7:08

Here I sit, up before 7 again. CeCe is awake, and in an attempt to keep the rest of the house sleeping, I brought her downstairs. I'm not sure Jorja is really sleeping, but we'll see. Ginny was awake at 6 and that woke Jorja up. I know Ginny went back to sleep, but usually when Jorja is awake by 6ish, she stays up. Then she lays in bed until 7 because that's the rule. Actually she lays in bed until 7:08 because I have her clock set a bit slow. Oh yes, I'm sneaky.

I guess we're just not used to this school registration thing yet, but the whole thing was rather anticlimactic. Julie and Jorja walked to school at about quarter to nine and were home by 9:02. I barely had the other two dressed. Oh well. Now Jorja goes Thursday afternoon with a group of 7 kids and then again on Friday with the whole class (21 I think). So we have two more days until it all begins.

Ah yes, it's 7:08 and I hear footsteps. Later.

Metashlope

Today we hit a milestone. Julie and I were both able to have a nap upstairs together at the same time. We got home after lunch and felt the need for a Sunday afternoon snooze. When I was growing up, Mom and Dad used to call it a 'metashlope'. I have no idea how to spell the word (it's German), so I just went with how it sounds. Most Sunday afternoons, after church, after lunch, Mom and Dad would have a metashlope. Up until now, the kids haven't been old enough for this to happen. Sometimes one of us can have a nap while the other dozes on the couch - being in sight seemed to be good enough. But today was different. We put CeCe down in her crib, put 'Sleeping Beauty' on, and told the girls we were going to have a nap. They did awesome. It was so nice, and we were so impressed with them. The house was still standing too.

Here's one for the category, 'you know you're a princess when...': We were getting ready for church this morning, and the girls noticed Julie putting on lipstick, and had to have some too. I like to tease them a bit, so I asked Jorja if I could have a kiss. "No Dad, not until bed time, I have lipstick on." All right then. As we were leaving, Ginny wanted a drink of water. "I'm thirsty!" Then Jorja chimed in. "Me too! I'm thirsty too!" As Ginny was having her drink, Jorja started to think about this. She asked, "Will my lipstick come off?" Julie replied that some if it would. "I'm not thirsty anymore."

Tomorrow morning is Kindergarten registration. So it begins. I believe there will only be one more half-day this week, with a small group of kids, and then it gets into full swing next week. Should be interesting. It's still kind of hard to believe. Later.

Teething

I know the teething hasn't even really started yet (nothing is through anyway), but when will it end? CeCe has not slept worth a hoot in days. Yes I said hoot. I think I spent half the night in the rocker-recliner with her last night. I feel refreshed.

On the positive side though, CeCe has been rolling around like crazy as of late and sits up pretty well by herself too. When she's not miserable with her teeth, she is a really happy baby. She eats 'solids' great but usually has to go straight to the tub when she is done.

It was warm enough yesterday to turn the sprinklers on for the girls. We've had two days of +30 weather here. Unfortunately, it has been cold for so long that the pool never got over 19. Too cold for me.

We have been doing a bit of a clean/purge in the house as of late and selling a bunch of stuff on kijiji. It is amazing what people will buy and how fast they respond to an ad. Yesterday we had quite a few people coming, so Julie stayed in the house while I took the girls for a bike ride. Jorja rode her own bike, and I hitched up the chariot to put CeCe into behind my bike. I didn't feel like supervising a tricycle ride with CeCe along. So by the time I had everything hooked up, I figured we should at least go around the block twice. The first time Jorja said we were having a race. By the second lap, she was yelling, "It's not a race!" Fickle little thing. At one point, I was riding beside her coasting when she looked over. She then started to coast as well. I asked her what she was doing and she just said she was riding like me. Needless to say, it was more about the fresh air and being out of the house than exercise for me. Later.

