Kimber Surprise 3.0! - Maybe not such a surprise

Well it's no secret that I've been exhausted and overwhelmed the last few months. I know there are many suspicious folks out there, and I am here to validate you and confirm your suspicions.

David and I are expecting baby #3! Due April 13, 2021. 

I am 12 weeks along now, and finally starting to feel like a human again. (Except today is an off day and I'm nauseous again)... I'll post more details in my weekly updates post for 4-11 weeks, but basically it was the worst first trimester I've had. I hate that women have to suffer so many things privately. There's the monthly periods with pain, discomfort and grossness, and then there's this whole first trimester where everything is a secret and you just feel like crap, but can't really ask for help or slack from most people unless they're in the loop. 

This was one of the craziest few months of our year for many reasons: me transitioning to two jobs, Dom going to preschool, David going away for a week, David's work picking up again, Sherlock getting sick again, me being sick as a dog, and us committing to too many things. If there was ever a time to say no, slow down, and take care of ourselves, it's now!

Normally I would have announced a couple weeks ago, but time kind of got away from me. It's easier to hide it when I don't see people as often! Less opportunity to spy my questionable bloat ;). 

We are excited, but I am also nervous. I just finished the baby stage! Both Dom and Emilia are relatively independent, Emilia goes through like two diapers a day, they both communicate with words, they both sleep like champions, and they both understand me when I say, "I just need to go lay down." Alas, in 6 short months I will be back to changing 10+ diapers a day, waking up 3-4 times per night to feed and rock a cranky newborn, changing spit-up clothes multiple times per day, learning about a new human all together, nursing and the pain/struggle that goes along with that, etc. etc. Don't hear this as complaining! It's just me reminiscing and appreciating how far we've come. I am also so excited to see what this next babe will turn out like when they're 2 and 3 - what will their personality be like? Cautious, gentle and kind like Dom? Spunky, feisty and snuggly like Emilia? None/all of the above? 

Something surprising... Dave and I are NOT planning to find out the gender this time around! I don't have any guesses or feelings or preferences at this point, so we will see how things progress!

Now I have to remember to do weekly photos and posts again! Wish us luck! Not a single other family in our complex has more than 2 kids. Maybe we'll start a trend!

Thankful Thursday - 233

I am sick with a cold (yes, just a cold), but feeling grateful it is an option for me to work from home and continue to get paid on days like today! We've been so lucky that COVID hasn't really affected our day to day life too much. David's work is still busy, and I still have a job (make that two jobs). We didn't have to worry about home schooling or any of that craziness. The main annoyance now is that I had to shut my life down for a bit for a runny nose... 

Aside from that, this week I am thankful for...

1. Fall weather. I've actually been dreading fall this year, normally I love it. I just don't want the days to get shorter - I strongly dislike winter for that reason. However, the last couple days of pouring rain and strong winds has made it feel so cozy! It helps that the sun peeked out this afternoon and the roads are dry again. I can do fall like this! Bring on the scarves and boots!

Before it got miserable outside we spent an afternoon out there and went for a walk at Tynehead!

2. Generous neighbours. I have lost track of how many cool things we've gotten from our neighbours as hand-me-downs. Some include the firehouse, life jackets, books, play dough, kid lamps, and this lovely tricycle. These are all things I wouldn't have spent money on for them myself (aside from maybe the life jacket eventually), so they're luxuries that we would have otherwise gone without. 

3. Adjusting. I got Emilia a little mask and she's so cute. Now I can take her to Costco with me! (Anyone 2+ apparently has to wear a mask now - or... it's recommended anyway). Dom won't wear a mask yet, so maybe this will motivate him. 

I am so scared of another quarantine being imposed this Fall. I really really dislike not getting to see family (especially for Emilia & Dom's sake)

4. COVID cuts. I'm so glad I bought a hair trimmer back in February (started COVID cuts before it was cool or called COVID cuts). Dom is great about letting me cut his hair now, and I managed this quick cut in less than 15 minutes. 

Before

After

5. Creative outlets. Having this extra time after decreasing my workload has allowed for time and energy to craft and do me things! Haven't picked up the pens yet, but soon!

Crafting, Colds, Carbs, and Clean Air

Saturday morning I woke up with grand plans for the day. Brunch at my parents' place, home for nap time, and then off to David's parents' place for dinner. Home for bedtime, and then crafting for girls night! 

Many of these plans were thwarted when Dom woke up with a stuffy nose. CRAP! First week of preschool, and of course he has to get sick. I mean, it's fair when he sticks his hands in his mouth constantly. I should have seen it coming! I figured parents wouldn't be sending kids if they were sick, but of course some littles don't show symptoms of colds right away in the morning. Anywho, lots of kids in his class as well as some of the teachers now have a cold. All COVID tests have come back negative (not that that was really a concern as there's no cough or fever involved), but it's good news anyway.

