Preschool Update

I was never a huge fan of 3 year old preschool. I know there is good reason that many parents choose this and many three year old's are very ready for preschool. I just think 3 is still so young! Livi is still so much my baby. She is so dependent on us still. We have been lucky enough to have never needed child care other than family. Now I'm considering sending her to school where she will be away from people who would literally die for her 6-12 hours a week! I didn't think I was that over attached mom, but I TOTALLY am.

I know our family's circumstances were a little different than some when Livi had just turned 3. We didn't have a newborn, but another 3 year old, who we had just brought home a few weeks before Livi would have started preschool. Besides the fact that we felt she was too young, we didn't want her feeling like we were sending her away because we got a new baby.

Now we are obviously considering putting Livi in preschool at 3 years old. I think, with the new understanding of how the funding all works for Sofie, we would prefer Livi to go to preschool before Sofie joins her. If that doesn't work out, we'll figure it out, but we would like Livi to feel like the big girl and go to school before Sofie joins her. So, the best option, as of this moment, seems to be to put Livi in preschool for the spring semester, starting in January or February, then having Sofie join her in September. Both of them would progress to Kindergarten together, in separate classes and Sofie would repeat Kindergarten. I talked with the Resource teacher of our catch-man area who referred me to the Principal of Student Services of the School Board of our district. I got through the first try and had a nice conversation. I explained my case and reasoning for wanting to have Sofie repeat Kindergarten and she seemed very receptive. She gave me the talk about why they don't like to keep kids back but admitted that I have a rather unique case and she would "probably" side in my favor. She wanted a week to talk with some of her co-workers and think about it. I will need to get her decision in writing but it sounded very promising and positive! I was totally geared up for a fight!

Now comes the question of which preschool. I am, again, so lost. I'm sure I am over thinking this all but I feel like this is such an important decision! We have looked at three schools in our area, each with their pro's and con's. I think we might need your advice again.

1. The first school is the easiest choice. It is literally around the corner from our house and we would be able to walk there within 4 minutes each day. The preschool is community funded and utilizes the Play to Learn philosophy. The con's against this school is it is very dimly decorated. They have chosen muted colors to not overstimulate the children. I don't agree with this, especially for Sofie. No one has anything bad to say about this preschool but I haven't heard anything great either. I also think Livi is academically above the 'curriculum' of this school. They don't practice writing letters or numbers since they are totally play based.

2. The second school is kind of perfect. I have heard GREAT reviews about it from numerous people. It is a wonderful mix of play and academics. The biggest problem with it is that it is too far away. We would need a second car or have a way to guarantee transportation. This is, potentially, a huge problem for us and a big head ache. It is also a very sought after school that may be difficult to get in to. It would be easier to get both girls in next year if we put Livi in for January but there are currently, no guarantees.

3. The third school is also wonderful. It is just a little further than the first school but still within walking distance. When I went to visit the class room I saw the teacher signing to her students. I nearly started crying from happiness right there. It is a strict Montessori school, which means they concentrate on Practical Life, Sensory Academic Learning and Culture. They focus on values and teaching the kids to be good people while it is all COMPLETELY child-led learning. The con's to this school is that they don't have as much imaginative play as we would like, it is four days a week, and it is WAY more expensive than the other two schools. We can't afford it.

Now, in my most ideal little scenario, we would be able to send Livi to the Montessori school two days a week this year (I don't think I'm ready for four days yet) and then send both girls three days a week next year. I don't think that is going to happen though. Choice number two would be too be able to afford a second car and go to school number two, but that isn't in the near future either. So, ideal number three would be Livi going to the first, easy choice school for January, just to get used to being away from Mommy and expand her social development. She would still get the big girl experience. Then be get enough subsidy funding to be able to afford the Montessori school for September for both girls and be allowed to only send them three days a week. Four days still seems excessive to me. Both girls would then go to Kindergarten together and Sofie would be allowed to repeat.

