Allisun's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 1/4/03 -------------------- 12/23/02 11/6/02 10/29/02 10/18/02 10/7/02 9/25/02 8/30/02 8/27/02 8/20/02 8/4/02 3/12/02 -------------------- Allisun's Introduction

November 6, 2002

16 months and a week

Halloween

It came, we did. We saw and we ate. I took the day off because I wasn't interested in a mad race home from work with the rest of the world, and truth be told, I was so excited I couldn't have concentrated on work anyway. On the eve of, I stayed up late on the computer when we should have been carving pumpkins. Isn't it awful how fast three hours go? While I felt good because the diary writers group had plowed through a heated debate, I have to say I felt guilty over the lost time.

Halloween morning, Remo and I got up really early so we could start the pumpkins before the kids woke up Two seconds later they were up too. I delegated the job of pulling the seeds out to Brandan and Remo made Kaillan tubby-toast (Eggos). Guess who was scraping syrup and mopping up pumpkin guts all day. I did my pumpkins from scratch; in one I wrote BOO in a moon and carved bats, two were happy faces and no word of a lie they were great, even if no one but my aunt and Remo said so. I'm thinking the pumpkin carving patterns you can buy are slowly stealing the show, now I know how the people who sew their costumes feel. The TV was on in the background and I have to say I kept scooting in to the morning shows to get a peak at the Halloween costumes. There are some pretty clever and imaginative people in the world, I didn't have the capacity to pretend I was one of them. Brandan was a fireman, I bought him the coolest real life suit and Kaillan was a lamb, her tail made my heart melt.

Brandan was just wrapping up an ear infection stint and Kaillan had a full blown cold, so I tried to get an appointment to have her ears checked. At 10:30 they were getting their Sears pictures and in a perfect world I could've piggy backed a doctor's appointment since we were out anyway. They offered 2:30, take it or leave it. Sold. Our day was officially a write off.

Being all by myself with two kids, Sears pictures and costumes felt wrong but I figured a great attitude would make it work. We were only five minutes late and Kaillan had just nodded off. I was never actually able to get her happy and my first mistake was in not bringing a snack bribe with us. The hour that we attempted a picture was painful. She arched, pitched and hollered. The one picture I actually picked (so the whole outing would not be a total waste) had me in it, looking at the floor maybe, with no makeup, no hair or clothes for pictures and I would've slithered out of the shot had I not been vice gripped. I rescheduled an appointment for two days later.

It was 12:30 when we raced home, 1:00 when I started feeding them mishmash whatever, 1:30 when both kids fell asleep and 2:00 when I called the clinic to see if there was any chance at all I could be a little late for my appointment. Flat No. I hauled both half asleep, annoyed children to the van and took off. Don't think for a minute the appointment went well. Ever since the week Kaillan had eight splinters, blood tests, the chicken pox vaccine and her teeth checked, she does not handle medical professionals well, to say she freaked out would be putting it delicately. The doctor called her a powerhouse and asked someone to come in and hold her legs too. All that and the ears were clear. I still find it something that Brandan had an ear infection a month his first year and Kaillan hasn't had one. Hang on while I find real wood to knock. In case you're wondering, I still ended up in traffic.

Trick or treating went really well. Claudia and Karim brought Sabrina over so us moms could take the kidlets out and we left the guys behind. Kaillan made it three houses before we shipped her home with Dee Dee. It was cold and her plan was to go everywhere we weren't. She was upset because she only wanted me and Remo said everytime the doorbell rang she'd go running for "Mama, Mama" and cry till the doorbell rang again. Brandan took the whole thing VERY seriously, could actually plot the best house to hit next, he'd say his thank yous and we'd take off. Sabrina found the whole thing exhausting. She did her spiel around the block and decided we should go home. We dragged her along and not long after she officially dropped out of the running, Brandan decided we should call it quits and eat some of this stuff already. I could've gone on for a hundred more blocks. The neighbourhood was great, everyone was so in the spirit and tomorrow meant I could start getting ready for Christmas. I LOVE the holidays.

So Wednesday night I spent on the computer, Thursday night was Halloween and Friday night my own personal hairdresser came to sparkle us up. Have I mentioned Daphne yet? She's been doing my hair for maybe six years. The first time she streaked my hair I looked like a racoon head and the torture of the cap after newly died hair nearly killed me. I actually cried. My hair was so awful, and the worst part was I paid $150 to look like a freak. When I got home, a mess, my mother in-law actually offered to give me the money for it. The test came the next morning when the salon opened and I was camped at the door wide-eyed, after not a minute of sleep. Daphne fixed it and I stayed loyal. Eventually when I dared to trust her again, I started dabbling in foils. I wanted caramel, mocha and sometimes blond put in and once you start it'll never end. Going to the salon was getting pricey so I asked if we could take her home with us. Somehow in all this time she became a part of the family and now once a month she does us all, including Dee Dee. One other for the record? In the last couple weeks I've had some fabulous hair days. May we all, always.

