If parenting was a competition... I would totally win.

You know something I have noticed since the first day that Gracie was born?  The fact that every time Danny does any sort of normal parent thing (i.e., wipe a bum, pick a booger, put in a ponytail) and someone outside of our immediate family is around, that person will always say "awwww, he's such a good dad!"  

If we walk through the mall, all four of us, and Danny is either (a) holding Gracie's hand, or (b) holding Ella, someone will always make a comment - "awwww, look at him with his little girls.  He's such a good dad."  Ummm, hello?  Mom is there too!

When I go to pick up Gracie from daycare, our babysitter always says to me, "you've got some good husband there Samantha, he's so good with the girls.  What a good dad."   I asked Danny if she's ever said the same thing about me when he picks up Gracie... NOPE!!

Soooo... I would just like to take a moment and clarify something for everybody out there.  Parenting isn't a competition!!  But if it were, I would totally win.

I think dads get a sort of handicap when it comes to the parenting game.  Like golf... they automatically start off with more points (or less??  I don't really know golf...) because they're considered to be at a disadvantage.  Moms are just expected to do all the normal parenting things cause they're, well, moms.  Well guess what people? It isn't the 1900s anymore.  Lots of dads have stepped up and are totally involved in the day-to-day caring of a child (like Danny is).  So let's get rid of that handicap and at least start us off on even ground!  But to be clear again... even with Danny's handicap, I still totally win.

Let's compare our parenting, shall we... and you can decide for yourself (although it will be abundantly clear) who the real winner is!

1)  I get up with the girls.  Every. Single. Day.  This should be all we need to decide the winner, because it is the crappiest part of parenting!  Also, please refer to my post here to read more about how I rock the mornings with the girls (also, please ignore the part where I say it's not Danny's fault he sleeps in... he should get no credit here).

2)  I cook for the girls.  Granted, some times it's just Kraft Dinner, or hotdogs... and maybe a handful of times it's been cheese and crackers or whatever else I could find resembling food.  But still.  I cook, therefore I win.

3)  I play with Gracie.  Barbies, Playdough, nail polish, or whatever else she wants.  Danny plays too, I'll give him that... but I'm pretty sure I do it better.  Please don't think that Danny deserves extra points for playing with "girl" toys when he's a big strong man.  After all, it was him who made them girls.  Just sayin'.

4)  I read books to the girls.  Danny reads too, it's true.  But I use cool voices.  (That means I win)

5)  When Gracie starts her endless jibber-jabbering about totally mundane or non-sensical things and expects you to reply to every single sentence even if you're in the middle of a million other things at the time, I do it more often before screaming "for the love of God, please make this child stop."  Not every time, because usually I've been Super-Momming it up all day and dont have the patience, so sometimes Danny beats me (that is NOT a reference to my black eye)... ...yeah, I better let him have this one.

6)  I'm patient-er.  Nope, this is not true.  Give this one to him too.

7)  I cry more often.  It's obviously because I care more.  Bonus points, please!

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm running out of things to compare... but that's only because I'm distracted because the house needs to be tidied up and meals planned for tomorrow, and I'm doing it alone because Danny is off galavanting all the way across the country in Yellowknife.  Yes, he's gone because of work.  No, that's not an excuse not to be here (can I get a points deduction here please?)!

So as you can clearly see... #1 parent, right here!!  Take that, all you strangers at the mall who think he's so awesome.  By the way, in case you feel like complimenting him on his parenting skills, please don't, because I'm pretty sure it's going to his head... because if you were to ask him who the better parent is, he'd probably say himself, and that's just crazy.

PS - This parenting comparison is done in jest.  Danny is a fantastic parent!  I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my girls.  He bathes, burps, feeds, walks, plays with, disciplines, wipes, cleans, and everything else that I do.  And all without being asked.  He is an amazing father, and the girls are so lucky to have him!!

PPS - But seriously, I still win.

A Birthday Girl...

As I write this, it is 7:41 p.m.  That means that 2 years and 10 minutes ago, Gracie was born.  She was a stubborn unborn baby, who arrived 11 days after her due date!  Below is a picture of me on January 11, 2011... Gracie's due date.  Below that is January 20, 2011, the day before I was admitted to the hospital to get that little girl out!

