Sauce?

Sorry it has been so long. Life has been pretty busy lately. Here is the latest...

Baby boy likes to cook. He's got his toy wooden sauce set, miniature pots and pans, and an active imagination. Often, if I'm sitting on the couch he'll come over to me, leans close into my face with a questioning expression and says "Sauce?"

"Oh yes, I'd like some sauce," I always reply. If I forget to use my good manners he quickly reminds me with a "Please?"

"Oh, where are my manners! Yes please, I'd like some sauce." After he hears that magic word, he races off to make me a saucy creation. From time he shouts "rice?" "jam?" "toast?"

"Yes please!" I shout back.

Sometime he makes me imaginary pancakes, with coasters off of the coffee table. With a real spatula he lifts up the coasters and flips them over in his pan. Of course lately we've been letting him help make real pancakes. Daddy pulls up the step stool to the kitchen counter and lets him pour in the ingredients and do some stirring. How fun is that?

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NEWS FLASH: I am now officially called "mommy." No more "baby" or "weebee."

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If you come within five feet of the little guy's crayons, expect to be asked to draw Amma's cat, Nabi. To him, all cats are Nabi (even lions and tigers). It makes him insanely happy when anyone sits down and draws him a picture of Nabi the Cat.

If you won't draw Nabi, he'll settle for a picture of a horse. Ever since we got back from holidays where we saw horses along a country road, he's been big on horses. Instead of asking to ride the bus, he says "ride the horse?" It's pretty ironic because any time we get near a horses he totally freaks out. To a little guy like him they look pretty big and scary up close.

Speaking of scary things....horses don't freak him out nearly as much as the car wash. When he knows we are about to drive into one he shouts "All done!" The only part of the car wash he likes is the colourful soap that gets squirted all over the car. He calls it "rabow shapoo" (translation: rainbow shampoo). When he gets scared we tell him that cars need to get shampooed too -- just like people.

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His missing sandal has finally resurfaced, along with dozens of other objects that have been tossed over the side of the deck into our caregiver's lush garden. Is it too late to return those expensive crocs that I bought to replace them? I was forced to buy those ones because there wasn't a single pair of sandals left in his size in this entire city. No joke!

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Whenever baby boy feels like violently whacking the furniture, plants, appliances etc...he yells "fly!" I guess he thinks that as long as he says he's swatting flies, it's okay. Think again, my dear!

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Sky gazing is a popular sport these days. And not just because of the frequent airplanes passing overhead.

There was a hot air balloon festival recently, and dozens of balloons floated above our house. I took the little guyf up to the rooftop deck to watch the amazing parade of balloons of every colour, shape and size. Since that day, he frequently climbs up to the third floor to check for balloons. When he can't find any, he's so disappointed!

On a recent early morning walk to the market, we saw the moon in the sky. Although he had heard a lot about the moon, the little guy had never actually seen it before because of his early bedtime hour. When he saw the moon he just about jumped out of the stroller in glee. "Look! There's the moon!" "Moon! Moon! Moon!" He told every person we passed about it.

When we saw a star in the sky last weekend, he was doubly excited.

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"Paul Paul Paul" (translation Uncle Paul) is talked about almost as often as Nabi the Cat since he came to the cottage for a visit a few weeks ago. We have a little photo album that contains some old pictures of Uncle Paul. He likes to flip through the "Paul" book several times a day.

More vacation pics

Here I am hanging out with my big cousin.



And here I am checking out a very hungry caterpillar with one of my favourite people!



Lucky me! My best buddy came up for the day to the visit. We did all sorts of things together such as throwing rocks in the water, visiting the horses, playing on the play structure and on the deck.



Here I am sharing my toys with my eight month old baby cousin. I also liked giving her lots of hugs and pishes!



Here I am feeling sorry for myself because I missed the boat (well the canoe, actually). I did get to go on a couple of canoe rides though and they were fun and just a little bit scared.

A lesson in nature

We have a lot of books with pictures of animals. But living in the city, it's rare that you ever get to see most of those creatures up close. For the little guy they must seem somewhat surreal.

At the cottage he had some wonderful encounters with nature. I truly believe that he's been enriched by them. Here are just a few examples:

There were hundreds of Sun Fish swimming near the dock. So many, that you could easily catch them in a fishing net. So we did just that. Daddy would catch them in the net, and put them into a bowl full of water for M baby to watch. Then we'd let him release them back into the water. We also let him take turns holding the net, trying to catch the fish. The only problem was that his joy of fishing did not quite parallel his love for throwing things into the water. I can't tell you how many times I had to lean over the dock to rescue our poor net.

Speaking of leaning over the dock to rescue the net...that reminds me of another wildlife encounter - one which the little guy enjoyed much more than me. As I was trying to grab the net from the water, a very large water snake swam right by my hand. I screamed and jumped to saftey. But Daddy and baby boy went racing down the dock in hot pursuit. They thought that snake was the coolest thing ever. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.....

There was a pond beside the cottage, with a continuous water flow. An oasis for frogs. Really big ones and really little ones. Baby boy was fascinated by them, especially when they were gently prodded causing them to jump in the air. Daddy caught a frog and brought it on to the deck for him to get a closer look. We had to enforce a "look not touch" rule after the way we saw him treat a poor spider and caterpillar the day before. He doesn't know his own strength.

One of the loveliest nature sitings we had were of loons swimming and calling to each other on the still water. The little guy was simply amazed when the loons would disappear under the water. "Loons! Swim!" he would yell.

