're actually at home. Wish us luck.

Signing off,

Trish

Long Day

So very tired. We spent the day at the new apartment trying to clean up the place before we move in on Sunday. I worked on washing the walls because they're covered with renovation dust. The Hubby washed our floors down on hands and knees so we could let the Wee Little One crawl around. We managed to clean the kitchen cupboards and unpack a few boxes as well. Of course there was even more stuff that could have been done but we only had a limited amount of time. After we left the new place we went out for supper and then rushed back to put the kids to bed. Guess what we did after that? Yes, we packed. We packed and packed and packed. It's now about 11pm and we've gotten almost everything done! Tomorrow we're going to work on taking apart furniture, taking down the curtains and doing all that last minute stuff. Here's hoping that we get through the week-end with no injuries to either people or objects! Now it's off to sleep so I can rest my aching back.

Off To Devil's Hill We Go

We are now the proud owners of a set of keys to our new apartment! I am very happy. There's still a little work to be done but our landlord will be able to do it after we move in. So now it just comes down to packing and taking furniture apart which is never fun! Hubby spent a lot of time while I was gone yesterday packing and getting stuff ready, I don't know what I'd do without him!

When I went to the new place yesterday I felt so at home. There were some neighbours on their front balcony sitting around a table and having an evening glass of wine. They looked so welcoming! Then I saw a couple walking down the street with their very new walking baby, just having a little stroll. Everything seemed so perfect.

Powering Through

Potty training is going fantastic! Bulldozer is powering through the process and I'm so proud of him! He yells "Peepee Poohpooh" when he's ready, we both run to the bathroom, he climbs up onto his stool and then sits on the potty seat that attaches to the toilet. The only slight problem is that he likes to watch his pee or poop come out which leads to a few messes! We've had a good number of days without a single accident. Next step (but probably not too soon) would be to get him going out of the house without a diaper. That part I am not too excited about!

Side note: Sometimes I don't realize how much Bulldozer can actually say! We had just woken up from our morning nap and he started naming all the "Cars" characters. He knows how to say "Lightening", "Boost", "DJ", "Sheriff" and "Doc". Then he pointed to my nose and said "nose". So I continued to ask him the names of the different body parts and he knows how to say mouth, nose, eyes, ears, belly, cheeks, legs, feet, arms and hands! And his new saying of the day was "(Bulldozer) help Daddy" because he was helping Daddy clean up some spilt milk. So cute.

Now Is Now

Bulldozer's new word of the day... "NOW".

One has no idea what impact this makes on the life of parents when their child has learned the significance of the word "now". Imagine this, "That sippy cup of juice isn't for right now, it's for your trip out with Daddy." Wait for it... "No, now!". Or "(Bulldozer), are you hungry? We're going to have supper soon." Then he responds, "NOW!" EVERYTHING is now. Supper, playtime, snack time and apparently we can't get him his potty rewards fast enough because he's always running after us and exclaiming NOW! About the only time that something isn't "now" is when it's later (which he hasn't quite learned to say yet) and that's usually bedtime!

The second word(s) that he's learned are a lot less demanding and a lot more cute! Yesterday I was playing on our bed with Bulldozer. From the other room the Wee Little One started crying and Bulldozer's ears perked up, his little finger raised as if to say "I heard something..." and he climbed down from the bed. He held up one finger and said, "Wait One". Wait one minute! He holds up one finger to make his point and then the little legs start pumping and off he goes to check on his little brother. So adorable. I could see "Wait One" being used for not so caring purposes but for the meantime his expression is just shy of the cutest thing I have ever heard! I love this stage when they just speak what's on their mind without the filter that we are bred to have.