Confusion

We got the girls' hair cut this morning and they were thrilled of course. "Don't you like my hair Dad? Isn't it beautiful?" Julie got a few inches cut off Jorja's and it looks really good - it was getting really long and kind of scraggly at the ends. Not to mention the drama every time you try to brush it and it is tangled up. On days when they don't have any pony tails in, we usually say they are having a ragga-muffin (sp?) day. Jorja now says that she wants to have a raggin' muffin day, and Ginny says that she wants to have a dragon muffin day. Lost in translation I guess.

This afternoon Jorja and I had doctor's appointments. Jorja is doing great, no concerns. I was just there to get a referral for the post-vasectomy check - you know, I don't want to spell it out, but to make sure that the procedure was a success. There was a resident there today, which I didn't mind, but I don't think she had any forewarning about what I was there for. (Julie and CeCe saw the same resident yesterday). She asked why I was there so I told her. She seemed a bit taken aback and then typed some stuff into the computer. Then she asked what was wrong that I had this done. Now I was taken aback. I said the she met the reason yesterday. Eventually we got everything sorted out and my family doc gave me the necessary requisition and a cup. Later.

Check-ups

I don't want to sound like a stuck record, but today was another sleep-deprived days. Last night's culprit - CeCe. Two nights ago was amazing. She had her normal bottle around 7 pm and then slept until morning. I was thinking, hey, maybe she's going to cut out her midnight feed and go straight through now. That would be awesome. Not so. Last night she woke up at 1 am, so I fed her then. Then she was up at around 4. This time she had pooped. Who poops in the middle of the night, really? She has got to get that schedule changed. Anyway, after changing her, she wouldn't settle. She didn't even want her soother. Her teeth are getting really close to coming in now, and she has been kind of miserable. Anyway, I think it just hurts too much to suck sometimes. So I gave her some Oragel, and that really ticked her off. She was screaming for quite a while. It's a miracle the whole house wasn't up by this time. Eventually I did get her back to sleep, but I was exhausted in the morning.

CeCe had her six-month doctor check-up today, and other than the previous paragraph, all is well. She's is 18.5 lbs and 26.5 inches long. When does it switch from long to tall? Are you long until you can stand, and then you are tall? Just some food for thought.

Julie and I were cleaning up the other night, and I put our wii games out on the shelf with our movies instead of leaving them hidden away. Jorja and Ginny sure picked up on this in a hurry - they don't miss much. So yesterday I let them play Mariocart. That had to have been the world's longest race. Eventually Jorja did finish, but it was painful to watch. Her whole body moved as she steered and she kept getting closer and closer to the TV until she was right there. Of course Ginny had to follow her, but she didn't really get how things worked. Today I let them play some guitar hero. That was interesting to say the least.

Tomorrow is haircut day before going back to school. That should be good for lots of posing, posturing and preening. Jorja is going for her 5 year check-up at the doctor too. I can't believe how much she's grown in last year. We have marks on the wall in the kitchen, and she grew a whole 4 inches from her fourth birthday. Crazy. Well, I guess I should attempt to scale the mountain of laundry. Later.

Busy

It's been a slow week for the blog it seems. Maybe that's because we've had quite a busy time the past few days. Last Tuesday we had some friends over, Wednesday and Thursday we were invited out to friends' places. On Wednesday we also got to reconnect with a friend I hadn't seen in quite a while. They have a little girl a month younger than CeCe, so the two of them really hit it off. It started out with a bit of a stare-down, followed by laying down on the floor together where one would start to cry and then the other would wail. It was kind of funny. Thursday we were at some friends who have an in ground swimming pool in their backyard (heated and no algae). The girls had a blast in there - Jorja is such fish.

Today we had CeCe dedicated at church. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing, but both sets of Grandparents said they could make it, so it was good. CeCe didn't even cry, and the girls managed to stand relatively still at the front of the church.

So yeah, it's been busy. Now we have one more week before school starts. I still can't believe it.

