tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132167952024-03-14T00:37:18.830-04:00Tidbits from our humble abode & beyondChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-44734780636039776992011-07-05T15:40:00.000-04:002011-07-05T15:40:54.117-04:00Relaxing morning at the wading pool (surprise, surprise!)It's not easy keeping a toddler entertained and out of trouble when you've got another wee-one to feed on a 2 hour basis but we're coping. This morning was certainly a good one. We (finally) got out of the house at 10:30 and headed up to the wading pool. There were only a few kids there so we got a spot in the shade and Kieran headed for the water. Before I knew it, it was time to feed Patrick again but I was able to sit by the side of the pool and supervise Kieran in the water while nursing Patrick. <br />What a difference a year makes! Not to say a few months...last summer I couldn't leave Kieran's side without him bolting in the opposite direction at full speed. Today, he played for a good hour in the water without me even having to get my feet wet, yay! I think we'll be spending quite a few days at the wading pool when we don't have any other activities planned. What's great too is that you are allowed to eat by the side of the pool (or at least they tolerate it.) The only downside is having to walk up the hill with the double stroller but I can use the workout!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-54260579309990947982011-06-05T22:04:00.001-04:002011-06-05T22:06:28.704-04:00I often relate to this comic strip...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-32gpsRwp1Yg/Tew148eVPDI/AAAAAAAAAUo/lc7M4Y3NXj0/s1600/Pluggers.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-32gpsRwp1Yg/Tew148eVPDI/AAAAAAAAAUo/lc7M4Y3NXj0/s400/Pluggers.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614922087846460466" /></a>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-64127748181856056362011-05-26T16:49:00.000-04:002011-05-26T16:49:27.373-04:00How does it end?My husband loves to watch movies. Not that we go to the theater very often, we didn't either pre-kids. But come Tuesday morning, you can usually find him at whatever store has the best deal on the DVD release of the week. <br />Hence, we have lots of DVDs. I mean hundreds. Cabinets and shelves are overflowing with movies. One of many storage issues we have in this house. <br />At least they do get watched. Not so much by me (more about that later) but he can watch the same movie over and over and over and over again. And he sometimes watches movies at work. Ahh, the multi-taking skills of a computer geek!<br />Bravo and Showtime channels have ruined certain movies for me as they tend to play some titles more often than should be allowed. <br />I will run screaming from the room if I see The Fugitive, Conspiracy Theory (I could just shoot Julia Roberts as she utters his name Jerry, Jerry, Jerry...) or the Pelican Brief, to name a few. Meanwhile, Tim is happily content to watch these films and not necessarily as a background distraction while he's doing other things. <br />I prefer listening to music or even better, just plain quiet. (Being around kids all day, you tend to like the quiet!)<br />But we compromise. Which means I turn the tv off when I can't take it anymore!<br />When I do watch a movie, I usually have to be in the mindset to sit down and have the whole movie experience. Popcorn and soda are often involved.<br />My problem is that I've never been good at staying awake throughout an entire movie. Ever. Even before the tired that comes with having kids.<br />I've fallen asleep before the end of so many movies, it's ridiculous. I could do day-long movie marathons of just the endings of films!<br />I will even reluctantly admit to nodding off at the theater during the most action packed parts of some movies. In fact, this happened just yesterday when I went to see Thor. I'm sure it's a great film but I don't really know!<br /><br />One day, maybe, after a good long nap (like that day will ever come!) I will have that movie ending marathon, that's also if I can remember which movies I've actually seen!<br />Until then, well, it's not so bad when Tim puts something on that we've watched before. There are sure to be scenes which wil be new to me!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-58068052350159173252011-05-13T15:44:00.003-04:002011-05-13T15:50:58.114-04:00Day 3Is it even worth mentioning?<br />Kieran made it to 6:30 on Wednesday morning. <br />I plopped him in front of Dora Choo Choo a couple of times while I showered and dressed then we had time for some breakfast before Patrick woke up.<br />We walked to daycare and then I had a quiet day with Patrick which included a visit to Dairy Queen with Uncle Olaf.<br /><br />I was a little exhausted by the time I picked Kieran up and played outside with him for a while before supper then Uncle P-J showed up and took over.<br /><br />Patrick had to wait and cry it out a little longer than usual when he woke up while we were putting Kieran to bed. <br />Patrick, get your timing right already! You're almost 2 months old, sheesh!<br />Fortunately, Kieran stayed in bed that evening.<br /><br />Daddy came home just after 10, one day earlier than expected.<br />Me, I was falling asleep on the couch while nursing Patrick.<br />He tends to cluster feed (on & off without much time in between feedings) in the evenings so it gets a bit tiring and challenging as I try to get some chores done in there too.