On our long walks along the country road we also saw bunny rabbits and horses! And in our cottage we saw a mouse (or at least I did). The little guy kept on talking about a mouse so I think he might have seen it too.

A week at the cottage taught him more about nature than any book could ever do!

My vacation

Last week we rented a cottage on a beautiful lake. As you can see, the little guy had a great time...


goofing around on the deck with daddy;


dressing up in daddy's way-too-big bathing shorts;



going for long drives;



playing the guitar; and,




just lounging around in his pjs and crocs!

More pictures to follow on the next post. Bye for now!

The good, the bad and the ugly!

He stuck his fingers to the back of his throat and gagged today as we wheeling around the market. Instead of being horrified by the experience (as I was) he thought it was funny. So he did it again and again, leaving little piles of puke on his stroller tray and giggling with delight at his new trick. Luckily daddy was there to clean him up, because I was ready to drop him off at the nearest orphanage...

Of course my reaction to his gag routine only added fuel to the fire. All afternoon he kept on shoving his fingers into his mouth, knowing he'd get a rise out of me.

The things they don't tell you about in those prenatal classes....

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Yesterday we accidentally left the sliding glass door open without pulling the screen across. Three flies soon decided to make themselves at home in our living room. Normally we try to free any bugs we find in the house (except for spiders, which we let live peacefully in our plants to take care of other less desirable bugs). But these flies just wouldn't leave on their own accord. They kept buzzing around our faces driving us absolutely nuts. So I rolled up a magazine and went on a fly hunt. The little buggers were just too quick for me, so I handed the magazine over to hubby.

Baby boy watched in wide-eyed amazement as hubby nailed them one by one. What kind of new sport was this? he must have wondered. When the third fly fell to the floor, he yelled "Fly!" pointing over to its tiny, lifeless form on the floor. "Fall! Die?!" There was a mix of shock, fear and excitement in his voice. We were stunned. Where did he learn the word die? Did it slip out while we cursing about their incessant buzzing? Talk about feeling like cold blooded murderers! And to make it even worse he now keeps mimicking us by swatting his hand against the wall, shouting "Fly! Done!"

On another bug-related note....a really creepy bug got in the house a couple of weeks ago. Baby boy was the one to discover it. He screamed, and started to cry. I can't say I blame him -- it really was a rather horrible sort of bug. For the next minute or so, hubby and I argued over who was going to take care of the "bug situation." The argument elevated the little guy's fear even higher. He must have figured that if mommy and daddy were scared, then he should be REALLY scared.

To show him that it actually wasn't a big deal, I went over to catch the bug with a kleenex. But I couldn't find it -- it was as though it vanished into thin air! Baby boy built up just enough confidence to walk over to my side to help investigate. Just as I was telling him that everything was fine, that the bug was harmless, no need to be scared -- out it crawled from its hiding spot. The little guy took off screaming and crawled to safety on the couch. For several minutes, he flat out refused to touch the floor even though he knew the bug was gone.

He's as bad as me with snakes!

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"M" baby doesn't call me mom. Up until a few weeks ago he called me "baby." After I repeatedly told him that I wasn't a baby, he decided to give me a new name. I'm now "Wee-bee". If you ask him where mom is he'll say "Wee-bee?" When he greets me at the door he smiles and yells "Wee-bee!" I think it has a nice ring to it.

Some of his other made up words are:
"Ott" for milk
He calls the television "shadow"
If he wants a snack he yells "ice!"
and, of course, "tee-tee" is the word he uses when referring to his special blankets.

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I'll never forget how hubby's old cat used to limp around the house for attention. She was such a faker -- often switching legs. Baby boy has also learned how to feign injury. The other day he hollered "ouch! knee!" even though his knee wasn't even remotely involved in his fall. No matter how minor the crash, he announces it loudly in hopes of getting hugs, kisses and sympathy. "Fall!" he says. "Ouch!" Of course I'm always happy to help, even if I know he's exaggerating :)

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One of the most useful words a kid can learn is "help." Now that the little guy has added it to his vocabulary he calls on us for all sorts of jobs. Like peeling bananas, doing his "heavy toy" lifting etc... In his cute little voice he says "Help?"

This, of course, works both ways. I often ask him to help me clean up toys, or to throw things in the garbage for me. When he helps me I always heap on the praise. Afterwards he always goes around bragging about what a good boy he is. "I help clean," he says. Or "Good boy!"

My baby isn't a baby anymore...

For the last several months baby boy has wavered between being a baby and a toddler. Then, quite suddenly, he stopped being a baby.

He had two successful pees on his potty.

His hair began to grow, covering up the last of his baby baldness.

He developed a new set of dimples (now he's got four of them!)

Full sentences abound!

He's started saying "sorry" when he misbehaves.

When I tell him "no" he now asks "why?"

He can now sit at the table a draw pictures by himself for more than five minutes at a time. He used to draw in fleeting scribbles on his way across the room....

Although he hasn't mastered riding a tricycle, he's figured out the mechanics of it. He's trying out the pedals, and it's only a matter of time before he's off and racing.

Heck he even bit the bottom off of an ice-cream cone yesterday. If that isn't initiation into toddlerhood I don't know what is. The very fact that we trusted him enough to hold an ice-cream cone -- unassisted -- indicates how much he's matured. While he's always been allowed "bites" of our ice-cream, we've never trusted him enough to pilot the cone by himself, knowing this could be a messy proposition. But yesterday, there he was sitting independently in an adirondack chair...just like a big boy. So we gave him my half-eaten cone and watched him take careful bites around the edge until temptation got the better of him and he just had to turn that cone over and take a bite from the bottom.

