Michelle came over on Wednesday to watch Isobel for us. We walked with her to the mall and then headed over to Jon's work to drop off keys for him. We then mailed my mom's belated birthday present to her, a picture of Isobel as Jon picked up the photos from the weekend in the morning.
I was in training all day on Thursday at work. Robyn and the kids watched Bells and Angel took over from them as I was still at work. In the evening, we went to the fair that is in the mall parking lot, but Isobel was too little to go on any of the rides. Angel spent the night.
Went to work on Friday. It was my week to leave early. We drove Jon to work and then Isobel and I went out for lunch with Lori and Brett (for Brett's birthday the next day). Isobel and I rented a couple of videos - a Dora one and The Fighter. Jon and I watched The Fighter after Isobel had gone to bed; I enjoyed much more than I had expected.
We had a busy weekend. Jon, Matt, Robyn and Raven went to a matinee of Sucker Punch while I stayed home and watched the kids. Michelle came over to help me. Isobel and Cordy played really well together. Cordy was very proud of herself for being able to open and close the doors in our apartment and for being able to turn off Isobel's bedroom light while standing on a stool. I suspect that they're going to be troublemakers as they dragged a stool to the front door and proceeded to unlock the door. I was wondering how long it would take Isobel to start doing this; and I suspect she waited until Cordy was able to help to difuse the amount of trouble she'd get into. After the movie, people stayed for games and pizza. Isobel had lots of fun with Cordy on the balcony yelling "ready, set, go" and racing across the patio. I left early to go make cards at a co-worker's for the evening. Michelle spent the night and watched a lot of Doctor Who (we're almost at the best episode).
Isobel slept on her own until almost 9am. Why can't she do that every weekend?
On Sunday, we did some tidying up in the morning and then took the Canada Line and bus to Granville Island. We had a lovely lunch with Karla, Amy, Bram and baby Annelies. Stopped and got Isobel some paint brushes. Frances, Hoatie and Bowen (Hoatie's son) came over for dinner. Karla was to join us but cancelled at the last minute. We still had a great time playing board games and a great dinner. Hoatie made an awesome salad with beets, spinach, kale, feta and walnuts. The last batch of perogies turned out really well too.
Back to work on Monday. Cally watched Isobel for us at Matt's. Isobel and I took a bath in the evening. Isobel wanted me to put her to bed and she kept asking me "I stay up all night?". Not yet, but I'm sure I won't have a choice once you're a teenager. We both eventually fell asleep. Jon woke me to go to bed.
I had a conference downtown in the morning on Tuesday. Cally watched Isobel for us again. We picked up Jon when he got home from work and did some grocery shopping. Came home and watched Tangled as Jon and Isobel got it for me as an early birthday present.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
21/52 - Isobel and Cordy
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
20/52 - Bopomo Photo Shoot
Michelle was unavailable on Wednesday so Jon took some time to watch Isobel. They picked me up from work and then we dropped Jon off at work. Isobel wanted to play outside on the balcony and had a twenty minute temper tantrum when I told her she wasn't allowed to any more as she hadn't listened to me (I told her if she closed the door all the way when she was outside she wouldn't be allowed out). After the temper tantrum we danced for a little while and then pretended to go to sleep in her room; more talk of monsters from her but she seemed fine telling the monsters to go home or that their mommy told them it was time to go to sleep. A few more temper tantrums occurred when I turned the music off and then had her sit on the potty; I ended up bribing her with gummy bears to sit on the potty and she did end up having to go. I suspect that the temper tantrums stemmed from not having a nap. We picked up Jon and headed to Ikea for dinner and to pick up Isobel an easel to make it easier to paint on the patio. Jon put Belly to bed and she fell asleep a lot faster than the last few nights. Jon and I started to watch "Nine" before we have to return it to the video store.
Robyn and the baby birds watched Isobel for us on Thursday. Isobel and I picked up Jon from work and went to Mad Greek for dinner as Jon and I were celebrating five years of being together. We then did some grocery shopping, came home, watched some Netflixx (while I worked), and then put Isobel to bed. Finished watching Nine; not overly impressed with it.
On Friday, Isobel and Jon finished up this session's dance class (next session starts again next month). Brett and his niece, Kayla, took Isobel for the afternoon. They picked me up from work and Isobel was sporting a new guitar (yes, my boss spoils my daughter). My dad was released from the hospital and my mom was really glad to have him home. I'm hoping he recovers well enough to come out and visit us later this summer.
