Edmonton Trip part 2 of 3

After the wedding, sleep was much needed as well as relaxation time and rest. We didn't do much on the Sunday, but had a great morning at the zoo on Monday (except for Mike who worked from Jen's basement during work hours). The zoo was much smaller than I remember it, but great for kids. Lucy the elephant has been around my entire life, and is still there. There was a new and very cute little guinea pig village near the zoo entrance. Because it was a Monday and kids were back to school there was practically nobody there and we even got to ride the train by ourselves (for $9 for the 3 of us though I might add...and it was about a 2 minute journey).

Another highlight was Paige and I visiting Marilyn in her fabulous backyard, as well as going for a little journey to the park behind her house. The trip was complete with home baked squares and yummy cookies which Paige polished off quickly. The morning was one of the nicest ones we had there and it was great to be outside (not that the weather wasn't nice for most of the trip, but sometimes the mornings were a bit chilly!)

Some other exciting news is that Jen (auntie Booze) is also pregnant! We are 2 days apart. So it was great to be together to share stories, look at maternity clothing magazines, and feel sick and tired together! We even went to a spa called "Sweet Momma" which is a pregnancy spa! I was in desperate need for a massage and the place exceeded my expectations--the bed was a waterbed, and I felt so cozy and relaxed the entire time. I had been suffering from headaches for over a week and I swear she cured them completely. After that massage the headache went away and never came back. I really wish we had one of those places in Burlington!

Anyway, I will continue more on my Edmonton trip recap later. I have been quite "busy" with our new programs, planning Paige's "big girl room", catching up on Microsoft Money and some work for Mike. But most time consuming of all is me cutting out tv for Paige. She has watched a bit, but after enduring hours of television while I had extreme nausea a few weeks back, I decided to greatly reduce it and spend more time with her. So I haven't spent as much time on the computer emailing or blogging, since I would sometimes do that during tv watching time. But I hope to blog more soon!

Pause for an announcement....

I realized that I cannot really go on with my description of our Edmonton trip until I pause for a "little" announcement. For those random blog readers, and people who I have not yet had the opportunity to tell....we are expecting another addition to our family. A Paige + 1 on Page, if you will. I am about 12 weeks along and due on April 19. Tummy is starting to grow, but the nauseous stage is over. Our 1st ultrasound is scheduled for next week.

Anyway, there is more to follow on the Edmonton trip, but I cannot fully explain the rest of the trip until that "little" piece of info has been made public! The next blog post may come tomorrow since Paige is not napping and yelling MOMMY! constantly....

Edmonton trip Part 1: journey and wedding

All I can say is that things went very very well. We started our journey with a 4:30am wake up on the 16th. We got ready and had the car packed up before transfering Paige into the car seat. When I woke her up I told her where we were going. She got very excited and although it was only 5:00 she didn't keep sleeping in the car, and instead was very excited about the plane ride ahead. After a longer than anticipated time at the car park and security we had to get on the plane without stopping for a much desired Tim Horton's bagel, and instead had to eat an early morning West Jet sandwich. Paige was great on the plane and filled her time with eating snacks, colouring and playing with stickers. She only got a bit restless at the end of the flight when she realized she could slither out of her seat belt and stand up. At this point I let her sit with me and look out the window for a bit until it was time to buckle up and land. Her favourite parts of the plane ride were while the plane was accelerating on the ground, and then when it slows down at the end.

We were met at the airport by Zaida Bruce, who drove us to Jen and James' house. Paige was really happy to see everyone, and of course Abby. The first couple of days I spent going to the mall with Janice, getting my dress altered, having mani/pedis, and then of course going to the rehersal for which Mike, Paige and I were ridiculously late, and we arrived half way through. After the rehersal it was off to Janice's house for dinner, but due to construction the journey was very long and Paige peed her pants along the way and spent the rehersal dinner in a pullup with her pants and underwear in the washing machine--good thing we weren't at a restaurant! So the late arrival at the rehersal coupled with Paige as the Wild card flower girl (will she walk down the aisle? Will she want to be carried?) gave me extreme insomnia and anxiety, and daily naps/rests were required leading up to the wedding.

On the morning of the wedding I left Paige in Mike's capable hands while I met the girls at the Huangs, where we proceeded to go to get our hair and makeup done. After this it was back to the Huangs to put on our dresses scarf down some lunch, and rush out the door. Mike in the meantime was taking Paige to the ceremony place to feed her lunch and get her dressed. When we arrived there they were nowhere to be seen, but soon enough they wandered around the corner and Paige was cuter than ever. Mike said she was a bit scared of all the people, so that got me worried. But, right off the bat Paige started to hold my hand and didn't let go. I would also be walking the ring bearer down the aisle and he was a bit older so I wasn't worried about him. When it was our turn to walk down the aisle they held my hands all the way down the aisle, and as I led the ring bearer in one direction and prepared to lead Paige back to Mike I could tell she would just stay with me so I let her stand until she got restless. Near the end of the ceremony, so a good 15 minutes in, she used her old standard get out quick line, "pee on potty", so I sent her over to Mike who she sat with for the remaining few minutes (few people probably heard this since it was outdoors and very windy).