Well, 'tis the season to isolate with a runny nose I suppose... We had to cancel brunch and dinner with our families which I threw a little grown-up tantrum about. (By which I mean inside I was really upset, but outside just said, "this is annoying..."). 

While I was feeling sorry for myself about the day, it actually turned out to be a really nice family day and I felt super recharged by the end of it! My dad dropped off a bucket of brunch food for us, and Scott joined us for brunch because Ashleigh is afflicted with the very same cold as Dom. We figured we'll all get it at some point anyway. Mom packed up bagels, croissants, raisin bread, cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onions & capers, butter, jam, fruit salad, and mostly cooked bacon (so we could finish frying it up at home). I mean I guess that's an okay brunch, Ma!

Mom asked if we could send a picture of the display before we dug in. That implied we had to make a display. Thank you Scott for helping prettify it all!

Even without us displaying it, this is how it came. Pretty sure she thought of everything. We had a chuckle about her packing butter along though. Do you think we don't have butter? ;)

For some reason, despite Dom's runny nose, he and Emilia got along so well 90% of the day. I can't remember the last time they played that nicely. They read books together, they played upstairs together, Dom was just in a kind mood. Emilia also started doing some puzzles she got for her 2nd birthday. All of a sudden she's acing all these 12-piece puzzles! Her little brain is so smart :)

During the day, our house is almost always this messy. Sometimes in the evening too if we don't feel like cleaning. I strongly dislike clutter and mess, and much prefer organization and clear counters. However... somethings gotta give! I've had to learn how to let go of a few things haha.

In the afternoon, I took Sherlock out for a walk in the FRESH AIR! It was super refreshing to not be breathing in all that smoke for the first time in over a week. 

Toller season is here! <3

Before dinner time, David's dad came by with dinner for us! He had made ribs and chili that day, anticipating us joining them for dinner. I'm so grateful that even though we couldn't visit with everyone on Saturday, food was still brought to us - what a blessing! I threw together a spinach salad and cooked up some rice to go with it, and it was a delicious dinner. 

We put the kids to bed, and then Scott & Ashleigh came over. Scott and Dave went downstairs and played video games, while we worked on our craft! We had gone to Michael's a couple days prior and picked up some supplies to make Fall wreaths. I think they turned out beautifully! It was really nice to hang out and do something productive. We finished before 9, so decided to watch a chick flick too. We watched "The Lost Husband", which has one of my #1 favourites, Josh Duhamel, in it. We were excited for the inevitable love story and scenes that usually accompany that. The story was good, but the movie lacked romance to the level we were expecting/hoping for. Oh well, a couple good kisses will have to do!

Mine is on the left, Ashleigh's is on the right. Hers is so glamorous! And (aside from the burlap pumpkins) could be used for Spring or Fall!

Pretend the wreath isn't framing a big ugly flaw in the door. I'm not sure what the previous owners did, but that darn smudge mark is there forever!

On Sunday we were again at home most of the day. Dave is planning another Harry Potter Halloween this year (with COVID precautions of course), and asked for my help with some of the crafty things. He brought out some wood and asked me to paint a "Diagon Alley" sign for him. Sure thing! D&E were intrigued by my painting, and asked to paint as well. I brought out some old canvases I had kicking around and let them go for it! They kept things remarkably clean, which was a bonus. 

Thanks for the sneaky photos, Dave :)

So far the rest of us have been spared from this runny nose cold, which I consider a miracle because a 3-year old only understands "don't wipe your boogers on me" and "sneeze into your elbow" to a certain degree.

Thankful Thursday - 232

 This week I am thankful for...

1. A successful transition to preschool. Dom had his first day on Tuesday, and his second day today. I'm so proud of him taking on this big change to his routine! This is going to be so good for all of us. He's not super into playing with the other kids yet, and mostly follows Aunty Ashleigh around, but he'll warm up to his new friends eventually I'm sure. COVID has created extra social anxiety for already shy kids I think. "Wait, all we do is avoid people and not touch or get to close to people... now I'm supposed to go play with them?!"

2. Setting personal boundaries. I mentioned earlier this week, that I've very intentionally decreased my workload in order to take better care of myself. It's only been a few days, but I already feel so much better about what the next few weeks/months will look like. I've done little self-care thing like reading, crocheting, painting my nails, napping... and eating too many dropjies. I think we may need to make a trip to the Holland shop a weekly affair. 

3. Sit-down activities. Dom and Emilia have both been super into playing doctor lately. "Can I doctor you Mommy?" Um, yes. Any time! When I doctor them I try to do nice things like rub pretend lotion on their arms and brush through their hair. This is in the hopes that they'll return the favour when it's my turn :). Strategic.

