This blog has been pretty quiet over the last month or two. Twitter has been easier to update (and Twitter updates Facebook, so it does double-duty). However, I’m not letting the blog go, because it’s my best journal/scrapbook archive (and favourite medium), so here is some catching up on kids and parents:

Xavier

In November, Xavier, 3, went to see his first movie at the theater. Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, in 3D! Which kid wouldn’t LOVE to see food raining from the sky?

Since September, Xavier has also been attending games and sports sessions for pre-schoolers at the gym. It must be loads of fun, because he seems to have a “what happens at the gym, stays at the gym” attitude about it, and pretends not to recall what games they played over there when he comes back…

Orléane

The last few months, Orly, 21-mos, is chatting and chatting. And chatting. She picked up language like it was her life’s purpose, and she’s talking and talking all through her days.

Halloween

At the months’ hinge, Halloween was celebrated. Fairies and skeletons came out to play.

(I was the Wicked Witch of the East from Oz, if you’re wondering…)

Wicked Witch of the East

Émilie

And at the end of November, my appendix acted up and had to be removed. This type of surgery is a common one, it went ok, and I’m getting better all the time.

A few more days of rest and I should be back at work, with a few additional medical anecdotes in my repertoire. Hey, wanna know what happens when a vein receiving I.V. solution bursts? Or when the nurses insist on getting you to stand up too fast after surgery?

Seriously, though, the medical people who took care of me have all been GREAT. Especially the night staff. Thumbs up to them.

Letters from the North Pole

The kids made drawings for Santa, to which I added notes for them. Xavier says he’s been nice because he shared his horse with the other kids at daycare, and Orly says she wants peanut butter toast as a gift.

…and we got letters back! The magic of mail.

That’s it!

December holds promise of many small joys, and we hope you’ll have a great time with the upcoming holiday season. Be well!

Today’s my birthday. You want to know what’s my present? There.

“Wow!” I hear you say. “A brand new car!?!”
Oh no no, it’s the same shitty old car…

WITH…
WITH…

…the addition of 650$ or so worth of REPAIRS!
Just what I wished for: new brakes and transmission oil!
Alright, I’ll stop here before I go into sarcasm overload — I annoy myself, really.

The good news is that I’m spending the day chillin’ in my beloved home with my two favourites kiddos. Yay! We’ll beat the rain blues, peeps. Have a nice day today!

This is my last official day with just Orléane – Xavier will be home tomorrow too, and I start work on Monday – and I’m home alone right now.

See, I had to go for some routine blood tests this morning – which means I skipped food/drink since last night – so I left little Léa with my parents, then I drove Xavier to daycare and François to work, and I was pulling up to the hospital, happy at the thought of releasing my bladder for the urine test, when I realized: I forgot the doctor’s order at home across town.

Yeah.

I dreamed of breakfast. I drove back and forth on slipping snow to the point that I sort of forgot what time of day it was and where I was headed.

But it’s over now, I’m munching on toast and I’ll go get Orléane next door when she wakes up from her nap. Yay!

I don’t know how widespread this is, but for a couple of years around here, shops have been marking “family” parking spots close to the front entrance in their parking lot; sort of like handicapped spaces, but painted white with the pictograph of a pregnant woman w/stroller. There is no vignette needed to park there, however – the “children on board” sticker and the baby seat in the back of the minivan will suffice.

I’m not one to head for these spaces particularly, I don’t mind walking three more cars’ length and I’ll often rather choose a spot close to where I can leave the cart after shopping at superstores. Today when I got to the mall, though, and one of these family spaces appeared, available, just in front of the entrance, well I figured with no accompanying boyfriend, my 8-month-belly and Xavier-in-stroller, I fit the pictograph so well, it would be a shame to park at the end of the lane. Two hours later, after a couple of errands and meeting Frank for lunch, Xavier and I were back in the parking lot.

Just when we got to the car, an (oldish) man with a fur hat drove up to where we were in his luxurious sedan. He seemed to signal me – at the moment, I figured he wanted to let me know he’d seen the toddler-in-stroller and wouldn’t be driving into it. I made a pleasant/busy face; the stroller wasn’t in his way in any case, so I wasn’t worried about it, really. I resume the operation of loading everything into the car.

It all took me at least five good minutes, which is a pretty long time in a parking lot. I had bought foam padding boards for the floor of Xavier’s playroom – big items to lug around – and the car doors are not electrical, so unlocking them all and loading all the shopping, the stroller and Xavier (who was very reluctant to get into his car seat) into the car took me a good while.

The man waited to get my spot the whole time. He had to manoeuvre out of the way of other circulation two or three times and eventually put up his 4-flashers to claim his ground.

When I was almost done – and had figured out what he was up to – I pointed quickly at the ground to indicate the white-painted asphalt underneath my car, to which he nodded in a “take your time” benevolent manner. He was parked before I’d cleared the lane.

In the spirit of the holiday season, blog filler! in the form of the Christmas Quiz Tal put up.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping if the gift allows. Admit it: it’s more fun to tear some paper wrapping than just remove silk paper and uncover the surprise right away. Bags for the small odd shapes.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial. My parent’s Christmas gift from a couple of years ago was a beautiful artificial tree loaded with fake snow. That snow litters the floor and drives me crazy each December – and the cats got sick a small couple of times from stupidly eating the stuff – but the effect is so lovely.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Often somewhere around my sister’s birthday, Nov.22, although this year it was just last week. Usually, I LOVE to put up decorations all around the house, but this year I’ve been a little swamped and tired and, as I might not be hosting anything, I think the tree and the lights outside will have to do it. I look forward to when the kids will be old enough so that we can all decorate the house together.

