Baby Makes

I’ve been home for 12 hours. Its hard to believe that I have spent the last 5 days in breezy PE County; its almost like a dream.

My babies have grown. Jackson is HUGE. Cameron is a little boy with conversation and questions and statements. While I’ve been away the boys seem to have developed a kinder way of existing with each other. They seem more like brothers now than opponents. I can see a gentler side to Cameron and a tougher side to Jackson.

Arras is exhausted. His first week alone with the kids and he had something on each night as well. Whether it was a Arcade Fire at the Blues Fest or having friends over, he’s been burning the candle at both ends. He’s sleeping in now and then I think we’ll go out for breakfast…before I come home and do chores. Sweet sweet chores. I think I’m probably the only person who likes doing laundry and cleaning the bathroom.

My family makes me so happy.

We moved here mid July last summer, obviously after the blooms from this tree had already fallen. I had no idea we had a flowering tree in our back yard – its so beautiful!!

Here’s an email I sent out to the fam last night after we returned from a five hour stint at the CHEO:

Following a cold that started on Saturday, Cam developed a rash all over his body. We went Dr. Chew, one of our fam docs and she sent us to CHEO. Several hours later, after some blood work, Xray, and snot suctioning was done, results show that Cam’s white blood cell count is high, indicating he is fighting an infection.  At this point they don’t know if it’s in the blood or just his right lung; we have to go back tomorrow for further discussion about test results and treatment. If it’s in the lungs, it’s pneumonia, and we can treat it with amoxycillan for 10 days. If it’s in the blood, I have no idea what they will do…something about an intramuscular shot of something…we’re so tired.

I’ll keep you all posted. Cam was a real trouper, Arras was my solid rock as usual, and I only cried once when Arras told me that while Cam’s blood was being taken, Arras sang him the Backyardigans theme song, at which point Cam stopped crying and sang “Baaahhh”, his own version.

Kate

Today: Cam is in much better spirits (man, those antibiotics work quickly!) but we kept him home from daycare again until we know what we’re dealing with. He has wicked undernose snot rash and bruises where they took his blood. Arras is holding everything together for us as I have come down with a raging sore throat and general yuckiness. We’re aiming to get to the CHEO for 4pm, but have found out that we will likely have to PAY for these visits as Cam’s health card expired two months ago. Who knew? I feel like moving to the States.

Dada is off on a biz trip to Toronto for a few days so Cam, Nero, and I are holding down the fort until he gets back. I’m a little nervous about handling the twins and Cameron on my own, but I think I solved today by working from home in the am and going in to the office in the afternoon.

Anyway, have a great trip Dada, we’ll miss you, and for everyone out there who isn’t in Arras’ suitcase, this is the pic I packed secretly for him so he’d remember his fam. It’s a pic from Halloween, Arras’ favourite night of the year, when Cam was dressed as a Cave-Baby and I borrowed my sister’s costume of her fave book In The Skin of  A Lion. If only you could see the Xs for eyes:

The snow came late on Tuesday night, conveniently right before the OC Transpo strike on Wednesday morning. Most people stayed home and called it a snow day; I was lucky enough to get a ride in from my gorgeous husband. In  our old neighbourhood, the snow would have been left in massive piles for weeks before any member of the city’s snow-removal project would come by, but here in swanky Wellington Village where people have more money than brains (other than us, we have neither), the snow was removed in an expedient (heavy on the sarcasm) 5 days.

Something struck me today about the look of the half-removed snow so I took a pic. I clearly don’t have enough to do:

In honour of Kate’s fine Birthday tradition, where she decided it was good to give gifts to people she cares about on her Birthday, we would like to present to you, the fine and loyal readers of our blog, a trailer.

P.S. Happy Birthday Kate as you approach your mid thirties!  We stand with you every step of the way. We all love you and thank you for being a great Wife, Mother and Mowner (as Nero’s maternal owner).
We love you forever,

Arras, Cameron, Nero and Butter Nut

July on the Bering Sea.

Okay, July on Rosemere Avenue (Arras and I are addicted to Deadliest Catch): the day started out sunny and warm. It stayed sunny and warm through what can only be described as the sweatiest move of one house done by two men EVER. On the Bering Sea or anywhere.

Uncle Gelan and Dada took all the worst furniture pieces over in the morning, saving the boxes and small pieces for our stellar crew later in the afternoon. We sat down to BBQ and beers, and ever since then I have been unpacking in what can only be described as the most pleasant air conditioned sweetness I have had EVER felt. Screw the Bering Sea. Here’s pics:

Truck Before (we thought it would be easiest to pack Cam in):

Truck During (Cam’s just behind the mattresses, with space to breathe behind the dresser):

The Movers:

The Shakers:

Almost Livingroom:

Almost Dining room:

First laundry on the line:

4-legged brothers on the deck:

Cameron sorting VERY important items:

Dada making big strong entertainment styles:

Special Note: although it is implied that I had nothing to do but take pictures, I assure you all I was very busy chilling drinks, tasting snacks, and generally sunning myself.

Today I don’t feel well, so I am much more sarcastic than usual, even using my firstborn child as the subject of much gasp-making jokes. We didn’t pack Cam in the truck…although next time…could that work? Yaya took care of him all day at her place. They chilled drinks, tasted snacks, and generally sunned themselves.