As much as I look forward to him becoming a little boy, I can't help but mourn the loss of my baby. Part of me was hoping that he would stay a baby forever.

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A promise is a promise. A couple of Sundays ago, we asked the little guy if he would like to go on a bus ride. We thought this would be a good activity since he's completely obsessed with buses these days...

However, our day didn't go according to plan. Between running errands, and his afternoon nap the day just seemed to disappear. All of sudden, it was time to leave for a friend's house for dinner and we hadn't gone for our bus ride. As I was loading him into the car, he looked at me with his big blue eyes and asked, "Bus?" For several blocks he repeated himself over and over again.

Hubby and I felt heartbroken. We had told him we were going for a bus ride and hadn't delivered on our promise! So we decided to make good on our word. Hubby dropped us off at the bus stop, and arranged to pick us up at the end of the bus route.

We accidentally got on the milk run route. This, of course, didn't bother the little guy. At first he was a little freaked by the whole bus scene. All the strangers getting on and off. Once he got used to it, he got really excited and started enjoying himself. So much, in fact, that he hasn't stopped talking about bus. Every day he says "Ride the bus? Ride the bus?"

Although I'm glad we kept our promise that day, I think we've created a monster. We took him on a second bus ride with a twist. We transferred on to the train. If the bus was exciting, the train was mind-blowing! We still hear a lot of requests for bus rides, but even more for train rides.

When he's a teenager complaining about having to take the bus, I'll have to recount this story....

Hugs and "pishes"

He's an everyday mimic. Especially when it comes to daddy. One day after carefully observing daddy put on his deoderant, he opened up the bathroom cupboard, pulled out a bottle of peppermint foot lotion, and pretended to slather it on to his own armpits :)

Often when daddy is cooking something on the stove, he lifts up the pan and gives the sizzling contents a little shake. The little guy has taken to "pretend frying" in his own toy pan. He throws in his veggies (and sometimes a farm animal or two), adds some pretend sauce and then gives the pan a little shake in the air. When he's finished, he rests the pan on the table,waves his hands over top of his yummy creation and says "hot."

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He's become quite the conversationalist with his close friend and companion "Brock the bear." Brock, for those of you who haven't met him yet, is a rather large and plush Teddy bear with a big red bow around his neck. Last week, daddy overheard him talking to Brock. The conversation went something like this:

"Hi Bear!"

After a slight pause, he picked him up and said "Hugs and pishes?" Bear was, predictably, very agreeable to the idea.

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Baby boy is the biggest dilly-dallier on the face of the Earth. Pretty much everything distracts him. A tree, a flower, a pine cone, a puddle, a rock, an airplane in the sky etc... Walking even the shortest of distances feels like a marathon to me. I've tried every trick in the book to try hurrying him along.

Walking ahead saying "bye-bye" doesn't work. He knows we would never actually leave without him.

Chasing him just causes him to run around in circles and giggle, leaving us no further ahead.

Enticing him with the "next great thing" works intermittently at best. I'm forever shouting back at him "Look up there -- there's a squirrel!" or "Come see the pretty flower over here." But he's on to me....

The one thing that does work is the "stone toss game". I throw a stone down the path, and he chases it. Then he throws it. Then I throw it, and so on and so forth. So far it's the best trick I've got!

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I've always been a big fan of the musical, Annie. We recently bought the movie because I just had to watch it again for the 4 billionth time. So, of course, I've been running around the house singing "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow, you're only a day away!"

Baby boy has his own rendition. He sings "The water, the water, I love you, the water."

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Sleeping in on the weekend is something I try to do. Unfortunately I am up against strong resistance in the form of a 20-month-old. Turning on the television might buy me five extra minutes of sleep but not much more. After that, baby boy tries out various strategies to try to get me up and moving.

Last weekend he opened the bathroom door, grabbed my glasses off the counter, and handed them to me. I thought this was pretty smart thinking on his part. He knows that I won't step foot out of the room until I have my glasses on. This was just his way of helping speed up the process.

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Although I am very pleased that Barnyard Dance has finally fallen to the bottom of the book pile, his new favourites are becoming old very quickly.

On the Farm is now among his top 3 literary picks. It's one of those book where you have to turn the wheel to find the horse food, the basket of apples, etc... Hubby and I have read it so many times now that we've taken to making up creative, new versions of the story. We try to outdo each other with our silliness. The other day I overheard hubby reading the book and just about died laughing. Here is what he said:

"Turn the wheel to find the delicious, green, steaming pile of pig slop." And then, in the voice of a horse, "Mmmm...this is wayyyyy better than so-called 'horse food' they're always trying to feed us around here."

Coming in at number 2 on his reading list is Baby Hugs. This is one of those touch and feel interactive books that toddlers like so much. This particular book has scratch and sniff flowers in it. He loves shoving his nose right up to the page and taking a big whiff.

But by far his top book choice of the moment is Goodnight Moon. We were given no less than five copies of this book as baby gifts. Lucky for him there is a copy in virtually every room! When he wants us to read it he starts repeating "moon, moon" over and over again until we cave in. When we get to the part about the quiet old lady whispering hush, we pause and let him say the "hush" part. It's very cute.

The things I don't want to forget

Summer has been such a busy time that I've barely spent any time writing on my blog. It's a shame, really, because I'm probably not recording all of the things I told myself I should never forget. A lot of the day to day things really do get forgotten. Even in the course of the day I'll find myself wondering, "what did the little guy say this morning that was so funny?" So here is a list of them, lest I forget.

