Check the list

Hi!
I'm back! I've been gone for a really long time, but figured that I'd try to post a couple of times while I'm on VACATION!
Yeah, I'm on vacation, but we're not going anywhere. Now that we have two children who require seats, we can't fly away every year. So I'm taking off two weeks and the first week the kids are in daycare and I have a list of stuff I want to get done. The second week we're going to take day trips and hang out around Montreal. My husband has informed me that the list is ambitious. Here's some of it:
Visit:
Maggie (see basement reno)
Debbie (see final landscaping)
Lynda (see new baby - 9 months late)
Adriana (feed dinner)
Jon & Tanya (it's been too long)
Irene (see photos from France)
Shawna (she just got a new puppy!)

Organize:
Diningroom
Office
Kids' clothes
Kids' rooms
House

Other:
Get Ben's school stuff
Hem Ben's pants
Wash car
Bake cupcakes
Get hair cut
Check out wool shops
Sewing projects (too many to mention)
Find the perfect skirt (done!)
Read

Five things I love about you

You think that any outfit is better with your airplane tie
The way you whisper "momma" when we're having some quiet time together
Your negotiation tactics that get you two cookies instead of one
When you come running to the door when I come home and tell me that you missed me today
That you still love to cuddle with me on the sofa
You are five today and you are your own little man. You pick out your own clothes, make up games, play with your sister, and love to help people. You start school in less than two months! It seems like it was such a short time ago that you were sleeping on me while I watched you breathe. When I tell you how big you're getting, you tell me that you're not getting bigger, that you're getting smaller. Part of me wishes that were true and that you would stay this way forever. You are my perfect little boy and I love you so, big or small.
All my heart,
Momma

My little girl is two

Another year has passed and you are still my favorite little girl in the whole entire universe. You are full of life and the definition of feisty, which you already know is very cute on a girl, especially one in striped tights. You greet me every evening at the door with a toy or two as welcome gifts, and you run around saying "momma" and trying to show me everything that you lay your eyes on, excited to share your discoveries with me. You started daycare in September and are already running the place, having wrapped several of the teachers around your tiny pink fingers. You love bugs, and bananas, and your daddy, although maybe not in that order. You have games of chase with your brother in which you catch him and drag him to the ground with a bear hug, and you've finally started speaking and when we hand you things we now hear a melodic little "thank you" that makes us smile. You are perfect in every way and I cannot imagine my life without you in it, especially when you hug me with your whole body and I melt from sheer joy. You are the best treat I ever got on Halloween - Momma loves you Nomi-noo, happy birthday!

and now you are 4

Well you blink and another year has gone by! How is it possible that you are 4? I still remember feeling your little kicks, and how you used to put your hand over your head and tickle me under the ribcage before you were born. I had no idea what to expect back then, I didn't know that you were a boy, that you would show up three weeks early, that you would charm the nurses into holding you all night long, that you could make sleep deprivation so lovely, that you hate bananas, that you love cake, that you would become such a great big brother, that you won't wear anything that we haven't pitched as a superhero costume, that you would ever stop requesting The Wiggles, that you would love music, and animals, and swimming, potato chips, and your Buddy as much as you do, that everyone you meet is still charmed and drawn to your beautiful, gentle, nature, and I had no idea that I could love one person so incredibly much. You are my favorite little boy in the whole, wide world. Happy birthday Booboo!
Love, Momma

countdown to party 4 Ben

It's Ben's fourth birthday party this Saturday and it's going to be a blast! We handed out invitations to the kids in his daycare group and no one got back to us, until two days ago. I figured that everyone was busy or on vacation so I could just get back to planning for the usual guests, but now we have a bonified kid's party, and I'm suddenly wondering if I have what it takes to impress a 4 year old. That seems kinda pathetic. We're doing a superman/hero theme. I'm making a superman cake, we have party favours, etc. I am making capes for all the kids (there will be 7 guests + Ben + his sister). Steve is handling the games and general child herding. In the happy fog that I was in because I was so happy that Ben would have his friends there, I completely forgot that this would also mean at least one adult per friend, maybe two if they had nothing else to do. With the usual suspects, family members, kids, and their parents, we're now up over 30. I need to make a bigger cake and pray it doesn't rain because we'll never get that many people in our house.

