My amazing little guy...

So, I have two kids, obviously, to anyone who's read this blog before. My oldest is 4 and a half. He was a preemie, and as a result, things did not entirely go according to plan with him. He's a great guy, and I love him with all my heart. His timeline has been unique and he's faced some struggles, most noticably in regards to fine motor skills. So, things happened at his pace and for us, that was completely normal.

Now, enter his little brother. Sullivan is a happy go lucky little toddler that is about to turn two. He doesn't say much, but we took him to the doctor, and that's fine. It's normal and he's trying, which is the most important part. He idolizes his big brother and it's so cute to watch him try to do everything that Sebastian does. But when it comes to fine motor, these two are world's apart. Sullivan loves to feed himself and really doesn't appreciate any help you try to give him. It can be a bit messy, but he's incredible at it. I'd say he has about the same fine motor skills as Sebastian even. He feeds himself more than Sebatian does even.

And then there's colouring. This is something else he loves. Sebastian has not even a passing interest in colouring, but Sullivan loves it!! Today he spent over half an hour colouring a train picture. It was amazing to watch. It's incredible to see how different these two are with skills like that. Sullivan is also keen to build train tracks and trains in a way that Sebastian has never been. It really is amazing the differences between them that way.

I love them both, of course, and I've been awed by the difference between a preemie and a fullterm child and how it has related to their development. Sebastian has taught us about patience and we've learned all sorts of activities and skills to help him along and encourage him to work on fine motor. Sullivan is just excelling at it, at his own pace. He plays games on the iphone. He is constantly bringing us books to read him. He's really good at the look and find ones. I'm blown away by his progress. And I appreciate so much how different he is from his brother. They are definitely each their own person!!

Anyhow, suffice it to say, kids are amazing. They each have their own little path to follow and it's so neat to watch how different they are from one another!!

Thanksgiving in Medicine Hat

So, we went down to Medicine Hat for the long weekend. It was a lot of fun. The boys were very excited to visit with their grandparents. The dog was super excited (as demonstrated by the incredible whine that started the moment we turned onto the road to my parents house).

We did something new this time, in that we took the boys swimming at the leisure centre. The wave pool was absolutely freezing, so we didn't last too long there, but the tot pool was a nice temperature and had tons of toys, the boys were in heaven!! So, Jeremy and I took turns in the lap pool. It was nice to swim in a lane all by yourself!! That pool was quite deep though, but it was good. It can be a 50m pool when needed, which I thought was very cool!! We each got in about a 20 minute swim and after that headed out. It was a beautiful facility. Next up was a quick stop at Starbucks, as it was buy some flavoured via get a free drink day. Forgot to get Sebastian a hot chocolate, so went back in for that, and, ended up with a survey, so upon completing that, it will be another free drink. Yay!!

That evening, we had a yummy supper and then Sebastian and I walked down to the creek. He really wanted to go and it was earlier enough that we went quickly. The dogs came with us (of course), and we had fun. On the way back, we were visited by 4 horses. The horses were a bit too close for comfort. They sort of surrounded us, and I tried very hard to stay calm and not panic, but it was a little intimidating. And, they seemed to be chasing Cronos, so anytime he ran in front of us, they were really moving around. I didn't want one of them to get startled and kick us or something. Eventually Cronos sort of stayed behind them, and then they didn't move around quite as much, which was nice!! Once we got back on the other side of the fence, I felt a huge sigh of relief!! Then, dad came out and we fed the horses some treats. That was nice, although Sebastian was still a bit afraid. Although, really, if I was about 3 feet tall, and a horse, that stands about 6 feet tall kept sniffing me, I'd be a bit timid as well. Sullivan, on the other hand, loved it!!

