The sad tale of April.

Doris Ogilvie, 1919-2012

I had planned to have a blog post up long before now.  April was promising so many great events and milestones that I envisioned multiple posts about all the fun we were having around here.  Obviously, that's not how things panned out.

The fun was to begin with Easter weekend.  Liz, Pat, Deborah and Yvon were all coming for a visit.  The Easter Bunny had been very organized and was set to go for Easter day. I had also bought multiple eggs for decorating, some special Easter cookie cutters (for which I had pre-made the cookie dough), and had planned yummy meals and activities galore.  Juniper was soooooo excited.  In fact, that's a direct quote.  The night before everyone arrived, Juniper exclaimed "I'm sooooo excited!" before she went to sleep.  Unfortunately, however, a few hours later, she woke up and started throwing up.  That was the beginning of a stomach virus from HELL.  I have literally never seen Juniper so sick.  On top of the 48 hours of vomiting and diarrhea, it was like she had no will to live.  She didn't want anything - no videos, books, popsicles, or any of the other perks she usually demands when she's sick.  She didn't want to sleep, but didn't want to be awake.  She couldn't even bring herself to say "hi" or acknowledge the existence of any of her greatly anticipated visitors. 

Juniper, so very very sick.

So the weekend happened, and we were happy to see everyone (Linden was the star of the show, keeping everyone entertained), but mostly Clark and I were just tending to poor, sick Juniper.  And Easter, of course, just didn't happen at all.

Pat, giving Linden the adorable dinosaur that Liz made for him.

Fun times with aunt Liz!

Then, four days later, when Juniper was finally eating again and was more or less back to her normal perky self, Linden started throwing up. He was not quite as sick as Juniper, but just as lethargic, and had bouts of the vomiting and diarrhea as well.

Look at that sad little face, and the single tear. I've never gotten so many snuggles from Linden.

Then, in the middle of all that, we got news that my grandmother, Doris, had passed away.  The opening picture from this post was her, when she graduated from law school back in 1963. I won't write pages and pages here, but I will say that Doris (we all called her Doris), was a remarkable woman.  The first woman judge in NB, she also sat on the Canadian Council on the Status of Women, and was the Chair for the International Year of the Child.  I grew up with her house as a second home - even into my undergraduate years, I would pop by all the time (often multiple times a week)  for a chat and a bowl of ice cream.  She was so very kind and so very intelligent that when she started showing signs of dementia 7 years ago, it was at once scary and completely bewildering.  By the time Clark and I got married (summer of '06), she had no idea who we were. So the news of her death left me… terribly sad, of course, but also so very grateful and relieved that she was now rid of such a terrible illness and, hopefully at peace.  Here is a link to her obituary, if you're interested. http://www.inmemoriam.ca/view-announcement-289419-doris-ogilvie.html

The most recent picture of me and Juniper and Doris, from about a year ago.  She never met Linden.

What it meant in the short-term was that Clark and I had to somehow wrap our heads around getting our newly recovering kids packed up and to Fredericton.  Though we were both feeling pretty miserable, neither of us had caught this terrible stomach bug, and I prayed that it would escape us, if even just so we could make the trip.  We were both trying to paint a positive spin on the experience - we would get to see so many family members (including people like my sister, Andrea, who lives in Vancouver)!  I would bring all the Easter treats, and we would have a grand Easter there!  Linden was going to be celebrating his big 6 month milestone - we could have a celebration! Maybe we'd stay a little longer and Clark could get a bunch of work done while I had help taking care of the kids! 

Linden, sporting the Che Guevara hat my parents brought back from Cuba 

Sitting at my parent's table. Do you get any cuter?

So we went down with a positive attitude, and made the journey in one piece.  We got ourselves to the funeral the next day, and the kids were as good as gold.  Here's a few shots from that day:

Juniper, in her funeral clothes, just before we left. Apparently she  "really needed to pee".  In the driveway.

Juniper and Grandpa

Linden and Grandma

Juniper with my brother Paul, my s-i-l Linda, my nephew David and my niece Taylor.

Juniper and her cousin Ali. Juniper LOVES Ali. Look - Ali knit that dishcloth!

Then, literally a few hours after we got back to my parent's house, the virus hit both Clark and me like a hundred tonnes of bricks.  I have literally never been that sick with a stomach bug in my whole life. 27 straight hours of throwing up, every single hour. Diarrhea like I've never had, and hope to never, ever have again.  I was so dehydrated that my milk dried up, and we had to supplement Linden with formula, which broke my heart.  Clark was not quite as bad, but still completely miserable.  That was Friday.  By Monday, we still weren't well, but I managed to hide the eggs and put the easter baskets together.  Juniper had a very pathetic "Easter morning" with me and mom.  I was barely able to move, and mom was not herself at all. 