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The other day, baby boy had a brilliant idea! He wanted to bring the hose into the house to water the plants. Although he couldn't quite verbalize his idea, he got his message across by pointing from the plants to the patio door and then back to the plants again, saying "Plants! Hose! Watoo!"

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When you give him a choice between two options, he ponders his response very carefully. With a look of deep concentration he give it a moment's thought and lets out a loud "ummmmmm...."

The conversation goes something like this:
Me: "Would you like cream cheese or jam on your toast?"
Baby boy: "Ummmm...."
Me: (holding up the jam in one hand and the cream cheese in the other)
Baby boy: "Ummmmm.....Cheese-cheese!"

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Our glass railing has a prism effect in the late afternoon, creating the most wonderful rainbows across the hallway floor and wall. "M Baby" is fascinated with "ran-bows" and takes great joy in placing his feet and arms through the colourful rays. One of his t-shirts has a rainbow on it and he requests it every single day. Heaven help us if the shirt is in the dirty laundry pile!

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He's slowly but surely getting the hang of his potty (although he hasn't actually produced a drop inside of it). Every morning he likes to go sit on the potty and read his Humane Society calendar, commenting on all of the pictures of cats that remind him of cats that he knows. Sometimes he gets off the potty and whizzes on the floor.

In the last couple of days, he's started demanding toilet paper, with which he attempts to wipe his own butt. He also insists that we remove all of his clothes before he sits down, even socks and his rainbow shirt!. "Off! Off! Off!" he yells, tugging at his clothing.

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All insects - especially flying insects - are of great interest these days. We have a GIANT dead dragon fly in perfect condition on our patio table. The little guy refers to him affectionately as "fly fly." Today "fly fly" was missing to his chagrin and he called for an all-out investigation to find his whereabouts.

The removal of the bees and honeycomb graphics that used to hang on our wall above the dining room table still raise questions. They've been gone for months! Amazingly he still remembers where they used to hang, and points at the wall and says "bee?" For some strange reason he also likes to point at his nose and our noses and say "bee." Do our noses look like honeycombs? Is he reading a book at daycare about a bee that lands on someone's nose? I'd really like to know what he is trying to tell us. I guess this will just be one of life's great mysteries.


More to follow tomorrow....

Moose juice, sippy cups and more...

"Moose juice?"

His one and only song request -- to sing the song about a great big moose who likes to drink a lot of juice. It is a song he picked up at playgroup. When I break into verse, I can't get past the first line, before he's jumped ahead to the chorus and starts singing "Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh."

The moose's name is Fred, he likes to drink his juice in bed. He drinks his juice with care, but he spilled it in his hair. Poor sticky Fred! If only he had a sippy cup, he wouldn't be in this mess. And didn't someone tell Fred's mom that juice at bedtime is bad for your teeth?

Speaking of sippy cups, I finally found a shop that sells the "Klean Kanteen." It's a stainless steel sippy cup that is free from Bisphenol-A. Great, right? Like everything in life, you have to take the good with the bad. Here is what I view as the good and bad attributes on the Klean Kanteen:

Good:

- No yucky chemicals
- Keeps beverages cold
- Well-made
- nice size

Bad:

- Not dishwasher safe
- A little too cold to the touch, at times
- Easily dented when thrown from grocery cart (can you tell I'm speaking from experience?)
- Hurts when you get bonked on the head with it (remember what Fred Flintstone looked like after being struck in the head? That's me!)
- Expensive! More than $20 which I think is a total rip off.
- Although the container is stainless steel, the sippy nozzle is made out of plastic...so it's not completely plastic-free.
- Don't know how my caregiver is going to feel about heavy, clunky sippy cup being hurtled around her house...

I'm still looking for the perfect sippy cup. Any suggestions, let me know!

The big boy bed also has its good and bad side.

Good:

- He's sleeping better because he's more comfortable. In turn, we're sleeping better too! Bonus!!!
- He feels like a "big boy". Good confidence booster
- Mattress is chemical free, with zero off-gassing. It's made out of organic cotton, with a wool flame retardant.
- He hasn't tried to escape -- not even once! I'm astounded!
- Much cheaper than buying a regular mattress and frame.

Bad:

- Futon must be on a bed frame (to avoid it getting skunky over time). Bed frame makes it high off the ground, increasing risk of falling.
- Bed frame hurts when you clonk your head on it (again, Fred Flintstone)
- Having trouble finding a bed rail that works with the futon. The one we have isn't high enough so I worry about him rolling off the edge of the bed.

Overall, I'd say the futon has been a good purchase.

He's closing in on 20 months now. Here is what is good about that....

Good:

- Getting more independent.
- Is able to walk places, rather than being carted or carried all the time.
- Communicating is getting way easier. Today he said "I want sunglasses" when we got in the car. He'll also say "I want toast," and "I want a bite"
- He loves pretty much everything. It doesn't matter where we take him, he thinks it's an adventure. When we tell him we're going out, he yells "ready!" and runs to the door.
- He is ultra lovable! Something that won't ever change.
- He is starting to put two and two together, so to speak. All of that repetition is starting to pay off.
- Having a 20-month old in the house is a constant source of entertainment. He's so funny sometimes. Like when he stomps his right leg around the room when we sing "when your happy and you know it". Or when he puts his hat on crooked, and his sunglasses on upside down.
- He likes housework! Hand him a hose, and he'll water the plants. Give him the broom and he'll sweep the floor.

