Spring is in the air!

I think every mother of a new born has had the experience of being awake at 3 in the morning desperately trying to get their baby back to sleep. You know those moments when you feel have asleep and you have been rocking them back and forth in the dark until you are sure you are safe and they are finally sound a sleep and the moment you put them down in their crib and you are ever so slowly creeping away they suddenly wake up??...And then of course, after the third time that your baby has played this ever so fun mind game with you you are so thoroughly frustrated that when they finally get back to sleep you can no longer get back to sleep!!!!

Oh the joys of motherhood...(-: Thank goodness they are adorably cute as they are looking up at you with their big eyes fully awake at 3 in the morning!!!!

Alex is 2 months old today and the time has gone quickly. These past 2 months have been wonderful and they have also been...hmmm...I hesitate to use the word "overwhelming" since it has too negative of a connotation for what I mean (though I admit there have been moments that I have felt overwhelmed) so I will use the words thoroughly encompassing. Needless to say, our family has been quite busy as we have adjusted to this new wonderful new addition...

Spring has begun to arrive here lately and I find the weather and change of season reflects well where I am at lately. After Alex was born (in the dead of winter) I felt the need to cocoon...Out of necessity as well as preference I have been sticking close to home and focusing mainly on the family Part of it is that I have not felt the energy to focus on much else! By the time I get the older kids to bed that's it for me...no more brain power...all systems down!!! (If the phone rings after 8:30 p.m. there is no way I am answering since I have no more desire to speak or capacity for input!!!!) But lately I have been finding the energy and the desire to start to take baby steps out into the world again...and by the "world" I mean venturing beyond a 3 block radius beyond the grocery store...!! (well maybe not today since I have been up since 3:30!!!) Life is beginning to take on more of a routine and my sleeping has increased (well, most of the time!).

I realize that my little rant may sound like I am complaining but I am not...We are so happy with Alexandre and I am so proud to have these 3 little guys. We have had some really amazing moments. When I am walking down the street with the three of them (one on either side and Alexandre in his front pack!!) I could not feel prouder. Well, that's it for now. I could write so much more but time is limited!!

What can I say?

There is so much to say but I know my time is limited as it is rare lately that I have my hands free!

There have been so many emotions over these past days and even months that I have not yet had the time to process them all.

If I can summarize the most recurring and dominant feeling is that we are feeling so grateful and so incredibly blessed....Everything went well and we have this amazingly beautiful and healthy boy that has become part of our family.

My sister was right, now that he is here I know he is the one that was meant for us all along. Everything else falls into its place.

Baby is crying...gotta go already!!!

Presenting....

Presenting the latest addition to our family: baby Alexandre.

Born January 22 and weighing in at 8 pounds 13 ounces!!!

All is well....

Christmas Season...

I realize that it has been a long time since I last wrote...In fact, in the interim the seasons have changed and I am no longer hearing the swishing of leaves under my feet but snow and ice!!! We have also moved from the Halloween holiday to the Xmas holidays...

Its been awhile, in part, because free time has been at a minimum lately. Between fighting a flu that dragged on much longer that I would have liked (it's finally gone!) and being increasing pregnant, my fatique levels were up and I often crashed as soon as the kids were in their beds!

But, all is well in our household. I am now 8 months pregnant and the countdown is on! I finish work next week and will leave with mixed feelings: relieved to not have to trudge my way through snowstorms with two kids to school,daycare, and work in the morning (did I mention that being 8 months pregnant and taking public transportation do not go together!!!) but sad to leave a work environment and collegues that I enjoy so much.

The boys are doing well. Mathieu came with us to see the ultrasound last month and was excited to see his little brother. He also gets a laugh out of feeling his baby brother's kicks and punches...

Gabriel has been showing little signs of jealously lately so we are hoping that the transition won't be too difficult for him...

As you can see from the pictures, we are still very much enjoying our cottage and try to make it out there as much as possible. Mathieu finished his swimming lessons in town and will begin ski lessons after Xmas. Gabriel is still too small but is going to start next year...

We are definately going to miss being in Winnipeg for Christmas this year but are looking forward to spending some quiet time together as a family. We will be in Quebec city for the 24th and 25th and then we will head to our cottage for a few days. After that, we will be staying close to home and awaiting the arrival of number 3....

So much to say, so little time!!! First off, we spent another wonderful weekend at our cottage. Because we are north of Montreal in the mountains the temperature at the cottage is always a couple of degrees below that of Montreal. On, Saturday morning we woke up to a lovely winter wonderland! The boys were so excited and ran out to touch the snow with their bare feet On Saturday afternoon, our good friends Tanissa and Ryan came out to the cottage with their little Christian and baby Élodie. We had a wonderful lunch together and the kids had fun playing outside...(The "big" boys too!!!). Coincidentally, Tanissa's mother used to have a cottage very close to ours so Tanissa and I made a little trip to visit her old place. As it turns out, it is 10 minutes of walking from our place. Tanissa said she really regrets now not buying it from her mom when she had the chance because we would have been neighbours!!

We came straight home from the cottage after Mathieu's swimming class yesterday in order to be home on time for Halloween in the city. Once again, I am reminded what a kid I am at heart because I get genuinely excited about these kinds of holidays!! I love having kids in part because I get to enjoy these kinds of things and experience their excitement. I also particularly love Halloween on the Plateau because it is really a great ambiance. The air is usually nice and crisp this time of year and the sidewalks are usually covered with leaves so you hear this "swish, swish" sound as you walk. Our neighborhood also has a lot of little kids that come out that night. Also, alot of the houses really go all out and the decorations are amazing!!! I just think there is something special about a holiday where neighbours open their doors to greet one another (and my voyeur side loves to peak in other people's places!)

Mathieu decided close to the last minute that he did not want to wear his dinosaur costume so I made a trip to the Dollar store and gave him a few options to choose from and we put the Dracula costume together. It took lots of gel and fake blood (which 6 year boys seem to find fascinating!) but we pulled it off. Gabriel, as you can see, was cute as a button. You should of heard how enthusiastically he said "Merci!!!" every time someone gave him candy. What a concept for a three year old...free candy!!! Too precious!!! He was just so happy and so adorable....Croquant!!!

I am now 7 months pregnant and all is going well and baby is kicking stonger and stronger every day. The boys give my tummy kisses daily and Mathieu is excited to meet his new baby brother. Gabriel seems to understand the concept that there is a baby in my tummy but I am not sure to what point he realizes that it is going to come out one day!!! It might be a bit of a suprise. He has gotten so much bigger lately and is really becoming a "big boy". He's been full of "I love you's" and hugs and kisses lately. He and Mathieu have also been playing a lot more together (check out the video!!) and sometimes are a bit of a "tag team" which is great but can sometimes be challenging when it is late and you`re trying to get two boys to bed who are just egging eachother on and think every burp and animal noise etc. is genuinely hilarious....!
Burping has become a popular sport at our house and I think I just have to accept that it comes with the territory of being outnumbered by boys!!!