I had enough presence of mind to snap some proof that Easter "happened".

 Shortly after Juniper found all her treats, we found out why - mom was sick.  And, lo and behold, my sister Faye was also sick.  So, despite the fact that we could barely function, Clark and I made the decision to pack and get out.  There was no one left to help with the kids, and no bathrooms to spare. I have no idea how we managed it, but somehow we got packed up and were out the door before 1pm, and made it back to Halifax by bedtime.  Needless to say the drive was hellish - so hellish that we decided to never ever ever do a road trip again.  Ever.  We'll see how long that lasts :) 

Anyway, life is now at least somewhat back to normal.  We're all eating again, at least - including our newest little eater, who started some baby-led weaning about a week ago.  

Loving his prunes - just like Juniper at that age!

And despite the pathetic Easter that I managed to pull together, Juniper had a super fun Easter party at pre school after we got back, so all's well that ends well (thank goodness for Cheri!)

Juniper, all dressed up for her Easter party , sporting her adorable new dress from Andrea.

OK, anyone who has stayed with me and read all of this deserves a treat.  How about a video or three?  You earned it!  Hopefully I will be able to offer some not-so-epic, and much more positive and upbeat posts in the near future.   And maybe I'll be getting more than an hour of sleep at a time by then, too.  Hah!

VIDEOS!

1. A montage of Linden's eating escapades:

2. Linden's head-shake maneuver.  It's one of his favorites.  You have to be well aware of it, because I think he means it as a show of affection and happiness, and will do it with incredible enthusiasm when you have your head next to his.  When this happens, we call it the "head butt", and it HURTS.  

3. Some random goodies from the last month:

Summer inspired me...

Look who's sitting!

This year, as any east coasters can attest, the solstice brought summer instead of spring.  Three glorious days, which culminated in 28 degree weather, and cloudless sunny skies. Something about the sun and warmth and the long walks and fresh air and bare legs and arms inspired me whip up a new post.  Plus, when Linden hit the big 5-month mark he decided it was time to join the ranks of the sitting, and I thought I should probably celebrate that as well!

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures from that 28 degree day, where we ate supper on the deck in our tank tops and sun hats, and the diapers were put out to dry on a makeshift clothesline.  It seems somewhat cruel to be thrust right back into cold, early spring.  Ah well - I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Eating Paprika Chicken with homemade pasta - Juniper's VERY favourite supper

Do you get any cuter than short overalls and sandals?

And finally, here is a video montage of Juniper entertaining her little brother.  Linden can't get enough of his big sister - he thinks she's hilarious.  This is a very good thing, because otherwise I'm sure he would not be putting up with all the rough handling he gets.
Example:
Scene opens.  Juniper performs her classic manouever, which is to sit behind Linden, as though she is "holding" him, and then, with her arms wrapped around Linden's waist, she lies down and brings him with her.
Tara: "Juniper!  Why did you make Linden lie down?"
Juniper: "He was tired of sitting.  He was getting cranky".
Tara: "No he wasn't!  He was very happy sitting there with his toy"
Juniper: "OK, sweetheart - you want to sit up?" Proceeds to grab him around the waist and wrestle him back to a sitting position, saying things like "whoa, buddy - you're a heavy boy!" and "well, OK.  Let's try it this way", before I can intervene.  He will be one tough cookie when he grows up!

 

March Madness

 

 Somehow, January turned into February, and suddenly, here it is - March.  Linden is 4.5 months old, and I don't think any of us can even remember what life used to be like as a family of three. Unfortunately, I also can't remember what it was like when everyone was healthy. I don't know what combination of weather, sleep deprivation, having a toddler, bugs, and stress has led to this state of affairs, but it has been a nasty, nasty fall and winter.  Just as an example:  Linden had a weird cheek and gum thing going on, so I take him to the doctor (scared of infection).  While there, the doctor checks me out, and it turns out I have pneumonia.  As I'm on a course of antibiotics to get rid of that, Clark takes off for Massachusetts.  That very night Juniper starts throwing up.  Then I start throwing up. Then Linden gets it.  Then a few days later, Clark comes home, and he gets it.  Then, just as he's getting better, Juniper and Linden get colds.  IT DOESN'T STOP.

As a result, I've never looked so forward to Spring.  I know that there's no health guarantee when the weather turns warmer, but I'm holding onto that faint hope that the veil may lift with the solstice.  I'll keep you updated.

Anyway, here's a little glimpse at some of the fun stuff that's been going on in the last couple of months:

1. Winter fun.
You know, this hasn't been much of a winter in terms of snow, but we have managed to take advantage in those few precious hours before the rain or high temperatures takes it away.