4. Delaying gratification. A while back I did this exercise with both kids where I left them in a room with a bowl of marshmallows and instructed them not to eat any while I was gone. I secretly filmed it, and of course it was hilarious and adorable, but they were both successful! This week Dom came down from quiet time early and asked to "play the game where you leave me with marshmallows!" I obliged, but made it a bit more challenging this time, using my bucket of dropjies. I left him there and went upstairs for two minutes. Longest two minutes of his life I'm pretty sure. He was mostly successful... sort of :). The video is long, but I think it's worth it. The first minute or so is pretty slow and then he starts getting impatient. 

Here's a screenshot from the video as well...

I guess he grasped the "don't touch them" part of the instruction, but interpreted it as "don't touch them with your hands - everything else is fair game." I came back to some slimy dropjies haha!

5. A park playdate. It's been a long time since I've been able to go to the playdate in the park because I was always working Thursdays. Since I wasn't working today, I was able to go to Audrey's little birthday party at the park! Which basically means we had our playdate with cupcakes :). Dom was at preschool again, so it was just Emilia and I which was so relaxing. She loved not having to fight for my attention. She also loved baby Lucy <3. "Baby has hands!" "Yes, Emilia, Lucy does have hands!" "Hey! Me have hands!" Haha yes dear, it's just a tiny human. 

Happy second birthday Audrey!

Got my sleepy snuggly snuggles in!

First Day of Preschool!

I dropped Dom off for his first day of preschool this morning. He was so excited all morning, and was ready to go half an hour early. I was trying not to hype him up too much because I know how he gets with pressure situations. 

He powered through his breakfast, got dressed in his new clothes, helped me pack his lunch and backpack, put on his nice shoes, and was ready to go pose for pictures!

He almost never poses for photos when we actually want to take them. This was a big surprise! 

I am so grateful these two have each other <3. And also so grateful Emilia will now have some "alone" time for a few hours a week.

As a special treat, we drove there in Daddy's Golf, and left Emilia and Daddy at home. There were quite a few kids there already as it's a preschool/daycare split class. He was nervous when we walked in, but of course Aunty Ashleigh was there to help him feel more comfortable. He didn't want me to leave, but didn't actually shed any tears that I saw, so that's better than I expected!

We waited in the car for a few minutes talking about what drop-off would look like and what he could expect. This boy doesn't like surprises, I tried my best to walk him through every step to prepare him this week. 

This is the birthday sign I made for the preschool! Looks pretty cute up there :)

As I got back in the car to leave, I could see him standing there looking super nervous and I got all emotional. So not like me! Not because he's growing up so fast or anything (although he is); I just felt bad because I know how hard first days are, and I always hated them. I'm grateful Ashleigh is there though, I know I don't have to worry about him. 

He is so ready for preschool! It's going to be really good for him socially, and I can't wait to see him playing with his new friends in a few weeks. We never really considered pulling him out because of COVID. I think, for us, the pros of him going to preschool 8 hours a week outweighed the risks. Besides, if we're going to get sick from Dom being at preschool, we're going to get sick from Ashleigh anyway since we see her so often haha. Those kids are all in our extended bubble anyway. I admit, Ashleigh probably doesn't stick her fingers in her nose and mouth as often as Dom does though...

Emilia is definitely enjoying this alone time already. She's played lego, done a few outfit changes, played with her babies, "doctored" me, read books, and more! So peaceful around here with no fighting!

She even got to play in Dom's fire house! 

AND with the garbage cans! 

We got one update from Ashleigh while Dom was at preschool that said, "He is currently playing 'garbage truck' with trucks and waffles! And making sure his friends are paying him money for the gas he's giving them!" Perfection. Glad to hear he's playing Dom games, and not just crying in the corner! When I went to pick him up he was excited to come home, but also excited to tell me the fun things they did at preschool! He told me about seeing a spider, watching the workers make speed bumps outside, singing a goldfish song, eating his snack from his new lunch box, and peeing on their toilet. He clung pretty close to Ashleigh most of the day, but I expected nothing less. He got confident a couple times and went off to play, but if he felt overwhelmed or something at least he had his safe person there. I'm sure every week will just get better and better. 

He's excited to go again on Thursday. I consider that a win! When we got back in the car I asked him if he gave preschool a thumbs up. This was his response...

After a quick discussion about how to do a thumbs up...

So proud of this young man, and excited to enter this new phase of life! I can't imagine what it will be like when he's off to school full time... That won't be for a couple years at least though. One step at a time, Renee!