<br /><br />I wrote this at 4 am and Patrick only nursed a bit and spat up big time. So I went back to bed. Zzzzzzzzzzz....Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-3548093059450843062011-05-13T15:33:00.003-04:002011-05-13T15:52:56.986-04:00Evening #2This time I apologize to those whose children get up early and/or don't sleep through the night...<br /><br />Monday night, I fell asleep while nursing Patrick so got to bed at about 12:30 then he let me sleep until 4 am. I got back to bed after that by 5 and then Kieran was up at 6! Mr Exhausted was perky and ready to go at that hour. Mommy, not so much. I tried to get him to lie down with me in bed which led to him squirming next to me for 20 minutes.<br />So we got up and started our day. Patrick was making noises intermittently but didn't really wake up until I was in the shower. By the time I was dry and dressed and could tend to him, he'd cried his first tears.<br />Sniff, sniff.<br /><br />We made it to playgroup more or less on time and from there we went to have lunch at Grandpa and Grandmaman's. I left Kieran there to nap while I took Patrick to his 2 month doctor's appointment.<br />He was hungry by the time I took him out of his car seat so the vaccinations went pretty smoothly as I was nursing him at the same time. <br />Then it was back to my parents' place to get Kieran and home for supper, bath and bed.<br />Maya came over after work to help me out so Kieran got lots of attention and I could look after Patrick uninterrupted. After some coaxing, Kieran even gobbled down 2 bowls of the cream of broccoli soup I'd made.<br />She bathed him and then went to cuddle Patrick while I got K to bed. After she left, Kieran did get up once, most likely because he could hear some kids who were still playing outside. I got him back to bed and he stayed there, seemingly knowing I was busy with Patrick.<br /><br />So evening 2, not so bad at all!<br /><br />Postscript to Olaf (need you be reminded!): He thought he was Elmo.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-74152581606027291532011-05-10T04:10:00.003-04:002011-05-10T21:40:17.310-04:00Evening #1I apologize for this post to my friends whose partners are regularly out of town...you are rock stars!<br /><br />Tim is away for the week. He took the 5 pm train to Toronto to attend a training course. That means I will be alone for 4 evenings to get Kieran fed his supper and ready for bed. <br /><br />Last night went pretty smoothly. Kieran had spent the day at daycare and there were leftovers in the fridge so that helped out. <br />We walked home from daycare with a stop to play in the park and then he spent some time on his scooter with one of the neighbours when we got home. <br />Then it was time for supper as I knew Patrick would be waking up any second. Yep, as soon as we got inside, P started to wake up and fuss. <br />So I quickly got a plate ready for Kieran and he sat down more or less quietly in Daddy's chair and ate it all up, asking for seconds. <br />This let me tend to Patrick without too many interruptions. <br />When he was done, Kieran inevitably asked to watch Dora so I set him up in front of the living room tv and he watched the "Choo Choo" episode for the upteenth time.<br />Patrick was still stuck on the boob for a bit longer and then it was finally my turn for some nourishment. <br />Ah, yes, Mommy always comes last!<br />Dora was over but Patrick was still fussing and I did say he could watch only one episode but Kieran was asking for the Choo Choo again so technically, that's only one episode, right?!<br />I finished up my meal and Patrick seemed done but unsettled and with Dora over for the second time, we tried to call Daddy to say goodnight but he didn't answer his phone.<br />So we read Green Eggs and Ham a couple of times and Kieran was way past tired.<br />We headed up to bed with no muss and no fuss on his part but his brother was still awake and whining.<br />We left Patrick downstairs and I could hear him crying so it was a quick goodnight ritual for Kieran.<br />I got back to Patrick and nursed him a bit and then he was out cold. All that crying and all he needed was a little top up!<br /><br />And the rest of the evening was rather quiet.<br /><br />Stay tuned for tomorrow's play by play of the witching hour!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-30223465540065398822011-05-07T04:10:00.001-04:002011-05-07T09:51:26.389-04:00Friday follow-upWe had a much better day today, yay for us!<br /><br />Kieran still spent some time in front of the boob tube but we had a really nice play date with some kids we don't know very well. Kieran was happy to play with older children especially the girl. Cougar chaser!<br /><br />Too bad we didn't get outside to play before the weather tuned grey in the afternoon.<br /><br />And here I am at 4:10 am with Patrick who has been sleeping since 11. I was awake before him, anticipating his hunger cries.<br /><br />And now it's the weekend , let's see how much our routine can be disrupted!<br /><br />Sidenote: Patrick has the cutest little hands...and a death grip!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-542975108442295202011-05-06T03:45:00.002-04:002011-05-06T15:53:53.831-04:00Just in time for Mother's DayI won't be winning any mothering awards after the day we had yesterday...