Thursday, June 29, 2006
Thank heavens for little girls...
Cris nearly shot me for these. And he will probably do so now that I have put them on the web. But come on!! What a cutie!!
The Bizarre world of Playgroup
Playgroup is really a weird and wonderful place. I have been going when I have Liam to help entertain him and keep me sane. The kids are one thing. But I was fascinated with the dynamics and language of the parents. It's like we are talking to our kids, but really parents are sending secret messages to each other.
"Yes, Billy, you like trucks. Anywhere you see a truck you like to play with it!"
Translation: My son is extremely perceptive and bright. He can distinguish any type of truck and is adorable when playing with them.
"Jenny, would you like a snack? I have soy bean rice cakes!!"
Translation: We are organic food eaters and a far better version of a human being then you with your dinosaur jujubes. Shame for the sugar.
"Look Mathias, painting! Remember the paintings we saw in Paris at the Louvre?? You loved the Matisse."
Translation: this one is two fold- first: we are rich and can afford to travel the world with our 5 month old. I am a stay at home mom but eventually I will start my own home based business later to be bought by Disney. You know, in my spare time...
Second: We expose our child to worldly things beyond the McDonald's Play Palace. We go to the ballet and he sits quietly, entranced with the ballerina's and Mozarts rhapsodies. My son eats escargot and blood sausage. He wears little Ugg boots and designer t-shirts.
Then there are those baby signing parents. Don't get me started with them. That's just a big ol' slap in the face with baby Einstein video.
Playgroup is also a constant reminder that I am so out of my league when it comes to activities and crafts... But I guess that is why they are there. To help poor sops like me struggling to open the Elmer's School glue bottle...
"Yes, Billy, you like trucks. Anywhere you see a truck you like to play with it!"
Translation: My son is extremely perceptive and bright. He can distinguish any type of truck and is adorable when playing with them.
"Jenny, would you like a snack? I have soy bean rice cakes!!"
Translation: We are organic food eaters and a far better version of a human being then you with your dinosaur jujubes. Shame for the sugar.
"Look Mathias, painting! Remember the paintings we saw in Paris at the Louvre?? You loved the Matisse."
Translation: this one is two fold- first: we are rich and can afford to travel the world with our 5 month old. I am a stay at home mom but eventually I will start my own home based business later to be bought by Disney. You know, in my spare time...
Second: We expose our child to worldly things beyond the McDonald's Play Palace. We go to the ballet and he sits quietly, entranced with the ballerina's and Mozarts rhapsodies. My son eats escargot and blood sausage. He wears little Ugg boots and designer t-shirts.
Then there are those baby signing parents. Don't get me started with them. That's just a big ol' slap in the face with baby Einstein video.
Playgroup is also a constant reminder that I am so out of my league when it comes to activities and crafts... But I guess that is why they are there. To help poor sops like me struggling to open the Elmer's School glue bottle...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
A gentle reminder
Owen has taken it upon himself to remind me that my nose is on the slightly larger size. As we all know by now, breastfeeding ain't just for the nutrients anymore! He has now discovered he can shove his fingers up my nose with pin point accuracy. And this is the kid who bops himself in the eye with a toy hammer. But clearly my landing strip size nose is no challenge. So he delights in shoving his little fingers (thankfully only one at a time) up. It doesn't matter how many times I tell him not to... I guess it blocks his view of everything else... sigh.
Of course the sweet revenge is that he doesn't realise how big his nose is going to get!! The evil retribution that is genetics!!
P.S. and yes I still breastfeed. Owen also eats cereal and will start veggies next month. But he will breastfeed till I go back to work. And then he will be down to one feeding a day. That's what works for us and we are sticking to it. And we are quite happy albeit defensive about it.
Of course the sweet revenge is that he doesn't realise how big his nose is going to get!! The evil retribution that is genetics!!
P.S. and yes I still breastfeed. Owen also eats cereal and will start veggies next month. But he will breastfeed till I go back to work. And then he will be down to one feeding a day. That's what works for us and we are sticking to it. And we are quite happy albeit defensive about it.
Delinquent blogger
I apologize for the severe lack of updating. It has been a rough couple of days, followed by a weekend in TO, followed by looking after the little two year old guy again. So my time is severely limited!
Hopefully the short version of this all is that Owen got very sick starting two weeks ago. Owen had a fever since Wednesday June 14. It ranged from 100 to 103.4. We ended up taking him to a clinic on Saturday and they said they couldn't diagnosis him because they couldn't see anything wrong although he was clearly very sick. So off to CHEO (local kids hospital) we went (they definitely need a campaign to raise funds for a new emergency department!).