As the bridal party went off for pictures [we went to The Billiard Club on Whyte Ave (also got to have some drinks here and yummy food), and a random spiral parkade], Mike took Paige home for a nap and then eventually got her ready all over again to come back to the reception. Everything went well at the reception and Mike and Paige were strategically placed at the back by the open space and door, AKA escape route. But she was very good and didn't cause any trouble. Closer to 8:30 we called Jen and James and got them to come pick up Paige, while we stayed behind to enjoy the party for a bit longer! All in all everything went way better than anticipated, and the wedding and reception went off without a hitch on all fronts. It was so nice to be included in such a great day.

So...here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Why is it...

...that I bought fall clothes for Paige, but now the weather in Edmonton is going to be stinkin hot all week?

And why is it that Paige has had 1 nap this week?

And why is it that now that Paige is potty trained the smell of other kids poopy diapers is absolutely repulsive? Like when the parent doesn't notice and the kid runs around forever?? And I feel like I need to tell them before I gag?

And why is it that Paige doesn't actually like going on the park, but likes to sit on the bench and have a snack the entire time?

Why I wonder....?

Booster seat

Paige has upgraded to a booster seat. It streamlines our kitchen a bit more and makes her part of the dinner table. So far she loves it as she can climb up by herself. I ordered the Prince Lionheart Booster Pod, and think it is the best thing ever. Every other booster seat I could find came with a tray which I didn't want. So it seemed unneccessary to buy a booster seat that came with one. And this seat is nice and comfy and padded, rather than hard plastic.

Potty is a stalling tactic!

I know it is just a phase and will hopefully come to an end, but Paige is using "Pee on potty!" as a major delay/stalling tactic. When she doesn't want to nap and wants to be taken out of her crib it's, "pee on potty!!". When she wakes up in the night and needs to say something to get me into her room it's "pee on potty!!" (usually with this one it's because she's peed in her pullup...even though she has already peed I need to take her to the potty or she will lose it). When I try to go get clothes out of the laundry and she wants me to come back it's, "pee on potty!!". During dinner when she wants out of her highchair it's, "pee on potty!!", and when she's overtired at night and trying to delay bedtime it's a spastic almost hyperventallating "PEE ON POTTY PEE ON POTTY!!!!!!!" (she used to ask for water as a stall, but she thinks this is better as she gets out of her crib). Oh--same spastic screaming about the potty when I'm trying to put her in the bath...she doesn't like baths now, and won't actually go in the bathtub without a fight. Also, when we're at the grocery store and she's bored it's, "pee on potty" to try to get us to leave.

It is the same as the little boy who cried wolf. Sometimes she says it so much that I tell her no when she really has to go. And often she has just been, but I have to take her anyway to avoid a total meltdown.

Edmonton trip...

As we leave for Edmonton next week there are a few things on my mind...

1. Edmonton is cold. Paige needed some new fall clothes. I got her a few tie-over things in case we get a mixture of warm and cold weather. A couple of cute skirts with leggings, and a few long sleeved shirts. She also only has sandals, so off to the shoe store we go (she needs new shoes anyway).

2. Paige has to sit on her own seat in the plane. I may have mentioned this to everyone, oh 100 times before. Paige is small. Plane seat is huge. I cannot see how this will work. I have a small Hey's suitcase that will be filled with new toys, books, and treats. And there is a tv on the back of her seat. Still, we have to get her out of bed at 5:00 in the morning, and the flight is 4 hours long. I suppose it's better than having to hold her like we have the previous 8 flights....assuming she will remain buckled into her seat. But why can I picture her wanting to undo her buckle repeated times and then asking to go "down DOWN mommy DOWN!" then of course, "Pee on potty!!!"

3. Paige has to be very very well behaved and walk down the aisle at Janice's wedding. I'm sure it will go basically fine, and Mike will be there to take her right at the end. But I will be happy when I see what really happens!

4. Even though we have gone to the cottage all summer long and packed up all of our stuff a million times, I have a very bad feeling that we will forget something major. That is why today I will start packing!

First haircut!

My friend Janice's wedding is in Edmonton next week. I am a bridesmaid and Paige is the flowergirl. I'll be getting my hair done and thought that Paige could do with a proper haircut to even it out. I stupidly almost took her in last week and then realized it was the last week off before school starts. When I took her today we were able to get in about 45 minutes later, which was great. I took her to Sharkey's Cuts for Kids, and she didn't fuss at all. I remember when I worked at Civello and people would bring their kids there, which was totally ridiculous. We would have to prop them up on a phonebook and charge them a million dollars. I don't know why on earth they didn't just go to a kids place for both their kids sake and their own sanity. At this place she got to sit in both a car, and a plane (i took the pictures with my cell phone), we got a certificate with a little mesh bag with a lock of her hair in it, a balloon, before and after pictures, and 6 hair clips. This is the best picture I could take of the "after" with my own camera at home. They did a little style with out-of-control hair clips, but that's ok. It's nice and even. Oh--and her major bandaid is off and her cut has healed nicely...she only has a Dora bandaid on because that was the only way I could bribe her to let me take the other one off!