Hot Baby #2

So I have been proved wrong. The Wee Little One's general well-being went from sorta bad to worse. His fever went up and then down and then up again. He went from happy to not so much so! Hubby and I spent a lot of time up with the Boo trying to comfort him last night and not a whole lot of time sleeping. I am tired today. Hubby is feeling worse because he stayed up even longer than I did. When your kids sleep so well you forget what sleepless nights actually feel like. So the Wee Little One's pediatrician wants to see him tomorrow just to make sure that every thing's okay. Wish us luck!

A Real Dutch Boy

I am really proud to announce that Bulldozer is a huge fan of sauerkraut! I believe this is his Dutch heritage shining through!

Hot Baby

We have a health help line in Quebec that has nurses on the other end to answer your health care questions. Usually I call if I have a question about baby care, etc... and I find that they're really laid back and confident that everything is okay. I guess they're trained to be like that so you don't freak out.

The Wee Little One woke up from his nap today with a fever of 38.7 Celsius. I knew he was hot because when I picked him up I could feel his burning skin on my own. He's in a great mood though and he hasn't been fussing all day. He's not tugging on his ears and he's not congested. He is however going through the teething process but so is every other baby in the world! I called the health line to get a second opinion on my decision to just let him be and see what happens.

I told the nurse that I thought he had a fever from teething and she told me that they now know that babies don't get a fever from teething, since when? I feel out of date from the information I knew when I had my first son, a whole twenty-eight months ago! Then she asked me a whole bunch of questions, basically to see if there was anything else wrong. Then she told me that babies don't just have a fever for no reason at all (Really? That's sarcasm!) so it had to be something and maybe it was his ears. I don't know, it doesn't seem like he's pulling on his ears. Seriously, he's in a great mood! She told me to give him Tempra anyway so I did. I'm supposed to keep an eye out on his condition.

Now that I've written this he's getting more fussy as we speak and watch, I'll have to eat my words later on! Here's hoping that the fever will just disappear and that will be the end of that.

House News

The process has started. Today Hubby and my Father moved eighty plus boxes to our new apartment to lighten the load next week-end. Apparently there's still a lot of work to be done in our new place, a few unanticipated problems came up during the renovations! While fixing the laundry room our landlord realized that he had to repair the pipes, which also happened to run into our kitchen of course. So what may have already been a big job turned into a much bigger one. Hubby told me that the bathroom turned out really nice though, dark wood baseboards and trim to match. He even painted the bottom portion of the wall (under the wooden trim) a very light blue to match the decor of our bathroom. Isn't that nice? The sink, bathtub and toilet weren't reconnected but I think they were the next thing on the list to be done. There's still painting to be done as well. I know he's been working really hard at getting everything done before we move in there and I appreciate the hard work! What a HUGE difference between him and our current landlord!

Update on our current apartment situation. Our landlord has decided to rent to the roomates which boggles my mind because he thought we were loud! I know not all roomates are roudy but I wish him luck if they are! I'm also not intending to move the mouse poison myself before we move because I don't feel it's my job to do it. I don't want the poison to come into contact with anything we own so I don't want to have to touch it. I wonder if our landlord is intending to remove the poison traps before the new tenants find out about the friendly visitors! I don't see when he's going to have time to do it considering they're moving in the same day as we are moving out. This should be interesting.

Sitting Up

The Wee Little One is growing up so quickly! His new milestone is that he can go from a lying down on his belly position to sitting up all by himself! You should see the look on his face! I can't help but clap every time he sits up and he just beams up at me, knowing that he's doing something that makes Mommy happy. His dimples show and I wish that I could freeze this moment in time and remember it forever. I love him so much!

Poop In Abundance

Today the kiddies went to Grandma's so I could rest my back/neck again. I spent the whole morning doing exactly that, resting and doing pretty much nothing. Then in the afternoon I took a really nice nature walk at the Angrignon Park trails. It was the first time that I had gone but they are beautiful! There's a pond and weeping willow trees, all very scenic. Walking on pavement really aggravates my neck but taking a stroll on the grass felt much better. It was a very relaxing and peaceful outing.