We drove to Kentville on January 21, 2011, at 8:30 in the morning.  I had a 9:00 appointment to get the induction started.  Since we were at the beginning of an incredibly nasty snowstorm, Dr. Rudd was kind enough to admit me so that I wouldn't have to drive home that night and come back the next day (since induction is usually a 2-day process).  By 10:30 a.m., the appointment was over and I was told to "go enjoy your day" but be back by 5 p.m. so they could check my progress.  I can tell you that immediately after the appointment, my contractions (which I had been having steadily for about 5 days) changed from Braxton Hicks to the real deal.  But it was nothing too severe, they just felt different!  We headed out to do some shopping, and get some lunch at Coras.  The contractions gradually got stronger... nothing too bad, but enough that I had to stop walking when one came on.  

We headed back to the hospital around 4 pm, and couldn't see the road in front of us.  We got dumped on.  Around 30 cms.  It was really wet and heavy snow, and it was fairly mild during the day.  Of course that evening, the temperature plummetted, the roads turned to complete snow-packed ice, and my parents had a 5 1/2 hour drive ahead of them the next day.  Yay.

The contractions got stronger and stronger, and by 10:00, they were strong enough that I needed some assistance sleeping.  So the lovely nurse shot me in the ass with some morphine, and to sleep I went.  Until 1:30 a.m., when I woke from a morphine-induced coma and realized that this was probably the real deal.  I walked the halls of the hospital by myself until about 4 a.m., when I couldn't do it anymore and had to wake up Danny.  We walked and paced and breathed and moaned for another 6 hours, when I agreed to an epidural.  After that, the day was quite lovely.  We relaxed in our room and chatted with my sister, and parents (who finally arrived around 3 pm), and at 5:30, the nurse said "you're 10 cms."  They gave it another hour, just to make sure, then told me to push that baby out.  At 7:31, Gracie Helena Ford made her grand entrance.  Here's her first photo, about 10 minutes old!

  

We had a nice "relaxing" weekend in the hospital, and by Monday morning, we were ready to get the hell home!

We settled in at home, and it wasn't long before all the "firsts" started happening... first smile, first laugh, first word, first step...

And before we knew it... it was her first birthday!!  I was already 3 1/2 months pregnant with Ella when this birthday rolled around, and I couldn't believe we were here already.  Time moves so fast once you have kids it's unbelievable!

And now, here we are... at Birthday #2!  We celebrated Gracie's birthday on Saturday with all of her friends, and she was so excited!  This morning she couldn't stop grinning, and I have to admit, I couldn't either.  It was so amazing to see our tiny little baby grown up into this two-year old!  Every new word, expression, and even tantrum, makes me realize how lucky I am to have such beautiful children... I can't wait for next year, just because every birthday makes me look back and fall in love all over again with how little she used to be, how far she's come, and look with excitement at the amazing lady she's going to grow up into.  Happy Birthday Gracie!! xox

The Witching Hour...

Well it's 5:00 p.m. in the Ford house (it's not really - it's more like 7:00, but go with me!), and Witching Hour is upon us.  Witching Hour is what I lovingly refer to as that hour between nap time and supper; usually 4:30-5:30.  Witching Hour is always easiest to manage when there are two adults in the house... one to make supper (that would be me), and one to entertain the little witches... er, I mean children.  The problem is that Danny is now back to work after a lovely 11-week parental leave.  That leaves me to cook supper and entertain the children... it does not go well.

For some reason, when Gracie wakes up from her nap, she is hungry.  No, not hungry.  Hungry would mean that I could feed her and she would stop asking for food.  Between 4:30 and 5:30, Gracie's appetite is insatiable.  Insatiable and... what's the word I'm looking for here... finicky.  Gracie is usually a fantastic eater.  "Want a banana?" "Yes, please."  "Want some crackers?" "Yes, please." "Want  *insert any food here*?" "Yes, please."  But at 4:30... the answer to every question is "no."  No crackers.  No bananas.  No oranges.  No yogurt.  And by the fourth food that I've offered, Gracie is usually laying on the floor crying.  I'm not going to lie... this is frustrating for me.  So every afternoon we have the same conversation.  "So what would you like, Gracie?!"  "Foooooooood!"   That answer is not helpful.  So I put some crackers in a bowl for her, and tell her to eat them.  She has one or two, then is back on the floor screaming that she's hungry.  Even if I do manage to get her to eat the whole bowl of crackers, she is still hungry and wants something else.  I know what she wants... she wants whatever I'm cooking for supper.  But unfortunately, it's not ready yet.

