Times are changing in our household. My work contract is up at the end of this month, and while I thought it would be renewed, a government hiring freeze is in effect leading up to the Provincial election in May, so they're not renewing anyone.
I've been debating what to do. I LOVE working. I really like working outside of the home. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great for all the moms who like being SAHM, and WAHM, but it's just not for me. When I was running SusieCues, I barely had a moment to myself. I would design, shop, wash, iron, sew, package, send, every free minute I had away from Jakob. I barely slept, all I thought about was sewing. It totally took over every aspect of my life that didn't involve childrearing! When I got this job, it brought me back into the business world, and I didn't realize how much I'd missed it! I adore getting dressed in the morning, putting on my heels, doing my hair and makeup, and leaving the house to get work done. I work hard throughout the day, enjoy my adult conversations, and come home completely renewed and ready to spend quality time with my kids.
In this economy, finding another position equivalent to what I do now, that is as flexible to my complicated availability is difficult. There are times where Ellie gets sick, and I have to take time off to be with her. DH works rotating shifts, and we would rather not have to hire a nanny. The position I have now is completely my dream job. But, all good things come to an end.
So, for the next couple of months it seems I'm going to be unemployed. I'm nervous. Nervous, not about the lack of money, but that I might burn out as a SAHM. I'm trying to focus on the fact that Ellie NEEDS more socialization, and she needs more stimulation. She's been holed up in our house for the past year, while we've tried to keep her out of hospital. We rarely do play dates (although she loves them) because of my schedule. Jakob could do with more socialization, too.
I'm hoping that as soon as the hiring freeze is lifted, I will be rehired into a similar position, so really this is only a temporary situation. A couple months to plan a lot of play dates, take Ellie to playgroup, to recreate all the fun sensory games I played with Jakob when he was little, to live in the moment and work on building up my patience.
I can do this.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Ellie's physiotherapist is leaving our early intervention practice. I have mixed emotions about this. For the past several months he's done nothing to push Ellie to do anything. No new exercises, no suggestions other than letting her figure out walking on her own. She still won't stand on her own. She can, but she flat out refuses. She will happily cruise all around, practically run with her walker, and can walk holding on to one hand. The millisecond you let go of her tiny hand, she sits down. She doesn't plop down, her descent is very controlled. But, argh! I know she can do this, and I'm desperate to see her achieve this humungous milestone. Everyone said that she would be "for sure" walking by March. Well, Hello there, it's March 15th, and we are no where close.
So, perhaps we'll get a new therapist, with a new outlook, who will get Ellie to push the boundaries of what she's comfortable with. I can only hope! The practice hasn't hired a new PT yet, so I think there is a bit of waiting still left...
Ellie turns two next month. Two. I can't believe that this timelast year two years ago, I was well into the throes of bedrest, praying daily to make it a few more days, a few more days.
We are coasting now with her PWS. Every day I have a reminder that it's there, with her daily growth hormone injections. Jakob is a great little helper, fetching the supplies I need, while I work with Ellie on pulling the cap off her injection pen. One day, some day, she'll be able to do the injection process all herself. That boggles my mind. We sing, we clap, we distract, and then it's over for the day, back into the fridge for tomorrow.
We all had the flu. It was rough, and Ellie lost a considerable amount of weight. I'm trying, TRYING to get her to gain it back, because I don't want a lecture at our next endocrine appointment that I'm not feeding her enough. I'm not sure, but it seems that she's becoming more and more picky about the things she wants to eat. She's almost, hmmm... selectively hungry? It's frustrating being in the stage where she can communicate some, but not enough to get her message across. We have family rules around food, specifically with regards to what is offered. If it's on the table you can have it, if it isn't, don't even ask. I don't believe in fostering pickiness around food. All Ellie seems to want are bananas, which she would gladly eat by the bunch, if allowed, and cookies. Cookie? No. Cookie? No. Cookie? No. Cookie? No. Cookie? No! Cookie? Nooo! Coooooookiiiiiiieeeeeeee?!?! No! Banana? Sigh. No, you cannot have another banana. Here, have some chicken. *Spits it out*. Have some veggies *throws them on the floor*. Rice? Pasta? Cheese? *throws plate over the edge of her highchair, which I catch before it hits the floor.