While enjoying my day the both of my children decided to produce a lot of presents for their Grandma! Since the Wee Little One has been put on laxatives for constipation, he's now having no problem pooping at all! In fact he's been pooping left, right and center. Poor Amma. And Bulldozer refused to put his big boy underwear so he produced some stinky presents too. I can tell you one thing, Amma's garbage went out that night!

What Is It About Toddlers And Not Listening?

So the title says it all. Our oldest does not listen to a word we say, or so it seems some days. We can threaten taking away his most precious toys or send him to the time-out corner but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Some days (okay lets be honest, all days) I am frustrated beyond belief. Our conversation goes something like this... "(Bulldozer), can you please pick up that toy you threw? We do not throw toys." Then he makes the face that lets me know that he is not listening to a word I say! Blank stare and unmoving facial expression. "(Bulldozer), get off of your brother! We do not sit on him." I then become on the receiving end of some really evil looks, including the sullen stare that says, "I don't have to listen to you." Every once in awhile he listens to my instructions or commands without argument. At those times I wonder what I've done right at that moment and try to replicate it so I can achieve success next time. It never works... I know that he isn't the first toddler to disobey his parents but really, is it this hard for everyone to get their little one to listen?

Food Sacrifices

Less than two weeks to go before we move, I am so excited! I'm not excited about the actual moving/unpacking process but I am really happy about the new apartment itself and starting over in a non-rodent infested house! (Although on the topic of rodents, I haven't actually seen one in awhile... fingers crossed for the new tenants.) Hubby spent the day packing up some of the pantry food that we don't need for the next two weeks and it was pretty gross! We have some little black bugs that have gotten into some of our food, I mean on top of our ant infestation! They're these tiny black, hard-shelled beetle-like bugs that apparently are very fond of flour. We threw out about 4KG of whole wheat bread flour because the bugs were more numerous than the actual grains of flour, barf! During our stay here, which has been just over a year, we've probably had to throw out about $150 worth of food from ants and now these mysterious black bugs. Please no bugs in our new home. Please.

I spent the afternoon scrubbing the fabric of our stroller until it looked ALMOST new. Not quite brand new but a whole lot better than it was before. It's absolutely amazing what "Magic" soap can do! Sometime I will tell you the Carbolic Soap Company Story but I'll save it for another day!

To The Doctors We Will Go

So we've finally decided that we're going to the Wee Little One's Doctor to follow-up on his constipation issues. It's been about two and a half months since we've started solid foods and ever since then he's been completely blocked up! We've tried everything, from prunes, to bottles of water to laxatives that are safe for babies. Which brings me to my next point... this morning Hubby called the Doctor's office to try to get an appointment for today. The secretary grilled him left, right and center. I know it's her job but it was very rude. While he was explaining what was wrong she cut him off and said, "is that all yet?" Then she kept suggesting all of the things that we have already tried. It's frustrating because we've been aware of the situation for awhile (and we've been through it, albeit less severe, with our first child) and it's not like we haven't taken all the necessary measures! No bananas... check. Water... check. Prunes... check. On top of that she gave us heck for asking the Pharmacist about laxatives, we were supposed to call the Doctor's office first! With so much clogging up of the system it seemed reasonable to consult a qualified medical professional that has studied medicine! Anyway I'm happy because we finally are going to get everything checked out and make sure he's okay. Wish us luck!

Garbage Picking

Yesterday our little family spent a really nice morning at the park. Hubby bought us some coffee and we sat on the grass watching the Wee Little One practise sitting up and kept an eye on Bulldozer as he scaled the jungle gym equipment. I had so much fun and the best part about the trip was getting out of the house before the sun got super hot.