Worst kept secret in the world

One of the big articles advertised on the cover of Cosmo this month is "Secrets of Male Arousal".
They're kidding, right?

Happy Birthday to me!

It's 5:30 and I've just had a chance to post! Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes - you rawk the casbah :-)
I've been spoiled rotten and had to sit through the first of four days of TCP/IP training - all in all, I think that evens out.
Highlight of party this weekend: my cool friends who came to celebrate with me, awesome gifties, and cupcakes decorated with little Daniel Craigs - my husband is the best (but that doesn't mean he gets Willow or Veronica Mars cakes :-)
Smoochies and love to you all,
Dina

ADD in the afternoon

I am having the worst time concentrating today. For the first time in a week we have sunshine outside and it's hot enough to be sleeveless. I went out at lunch, but that just convinced me that I should be outside and not inside trying to wrap my head around access networks. Ben is getting on with his therapist, Sarah, and today he will meet the therapist who will work with him Wednesdays and Saturdays. I think that he will start appreciating his Sundays a little more with all the work he's going to be doing. Mornings have been a bit rough, he's had a freakout on the way to the daycare or just after we get there every day this week. I think that it's just because he has to adapt to a new schedule, so he's extra sensitive to transitions. Luckily after he's at the daycare he seems to have very productive mornings. Today was his shadow's birthday and I made chai cupcakes for the adults and a chocolate cake for the kids. The ladies at the daycare also bought a cake for Bea and there's another birthday cake for one of the kids this afternoon. Those kids are going to be so strung up on sugar by 5.
We have a lot of party prep to do tomorrow and Ben has a party for one of his classmates. This is his second party and it's at the same place as the first one, so he'll probably remember the drill.
So far I have two new pairs of shoes as birthday treats - hooray for shoes! I'm spoiled rotten :-)
Ok, babble is over - now back to work.

How not to use Powerpoint.

therapy begins!

Ben met the ABA therapist yesterday. She came over to our house where we will be doing the sessions because the daycare doesn't have the free space. This means that one of us has to pick up Ben at the daycare at noon everyday and bring him home for a 1-4 session. This kinda sucks because Steve was hoping to be able to work full time in September after Naomi starts daycare, and also because we will now be paying for full days of daycare for Ben and Naomi, and only using 3.5 hours of it for Ben everyday. Anyway, back to his therapist: Sarah is really nice and Ben seems to like her a great deal. We met the director as well. She went to the daycare earlier this week and she jumped in with advice where I thought that she should have been just observing. She meant well, but she doesn't know Ben and totally underestimated how stubborn he can be. Anyway, she's not the therapist who seems like she'll be great. She told us that she's never worked with a student this high functioning, she was amazed that he says "please", "thank you", and "sorry". It's nice to hear things like that. Steve related the comments to Ben's teacher and shadow who were really pleased - a lot of what he is now is due to their efforts. Sarah will be spending the first couple of weeks just hanging out with Ben and getting to know him and playing before the real work begins.
In other news, we've booked our plane tickets to Vancouver in August and we're really looking forward to visiting friends and family and enjoying a real beach. Woohoo!

we're just not that into him

The ladies in the dept were going to go out looking for Brad Pitt this noon hour, but called it off because it's raining, which would not be good for hair, clothing, and shoes. Sorry Brad, maybe next time?

poop the party, kill the joy

Since January, I have staged a few attacks on colleague's offices for fun and enjoyment. I work at a very ... conservative company, the kind that chooses people of a very reserved character. I assume that I got in as part of a rehabilitation program or perhaps just managed to fool them long enough to sign the papers. Anyway, I find that breaking in to someone's office and "My Little Ponying" it or filling it with balloons and streamers is my idea of fun and a good way to get my department together in a united front of mischief. My latest attack was supposed to be for a colleague's birthday. Instead of his office, I wanted to decorate his car to mix it up a bit. Yesterday, the day before we were supposed to do it, everyone chickened out and decided that we're going out for pizza - sigh. I will save the idea and pull it on someone else in the future. I'm not giving up on the party poopers!

trying something out

Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR.