On Saturday, we ran some errands in the late morning then headed into Vancouver. We had a sushi lunch, picked up some mini cupcakes since Isobel has been asking for cupcakes a lot lately, checked out KidsBooks, and then had a photo session at Bopomo to get a nice photo of Isobel and her cousins, Ryley and Jordan. (The photo is one from the session.) We then headed to Terri's for dinner. As I had a headache and a lot of work to do for work in the evening, we left early.
On Sunday, I went into work for a couple of hours. Then I had an appointment to get my hair cut and coloured. Jon took Isobel with him to gaming in Vancouver and I took public transit to meet up with them. Isobel and I wandered to the toy store and then she play drove in the car. Since it was sunny outside (which is very nice on the first day of Spring) we stopped at a park in Richmond to let Isobel play. In the evening, Jon and I played a boardgame that we've had for a while but haven't had time to figure out the rules to yet.
Back to work on Monday. Cally watched Isobel for us at Matt's. As usual, Isobel woke up from her nap just as I got there. She was allowed mini cupcakes for taking a nap. And then she was allowed to play drive for two minutes before we went home; she then threw a temper tantrum when I put her in her car seat and screamed non-stop until I started singning kids songs. She really liked the Monkeys Jumping on the Bed song. I managed to get the dishes and a load of laundry done before Jon got home. However, since I was busy doing housework Isobel was left to entertain herself, mostly on the balcony, and she ended up painting half a mustache on her face; thank goodness for washable paint! Jon washed Isobel's hair and face while I made perogy filing.
Cally watched Isobel again on Tuesday. After getting home, Isobel wanted to colour on the balcony with me. After discovering there was a small spider on the balcony with her she freaked out and told me she was scared of spiders. I have no idea why she's scared of them. So we packed up and moved inside so that Isobel could watch a movie and I could unload the dishwasher and do another load of laundry. After dinner, we made a batch of perogy dough (with Isobel's help) and put the perogies together. As a result, Isobel was up later than normal. She was also annoyed with us that we made perogies and she didn't get to eat any. It was my turn to put her to bed and I fell asleep with her.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
19/52 - Snuggling with Mommy
On Wednesday, it was Grandma's birthday. Michelle watched Isobel for us. My mom and dad took an ambulance back to the hospital in the town they live in. My dad's staying in the hospital there and my mom's getting things set up for him at home.
Robyn watched Isobel for us on Thursday. Isobel showed me how she can put on her pajama pants by herself. Isobel slept through the night.
On Friday, Jon and Isobel went to dance class. They picked me up early and we drove Jon to work. Picked up a couple of groceries and then Isobel and I headed home. We had an afternoon nap and then went to meet Jon as he got off work. We then headed to Chapters so Isobel could play with the trains, and stopped in for a sushi dinner on the way home.
On Saturday, we had a lazy morning. Isobel wanted to shower with me; and actually wanted to stay in unlike her previous attempts to shower. Ran a couple of errands in the afternoon and ran into Frances at the video store. We took a nap in the afternoon and then headed to one of Jon's relatives for a potluck dinner and discussion about a family potlatch next year.
Sunday was Daylight Savings. We had Isobel's last swim class; the instructor recommended that we take the parent and tot class again which is what we're planning on doing aways. We waited for Michelle, but she didn't show up so we headed home. Took another family nap in the afternoon. Jon made chicken stew for dinner. It took a long time for Isobel to go to sleep; Jon just ended up sleeping with her.
Back to work on Monday. Cally watched Isobel for us. Isobel wanted Cally to put her down for a nap earlier than usual. At home, Isobel finally told me about the nightmare we suspect she had the other night - mommy and daddy went out to dinner and left her at home with a scary monster. She's been role playing putting things to bed and a scary monster showing up lately a lot and at least now I know why it's been upsetting her. After she had a good cry and I explained that mommy and daddy would never leave her alone but would always have someone they trusted with her and if they're not nice to her to tell mommy and daddy I think she calmed down a little. Hopefully that's the end of the scary monster play from her for a while. She helped me put her sheets and blankets in the washer for the first time. And she really wanted to go to "play school" in the evening and seemed upset that they were all closed.