<br /><br />Tim left the house early, before Kieran was up as he was going to Ottawa for the day. The only real challenge to that is getting in a shower. I <span style="font-style:italic;">need</span> my morning shower! <br />So Kieran was up a little before 7 just as I finished nursing Patrick.<br />I got K dressed and we went downstairs for some breakfast and I left him with his food and the tv while I dashed upstairs for a quick shower. <br />I got back to him and no damage was done!<br /><br />He got some more tv while I nursed Patrick again then we headed out in the rain to the playgroup around the corner.<br />You know that kid that parents try to keep their children away from at these groups? Well, Kieran was that kid yesterday.<br />He was seeking out any other child he could get a reaction out of and going for the toy they were playing with and just being a big bully and pushing and shoving.<br />Luckily Patrick was fast asleep in the stroller and didn't need my attention.<br />I tried not to leave Kieran's side and foresee which child he would target next.<br />And I did contemplate leaving early but figured he'd just act out at home instead so we might as well stick it out to the end and expend some energy in the gym.<br /><br />As we left, we decided to take the longer way home even if it meant getting a little wet in the rain. Kieran got a little ahead of me and wanted to go to the park and the next thing I knew he was in the middle of the street with me trying to run after him with the stroller while a car is coming up the hill at him. Luckily, for once, the driver was going slow and saw him and stopped and another mother was there and ran after Kieran with her little one in tow.<br />After some freaked out tears on my part and lots of hugging and mild scolding, we headed for home where Kieran kept hugging me and saying "It's okay Mommy. Cars are dangerous."<br />Nothing to make me fell any better or stop the tears!<br /><br />So he got more tv before lunch while I nursed then off to bed for an almost 2 hour nap, surprisingly without a fight. <br />When Kieran woke up we played with Play-Doh which whenever he'd asked to do lately I'd been busy with Patrick so I always saying we'd do it later.<br />Of course that kept his interest for 10 minutes at the most then I had to nurse Patrick again.<br />And let the fun begin!<br /><br />Kieran had watched enough tv and usually plays quite well so I let him entertain himself while I was tending to Patrick. Well, Kieran decided he'd get into anything and everything. No damage was done but compost bags were thrown about, straws were thrown about, shade strings were pulled after numerous warnings not to play with them, among other things.<br />He was just constantly getting into things he shouldn't. Luckily I know the sounds of my house so I preempted most of his shenanigans but I'd had quite enough of him completely ignoring my scoldings. Exasparating!<br /><br />Supper time went okay and then I gave in to the tv again as Patrick was due for his supper.<br />Of course at this point Kieran wasn't interested in watching much. Then a phone call from a friend asking to come visit brought some reprieve just before bedtime. And luckily bedtime goes pretty smoothly around here.<br /><br />I know things could have been much worse but I think it's more about the way I dealt with it all and my feelings of helplessness.<br /><br />"Why won't you just listen to me when I ask you to do/not do something?!!?"<br /><br />Oh, ya, because you're 2 1/2!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-84619424418468937932011-05-05T03:43:00.000-04:002011-05-05T14:47:00.610-04:00Another 3 am Nursing Ramble or Things You Constantly Hear But Sometimes Wish People Wouldn't Say When You Are Lacking Sleep With a NewbornI understand people are usually just making conversation when they ask the following questions or make these comments but seriously folks, sometimes lack of sleep just makes me want to scream when I have to reply to such things as:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">When are you having another?</span><br /><br />Seriously??? Okay, I may have a plan in my head (not really) but I <span style="font-style:italic;">just</span> had a baby. Let me enjoy him and the fleeting time he is a newborn. At this moment, I can't even fathom doing this ever again!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">He's still hungry/again?</span><br /><br />Yes!!! And I'm going to nurse him because he is hungry. Newborns can nurse every 2 hours. The dark circles under my eyes prove it. And every 2 hours means he wakes up, nurses for an hour then I have about another hour until he feeds again. Eat, pee, poop, sleep. That's what newborns do!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Is he sleeping through the night yet?</span><br /><br />Again, see the dark circles under my eyes. And he's 7 weeks old. That should answer your question.<br />Some people are lucky if their 3 year old sleeps through the night.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Who does he look like?</span><br /><br />He looks like himself! He's a mix of our DNA so he's got a combo of both our features, right?<br />For all I know, that crease in his ear came from Great Grandpa. (And no, Patrick doesn't really have a crease in his ear, I'm just trying to make a point!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">He's got blue eyes!