We spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Saskatoon, although we didn’t share that news with many people — wanted to keep things low-key. Justin was the star of the show, naturally, and he had a great time, although he’s had a few sleeping issues lately that had us mystified. We finally figured out what the problem was: apparently the little guy has decided he’s too old for a crib/playpen. Sigh.

I would’ve posted new photos weeks ago, but there seems to be a technical glitch with the site, so you’ll all just have to wait until that gets straightened out…

In some ways, it’s easier to be pregnant while being a stay-at-home mom than it was to be pregnant while I was working. I can eat as often as I need to (which means every two or three hours if I want to avoid a crippling headache) and since Justin still naps twice a day, I get regular chances to rest. On the other hand, mommies don’t get sick days. Even if I feel lousy, I still have to take care of a toddler who doesn’t understand that mommy just needs to lay down. But I shouldn’t complain too much — my last pregnancy was pretty easy and this one is looking to be just as smooth. Still, I can’t wait for the relief that comes with the second trimester…

I’m pregnant again, due at the end of April. We did plan this, but that doesn’t make it any less terrifying. Up until now I’ve done the one-on-one thing with Justin while Chris is at work, but I’m going to be outnumbered in a few months. How will I handle a two-year-old and a baby? How does anybody? And why wasn’t I this scared about having Justin?

Once I look past the fear, though, it’s pretty cool. You just have to be amazed whenever you and your mate manage to create a new life. We always wanted two kids, and two years is a nice gap between them. It might be brutal for a while, but in the long run it’ll be worth it. (Now if baby #2 could just be as good of a sleeper as Justin…)

I suspect this may be true of most moms, but food seems to be the major preoccupation of my life. When you add up the time it takes to plan it, buy it, cook it and eat it, it seems like half the week is gone. And that makes it all the more frustrating when Justin refuses to eat what I give him. For a while he seemed to want nothing but bread and bananas, but he’s been better recently (although he’s currently on a Cheerios kick).

It’s funny: when I first met Chris, I was terrified of having him see how I eat (in college it was not unusual for me to eat cold ravioli out of a can) and now I’m responsible for feeding a family. You learn quickly when you have no choice, I guess…

With daytime temperatures hovering around 40 degrees these days, we’ve been spending a lot of time playing in the water: at the beach, at the waterpark, in the backyard sprinklers, wherever. Justin loves to splash and it’s a great way of keeping him cool while letting him burn off some of that endless toddler energy. He seems to tan easily, despite my vigilance with the sunscreen, but that’s OK — at least he didn’t inherit my tendency to burn. Gotta love summer!

Another successful visit with the Kingwell grandparents ended today. Besides taking Justin to the waterpark, the creekside park and various playgrounds, we also managed to spend a couple nights at the lakeside resort where Chris and I had our wedding. I’m always nervous when we take Justin to a new place overnight, but he absolutely loved it, which meant everyone else did too. We golfed, we played tennis, we swam in the pool…a good time all around.

For a long time I was concerned that Justin never made a move to hold his own cup. Now I’m frustrated cause he insists on holding it — occasionally to drink, but mostly just to bang it around. A couple nights ago he spent the entire evening meal mashing his food with his cup — didn’t eat a thing. Fortunately, experience has taught us that when he does refuse to eat at meal time, he’s just plain not hungry (at least he doesn’t fuss for food later on). Gotta bite that bullet, I guess…

Not to jinx it or anything, but Justin has slept in every day for the past week, and I love it. I’m starting to take it for granted, though, which is never good. He appears to have two new teeth coming in (six down, 14 to go) and that may be why he’s so tired. But I’m crossing my fingers that this is a long-term trend.

I had a really nice Mother’s Day this year. Chris gave me a gift card for the spa and a card that Justin actually made himself (Chris stripped him down to his diaper and let him mess around with crayons and finger paints…very cute). After Justin’s morning nap, we walked to the park and played for a bit, then stopped at McDonald’s on the way back to get some lunch. Then Chris and Greg took Justin to the pool so I could watch tennis in peace. What I actually did was nap for an hour, which was heavenly, and I woke up in time to catch the end of the match. This is the life.