On the way home from our outing we passed a home that had put out these two wooden chairs for kids. I scanned them as we walked by and realized they looked like they were in perfect condition. Stopping in my tracks I turned to Hubby with a smile, "Oh look at those chairs, they're SO cute..." Blink, blink. So he carried them the last few blocks to our house to officially make us garbage pickers! The seats need some carpenter's glue or nails to make them secure but they are in good condition and clean. I think after I fix them up I'll paint them a bright colour instead of the stark white that they are right now. I'm thinking they'll look pretty cute on our deck at the new place. Yippee for garbage picking!

Packed Up

We worked hard and we managed to pack up a good part of our house. Boxes are crammed into every closet so it actually doesn't look that chaotic! We even cleared out Bulldozer's room (well except the necessary stuff of course) and we were worried when he came home that he'd freak out... instead he was super ecstatic! Do you know why? He had room to race his cars clear across the room and crash them too! What a kid.

A Day Spent Packing

So our whole afternoon will be spent packing sans children... here's wishing that it goes well!

The Sleeping Bear

Bulldozer did not take a nap today. I feel like that should say enough but I will elaborate anyway.

He fought and he fought and he fought. Finally at about lunchtime I gave up trying to get him to sleep and fed him instead. Then after lunch he seemed energized but he still fought not to sleep so I left it and figured we'd just put him to bed right after supper. Didn't quite work out that way. Just as we were about to start making supper he asked to brush his teeth and go to bed. We didn't want him to fall asleep for a nap and then wake up at like one in the morning ready to go again... so we said no. Big mistake. First the screams. Then the flailing. Then the screeching that encourages neighbours to call Child Services! Finally after arguing and arguing and getting absolutely nowhere, we let him go to bed. He climbed up on the couch, started reading a book and then in like thirty seconds he was out! It's funny though, once he was asleep it was like all that ugly toddler behaviour just melted away! He was serene and peaceful. I wanted to hug and kiss him but alas I did not want to wake the sleeping bear!

Learning Time

So the big news of the week:

One, I believe Bulldozer is well on his way to being potty trained! Yes I said it. Maybe this will come back to bite me in the butt but we're two weeks into the process and I'm so excited! I foresee a day without diapers, hopefully sometime before he hits kindergarten! It seemed like such a lost cause because he kept starting and then he would flat out refuse to continue after a few days, I have to admit that I was quite discouraged. However now we have a schedule going and I'm desperately hoping that moving in a month will not mess it up...

So our schedule consists of Bulldozer changing into "big boy underwear" in the morning and the only time he gets to wear diapers is at nap time and if we go out. After all it's only been two weeks so I'm not going to trust fate and go out without the comfort of a nappy YET. We'll see what happens in the future.

Yesterday while at his Grandmother's house he actually went potty on the big toilet! He asked to so I held him up and he made a huge poop! Why do I feel like writing all of this is going to make him hate me later on in life?!?

On another positive note the Wee Little One is making great progress on the crawling front. He doesn't get into the "traditional" crawling position but believe you me, he makes progress moving from point A to point B! He sort of drags his little body on the floor with his arms in front of him and squirms with his hips to propel him forward. This morning he was doing so well, it brought tears to my eyes!

Side note... I went shopping at my favorite second hand store yesterday and bought four new (used) shirts. I also purchased a pair of really nice jeans, a black sweater for when it starts to cool down (if ever) and a belt. Almost a whole new wardrobe! I had so much fun shopping sans children!

All Alone

Doctor's orders were two weeks of bed rest which of course I'm not following but I am being very careful about lifting. That's why tomorrow both kiddies are going to Grandma's house... what am I going to do with myself? I seriously have no idea! Just the thought of a quiet house scares me. Packing boxes for moving kind of defeats the purpose of resting my neck and shoulder but I will have to try to find something to occupy my time. Hubby has to go to his Mom's after work to pick up the kids so even he won't be home till pretty late at night. What to do? What to do?