</span><br /><br />Well, most babies are born with blue eyes. They could change colour well past a year old. Although in his case, not likely since I have blue eyes and Tim has grey/green eyes (with brown spot.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">That's a lot of spit up!</span><br /><br />Baby has a tiny stomach. Mommy might have a quick flow. The overflow must go somewhere! Spit up happens. That's what receiving blankets and face cloths are for. And I try not to wear black too much at this stage.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Is he smiling?</span><br /><br />Okay, at this point, 7 weeks, it is a real smile, sometimes. He can focus a little close up and smile back. But those newborn smiles? That's gas. Cute, but not a real smile!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Do you need anything?</span><br /><br />Specifically, no. But I'll take any help I can get. So don't just ask, offer! In fact, insist! Because I don't really have enough brain function to figure out what I need right now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You look tired.</span><br /><br />How observant of you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You look great.</span><br /><br />Thank you, but really, it's an illusion. I feel like shit!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">He's so big/tiny</span><br /><br />He was born at 8lb 13 oz. Not overly huge but that head passed through me so he's ginormous by my standards!<br /><br /><br /><br />That's about all that comes to mind at the moment and Patrick seems to be done so I'm going back to bed now.<br /><br />Too bad I never posted about the annoying things people say when you are pregnant. I guess I'll have to have another one so I can do that. Hardee har har!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-77442061292282522082011-05-03T15:50:00.000-04:002011-05-03T15:50:45.119-04:00Nanny Susanna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1j26rgbTcTQ/TcBcf5yvCgI/AAAAAAAAAUY/oIqWTaMkt8Y/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1j26rgbTcTQ/TcBcf5yvCgI/AAAAAAAAAUY/oIqWTaMkt8Y/s400/IMG_1156.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602579639608216066" /></a><br />My friend Susanna was visiting from Vancouver for four days last week.<br />What a luxury it was to have someone to help take care of the boys for a few days.<br /><br />She has two nephews aged 9 and 10 that she's lived with for most of their childhood so she was great at keeping Kieran entertained while I was busy with Patrick.<br /><br />I'm surprised Kieran hasn't been constantly asking "Where's Susanna?"Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-78141136316264798532011-05-03T15:43:00.000-04:002011-05-03T15:43:34.270-04:00Early morning ramblings4:10 am<br />Writing a post by hand while nursing Patrick in his room. <br /><br />I'm typing this up now, I think a week later. <br /><br />I've been up since 3:25 and he's barely nursed. He's had some gas and hasn't been interested in latching on very much. So we're both awake when we really should be sound asleep. It could be worse, he's not crying and I did sleep a good 3 1/2 hours until now.<br /><br />I can't wait until these stretches asleep get longer though. <br /><br />I'm going to try and put Patrick back to bed now and see what the results are. <br /><br />Keeping my fingers crossed!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-12166042035601355272011-05-03T15:37:00.000-04:002011-05-03T15:37:21.038-04:00Where am I, where is everyone?Baby Patrick is now 7 weeks old and it's been so long since I've written a post I don't know where to begin...my mind is a jumble of thoughts I wish I could share here with some coherence yet I don't even take the time to quickly blog about day to day happenings. <br />Discipline, I need discipline! (and time!)<br /><br />It's difficult when nursing seems to be my number one occupation these days. Dust bunnies accumulate, among other things, and they say you shouldn't worry about that kind of thing but I look around here and all I see is the numerous chores that don't get done. <br />Anyhow, as long as the kids are happy, I guess it doesn't matter too much. I'm trying to enjoy the little moments. <br />If only I had a magic wand to make some of this clutter disappear!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-23308768399652532832010-12-20T21:34:00.001-05:002010-12-20T21:37:04.409-05:00Breakfast casseroleI'm sure this must be tasty, after all it has cheese and bacon as main ingredients, but really, they could have put up a more appetizing looking photo, no?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://weelicious.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Breakfast-Casserole.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://weelicious.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Breakfast-Casserole.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://weelicious.com/2010/12/09/breakfast-casserole/">Weelicious ™ – Fast, Easy & Fresh Homemade Home Made Baby Food Babyfood Recipes, Toddler Food and recipes for the entire family! » Blog Archive » Breakfast Casserole</a>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-81724641963942442432010-12-18T23:11:00.000-05:002010-12-18T23:11:43.853-05:00First child syndrome or not(I swear, I'm going to <span style="font-style:italic;">try</span> and post more often...)