When we got there, his temperature was 104.7 and his pulse was racing at 200 beats per minute (instead of the normal 120). They gave him tylenol rectally (fun for all) and that brought his temp down. But then he went all grey and cold and clammy. We were waiting for him to produce a urine sample which took 3 hours since he wasn't feeding well either. When they saw the bright yellow sample they did a quick dip test and it came back positive for blood, puss... Everything (what else is "everything"? I was afraid to ask). And very positive. So we got moved to the front of the line.
After a catheter test to take a more pure sample of urine (and a nice walk for mom and dad so mom didn't loose it and freak the little guy out), it turns out he had a urinary tract infection. So now he is on antibiotics. The fever finally broke on the Monday and he was back to his old self by Thursday. He still has a few test to go. He will need an ultrasound to make sure his kidneys are ok and then another catheter test to unsure his urinary tract is formed and functioning properly. But we have a few weeks before he has to do that. It was very heart breaking and sad. Everyone always comments on how happy and quiet Owen is. Well when he was sick he was the exact opposite. And although I longed for the old happy Owen, it made me feel awful that he clearly was very uncomfortable and sick. I am just glad it's over.
Then it was off this weekend to TO for Cris' sister's baby shower. Owen got passed around a lot and shown off. He was a little apprehensive of all the people. But he smiled a bit. He loves Cris' mother and thinks she is hilarious. And he was absolutely entranced with Cris' little cousins, Felicia and Alexa. Oh he loves the ladies.
So now we are back home and looking after Liam as a favour for a friend. It is great having Liam here, not only because it keeps us busy. But Owen is also so entertained all day that he sleeps soundly through the night, without fail. When he was sick, Owen was up every 1.5 to 2 hours. Partly because it hurt when he peed. But also because of the fever. He spent most nights in bed with us, which meant we had no sleep. So even this last weekend he was waking up 3 times a night. I couldn't figure out why- maybe habit. Maybe he really was trying to build up his strength by eating. But hopefully now that he has had the taste of sleeping through the night he will go back to do it consistently or at the most up once a night. Anything is better than a week ago!
So there you have it. The last two weeks in a nut shell. Nothing funny or cute. No lovely story. No mommy demerit points (if anything, I think I gained a few back). Just grateful everyone came out ok and happy.
You know your munchkin is better when...
Hopefully the short version of this all is that Owen got very sick starting two weeks ago. Owen had a fever since Wednesday June 14. It ranged from 100 to 103.4. We ended up taking him to a clinic on Saturday and they said they couldn't diagnosis him because they couldn't see anything wrong although he was clearly very sick. So off to CHEO (local kids hospital) we went (they definitely need a campaign to raise funds for a new emergency department!).
When we got there, his temperature was 104.7 and his pulse was racing at 200 beats per minute (instead of the normal 120). They gave him tylenol rectally (fun for all) and that brought his temp down. But then he went all grey and cold and clammy. We were waiting for him to produce a urine sample which took 3 hours since he wasn't feeding well either. When they saw the bright yellow sample they did a quick dip test and it came back positive for blood, puss... Everything (what else is "everything"? I was afraid to ask). And very positive. So we got moved to the front of the line.
After a catheter test to take a more pure sample of urine (and a nice walk for mom and dad so mom didn't loose it and freak the little guy out), it turns out he had a urinary tract infection. So now he is on antibiotics. The fever finally broke on the Monday and he was back to his old self by Thursday. He still has a few test to go. He will need an ultrasound to make sure his kidneys are ok and then another catheter test to unsure his urinary tract is formed and functioning properly. But we have a few weeks before he has to do that. It was very heart breaking and sad. Everyone always comments on how happy and quiet Owen is. Well when he was sick he was the exact opposite. And although I longed for the old happy Owen, it made me feel awful that he clearly was very uncomfortable and sick. I am just glad it's over.
Then it was off this weekend to TO for Cris' sister's baby shower. Owen got passed around a lot and shown off. He was a little apprehensive of all the people. But he smiled a bit. He loves Cris' mother and thinks she is hilarious. And he was absolutely entranced with Cris' little cousins, Felicia and Alexa. Oh he loves the ladies.
So now we are back home and looking after Liam as a favour for a friend. It is great having Liam here, not only because it keeps us busy. But Owen is also so entertained all day that he sleeps soundly through the night, without fail. When he was sick, Owen was up every 1.5 to 2 hours. Partly because it hurt when he peed. But also because of the fever. He spent most nights in bed with us, which meant we had no sleep. So even this last weekend he was waking up 3 times a night. I couldn't figure out why- maybe habit. Maybe he really was trying to build up his strength by eating. But hopefully now that he has had the taste of sleeping through the night he will go back to do it consistently or at the most up once a night. Anything is better than a week ago!
So there you have it. The last two weeks in a nut shell. Nothing funny or cute. No lovely story. No mommy demerit points (if anything, I think I gained a few back). Just grateful everyone came out ok and happy.