Today marks what we hope will be the last day at Rosemere; and ahead of me I just have endless days on the Bering Sea in the house unpacking boxes. And two job “chats” – I don’t call them interviews anymore, by this point when you’ve gone through this many, they just become another excuse to chat with strangers about how you work.

Both Cam and Arras are on the mend from their illnesses but Nero is weird. He won’t leave my side for love or dog biscuits…the last time he was like this Cameron was in my belly.

And we got a beautiful invite in the mail for the most anticipated event since my own wedding: the nuptials of my sist and her man, Matt! Woo hoo!

Ugh.

All I can say is “Thank god for Uncle Wookie”. Without him, I’d have to do the other half of the heavy and the lifting and the hey hey hey.

I took photos of Young Cameron in the almost empty truck and a few of the moving process but I can’t show them because my computer is packed. I’m secretly on Dada’s laptop while he and Gelan unload at the new house.

We have a lot of junk.

My show closed on Sunday, June 15th. I have been astounded since then at how relaxed I have become. Quite clearly, the decision to go back to work in theatre has had some profound effects on our lives. The show itself was fraught with turmoil: the lead actress came to first day with a severe full body rash, the male lead in the second week of rehearsal (and there were only two weeks of rehearsal…for a three act bilingual political comedy) went into hospital with an infection in his artificial knee and underwent two surgeries before becoming an outpatient so he could return to the show, in tech week the lighting board crashed several times delaying lighting levels by easily 4 hours, the sound designer’s computer died and he had to buy a whole new one to complete the sound design, we delayed opening, and the fourth floor of the building caught on fire. At home, we had to pay for 7 days a week childcare because both Arras and I work in a constantly fluctuating schedule, and we were constantly at the mercy of our jobs which resulted in terrific hoop-jumping to make things work. Arras and I rarely saw one another once I was in show mode, and wedding plans (but not knitting!) took a definite back seat.  Stress from dealing with IATSE, actors, and a three hour show left me very very unsure about how I would provide for my family in the future, and left me lacking in energy to maintain things like my relationship, my home, and my self. Given how hard it has been to find non-theatre work in this city, and given how much it costs us in so many ways when I return to work in theatre, our thoughts are now that it makes more sense to be a stay at home mom (enter death of professional soul now). Although I love being home with Cam and Nero and doing things like laundry, food prep, and knitting, I really really like to earn a living. I am fulfilled by working for someone else and coming home with a paycheque. I have a sense of achievement after a day at work knowing that without me, the day wouldn’t have gone quite the same way. Furthermore, I love theatre. But it was too hard to blend theatre work with everything at home.

So since closing, things have become much more peaceful. The dress is complete but for its decorative edging and structural details that go in last, the reception venue has been themed and outfitted (in theory – we can’t set up until the day), and some beautiful suggestions for ceremony details have been confirmed. I have my reception outfit, my wedding outfit, some ideas for hair styles, and paperwork for all my peeps who have generously agreed to take on various roles. Yaya and Annechovie picked out the PERFECT suit for Cameron, and I am delighted to find out some guests are arriving the day before so we can have a wicked night before celebration. I have been knitting some other elements of the wedding and am happy to report they are in varying stages of readiness, and bit by bit all the other details seem to be falling into place. The long-range weather forecast changes daily so I go through super roller coaster rides of “yay! oh no!” as often as Cameron has to have his pants changed.There are still, of course, a million things to do.

Arras is steadily working through his final days of work before the wedding – last night he announced 4 days left before the wedding which pitched me into a fit because it sounds WAYYYY too soon, but really we have 9 days. Arras has been my rock through all of this and has had to put up with a great deal thanks to my inability to handle stress and my return to theatre. He has been a monumental force in helping Cameron develop in the ways I posted about earlier, and has been my calming influence when I lose my remaining marble. I frackin’ love that guy.

Nero itches. All the time. He has Rideau River Itch. He also has “why don’t you love me enough?” disorder and is suffering silently. He patiently lies through Cameron’s insatiable need to climb up Nero by his fur, and begs minutely for more food, more water, and some peanut butter treats if there are any, please. He sleeps. He loyally rests his head on our lap when we seem like we need it. He carries his bed to each guest who visits – I’m not sure if its to share, or show off, but its funny. He hates the backyard and can’t wait until we move…oh wait that’s me.

After a long two year battle with our landlord to get the wiring adjusted for a proper sized dryer, she has informed us that in the week before our wedding she would like to bring the estimate guy over to look at “some things in the basement”. Hmmm, would that be the wiring for a dryer so she can charge the next suckers more rent for this hole? Nero doesn’t like our landlord. Oh wait, me again.

May 20th surprised us all with a sudden storm and the biggest hail stones I’ve seen in my life. We heard the racket before we saw the evidence but managed to take some pictures before the painful impact of the ice balls sent us back inside. Sadly, Young Cameron was fast asleep by this point (Dada has taught him how to go down without a peep and he sleeps through the night too!) otherwise he would have experienced something at 17 months that has taken 34 years for me to see.