34 and counting!

Today was (is) Gord's birthday! His mom came over and we had a nice dinner (linguini carbonara with caesar salad and garlic bread) and Jeanne's cake (eat your heart out, former Winnipeggers!). Ben helped Gord open his birthday presents. He got some video games, a digital tire gauge, a CD and a t-shirt. Happy birthday honey! We love you very much!

Ben is adjusting pretty well to his glasses. We had them refitted last night, when we went back to order a second pair. He's barely fussed with them at all today. Hopefully, every day will be easier than the last.

I've got a headache and LOST is on, so that's all I'm writing...

Ben's alter ego...

We picked up Ben's glasses today...they are so cute (check it out for yourself below). However, we're thinking that we should have gotten a pair with nose things (what ARE those called?) because these ones move a lot on his face. And with a rambunctious 3-year-old, we are fixing them a lot. Gord thinks we should get a second pair, one with nose things, and then we'll also have a back up pair if one pair gets trashed. Which they most certainly will.

Here he is!




























P.S. Please note the other post today on good books to read!

My Book Report

Well, for a change of pace from the kids (and before the sure-to-be-cute pics of Ben in his new glasses are posted) I thought I would post about some books that I recently read and enjoyed. If you're looking for something to read, I would have to recommend the following:


Barbary Pirate: The Life and Crimes of John Ward
by Greg Bak

If you want thrilling passion, swashbuckling shenanigans, and exposed bosoms, don't look here!

If you do want a captivating read about a man who may (or may not) have been misunderstood, and a look at Government corruption and hypocrisy, this book is for you.

Please note, I am not biased in any way.

---

Hey Nostradamus!
by Douglas Coupland

I remember trying to read Generation X a while back, and not enjoying it. I was not sure what I would think of this book, but I really enjoyed it.

This book has four short stories, told in a rough chronological order, about four people affected by a high-school massacre - similar to Columbine. I found it an easy and quick read.

---

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger

This was an EXCELLENT book (in my opinion) which was recommended to me by my school librarian. (Go librarians)!

It is mostly a love story, with the unfortunate twists that the main character takes uncontrolled (and temporary) leaps through time backwards (or forwards) to places that he's already been (or will be). You need to read it to see what I mean.

---

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear
by Walter Moers

This is a very thick (physically thick) book that I really enjoyed. Really, it seems that the authors vivid (and 'enhanced'?) imagination has been vomited onto pages and published.

This is a fun, light (not physically light) read.

(Sorry for the sad picture of this cover. That is a Bluebear in a boat with 3 mini-pirates.)

So there! Know any good books I should be reading? Let me know...IN THE COMMENTS!

Gordo

Check-ups...Check!

Ben and Ella had check-ups with our pediatrician today. Ben weighs 32 pounds (average) and is 36 inches tall (slightly below average). Our doc said he's the picture of health! He asked us about the crossing left eye, and we told him we were seeing an opthalmologist later today, so that's taken care of!

Turns out, Ben needs glasses. We sort of thought that he just had a lazy eye, but it turns out he's very farsighted in both eyes (he needs a +4.5 prescription in both). It looks like he'll need to wear glasses for several years. We've ordered him some preppy little square-framed blue glasses - I know he'll look cute with them on. I always think that kids with glasses are cute, but now I have to try to keep them on his face, and keep them from breaking!

And Ella is also a healthy little kid - she's 21 pounds (70th percentile) and 29 1/2 inches tall (90th percentile). No shots today!

Proof that they're related...

Funny, hey?

And some more pictures, just for kicks:

Mr. No-Naps decided to draw on himself, the carpet, his dresser and another book with a dry erase marker. Not what I expected to see when I went into his room...




















Playing the Elmo video game Grandma Susan gave him for his birthday:














Now that it's nicer, he can play in the backyard! (Any ideas as to what we can do, besides shovel?)














Our little darlin':

The birthday party...

We had Ben's birthday party on Saturday (yesterday) and, by all accounts, it was a success! Here are some random pictures:

The Diego Rain Forest Cake:


Baby Jaguar cupcakes:


Ben definitely approved!


The kids enjoying said cake and cupcakes:


Opening the loot!



I think that Ben had a really great time. The kids played downstairs (only a few minor scuffles!) and therefore the upstairs stayed fairly clean. Except for the wrapping paper fight that ensued while Ben was opening his presents (thanks for that, Uncle Chris!).