You know your munchkin is better when...
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Biker Babe
Cris took Owen to the local Bike show. Owen met the Hell's Angels, Detroit Brothers and other donor-cycle enthusiasts. I went for a walk.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Where noxious gas comes from
Recently Owen stopped pooping everyday (very normal at his age- not to worry). At first, I thought this was a most joyous occasion! No more big diapers loaded with three outfits for the "overflow". No more big diapers (that were relatively odourless, but gross none the less). What a wonderful gift! And then three days later, I learned the down side. Big stinky diapers. And even worse: gas. Every day. Often. Instead of dirty diapers I get poisonous gas. When Cris blames the baby for the stench, I honestly don't know if he is lying or not. I am surrounded by a toxic waste dump.
But the worst, absolute worst, is I am creating a proud farting machine. I don't know what possess me to do it, but whenever he farts, I tell him it was good one. I pat his little bum, call him "Tooty McToots" and say "Good job".
Why? Why do I feel the need to create another male who is proud of his stench. And since when is noxious smells something to be proud of?? I need to wean myself off of this cycle. Potty training is a bit of a way off, but it won't be long before I am congratulating him on his poop in the toilet. This is why grown men feel they need to call their wives in to the bathroom to show them their "best work".
So to Owen's future wife (or husband- we're ok with that), I apologize. I created Tooty McToots and take full responsibility. Just pat him on his bum and tell him "Good job" and he will leave you alone.
But the worst, absolute worst, is I am creating a proud farting machine. I don't know what possess me to do it, but whenever he farts, I tell him it was good one. I pat his little bum, call him "Tooty McToots" and say "Good job".
Why? Why do I feel the need to create another male who is proud of his stench. And since when is noxious smells something to be proud of?? I need to wean myself off of this cycle. Potty training is a bit of a way off, but it won't be long before I am congratulating him on his poop in the toilet. This is why grown men feel they need to call their wives in to the bathroom to show them their "best work".
So to Owen's future wife (or husband- we're ok with that), I apologize. I created Tooty McToots and take full responsibility. Just pat him on his bum and tell him "Good job" and he will leave you alone.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Speak into the microphone...
Please note this posting is about br**stfeeding, b**bies, n*pples, and I will even use the words with out the asterisk!! So if you don't like b**bies then turn away. God bless us all.
So Owen has discovered that breastfeeding can be fun for other things. Like practicing singing. He will now, with my boob fully in his mouth, start talking. At first I was a little insulted. My boobs are not musical instruments. They used to be things of glory! But, I have to admit, it sounds funny when he does it. (To recreate this your self, open your mouth and stick your bicep in your mouth and start talking. Sounds like a weird echo microphone.) I know he is not suppose to talk with his mouth full but I guess I've watched too much American idol lately. (Actually I didn't watch much of it. We all know the auditions are the only thing worth watching. And don't even get me started on Canadian Idol. Even those auditions aren't worth an hour of Ben Mulroney.)
Breastfeeding has also become a bit more difficult recently. As Owen gets older, he is interested in EVERYTHING around him. So I can't watch TV or talk to anyone while feeding him. He will pull off and start looking around. Feedings take 30 minutes if I do that. And now I can't even read a book. I was reading a funny essay book and started giggling at one of the chapters. Well this annoyed Owen quite a bit. He pulled off and ended up getting an eyeful of breast milk. Well this annoyed him even more. He had the scrunched up forehead and I was full-on being scolded. I stopped laughing and apologized. He went back to his eating. I tried hard, but I got to another funny bit and tried to hold it in. But I ended up snorting out a laugh. Well that was the final straw. He gave me a full on frown and disgusted look. I was officially scolded and Owen refused to eat after that. I was sent to the naughty chair, boobs in tow.
So Owen has discovered that breastfeeding can be fun for other things. Like practicing singing. He will now, with my boob fully in his mouth, start talking. At first I was a little insulted. My boobs are not musical instruments. They used to be things of glory! But, I have to admit, it sounds funny when he does it. (To recreate this your self, open your mouth and stick your bicep in your mouth and start talking. Sounds like a weird echo microphone.) I know he is not suppose to talk with his mouth full but I guess I've watched too much American idol lately. (Actually I didn't watch much of it. We all know the auditions are the only thing worth watching. And don't even get me started on Canadian Idol. Even those auditions aren't worth an hour of Ben Mulroney.)
