I Love My Brother

Ever cute - when we ask Isaiah to give kisses, he does, even to his little brother to whom he generally expresses either indifference or jealousy. And how fitting they're wearing their Valentine's Day pajamas.
I love my boys so much!

Change a-Brewin'?

Who would have thought that I, a former Medway Cowboy and therefore lifetime rival of anything Strathroy, would have actually come to enjoy living here? Well, despite having to commute to work over an hour each way, I honestly do. And so that's what makes the fact that we may have to leave, should Greg successfully land a job at Toyota, for which he is interviewing for as I blog, tough to swallow. I know I get far too attached to things, and far too settled, but we built this house thinking we'd be here for some time. And although I do practically everything outside of Strathroy (in London, mostly) - work, shop (obviously), skate, play soccer, do yoga, meet up with friends - I'm not certain I'd like to live elsewhere...




... save for one place. Ideally I'd actually really like to have my grandparents' property, but the reality of that is incredibly unlikely. We'd purchase the lot and home for the equivalent of the sale of this home, but that home is not really liveable at present and we'd therefore not have money to build a new home on the property (which is absolutely gorgeous, if you don't know because you've never been, and ideal for my sons to grow up on - complete with a large field in front for soccer games, a creek to catch crayfish, a pond to skate on in the winter and canoe on in the summer, and fields in the back to roam and explore). It is a place I cherish deeply and I'd hate to see it go to someone unknown, or worse a developer, but I'm beginning to realize we're really not going to be able to make any deal work out to live there. Ahh, the nostalgia of a past I don't wish to let go of...


So that change I could handle, because I actually feel a sense of "home" there, which I lost all feeling for when my childhood home was sold. And I'm not certain I'd like to move at random to some other house with absolutely no meaning. Maybe I get too tied up in symbolism or look for connections, but (and here is where you'll think I'm strange) I think we were meant to live in this house - the number is 549, for example, which is my number and Greg's and 4 is the difference between them.


Nothing is happening now anyway, or for sure for that matter, but a big change may be in store for us... who knows, only time will tell.

English as a Second Language

These days Isaiah is talking up a storm! His language may not be English, apart from a handful of select words - barely clear but recognizeable enough - but he's a talkin'! Mostly he talks to his books and toys, though he understands what we say to him 100%. It's amazing, actually, how well he understands and how much he knows already, at just 15 months. Like just now, he went to the fridge, mumbled something in his language in a whining tone, and I knew he wanted some juice! As for real words, he definitely knows ball (we're honestly not forcing him to be a soccer player) and is working on apple and balloon (all of which happen to be on the same page of his favourite book - which he chucked in a pail of water the other day, but thankfully it is a board book so it recovered well!). I am astouded at how much he has developed in such a short time, particularly as we've now Braylon to compare him to to see how far he's come in a year.

Anyhow, he's up from his nap and likes to imitate mom in every way - including typing on the keyboard and trying to snatch the mouse - so I'd best get off before this entry is written in a language you can't decipher! :)

A Moment's Peace

Okay, so the real challenge began this week with Greg's return to work. I hate shift work as it is, and he did luck out and miss a week of nights because Braylon was born at the beginning of that shift, but I can't say I'm a fan of afternoons either. Last night was slightly challenging at times to get both boys' needs taken care of, especially because Isaiah is pretty dependent still, and Braylon is hungry all the time! And Isaiah definitely has a streak of jealousy on top of hating to be told no. So there were a few moments of hectic chaos, but when I did finally get them both to sleep I did get a sense that there will be moments of peace as well. That is, until the doorbell rang (why do people make deliveries at 9 p.m.?).

Not that we need to make each moment a family affair (though Braylon's first bath apparently needed to be one), but it does make it easier for one of us to have one baby and the other to have one as well. Ahh well, we'll adjust and settle into a routine in some time. You just may not catch me blogging too often until that happens!

He's Here!

Announcing... Braylon Miguel Rebelo (who sleeps all day and cries all night), born Mon. Feb. 4/08 @ 4:39 p.m. - he's finally arrived!