I won't write a "bad" list. As a mother, I can easily just overlook the books being tossed in the toilet, the fingerprints on the freshly painted walls, and the other "slight" misdemeanors... Besides, we always laugh about these things later on. Which brings me back to my good point that he is a constant source of entertainment!

Bye-bye moon!

I now know why the children's book Good Night Moon is so popular. I could probably write a similar book, replacing all of the "good nights" with "bye-bye." My son says bye-bye to everyone and everything he encounters.

Bye-Bye cat.
Bye-bye woof.
Bye-bye that (if he doesn't know what to call something).
Bye-bye pretty (waving at flowers).
Bye-bye house
Bye-bye water (as bath water drains).
Bye-bye baby (he says this to me when I leave for work)
Bye-bye ray-bow (rainbow)
Bye-bye bus
and, you guessed it, bye-bye pee-pee and bye-bye pooh-pooh

For the first time tonight he put "I" in front of an adjective. He said "I sleepy" when I asked him if he wanted to go to bed. Wow!

In other news, we now have a big boy bed. We ended up buying a futon bed made out of 100% cotton, with a layer of flame retardant wool. We looked into other organic bed options, but this was by far the most affordable. With the frame and futon combined, we spent less than $300. Tomorrow we're going to get it all set up, and then try to sell him on the whole "big boy bed" concept. If it doesn't fly, we can always revert back to his baby bed. I don't think it will be a problem getting him to sleep in his new bed. The problem will be getting him to stay in his bed. I have a feeling he's going to be a little escape artist. Stay tuned!

Having a "ball"

This afternoon we bought the little guy a superball with a cool turtle and beach scene on the inside. As I was loading him into the car, he threw the ball and it rolled out of the parking lot, across the highway, and to the door of the store where we had bought it. It was like a game of Frogger trying to get across the street to retrieve it. Baby boy howled with laughter as the ball chase unfolded. Lucky for him, the ball made it home safe and sound.

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You have to see this hilareous video on toilet training on You Tube. Normally the little guy can't sit still to watch a program for more than 10-seconds at a time. This one kept him interested the whole way through. He was laughing, singing along to the music and, when it was all over, he started yelling "bye-bye- pooh pooh!"

Toddler travel

I've written about traveling with a baby in the past. Now that my baby has turned into a toddler, I think it's worth revisiting the subject.

On the way to our hometown last week, we had a bit of a nightmare flight. Because it was the long weekend, the plane was full and we weren't able to get an extra seat for the little guy. When he was smaller this wasn't as big a deal. Now that he's an ants-in-his-pants toddler, it is an ordeal with a capital "O".

The woman sitting in front of us hated us! Even though we were being very careful not to jostle her chair, the little guy kept on jumping around on top of us, and shifting around to get comfy. Even the slightest nudge of daddy's long legs caused his knee to bump the grouchy lady's seat. Every time this happened she would get more and more agitated. I don't know how many times she shot me the stink eye -- too many to count (and it wasn't even my leg bumping her!). I told her we were trying our very best not to shake her chair, but I guess our best efforts weren't good enough. A nice Air Canada flight attendant came over to have a "talk" with us. As loudly as I could, I explained to her that we were doing everything humanly possible to contain our energetic 19-month old. I even suggested that, if the lady in front of us was irritated, she could put her seat into the upright position to allow my husband who is 6'4" tall a bit more leg room. The flight attendant gave me one of those "I'm just doing my job" kind of looks and asked us to try our best. Thank goodness the little guy eventually fell asleep!


All this to say, my first word of advice is to make sure that you don't get on a full flight. And, second, ask for an extra seat! The airline staff will be more than happy to give you a bit of swing space. Frankly, it is in the best interest of every person on the plane that your toddler is happy and comfortable. On the way home we had an extra seat and it was smooth sailing! Everyone thought he was a complete joy! And he is (usually)!

Other advice:
- don't give your toddler tap water, even if you aren't traveling to exotic locals. Our little guy had traveler's diarrhea for several days because of the water change. Like we don't deal with enough poop in our day to day lives!

- The whole no-liquid/gel rules for carry-on luggage do not apply to children under the age of 2. Go ahead and bring on board your bum cream, applesauce, and full to the rim sippy cups.

- When on the road, bring lots of snacks. Double the amount you think you will need because, if your toddler is anything like mine, he'll eat out of boredom.

- Borrow equipment - car seats, strollers, cribs. Dragging these things sucks. There is just no other way to say it.

- Get to the airport early. You'll need every spare second you can get for feeding, changing diapers, and letting your toddler burn off some energy before getting on the plane.

- We severely broke our little guy's bedtime/nap routine while we were away. I think that's okay. After all, it was a vacation, right? But keep in mind that you will pay for this upon your return. Our son has been tossing and turning at night, and then not wanting to get up in the morning. So my advice: get back into the routine groove immediately. This will save everyone's sanity!

And, finally, have fun!

Off, off and away!

We're off for the long weekend. The little guy is very excited about going on an airplane to see Amma.

Stay tuned for the tale of our weekend adventure!

Breaking up is hard to do...

Which is why, despite my previous blog entry, I have not deactivated my Facebook account....yet. I still think I might do it, even though some of my "friends" have been trying to convince me otherwise. Someone suggested I only put my initial instead of my full last name. I tried this, but Facebook was on to this trick and wouldn't let me change it. Craziness I tell you....

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Back to real life...
- M baby (as he calls himself) gave me a good-bye kiss yesterday that started off as a "mmmmwhah" kissing noise and then transformed into a "roar." The roar is becoming his trademark these days.