Cally also watched Isobel for us on Tuesday. When Isobel and I got home, we went outside to splash in some puddles. I'm really looking forward to the nicer weather, hopefully arriving soon. Isobel and I were hiding in the shower after she saw Jon coming home from the living room window. She now understands to be quiet when hiding. Jon took a shower with Isobel in the evening as she didn't want a bath; she's still not keen on getting her head too wet, but as long as we block most of the shower from her she's fine. It was hard to put her to bed again tonight; stupid daylight savings. But she slept through the night; when I left for work in the morning she had moved the body pillow to the other side and was right at the wall with her back snuggled to the body pillow.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
18/52 - 28 Months Old
On Wednesday, Michelle was sick so Jon called Angel to see if she was available to watch Belly. I met up with them at Lansdowne and Isobel was not excited to see me; she was having too much fun playing. She threw a temper tantrum when it was time to leave. In the afternoon, my mom called me to let me know that my dad had a heart attack and was being kept in the hospital overnight. Isobel and I met Jon after work and went for a sushi dinner. Ran some errands on the way home. While we were putting Isobel to bed she kept saying "Mommy go outside and look for my second dino". Her and Jon have been playing with her stuffed toys lately and she has a lot of stuffed dinos, but she wasn't clear what one I was supposed to find outside. Jon and I stayed up late playing "Plants vs Zombies". I didn't get much sleep worrying about my parents.
My mom called Thursday morning to let me know that my dad was ambulanced to Winnipeg for surgery; he ended up having a quadruple bypass in the late afternoon/evening. Robyn watched Isobel for us today. Isobel and I picked up Jon from work and ran some more errands. And then came home and waited for an update on my dad's surgery. It went well but they're having trouble controlling his blood pressure; also, he has thin arteries. My mom is getting a ride to Winnipeg the next morning, will be staying for a few days, and keep me updated. We let Isobel stay up really late, but she fell asleep really easily. Also, Isobel turned 28 months old on Thursday.
Friday, I went to work in the morning. My mom got a ride to Winnipeg for the weekend. Jon dropped Isobel and her dinosaur, Rexy, off at noon, and her and I took the sky train to her dentist appointment. After we had lunch and were waiting for her appointment, she was pretending to drive to go get daddy, but daddy said mommy was to stay here. She did so well at her dentist appointment. She sat in the chair all by herself, and listened to what the dentist and hygienist told her to do. She has 18 teeth currently. Jon and I have to brush her top back teeth a bit better and start flossing her teeth. The hygienist was surprised at how well Isobel did and stated that she thinks Isobel is the best two year old she's ever seen at the office. Isobel fell asleep on the train on the way home, but woke up as soon as we got outside in the wind and rain; so much for my nap. I spent a bunch of time on the phone getting and giving updates on my dad and talking to a friend from university that I hadn't talked to in a long time; it was nice to catch up. As for my dad, he's doing well; they woke him up and removed the ventilator. He's sleeping a lot thanks to the meds he's on and they changed his meds which helped stabilize his blood pressure. Jon came home to two girls hiding in the bath tub (about 20 minutes before he got home Isobel wanted to hide from daddy). I had the phone with us, in case some one called for an update on dad, and Isobel had a whole pretend conversation with Jon confirming he was on his way home. It was really cute and more than she normally says on the phone. Jon made tofu and veggie stir fry; I had already put the rice in the rice cooker. We watched Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" that we had borrowed from the library. Jon shaved his head and then took a bath with Isobel. I went to bed after reading Isobel stories as Jon was putting her to bed. And for the important news, Isobel slept the whole night by herself!
Saturday, we made perogies in the morning. Then headed for a walk to the bunny park, but only found three bunnies. We then dropped Isobel off at the Sun's (Perry, Elsa, Michelle, and Ashley) as they were watching her for us while we went to my quasi-brother's surprise 30th birthday party in Chilliwack. Isobel had a lot of fun and I suspect was a little disappointed to see us return. She was spoiled there. It was nice to see some family at the party but we didn't stay late as we haven't been sleeping well this week and it's a long drive home. My dad got moved out of the ICU and into a room today, so that's good. He also went for a short walk with the aid of a walker.
Unfortunately, Isobel did not sleep through the night on Saturday; but she did sleep in until 8:30am which meant Jon and I had an hour to ourselves Sunday morning. We went to swim lessons and again Isobel did well; not as well as last week but there were more kids in the class this week. And she really does not want to get her head wet or jump into the pool. This week was another review class. We then headed to Park Royal and finally bought ourselves a cheap microwave. We've lived without one for three months and I only went to use it about once a month. But we agreed that it's a lot easier to heat up leftovers quickly and get her fed in a rush. Jon bought Isobel a little RC truck to play with. And we picked up some groceries, but the store didn't have everything on our list so we'll have to pick some more stuff up early this week. Jon made pancakes for dinner and we made a Shepard's pie with the leftover perogy potatoes for the freezer. I gave Isobel a bath and washed her hair while Jon took a shower. My dad wasn't feeling well today, but my mom said that he's doing good and walking a bit further than the day before. The earliest he will be able to go home is Wednesday, if things go well. My mom is now staying near Winnipeg until my dad gets released as she wants to go to his appointments with the dietitian and physiotherapist. I think it will be good for my dad to have her around and my mom would worry too much if she was home before him.
