Lucky Lambies

Our kids are so lucky.  We've gone and spoiled them.  We bought the coolest, biggest, funnest (I know, I know, not a word) play structure in the world and Mark and his dad spent the holiday weekend assembling it.  I don't think they appreciate quite how lucky they are or just how much work went into this build (Mark likened it to building a small house), but I hope they have lots of fun with it!

It started on Friday with measurements and preparing the site.

 

Then lots of digging, because we need to put in drainage and we need to level the ground.

 Elly was supervising the workers.

 Will and Owen were thrilled with their own little mountain

 I can't tell you how muddy everyone was by the end of the first day.

 Day two involved lots and lots of consulting of the instructions. 

Will and Owen were quite busy getting in the way and stealing tools.  I have no idea what they were doing with the hammers, but I'm sure it wasn't to code.

By the end of the day, a bench, a climbing wall & ladder and the main frame were complete.  I think it was a bit of a frustrating second day because it seemed to go so slowly.  Maybe it was just frustrating to me?  Everyone slept well that night though thanks to all the fresh air and hard work, so it wasn't all bad.

Susan & Will sitting on the new bench, Elly guarding a variety of bits and bobs that will eventually make up the swing set.

The third day seemed much more productive - walls went up, roof lines were visible, doors & windows attached.  It was starting to look like an actual play structure.  Our thoughts at the end of the day?  Holy crap, its big.

And finally, on the last day, as rainclouds loomed overhead, the slide and swings were put into place.  And then the heavens opened and the weatherman said its going to rain for the next week.  So...the boys have to wait a little while longer to use it and we need about three weekends of intense landscaping to make it look a little prettier out there. Drainage stones, landscaping fabric and then wood chips will be going down below the climbing frame and we hope to make a raised bed behind it, along the fence line, planted with shade-loving hostas. 

As for the boys, well...they're already planning a big party for all their friends to come and help inaugurate the new addition to our home.  Your invitation is on its way, I'm sure.

Yip & Weekend Update

William is doing much better, thank you to everyone for your emails and your concern.  We had a couple of iffy days on Thursday and Friday when his lip was so swollen he looked like a character from The Simpsons (I'm thinking Moe), and a trip to the pediatrician revealed an infection.  Sheesh.  Thankfully antibiotics kicked that infection's butt and by this morning he looked almost normal.  The poor kid went through a lot this week.  I think we all did.  And over what essentially was just a small cut.  Owen and Elly definitely showed signs of feeling neglected.  Again, I say sheesh.   But he'll be heading back to school tomorrow (much to his disgust) and we'll try to get back to our routine.

We did have some fun this week, despite all the crazy.  The weather warmed up and we were able to get outside in the backyard, Elly practiced her new walking skills (I say practiced, we're not quite there yet!) and the boys got to go to the movies for the first time ever!  Auntie Lainey and her daughter Katharine took them to see Hop today and apart from some initial nerves on Will's part about going without me, they had a blast.  I think the endless bucket of popcorn definitely helped.

Here are some shot from the weekend:

Moe, uh, I mean William, on Friday

I call this the Deer Caught In The Headlights With A Nasty Mouth Wound look

Cute stuff standing up. Think she knows it?

I knew he was feeling better on Saturday when he put this outfit on and ran around like a wild animal.  He looks a little grumpy here, but he was having fun.  Honest.

And the other superhero who was getting his 1980s groove on.

Still loving the dishwasher.

I so love this outfit.  Hand-me-downs from Abigail that are just so cute!  As for the little walker, Elly has been going up and down the living room with it and is slowly gaining confidence in her walking abilities.  She'll even walk holding just one of my hands, but she looks pretty wobbly doing it. Taking it one step at a time really does mean something, doesn't it?

Hurray for sunshine!  Here are the boys playing on their balance bikes in the backyard.  They weren't so keen on these bikes last year, but are really getting the hang of them now.  I think we might have them use them until the summer and then get proper bikes with pedals once they perfect their balance and see how they go.

Elly is adorable in the garden.  She doesn't like the feel of the grass on her hands, so she refuses to crawl and just sits wherever you place her, looking fairly put out.  But if you place her walker in front of her, away she goes!  Oh, and she may be headed to soccer stardom.  She was kicking the ball around.  Can't quite walk yet, but can kick a soccer ball. 

 And finally, a little video of Elly and her best bud, Caleb.  They're two months and one day apart.  I just love how excited they are to see each other and how Caleb keeps turning his head to figure out what's going on with the camera.

Yip Trauma

Poor Will.  He got hurt today.  We had to go to emerg and there were stitches.  It wasn't much of a fun afternoon.

It all started when I was walking along in my favorite neighbourhood in Toronto, doing some fun errands with my girl and my bud Lainey.  We'd just finished buying fruit & veg at the green grocers when I got a call on my cell.  It was William's teacher calling to say he wasn't feeling well, that his cold had gotten worse and he was lying down and refusing lunch.  "Oh dear," I said, "I'll come get him - but I'm about 45 minutes away."  No problem, his teacher would keep him with her whilst the other kids went down to the lunchroom.