The other day I was changing Ginny's bum (don't ask about the toilet training) and when I was done I asked her to go put the diaper in the garbage. She replied, "I'm kind of busy now." Excuse me? You're two. You're not that busy, now put the diaper in the garbage. "My hands are full." I couldn't believe it. What is she going to be like when she is a teenager?

We were in Sobey's a couple of days ago, and as we were walking to the car, Jorja noticed an employee outside. "Hey Dad, there's a Sobey's girl there. You see, in the cape." I might have called it an apron, but it's probably more fun to be a super hero. Later.

Focus

I'm not sure if it's just the age or her personality, but Ginny always seems to have her head somewhere else than the task at hand. When I'm helping her put on her sandals or flip-flops, she is laying down, trying to get a toy for CeCe, saying how thirsty she is, anything other that cooperating. All she has to do is hold her foot fairly stiff so that I can get the little piece of plastic between her toes. "Ginny! Straighten out your toes. Look here. Focus!" When she is getting dressed, sometimes she has trouble with her pants, especially if she is putting on leggings. So I go to help her and again, all she has to do is point her toes down. "Ginny! Point your toes. Focus!"

Yesterday I took Jorja and Ginny around the block, Jorja on her bike and Ginny on her tricycle. I must be a sucker for punishment, because that is a long way to assist the tricycle rider. She does pretty good with the pedalling part (much better than Jorja ever did), but the steering leaves something to be desired. Jorja is miles ahead of us, and waiting. "Okay Ginny look where Jorja is. Aim your handle bars for her." So we start pedalling. Oh look, dandelion...hard left. Oh look, puddle...hard right. Oh look, bird...even harder right. "Ginny! You have to go straight. Look ahead and drive that way, not all over the place. Focus!" At this point she stops, looks at me and asks, "Dad, is Focus a boy or a girl?" Apparently not a girl. Later.

Dark socks

Here I sit once again, up too early. It started with CeCe again, and was followed by the other two girls. So they were all up by 6:30. This should make for a fun day - they are such pleasant little creatures when they're overtired. So am I for that matter.

The girls seem to be fascinated with marriage these days. They play this game where Jorja does Ginny's hair and makeup for her wedding. Ginny sits so still while Jorja applies the imaginary blush and eye shadow. It's quite cute to watch. Anyway, usually when they talk about getting married, they want to get married to me. Julie had a little chat with them the other day and explained that someday they would meet a special boy and fall in love and get married. Somehow the supper conversation turned to spouses a couple of nights ago. Ginny said he would marry a special boy, but that "I don't like dark socks!" You don't like dark socks, I say, that's one of your requirements for a husband, no dark socks. "Yes, only light." It's good to have priorities I guess.

Lately the girls have been into telling jokes - variations of 'why did the chicken cross the road?' and 'knock knock' jokes. They make up their own animals and people in the jokes which aren't usually even remotely funny.

"Knock knock"
Who's there?
"Monkey"
Monkey who?
"Monkey in the tub." *hysterical laughter*

Yes, they are pretty good. So on Sunday we are coming home from church and Ginny pipes up, "Why did Jesus cwoss the woad?" I reply that I don't know. "Jesus cwossed the woad to get to ...(pause while she thinks)...the Jesus!" Yes, they're not exactly comedy writers yet. Later.

Up too early

Why is it that not all three kids can have a good night's sleep on the same day? Well, I guess technically the night was all right, CeCe just decided that she was ready to be awake at 6:00am. So here I sit, eyes half glued shut with her in the exer-saucer beside me. I tried getting her back to sleep, but it wasn't happening. So I decided to cut my losses and just bring her downstairs before she woke up her sisters. If they were both up already, it would make for a very miserable day.

Jorja finished swimming lessons yesterday and she passed her 'sea turtle' level. Next stop, 'salamander'. She did so awesome, we're really proud of her.