In the meantime, Ella is usually in her exersaucer while I'm preparing supper.  She bounces and laughs and smiles and "ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya"s away like a good little baby.  And then the two minutes are over and she's upset now too.  She's been fed, so she should technically be a satisfied little girl.  Except that she knows now that she gets food at supper time too.  And she wants it.  Now.  Not to mention that Gracie is either hanging off my leg, or lying on the kitchen floor crying, so Ella thinks I can't hear her protests.  So she screams.  I don't mean yells.  I mean screams.  As in, shrill, high-pitched, makes your ears bleed, screaming.  Since Ella is now screaming, Gracie is pretty sure I've forgotten about the fact that she hasn't eaten in three weeks, and she raises her cries a decibel level too.  So Ella, not to be outdone by her older sister, screams louder as well.  Now Gracie is mad because Ella's screams are hurting her ears, so she yells at Ella to "stop that screaming or you go in timeout."  I tell Gracie that Ella doesn't know she's not supposed to scream like that, and maybe she should try making her laugh instead.  Gracie is a fantastic big sister.  She loves to make Ella laugh.  But not during Witching Hour.  The fact that I even suggested she try to entertain Ella obviously means I have forgotten that Gracie is now 10 lbs lighter with starvation.  So Gracie starts crying again, with gusto this time, and screaming "NOOOOOOOOO, MOMMY!" at me.  I tell her that that's not acceptable behaviour, and that she needs to find her happy voice or else she will have to take a time out.  Gracie's legs give out from beneath her (because of the lack of sustenance in her body, obviously), and she flops onto the floor where she cries some more.  But she's not being rude at the moment, so the time-out is forgiven.

Meanwhile, supper is just about half-way ready.  I explain this to Gracie, who immediately stops crying and goes to her supper chair.  When I try to explain that it's not ready yet, Gracie starts banging on the table and whining, "I want my suppppppper, mommy!  I want my supppppppppppppper!"

Ella is still crying and screaming, by the way... in case you forgot about her.

I'm standing at the stove now, stirring whatever lovely creation is cooking away and wondering why I have two kids.  Was I crazy?  Do I really love them?  How much could I get for them if I sell them on Kijiji?

And then a song pops into my head... "All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel.  The monkey thought twas all in fun. POP! Goes the weasel."  So I start singing it out loud.  The girls go quiet... Ella looks at me like I'm crazy, Gracie is just staring at me with her mouth open and her tummy growling.  "It worked!" I think.  And then Gracie starts screaming "Stop singing mommy!  I want my supppppppper!!"  And Ella starts crying again too.  By now, the little voice inside my head is also starting to scream, and it's twice as loud in there!  I have no choice but to keep singing... I either sing, or I scream too (or perhaps do that really scary maniacal laugh, where you start and can't stop)!  So it's "5 Little Ducks," "Twinkle, Twinkle," "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and all the other songs I can remember from our travel CD until dinner is ready.  I'm singing really loudly too, since Gracie and Ella are trying to drown me out!

I put dinner on the table.  Gracie dries her eyes and eats.  Ella gets her cereal and starts laughing again. Supper is over.  The girls play while I clean up.  I get Ella ready for bed and she has her last bottle.  We snuggle on the couch, just the three of us, while I read Ella her bedtime books.  All is quiet in the Ford house... and I wonder, just for a minute, if I dreamed Witching Hour.  It seems like a distant memory now, a little foggy, and I'm not quite sure if it was as bad as I thought it was... and I think to myself, "these kids are pretty darn cute!"  But rest assured, 4:30 will come again tomorrow night and I'll be reminded again of just how "cute" they are...

PS - I'm a good mother, so I parented this evening, instead of recording my demon children (like I wanted to)!  I'm going to get video of it soon though, and share for your amusement :)

A New Year's Resolution...