So, how good is my line to God these days? I hope He's got my back on this one. If you feel like sending up an extra prayer for this to all fall in to place, I'd sure appreciate it! Something will work out and I think there is a good chance we will end up loving school choice number 1, which would make next September really easy for me! If we have to keep Sofie back from Kindergarten a year too, we can make it work. There are a lot of scenario's here that could be really great, so maybe just pray that the right doors open up too us!

Need Advice!

The girls school plan before we had Sofie home was to keep Sofie back a year. Livi would go in to preschool at age 4 and Sofie would go to preschool at age 5. We had wanted to do this for a few reasons. We wanted the extra time for Sofie to feel safe and attach with us. Since Livi is developmentally older and the first child, we wanted to keep the natural progression of her role and have her go to school first. We also did not want Livi to feel the extra responsibility for her sister that would come with them being in the same grade. She is  already going to feel the responsibility with Sofie in the same school. Kids can be mean.

It has been suggested by numerous professionals to get Sofie in to preschool earlier than later. So, we began thinking of putting both Livi and Sofie in next September but having Sofie repeat 4 year old preschool twice. I talked with CDC about this today and discovered that their funding for an aid in preschool stops when the child is 5. If we want Sofie to continue with an aid she'll have to go in to kindergarten at age 5.

So, Jon and I have a few options of what to do and I think we need some advice...

• Keep Sofie out of preschool completely and put her in kindergarten at age 6. Livi would go ahead with preschool and Kindergarten as planned. 
• Pro's - Still maintain Livi and Sofie's separation from each other.
• Con's - Sofie would not get any CDC aid support. 

• Put both girls in preschool together at 4 and both in kindergarten at 5 but separate classes. 
• Pro's - Easiest choice as far as getting Sofie aids.
• Con's - Livi's possible feelings of responsibility and resentment for having to watch out for her sister who is in the same grade. 
• Put both girls in preschool, together, and kindergarten together, separate classes, but have Sofie repeat kindergarten.
• Pro's - Easy way to ensure Sofie gets the aids, and eventually separates the girls.
• Con's - Still may have Livi develop some jealousy and resentment feelings in the early years and schools are apparently very reluctant to hold kids back these days. 
• We could also maybe start Livi in preschool in January then proceed with both girls in 4 year old preschool, same class, and kindergarten, separate classes.
• Pro's - Gets Livi in school first to have the big girl feelings
• Con's - Still has the girls together in future years and not sure how it would work with her ballet class. 
• One last option is that we put the girls in separate preschools and/or schools. This option seems a little excessive and unpractical though.

What do you all think? I'm obsessing about this and we have NO idea what to do. I'm not ready for school dynamics yet! I know it is just preschool but keeping them in the same grade or not could have a big impact on their future. 

The Corn Maze

Today we got to join the Fraser Valley Down Syndrome Society at a family day at the Corn Maze! It wasn't as nice of weather as we were hoping but we figured we could handle it. We strapped on our boots, rain jackets and got out our umbrella. 

Livi was so excited to go in to the maze and could barely wait! We joined the first group and went in probably around 2:15pm. There were about 6 adults in our group and 8-10 kids. One mom with a baby in a sling. We figured it would just be a fun little game and we could let the kids decide which way to go... we were wrong. We got out of the maze around 3:45pm and Livi walked the whole way! I was so proud of her :)

 We walked and walked and turned around and walked in the inch of mud that covered the ground. In the part 1 of the maze there are 8 posts with questions that you answer and it tells you which way to go. We made it to the 5th post relatively easily but circled back around to the 5th post at least 8 times! Livi kept saying "I REALLY want to get out of here!" We tried to make it a game and say that we were explorers who have to solve the mystery and follow the foot prints. She liked that at first, but then she tripped. I had her hand and caught her but her foot was in a puddle and it spilled over inside her boot. She started crying then but it wasn't a meltdown thankfully. 

Sofie had thrown off her boots and lifted up the stroller rain cover to get her socks soaking wet! I took off her wet socks because I figured cold cotton was worse than bare feet. So I had one kid with bare feet and one kid with wet boots. Plus, Jon and my's jacket were both just water resistant, not water proof. Awesome. 

