Fingerpainting

Well, since I was up at 5:30 this morning anyway due to an early riser, I decided to be a little productive. I've discovered that Josie uses her food as fingerpaint most times at the table, so I wanted to try and see if she would actually use paint to create her pictures. We've been trying different art supplies lately too, after I got a deal on a bunch at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago. Josie runs to the art bin and bangs on it every morning, but it's because she wants to eat the crayons. Give her a crayon and you will find the top bitten off shortly, and then little pieces of crayons all over the floor. We have been coloring with crayons and colored pencils, so she gets the idea. The next thing to try was paint.

So, I found a recipe* for finger paint online.
It seems to start out ok, but it quickly got really clumpy.
Our entire experience was like painting with modeling clay. But Josie didn't mind. She really got into it.
I was impressed that she didn't really try and eat it, as she does the waxy crayons.
But, true to form, when she gets tired, all food goes on her face.
The same applies for fingerpaint apparrently.

At least we've begun to get the idea across that cleaning up after herself is a good thing.

But foot washing? No Josie, it's those hands and face that need some attention!

Rightyo into the tub you go.

And down for a nap.

I glanced at the clock as Josie snoozed. 8:14 AM. All this before quarter-past-eight in the morning? Oh my. No wonder I'm in need of a solid nap (or two) each day!

*Original Fingerpaint

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

Directions

In a medium pan, mix all the ingredients together to make the finger paint. Cook over low heat 10 to 15 minutes. Keep stirring the finger paint mixture until it is smooth and thick. After the finger paint has thickened take the pan off the stove and let the mixture cool.

After cooling, divide the finger paint into storage containers depending on how many colors you would like. Add a few drops of food coloring to each container. Stir the coloring in to the paint to determine the shade of color. You're ready to finger paint! Cover tightly when storing.

32.5 weeks

Here are a couple pictures in the forest outside our place. Josie loves the trails and now we can actually go for walks together. And when I say together, I mean, Josie can walk!
Or climb on fallen trees or eat the gravel on the path.
Or just be tossed in the air!
So thankful for our wonderful supply of oxygen out back!
And at almost 33 weeks pregnant, I'm breathing for two. And walking for two. Pretty much feeling very big already and anticipating the next 7 weeks!

Teething

This entire past week our "sleep through the nighter" baby has defied her title. She's no longer sleeping through the night. In fact, she's practicing her lung capacity and volume in new ways. Well, there is an explanation. Teeth. Two popped out on the bottom on Tuesday morning and I can feel the molar bumps in the back of her gums getting bigger. Not to mention she's chewing her fingers with regularity and she's got those special blow-out teething diapers. Note to self, don't use cloth diapers when babies are teething molars. It's just too disgusting to clean up.

Poor kid. You know it's taken a while to get to sleep when you walk in to get Josie ready to go to a midwives' appointment and find the room like this. She's thrown out all her blankets, her musical clown, and ripped her board book in protest.

But boy, she was tired. And there's no throwing this little bear out. This one is a keeper. She can't sleep without it and besides Mommy and Daddy, it's what she clings to the most when she's upset or falling asleep.

My tired little baby needs her rest. Even after all the sleepless nights and deaf ears, how can you not smile when you see a sight like this?

Grandpa's Visit

Dave found a good excuse to get outside and really enjoy this beautiful place we live in this past week. His Dad came for a visit. Even though I will have to wait to climb the chief until after I deliver this baby, I'm glad Dave and his dad has some quality time together. Josie took to Gary right away, probably because he had her similar goofy dance moves. They had a lot of fun making faces at each other, playing music and doing projects.

Most significantly, our windows. The 5 that give me a chill when I open them and look down 10 stories. They are now fixed.

No toddler can climb on the sills and push them out anymore. Thank goodness, because we have one such sill-climbing little girl coming our way in a couple of weeks. Certainly need to toddler proof this house asap!

Thanks Gary for a fun visit and for fixing our windows!

Using a Straw and other adventures

Well, Josie is finally down for her morning nap despite a lovely faceplant on the tile this morning producing a fat lip and a mouthful of blood promptly spit all over me when Dave handed her over for mommy comfort. Luckily dentist Grandpa declared everything to be ok, so I hope that's the case. Now, with a few brief moments, we'll try and give you a glimpse into life with 2 toddlers in and outside the apartment.

The last 4 days has brought the adored Carl into our home for full days of play. Josie has treasured "patting" her little pal on the head and chasing him around the apartment. Though 3 months younger, Carl is clearly stronger, but hasn't mastered the art of walking yet, so Josie still has the quicker upper hand. And she loves teaching him new tricks.

Like, for instance, using a straw. We got that down yesterday with some antics along the way.

Yesterday was a treat, as Dave was home the entire day to help out. We got to practice what it would be like to have two to take care of. Two diapers to change, two to feed, two to get ready and in the stroller. Two to entertain. Two is coming up in two months from today (or earlier, hopefully???)