Crossing My Fingers

One step forward, another back. About a week ago I injured myself doing absolutely nothing at all! Literally I turned my neck and suffered for days before I was able to get to a hospital. Although I have to say once I got to the hospital they gave me a decent supply of pain killers, sleeping pills and anti-inflammatory pills! I had been doing so much better but I woke up this morning with pretty bad pain in my neck, a sort of crick there too. Hopefully the issues will resolve themselves before we have to move in umm, three weeks! Crossing my fingers...

Back In Time

I went on Facebook tonight to check the going-ons of others. A friend had tagged an old picture of Hubby with Bulldozer as a baby in our very first apartment. Tears. Wow has time flown past! It seems like ages ago that Bulldozer was learning to roll over, crawl or even say "dada" for the first time. Now he's already two and we have another wonderful son to watch grow up in front of our eyes. Sometimes I wish I could just go back in time and relish in those moments that passed way too quickly. To pay attention to every little move, every sound, every word. With the Wee Little One on the verge of crawling and babbling like a madman, I have to remind myself that this too will be gone in a blink of an eye. Oh what will I do when they're all grown up? I suppose I'll learn to love their children and their children's children! Still so much more to look forward to.

Never Again

As promised yesterday, today is the day that I will enlighten the world about my recent trip to the spa. Some people spend a considerable amount of money/time in the foreign world of spas but I for one have never actually made a day of it. Hubby works really hard for the money that we have and in order to stay home with the kiddies there are sacrifices that are made. It's not a pity-me statement, not at all. I would gladly give up spa time for other things in life (example trips abroad, new clothes, a car, etc...) even if money wasn't an issue. However because I have the sweetest Hubby in the world, he thought I deserved a day to myself and treated me to a pedicure, manicure and a fifty minute massage! I was so excited at the prospect of relaxing without the sound of screaming children and just letting all the stress melt away. I even splurged and spent an extra twenty-five dollars to enjoy dinner and a glass of wine alongside my spa experience.

The day finally comes and I get to the spa really early to make sure that I don't miss my appointment. A spa employee shows me to my private dressing room (which was really nice and clean) and tells to me to change into a robe and then sit in their lounge area. She apologizes because the lounge is under construction so really it's a big room of comfy seats cordoned off with dividers. To be honest I felt a little uncomfortable so out in the open, especially with the construction workers walking back and forth. Actually a pretty girl walked out right in front of me and one of the construction gave her the up and down, undressing her even further from her white housecoat and slippers! I tightened the housecoat around myself and made sure that I hadn't accidentally tucked the end of it into my underwear or anything! So I sit down in a huge, very comfortable chair and look up only to realize that I'm sitting under the windows of all the offices above. Honestly, the shopping mall that houses the spa has offices above the lounge and anyone, literally anyone can see down. Now I feel a bit out of place. I sit for a while waiting for my lunch to be served and when the woman shows up with my tray I opt to sit in another area with tables. I realize that my food order isn't correct, I'm missing the salmon salad that they had promised me over the phone. I knew when I was placing the order that they had made a mistake because I had asked for the sandwich meal and on their website it stated that you got a green salad with the sandwich... However when the lady offered the salmon salad I figured maybe I was the one that had made the mistake. The food was pretty good but definitely nothing special. There was no wine that came with my meal so I assumed that it would be served later during the actual spa procedures. I didn't say anything for fear of sounding cheap but I was annoyed because beyond the employees not actually knowing their menu properly, I figured for $25 they should at least offer me the promised wine. Instead I decide to wait. The massage came next. I had decided to get the shoulder, neck and back specialty (mostly because that's where I always have pain!) but found it a bit odd that the masseuse did my whole body anyway. The pedicure/manicure followed the massage but with what seemed like a significant waiting time between. At the end of my manicure the very nice lady told me to go back to the lounge and wait. I have to admit that I thought it a bit odd since I was done everything but obeyed because I figured what do I know about spa experiences! I waited, I waited and I waited. After a nice forty-five minute stay, three chocolate dipped strawberries later and nerves of steel, I got up and went back to my private dressing room. Inside was a customer comment card which I felt obliged to fill out and express my dissatisfaction (and that was before I actually went through the check out...) I was pissed. I didn't get my wine. I was told to wait and for what reason? I quickly dressed and made my way to the reception desk to pay for my overpriced lunch. The girl at the reception desk looked up at me with a smile. "Did you enjoy everything?" I answered as honestly as I could, "No, not really." She didn't say anything and kept typing away. Then she looks up and I can tell that the friendly smile is gone and she's no longer happy. Quite sarcastically she asks, "So I guess that means that you have a complaint?" I politely explain my issues, only one of which was the matter of the wine. "Well do you want it now?" I held my tongue because I wanted to answer, "Seriously? You expect me to stand at the reception desk like an idiot drinking a glass of wine because you didn't even have the courtesy to offer it to me during my stay?" I hold back and say no thanks. Then I ask for my official massage receipt for insurance purposes (not everyone is rich you know!) and she tells me that I should have asked the masseuse. Again she seems to think I should know all of this. So because I didn't ask the masseuse I am told that I have to wait for her to send it in the mail, I will receive it in a few business days. Urggh.