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1NfGHwq16Kf40zk-N4J3D-CBw6Iv7zKF-ZB1eCLplvh84GDJrVA"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 221px;" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1NfGHwq16Kf40zk-N4J3D-CBw6Iv7zKF-ZB1eCLplvh84GDJrVA" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />You know how people say they were so cautious with their first child and so careful and conscientious? Ya, well, us, not so much at times...<br />Kieran had an allergic reaction to peanuts when he was about 5 months old. I'd eaten some peanuts and then held him and he developed a skin irritation in the form of my hand prints on him that went away after a couple of days. So we have had him tested for peanut allergies twice now without any conclusive diagnosis. We carry an Epipen and Benadryl and he does not eat peanut butter or any other peanut products. We're not paranoid about it, definitely not, as we eat peanut butter regularly around him but we're careful. <br />Well, this evening we went to a Christmas party where there were lots of yummy goodies laid out within his reach, including peanut butter cookies. We were watching him, but of course he did eventually end up grabbing a peanut butter cookie and taking a bite before I noticed. He's still alive and breathing so I guess all is okay. But the consequences <span style="font-style:italic;">could have been</span> life-threatening. <br />Thinking back on the situation now, should have I asked that the cookies be moved off the table? When I did see that he had the cookie in his mouth, should I have made him spit it out?<br /><br />Anyhow, let's hope this means he actually isn't allergic to them. But I will absolutely err on the side of caution now as I'm now just a wee bit paranoid as to what his reaction might be to another exposure. Allergies tend to increase in severity with multiple exposures.<br /><br />So, how good are your instincts in the heat of a bad situation? Do you panic? Are you calm and collected? Do you take charge and take proper control of things?<br />I don't ever feel like I have very good judgement when things go wrong. I tend to mull things over in my head no matter how mundane they may be so imagine how much time and thought are put into the big things! <br />Another day, another insecurity...Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-14522596872420404902010-11-15T10:40:00.000-05:002010-11-15T10:40:20.278-05:00For Maya...who was wondering what to do with Kieran when she was babysitting him and she had to go to the bathroom. <br />Well, I left him alone downstairs this morning and this is what he got up to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TOFTUU5pA_I/AAAAAAAAAUA/IWLICwtKBT8/s1600/IMG_2969.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TOFTUU5pA_I/AAAAAAAAAUA/IWLICwtKBT8/s400/IMG_2969.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539800625315382258" />Wash hands!</a><br /><br /><br />He'd pulled the stool up to the sink and had turned the water on full blast. Luckily he didn't stick his hands in the steaming hot water. No damage done!<br /><br />Let's see if he's an angel or a devil for her tomorrow.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TOFUERQPcZI/AAAAAAAAAUI/C5AaHLqv8rc/s1600/20101031162056.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TOFUERQPcZI/AAAAAAAAAUI/C5AaHLqv8rc/s400/20101031162056.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539801448970154386" />He thought he was Elmo</a>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-30473913372295711282010-11-08T11:01:00.004-05:002010-11-08T11:14:22.678-05:00Murphy's LawI was in the basement earlier today throwing in a load of laundry when I thought to myself I'm pretty lucky, 2 years old and Kieran hasn't done anything worthy of being posted to <a href="http://www.shitmykidsruined.com/">Shit my Kids Ruined</a>. Then I came upstairs and opened the kitchen door...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TNghFrLkcJI/AAAAAAAAAT4/7Z4bLPBcJzM/s1600/IMG_2945.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TNghFrLkcJI/AAAAAAAAAT4/7Z4bLPBcJzM/s400/IMG_2945.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537212123226337426" /></a><br /><br /><br />It could have been <span style="font-style:italic;">a lot</span> worse, I know. Only a bit of flour dumped on the floor.<br /><br />(Sorry about the quality of the photo, he was saying "cheese". I didn't want to take another and make him prouder of his feat, hmph!)Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-25867163646400611552010-10-08T10:52:00.001-04:002010-10-08T10:55:41.222-04:00The summer of chasing KieranWell, it's fall now, Kieran is days away from turning 2 and he's going to be a big brother come March!!!<br /><br />This summer was fun but tiring. Kieran has certainly changed quite a bit in the last few months. We took part in 2 summer programs and along with playdates and outings to the park, we kept pretty busy. Kieran's favourite word became "dehors" (outside!). We were lucky enough to have a very nice summer, I don't recall us having to stay indoors on many days because of rain, phewf! But bringing Kieran to the park had its challenges too. It was quite a workout for me, chasing after my little guy. Parks that weren't fenced in were especially challenging. <br />But in the last few weeks, he's gotten much better at not running off in every direction. We've even walked quite some distances without him being confined to the stroller and he's been pretty good at holding my hand. We've moved on from him having to wear the dreaded harness. <br />His communications skills, both speaking and understanding have progressed at a very rapid pace too. He's repeating everything, strings 2 to 3 words together and can count to 5 or 6 by himself. Okay, so he doesn't have it quite right yet...he usually starts at 2 then it's 3, 4, 6 and then 5! It's very cute to see him point at objects and try to count them.