Frustrated, because the rest of us have finished eating, I clear the table. I start cleaning up, and Ellie starts again. Banana? No. Cookie? No. Banana? No. *Points at her bowl on the table*. I put it back in front of her. She eats it all up. It is so hard at times not to give in, but I will not give in. I have to stay strong!
So, perhaps we'll get a new therapist, with a new outlook, who will get Ellie to push the boundaries of what she's comfortable with. I can only hope! The practice hasn't hired a new PT yet, so I think there is a bit of waiting still left...
Ellie turns two next month. Two. I can't believe that this time
We are coasting now with her PWS. Every day I have a reminder that it's there, with her daily growth hormone injections. Jakob is a great little helper, fetching the supplies I need, while I work with Ellie on pulling the cap off her injection pen. One day, some day, she'll be able to do the injection process all herself. That boggles my mind. We sing, we clap, we distract, and then it's over for the day, back into the fridge for tomorrow.
We all had the flu. It was rough, and Ellie lost a considerable amount of weight. I'm trying, TRYING to get her to gain it back, because I don't want a lecture at our next endocrine appointment that I'm not feeding her enough. I'm not sure, but it seems that she's becoming more and more picky about the things she wants to eat. She's almost, hmmm... selectively hungry? It's frustrating being in the stage where she can communicate some, but not enough to get her message across. We have family rules around food, specifically with regards to what is offered. If it's on the table you can have it, if it isn't, don't even ask. I don't believe in fostering pickiness around food. All Ellie seems to want are bananas, which she would gladly eat by the bunch, if allowed, and cookies. Cookie? No. Cookie? No. Cookie? No. Cookie? No. Cookie? No! Cookie? Nooo! Coooooookiiiiiiieeeeeeee?!?! No! Banana? Sigh. No, you cannot have another banana. Here, have some chicken. *Spits it out*. Have some veggies *throws them on the floor*. Rice? Pasta? Cheese? *throws plate over the edge of her highchair, which I catch before it hits the floor.
Frustrated, because the rest of us have finished eating, I clear the table. I start cleaning up, and Ellie starts again. Banana? No. Cookie? No. Banana? No. *Points at her bowl on the table*. I put it back in front of her. She eats it all up. It is so hard at times not to give in, but I will not give in. I have to stay strong!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Sugar, Baby.
When I'm feeling down, I love to surround myself with my besties, and I love to bake. Yesterday, Jakob and I baked and ate a tray of scones, complete with jam and clotted cream. (No pictures, we ate them too quickly!)
Today, I baked a trial (ish) version of the mini tiered cakes I want to do for Ellie's birthday, only instead of doing white cake, I went for chocolate, with chocolate cream cheese frosting. If you Google "mini ombre cakes" you'll find a bunch of photos that I used for my inspiration. I read a blog post this morning about linking to other people's blog photos and it freaked me out, so I'm just using my own not-so-great cellphone photos :)
They were YUM! And, gluten free. The test run made me see that less is more and I think a two tiered version works better than three, especially in terms of cake-to-frosting ratio.
After the kids went to bed, I decided to try my hand at making shaped sugar. I stumbled across the idea in Pippa Middleton's book, Celebrate. Easy, peasy, and feels very much like playing with sand! I had molds left from when I bought the molds for Jake's birthday cake last year, and they worked perfectly.
1/2 c normal sugar, 1tsp water, 1 drop food colouring. Mixed til the consistency of wet sand. Then pressed into the molds using a teaspoon, and pressed onto parchment paper. Can't wait to do some other shapes, and have them out for Ellie's tea party!
Today, I baked a trial (ish) version of the mini tiered cakes I want to do for Ellie's birthday, only instead of doing white cake, I went for chocolate, with chocolate cream cheese frosting. If you Google "mini ombre cakes" you'll find a bunch of photos that I used for my inspiration. I read a blog post this morning about linking to other people's blog photos and it freaked me out, so I'm just using my own not-so-great cellphone photos :)
They were YUM! And, gluten free. The test run made me see that less is more and I think a two tiered version works better than three, especially in terms of cake-to-frosting ratio.