- When I dropped him off at daycare last week, there was a giant tent set up in the backyard. This just about blew M baby's mind! A moment later we heard voices coming from inside. Could it get more exciting than that? Well, just as the little guy was moving in for a closer look, out popped the head of a 14-year old girl (a very cute 14-year old girl, I might add). Just when he thought life couldn't get any better, the girl waved him inside. As it turned out, there were five teen-aged girls inside the tent. And, a television. Holy cow! This was just a little too overwhelming for him. The second he was inside the tent, he burst into tears.

Later that day, when hubby went to pick him up, some of the girls who had slept over the night before were still there. By then, the little guy had charmed them all to death. He had them securely wrapped around his little finger. They were feeding him watermelon on demand, and had even given him a new, spikey hairdoo. The tears from the morning had transformed into one big grin extending from ear to ear....

- We went on a big adventure bike ride on Sunday, making stops at two playgrounds. And we stopped to buy BBQ pork buns and some other Chinese baked good that was filled with lotus seeds. The pork buns were fantastic, but we ended up feeding the weird dessert buns to the ducks.

Full sentences - here we come!

Language development is amazing! It wasn't long ago that I was talking about the little guy's first words. He's now built his way up to four syllable words (e.g. Watermelon, helicopter). And, in the last week or so, he's starting putting "a" in front of his nouns (a car, a door etc...). As well, he's been stringing together the elements of sentences ("pool water out!").

A lot of his frustration over communicating has started to melt away. He can now express his feelings and desires in an understandable way. I can now ask him what he wants for breakfast and he'll tell me loud and clear. Usually it's toast or "shreshas" (Shreddies - his new favourite food). And the other night he completely shocked us by saying "I don't want to" three times in a row when daddy suggested it was time for a bath. He can now tell us, with key words and gesture, when he wants to go outside, if he wants to go for a bike ride, and what games he wants to play.

Every night I engage him in conversations about his day. I remind him of the fun things he did, the things he saw, the people he spent time with, the food he ate. His eyes absolutely twinkle with joy at reliving these experiences. He'll repeat back the most meaningful words to stress the things he liked most. His days are always so much more interesting than mine :-)

My love affair is over

It was a glorious three-week fling. I joined Facebook out of curiosity to find out what the hype was about. I soon found myself with a list of 51 "friends" -- some who I found, some who found me. I was absolutely giddy, catching up on 15 or more years worth of gossip. Heck, I even had an online chat with my first boyfriend!

After a few days I was hopelessly addicted to Facebook. I couldn't wait to open up my email to see if someone had "poked" me or had written on my "wall". Instead of reading the newspaper, I was reading the mini news feeds that the people on my friends list were posting next to their profiles. I spent countless hours browsing through photo albums, linking to blogs, and marveling at how much people had changed (or hadn't changed). I bantered back and forth (or rather "wall-to-wall" in Facebook talk) about life then and now.

When I realized that some of my "friends" had hundreds of other "friends" and I only had a dozen or so, I started feeling like a big loser. It was like being in high school all over again -- just one big popularity contest. Or that's what I thought until I realized that building up a list of friends on Facebook was like rolling a snowball. It just gets bigger and bigger as you come across more contacts. One friend may lead you to three more friends, and then those friends lead you to more friends, and so on and so and so on.

I started my search for friends by checking to see if any of the people in my email address book were registered on Facebook. I turned up a good half dozen here. After that, I began looking through online yearbooks where I was able to find people from my high school and college days. Heck, I even found some people from elementary school. Those were the really cool finds. Catching up with these people made the whole Facebook experience worthwhile.

Then I dug through my friends' friends' list (anyone on Facebook will understand exactly what I mean by this) hoping they would lead me to other long lost acquaintances. Instead I found a bunch of my co-workers that I see virtually everyday. I though, "What the heck?" and added them. Whether in real life I would actually qualify some of these people as "friends" is questionable. But I wanted to see how far I could go, how many people I could actually find.

Yesterday I saw the light. Actually I heard it on CBC radio (isn't this always the way with me?). They were talking about the dark side of Facebook. It was then that I started asking myself, what on Earth am I doing? Why am I putting my personal life on display so carelessly? If my hubby is reading this, he's thinking to himself "I told you so." What he had been telling me all along was affirmed by the media.

I was watching and being watched -- and not just by my "friends." Although I can't prove it, I'm pretty sure that someone out there is getting rich by selling my information. And who knows what other unwholesome ways my personal details are being used.

So my dear friends, I'm hanging up. Please don't take it personally. My new motto is a true friend is a friend for life. And I know exactly where to find all of my true friends.

18-month check up

I took the little guy for his 18-month check-up this week. He now weighs 22.5lbs and is 87cm long. Very tall and very skinny. He conveniently came down with a low grade fever that day and got to skip his vaccinations. Lucky guy! To him a trip to the doctor is like a trip to the toy store -- so many cool things to look at. I'm

The doctor asked me if he could say at least 5 words, to which I laughed and said "more like 200!". Although he's shy about speaking in public, he never stops babbling at home. He repeats pretty much everything we say now. We have to be extra careful now not to use any bad words....Of course I never use any of those! :-)

I was also told it was time to start potty training. That could be a disaster...a very messy one at that. I can't trust him to run around the house diaperless for five minutes without having him go off like a fire hose. Although I must admit, he is very interested in the toilet, and LOVES talking about pooh-pooh. Maybe he'll be a pro (although somehow I doubt it...). We're going to buy him a little potty this weekend and try it out. If he's not ready, we can try again when he's older.

We're also going to buy him a big boy bed (an organic one for reasons discussed in an earlier blog entry). His legs are getting too long for his little crib. Wish us luck with the transition!