Last summer cottage trip...

We have completed our summer of cottaging. Now with our trip to Edmonton next week and various other things, we won't make it back up for a while. At least the summer went out with a bang....the weather was actually nice! Not that we were swimming or anything, but we can't be particular anymore. It was certainly the "lazy days of summer" as we sat and read, played cards, ate deep fried mars bars (interesting), and had campfires. Even the mosquitos are dying out and their bites are only a fraction as itchy as they used to be.

Paige went to the river with Daddy and Grandpa and used her Dora rod.

She doesn't relly have the technique down yet...looks like she's trying to flyfish.

She feeds the dinosaurs rocks...the t-rex is the daddy, the brontosaurus is the mommy, and the triceratops is apparently the grandma. This is what she told us.

Paige even had a part in a band! The 2 clarinette players are my aunt Mary Jo in the middle, and our cottage neighbour Barb on the end. Paige was on the recorder. I will eventually post a video of this!

On the last day Paige didn't nap, and consequently feel asleep when we left the cottage at 7:15pm. She slept the entire way home and we transferred her to her crib when we got home. She woke up early and woke up a few times in the night though...

Our trip to the hospital....

This morning I asked Paige to point to her Ow-ie for the camera. She pointed at this small scrape on her leg...But this is the real "Ow-ie"!! Yesterday Paige was handing me puzzle pieces from her letters puzzle. I asked her to go get some more and off she ran. All of a sudden...CRASH! WAHHH! I ran over to find her sitting beside this stupid table with pointy edges (that has now been moved into the basement), with a deep gash and blood. It was so unexpected as I anticipated going over for a hug and comfort. I panicked slightly and after patting the blood away I realized I couldn't treat this at home, but really what was I supposed to do? So I called 911 and the ambulance came.

When the ambulance got to our house they said she may need stitches or a type of glue. They told me that they would take us to the hospital. By this time I wasn't that worried since it had stopped bleeding and she was acting quite normal. As we waited for the ambulance by the front door, she was telling me she needed to pee on potty and wanted to go upstairs. Quite normal behaviour. But in the rush of leaving the house I didn't bring her shoes, my glasses or a phone. Once I figured things were ok I used the paramedics phone and called mike so he could come get us from the hospital eventually (because how were we going to get home after this ordeal?).

In the ambulance Paige continued to be normal and cute and as we passed the park, "oh there's the park!". When the paramedic said, "do you have a boo boo?" she pointed to her Dora bandaid on her leg which is covering a mosquito bite that she scratched. So, again, totally oblivious to the situation. She got to sit on the stretcher, but it was raised up with a special car seat style strap. I got to sit on the bench next to her. When we arrived at the hospital she said, "Going to Booze's house!!". I think because I had been telling her in the morning that we would be going there soon she thought that this was part of the trip?

Once we got to the hospital we had to wait for a bit while everyone oohed and aahed and said she was so cute, and talked about how it was so cute that she said the ambulance was like an ice cream truck (I had pointed this out to her to increase the excitement factor of the whole journey). "What's that?", "Who's that?" she kept asking. I think the cuteness factor combined with the gash with slowly dripping blood kept us out of the general waiting room and right into the "Fast Track" area. Even so, it took about an hour and a half until the doctor came, and no word of a lie she was perfect for the entire time. Because she didn't have shoes I wouldn't let her walk on the ground (hospital emergency room? ew.), so I just held her or put her on the little bed. After a while she wouldn't sit on the bed saying it was "dirty" (it had that paper liner on it). But she kept entertained with my wallet, a snack that happened to be in her bag, a bottle of water that happened to be in the bag, a trip to pee on the potty, and eventually a pack of stickers that I also happened to have. (You notice I forgot everything else, but luckily had a very well stocked bag just sitting at the front door).

When the doctor finally saw her he said the cut wasn't big enough to warrant glue or stitches unless I thought that she wouldn't be able to keep on this special tape. She is great with hats normally, so I thought why not give it a try. He said this was the best thing in order for it to heal naturally. We just can't get the tape wet or take it off for the next 4 days. So, much better than stitches. As the nurse was putting on the tape I heard Paige whisper "flower girl". In the ambulance i had told the paramedic, "oh no! she is going to be a flower girl with a big scab!". So Paige was obviously listening, but did she think that this whole ordeal was "being a flower girl!?" I hope not!

As we left the room I stopped at the payphone to call mike who was literally walking in the door. We went to the car and she fell asleep right away (she had missed both lunch and her nap). Now I am so nervous about this cut/bump on her head and am constantly worried she is going to bonk it again! We took her to DQ last night for ice cream and then today I went with her to the toy store to buy a little ambulance. They didn't have the ambulance, but I got her a puzzle with an ambulance in it.