<br />The understanding part is the nicest progress he's made. He will, most of the time, listen when we stay stop or stay here or "donne la main" (give me your hand) and he's not constantly running up the block or into the street when we play in front of the house. <br />Diaper changes on the other hand have gotten more difficult. He's started to pee on the toilet or in the potty but once he's done his business he still wants to go back and sit there and struggles and screams when it's time to put his diaper back on. There's no reasoning with a 2 year old that you just peed so you don't have to be on the potty anymore! So I stand back from the changing table and try and avoid getting kicked in the belly. Eventually the trantrum passes but I wish it were a little easier, it only gets us both upset.<br />Aah, the terrible twos have begun!<br /><br />I think we might be getting a lock for the fridge. He can open the door by himself now. So far he's only gone for his milk but I can see the day when I come back and he's chomping down on a whole block of cheese or something! <br />That's another thing he doesn't quite get yet, taking small bites. We have to cut everything pretty small or he'll stuff his mouth full to the point of not being able to chew he's got so much in there. So much for table manners. <br />He does say "pardon" (excuse me) after he burps but also can burp on purpose. Lovely.<br />He's not too bad about saying thank you and please, probably gets it 25 to 50% of the time. And we get bless you when we sneeze.<br /><br />We`re trying our best to speak to him in both languages, but sometimes it`s so much easier to revert to English. Oh my brain power needs some help...<br />Some things he knows better in English, others in French. Same goes for me, I guess!<br /><br />Well, that`s enough of an update for now. <br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-87683218406989654862010-07-25T18:25:00.001-04:002010-07-25T18:25:26.061-04:00Salad as a mealI can't wait for the day when Kieran will eat raw vegetables consistently, especially in salad form. In summer we hardly ever cook. It's just way too hot in our kitchen. I know, I hear so many of you say, "so get air-conditioning already!" No thanks, not for me. Even when it's stinking hot I much prefer having the windows open and relying on a cross-breeze and the ceiling fans. I really don't like being closed off from the outdoors, we have enough of that when the cold comes. I like being able to hear what's going on outside, who's playing on the street and hearing Tim come home before he can sneak up on me! But I digress.<br /><br />So in summer we do a lot of barbecuing and lots of salad eating. I grew up always having a salad with our evening meal and love throwing together a plate full of veggies and then some as a meal. Whatever is on hand can sometimes make it in our salads, fruits, nuts, seeds. Protein will be cheese, cut up cold cuts, hard boiled eggs. And there's gotta be a crunch factor. Hence the nuts or seeds or croutons. I feel sorry for people who don't like veggies. Veggies are so yummy! And I love that Tim shares in my appreciation of them and my meal salads.<br />So I still have to come up with an alternative for Kieran's supper when we eat salads but luckily we usually have some kind of leftovers I can throw together for him to eat. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TEy5lycI7CI/AAAAAAAAATo/L-9SOdk-h7Q/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TEy5lycI7CI/AAAAAAAAATo/L-9SOdk-h7Q/s400/IMG_0790.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497973303958629410" /></a><br /><br /><br />I know my food presentations leave a lot to be desired but here's an example of one of our salads - romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, apple, extra-old cheddar cheese and kohlrabi, walnuts, grapes, tomatoes, radishes, Lebanese cucumbers and roast beef. <br />It also helps with the yummy factor when you slather it all in salad dressing. Forget the calories!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-72388316502378419962010-07-23T05:53:00.004-04:002010-07-23T06:16:29.630-04:00Yet another clichéYes, time does fly! <br />Though, you know, sometimes it stands still. <br />When you're having a tough day and the rugrat hasn't napped long enough and now you have to entertain him for another hour (oh god, please let it only be an hour!) before Daddy gets home. And you're trying to throw something together for supper.<br /><br />There are also those days where you're at the park with friends and he's having a blast and then it's time to go, gotta get home for a nap. And you stretch it a little longer, a little longer. He'll fall asleep in the stroller, sure he will. He'll sleep until we get home and then I'll pick him up and carry him up to his room and he will sleep longer because he's so worn out. Sure he will. <br />Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. <br /><br />But that's one of the great things about this gig. So unpredictable. You give it all you've got and that smile and giggle make it sooooooooo worthwhile. And the hugs, he gives the best of hugs. Even some lucky strangers sometimes get hugs. <br /><br />Ya, I'm digging this motherhood thing.