Birthday Girl #2

Just over a week after her sister turned one, our toddler celebrated her 3rd birthday. The festivities kicked off with a small, Hello Kitty-themed party at school. She decorated cupcakes with her classmates, snacked on fruit, and listened happily as her school friends sang Happy Birthday.

While she was at school, I picked up some balloons with some of her favourite Sesame Street characters. She was pleasantly surprised that one was bigger than her! We did not actually buy her a gift, nor did we throw her a party, but at this point she does not know any different...Perhaps when she attends elementary school, she will insist on a party, but until then...

She did spend a good part of the afternoon and early evening complaining and whining...As you can see from the photos below, her sister seemed much happier than she did.

The next morning, she seemed just as cranky and complained of right ear pain. On inspection of her ear, her mood become clear. Our toddler had developed her first ear infection! She is now taking antibiotics for the first time, and is much happier.  It's a good thing we didn't throw her a party after all! 

Holding her one and only Birthday Card!

School Party

Playing with her balloons

Playing with her sister's balloon

Birthday Girl

As our toddler, now almost three, was approaching her first birthday, I had very high expectations. After all, 12 months is the average age for first steps, and also for first words.  While she had walked just shy of eleven months, she would not go on to speak for another year. I also had high hopes that she would sleep through the night by age one, something that did not start happening for another year.

So for our second daughter, I set the bar much lower.  However, this last Monday, she surprised us: Not only did she speak her first word on her first birthday (Mama), but she also started walking regularly. Previously, she had taken between 3 and 5 steps, but usually preferred to crawl. However, on her birthday, she decided she would start walking everywhere!

We did not plan a party, but instead had a small celebration of our own. Her big sister sang her a version of "Happy Birthday" not just once, but three times. Then, after a healthy dinner, we had cupcakes! Here are a few photos of our 1-year old on her birthday.

Eating her birthday cupcake!

Happy!

Holding her one and only birthday card

Come February

Sitting?

For a few years now, I have anxiously anticipated the arrival of February. In 2010, the month marked the birth of our first child. It also marked the beginning of sleeplessness that is yet to let up!  February 2012 saw the birth of our second child.

February also seems to mark an annual gastro-intestinal virus for our first daughter. On her first birthday, she was vomiting, and lethargic. A few days before her sister's arrival in 2012, she developed her second gastro-intestinal virus.

So this year, while I look forward to celebrating their birthdays (in a low-key, no-party kind of way), I am also worried about the infamous annual virus.

A few months ago, my husband and I received an invitation to his cousin's wedding on February 9th. As it is being held in Toronto, we would be leaving the kids behind. I hesitated before accepting the invitation, thinking what if the girls get sick and we cannot attend? In the end, we took the chance, booked the best babysitters (my mom and sister), and booked our flights and the hotel room.

Just a few days ago, I was counting down the days, thinking so far so good! Then in the early hours of February 8th, my toddler called to me from her room. I thought I was entering her room to soothe her back to sleep...Instead I became the recipient of vomitus. All over my clothes! I immediately thought of our plans. Next I thought of the baby, hoping that she too would not follow suit.

My toddler vomited intermittently from 2 AM to 6AM, then slept until 8AM. She seemed energetic the rest of the day, and ate relatively well.  As I type these words on the evening of February 8th, the vomiting has yet to recur...And I remain hopeful that our plans will come to fruition. Perhaps it was just something she ate and not a contagious virus? But most importantly, I remain hopeful that our kids will be happy and healthy during our absence...

Date Night

Dancing

Cooking

For the first time in a very long time, my husband and I enjoyed a date night sans kids. It took place last Saturday, and it had been over 6 months since our last attempt at a night out.  Last August, we had started to watch a tennis match at the Uniprix stadium at Jarry park. Halfway through our evening, I received a text from my mother stating that the baby was crying, and refused to fall asleep....It would be over 6 months until our next date night.

This past Saturday saw my mom and sister came over. They fed the babies dinner, played with them, and put them both to sleep by 20h, something that we rarely manage on our own.  Meanwhile, my husband and I enjoyed a leisurely dinner at a local eatery, then decided to watch a mindless movie. We enjoyed our outing enormously. However I could not stop myself from checking my phone for text messages every five minutes...

Perhaps next time I will be a little more relaxed!