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| I really like the rose piping! |
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| Must make sure the batter is level before baking! |
After the kids went to bed, I decided to try my hand at making shaped sugar. I stumbled across the idea in Pippa Middleton's book, Celebrate. Easy, peasy, and feels very much like playing with sand! I had molds left from when I bought the molds for Jake's birthday cake last year, and they worked perfectly.
1/2 c normal sugar, 1tsp water, 1 drop food colouring. Mixed til the consistency of wet sand. Then pressed into the molds using a teaspoon, and pressed onto parchment paper. Can't wait to do some other shapes, and have them out for Ellie's tea party!
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| Half a cup doesn't seem like a lot, until you work through it a half tsp at a time! |
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Is it really March tomorrow?
My friends, I apologize for the increasing lengths between my posts. I don't like posting from my phone, and I very rarely have time to post from the laptop, because two kids and a dog make my life BUSY.
Phoenix is getting his little boy dog operation tomorrow, and is at the shelter overnight. I must say, it's bizarre having time just the four of us. We've been productive!!
Today we cleaned out our closets, and our drawers, and donated FIVE huge garbage bags of great clothes to the less fortunate. I'm thrilled to finally be able to see my clothes, not have to freak out trying to find something I know I have, and DH can finally close his drawers.
We've also spent time cleaning out Ellie's patio and the storage room attached to it, and donated all my maternity clothes, all our baby things and a ton of toys. I've been dealing with some health issues I'm not really ready to talk about, but we've come to the decision that with the addition of our sweet puppy, our family is complete.
Ellie is thriving! Still not walking, but doing so much better with her little walker, and talking up a storm. Seriously, it is difficult to imagine there was once a time where she made no sound at all. We are so blessed to have her doing so well, and we are very, very grateful that her health has been stable this winter.
We've just experienced a horrible flu, and she was spared the brunt of it, although she did throw up, which in and of itself was very exciting for us to see. Kids with PWS often are unable to vomit, which can put their lives at risk when they're unable to bring up what they've overeaten. To know that Ellie possesses the strength and ability to vomit is a good sign. I will admit, I did a happy dance inbetween her bouts of being sick. Hey, you have to take joy in the little things!
Ah, it's time to put the wee ones to bed, and have a glass of wine with my hubby.
More posts to come, when I find the time.
xo
Phoenix is getting his little boy dog operation tomorrow, and is at the shelter overnight. I must say, it's bizarre having time just the four of us. We've been productive!!
Today we cleaned out our closets, and our drawers, and donated FIVE huge garbage bags of great clothes to the less fortunate. I'm thrilled to finally be able to see my clothes, not have to freak out trying to find something I know I have, and DH can finally close his drawers.
We've also spent time cleaning out Ellie's patio and the storage room attached to it, and donated all my maternity clothes, all our baby things and a ton of toys. I've been dealing with some health issues I'm not really ready to talk about, but we've come to the decision that with the addition of our sweet puppy, our family is complete.
Ellie is thriving! Still not walking, but doing so much better with her little walker, and talking up a storm. Seriously, it is difficult to imagine there was once a time where she made no sound at all. We are so blessed to have her doing so well, and we are very, very grateful that her health has been stable this winter.
We've just experienced a horrible flu, and she was spared the brunt of it, although she did throw up, which in and of itself was very exciting for us to see. Kids with PWS often are unable to vomit, which can put their lives at risk when they're unable to bring up what they've overeaten. To know that Ellie possesses the strength and ability to vomit is a good sign. I will admit, I did a happy dance inbetween her bouts of being sick. Hey, you have to take joy in the little things!
Ah, it's time to put the wee ones to bed, and have a glass of wine with my hubby.
More posts to come, when I find the time.
xo
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Phoenix!
Oh gosh, I never introduced Phoenix properly!!
The day we got him was so exciting!! Jakob and I went to the shelter together. We were fourth in line for choice of the litter. I thought we wanted a girl. The girls I was interested in were snapped up instantly. So, boy it was! Phoenix, originally Aries, is a calm dude, who LOVES to play, but also loves to sleep, sleep, sleep. Perfect.
He's a total love bug.