Sunday was fun as well. Jeremy and I went out for a run in the morning, and that was nice. Pretty funny that the last two times we've gone out together, it's been for exercise!! Oh well, it was nice. We went for lunch and then afterwards, took to the boys to a playground. They had so much fun. Sebastian was playing with another boy and having a great time. Sullivan was going up and down the slide. Then, we checked out a coffee shop in Riverside called the Zucchini Blossom. It was neat, part grocery store, part coffee shop, homemade pastries, muffins and cookies. They had little juices, and fantastic coffees. We enjoyed these while the boys finally napped!! Excited to maybe go back there sometime for paninis!!

That night it was time for turkey dinner and it was fanastic. Played with the boys again, fed the horses again (that showed up about the same time as we had fed them treats the day before).

Sleep isn't always easy to come by in Medicine Hat, the dogs often bark, and the boys are all restless in the unfamiliar surroundings, but the coffees help with that, and the company makes it all worthwhile. We had a wonderful visit, but it's always nice to come home again!!

This week, I'm hoping to get a hike in, but I'll have to keep an eye on the weather and see if that's likely or not...

Fun times in Coventry Hills

So, yesterday I was between 12 hour nightshifts. I am not a big fan of 12 hour shifts as it leaves you very little time for the rest of your life. And, with two young boys at home, I value the time I have with them!!

Yesterday, once Sullivan woke up, we went over to the park. Sebastian was excited to play with his dump truck and crane, so we took them along. The boys were alone at the park with me, and I managed to get a few exercises in (pushups, squats, dips, lunges, that sort of thing), and then another boy came along. Sebastian started playing with him, they were chasing each other and having fun. And then, some neighbours came along, Sebastian's little buddies, and they brought some dump trucks too. And then, some more neighbours came along, and their little guy brought a dump truck too. And then a whole other group of kids came along. At one point, I bet there was close to 20 kids there. It was fantastic. They were all interacting. There was lots of playing with the rocks and dump trucks, some games of tag and hide and seek, sliding and playing on the playground itself. It was great. We ended up spending almost an hour and half there. We've never gone there for that long before. But it was fun and both boys were loving it, so we just kept on playing. And it was so nice to see that we are finally developing a community and getting to know some of the kids in the area as well as their parents.

So, even though I only had a couple hours at home yesterday, I totally made the most of it with those boys of mine. It was awesome, and I went to work with a big smile on my face, because I had a fun afternoon!!

October? Seriously?

Once again, I can't believe how the time has passed, it's crazy!! Life has been busy, and fun. Sebastian is back in preschool, 3 days a week this year. Both boys started gymnastics this year, and that's been great for them. Sullivan is a loving his trains and building track. Sebastian is so busy with Playmobil. Life is fun and certainly keeps us busy!! In August we did the Rock The House run, Sebastian's second 5km. In September, Jeremy and I finished Melissa's 10km (first date in forever and we go running. Crazy!! And in October we ran the Ambulance Chasers 5km. Jeremy ran his fastest ever 5km, and I ran with Sebastian and Kim (my sister), while pushing the stroller with Sullivan. It was a good run and a beautiful evening with the fantastic reward of Spolumbo's after the race. And now, we have no races on the radar yet. Time to sign up for something else...

In the meantime, here's a few pictures from that last little while...

The importance of giving blood...

So, I have had a very rocky road with donating blood. I remember as a kid, my dad would go, and I thought this was just so incredible. I mean, something as simple as the liquid running through your arteries and veins, can be used to help save another person's life!! Seems like such a selfless thing to do!! However, I also had this irrational fear of needles. I remember getting shots in school, and anytime blood needed to be drawn, my veins were not always the easiest to find. But, the day I turned 16, I was ready. Next time my dad went, I went with him. My blood got checked for type and I was in business. Except, somewhere in the middle of the whole thing, I began getting lightheaded and nauseous. It was not pretty. Needless to say, they stopped just short of a pint of blood. I was a semi-successful donor. Did not return for a long time. Then I lived in Florida for a bit, and the bloodmobile came to my workplace, so I decided to try again. Got refused once for low iron, donated successfully twice, and a third time had to stop partway through (back to that fainting light headed thing again). Grrrrr... Oh well, when I got back to Canada, I tried again, and once again, was stopped partway through. This time, they banned me, for life. I was sad.