Christmas has officially ended, and we've just rung in the New Year.  Danny and I love this time of year.  We're the type who turn on our Christmas lights December 1, and bring our tree in the first weekend in December as well.  We decorate the house, inside and out, and play Christmas music the whole month.  We absolutely love Christmas!

But there is one thing that always bothers me about Christmas time... Christmas is supposed to be a time of year that reminds us of how lucky we are to have what we do, to reflect on the importance of family, to remember how much we love each other, and to treat each other with love and respect.  It's a time when you can count on complete strangers to smile at you, to hold open a door, or to go out of their way to help someone they don't even know.  And yet each and every year, I am reminded that some people seem to care more about the presents, about keeping score, about making others feel guilty... so many seem to forget the true meaning of Christmas!

There is no worse feeling than to be so full of Christmas spirit, grinning ear to ear, and have someone make a comment, more than likely without even thinking, about something they perceive as a "slight."  It just completely deflates you... takes the joy right out of you, and makes you wonder "why bother."  It is just so frustrating!  It can be family members, friends, acquaintances, or complete strangers.  But there are always those people who just don't seem to think before they speak.  It happens all year, and yet for some reason, it especially bothers me this time of year.

So I have decided to make a New Years' resolution... these people will not bother me any longer.  I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they just don't realize how the things they say make people feel.  I will hope that, deep down, they are appreciative of the things that are done for them and just don't know how to express their gratitude.  I will try my best to remember that people's reactions shouldn't be the reason we do things in the first place.  We should do what is good and right, regardless of what we get in return!  I think a part of all of us wants recognition for good deeds done, but it really and truly shouldn't have any affect on our decision to do those good things, and I resolve to remember this!

I also know that I have been on the other end of a thoughtless comment.  We've all said something and then realized that it wasn't the thing we should have said, and I really want to work on making sure that, first and foremost, people realize that we are grateful for them!  We have an amazing circle of family and friends, and they should always feel appreciated and loved.  Life is too short to spend it making other people feel guilty and bad about themselves.  Life is too short to waste time being hurt or insulted by those who may not even mean to make us feel bad.  And life is certainly too short to hold grudges or be bitter about things that have happened in the past!  I can't control what other people say or do, but I can control how I react, and how personally I take it!  And that is my resolution for the New Year... wish me luck! :)

"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask yourself if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future" - Deepak Chopra

  

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Wow... it's been so long since I've found the time to sit down and write!  I guess Christmas will do that to you!  Every year I say I'm going to be more organized - buy gifts starting in January, have cards done by October, gifts in the mail by December 1 - and every year I'm caught off guard by just how unorganized I am!!  It always costs me more to mail gifts to Danny's family than it does to purchase them.  Next year, I'm shopping online... shipping's usually free!! :)

We arrived in Fredericton (well, technically Lincoln) on Monday to officially kick off our Christmas vacation.  We were supposed to come up Tuesday, but after checking the weather and seeing a ginormous snowstorm coming our way, we decided Sunday night to pack up and be on the road by morning.  That meant around 32 loads of laundry to be done in one day, house cleaned (cause who wants to come home to a disaster?) gifts packed, luggage packed, and all that good stuff!  It was a challenge... but I succeeded!  At 10:30 p.m. Sunday night, I called to Danny to pack up the car.  I was finished!! :)

It's 5 1/2 hours to get to Nanny and Grampy's.  We left at 7 in the morning on Monday.  We had a few stops to make, so by the time we actually got moving on the highway, it was close to 8:00.  We drove straight to Sackville (NB) and stopped for lunch, then carried on until we made it here... safe and sound, and before the snow hit!  Mission accomplished!  I've asked Danny before, "do you ever wish we didn't have kids?" and we both agree on the answer... only when we're driving!  By the time we do all the gas runs, potty stops, lunch breaks, and actual driving, it's an almost 8 hour voyage for us to get here.  And Gracie, God love her, never shuts up the whole way!!  My mom laughs, and says she's just like me.  But there was a big difference when I was a kid.  I didn't care if anybody was listening.  As long as you gave the occasional "uh-huh," or "yes," or "really!?" then I would just keep on talking.  Gracie isn't quite like that.  Gracie's too smart and realizes when you're trying to brush her off.  She expects a reply.  A real one.  Actually, what she expects is for you to repeat what she said, that way she knows you were reallllllllllly listening!  Here's an example:

Gracie:  "Mom, my sock came off.  I took my sock off.  Mom, I took my sock off.  My sock is off.  Mom.  Mommy.  I took my sock off.  Mom?  Mommy!  I took my sock off.  My sock is off.  Mommy.  Mom.  I took my sock off."