Last year, Jorja got a karaoke machine for her birthday. Lately, it has been getting a workout by both her and Ginny. Ginny has been enjoying it this past week while Jorja was at swimming lessons - pretty much an hour of uninterrupted solo time. She has a CD with 30 kids songs on it ranging from 'The wheels on the bus' to 'Down by the bay' to 'The itsy bitsy spider.' On Thursday Julie took Jorja to swimming lessons, and Ginny asked to sing. So I got her all set up and then I had to feed CeCe. I fed CeCe her bottle and came back upstairs to find her laying in the window, relaxing and singing. It was pretty cute. Later.

Downpour

This afternoon, I took all three girls on a little outing. I had a couple of errands to run, and then we had to go to Safeway. The first stop was to Shaw to return all their equipment. I decided it would be easier to leave the oldest two girls in the car and just take CeCe while I ran in. It was mid afternoon, so I had brought along a snack for them to occupy their time just in case I had to wait a couple of minutes. It wasn't super warm today, but I thought I would crack the windows just to give them some fresh air. It had been cloudy all day, but nothing was really happening. So I had them all set up, took CeCe and the cable box inside, and had to wait in line for a minute. Then the sky opened up. I'm talking torrential downpour. Out of nowhere with no lead up. Just sheets of rain. I'm standing there with CeCe and I realized that I left the windows in the car open. Now what to do? There was a bush between the window and the car so I couldn't actually see them, but the direction of the rain looked like it shouldn't be too bad. I decided to wait. It took a few minutes until I was done, and then I threw a cloth shopping bag over CeCe's head and ran out. From the building out to the sidewalk I was soaked. I opened the car door and realized that perhaps I should have came out sooner. The girls were in hysterics. "The windows are open! The windows are open!" I got them shut and me and CeCe in and then proceeded to try and calm them down. They weren't wet, so that was good. Had I left CeCe in the car too, she would have been soaked. Eventually the wails turned to sobs and then to sniffles, and then to just tear stained cheeks. Boy, did I ever feel like the good Dad. I waited a few minutes more before driving away because the windshield wipers couldn't keep up. The storm sewers couldn't keep up, there was water up on to the sidewalks. It was a serious storm. It was over in ten minutes, but it was nasty. It just had to happen for those particular ten minutes. There was no sign, I mean, I wouldn't have left the windows open if I thought it would rain. Crazy. Just another reason to get rid of Shaw. Later.

38

Today was my birthday - it was a good day. It began with Jorja serenading me with Happy Birthday. She was beside herself wanting to give me my presents first thing this morning. She and Ginny had a good time 'helping' me with my gifts. Julie got me some really cool beer glasses made in Poland. Since I began tasting beer, she thinks I've become a bit of a snob. I no longer like drinking it out of the can. You can't really experience the whole aroma and flavour if you don't have a glass. These are tall and narrow, thin-walled with a heavy base, perfect for experiencing a cold beverage.

I went for lunch with the lab people from work. It was the last week for the summer student we've had for the last four years, so they were going out for lunch. It was nice to catch up.

This afternoon we had eye appointments - all of us except CeCe. The girls did really well. Julie and Jorja ended up going together, and Ginny and I went together. Ginny was a little reserved at first, but she did really well - sat a lot better than I thought she would. There was one time though while I was having mine checked that she wiped out and started to cry. So she came and sat on my lap and was wailing. The technician then asked her if a bouncy ball would make her feel better. Through the sobs, she mustered a yes. It was pretty cute. Both girls got free sunglasses too, so that was cool. My eyes are still perfect. Apparently the age things usually start to go downhill is 42. We'll see I guess.

We ended up ordering some supper in and then eating cake. Julie made a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream covered in a chocolate ganache. Are you sensing a theme? She put a layer of cherries in the middle, which was nice. She called it 'Death by Chocolate Covered Cherries.' It was awesome. Later.

37 and 364/365

Tomorrow is my birthday. Not a significant one, I'm turning 38. That's not old yet in Jorja's books. That happens at 40. When I turn 40, all my hair will fall out and I will be totally bald. Or if I was a girl, all my hair would be white. At least I've got a couple of good years left. Perhaps I should grow it out while I have the chance, relive my youth, long locks flowing out from under the hockey helmet....ahh, those were the days.

