Guess who got a little bit closer to 40 this week? Not me! Chris turned 37 yesterday. He worked all day and night, so we didn't do a lot of celebrating; although last weekend was an early birthday treat/celebration from me. Josiah was very busy signing Chris' card, which he ran in and gave him as soon as he heard Chris stir. He stood with his hands behind his back and watched daddy open it (very proud of himself!). Here are the boys having breakfast before Chris headed to work.



Here's the look Chris gave me when I told him he looked really old in this picture:



Speaking of 37 reminds me of a funny teaching story. When I worked in MB, I overheard my kindergarten kids chatting one day about how old their parents were. Now, in that area, the average age of parents was much younger than here in NB or in most urban centers. So most of the kids mothers were in their twenties still by the time their kids started school. One little guy listened to the others, then said, "My mom is 37." The children all stopped eating their snacks and just stared at him. They were speechless until one of them whispered, "Your mom is reeeeealllly old."...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!

In other news, Josiah has been helping out in the kitchen. We baked some cookies. Well, he pounded flour all over himself, me, and the kitchen. I think he had a lot of fun!



He also helped make some play dough. He ate some too.

Over the past sixteen months, we have tried a lot of different brands of diapers. If you are not interested in diapers, please excuse this post and don't read any further.

I have had a lot of unfortunate diapering discussions. I think different kinds of diapers work better with different babies. Here are my thoughts on what we've tried:

1) Parent's Choice/Walmart- cheap,terrible, and beyond leaky! I did not even finish using them, and decided they would be perfectly used as game props at a baby shower.

2) Teddy's Choice- great sales, but not a nice fit. Very rigid, and I found Josiah getting those red lines around his legs. They also leaked for us every night, so I just used them as spares during the day.

3) Pamper's- the swaddlers were the best for new babies; however, the chemical smell was very strong as we got to the bigger sizes. I did not feel they held up to leaks as well as our favorites.

4) Huggies- we have used these the most. Quite cheap at Costco, and have good coupons and sales elsewhere. Good fit for Josiah and hold up to most leaks.

5) Kirkland (Costco version made by Huggies)- better price than Huggies/Pampers. I was very hesitant to try them. What if I wasted money on a whole giant box and they proved to be like all of the other cheapies? Honestly, we are almost at the end of the big box, and I will be buying more. They aren't quite as good as Huggies for one reason, that if it is a major #2 it leaks out the inside of the legs a bit. But considering the price difference, I'll be sticking with these until the end!

And that's what I've found! Anyone used any other generic brands that worked/didn't work?

This past weekend, starting early Friday morning, my mom and aunt stayed with Josiah so that Chris and I could get away. It was kind of an early birthday surprise for him. He had no idea.

He pulled up on Thursday night, and saw my mom's car. He thought I had either gotten him, or that I had had a break-down and needed to call in the troops! Either was quite possible! I knew on Friday that it had been too long since my last break from kids. I think I slept most of Friday away.

People keep asking what we did, and although there were some fun things planned, I think we wanted to feel bored/rested/not rushed/etc. We've often talked about that bored feeling before kids. Not that we couldn't find lots to fill it most of the time, but every once in a while we'd find ourselves restless. I had a bit of that feeling later on Saturday. It was the first time in 16 months!

So we did things that we never make time for...watched television (way too much of the Olympics), rented movies, read, napped, slept in, and Chris went skiing. I actually even felt rested during my work day today.

I did miss Josiah like crazy, and it was great to see him again when we got back last night. I have a feeling based on his behavior today that he was a very loved boy on the weekend!

- This picture of Josiah reminds me of how far he has come in his playing in the past couple of months. It is fun to watch him really engage, and be creative with toys!

- Feeling frustrated at times with the extent to which we have to baby proof. He has now broken every baby proofing lock in our house except for the one under the bathroom sink. I think the only reason this one has lasted is because he isn't allowed in that room very often!

- Although we are thinking that he might be starting to visit the bathroom in the near future. I am so not ready for potty training, but feel that Josiah could be. He has been telling us for months when he needs a new diaper. He often tries to find one. Now, he yells 'peeee' and grabs his diaper. He has also been trying to climb up onto our toilet when he needs to go. I don't know the first thing about potty training, so I need to do a lot of reading up! Any tips?

- Had two very early mornings the last couple of days. Josiah was awake at 4:00 am yesterday and 5:30 am today. I just can't figure out why!

- We went to our first Kindermusik class yesterday, and it was so much fun! I think that Josiah will really enjoy it. He came home trying some of the actions. I am so glad that we have this opportunity.

- Starting to feel the winter blaws. I love winter, but usually around this time of year, I just want it to be done. Trying to stay positive, and get out more.

- Reading an amazing book called "When a Woman Trusts God." I am so challenged by this, more than by anything else I've read in quite while.

- Need to go get Josiah right now...sometimes naps seem way too short!

I took these pictures a while ago and have been meaning to post them. This is the progression of Josiah trying to sit himself down in his little chair. He does a much better job of it now, but it was very funny to watch at first!





Sleeping continues to go fairly well in our house-YAY! I hesitate to write this, but I can't remember the last time he was up in the night. He has even been sleeping in until 6:30/6:45, which is very late for him!! It feels so great to be having hours of uninterrupted sleep again.