<br /><br /><br />(This post really wasn't going in this direction at all when I started typing but here it is...sounds like an overdue Mother's Day post, the one I started and never got back to and deleted.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TElq74D0ntI/AAAAAAAAATg/nu1VYGdLbKE/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/TElq74D0ntI/AAAAAAAAATg/nu1VYGdLbKE/s400/IMG_0784.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497042397075644114" />One, two, three, four<br />Mary at the cottage door</a>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-86565054528667739362010-05-26T22:22:00.000-04:002010-05-26T22:22:44.157-04:00My cute kidI love it when I'm on the bus or somewhere with Kieran and I see his face light up at someone. I always make a point to look and see who he's smiling at. It's surprising how diverse the people who react to him are, it could be a grandmother or a middle-aged mom which you would expect but I've also had teenage boys tell me how cute he is. (Creepy maybe?)<br /><br />Anyhow, it's a good feeling to know my little guy made someone's day brighter :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/S_3XNQEVzJI/AAAAAAAAATY/KZHhxeVm-Rc/s1600/IMG_1928.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hJ0P9Pj0yXI/S_3XNQEVzJI/AAAAAAAAATY/KZHhxeVm-Rc/s320/IMG_1928.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475769344603835538" /></a>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-78056300662923379932010-05-01T06:15:00.001-04:002010-05-01T06:16:50.301-04:00It never failsNope, it never fails. I got to bed early last night, well, okay, maybe not early but slightly<span style="font-style:italic;">earlier</span> than usual and here I am awake (but certainly not bright eyed and bushy tailed) way too early for any given day let alone a Saturday. I even contemplated going to Fairmount Avenue to get some bagels for breakfast but I don't think I'm quite awake enough to actually get out of the house at this hour. <br />Why am I awake????<br />I'm blaming Tim at this point! He must have been having a restless night and that has messed up my precious slumber too. But I will only be able to confirm this later, once he's up and I can ask him how he slept.<br />It might have to do with the fact that I feel emotionally charged but I can't pinpoint anything specific in my own life that's bugging me right now. You know, it's just everything and nothing...<br />So what will the weekend have in store for this humble abode? The weather looks beautiful for today and crap for tomorrow so...carpe diem?Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-56139597243941418942010-04-13T20:53:00.003-04:002010-04-13T21:25:23.488-04:00Come and get me!This is Kieran waking up from his nap.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxd_OBkX3MBNGr3LJgaBr9is1Ql7TI75MDNR6hlxiZlWEdu5n1F0LhLF24qHASAxWMmH4wXmTynKTw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />Yes, it is only audio, I recorded on my cell phone from the baby monitor.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-91946901343768020342010-04-11T22:03:00.001-04:002010-04-11T22:04:49.111-04:00Weekend's over alreadyNothing particularly exciting to report today. Apparently I can't reminisce without people questioning why I was thinking about stuff that happened years ago. Okay so I went into quite some detail in the last post but I could have said a lot more. Don't we all tell stories about stuff that happened to us long ago? Or is it only old people that do that kind of thing? I guess I'm old then!<br />Really, I don't know how my post about Lavalife first came about, it was certainly a train of thought, stream of consciousness thing but I don't remember where it started.<br /><br />Tomorrow if I write, I promise it will be about the day's events. Kieran has his 18 month check up with Dr.Non-Personality. After the last visit I seriously contemplated finding a new paediatrician but figured I would give him another chance. He's not that bad (but he's also not that good.) I think if Kieran had any serious health issues I'd find a new doctor but Dr.R is close by, has convenient hours and has Kieran's history on file.<br />I take comfort in the fact that we get the vaccines (yes, we vaccinate) at the CLSC and the nurse there is great and fills in for the lack of attention we get from the doctor.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-32935391184750208782010-04-10T21:46:00.001-04:002010-04-10T21:55:27.718-04:00ReminiscingI think most people know that Tim and I met through Lavalife, the online dating service. Yes, it actually worked for us!<br />I must say, I had a few "interesting" dates before we met up. But all in all, it was a fun experience (although 7 years passed might have blurred my memory...)