The other day we were running some errands, and I had to stop to get gas. The girls were famished (or so they said) so I picked them up a bag of mini Ritz sandwiches and a bottle of lemonade. They were in heaven. They've got some work to do drinking out of a bottle yet. I took a peak down the neck at one point, and there were a lot of cracker crumbs in there. At one point, the crackers had just been finished, and Ginny was having a drink. Jorja noticed a rather large crumb on Ginny's cheek and picked it off and proceeded to eat it herself. Sheesh. Kind of reminded me of monkeys at the zoo.

I think the pool is back in business. If it would stop raining that is. I shocked it with chlorine again last night, and today it is all clear. It still smells like there is a lot of chlorine in there, but that will be gone soon if the sun comes out. I guess I'll have to keep on top of things now.

Green

We went to church this morning, then for lunch, and were going to come home and have a dip in the pool. It was smokin' hot here today. We got CeCe laid down for a nap, had the girls changed into their swimsuits, sunscreened up, Julie and I changed and ready, bald spot sunscreened, baby monitor plugged in outside - we were ready. Then I pulled back the cover to the pool. It had been over a week since we were in it, and I hadn't really looked at it. Bad pool boy. Our nice little pool was now a green, algae filled swamp. Gross. No pool today. That sucked. So I threw a whole pile of chlorine into it, and started filtering the green stuff out. It is going to take a few days I think. So we did the next best thing, probably just as much fun for the girls - turned on the sprinkler. They had a blast. Julie was relaxing reading a book and they were filling a Frisbee with water, carrying it to her, and keeping her feet cool. "It's like you're getting a pedicure," I heard at one time. Then they decided to wash their soccer balls, beach balls, etc...all the plastic balls they have in the back yard (5 or 6 I think). Jorja said to me, "We're just washing our balls Dad. It's important to wash your balls every once in a while." Yes it is Jorja, yes it is.

CeCe was six months old yesterday - hard to believe. She goes for her shots tomorrow morning, so that should be fun. She is such a good baby - happy, laughs lots, doesn't make strange yet, puts up with a lot of 'attention' from her sisters. The last week or so, she has really started to eat solids well. Some days she barely has a spoonful in and her mouth is open wanting more. She's getting close to being able to sit by herself, but not quite there yet. A couple more months and I'll be back to work. Scary. Later.

Aliens

Well, ever since the other night, Jorja has been fine. She went to swimming lessons the past two days and did great, so issues. I'm not sure, do kids get migraines? Why is it that not everyone can sleep good at the same time. The past two nights, CeCe has been up lots and fitful when she is in her crib. On the other hand, Jorja and Ginny have slept great, even a bit past 7:00 in the morning. I'm ready for a nap though.

Yesterday I was taking Jorja to swimming lessons and we drove by the pool on the way to the parking lot. Jorja said "There's the pool." I said no it's not. She said, "What do you think it is? A planet full of aliens or what?" I have no idea where that came from. I can't believe how much fun she is having taking swimming lessons. She's usually fairly shy and reserved in groups like that, but she is jumping around and talking lots and volunteering to go first all the time. I actually had to tell her to tone down her excitement when it wasn't her turn because she seemed to be getting a little over zealous. The teacher even had to tell her to stop doing something once. After our chat, she did great yesterday, still excited, but contained. I'm pretty proud of her. Later.

