Project 365 - February 27-28th

My weekend has been chock full of sick and sleeping babies. So that's what you get.

Project 365 - February 26th

Snowstorm aftermath. Approximately 30 new centimeters to snowblow while Mischief supervises in her stylish vest.

Project 365 - February 25th

Bus duty on a Friday night in a blizzard. I know you are jealous!

Project 365 - February 24th

Matching Isabel pic! Poor wee girl woke up feeling miserable. When she tried to eat lunch today, she ended up in tears. She just couldn't do it. Now, I know why because within moments of climbing back up on the couch, she was asleep. So sad.

Project 365 - February 23rd

My poor baby was exhausted by the time I got home this afternoon. Both little ones had fevers and his was getting the better of him.

Catelogue of Izzy #4

For the second time, when we drove past Christ Church Cathedral, Isabel has said, "look at that castle." Not surprising, if you look at it. She followed that up with, "there's a dragon in there!"

Here be dragons, indeed.

Project 365 - February 16th-22nd

Phew....what a week! I fell off the wagon a bit. I missed a couple of photos, but given how many extras I've posted on previous days, I am not going to beat myself up too much ;)

Mischief, our beloved pooch, looking highly suspicious because I'd been poking at her infected ear.

The kitties as close to one another as they get.

We went out for brunch Saturday morning and in the parking lot where we left the car, many of the posts had been pulled apart by ice...water got in, froze and pushed the cement tops out of the posts. I thought it looked neat.

Dress up time!!

Rrrrrrrroll Up the Rim to Win!

1972 called and they'd like their debate back

When both a District Attorney and Justin Bieber are in the news discussing abortion, you know it is going to be quite a week for women's issues.
I stumbled upon the horrific story of the "abortion clinic" (I use quotation marks for a reason) in Philadelphia purely by accident when I was Googling for something entirely different. I started reading about the doctor involved and the crimes committed and, as though it were the proverbial train wreck, I couldn't look away. I was shocked at what I was reading.
When I got to the end of the articles though, my shock turned from the story itself to the commentary made by other readers. Please don't think me naive; I am aware that, to use the terminology coined by a friend of mine, commentators tend to be "the underbelly of the internet" (™Jennifer Richard). However, the discussion was not one of fury over the issues that allowed this "doctor" to commit the crimes that he had: poverty, poor healthcare, poor treatment of immigrants, neglect in the department that was supposed to be monitoring this clinic, etc. or even despair over the crimes themselves. No, the shallow and dichotomous discourse was over abortion and the laws regulating it.
Don't get me wrong - I am disturbed by the crimes of Dr. Gosnell and his staff, but the fact that people can't see the forest for the trees is incredibly disappointing. What this clinic was doing were not legal abortions, but rather reminiscent of the backroom procedures done before Roe-vs-Wade. The only part that abortion laws play in this situation is that they were not being enforced and the responsible parties didn't protect women who needed it.
Just to throw some fuel on the fire though, Justin Bieber, idol of millions of girls between the ages of nine and twenty-five, was quoted in Rolling Stone as having said that he believes abortion is "like killing a baby" and that everything, including rape, "happens for a reason." Ugh.

Project 365 - February 13th-15th

Science Rocks!

My attempt at a homemade white mocha, using my favourite coffee and white hot chocolate, was a flop :(

Poor Orin-boo had four vaccinations today. Dear sad boy did as well as could be expected and got a Transformers bandage for his suffering.

What a difference a year makes!

Yesterday was Orin's 1st birthday. It is hard for me to believe that this time last year, suspicions that Orin had NDI were increasing rapidly, I was recovering from the best labour and delivery I could have imagined and Alexandre Bilodeau made Olympic history by winning the first medal of the 2010 games and the first gold won on home soil. It has been a wild ride since then and, now that I am back to work, Orin is in daycare and is gaining weight consistently and things just seem to be moving along smoothly, it feels like we may have emerged from the other side of the craziness.
I feel so very blessed for everything we have. Orin and I will be visiting the NICU after his monthly appointment at the hospital on Tuesday. In the meantime, here is the link to the photos from the birthday celebration yesterday. And here is the video montage of Orin's first year:

Project 365 - February 9th-12th

Izzy made a card for Orin's birthday tonight.

Isabel figured this would be appropriate sliding attire....

There is no photo take February 11th because I had a crazy day at work and was busy doing this alllllll night.

We went to the skating pond in our neighbourhood today. There is also a playground there and Isabel had a great time on the slide.

Project 365 - February 8th

Orin two-fisting it.

BONUS PHOTO!!

Isabel obliged Orin when he started offering her random soggy bits from his supper tray.