You see, I really really wanted to be successful, but this stupid irrational fear played mind games with me, and prevented me from success. Well, after I had an emergency c-section to deliver my very sick preemie baby, I wanted to try again. I had to do many blood samples while pregnant and survived a surgery so figured it was worth it. Even more important though, was the fact that my little son, born weighing not even 2 pounds, needed blood. And, over the course of his very rocky beginning, he ended up using 12 different donations, from 9 different people. Think about it. If those people hadn't taken time out of their day to do make those donations, my son would not be with us today. What they did, helped to save his life. He wasn't making his own blood yet, and without the donations, wouldn't have had the ability to deliver oxygen throughout his body. This simple act, by these people, is part of the reason my son is with us today. That is a big deal. It's a huge deal. Every time I hug Sebastian, I am so grateful he's with us. And knowing that complete strangers helped make that happen, made me want to once again try to donate blood. After all, it saved his life!!

So, I called Canadian Blood Services, and asked if I might get a chance to try again. They said sure, and the very next week, I went to a clinic to try. And I was rejected. This time, because I was breastfeeding, and needed the blood for that purpose. Grrrrrrr... and then I was pregnant again and breastfeeding again.

Fast forward to this weekend. I'd been intermitently checking the Canadian Blood Services website to see when they might be close by to try again, and knew they were going to Cardel (the recreation centre by our house). I decided to be brave and go. I drank extra juice in the morning, and headed over. Jeremy was kind enough to take the kids to Costco and let me go (thank you so much!!). So off I went, with The Book Of Awesome to read, while I donated (figuring reading about feel good things could only make donating go well). I was nervous, but excited. I wanted to succeed more than anything. I filled in the mountains of paperwork, answered all the questions, and soon I was waiting to donate. Again, was a bit nervous, but kept thinking of the good that could come of it. She got me all set up, and was super nice. I had an extra juice. And soon, the needle was in and the blood was flowing. And I read my book. And it was great. Soon enough, it was over, and not once did I feel lightheaded. I was so happy, I nearly started crying. It was emotional. But I did it!! And in 56 days, I can do it again if I want!!

I think I have conquered that irrational fear. Two c-sections, mulitple vaccinations, and countless blood draws later, I'm a little more comfortable around needles. They still aren't my favourite thing, but I get that it's a means to an end, and a very important end. And if that's what I have to do to donate blood, then I think I will be able to handle it again!!

The rest of the day, I was just beaming with excitement. I still can't believe it. I'm so happy. I feel that I need to give back. I want to know that some other parent out there has their child because someone took the time to donate. It's so simple and really takes very little time. And in the end, if someone you loved needed blood, wouldn't you want to know that someone took the time to donate? So, please, if you can, take the time and donate, it really does save lives!!

My little firefighter guys...

So, we got a dressup firefighter outfit a few months ago. And, it's a hit. Truly. And it's not just Sebastian that loves it. Sullivan loves it too. As a matter of fact, either would wear it in a heartbeat. A couple weeks ago, there was a pancake breakfast near our house and we ended up going just for the entertainment. I had just finished making breakfast when we kept hearing a helicopter and I looked out and realized that it was STARS landing. I also noticed a couple firetrucks and an ambulance. So, we quickly ate our breakfast and then headed over to the breakfast. We weren't going for food, we were going to check out the emergency services equipment!! And, Sebastian decided that maybe he should wear his firefighter outfit as well. So, he got dressed and off we went. It was awesome!! He had the best time!! He sat in two different firetrucks, went in the back of an ambulance, then saw STARS take off, and finally sat in the front of a police car (who, ironically enough had gone for the pancakes only to discover that he had a line up outside his car as well, haha). He had a great time, and even though he loved the firetrucks, his favourite part, without a doubt, was watching the helicopter take off.

Anyhow, here's a few photos of my little fire fighter guys.

Sebastian with STARS in the background...