We tried another tactic with Livi to ward of the melt down... Some of the other kids were getting upset around this point too, so we talked about how she had to be brave for the babies. Yes, I'm sure we have already immensely screwed up our children but it worked! I reminded her how when Mommy is upset she gets upset too and the same thing was with the babies. If all the big kids got upset the babies would be upset too, so we had to be brave and help them find their way out too. She was SUCH a trooper. All the parents were totally frustrated and I felt so bad for the mom with the baby in the sling. She was trying so hard not too lose it. 

Thankfully, some soaking wet teenagers happened by and rescued us! We tried out best to follow them since they would run ahead faster then us and double back if it was the wrong way. Our group did get split up but we hoped the rest were not too far behind. I was just so thankful to be out of there! We all were!

Once we were out Livi was much happier! We tried the water pump races, saw the animals, swam in the corn box, which was really cool by the way, and got a free pumpkin! We didn't have any cash on us and the teller over heard us telling Livi she'd have to wait to get a pumpkin and they said we could get a small one because some one else had left a tip that would pay for it! Livi was very happy :) Thanks Corn Maze! While Daddy was putting Sofie in the car and loading all the muddy gear up I let Livi go on the big trampoline pillow, which was more like a slip and slide. She did have some trouble getting up it and I wasn't about to take my still try boots off to get her up. I even tried throwing her up but she just bounced back down :) A dad who was already up there came and grabbed her hand to help pull her up. She really enjoyed coming down because the big kids were bouncing and she bounced on her butt all the way down :) 

A very wet family day that had more frustration in it than we were expecting but it will definitely make for some good memories! We got home and promptly got the kids in a warm bath to hopefully keep any chill away. Then we had dinner with some hot chocolate to warm our insides!

Water Pump. Livi was fascinated :)

Swimming in, and apparently eating, the corn box!

One the trampoline!

Check out how soaking wet her pants and socks are in this picture!

It was epic.

My Grandpa

Thursday night at 11:30pm my Grandpa left this world and ran in to Heaven where I am sure he was welcomed and rejoiced by Jesus for finally coming home. I can just imagine how big Grandpa's smile was and how straight and pain free he was finally able to walk and run!

My Grandpa was more than just a typical grandpa in my and my siblings lives. He was the only positive father figure that we had. We were a little closer to our grandparents than most grand-kids because of all the time we spent with them. They played a very active role in helping my mom raise us. Because my birth father is a bit of a clinical psychopath, my grandpa helped my mom in any way that he could. It was because of him and Grandma that we were able to have such a good childhood. They were with all of us every step of the way while my mom got us away from my father.

Grandpa modeled how a father is supposed to love his children. He showed me how a husband should love a wife. He taught me how too budget and be wise with my money. He prayed for me my entire life. He guided me... or at least tried to! He opened his home to me when I needed it. He helped me out financially and was so proud of me when I rose to his example and paid him back every penny! He walked me down the aisle 7 years ago.He supported me from the very beginning in our adoption, with no questions asked. I'm so thankful he was able to meet Sofie.

My grandpa has had an interesting life. He was the traditional Mennonite man in many ways but very nontraditional in others. I mentioned in my last post that my grandpa was injured in the war. Someone asked me what a Mennonite was doing in the war. Most were conscientious objectors. This is one of my favorite stories of his. He was a conscientious objector for a while and worked in Alberta, I think. I don't remember what all his reasons were but he decided that he wanted to join the war efforts with out picking up a gun. He became a medic and would move the stretchers of the wounded off the battle fields and in to the hospitals. That's how he was injured. He was proud of his work He knew doing his part against the Nazis, with out picking up a gun, was what God wanted him to do.

He was so proud of his service that he wore his uniform in to Sunday morning service when he got home to his Mennonite church. I didn't think much of it when I was younger. It was Jon who made me realize how incredibly ballsy it was to where a soldier uniform into a church filled with pacifists! All the young Mennonite ladies apparently thought he was so handsome... all the Menno fathers where freaking out I'm sure. My grandma was one of those young ladies :) Later, Grandpa bumped in to Grandma on the street and she helped him shop for a tie. They bumped in to a friend of Grandpa's who asked if Grandma was his wife. He responded with "Not yet." Grandma was stunned as that was really the first time they had spent any time together. I love that story :)

I'm so thankful to have had such a great grandfather in my life. I am very thankful he is at peace now and will miss him terribly. I hope Livi can remember him. He loved both of my kids unconditionally. He died two months, to the day, after Sofie came home. I don't think Sofie will remember him but we have pictures to show her and stories to tell. I'm so thankful that she got to meet him.