Seems like ever day we find new ways to keep Josie occupied while we try and change her diaper.

And even then, it can be a challenge to finish the job. Like, put clothes back on.

Thank goodness for moms who can wrestle clothes on! Notice the baby boy doll, a gift from my cousin Makayla. We practice giving the baby hugs and kisses every day. And we try and work on gentleness as well. However, that doesn't alway keep this particular doll from landing on the floor when Josie is bored with him. She has however, taken to kissing and blowing up my ever expanding belly with sisterly affection.

Here's a very small snapshot of life outside the apartment. I rarely bring my camera out, so here's a glimpse. Here's our condo building and the grounds surrounding it.

We're on the 10th floor.

And sometimes for a treat we'll go out for lunch-- the pita pit is usually a good buy, though yesterday a bit on the dry side.

And though we have a car, we've found public transportation to be much cheaper, and, in the long run, easier. The busses here will lower themselves down to the sidewalk for strollers, and they even have bike racks should you choose to use them. And we have a bus stop a couple minutes from our door so I'm becoming more and more of a fan. No gas to buy, no parking to find, no carseats to wrestle. And with our handy dandy new double stroller (thanks Kurt and Jenn!) we can cruise the town no problem.

Local fresh produce markets generally have the cheapest and best fresh food around. We're learning how to shop cheap.

And back home again. I think the kids had a nice day--- and we got something accomplished too!

About that nap.....

productivity and organization???

What to write this morning. I have a little bunkin at my feet refusing to nap and has somehow found my wallet and is systematically dismembering it. Which doesn't bother me too much. What am I going to do with a PADI certification and a Jewel card anyway? James has returned from his 3 week vacation in Shanghai so we will resume English lessons this afternoon. I was going to take this time to prepare something for class, but that was counting on Josie sleeping. Guess I can't count on that!

Well, in the hopes of being at least somewhat productive, I've managed 2 projects in the past month or so. One is a baby blanket for our son, the other a set of necklaces for a friend's wedding party. Each were accomplished during nap times or at night or while I convinced Josie to watch my new favorite TV show during quieter afternoons.
(I've found the right color yarn since this picture and now the edges are all green and finished)


In the meantime though, our place seems to continue to collect stuff. Dave insists he lives with two professional mess makers - and I can see his point, but somehow it feels like I'm cleaning all day long. When I'm not changing diapers or making dinner or picking up toys or crumbs from the floor. Or teaching English. Or crashing on the couch from exhaustion. Or thinking of creative ways to store and use the stuff that another baby will bring. ANOTHER baby??? In little more than 2 months I will be a mother of 2 loud, willful, needy, messy, adorable children! Boy has my life ever taken a drastic change in the last 3 years!

Once upon a time, there were summers I found myself in places like this. Once upon a time and long long ago, in a far off land.

And now, f4f,e4 r ,;1n g bvv, 14 month olds insist on helping me type or tiredly throw tantrums on the floor in their refusal to take a nap. I think it's about time to add a mid-morning walk to the routine in hopes of someone relaxing long enough to get some much needed shut-eye after refusing to do so at the regular nap time, and between 1:43 and 3:27 am. I better leave soon, she's now systematically taking all my socks and underwear out of my closet storage. She's a smart one. And I now have more stuff strewn over my floor than imaginable at the beginning of this post.

So much for productivity and organization.

A Godsend

It's amazing to me that we've arrived here in Vancouver 7 months and 2 days ago. We got here and I knew no one. Dave knew as many people as he could count on one hand. We have been so taken care of though, and now, I can honestly say that I have friends. Not just acquaintences, but real friends that I can share life with and prayer requests and child rearing with. This has been a huge answer to prayer for me.I joined a mom's group before we settled on going to the church that this group came out of. We ended up settling on going to the church as well, but I do think the main reason I felt peace about settling there is that I knew I could connect with some people and not just feel like one in the crowd.

Each Friday, these 4 women and myself, along with their children (who are all within 8 months of each other) gather to play and pray and be together. Today was one of the mom's last days as she has to return to work so it was a bittersweet time for all of us.
Over the past 5 months that I've been attending this group, I've marveled at how the babies have become toddlers; how their personalities have developed; how they've learned (or not learned) how to play together and share-- or just eat each other's food! But it's been fun for all of us.
And boy am I thankful for friends!

a few firsts

We've been gaining momentum with trying new things.
Not that big of a surprise, but Josie loves corn on the cob.
Not corn off the cob though.
She'll eat it off the cob only if she picks it off herself. Picky picky.
And carrying things around the house.


Especially my purse, shoes, or her snazzy new garage sale find backpack.
It's amazing that she'll spend a long time proudly carrying it around the house on her back with books. Just like her Dada with his backpack. Or dirty laundry. Or crumbs off the floor. Basically, anything she can pick up.
We're working on the concept of actually "picking up" the house. That will probably take some time getting used to though! But we'll get there. Eventually.