On Saturday, we moved Remo's grandfather into a nursing home and all I could think of is how you accumulate so many things in your lifetime, till ultimately you can fit what you keep in a room, and the furniture doesn't even belong to you. We went to pick up a U-Haul van and showed up there expecting to be hustling like maniacs but they had the table set for a continental breakfast. Have you noticed? I'm not good at sitting still. If it was my move I'd still have twelve rooms to pack. We loaded up and arrived at the residence, us and Remo's aunt and uncle who we're crazy about. Two hours revolved around a reclining chair and how could we make it fit and I decided Remo makes me mental in situations like this, because when we're in the middle of moving furniture, and he's blocking traffic, and we're moving the TV anyway, he was mucking around with the cable wires trying to get better reception. We're moving the TV! There's cable people coming! AAAGGHHH!

Since we had rented the truck already, we figured we might as well go get the rest of our stuff from his parents. It was all the leftover crap that should be in the garbage but amounted to ten times what his grandfather owned. You know how you end up with miscellaneous boxes whenever you move? This was every miscellaneous box we'd ever owned in our entire lives. We dumped it all in the garage and I have to say the scene was depressing. Except to our kids.

That night we took the kids disco neon bowling and Brandan had a blast. Our friends Terry and Junior have to be one of the easy goingest couples we know and I think Brandan has a crush on Terry. While he could care less who comes over, the next day he specifically asked if we could ask her to come again. Sunday morning, we gave the Sears pictures another go and a Nutrigrain bar kept Kaillan reasonable till a new problem erupted. Brandan decided to pose and we couldn't de-pose him. He'd cuddle Kaillan or put his hand under his chin. Every single picture looked goofy, and maybe today I'd see it as cute, but then I was getting frustrated. Once again, I settled on a picture, this time of only Kaillan. Tonight marks attempt number three. If it doesn't work, I'm not going back, Sears is a nightmare these days.

Watch me go back ten more times.

I'm sitting here eating the best leftovers ever since yesterday (Monday: rappini and pine nuts garlic pasta with chick peas on the side, Tuesday: mashed potatoes, mashed turnip and cauliflower, pork chops with red pepper and onions, and today: my best ever Shepard's pie with green beans on the side). I nuked them all in my new corning dish, let it be my rave of the week. Way back when I was pregnant with Brandan, one of the ladies in my office was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was successfully treated with chemo but when she came back she was understandably pretty nervous about a lot of things, and one thing she couldn't shake was her fear of her computer. Had it given off dangerous emissions? To hopefully calm the panic, the organization called in Canada Public Health and Welfare and paid specialists tens of thousands of dollars to run tests. Of course everyone in the section wanted in. When it was turn for my computer, I figured mine would be no different from the other twenty, so I asked if they could skip me and test the brand new, good quality microwave. And they did. Months later when the reports came back, the computers were found to not be hazardous, but what was alarming was that the microwave had dangerously high radiation emissions. The brand new microwave. It was enough to make me a little paranoid. I almost never use it at home and when I do the kids are not near it or if I can swing it, out of the room altogether and I NEVER use plastic anything in it, because supposedly that's even worse for you. Some additives used in the manufacture of plastics may migrate into food, especially at high temperatures.

Friday, I blew the budget again big time, so when I got caught and swore THAT WAS IT, I made all sorts of pledges and one of them was that I would stop buying lunch every day. But since I won't microwave in tupperware containers, it would mean I'd have to take a plate to work and wash it every day (ugh). Then I found these great, serving size corning ware containers at Walmart. They have air tight lids, they're easy to clean and most important, they're so far, the safest microwavable dish. All of a sudden taking lunches is exciting and by eleven ever morning, I can't wait any longer. Tomorrow? Tuna sandwiches on big, thick, whole wheat bread.

Have you noticed my entries just keep getting longer and longer? The highlight of my week has to be coming in to work on Friday to a present from my boss. His sister in-law is my new best friend, THE Sarah McClachlin and she'd personally autographed a CD for me. And the best part is she even called them to be sure Allisun with a U was right. I was high as a kite. Me and Sarah. Soulmates.

It feels like Kaillan all of a sudden gained ten pounds. Overnight she grew. You know how people say their children are into everything and they're climbers but they're just a little high energy? My girl is the real McCoy. Yesterday she opened the pantry door and climbed up on a shelf to get the Halloween candy. I was in the room. When I was shoving it higher I hit the peanut butter container out and THUD, it ricocheted off her forehead. There was a bright red mark, but she wasn't crying because it had to hurt, she was mad because she wanted the Halloween candy now. Leave her alone in any room and she'll get on the table. The cutest new trick is her desire for a bowl of cereal. I think it's because she can control us like puppets. First she takes us to the cupboard, "Bo Bo Bo" till she gets a bowl. Then she back tracks us to the cereal cupboard with a "Mo Mo Mo" till she gets ‘more'cereal (Miniwheats, what kind of baby loves Miniwheats?), she directs us to the drawer with a "Poo Poo Poo"spoon then back to the fridge "Mo Mi Mo Mi". Milk. Points to the chair and she settles in for one big mess. It started off really cute till she started eating three bowls of cereal a day.

While I could go on and on for the rest of my life, lunch is over and duty calls.

I have to say, hanging out here is more fun.

Till next time,

Allisun