Me: "Gracie, did you take your sock off?"

Gracie:  "Yes."

Then 2 minutes of silence before she moves on to the next thing.  So there's no sitting up front, with one of us occasionally throwing out an "uh-huh."  You must be listening.  You must stop what you are talking about to acknowledge her.  You must repeat what she says.  AND, it must be the right person.  Once, Danny replied to her, saying "Yes, Gracie we hear you.  You took your sock off."  To which she replied, "No, daddy.  I'm talking to Mommy.  Mom, I took my sock off......"

Anyway, we made it here, and Tuesday and Wednesday brought us one whopper of a storm.  We lost power for most of the morning on Wednesday.  We went out sledding on the front yard, and Gracie loved it!  When we first went down the hill, I thought she was crying.  Turns out she was laughing so, so hard!  It was hilarious!  Here's a video of the first time she went down the hill by herself.  You'll have to excuse the heavy breathing by me... but carrying a 27-pound child up a hill half a dozen times is more exercise than I've gotten allll year!! :)

Before I go, I must tell you the latest Gracie-ism that took place while we were at supper a couple days ago.  Gracie needed to pee, so we trudged off to the bathroom.  The first stall was taken - "there is a person in there, mommy!" so we opted for stall #2.  While Gracie was doing her thang, the woman in stall #1 let out the loudest fart.  Gracie's mouth dropped open, and she said (very loudly, I may add) "Oh. My. God.  That was the biggest fart!!"  I tried so hard not to laugh, but the woman in stall #1, to her credit, did chuckle a little.  When I took Gracie off the potty, she bent right down to peek under the stall "who is in there mommy??"  I washed her hands, ushered her out, and laughed all the way back to our table!!  

So that's our adventure so far... here's hoping the snow doesn't completely melt away before Christmas.  We love us a white Christmas!  Stay tuned, I'm sure Gracie will find more ways to entertain and amuse us!! :)

Accidents Happen!

It's true... accidents happen!!  And that's how the story of Baby Ford #3 begins.  Just kidding!! :)

My sister was over this morning for our weekly coffee break, and Danny remembered an important lesson... always check behind you while backing out of a driveway.  

This is my sister's new car.  She got it... oh, about 3 weeks ago!   I doubt that she and her husband have christened this car, so Danny took care of it.  He banged her real good!  And let me tell you, it's gonna leave a mark to remember!  Well, at least until we get it to a repair shop to make her all shiny and new again.  Patricia, if you're reading this... let me just say, "Whoops!" (and sorry) on behalf of the Ford Family! :)

We were brought up with a sense of humour, and not to sweat the small stuff... so when Danny came back into the house to tell us what he had done, Patricia did pretty much what I expected her to do.  She said "meh, it's only a car, we'll get it fixed."  In fact, knowing Patricia, she probably apologized to Danny!  "Sorry, Danny... I shouldn't have left the car parked in the side of your driveway where it wasn't in anybody's way!!"  Danny, of course, felt horrible!  But what's done is done, and that's what insurance is for! :)

It's funny how it happens though... and this accident was pretty inevitable, really.  There have been a few times that I've been backing out, only to realize there was a car parked to the side of me.  It's just unfortunate that Danny was the first to not miss the car by mere milimetres.  It's also unfortunate this car was brand-spanking new.