Lately - A Shift (Feeling Optimistic)

 2020 is a strange year. I feel like it's been full of a lot of change for me personally. I went from working, to not working at all due to COVID, to picking up a second job, to then all of a sudden over-working with the two jobs. The last month or two I have been a shell of a human. Those who know me well have definitely noticed. I realized I am trying to be everything to everyone, which in turn makes me unable to be anything to anyone. I stopped taking care of myself. I was completely exhausted and depleted, and gave myself no time to recharge. 

Well last week I had a revelation! Time for me to stop being "yes man" and start being "what's best man". (Just came up with that right now, and the rhyme pleases me). I decided it was time for a change, and I talked to the midwife clinic and let them know it was not working for me and my family, and I'd have to step back from my position as Medical Office Assistant. I was sad to make this decision because I do love the job, I love being at the clinic, I love the babies and pregnant ladies and behind-the-scenes, and the people I work with. 

They were so unbelievably gracious and understanding with my decision. I, being a people-pleaser, felt terrible leaving right after they spent 2 months training me for the position. Everyone was so kind, and they wanted to make sure they were doing everything they could to make me happy, so they offered to accommodate any schedule that would work for me if I was interested. I told them if I could get down to one half-day per week, that would be sustainable. Just cut my work by 75% and then we'll talk... I feel high-maintenance. 

Well, within a week of me giving my notice, they have accommodated my request and I will be working 9-2 on Wednesdays now instead of 9-5 on Thursdays and Fridays. I will still work this Friday to cover for them, but next week I start on Wednesdays. On top of this, the Spartan Foundation has asked me to come back to the office at least 4 hours a week. I was nervous about doing 2.5 full days out of the house with no childcare. 

I am so proud of myself for setting boundaries. I knew in a year if I looked back on this time I would regret working so much. Dave and I both noticed the kids weren't adjusting well to the change in schedule. Acting out more, more general anxiety, etc. The dog also wasn't getting the exercise he needs because we were too busy. Mine and Dave's relationship felt surface-y because who has energy for anything other than watching TV beside each other at the end of the day anyway? Another big important thing is that with no childcare during the week, Dave was having to be with the kids while I was at work. He can't get his work done while they're around, and he couldn't book any shoots on 2-3 days of the week. This was obviously not sustainable. 

Just the thought of changing our weekly schedule has got me feeling so much better. I feel like there is hope! Dom also starts preschool tomorrow, so I am glad I can be home more for him as he adjusts to that change. I'm sure I'll do a separate post on that adjustment later. 

I missed Thankful Thursday last week because I sat down to write my post, and realized I had taken only one photo since my last post. Pretty pathetic, but hard to take photos when all you do is work. 

Looking forward to this next chapter! In the meantime, here are some photos to recap the last week of our life. 

Dave took this pic of me snuggling and reading with the kids after work one day. We miss each other when I'm out this much.

Watching the truck clean our garbage bins on Friday. (They spend a lot of time in jammies lately haha!)

On Saturday morning I went to the $1 sale at church. People donate clothes, and then everything is sold for $1, with proceeds going towards the Storytime and Tot Romp program at church. They raised about $1,150 I think! I picked up 18 items. I went to get some preschool things for Dom, but left with 90% adorable things for Emilia (like the jacket pictured below). David was out at a golf tournament the rest of the day/evening, so after nap time the kids and I went to my parents' place to hang out with Mom. We made a trip down to the Holland Shop in New West, and then stopped at Once Upon a Child. Grateful she came with us, or else it probably never would have happened. I think I now have most of what I need for Dom's preschool wardrobe, aside from winter and rain boots!

This girl is a shopper. She thoroughly enjoyed herself, oohing and aahing at the clothes, and excitedly putting them in her buggy.

Dave was still out, so I watched TV and enjoyed my Dutch treats :)

This is what happens when I go out for a morning. Daddy is MUCH better at building forts than I am! 

Fall is coming! Also, it's so smoky here. The fires from the west coast of America are out of control, and the smoke has made its way up. We woke up choking and gagging one night because we normally sleep with a fan in our window. Bad idea apparently! Blew all the nasty smoke right into our room. Smelled like our neighbour's house was burning down. Seems like a waste of these beautiful sunny September days when the sun is mostly blocked out by the haze. Though the temperature has been nice! Looking forward to boot season!

Preschool for Dom tomorrow is just from 9-12. I wasn't going to do the Bento Box thing, but then I thought about packing his snack and realized how many containers I'd need. I'm giving this PC Bento a try. This is just a snack for Dom, so we'll see how I do fitting a lunch in there too! Mind you, this is a pretty generous snack. Maybe I'll sneak a dropjie in there as a special surprise too!

Here's hoping I can get back to self-care! Blogging, lettering, crocheting, cooking, living in a clean house, doing yoga! All of those things have been way on the very back burner for months. It is time!