Two Months

Sofie has been home for two months now! I'm not entirely sure where the time has gone. Days seem long but they fly by! I can't get over how quickly Sofie is developing. This month has been filled with new feats that Sofie has accomplished and new experiences for her.

Sofie is getting to sleep so much better which makes for a happier baby and a happier family! We've just started putting her to bed a little earlier, on top of the new lullaby regime. We were always having to wake Sofie up in the morning in order to get her down for a nap on time and wake her up from her nap in order to get her down for bed at an okay time. For three days now we've put her to bed at 7pm and she is waking up just before 8am by herself! She is ready for nap time at 12:30pm which we are still trying to get better at so she can wake up by herself between 2:30 and 3pm. Livi is going down for her nap around 1pm until about 2:30pm and bed at 7:45pm (she reads until 8ish) to wake up at 7:30am. All in all, we are pretty happy with how this whole sleep thing is finally working out! Hooray! We have our evenings and afternoons back! It only took two months! I hope it lasts...

Sofie's language is also taking flight. She consistently calls me Mama now and is starting to try to say Dada. She says baba for baby and bye bye usually mimicking us. She is also starting to say Ha (Hi) more consistently too! She understands English so much better than I could have hoped. It is completely amazing how quickly she picked it up. I'm not even convinced that she has any trouble understanding us anymore... well, at a 1 year olds developmental level anyway. She can follow simple verbal instructions like "no" and "arms up". She gets tickled when she puts her arms up! When we say no to something she shows us that she understands by gently motioning what it was she wasn't supposed to be doing while shaking her head 'no'. Then she may or may not repeat the action with full force :)

Sofie is hitting and pulling hair WAY less but still grabs and throws anything she can get her hands on. I barely see her rock like she used to anymore. She barely pulls her own hair. She still clicks her teeth and jaw sometimes but that has lessened too. She is much more gentle and you can tell that she is feeling more secure. She still has no problem going up to strangers but she always comes back to me and wants me when she is upset, so I think the attachment stuff is going great too!

She still doesn't chew food, suck a straw or drink with out spilling and we are still waiting to see a feeding ans swallowing OT but she is eating great. We just have to make sure the food is small and softish. I meant to weigh her today but forgot... so I'll do it tomorrow and update this :) She sure has chunked up though! She is 22.5 pounds! Up a pound since last month and up 3 lbs since we first got her!

Sofie still loves music. She hates sweet potatoes. I know! Weird kid. She likes her space but wants people around. She prefers adults to kids. She likes to clap, dance and eat! She eats a lot now :) She loves playing with her baby dolls and Mommy! She LOVES getting 'tossed' around and tickled. I think she is going to love roller coasters! Can't wait to see her smile and hear her glee while her heart is racing and I'm trying not to die from the side lines!

Thanksgiving 2011

Although I have some very obvious things to be thankful for this year, its been a little hard this weekend to truly get in to the thankfulness spirit. While I am so filled with thankfulness for my children, my husband, my home, and my extended family, it is hard being a mom, my husband has taken up snoring which is interfering with my sleeping, my yard has been destroyed by the contractor who did our sewer hook-up forcing mud to be tracked all over our home, and my family is in a hard pre-grieving stage waiting for my grandfather to pass away.

Saturday morning EVERYTHING seemed like a hopeless problem with no way to fix it. I cried, I vented to my mom, and I cried some more. I was alone with the girls that morning and couldn't get anything done. I found that even though we had cleaned and revamped where Parker, our cat, has taken to peeing in the girl's room, he had done it again. A puddle of pee splashed on my leg as I was investigating, their shoes were splattered, and it was in the rug again. I cried. After a hug from Sofie and a few choice words yelled at the cat, I washed all their shoes.