I have done almost this exact same thing once... it was prom night, 2002.  My brother returned from the car wash, and his lovely Toyota Camry was so pretty, and shiny, and waxed up real nice!  He was dressed all purrty, and was just about ready to head out to pick up his date.  I was on my way to work in my beautiful Geo Metro and I backed up and heard that sound... *crunch*  Yup, drove right into the side of Leslie's newly-detailed car.  Whoops!! :)

Then there was the time that Leslie flipped that beautiful Geo Metro on an icy road.  After crawling out of the window of the upside-down car, and sludging through a snow drift to get himself onto the road to call my dad, I believe he said something along the lines of "dad, I forgot to turn the car off!!"

That same Geo Metro was also involved in a little scraper when I was driving down the north mountain in the pouring rain.  The road wasn't paved, and I got caught up in some loose dirt and a rain rut, spun the car around 3 times, knocked over a little tree, scratched the paint a little on the side, and ended up in the ditch.  We pushed her out, carried on our way, and I told my dad about it later that night.  Sorry, mom, we probably didn't feel the need to tell you about it then... but, on behalf of 19-year old me, "whoops!!"  :)

And in case that wasn't enough trauma for my poor little Geo Metro, my dad also wrote her off once after being hit by a gentleman in a snowstorm.  She was a tiny little car, but God, did I love her! :)

When I called to tell my mom and dad about the damage we inflicted on Patricia's car today, she told me a story about how she was rear-ended by a woman on a cell phone at a stop light.  They got out, surveyed the damage, realized there was nothing to really worry about, and carried on... only to have the same woman rear-end my mother again at the next stop light!

And there was the time that my mother was backing into a parking space at a church dinner, and smacked a tree with our station wagon.  She turned around in the seat, said "don't tell your dad," and proceeded to move to a different parking spot, only to hit a different tree!

And, not to pick on my mother, but she also hit our house once.  Not quite sure how you can miss a house in your review mirror, but she certainly didn't miss it with the car!! :)

My brother, in his brand new car, also pulled out in front of somebody once (whoops!) and had his car rear-ended and smashed in 2 days before moving to Ontario.

Patricia had a man back up at a street light, right down the side of her car.  Not quite sure why you would back up at a stop light, but I am quite sure he wont do it again!  She was also rear-ended by a lady at an intersection once, but she sent her on her way without getting any information after she realized there was no damage to her car... except that her bumper fell off once she got home.  

So needless to say... accidents happen (apparently, quite a lot in our family!)!  It's good to have a sense of humour about things!   Just carry on, and start your own collection of embarrassing car moments!  I'm sure my whole family is thrilled I shared all of their stories with you!! :)  Especially my mother, she loves it when I tell that tree story.  So just remember people... there's no point crying over scraped paint!!

Christmas Time is Here...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Danny and I both looooove Christmas, and we hope to pass that love onto our children.  We have already established certain traditions, and Christmas decorations are up no later than December 1.  This year we started early, since we are spending Christmas in Fredericton, and we wanted to be able to enjoy our decorations before we leave.

Yesterday was December 1, and we brought home our tree.  It is the biggest, fattest tree we've bought yet... and we've had some pretty big trees!  I don't know how we're going to beat this one next year... but we'll try!! :)

Here she is... hard to capture her largeness!

While the girls were napping today, Danny and I decorated it... she's a beauty! :)

First go the lights...

Then the ribbon!

Bulbs are next!

Star on top...

All finished!! :)

So there's the tree... Gracie likes it, and Ella loooves it!  She just stares at the light... it's so cute!

Gracie kinda sorta understands Christmas.  We have our very own "Elf on the Shelf," and she knows he flies back to the North Pole every night to report to Santa.  We've also told Gracie that the only way Santa brings toys is if you leave some for him to take with him.  She's already picked out 3 toys to give away... they're all Ella's! :)

I think Gracie's favourite part of Christmas is the Advent Calendar... she gets to eat an entire chocolate every single day for 24 days!!  She gets quite excited at supper time, cause she knows it's almost "add-int cow-a-der" time!

The one downside to this time of year is the never-ending everything that goes on!  Shopping, decorating, wrapping, baking, visiting, card-making... all on top of regular every-day life.  This makes me exhausted... because I have apparently yet to return to my pre-pregnancy energy.  This will be the first time in 2 years that I haven't been pregnant at Christmas, but yeesh, I'm so tired, you'd never know it!! :)

And there... my brain just shut off!  Guess that's enough for now!! :)