Taking all Donations

So, thanks to my uncle we've now got a flower bed in the front of our house - baby steps. We've procured some hostas split from my mom's to plant at some point, but that's about it thus far... so just thought I'd post a bulletin that we're accepting all plant donations should you have an overgrown bed or two! Seriously, the bed is sad - it's a shallow bed of dirt thus far and three hostas ain't going to do much!

Oh, and while on the subject of plant donations, I've two other things to mention. This year I'm participating in the Relay for Life in Strathroy on June 6th. I would greatly appreciate for people to support me in doing this, so should you be willing and able to donate some money, please let me know. We're supposed to raise a minimum of $100 but on average an individual raises $225.

And secondly, I've been trying to scrounge for milk crates - the plastic kind I used to store all my clothes in at camp - as I'm hoping in the near future to clean up my office stuff downstairs. Milk crates are the perfect size to store and stack my many binders of course material and resources. Dad, I'm sure you must have some somewhere?! Anyone else? I'd like to avoid purchasing them from Staples but I'm not so keen on swiping them from behind Tim Hortons either.

Geez, I don't ask for much, do I? I think I'm going to challenge myself to give three things in return for the three I'm asking for...

Bags of Tricks

As for Mr. Isaiah...

1. Wearing mommy's shoes and slippers - his new fascination. I know there's not that much of a size difference, but it's the funniest thing to watch. He's tried Greg's running shoes too, but with less success. Doesn't the sparkle suit him?

2. Ball (pronounced bahl) - one of the only words he says to date. Any day now he'll be talking up a storm, but for now everything is ball.

3. Laps - he'll fill up a bag of toys or pull his lego sack around the house in circles. We'll have to put a step counter on him, he's a bundle of energy.

4. Ball with Raider - really a kong, he thinks it is the best thing since sliced bread to toss Raider's toys to him, and gets so frustrated when Raider (the laziest dog on earth) refuses to play... until Isaiah practically places the kong (or ball, as Isaiah claims) directly in his mouth.

5. Utensils - meals are becoming a dilemma because of Isaiah's stubborn independence. He can't yet figure out how to master the spoon (he sort of shovels in sideways into the mouth in the hopes that the food will fall into it, but usually it falls down his front instead) and he prefers to flail the fork in the air rather than stab the next piece of meat. Ahh we're approaching toddlerhood, that's for sure!

Braylon, on the other hand...

1. Sleeping - hallelujah, he's quickly becoming a far better sleeper than was Isaiah (who, might I add, is waking up in the middle of the night again because he goes down without his soother but wakes in a panic in its absence and won't be calmed easily). Last night Braylon made it from 10:30 until 5:30 this morning! To most of the gals around here, those who formula feed in particular, that's nothing for a 2.5 month old baby, but it's fantastic for me!

2. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle - Braylon's language. He's very vocal lately, perhaps in competition with his older brother? It's amazing how he will interact if you gurgle back to him, too!

3. Smiles - Braylon is full of smiles, especially if you lean in and play with him. Apart from crying when he's tired and hungry - oh, and when Isaiah bonks him accidentally - he's a very happy baby.

4. Losing his hair - just like Uncle James, Braylon has lost a ton of hair recently. The other day I took his bassinette sheet out to wash it and the head indentation was full of hair. Poor thing, he's got a ton on top still but has the old man ring now on the sides. Stylin'.

5. Stiff man - he's incredibly strong. He was holding his head up long ago, and now he's able to bear weight on his legs. We've been practicing our standing, and I think he may hit that milestone earlier than did Isaiah because he already holds the majority of his weight. Exersaucer, here he comes!

Congestion

So for some strange reason, we never seem to beat "the bug" around here. Just as soon as one of us gets over a cold, up flares another. On top of that, Isaiah recently sprouted two new teeth, his first molars, so we have been dealing with a cranky child with an intense diaper rash. All of this we have taken in stride, but the latest bout of illness has affected Braylon in that he was too congested to pass his hearing screening today. He passed the first stage, but then he had to receive a "refer result" because he did not "pass" the next two. So of course I became immediately concerned: can my son hear? What's wrong? She reassured me it is likely due to his congestion (poor thing, he has been coughing and sneezing horrendously for the past few days) and other factors may have interfered as well. I'm still, two hours later, feeling slightly apprehensive regarding it all. You just expect your children to be healthy and "normal" and when something goes wrong you start to wonder.

Other than that, things are relatively same old around here. My mom's side of the family got together on the weekend, something we've not done in a very long time (approximately one year since the passing of my grandfather). It was nice to see everyone and spend some time catching up. Isaiah loved being able to play with his cousins, too. We've been immersed in shower season as well - as friends and family are soon to be married or welcoming new additions to their families. We're anxiously awaiting the boys' first cousin - another boy - who is expected to arrive at the end of the month. And we're trying to enjoy the glimpses of spring too; we've managed to take the boys and Raider for a walk every day, save for a few (such as the day we woke up to snow, again... welcome to Southwestern Ontario where it can be 18 degrees one day and -1 the next). And I think I may just head out to enjoy the sunshine right now!