So Elly and I cut our fun and games with Lainey short and head home.  After visiting the school office to sign William out,  we go over to his classroom.  "Hi Mummy!" he sings at me.  "I'm helping Mrs K organise this art closet!" he beams.  I turn to the teacher with what must have been a WTF look on my face. "He rallied," she explained ruefully.  He announced to us that he was feeling much better and wanted to "stay and yearn", so off Elly and I went, with me muttering under my breath about a nice lunch with Lainey that had been unnecessarily cancelled.  

The babe and I get home and eat our lunch. I leave Lainey a cheery voicemail saying "You'll never guess - he's fine.  We should have stayed!"  And two minutes later the phone rings.  But its not my bud calling me back, its the school calling to say, "William has fallen.  He's bleeding quite a bit.  We think he might need stitches.  Can you come right away?"  I literally throw Elly into the car and zoom over, park illegally and run in.  

My poor guy is sobbing his heart out on a bench with his teacher dabbing at his upper lip.  There is blood all over his face and nostrils (oh faces, why do you bleed so copiously?!).  And he didn't fall - someone threw a star-shaped toy at him.  Apparently hard enough to give him an inch long cut above his mouth that won't stop bleeding.  I don't know who the little punk was, or what he was thinking when he launched his toy at my baby, but he's now on my never-invite-to-our-house list. We call Daddy and tell him to come get Owen at the end of the day because three kids at the hospital is not a good idea.  Daddy agrees and cancels his meetings.  Good job Daddy, because mummy might have gone postal on you if you said no.

Still crying his heart out, Will gets into the car and we drive out to the hospital.  He's upset and hurting, but he still manages to notice the construction crew in front of us and ponders where they're going and counting the number of ambulances in front of the ER.  I breathe a little more easily, because if he can chat to me between sobs about worker guys and whatnot, then he'll be okay. 

A lot of waiting ensues.  Two and a half hours later we see a doctor who says he's going to need a stitch.  The doctor then disappears and we wait some more.  A nurse arrives and puts some gel on his face to numb it.  "The doctor will be back in 15 or 20 minutes," she tells me.  More waiting.  By now Elly has lost her mind, fallen asleep, woken up and lost her mind again with boredom and hunger.  I find a half mushed cracker in my bag for her and another nurse gets me some water for the kids and tells me the doctor will be along soon.  Twenty more minutes.  I'm standing half in our curtained area, half out, jiggling Elly on my hip, looking around for a doctor.  Its getting closer to dinner time and my kids are on the verge of melting down completely.  I berate myself over and over for not carrying snacks in my bag and what kind of a mother am I not to have toys and hey, look guys, I can blow up a surgical glove and you can tickle each other with it!  Where the bleep is the doctor?  

Finally a different doctor arrives and says he's the other guys boss, the other guy had to leave and he'll be continuing.  Fine, fine, just do it.  "Is he going to be okay with this?" the doctor asks me as he gets a big-ass needle out.  "Uh...well, he'll probably be a bit scared," I begin., "But f you explain what you're doing that might help."   "Swaddle him" he tells the nurse.  

I make soothing sounds to the mummified William and jiggle Elly a little more vigorously on my hip.  I smile and tell him he'll be fine and oh how delicious is the ice cream going to be when we leave?  The doctor roughly wipes William's mouth and makes him cry.  He moves towards my baby with the needle to freeze his mouth more.  There's suddenly a lot of blood and my poor sweet boy is crying hard and wanting to go home.  I rub his leg and say I don't know what, but my heart is suddenly pounding.  Its a lot of blood and he's clearly in pain.  I thought they'd put some freezing stuff on him, why is it hurting so much?  Why is there blood in his mouth, did the needle go all the way through?  Lots of blood as the doctor takes another needle and starts stitching.  Oh William, my boy, I'm sorry, it'll be over soon, its okay, its okay, you're being so brave, its okay, almost done.  My heart is pounding and I realise I'm gripping Elly too tightly, she's crying too.  I put her in her stroller and focus on rubbing Will's leg.  Its too hot in the room all of a sudden and if I don't start breathing properly right now I'm going to pass out and what good will that do to anyone.  Get a grip, your son needs you, do not pass out, and whewf, the doctor places the third and final stitch and I can hug my lambie tight.  Such a brave boy.  Not such a brave mummy.  

Finally home, with Daddy and Owie and Elly and ice cream from McDonalds.  Everyone goes to sleep right away.  

What a day.  And the kicker is, if I'd taken him home when I had the chance at lunch all of this could have been avoided.

Waiting for the doctor.

Not impressed with the boo-boo on his "yip"

A swollen, bloody mess in the waiting room.

Still waiting on the doctor and nothing to keep us occupied.

But thank goodness my guy still has a sense of humour.  Yuv dis guy!