Up all night

I'm feeling a little sleep deprived this morning. Well, the whole house is actually. It all started last night around 1:15 am. Jorja came into our room and told me that her forehead hurt. After the last time she told us this, I wasn't really taking this too lightly. I asked if her tummy hurt and she said no, so I put her back to bed. She was back again shortly saying it still hurt, and eventually she said her tummy hurt. I wasn't taking any chances this time. I got a towel and laid it on her bed, got a pail and put her hair in a pony tail. Sure enough, shortly after that she threw up. I can't believe how together she was though with getting the pail and hitting it. Ginny woke up of course, so I put her in with Julie for a few minutes while I turned on the light to check things out. Everything was good, so I put everyone back to bed. About an hour later, it all happened again. By now it was 4:00 am by the time everyone was back in bed. CeCe had woke up this time too, so it took some rocking to get her back. Fun, fun, fun. This morning Jorja seems fine. She wanted to eat breakfast, so I gave her a piece of toast and a banana, and it seems to be sitting good. I don't know what to make of the whole thing. Is she sick? Was it something she ate? Is she worrying about things too much and getting stressed out and making herself sick? She always has been our thinker and worrier. She went years without throwing up, and now it seems to have happened a few times in the past six months or so. Hopefully she's not too stressed - it has been quite the year. Later.

Catching up

It's been a few days since I posted anything (other than the video of Ginny). I was going to last night, but I didn't have the energy after the drive home and watching the finale of the Bachelorette (I know, but it's over now - I had to see it through). In case you watch or want my opinion, I think she picked the wrong guy.
Let me start by showing you CeCe in the pool:


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That was Friday afternoon, before we went away for the weekend. We ended up going to Julie's parents' place for the weekend, but didn't leave until Saturday morning. Julie's brother and his wife were there as well, so it was good to see them too. Before we left on Friday, Julie's Dad called and asked if she could find him a couple of kittens for the shop. Julie looked on kijiji, and was only able to get one little charcoal grey male. She went and picked him up after the girls were in bed. We had him set up in the downstairs bathroom and put the baby gate on the door. He was still in there when I fed CeCe at 5:00 am, but by the time the girls were up, he had figured out how to scale the gate. So the girls get up at 7:00, and head downstairs. Now in hindsight, maybe I should have warned them, but it was just a kitten. They get to the kitchen and that is how far the cat had made it as well. He was under the table when they spot him. (Keep in mind, he is only 9 weeks old and tiny.) They started screaming like little girls (okay, bad analogy). 'AHHHH! There's a kitty! AHHHH!' I come down, and the two of them are both in tears and cowering in the corner pointing at this ferocious beast. I couldn't believe it. I'm not sure what has gotten into the two of them lately, but they both seem to have developed this fear of animals. The sitter they went to every day before CeCe was born had a big dog and two cats, and there was never any issue. I don't know.

We left Saturday morning right after CeCe finished her bottle, and drove the whole 3 and a half hours in one stretch. It was pretty good. We had a good visit, the girls had a blast with their aunt and uncle. This time CeCe suffered from holiday lockdown. I'm not sure why, it's not like her diet changes (we bring our own water for the formula). Anyway, she finally broke through on the drive home, but it must have been fairly close to the city because she slept most of the way and never got crusty when she woke up.

This morning Jorja started swimming lessons for the first time. She did awesome and had a blast. So she goes every morning now for the next two weeks. This afternoon we went to Superstore and bought school supplies while we were there. School supplies! That sounds so strange. It's still hard to believe she'll be in school in less than a month.

We ate our first two cucumbers from our garden today. We were pretty impressed. Despite our almost complete neglect, things are doing pretty good. I finally got out there with a hoe last week and knocked down some of the weeds and grass. I was attempting to get cages around the tomatoes when the neighbor across the fence started talking to me. He's an older guy, probably 70ish, and his garden seems to be his pride and joy. It takes up half his backyard and is spotless. He says to me that we 'have good soil - it's very fertile.' At this point, the only thing you can really see on our side of the fence is a sea of weeds. Where is that mole we had last year so that I can crawl into one of his holes. I agree with him, as he continues to hoe at weeds that are coming through the fence onto his side. So later on that day I went back when he wasn't there and attacked the weeds. It actually looks pretty good right now. Later.

Ginny sings Cecilia