<br /><br />The first guy from Lavalife that I went out with I took to calling Allergy-Boy (not to his face mind you!) He carried his epipen on a holster on his belt. He was allergic to garlic among many other things. Garlic! And he was crossed-eyed. And in denial about it. He told me he got a little bit lazy-eyed when he was really tired. I guess he must have been reeeeeeeeally tired when I went out with him! He also told me the story of how his eyeball had popped out at birth and this is why he got cross-eyed. Great thing to share on a first date. We went to see The Italian Job and then he suggested we go for sushi. He never even offered to pay for me. Not that I would have accepted but it would have been nice of him to offer. Sushi does not come cheap and he knew I was on my own, making a crappy wage and paying a mortgage. He was not particularly physically active and was more of a nerd than a geek. And I actually went out on a second date with him! This time we went out for brunch and the resto did not take credit cards and I had no cash so he ended up paying for me and saying I could get the next one...ya, that never happened! Oh, and on the first date, he answered his cell phone while we were walking to the restaurant. And it was his mom. <br />He was also a few years younger than me and didn't drive.<br />Wow, now that I think back....anyhow, we both got "too busy" to see each other again and eventually, the emails stopped being exchanged. I guess I gave him that second chance because through the emails, he really was a nice and interesting guy. <br /><br />Guy number 2 was also younger, a part-time student and did not drive. I think I scared this guy away by my physical prowess, if I can put it that way. (I was biking at least an hour a day then, weather-permitting.) We went for a bike ride and I must have pooped him out. He never responded to any of my emails after that date. His loss!<br /><br />Number 3 was definitely gay but in the closet and had OCD. And I didn't notice in his profile that he was a smoker. Also younger, a student and didn't drive and lived in the West Island with his sister. We ended up on the same metro car on the way to the date although he didn't see me (I gathered it was him as he sorta looked like the guy in the profile picture.) I walked up St-Laurent Blvd on the opposite side of the street, watching him the whole time before meeting him at Café Santropol. But we ended up having to go somewhere else because there was no room there. After we went for a walk on the mountain and got caught in the rain. A few more emails but no other dates.<br /><br />Number 4 was Country-boy (I believe self-proclaimed.) He was from Nova Scotia and was a student at Concordia. Younger, but he could drive! But he had a cat. (I'm allergic.) In person he turned out to be really quiet and reserved, not a good match for me! He came to play softball with me, the team I was playing with then always needed extra players so I figured it would be a fun thing to do. Well, he might have been quiet with me but he really did not take well to our team captain (a woman) telling him where to place himself on the field according to who was at bat. A few not-so-mild expletives were used on his part. I think I was the one who didn't reply to any emails after that meeting!<br /><br />And then at the end of July, I browsed for the umpteenth time through all the profiles that seemed to match what I was looking for and sent a bunch of "smiles" (I was too cheap to buy credits so couldn't send them a message, a smile just let the person know you were interested in them) to a few guys whose profiles I'd seen before but hadn't been in contact with. I was away for the weekend (it was the annual friends camping trip at La Minerve) and when I got back, I'd gotten a message from guy number 5. Who turned out to be Tim. I'm not sure we gave him a nickname. We, being Katja and I. We would email each other several times a day back then and she was my sounding board, my go-to girl, my sistah! Possibly we called him Toolman. At least we didn't call him Tool-boy because yes, Tim is younger than me (but only by 2 years.)<br />So lots of emails and a few phone calls later, Tim and I met in person more than 3 weeks after first contact and the rest as they say, is history.<br /><br />No need to go into the details about Gatineau-boy who was not from Lavalife. Let's just say, Tim had some short-lived competition which I don't think he aprreciated very much. But Olaf put me on the right path at the last Expos game we ever attended.<br />Hey Tim, I think you still owe him a beer for that one ;)<br /><br />Alls well that ends well.<br />Everything happens for a reason. (You just might not know that reason at the time...)<br />What other cliché can I come up with?!<br /><br />Okay, I'll end this now before someone hits me (even if it is only virtually.)Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13216795.post-52941096112533376842010-04-09T15:08:00.001-04:002010-04-09T15:09:48.999-04:00Bullied by a two year oldLately I've been having to be more watchful of Kieran when he gets close to other kids as he's not too good with the gentleness factor yet. He means no harm, but he tends to shove kids out of the way as he stumbles by them or he'll grab a toy that another child is playing with.<br /><br />Well yesterday Kieran was the at the receiving end of the abuse! We were among the first to arrive at the playgroup and this little girl slapped, scratched and pulled his hair, repeatedly. And it was all unprovoked. We thinks she has anger management issues! Poor Kieran put up with it with only a little stunned look on his face. But then the grabbing of the hair and not letting go was just a little too much....he was in tears and needed consoling for that.<br />Luckily she made up for it later and shared some of her Rice Krispies. I'm surprised he even went near her at that point!Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643826832602584069noreply@blogger.com0