So the massage cost about forty dollars more than a traditional massage would cost at a "regular" massage parlour and didn't live up to my standards. The food was mediocre and cost enough that I regret making the decision to dine there. The non-existent wine was exactly that, non-existent. The manicure and pedicure were quite enjoyable, I'd go back to get the same ones done if I didn't have to deal with the actual spa itself! The topper to the cake was the extremely rude receptionist that I have a whole bunch of words for and will never get to express them! All in all for the money that my wonderful Husband put out for the day, I feel hugely disappointed. I couldn't lie to him either so I had to tell him about my disappointment which I could tell broke his heart. He works hard for the money that he makes and sadly it was wasted (to no fault of his own) on a day at Spa Diva.

I don't think I'll be going back any day soon.

Update

I will soon share my thoughts on my spa experience. Consider this a reminder to myself!

A Long Time My Friend

Well for a very good reason I haven't written in a quite some time. It's a long story and technically I'm not supposed to be typing away on the computer but hey, I have a good dose of cabin fever and the pills haven't quite kicked in yet!

It all started with a planned surprise party for Hubby, his big 30th birthday. Months went into planning all the details and getting people to attend. On the actual day I was navigating my e-mail account (while he sat beside me) and realized that the risky routine was perhaps a bit too daring since it was the actual day of the shindig. I had all sorts of updates and cancellations from his friends which I obviously didn't want him to see. I turned with the laptop in my arms to face him (so he couldn't see the screen) and all of a sudden something felt a little... odd. Then this searing pain in my neck and I realized I couldn't turn it to the left or to the right. Uh oh. I have to admit I kind of freaked out because I didn't want to be sitting at his surprise birthday dinner not being able to turn my neck. No problem. I found a local massage therapist and went for a therapeutic massage (which was so painful!) only to find my neck in no better shape than before. Oh well, I'd just have to live with it. So the birthday party went really well. Everyone showed up, the food was good, he got birthday money to go towards a new tattoo and we partied till the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday comes. I wake up and I'm having more pain than the day before and my shoulder is aching. Finally by Sunday night Hubby decides that I should go get some help since I can barely move and he has to work the next day. Kids get shipped off to Grandma's and off we go to the hospital to get a little TLC. TLC came in the form of having to wait till almost five the next morning to return home! With a bottle of anti inflammatory drugs I was sure my problem was over. This brings us to Monday. Hubby's at work. The kids are still at Grandma's. I wake up around 9 (the one day I actually get to sleep in!) and the pain is ten times worse and it's shooting down my arms and into my hands. My head is pounding and I cannot even come close to moving my neck or my shoulder. The waves of nausea start. I decide to call 911 and they promptly arrive to bring me back to the hospital that I had just come back from not so many hours ago. As soon as I arrived I knew it wasn't good news. There were ambulances coming in left right and center from car accidents and heart attacks and the waiting room had about forty or so people waiting to be seen. Seeing that I wasn't dying (oh but the pain...) they plopped me into a wheelchair and deposited me in the waiting room. All I could see was a repeat of the day before.