The day we got him was so exciting!! Jakob and I went to the shelter together. We were fourth in line for choice of the litter. I thought we wanted a girl. The girls I was interested in were snapped up instantly. So, boy it was! Phoenix, originally Aries, is a calm dude, who LOVES to play, but also loves to sleep, sleep, sleep. Perfect.
He's a total love bug.
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| Nova and her Puppies |
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| Teeny! |
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| 5 weeks |
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| 7 weeks |
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| Going home! |
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| True Love <3 |
Two Years!
It dawned on me yesterday, that I've had this blog for over two years. I also came to the realization that this year is our THIRD year celebrating Valentine's Day in the hospital. Not funny.
Ellie, my sweet, brave girl, had her tube surgery yesterday! She was NPO from the evening prior, with a check-in time of 11am, and surgery scheduled from 11:55am-12:35pm. Everything ran on schedule.
We checked her in, and they gave her (and Baby Doll) an id band. She got numbing gel on her hand and ankle - which I would later come to learn was completely useless, since it took over 10 tries to get an iv started.
I was with her as they gave her the sleeping gas, and waited patiently with DH in the parents' waiting room, my stomach in knots, until the doctor came out at 12:30pm to tell us it all went well.
Ellie had a LOT of thick, sticky fluid in both ears, and the doctor told me that he was glad I pushed for the tubes. They were completely necessary.
They told us that she would wake up shortly, and we could see her. When an ICU nurse I know well came to get us, I was so excited to see my baby. Only, she wasn't awake.
She didn't wake up for probably three hours longer than they anticipated. The anesthetic was supposed to be a fast-acting one, that they snap out of quickly. Thank goodness that's all they used, I can't imagine what it would have been like if she's been under anything more intense!
When she finally woke up she was GRUMPY.
Grumpy, and easily startled (Yay! A sign that her hearing is already improving!).
Her balance has improved dramatically, to the point where we were walking around the ward, with her only holding on to my right index finger!!
She came home this afternoon, and she's so happy to be home.
Phoenix is finding his place in our family.
He is a nipper/biter/chewer, and we're struggling with that, especially around Jakob. For some reason he doesn't behave like that around Ellie, he just loves her to death!
I got a great new carry-case for my camera from DH, and I'm so glad he didn't get me flowers. I'm really not a flowers type of girl, that's just another thing I need to look after!
Ellie, my sweet, brave girl, had her tube surgery yesterday! She was NPO from the evening prior, with a check-in time of 11am, and surgery scheduled from 11:55am-12:35pm. Everything ran on schedule.
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| So cute in that striped gown! |
We checked her in, and they gave her (and Baby Doll) an id band. She got numbing gel on her hand and ankle - which I would later come to learn was completely useless, since it took over 10 tries to get an iv started.
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| Waiting for our turn to go in |
I was with her as they gave her the sleeping gas, and waited patiently with DH in the parents' waiting room, my stomach in knots, until the doctor came out at 12:30pm to tell us it all went well.
Ellie had a LOT of thick, sticky fluid in both ears, and the doctor told me that he was glad I pushed for the tubes. They were completely necessary.
They told us that she would wake up shortly, and we could see her. When an ICU nurse I know well came to get us, I was so excited to see my baby. Only, she wasn't awake.
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| Sleeeeeeeeeepy |
She didn't wake up for probably three hours longer than they anticipated. The anesthetic was supposed to be a fast-acting one, that they snap out of quickly. Thank goodness that's all they used, I can't imagine what it would have been like if she's been under anything more intense!
When she finally woke up she was GRUMPY.
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| Neither of us was particularly happy |
Grumpy, and easily startled (Yay! A sign that her hearing is already improving!).
Her balance has improved dramatically, to the point where we were walking around the ward, with her only holding on to my right index finger!!
She came home this afternoon, and she's so happy to be home.
Phoenix is finding his place in our family.
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| He's already growing up so fast! |
He is a nipper/biter/chewer, and we're struggling with that, especially around Jakob. For some reason he doesn't behave like that around Ellie, he just loves her to death!
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| Mad Love <3 |
I got a great new carry-case for my camera from DH, and I'm so glad he didn't get me flowers. I'm really not a flowers type of girl, that's just another thing I need to look after!
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