For the rest of the morning everything looked dingy, dirty, beyond repair, and gross. I was ready to get rid of the cat, tear out all the flooring in my home, re-do the bathroom and kitchen and/or seriously talk to Jon about moving. My yard seemed to be in such disrepair that my kids would probably never have fun in it again and they definitely couldn't be out there alone because of all the apparent dangers! I think I over-reacted a bit :)

I do stand by my dissatisfaction with the yard. The contractor was supposed to come today and he is going to get an earful when he does come. But, I have a lovely home. It is one of the nicest basement suites I've seen and we do own it! We have huge bedrooms, a play area for the kids and even an office! I'm truly blessed to live downstairs from my mom. She is such a great support and I'm glad I can be there to help her out too. I love that she has such a close relationship with my girls. Livi wakes up at 7:30 each morning and heads on upstairs for breakfast with her! She doesn't quite understand why we don't let her up there on weekends though. She hasn't grasped the concept of sleeping in yet.

Speaking of grandparent relationships, my grandpa, whom I have be extremely close with and who participated greatly in raising me, is dying. He is now on 'comfort care' only. That means no IV's and no medical interventions other than pain medications. He has lived a long life and been ready to go for a long time. He had hoped he would go in his sleep or have heart attack and it would be quick. It has been slow and painful though. The last two years have been a steady decline in his physical and cognitive abilities. It has been really hard on everyone, especially since he has been home with Grandma and home support up until a few weeks ago.

Yesterday I took my daughters to the hospital to say goodbye. They usually see him a few times a month but since he has been in the hospital we've gone about once a week. He wasn't conscious yesterday and had just had a shot of morphine but I think it was good for Livi to see him like that. I've been trying to talk to her about Opa dying, as much as she can grasp. We've explained to her that Opa has lived  really long time and wants to go to Heaven now. His body isn't working very well and when it stops working he will die and go to Heaven! We've told her that she won't see him again and Mommy, Marmee and Oma will be very sad because we miss him so much, but Opa won't be sad. He will partying it up in THE BEST PLACE EVER! He won't be sick there anymore. She told Oma about Opa going to Heaven yesterday. It was quite precious and we all got a little teary. I am so glad that he will no longer be in pain. He has lived with chronic pain ever since the war. I am very ready for him to die... well as ready as I can be I guess. But, I am going to miss him terribly.

We did get to celebrate Thanksgiving though. On Friday we joined Jon's extended family for a very delicious dinner. It was a little ill-timed for young kids so Sofie, in particular, was hungry and tired before we even got to the dinner. It was also her first big gathering held somewhere other than her home so she was over stimulated. I had also just had an update about my grandpa and hadn't slept well at all the night before, so I was not the best guest and Sofie's fussiness was extra stressing me out. The aunts and uncles who couldn't make it to Sofie's Blessing were finally able to meet her though! They were really awesome about giving us our space too, which I think I needed as much as Sofie did :)

Sunday was my family's dinner. I made the best turkey you've ever tasted, thanks to Gordon Ramsay. Sessa was in charge of all types of potatoes (mashed and sweet), my mom bought the veggies but I think my sisters ended up cooking most of them and Liz made two pies and a trifle! It was a tamer and more appropriate dinner than usual since we had a guest with us. My mom threatened all of us to be on our best behavior... or else! I don't think any under cover body parts or bedroom humor was mentioned even once! I definitely think this is a holiday for the history books. I'm not sure we can pull that off again. My mom has a lot to be thankful for this year. It may never happen again!

Typical moment of Livi trying to be the doting sister with Sofie ready to swat her away.

Our family did get to enjoy one of our spontaneous dance parties that seem to happen every holiday. I love it. My kids love it! I think people driving by our open window leaving their dinners must think how cool our family is... or look at us wondering what meds we aren't taking. Both might be true.

Sofie didn't quite get it all but she enjoyed the dancing and loved the chocolate trifle!