I had no intention of waiting twelve plus hours to see a doctor so I tested my sea legs (I didn't faint, that was a good sign right?) and decided to step out and use my cell phone for some advice. Hubby came first. "Do whatever you want to. Just make sure you call me and tell me where you are." Thanks. Then I figure my Dad may be a little more understanding..., "Dad I took an ambulance to the hospital and the waiting time is huge, I'm in so much pain and I don't know what to do..." The tears threaten to spill. "Well I guess you'll just have to wait!" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Well forget everyone and their lack of support, I, the mother of two boys, the super hero, would find a way. So I staggered to a Pharmacy to pick up a neck brace (which is a story in itself...) and made my way down the very big hill to another hospital! Okay I can't not write about my neck brace story, it just adds so much humour in an already, interesting situation! From the moment I told my Dad I had neck pain, way before any of this really serious neck pain started, he advised me to purchase a neck brace. He absolutely insisted they worked and worked like no other drug, etc... could possibly work. By the time I was limping down the hill to go to the other hospital his words kept resounding in my head, "buy a brace, buy a brace, BUY A BRACE." I did. When I got to hospital number two I was received with open arms but was told that stretchers weren't available at that moment and I would have to try to sit. I did. I sat for a total of five hours before the pain became so excruciating I thought I was going to pass out or puke. I re-triaged myself and the so very nice nurse found me a bed to lie down in so I could wait the rest of my time. Hubby had to leave to go pick up the kids and bring them home so I drifted in and out on my lonely stretcher waiting for a doctor to come and tell me what was wrong. Finally at about eleven o'clock at night I was wheeled into a room and the do you know what was the first thing that doctor said to me? "Who told you to wear a neck brace?" (I appeared as a dog with its tail between its legs and couldn't quite manage to get the words out.) She continued, "Well they don't work so take it off, they're absolutely useless." Gulp. I ripped the sucker off half expecting my neck to break in two but instead I actually felt some relief! That is the last time I listen to my Dad's medical advice! This comes from the man who insists that a shot (or two or three) of Vodka before bed will prevent all ailments, from colds to cancer! Anyway all of this to say that I was diagnosed with a pinched nerve, muscle inflammation and a "frozen" neck and shoulder. They sent me home with painkillers, sleeping pills, anti inflammatory drugs an a laxative in case they block me up!

The pain is getting less and less and my mobility is getting better every day. I'm supposed to be on bed rest for two weeks which is never, ever going to happen but I will listen to one thing that the doctor told me and that is I will try not to lift for that two week period. I made the mistake of doing lifting this afternoon and instantly realized that it was not a good idea. So aside from feeling entirely stoned twenty-four hours a day from the drugs I am on my way to a smooth recovery. Lesson that I learned in this whole process ... be very careful doing absolutely nothing!

A Good Night

Here's hoping that Bulldozer goes to sleep without a fight tonight. It's been rough lately, he's lapsed back into fighting us tooth and nail to stay up. It wouldn't be so bad if he was using his crafty ways to try to convince us but instead he screeches, screams, kicks and throws himself all over the floor! I think that our neighbours probably wonder what goes on behind closed doors! ... Well Hubby just came out of the room and except for one more attempted escape things are going pretty well. Even the Wee Little One is dozing in his rocking chair and all feels right with the world. I am very tired tonight and my back hurts so I'm looking forward to an earlier night and some rest to face the week-end ahead. There's a lot to look forward to! :) More to follow...

As a side note I'm very proud of the Wee Little One! He is making great progress in the transportation department, meaning the transportation of himself. He's not quite crawling yet but he's getting pretty close. Go Wee Little One!