Sebastian in the back of an ambulance...


Sebastian driving the firetruck...


Sebastian chatting with the police officer inside the police car...


Sullivan trying on the hat...


And finally he got to try on the jacket...


Not sure if he's so proud cause he's a firefighter or just that he got to wear Sebastian's dressup clothes...


My little cutie...

Life lately...

I have to say, I think the iPhone has been nothing but cruel to my blog. Because of the iPhone, I'm hardly ever on the computer anymore, and don't seem to update this blog with any kind of regularity. That totally sucks because it's such a great way to keep track of life and what's been happening with my boys!!

So, what has been happening? Well, Sebastian finally made it out of SeaTurtle after three tries in his swimming lessons, and only because we asked the teacher and he showed her he could put his face in the water. We decided to capitalize on that and signed him up for Salamander. And, the progress he made was incredible and, drumroll, he passed Salamander on the first try!! So, we again worked with momentum and signed him up for Sunfish. However, I doubt he'll be getting out of it on the first try. But, we helped him get past a major roadblock to his swimming. Just this week, we got him jumping in the water by himself. It's funny though, he pretends he's a chef making me food and then jumps in. He was so afraid to jump without holding someone's hand. The first time, I pushed him. It might not have been the nicest thing, but he was practically jumping, so really, I just helped him along. It helped. He asked me to push him again the next time. And then the third time, he jumped in by himself. I was so proud. And after that, he jumped into deep water. It's great!! So next up, we have to get him swimming. He needs to be able to swim 5m on his own. He's still too afraid to do that. But now that he's jumping, I think the swimming will not be far behind. But I think we'll take a break now and perhaps try swimming again in the fall or winter.

He finished his second round of preschool treatment in June. It was awesome. It was so much better than the first group. The therapists were incredible. I thought the first group was okay, but after the very disheartening finish to the group, and then seeing this group, I realize this group was amazing. They just seemed so much more cohesive and were very much more positive about Sebastian. The physiotherapist especially was fantastic. They offered so many ideas and spoke so nicely about Sebastian and his situation. They are even hoping to have him back in the fall, although at the moment the limit is two sessions, so we'll see if that happens. Anyhow, this time Sebastian got to try riding a bike, and loved it, so we went out and got him a bike. He's so proud of his shiny blue bike. He's had a few falls, but he's learning. And he loves it. He asks almost every day to go riding. For him, this is huge!! We signed him up for a bike camp in August and we'll keep working with him until then to get him more confident on his bike. Jeremy figured out today that part of his problem is bike fit. We need to adjust his handlebars so that he can balance better. Then when he turns, his whole body won't turn at the same time knocking him over...

As for Sullivan. He's a riot. I just love that little guy. He's starting to say a few words, and do a few signs. His first word was "quack" in answer to "what does a duck say?". He also says "mom" and "dad", and if you ask him where Cronos is, or Sebastian, he'll point them out. As for signs, he's got "hungry", "eat", "food", "all done". hmmmm... the kid likes to eat I think. Actually, I know he does. He's an incredible eater. You can put pretty much anything in front of him, and he'll gobble it up. Except he wasn't too crazy about strawberries, but then at his Grandma's last week, he ate two of them. He's playing with all sorts of toys and does great building towers with blocks, playing with trains and putting track together, and loves playing with animals etc. He also loves books and is constantly bringing books to us to read to him. Like all the time. He also loves being outside, and is obsessed with the little water table. He has cups and manages to absolutely soak himself, having a complete blast in the process. And he idolizes his big brother. And will want to do anything that he does. The best example of that was at the pool. Watching his brother jump in, over and over, then, when I took him to the toddler pool, he stood on the edge and jumped in, over and over. And then he practiced his front floats, just like Sebastian does. It was soooo cute!!

So life is busy, and fun. The boys keep it that way. I love it. And I love them. It's been a fun summer so far, and I look forward to more hiking and biking and swimming and everything!!

He finished his second round of preschool treatment and it went so much better than the first time.