Project 365 - February 7th

For the first time ever, we *almost* forgot Orin's meds today. Dave had already driven them as far as the St. Mary's bypass before I called to tell him that Orin hadn't had them. Glad we caught it and impressed that it took a year for it to happen, but will be more cautious from here on in.

Project 365 - February 6th

Daddy and Izzy played outside this afternoon and he made her a little maze/fortress in the snow. She was delighted.

Project 365 - February 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th

Today, Orin had an ultrasound of his kidneys and bladder. This is a typical monitoring procedure for little guys with NDI. They are monitoring for damage due to the quantity of water he is drinking and the potential dehydration that can occur. It is a bit of a milestone.

Gung Hei Fat Choy!

Just a pen, right? No. There is no such thing as "just a pen" to those of us who use them regularly. We have favourite inks and favourite grips and weights and favourite features. This pen is from a friend's company and I love it. It isn't just a black pen or even a multi-ink pen. One of those little levers controls a mechanical pencil!!!! I don't think I can adequately express how happy this makes me.

The kids having a great time in the fancy carts at Home Depot

Project 365 - February 1st

My space at work is coming together. I've got most of my decorations and functional stuff organized and in place. I think I am ready for the influx of students and insanity tomorrow (assuming we don't get a snow day).

Project 365 - January 31st & Attn: Fredericton Drivers

Another combo post!! Aren't you lucky!!

So with my being on maternity leave for a year, very seldom did I have to drive during peak hours, so I didn't deal with other drivers in nearly the quantity I do while working. Remembering the joy of dealing with other drivers was an unexpected "perk" of my return to work today. As a direct result of my recent dealings with my fellow motorists, I have developed this far-from-exhaustive list of requests and suggestions for my friends behind their respective wheels.

• You see that little stick jutting out from the left side of your steering column? When you flick it up or down, lights on the front and back of your vehicle flash, indicating that you will be turning. I know that you've been advised of this little tidbit before, because, as a child, I heard my mother teach a similar lesson, using somewhat more colourful language.
  
  
• Right-of-way is your friend. It prevents accidents and keeps traffic flowing. Learn it, love it. By the way, just because you are turning left does not mean you have to wait for all of the other traffic at the four-way stop to clear out before going. Just sayin'.
  
  
• And while I appreciate your attempts to recreate your childhood dream of joining the circus as a tight-rope walker, I would appreciate it if you didn't straddle the white line into my lane while living out your imaginings. You use your lane; I'll use mine and we'll all get where we are going without my needing to hire the team from CSI to hunt you down through analysis of the paint transfer left behind after you side-swipe me in your ugly taupe car.
  
  
• If you can't park, you can't drive. I think this is reasonable. No matter how amazing you are at conducting your vehicle, if you can't manage to leave it somewhere in a sensible and respectful fashion, the fact that you can get it there is a moot point. I'm talking to you Mr.I-drive-a-GIANT-Hemi-powered-pickup-so-I-can-park-across-as-many-parking-spots-as-I-want. Those of us who had to drive around for approximately ten minutes in order to find a spot in the movie theatre parking lot salute you and your douchebaggery.
  
  
• Finally, you may be following too close if I can't see your headlights in my rearview mirror, but I can see you picking your nose, despite it being dark out.

Project 365 - January 30th & Catelogue of Izzy

This one needed its own post because there is a story that goes with it. As Isabel and I were driving to the grocery store, she piped up from the backseat:
Isabel: "I want to do elastics."
Me: "What honey?"
I: "I want to do elastics."
M: "I don't know what that means, hon."
I: "EEEEELASTICS! I want to do eeelastics. With the boy. The big boy."
M: (repeated what she said and looked in the rearview mirror to see her doing this...)

(I am completely boggled, so I repeat it again, at which time it dons on me what she is saying)
M: "WAIT! Are you saying you want to do GYMNASTICS?"
I: "Yeah!! Elastics! With the big boy!"
(I start laughing. The hand gesture is her trying to gesture "big" and by "big boy" she means the male coach who was instructing them at the school's field trip to gymnastics on Thursday.)

For the nervous nellies out there, I asked her to do the hand gesture again for me once we'd stopped in the parking lot...she is not riding around Fredericton without a seatbelt on.

Project 365 - January 28th & 29th

The kids and I turned a giant box into a playhouse. We then treated the playhouse like a clown car and jammed all three of us in it.

A weekend full of laundry :P

Project 365 - January 26th & 27th

The Wall - we bought a Super Yard in order to better contain Orin because is a wild and crazy baby.

My birthday card made by my girly *hearts*.