Just like big brother Isaiah, Braylon decided to show up 10 days late (thankfully no need for induction, though Dr. Marcou would have met a very different pregnant lady had I made it to my appointment for baby clinic that day instead of heading in naturally to deliver a baby!). He's not quite as big as was his older brother (who also, by the way, seems like a huge baby boy now that I've been with just Braylon for a few days) - he weighed in at 8 lbs. 4.8 oz. and was just 19 inches long. He's a healthy baby boy, though, with a healthy set of lungs. And we're doing just great - only about 4 pushes (I really made the doc work for his money this time, eh?) and no tearing makes the world of difference - so we're home already, less than 48 hrs. post delivery (as much as I love the hospital...).

Braylon is adjusting fairly well, though as I alluded to before he gives us a fairly rough go at night (and sleeps "like a baby" in the day)... so far (but what do we know, he's only been with us 2 days now!). He's dropped in weight some, but is a big eater - I assume he'll gain it back in no time. He's also unfortunately got a nasty rash, so no bathtime yet..., as well as a full head of dark hair, though so far blue eyes like his big brother, and a great set of lungs! He did have super long nails too, but I've already given them a trim because he was clawing some serious scratches into his skin already! I must say he's pretty darn cute, though, but again I'm biased!

Big brother Isaiah isn't too sure what to make of it all, and craved attention from me at the hospital like crazy! So far Braylon has only been home for Isaiah's nap time; in fact, all four of the boys are sleeping at present (and in case you're wondering who I mean by four, that's both babies, Greg & Raider). I can only imagine how busy this is going to get for us, but I think we'll settle into things and soon enough not even remember what it was like with just one baby (who, seriously, does not even seem like a baby in the least any more - he's the oldest 15 month old ever, both in terms of size and what he's doing).

So, not sure when next I'll blog, but I won't leave you hanging too long. I wanted to be sure to get on here now, especially so those of you who couldn't make it to meet Braylon in person could see some pictures at the very least! Stay tuned as I'm sure I'll have far more interesting tales to tell as time goes on...

Still an only child... for now!

Okay, so Isaiah is still an only child... for now (good thing, he's such a ham - and a flirt, might I add - as you can tell from his picture; we're going to have some trouble because he's already charmin' the ladies). Braylon is officially one week late (he's already following in his brother's footsteps as Isaiah was 10 days overdue). The closer we get, the more I think it's going to be Sunday, just because of the SuperBowl, but what do I know? I thought I was ready to go weeks ago - and have surprised many people (and myself) in holding out this long!

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, by the way (though Polly, I prefer Kelly's raspberry tea suggestion to your castor oil one, though I've heard it does the trick)! I can't even go for a nice long walk (or should I say waddle?) today, because the weather is not appealing in the least. So we shall see...

One thing I hate about the "system" in Strathroy is that, in rotating through so many different doctors, no one really tells you what you want to know. Sure, I'd prefer to not be induced, but how long are you going to let this baby stay inside? The one doctor said I'd only go 7 days over, max., before induction - which would mean we'd already be at the hospital - whereas Monday's doctor sort of passed the buck to the following week's because he noted I was feeling okay (as okay as I can - I sincerely doubt he really knows how uncomfortable an overdue pregnancy can make a girl feel). Who knows - it's a waiting game at this point.

And so I'm trying to make every last minute with Isaiah alone count, because his world is going to be rocked when Braylon arrives. It's been nice to be home with him all week, though I'm certain he must miss socializing (a.k.a. flirting) with the kids at his grandma's house. He's such a big boy already - hard to imagine as although we're still technically in baby-mode Braylon will be such a baby compared to Isaiah. I haven't found it in myself to cut his hair yet - despite prodding from Greg in particular - so I thought I'd post this pic of his bathtime mohawk!

So, stay tuned still. Apparently he didn't want to make his premiere appearance in January, as expected, but at least we'll have a baby before March (February isn't that short of a month, even if this is a leap year!).