Prognosis: fit as a fiddle. Wylie as a coyote.

The water series

IMPORTANT: Please read

I read another scary story about plastic sippy cups, that really freaks me out. There is a new metal sippy cup on the market called the Klean Kantine. If anyone knows where you can find them or order them in Canada, let me know. You can order them online, but shipping is really expensive.

Speaking of scary things, I read a study that linked SIDS to the toxic off-gassing of mattresses. I had been toying with the idea of buying organic mattresses for us. Reading this article sealed the deal. We've gone organic already in our eating, cleaning and painting, so why not in our sleeping?


Now that I've made my public service announcement and scared the living daylights out of everyone, here are a couple of more pictures of baby boy....



The Mayor made this special little chair just for me. Am I lucky guy or what?



Hi!

These boots are made for walking!

The only thing better than clomping around in my over-sized boots, is clomping around in a tee tee toga, with my favourite hat, daddy's cell phone and my stuffed bird.

Our little outdoorsman

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Once again daddy came home beaming with pride about the little guy's artistic talents. An early childhood educator was at playgroup this morning and couldn't believe how advanced his brush strokes were for a child of his age. She was simply amazed. I guess only time will really tell. I can't wait to see the piece of artwork in question. I'll have to photograph it and put it on the blog for others to comment on.


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This morning baby boy was up to his old trick of sucking water out of his sippy cup and then letting it drizzle down his shirt, onto his pants. I hastily changed his clothes, in a rush to drop him off at daycare and get to work.

In retrospect, the pants I chose were probably not the best -- but they led to some good amusement at the park this afternoon. As he trotted around the playground in his oversized pants, they began sliding down, skateboarder style. So low, in fact, that when he bent over to pick up a stick, we saw a full moon! Apparently it wasn't just his pants that were loose... I just about killed myself laughing!


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It was one of those days where you could really tell I was a mom. I went to grab my cell phone out of my purse, and instead pulled out the Elmo phone. How it got in there is beyond me (I think a little someone may have planted it there this morning). I contemplated taking it into meeting with me today. It would have been funny to say, "Sorry I really have to take this call -- it's Grover." :-)

The "table" series

One can never have too many table shots....

New photo series!

I think it's about time that I posted some new pictures of the little guy on my blog. Here is the first in a long series to follow... Tune in regularly to see new ones.

This one was taken back in March or April (I think) when my mom came to visit. Grandma is so hilarious!



When he accidentally fell in the colander, daddy came to the rescue. But not before I quickly grabbed the camera and shot these hilarious pictures.

Amma visit highlights

Amma left today, after a 6-day fun-filled visit.

She decided to look after baby boy during the day to maximize bonding time with her one and only grandson. At first baby boy wasn't too sure about the change of routine. But he soon came to realize that hanging out with Amma was pretty sweet! Not only did she smother him with affection, they did all sorts of cool thing together like watch boats, feed the ducks, play at the park, hang out in the market, build towers, blow bubbles etc... But all of these activities couldn't hold a candle to the fun they had playing with buckets of water. When his bucket was empty, the little guy would shout "ready" and Amma would run and fill it up again.

Since their infamous "water day" he pretty much wants to play in water all the time -- whether in the bathtub or with the hose. In fact the first three words out of his mouth this morning were "Appa" (his pronounciation of Amma), "happy" and "water." He's also become very fond of the word "wet" and "rain."

Besides the water, we had a really good time in the country this weekend, exploring some cute little towns. (as a funny aside: In the car, I asked the little guy what his name was, and he replied "M baby!")

For hubby and I Amma's visit offered some much needed respite. In addition to doing a lot of the housework and shopping, she babysat. We went out on our first date since September 4 (I'm not kidding). And, we got to sleep in on the weekend while Amma played with the little guy. Bonus!

It was a pretty sad good-bye today. "M Baby" kept saying "Appa? Appa?" when we got home, wondering where she had gone. You can tell he really misses her -- and so do I. Come back soon, Amma!

Bargains galore!

I had always heard that the annual Great Glebe Garage Sale was an event not to be missed. But in all my years living here, I've never gone. Until today, that is. I went with $15 in my wallet and came home with $10 in change even though I bought: a toy dinosaur and a huge bag full of clothes for the little guy (MEC fleece pants, rubber boots, 2 pairs of summer pjs, a pair of shorts, and two REALLY nice button up shirts. Not bad!

Of course we had to wade through a lot of junk before making these finds....But it was so much fun. The whole neighbourhood goes all out for the event. There were bands playing music, people selling homade hot dogs, lemonade, and baked goods on their driveways. The idea is to donate 10% of the proceeds to charity -- and I'm sure most people give more.

The best part of my day

I have a stressful job and, at times, a stressful life. The best stress buster I've found to date is a trip to our local park. Now that the weather is warm, the little guy and I stop there every day on our way home. And, every day, the same flock of kids, parents and caregivers descend upon the park at about the same time as well -- like geese around a pond.

When I open the park's gate, I leave all of my stress on the other side of the fence. Park time is play time. It is our time to run, jump, and climb; to dig in the sand; to chase birds and squirrels; to visit with our friends; and, to eat snacks on the park bench.

Best of all, park time is about spending quality time with my son after a long day at the office. I know he looks forward to it as much as I do.

When it's time to go home for dinner, it's reassuring to know that it will all happen again tomorrow at the same time, and same place. I guess you could say that my park is my sanctuary.