4. When do you take the tree down?
As soon as the holidays are over, the decorations have got to go. It drove me crazy that they were up until January 7 or so last year. Like I said, I really LOVE decorating for Christmas, but past January 1st, I need to take it all down.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Eggnog’s not really a tradition around here, so I haven’t tasted the stuff yet.

6. Favourite gift received as a child?
Hum. I don’t know… I remember getting Barbie’s motor home, which was awesome and included its own detaching vehicle, so I think I’ll have to go with that.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes (long story). It’s a really beautiful thing, too, with hand painted characters made of metal. I also have a wooden stable/shelter that my grandfather made for the scene.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
Everyone, at times. Notable perplexity each year for Frank’s sister and maybe my parents.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
Gah… depends on inspiration, I guess. This year it will be Frank’s brother.

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received?
Tough one. I received some bath products some many years ago that I didn’t make much use of, not being one to take baths, really, but other than that I’ve been doing OK on the receiving end.

11. Mail or email Christmas card?
Last year I mailed a scrapbook card with family pictures to a LOT of relatives around – it was Xavier’s first Christmas with us! – but this year I’m pretty busy and just skipped sending cards at all.

12. Favourite Christmas Movie?
Every year, Frank and I (and our kids in the years to come, I hope) watch Anastasia (the Dreamworks animated version) on the morning of the 25th. Alright, it’s not a Christmas movie per say, but there’s snow in it!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually just a little later than I should have.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Not to date. I did recycle Christmas gift bags and some wrapping, though.

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
Chocolate Christmas log cake, the Vachon version, with cream and ice cream and sweetened strawberries.

16. Clear lights or coloured on the tree?
The previously mentioned white snow Christmas tree is beautiful with white matching lights.

17. Favourite Christmas song?
With a long-term goal of creating an really nifty holiday compilation, I’m trying to find a new holiday song I really like each year. Last year I’ve added Mariah Carey’s version of “All I want for Christmas is you”. Other notables are some songs from the Ally McBeal’s Christmas soundtrack, Sinatra and Lauper’s “Santa Claus is coming to town” – which I like to sing to Xavier – and a couple of other oldies. Haven’t found one for this year; suggestions welcome.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Some travelling involved, since my parents are both originally from an area about 2 hours South of here.

19. Can you name Santa’s reindeer?
No. Well, Rudolph – but in French we just call him the Red Nosed Reindeer.

20. Do you have an Angel on top or a star?
I’m waiting to find a really amazing star to put on top. So far, nothing.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When I was young it would be on Christmas Eve, but now that we’re older it is spread out throughout the holiday season, depending on when each family throws their Christmas party. Mostly evenings, though.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Too many people in the shops. It is somewhat counterbalanced by the fact that stores stay open longer in December, but not entirely.

*Gulp!* Only three weekends left before Christmas?! Oi!

Let me drop some random news meanwhile, since the blog might become a little quiet in the next days:

• Half a week went by, and Xavier still has not pulled down the Christmas tree. I added the lights after he went to bed, tonight; we’ll see what happens…
• A whole lot of snow fell down yesterday, and it affected our day in many ways, especially our evening – dust off the car, make our way at low speed to the babysitter’s place, pick up Xavier and manage the babysitter’s driveway – whose snow guy didn’t show up – get home to find out our own snow guy has forgot about us (a good 3 feet of snow in front of the driveway!), Frank shoveling the walkway and the opening of the canvas garage while I unfreeze vegetable stew (yay! for meals cooked in advance and waiting in the freezer!)… Frank, after he got into the house, turned to calling back his brother, calling back my brother to help him set up his Internet connection and went by my parent’s to fix their email; all of this left me to care for Xavier pretty much by myself for part of the evening, and I’m going through all of this tale to put some emphasis on the thought that went through my head during that time: I have no idea how single mothers – or fathers, even – do it. I have no idea. I mean: usually I don’t have much problem taking care of my son on my own, and this evening went relatively well, in fact, but there was still a lot of action around with the snow, etc., and I’m trying to imagine someone who has to handle a whole household by herself, being both parents at once, with a toddler requiring attention through it all. Wow. (That’s one of the best times to mention “I love you, honey” to my very dear partner.)
• Xavier started expanding his vocabulary. His words are still chewed and garbled, but it’s pretty amazing to see him assimilate language these weeks.
• I have an appointment at the doctor’s tomorrow that will confirm it, but baby 2 seems in excellent health to me: she’s kicking, kicking, kicking, nonstop, and with strength! She promises to be a real handful! When pregnant with Xavier, I would feel him move well and regularly. This time, however, I don’t know how baby 2 is placed, but I feel every little movement even more, and it doesn’t stop!
• We took our 16-months-old to see Santa at the mall. Remind me to scan and post the picture one of these days… It’s a good shot of Frank, hehehe.
• I persevered through all of this season of Beauty and the Geek. I finally made it to the finale and winner, which was tonight, but I missed it because our supposedly cool tv receptor that Frank installed isn’t working, again.
• Frank just told me I would better not use the “Publish” feature right away to post this entry, because he pulled our website offline to mess with the server.
• Frank is actively loosing ground on his request for funds for buying a new computer to use as server.

Alright, that will be enough. I translate and I’m off to bed. (And apparently I only post this entry tomorrow.)