I have not been doing well at following my doctor's orders! One of the things he asked me was how much caffeine I have in a day. I was embarrassed to answer. He thought it might be a good idea to cut back and see if some of my symptoms are alleviated.



The problem is that I love coffee, and probably have it once or twice a day. I try to do half decaf, but I like a bit of a jolt! This had not been a problem for me before having Josiah, as I only drank coffee occasionally (mostly in social settings). But I just find my energy is so low that I need something to get me through the day. I know all of the effects,etc. and that it is just an illusion, but sometimes I'll take whatever I can get in the moment.

So, I am writing this in order to help me be accountable for the next four weeks until I see my doctor again. I will give you random caffeine updates. This is more for my benefit than yours, so thanks for your support!!

This week, I...

- Had a long awaited Dr.'s appointment, because I have been feeling pretty lousy. He was very thorough and also ordered blood work so hopefully I can find out what is going on soon. I just need to get myself down to the lab now!

- Have been doing well on my running program, and can do more than a kilometer straight. This is very low, but I started from the bottom. My doctor cautioned me to not exert too much energy until he finds out what is wrong, so this has stalled me a bit.

- Have been counting Josiah's words since a friend asked last week how many he was saying now. I said around 50, but I think it is over 250. I am working on a list to put in his calendar, so I'll let you know what the final number is.

- Thinking of solutions to keep Josiah from unlocking the back door, opening it, and running into the back yard in his bare feet to watch the construction workers.

- Had a cancelled work day on Monday due to a client that couldn't make it. It was fun to spend most of the day with Chris and Josiah, and go shopping in the afternoon.
BUT, I paid for it yesterday with one of my worst work days ever!

- Skipped out on a lot of cleaning, and am very behind on laundry!

- Have joined a banquet planning committee for my mom's group.

- Spent some time after we got home from our music class cleaning up a diaper explosion (picture puddles on the living room floor... well, maybe try not to!). Josiah has been acting kind of funny this week. I thought he was teething, and he still might be, but now I am wondering if he has a flu or something. He hasn't been eating well either, which is very unusual. (Josiah just woke up from his nap, and it's definitely a flu! He was vomiting everywhere. I guess that is the motivation I needed to start on that laundry!).

- Am feeling thankful to God that he has returned the missing woman in Moncton safely. Definitely feeling more cautious when I am out by myself (this happened within a kilometer of my office).

- Need to make a snack for a large group of women, and am stumped on what to do. If I didn't have an occasion, I'd have lots of ideas!

P.S.

The stresses from my previous blog quickly faded tonight as Josiah said,
"Maamaa...I love you" as I was putting him to bed. So sweet!

We have a new trick...taking down baby gates. Josiah has discovered the latch, so as long as I remember to turn it around it takes him longer to break through. Nothing seems safe anymore!



He has also been working on breaking out of his crib. I think he is just weeks away. He has lasted longer than I thought he would, but I need a little more time!!

Today, he realized that it causes quite a stir when he reaches into his mouth and pulls out food (stuck in his teeth right after he has eaten) and rubs it all over me. How disgusting!

I read in a developmental update to expect these sorts of behaviors for about another year and a half...not sure this was a helpful piece of information! Maybe we'll all 'look back on this and laugh someday'?!

YouTube - Just To Be With You - Paul Baloche

I love this worship song.

I think I often tend to let things get very complicated.

It is hard for me to know how to just be with God sometimes...without ditractions, 'prayers', pressures, doubt.

I get caught up with what I feel is important in this life.

This song reminds me to sit with God, to leave my concerns and efforts with him, to enjoy those quiet moments for what they are...


YouTube - Just To Be With You - Paul Baloche

Does this look familiar to any of you? (Besides a toddler anxiously awaiting a walk along the paths behind our house to see some major heavy equipment?!)



How about now?



When I grabbed this little coat for Josiah, I didn't realize it would turn him into Chris' "mini-me." Kind of cute though! It has become his favorite one. Maybe both of my boys were born to live in the country!

This is Josiah enjoying his dinky cars. It is often the first thing he wants to play with each morning. He also likes to listen to a song about a duck. Before his eyes are hardly opened, he quacks. Notice the bad bed-head look!



So because of pictures like above, Josiah had another big haircut this week...



Chris loves the military buzz. I am just happy to not have to cut it for a while again. It is a work in progress. He still has 'scraggles' and uneven parts, but I just trim a little each day. Here's the new 'big boy' look:



This is Josiah and his cousin Wesley. They had a nice visit on the weekend!



Josiah looks a bit unsure in this picture. He definitely does not like sharing his mom and dad; however, he does love his cousin! He calls him "Eeee" and carries his picture around often. Wish we could see "Eeee" more often!

It is March break in NB this week, which always feels weird for me now that I am not teaching. I anticipate it, think about it, talk to others about their plans...but in our house it is a normal week (except that there are lots of people to hang out with who normally work at/attend schools- fun!).

I did have a snow day on Monday. Clients rarely cancel, so it was a nice treat. I got to spend the morning with my boys instead of in the office. Then, I got caught up on reports.

Here's what we've been up to in the past week:
- Celebrated Josiah's 17 month birthday!
- Went to Crystal Palace with friends.
- Went to the Y with friends.
- Had another Kindermusik class- so much fun!
- Lots of dancing and movement in our house lately!
- New obsession: dinky cars- Chris and Josiah are thrilled about this!
- Missed two days of napping (we seriously cannot survive without Josiah's afternoon nap, so I hope that this is another phase!)
- Went skating!
- Tonight is pizza/movie night.
- Tomorrow, maybe an early morning market visit with a friend, and I get to visit with my sister Andrea, her husband Dan, and my 6-month-old nephew Wesley!

In other news, I found/tinkered with an amazing pancake recipe. I have had some good recipes, but this is the best so far. Some of mine have been heavy or crumbly. When we were on our trip to Nashville, my favorite breakfast stop was at I-Hop. They have so many kinds of pancakes, it is insane. I had strawberry cheesecake pancakes... more like dessert than breakfast. This is a knock-off of their basic pancake, so you can add anything you want.

Pancakes:
1 1/4 cups flour (I use half or more whole wheat plus wheat germ to make up the flour. All should equal 1 1/4 cups)
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or regular milk plus a tablespoon of lemon juice- leave it for a minute before adding it to the rest of the mix)
3-4 Tbsp. sugar
1 heaping tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup oil (I use half applesauce)
pinch of salt
Tbsp. ground flax seeds
(Add whatever you want to make the flavour. We love blueberries, or any berries. Also mashed bananas are good, or apple chunks with cinnamon. Whatever you choose would work. If you are looking for dessert, maybe even strawberries and cream cheese!)

- Preheat pan on medium heat. Use non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients in blender or with mixer until smooth. Pour batter in pan (5 inch circles)- these will spread so don't put them too close together. When edges appear hard, or they start to bubble through, flip once. This makes 8-10 small pancakes.