I can't believe he's 3 in just a couple of hours...

For those that are interested in Ella's sleeping progress, she slept right through the night on Friday, from about 10pm to 8am. Last night, she woke up at 5am-ish, and cried for about 25 minutes in total. I went in after 20 minutes, rubbed her back a bit, and left. Gord said she cried for about 3 more seconds and then she quieted and went back to sleep until after 9am. (I, of course, sought refuge in the bathroom.) We'll see how tonight goes!

Update to training:

It seems to be working. Ella was up only once last night, at 2:28am. I went in at 2:38am for a couple of minutes, then left. I hid in the bathroom (playing solitaire this time) and at 2:57am when I came out, she was quiet. She's just waking up now, at 8:30am.

However, now that I've blogged about it, the "curse" will take effect and she won't sleep through the night until she's 15.

Let the training begin!

Sleep training, that is. Last night, Ella went to bed at 8:30pm. At 10:00pm, she was up crying. So I went in and laid her back down. She wailed and sat back up. Now, imagine doing this about 30 times. Finally, I left her room. She cried and cried some more. An hour passes and she is settled down, back to sleep. So I go to bed. At 2:08am, she wakes up again. I go in and the process begins again, but I figure out (after 20 minutes or so) that I upset her more by doing this than I would if I just left her alone. So I leave and go to the bathroom, where I can turn on the fan and play some Kakuro in peace and quiet. I come out, and she's quiet. It's 2:42am. At 3:00am, she starts back up again, and who comes wandering into our room? Ben. So I take him back to his room and lay down with him, while Ella cries. She finally stopped around 3:20am. And she didn't wake up until 8:30am.

I wasn't quite prepared emotionally for this. Gord was reassuring me last night that it worked for Ben, and it's time for Ella to sleep through the night, and that I was doing the right thing. It's just that I started last night 'cause it had only been an hour and a half since she was last fed, and I didn't want to just stick the boob in her mouth to put her back to sleep. And then it just snowballed into letting her cry it out. Oh well, it's not like I'm weaning her. She still gets lots of boob time during the day.

I'm sure I'll get over it pretty quickly the first night she, and I, get a full night's sleep.

And now, for some random cuteness from the Sheppard kids!

She loves mealtimes!


And Cheerios...


Taking his turtle for a walk (he made the turtle at our playgroup):


Mmmmmm...chocolate...(she got a hold of Ben's ice cream sundae spoon when we weren't looking!)


Sleepy baby.


A nap is a nap.


When asked what the label said, Ben's response was, "B-E-N 5".


We are really working on the letters with Ben right now. He and I were doing a Dora puzzle yesterday and I asked him what the letters were. "D-O-R-A" he said. "And what does that spell?" I asked. He said, "D-O-R-A spells Dora and Boots!"

That's my girl!

Ella has been obsessed today with my earrings. My diamond earrings. What good taste she has!

What the...?

So Ella doesn't like fruit (she's slowly learning to like it), but avocado? The baby bird loves it. I give up trying to figure her out.

The order of things...

After letting Ben play with the beads we got Ruby & Fiona for Christmas, I knew I had to track some more down. And I did. Ben loves them! He likes to pile them all up, and then make a snake out of them. And do you want to know what? His snake is ALWAYS in the same order - all 4 yellow beads, then all 4 red, then all 4 green and then all 4 blue. If you try to mess with "the order", he gets uptight and wrecks whatever you've done to do it his way. Sometimes, he'll then make them into a necklace for Mommy to wear. But it usually breaks and then he rebuilds his snake - yellow, red, green, blue.

I really should have got 2 sets, 'cause he won't share with Ella. Poor girl.

Today, I was in the car doing some errands and listening to Gord's Arrogant Worms CD (it was the one after the Barenaked Ladies BLAM CD). A song came on with a verse that pretty much sums up the way I feel about Ella at 5:00 am every morning. Here are the lyrics to the verse:

As a small baby Each time I cried
My mother came to me
To ease my worries and calm my fears
with a sweet melody

I remember hearing The sound of her voice
As I screamed in my drool and my pee
She'd slug back some whisky
light up a smoke
and gently sing to me

Go to sleep little leach
You sucked mama dry
Made her more crazy
With every cry
Why weren't we more careful
that night on the beach
Go to sleep
Go to sleep little leach 

I love her to pieces, but having to get up 2 to 3 times a night can be a little much. Anyways, I had a good chuckle when I was listening to the song.