Last night we were sleeping so peacefully, when I woke up to Christmas music.  Really loud Christmas music coming from the living room.  If I hadn't been mostly asleep, I would have been able to think about it a little bit.  And my thoughts would have totally freaked me out.  Because why would obnoxiously loud Christmas music start playing in the middle of the night?  The only reason I can think of is if there's a murderer that is in the house and wants the music to drown out the screams.  At least that's how it happens in the movies.

Jeremy got up and turned it off and took the cds out of the stereo.

Apparantly, our 13 year old P.O.S. Aiwa stereo is really malfunctioning and now, along with not playing any of my sweet cassette collection, it won't even play cds without skipping over everything and randomly turning on.  The main reason we still have the stereo is because we use it for the Ipod.  And when the Ipod is hooked up, you have to really crank up the sound just so you can hear it.  I had put some Christmas music in the cd player and was going to listen to it yesterday, but it was skipping so badly that I went back to the Ipod and cranked up the volume.  So that explains the loud volume.  I don't understand why it randomly turns itself on.  Or why it switches over to the cd setting on its own.

I'm worried the house is haunted with Mr. Thomas Gee - the previous owner who passed away a couple years ago.  He didn't die in the house, and him and his wife owned three other homes, so I'm not sure how much time they actually spent here.  But maybe they were here every Christmas.  And he's just back for the holiday season.  And wanted to listen to a little Christmas music...

This little man turned one today.

I am quite simply amazed at how much a life can change in one year.  Puts things in perspective.

'Do you hear what I hear' always reminds me of the movie Gremlins

Last night, I was watching Bohdan grab handfuls of spaghetti and slurp it into his mouth.  He was absolutely loving it!

And I had one of those moments where you feel so unbelievably blessed that you can hardly stand it.  How fortunate I am to have a wonderful healthy family, a warm home, and to know where my next meal will be coming from.

What makes me more deserving of this situation than someone else?  Why was I lucky enough to be born here rather than somewhere else?  To not be burdened with worries of survival?  To be able to feed and clothe my child and also provide him with good healthcare and an arsenal of toys?

I need to make that yearly donation to the food bank right now

Regardless of who I end up voting for, there is one thing that really grates on my nerves this time of year.  No, I'm not talking about the obnoxious election commercials.  Although having them on the air 24-7 makes me want to chuck every television set off a 20 story building.  'Why a 20 story building?' you may ask.  Because I want to throw them from the highest building I can find, and that's the biggest one we have in these parts.

What I hate is people running around the streets trying to get you to vote for the candidate of their choice.

Yesterday, I had a guy ask me if I had decided on a candidate.  I panicked.  And the only answer I could think to give that would get him off my case immediately is an answer my friend gives all the time - although her answer is valid.  I told him I was Canadian.  Probably un-American, but whatever.  When you live this close to Canada and you spend time up there, you don't really feel like your state is necessarily a separate nation from theirs.  Other than their signs have everything in kilometers and there's French every now and then too.

Today, I ran into him again.  Of course he didn't recognize me.  I had a better answer this time.  I told him I already voted.  Which also isn't true.

Now, I'm determined to make him recognize me the next time I run across him.

If I see him on Monday, I'm going to tell him I can't vote because I'm a convicted felon.

Tuesday, if he still doesn't recognize me, I'll tell him I'm not 18 yet.  I don't know if a 31 year old can pass for a teenager, so that should really stick out in his mind.

It has been quite awhile since I've had the time to post on this page.  I've been so busy keeping the family updated on Bohdan's development and taking care of the little guy that I haven't even been able to keep up with my own self!  And a million other excuses as to why there just isn't enough time in the day (or the workweek is just too damn long!)

I was sick yesterday and able to sneak in a couple naps while Bohdan snoozed.  But all that sleeping has left me with an ache in my back and the inability to fall asleep after a 4:30 a.m. feeding.  Now I'm waiting for baby Boh to be up any minute.  I can already hear dad stirring...

It's an absolutely beautiful morning with an excessive amount of snow for this time of year.  All the tree branches are laden with snow and I have yet to get onto the gazette to see how much of the city is without power.  We are fortunate enough to still be on the grid.  My toes are chilly enough as it is!

The dogs enjoying the snow:

I started up a new blog dedicated to Bohdan.  Because most people don't give a crap what I'm up to and just want to see stuff on Bohdan.  So here it is:  Bohdan's Blog

made his debut on Wednesday, December 12th at 9:42 a.m.  He was 6 pounds, 14 ounces and 19 inches long.  Here's some photos to enjoy (you just can't take enough!):

right after birth - about 10 minutes old

both of us learning to nurse:

with grandma:

with dad: