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Our trip to Blind River was a little rough. Rowan did sleep for over 2 hours but when the drive is 6 hours long, that leaves a good solid 4 hours of pure back seat entertaining for me to do. I was exhausted after making face after face after face and singing silly song after silly song. We managed to keep the crying and whining to a minimum and it was really only the last 2 hours or so that were tough. I am dreading the ride back to Ottawa already. I have 3 more sleeps to prepare myself though.
The ride here was nothing compared to the terrible nights we have been having. Rowan has developed a runny nose and is plugged up. I think that his difficulty breathing has prevented him from sucking his thumb which means he can't soothe himself back to sleep when he does stir. He has also discovered his lungs and what used to be crying and complaining has become screaming and yelling. He likes to practice these new skills when he can't get back to sleep which just wakes him up even more. We've had him in our bed every night since we have been away even though he has a brand new play pen to sleep in (we caved and got a playpen with our Sears dollars after he refused to sleep in the tent), but that doesn't help. In fact, I think it makes things worse because I believe that the runny nose is due to the cats and our bed has been visited a time or two by Arnie and Katie. To make things worse, I think that he is teething again because his cheeks are red and he is pulling on his ears. So, if you put allergies, teeth, a lot of travel, a new bed (or 2), sleeping between a mommy and a daddy who make the bed bounce, new food, new fun skills like yelling and standing and new environments all together, you get one very happy day-time-baby but one very unhappy night-time-stinker-bum. You also get parents who are very worried that their good sleeper will not return when they get home again and back into their regular routines. All of that hard work might have gone down the toilet thanks to our trip to England and the moving around we have been doing for the past 4 weeks...
I am going to try and not think about that for now and enjoy the rest of our 3 days here with my parents. We don't get up here very much anymore and they don't get to see Rowan as often as they like and so a few tough nights are worth it (I wouldn't ask me if I feel that way at 2am though with a screaming, yelling baby on my hands). Rowan loves his grammy and poppa. You can see it in his big smiles. Here they are together in front of the sunken ship. It was a beautiful day for a walk on the lake.
Last Tuesday we arrived in Toronto and met Baby Simon for the first time. Our visit with Gihad, Caroline, Eli and Simon was short, but we got several fantastic meals in and a trip to the mall too. We really miss them and are sad that we aren't closer, but our time together was great and I guess we can do nothing more than make the best of it as we get it.
I am embarrassed by the fact that we didn't get to meet Baby Landon until now too. Yes, he is only 3 weeks old but he is our nephew and I feel like we should have been there. I know we couldn't help not making it to Cambridge because of the traveling and the timing of his arrival, but I still feel quite bad. Again, I wish we were closer. We stayed for 3 sleeps and played with Addison who has grown into a real little girl and helped Margo and Brent with Landon. It appears as though he too is plagued with the milk/soy allergy. Margo started the elimination diet and like a miracle, Landon woke up a new baby on day 14. He seemed to like his Aunt Jenny who according to his mommy, "has the touch". I chalk it up to recent experience with cranky uncomfortable newborns. He is a cute baby despite the acne and the stomach cramps. He looks just like his proud big sister who is going to boss him around like nobody's business when they are a little older. She'll be teaching him to "dip and not scoop" in no time at all...
Here a few of my favourite shots from our visit. Don't they look like they could be my babies? Now, if only I could see me in my own child!
We have only had a few days home but it was enough time to get a new book (Boo Hoo Bird) and a few bonks on the head to go along with it.
Boo Hoo Bird is right up there with Grumpy Bird as one of my favourites. Bird gets bonked on the head with a baseball and visits his friends who try to make him feel better. Rowan's new ability to sit up and play and listen as we read him a book has been so exciting. But it has come at a cost. He has bonked his head numerous times and although he doesn't have any friends like Boo Hoo Bird does who are willing to kiss his bobo better, he has a mommy to do so. Thank goodness for that!
Everyone around me is either pregnant or just had a new baby. Alright, that is a my-mom-ism (i.e. exaggeration), but it sure feels like there is a babyboom happening all around us. I am really happy that all of the children being born will be close in age but it has us already considering the timing of baby bejjani #2 and I am not sure that I am ready to have another baby so soon. I had a dream the other night that I was carrying around shopping bags full of stuff as Jenn took me through houses that were for sale. I kept knocking things over. I stopped to take a pregnancy test in one of the bathrooms and Lucas and Julianna wouldn't stop pestering me and trying to get in to see me. Hanan came by and I got angry with the kids which caused Hanan to get mad at me. It was all very strange, and when I woke up I started to count on my hands how many months remained between now and June (we had discussed getting pregnant in June so that I would be back to work for 6 months, just long enough to go off on maternity leave again). When I counted 3 fingers I started to panic. June--June is too soon. It's too soon for so many reasons. Some of them selfish, some of them entirely unselfish.
Although B3 the 2nd (B3T2) might be months away from conception (assuming we even get pregnant again), we have been tossing names around. There is a whole lot to a name. Rowan was chosen because John and I both independently liked the name-I liked it because it was my great-grandmother's maiden name, John liked it because it is a tree name and he likes strong names, and loves trees. Rowan has meaning. I'd like to chose something for a new baby in the same way. I think that is why I am particularly fond of the two baby girl names that we have added to our list recently: Willow (a tree) and Albi (meaning: "my heart" in Arabic). Albi would be called "Libby". Yes, "my heart" is special on its own. But I am attached to the name because it also reminds me of my grampa- Albert, who as you know, is around me all the time (he made an appearance again today in fact.). Her middle name will be "Hannah", after her dad. I guess I am anticipating a girl this time? Nah, I really wouldn't mind another boy but unfortunately boy names are much harder to come up with. Thank goodness we have 12+months to worry about it...
And if you are wondering about grampa's appearance... Rowan was doing his smiling-at-the-wall thing and I said: "Say hi to grampa". We were in the basement and I was about to turn the TV volume off. I said in my head:" if I turn this off and it comes back on, it means grampa is here". Yes, the TV volume turned back on, not once, but twice. I bet you think I am nuts right? Don't worry, I think I am too.
He learns to sit up on his own and play with his toys... I am thoroughly enjoying playing with his toys too as you can see by the stuffed ring around his neck.
If you remember before Christmas, I posted a blog about how I couldn't have any cookies at the cookie exchange because of the milk/soy content in all of them. It hadn't occurred to me at that time that we might have to deprive the little guy of cookies too. Well, I am happy to report that we found a cookie that he can have. Not only are they milk and soy free, but they are also free of sugar and salt and they taste like banana. He enjoyed his first cookie while I ate my breakfast with him this morning. He had about 3/4 of the cookie before he was done and this was AFTER he had about 4 tablespoons of cereal and 3 tablespoons of a yummy conction of fresh strawberries and apple sauce.