Breastfeeding has also become a bit more difficult recently. As Owen gets older, he is interested in EVERYTHING around him. So I can't watch TV or talk to anyone while feeding him. He will pull off and start looking around. Feedings take 30 minutes if I do that. And now I can't even read a book. I was reading a funny essay book and started giggling at one of the chapters. Well this annoyed Owen quite a bit. He pulled off and ended up getting an eyeful of breast milk. Well this annoyed him even more. He had the scrunched up forehead and I was full-on being scolded. I stopped laughing and apologized. He went back to his eating. I tried hard, but I got to another funny bit and tried to hold it in. But I ended up snorting out a laugh. Well that was the final straw. He gave me a full on frown and disgusted look. I was officially scolded and Owen refused to eat after that. I was sent to the naughty chair, boobs in tow.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
WANTED: Lots of storage with house attached
So last weekend we went to the Great Glebe Garage sale. For those of you not from Ottawa, this is a huge garage sale that spans many blocks. It is held in one the richest neighbourhoods (and oldest) in Ottawa. So there is lots of great stuff that is over priced :) But occasionally you can find good deals or at least barter with someone back to reality ("$40 for the broken ab roller?? I'll give you $0.25").
Some how, with Cris and I zig zagging back and forth, we managed to nab some great deals. All for Owen of course. We got there at 6:30 a.m. (yes in the morning) and after a hearty breakfast of Second Cup coffee and a polish sausage (please note Cris is Chilean so no lame jokes), we were on our way. This garage saleing is quite competitive and you have to move fast. I even got mad at Cris for taking too long looking at children's books. If only he had moved faster I could have gotten a whole box of baby board books for $10...Um obviously not really his fault. But some one must be blamed for the tragic loss.
So what did Owen get?? Take a gander.
They threw the baby in for free. The hat was $0.25.
So yes lots of books. Blocks, a tool set (plastic), weebles, a bath ring, a play pen...a bunch of stuff I don't know what to call.
So Owen got lots of stuff. Mom got a sun burned neck and Cris got a work out lugging the stuff around. Next year we will attach a U-Haul to his stroller to load it all up.
Of course on our way home (at 12:30), we drove by a park on Alta vista drive filled with kids stuff!!! Clearly not having had our fill after 6 hours in the Glebe, I made Cris pull over and do an abrupt U-ey. He sat in the car with the sleeping munchkin (who was very good the whole time in the Glebe) as I rummaged through table after table of items. I didn't walk away with too much except a pair of cute overalls, another hat and a soft, walking, toy plane. All for $1! Apparently it was the end of the sale and they were trying to get rid of everything. It was a fundraiser for a local Nursery School. Hope my $1 is put to good use.
So after the quick detour, I insisted Cris drive us straight home- no stopping no matter what I said. We made it all the way as I kept my eyes on the seat in front of me. It took quite a while to unload the car. Then I had to wash and dissinfect everything. It was two days before all the toys made it downstairs. And now they sit in the toy box, largely unused. But I am fully confident that he will be able to use them once he is a little bigger. Or else we can sell them at a garage sale.
We have not been to another garage sale yet. But I did hit the 50% sale at Value Village. It was indoors so I contend it doesn't count.
Some how, with Cris and I zig zagging back and forth, we managed to nab some great deals. All for Owen of course. We got there at 6:30 a.m. (yes in the morning) and after a hearty breakfast of Second Cup coffee and a polish sausage (please note Cris is Chilean so no lame jokes), we were on our way. This garage saleing is quite competitive and you have to move fast. I even got mad at Cris for taking too long looking at children's books. If only he had moved faster I could have gotten a whole box of baby board books for $10...Um obviously not really his fault. But some one must be blamed for the tragic loss.
So what did Owen get?? Take a gander.
They threw the baby in for free. The hat was $0.25.
So yes lots of books. Blocks, a tool set (plastic), weebles, a bath ring, a play pen...a bunch of stuff I don't know what to call.
So Owen got lots of stuff. Mom got a sun burned neck and Cris got a work out lugging the stuff around. Next year we will attach a U-Haul to his stroller to load it all up.
Of course on our way home (at 12:30), we drove by a park on Alta vista drive filled with kids stuff!!! Clearly not having had our fill after 6 hours in the Glebe, I made Cris pull over and do an abrupt U-ey. He sat in the car with the sleeping munchkin (who was very good the whole time in the Glebe) as I rummaged through table after table of items. I didn't walk away with too much except a pair of cute overalls, another hat and a soft, walking, toy plane. All for $1! Apparently it was the end of the sale and they were trying to get rid of everything. It was a fundraiser for a local Nursery School. Hope my $1 is put to good use.
So after the quick detour, I insisted Cris drive us straight home- no stopping no matter what I said. We made it all the way as I kept my eyes on the seat in front of me. It took quite a while to unload the car. Then I had to wash and dissinfect everything. It was two days before all the toys made it downstairs. And now they sit in the toy box, largely unused. But I am fully confident that he will be able to use them once he is a little bigger. Or else we can sell them at a garage sale.
We have not been to another garage sale yet. But I did hit the 50% sale at Value Village. It was indoors so I contend it doesn't count.
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