BIG news

We just heard today that Ben is finally going to start his ABA therapy in a couple of weeks. We just have to get the location and the therapist organized. We have been waiting over a year for this and we are so excited to get started. He's eligible for 20hrs/week, but right now they have us slotted 1-4pm Monday-Friday. That's enough for us - way to wait in line! Hooray!

We didn't tiptoe

What a great weekend! A belated happy mother's day to everyone of the mom persuasion!
Saturday we drove to Ottawa to see Steve's mom, had a nice lunch, and went to the tulip festival.

The kids loved the tulips, but they were both in need of naps, so there was the usual demonic behaviour when we wouldn't let them wander through the flowers or pick them, or, in some cases, eat them.


If there's one thing that a tulip festival brings out, it's the photographers. I had some severe camera envy watching the supreme camera geeks wielding their expensive DSLRs with humongous lenses on sleek carbon tripods.
On Sunday I got to sleep in and I got flowers, a new cookbook, and Cirque du Soleil tickets for next weekend! After a pancake breakfast, I chatted on the phone with an old mommy friend (she's not that old), and when Ben and Steve got back from swimming, we had lunch, changed our clothes, and headed up the street for our friends' daughter's christening party. The kids ran around the backyard and we enjoyed some yummy food and good company. We had chinese food for supper and after the kdis were in bed, we watched some tv and enjoyed the evening. Perfect!

What do you think?
(via Melissa)

Your Birthdate: June 12

You're a dynamic, charismatic person who's possibly headed for fame. You tend to charm strangers easily. And you usually can get what you want from them. Verbally talented, you tend to persuade people with your speaking and writing. You are affectionate and loving, but it's hard for you to commit to any one relationship. Your strength: Your charm Your weakness: Your extreme manipulation tactics Your power color: Indigo Your power symbol: Four leaf clover Your power month: December

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

March in April

We did an autism march with the ATEDM on Saturday. The weather was not good for marching - cold and rainy - but we had an amazing troupe of drummers playing us along and the organizers provided colourful red and green hats for the hatless. April is (was) autism awareness month, we'll have to keep that in mind for next year :-)



Ben loved "walking with the people" and jumping in the puddles. The most bizarre part of the march was that we went through mostly residential streets on the Plateau at 10:30 in the morning, so tons of locals came out of doors and stood on balconies in their jammies to watch us go by. There was a Radio Canada team there and they briefly interviewed Steve so he was on the news! Amidst all the drumming and hubbub, Naomi fell asleep. It felt good to participate, I have a feeling that we'll be doing more of it...

Am I the only one excited about this movie?

Yeah, I don't get the "modest" thing either...

stop when you hear the crunch

After living with back pain for the past 18 months, I finally decided to do something about it and booked an appointment with an osteopath. The trouble all started a month after Naomi was born. I would wake up at night and have to pile all the pillows up so that I was nearly vertical to get enough relief to go back to sleep. The pain has dulled significantly over the year and a half, but I still wake up somewhat sore, and that ain't right. A friend recommended her osteopath who has done a good job on her, so I swallowed my fear of all people who manipulate your body and went in. I'm not sure what I was expecting (cracking, breaking, crunching), but she was really nice and figured out that the problem is probably that my hips weren't aligned, not uncommon after birth, especially one that's so freakin' speedy (thanks again, Naomi). I felt fine right after, but now my hip is achy. It would be great if this gets me back to normal, and I'm not afraid anymore! Well, of her anyway.