I'm so thankful for my girls. Livi is literally amazing. She is fills me with joy everyday. Sofie is my exceptional gift. She is exceeding all expectations. I'll say more when I blog about her two month anniversary. I don't know why I am so blessed to be her mom but I'm thankful for it. For both of them. I'm thankful for my husband. He is patient, caring and willing to work on us. Not all men will work for their relationships or their wives, but Jon does. I'm thankful for my mom who listens and gently guides me through my life. I don't know where I would be with out her. I'm thankful for all my supportive family and friends who make me laugh and genuinely care about me and my little family. Writing this is reminding me of all the things that I really am thankful for and blessed with... so I'm thankful for blogging. It is an outlet where I can organize my thoughts and feel a sense of connection through this mommy stage in my life. Thanks for staying with me and sending me your emails and comments. It means so much to me!

What a Day!

What a day... I don't really know where to start.

This morning was nice. Jon had a really good sleep and let me sleep in, even though it was his turn. Then I got to go out and do some errands with my mom, child free. I know, a sad life when going to Canadian Tire and Walmart is exciting. I came home to both girls asleep in their room... TOGETHER! Super Daddy!

I'm kind of scared to post about this for fear of jinxing things but after that really rough week last week with both girls, this week has been awesome! Both  girls seem to be feeling settled. They are happier, getting along better, sharing, playing together and sleeping! Both girls are sleeping great! Do I dare say that we have figured it out?

The key?

For Sofie it was the Queens of the Stone Age Rockabye Lullaby's. Great album. No words just the music played really well in a softer way. Sofie loves it. We just turn it on the iPod quietly beside her crib and leave her. She falls asleep in less than 30 minutes for naps and night! I know all the attachment and adoption books say to do some style of co-sleeping in the beginning. We did variations of co-sleeping for 2 months now,but they haven't consistently worked. We slept with her in our bed in Bulgaria but she wasn't comfortable and neither were we. She tossed and turned and woke frequently. We tried sleeping with her in her big girl bed until she fell asleep, but that was inconsistent and took almost two hours of her poking at us to get her to sleep. The crib worked better and we would lay down beside it on the floor until she fell asleep but that would still take over an hour and she frequently would not nap. Bed time was very inconsistent too. She just usually just tried to get our attention. Now, we just leave her with the music. She sleeps at night and for naps! It is a God send!

For naps we keep the girls separate. Livi naps with one of us in our bed and Sofie falls asleep with her music. Livi has been fighting us to get to sleep, particularly at night. She has every reason and behavioral tantrum to not go to sleep. So the secret to her? We bought her a little book light and let her read for 30 minutes. She is quiet, excited to go to bed and reads until the time we tell her and then goes to sleep with no questions asked! Amazing! How did it take us this long to realize that she is an avid night reader like her daddy?!

Peace, quiet, serenity, and Mommy alone time starting at 8 pm sharp (sometimes even 7:45pm)! Ahhhhh :)

I've realized both Livi and Sofie are very emotionally connected to my emotions. I know that most kids have this to a degree with their caregivers but I'm not sure if most kids feed off the caregivers energy quite like my kids. I knew I was in sync with Livi. It is something between birth mother and daughter. There is nothing like it. We almost feel each other's feelings sometimes and know when there is something wrong with the other. Like a twin thing. I always prided myself in knowing what my baby needed or wanted and gave that credit as to why Livi was always such an easy baby. I read her well. With Sofie, I didn't expect the same type of bond so quickly or even at all. I didn't even notice it at first. My mom pointed it out. Then Jon said something and I started noticing it a lot more too. Sofie and Livi almost feed off of my emotions, much more than Jon's. If I am happy and relaxed, they tend to be. If I'm frazzled or upset, they have tantrums. My week of PMS was the week they were both ridiculous. I feel bad for Jon when all three of us get our periods at the same time!

Sofie being so connected to my emotions, I think, is a really good sign of a positive attachment. I don't know if she has picked it up so quickly because I do tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve or because she is following Livi's lead. Either way, I think it is mostly a good thing. It leaves a lot of responsibility on my shoulders though. I need to remember to keep care of myself better, for there sake. Jon has been supporting this too. I don't think he wants another week like last week either!