Juniper on her brand new skis! She was, much to Clark's delight, a natural.

This is essentially our back yard. A little industrial-looking, perhaps, but fun for exploring in the snow.

As snowy as humanly possible

Shoveling with daddy

On a park adventure with Calla

2. Visits.
People have come to us, and we've ventured out on the occasional outing as well:

Eva and Sylvie, doting on little Linden

At Ida's 3rd birthday party

Grandma and Grandpa stopped by en route to Florida

Mary and Bob come for an extended weekend

Bob reads Juniper a story in her "living room"

Kelli, Jamie, Sawyer, Ethan and Ali stop by and meet Linden for the first time

3. Some new duds:
For Juniper, I did a lot of sewing in the early days (and Linden is now wearing the not-completely-girly hand-me-downs), but for Linden I've been more into knitting.  Here are a couple of the more recent pieces:

Rainbow pants!

Matching vest and pants

4. Hodgepodge:
a) Here is the my birthday cake, for which Juniper obviously had a large hand in decorating:

... and I also got a lot of help blowing out the candles.

Blue steel!

Story time.  Juniper actually "read" Linden the entire book.

5. And finally - a little video montage from the last couple of months.

...and a happy new year!

Welcome to the first Makeshift Story blog post of 2012!  Oh, 2011.  I am not sorry to see you go.  But I figure if I start things off with some positive words and wishes, it should hopefully set the tone for  year to come, right? 

Really and truly, however, this week has finally begun to feel like things are starting fresh - moreso than any other "new year" in recent memory.  We are not settled yet (it feels like there are a million things left to unpack and set up still), but settled enough to feel like this is now our home.  And you know what?  It feels good.  We have room to breathe here, I like the location more than I thought I would, and Juniper loves that she has her own "living room". 

I can now just shut the door if I don't want to deal with clean up from such ambitious art projects right away!!

 I started teaching at the gym again this week, which actually feels really good. Moreover, I've now taken Linden three times to the day care at the gym, and he's done really well.  I never felt comfortable leaving Juniper at the gym day care (what if she needed me while I was teaching???), but this time around I don't have a choice.  Clark is feverishly trying to get a million things done (finished and started) in the next few months, and therefore isn't as flexible to stay home as he was with Juniper.  And truth be told, being able to take Linden and leave him there for an hour or so is actually incredibly liberating. 

AND (I hate to say this out loud for fear of jinxing anything), but in the past week or so, all four members of this house have been more or less healthy.  Hallelujah!  Suddenly, *just* being completely sleep-deprived seems like a real break - a treat, even!  Certainly, it makes the day-to-day easier when you're not worried about a stuffed-up cranky baby or a puking husband.

Anyway, I moan and complain about our ridiculously stressful end to the year (and trust me, it really, truly was), but I have to say that somehow we all managed to carve out a happy little holiday, complete with some of the Christmas traditions that I was bound and determined to have despite everything.  Here is a quick peek into some of the festive, and otherwise fun things that have been going on in the last month or so.  Enjoy!

Pre-Christmas Gatherings

Juniper eating her FULLY decorated cookie at Clark's Christmas Party

Juniper and Cheri light Juniper's lantern at Cheri's Solstice celebration

The four mamas and our big kids (l-r: Kerry and Patrick, Tawnya and Calla, me and J, Toni and Bella)

Christmas

A few shots of the Christmas tree.  We had a very difficult time finding one, as we just were not able to do it until Dec 23rd, and everywhere was completely sold out.  We finally found this one at Home Depot for 2$.  That's right, two whole dollars.  It was a bit of a Charlie Brown tree, but I was actually quite fond of it.

Juniper was sooo excited to decorate it!

The finishing touches

In all it's glory, with the star "on top"!

For some reason, I felt it was absolutely necessary to buy fabric and make matching stockings for all of us.

A few shots from Christmas, and the days following, when my parents and my sister Andrea came for a visit.  Somehow we managed to find places for them all to sleep amongst the piles of boxes. 

Juniper pauses from opening presents to chop some of her new vegetables

Three-eyed monster!

FINALLY, Honey has a proper bed (thanks to Ali!)

Andrea and Linden share a joke

Dad and Juniper play cards (check out homemade overalls #2...)

Mom and Linden hanging out and looking festive

And here are just some random shots I thought were worth adding:

Apparently, Clark's pistachio obsession is genetic.

Being swaddled RULES!

Juniper and Patrick peek out the window of Juniper's pretty elaborate"box house". One of the benefits of moving!

And finally, a video montage for you to enjoy.