Back to work on Monday, but just for a short day as Cally was away and I booked off time to look after Isobel. My dad left me a voice mail message in the morning; it was great to hear his voice. Jon dropped Isobel off at my work for 11am, stole my bus pass and took the train to his work. Isobel and I had lunch and then went to a card making session over lunch hour arranged by one of my co-workers, Andrea. Andrea had a great little bag of goodies made up for Isobel, although I think Isobel had more fun spinning her chair in the boardroom. We got a regular sized card and a small card made up. Isobel loved the small card as there's a cupcake on it. I'm going to a card making session at Andrea's house later in the month; I'm looking forward to the night out. We came home and painted on the sunny patio. Took a bath to get cleaned up and washed the painting clothes. Then took a nap for a while. Jon arrived home and I finished making us a spaghetti dinner.
Isobel slept until almost 5am on Tuesday morning before waking up, crying, and Jon crawling into bed with her. When she woke up next, she sneaked out of bed. I registered Isobel for dance class starting in April as her Easter present from Grandma and Grandpa; we've opted for the older and longer session this time as we think she's ready for it now. I had another short day at work today as we had an appointment to check out a local preschool that we're considering for September (we'd have to register for it in April). Jon, Isobel and I checked it out and we all really liked it. Isobel called it "play school" and said that she wanted to go back again. Even though she did not interact with any of the kids she seemed more comfortable there than anywhere else new with kids that she's been to. And it sounds like we've got a really good chance of actually getting her into it; I'm very excited about it. She would go three days a week for about 2 1/2 hours a day. We dropped Jon off at work and then headed home. My parents called so we actually got to talk to my dad, which was really nice. As usual, Isobel wanted to talk to Grandpa more than Grandma. We then played for a little while before taking a nice long nap; this time I got to sleep too. We just managed to get dinner in the oven and started playing with the play dough I made aged ago that we keep in the fridge before Jon walked in the door.
Write to continue as the week progresses......
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
17/52 - Snow in February
On Wednesday, Michelle watched Isobel for us. Isobel and I picked up some poster board to start a sticker board for her whenever she uses the potty.
Robyn and the kids watched Isobel on Thursday. In the evening we went to Park Royal with Angel. Isobel got a new pair of shoes and I got a pair of rubber boots (which I'm excited to have for the pumpkin patch in the fall).
It was my week to leave early on Friday. Isobel and I drove Jon to work and then met up with some of my coworkers for lunch at Italian Tomato. The weather was really cold for here, and I was supposed to pick up Jon from work so we could go grocery shopping. However, Isobel and I took a nap and woke up about 10 minutes after we were supposed to pick up Jon. We were just about out the door, with a very cranky little girl who wasn't fully awake yet, when Jon buzzed up (I had also left him without keys). Jon was too cold to go back out, so I picked us up some sushi and we had a late dinner at home.
I went into work for a while on Saturday morning. When I realized it was snowing out I headed home. We went grocery shopping and then headed home before there was too much snow. In the afternoon, we took Isobel out to play in the snow but it was really cold so we weren't out for long. And we got a lot of snow in the evening.
On Sunday we went to Isobel's swim class. There were only four other kids there and Isobel did really well (even the instructor commented that Isobel seems to do better for me than for Jon, but I suspect the reduced class size helped). Swim class was part one of a two week review. In the afternoon we were at Matt's. Got to play some games and visit with friends before we headed home to watch the Oscars. I haven't watched them for years and now I know why.
Cally watched Isobel on Monday. Isobel was excited to go to Matt's and spend time with Cally this week. When I arrived, Isobel was still napping; she also took a nap with no fighting (can Cally put Isobel to bed for us every night too?). Isobel discovered screaming at herself in Matt's closet mirror (not sure where she got that idea from). We stopped at Lansdowne on our way home and played with the plastic houses outside Toys R Us. Isobel asked for money for the roof thanks to the last time she played with the houses with Ashley who told her the roof needed to be fixed. Jon met us at the mall and we headed home. Made taco salad for dinner.
Cally watched Isobel for us again on Tuesday. Pasta for dinner.