After the naps today, I took the girls to Sofie's very first play date at a friends house with two little boys and two dogs. She has never really seen a dog before. She did amazing! At first she was nervous and clung to me while the kids ran around and made a ton of noise. After a snack and me sitting with her in my lap in the play area she relaxed! At about the hour mark she got off my lap by herself and even tried to play with a few toys! The new puppy crawled in to my lap to replace her and even though she was afraid at first, she was petting it by the end and happy about it!!! I was so proud of her :)

I came home to a stressful evening though. We had our house being hooked up to the new sewer line in our neighborhood yesterday and today. Yesterday, we had come home to not being able to get in to our door because of the dirt they piled on our walk way. We live in the basement of the house so our door is on the side. Thankfully, I live with my mother and had the key to the front door. I was a little annoyed that we hadn't been warned about this but got over it. Today I came home to the "completed" job which apparently means my walk way caked in dirt, so much that you can't decipher it from the ground beside it. The yard that they dug up is all lumpy and uneven, with mounds of grass and dirt in various places, plus the thick cement lid to the septic tank that they filled laying in the middle of our yard! The hook-up guy has a very nasty voice message that he better answer tomorrow morning.

Expecting to come inside for dinner, we realized that even though my wonderful husband had put dinner in the oven and set the temperature, he had failed to actually hit "start" and dinner was still frozen. (As I am typing this I just asked if he had put the lasagna back in the freezer and nope...still in the oven six hours later. Awesome.) Then, as I was putting some of the girls clothes away, I discovered the source of the odd smell in the corner of their room. Our cat has been repeatedly peeing on my daughters' shoes! Argh! So gross!

Because of the dinner fail, I did get to have sushi for dinner so the night wasn't all bad. And, the girls went to sleep at 7:45pm with out a peep! I got to watch my delicious vampires and doctors on Thursday night television!

Everybody Has a Random

1. This week was rough. I think the honeymoon with Sofie is over. Friday night was very low. Both girls were being ridiculous and I was PMSing. At one point I was just rocking a crying Sofie in the dark, crying myself. We finally got both girls to sleep though. Jon made me go out Saturday morning. I went to the kids swap and then the Eco Boutique and got an Echo Rain shirt for myself! I came home much more relaxed and to happy children!

2. Sofie has been playing so well. A month ago she had no idea what to do with toys but lately this area of development has been taking off! She started just playing with baby dolls but now she plays with the kitchen set, tea set, tent, mirror, mega blocks, books etc! It is so great to see :)

3. Thursday we got Sofie's Citizenship Card! She has technically been a citizen since landing in Canada but we had no way of proving it! With her card now, we have applied for her MSP and Care Card, SIN card, Passport, and Child Tax benefit! Once her Care Card comes in we can get a doctor to fill out her Disability Tax credit, Access card and get her on Jon's Extended health. The paperwork never ends!

4. I'm feeling the lack of storage and flow in our home right now. We have a very mis-matched kitchen with no counter space and no closet space anywhere. I'm thinking of even renting a storage unit or something. The girls' next sizes of clothes that I am storing are over taking any corners of storage that we do have. I'd get rid of the baby stuff but we are not sure that we are done having kids quite yet. There are so many things that I love about this home, and so many things that are really getting to me.

5. Livi has been so helpful and fun lately, when she isn't throwing a tantrum. Maybe emotionally manic is a better way to describe her. When she is feeling happy she is an angel. She figures out to do things all herself and does anything and everything to help out. She shares with Sofie and gets so excited to see how she reacts. The other day she put a whole pan of cookie dough on the pan by herself and I only had to fix three of them! I was a kind of proud. Then her mood switches so quickly for seemingly no reason, and it has escalated to a full tantrum melt down a few times. It is quite epic. She is definitely keeping us on our toes! I love her.

6. Halloween is so much more exciting when you have kids! Livi is going as a bumblebee and I'm hoping Sofie fits in to the ladybug costume of Livi's from last year!

7. I'm already getting excited for Christmas!