The things that make me wonder

Every morning, driven hopelessly by my caffeine addiction, I stop at Starbucks on my way to work. And almost every morning I see "Jesus guy" sitting on a bench in the corner. This guy is always robed in clear plastic bags, with a sign on his back that says "Jesus is power." He doesn't wear shoes, but rather ties cardboard boxes around his feet. Sometimes I see him walking around downtown. Every time I look down at the cardboard under his feet I think of clown shoes. People always veer away from him on the sidewalk, as is nature to do when someone appears a bit "crazy."

Most mornings I see him sitting at Starbucks, often chanting his prayers aloud. I'm not sure what language he is speaking -- my guess is that he is from an African country. He is obviously quite devoted to his beliefs. But every time I see him, I note the coffee cup on the table in front of him. I always wonder if, like me, he is a coffee addict. Or maybe he drinks tea or water. I am dying to know what this guy -- who swears off shoes -- drinks in the morning. Does he spend $1.75 or more on a cup 'o joe or do the friendly Starbucks employees give him freebies when he stop by?

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Other things that make we wonder:

- why some men comb-over bald spots. Just shave it off already!
- why people will wait in a 10 car line-up with engines running to save a few cents on gas
- why not everyone loves Turkish delight as much as I do
- why the reality television craze continues
- why do we work 5-day work weeks? Shouldn't the world be set up to maximize time away from the office?
- why do women who live/work in close quarters menstruate at the same time
- why do people rush through the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and ignore all the other artwork along the way
- why do people think running marathons is fun

We're on a roll

First we got the house painted from top to bottom. Then we did a mini bathroom reno with a funky "round" look - round mirror, round lighting fixture, round patterned bath matt, very cool faucet with round handles. The only thing I wish wasn't round was my reflection in the mirror...:-) Man am I out of shape right now!

Now that we are on a roll with the renos, we want to keep up the momentum. Next on the list: back splash for the kitchen, modern carpeting on the stairs and upper floors. After that we want to hire a carpenter to build shelving and drawers in baby boy's room
(which he still doesn't live in!)

Once we're done, we may never want to move! Or at least maybe not for another few years...

Probiotics rock!

Thank you Dr. Sears for introducing me to the wonderful world of probiotics! Baby boy's wicked case of diarrhea (12 + times a day!!!) has cleared up thanks to a few doses of bacteria filled yogurt. Doesn't sound too appetizing, but it actually doesn't taste that bad. Probiotic yogurt is recommended for stomach viruses and all sorts of other ailments. But, like all things in life, buyer beware. Not all probiotic milk products are created equally. I did some research and came across this article on CBC Marketplace.

Probiotics (also available in tablet form) are also great for nursing mothers -- especially ones who are prone to yeast problems.

Natural healing

Although no one ever says it straight to my face, I know a lot of people think it's odd and even "unnatural" that I still breastfeed my 17-month old son. My mother is a perfect example. Every single time I speak to her on the phone she asks me if I'm still breastfeeding. When I say "yes" she never utters any words of encouragement. She simply says "uh-huh" and then proceeds to tell me stories that have a "pro-weening" slant.

I know that there is gossip behind my back. Jokes about how I'll probably keep breastfeeding him until he's nine. Ha Ha... Go ahead and gossip and laugh if you really think that it's funny that I'm so interested in my son's health and well-being. Breast milk is full of antibodies that help to strengthen his immune system. I know that there are lots of healthy babies and toddlers out there who aren't breastfed. That's great. But this isn't about them. It's about me and my son and what is best for us.

This weekend, my breast milk kept my son out of the hospital. He vomited all day on Saturday and was weak, listless and dehydrated. He refused to eat or drink anything but breast milk. In between nursing sessions, I had to drop feed him water and electrolyte fluids. He was so sick that I called telehealth and spoke to a nurse. When she found out that I was still nursing she said "Good, keeping doing it. Breast milk is easy for him to digest and will prevent him from getting seriously dehydrated."

On Sunday, he was still weak. The vomiting had stopped, but he had a fever, headache, mild diarrhea, and was still somewhat dehydrated. He wouldn't stand up, and was like a limp noodle. All he wanted to do was sleep. We managed to get him to eat a bit of food. But, again, the only thing I could get him to drink in any quantity was breast milk. I called telehealth a second time because I was worried about his excessive limpness and sleepiness. Again a nurse reinforced that I should continue to breastfeed.

Today, he is gaining his strength back. He is tired but cheerful, and not nearly as dehydrated.

At times like this, I'm really glad that he still chooses to breastfeed - "choose" being the operative word. It won't be long until he weens himself -- he's already starting to head in that direction. But I'm going to let him make the decision.

Watch out for the bear patrol!

The other day we had a funny run-in with a group of university students as we were walking down the street. Baby boy was wearing a shirt that says "Bear patrol" on it. When he saw the students approaching, he stopped dead in his tracks and pointed up at one of them -- a young male. The guy took one look at his shirt and ran away, shouting teasingly "Oh no! Let's get out of here -- it's the bear patrol! And I'm a bear!."

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Today we went shopping for a new bathroom faucet as part of our mini bathroom renovation. As we walked through the bathroom display rooms, the little guy pointed at every toilet and yelled "pooh pooh" at the top of his lungs.

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When he pointed at our car and said "auto" the other day, I thought that some of the French words we have been teaching him had started to sink in. Not! It turns out that he was actually pointing past the car, at the bike, where he could see his helmet hanging from a handle bar. Daddy has been calling his helmet "hat-o" as a knick name. Now anything that goes on your head is called a "hat-o."

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I accidentally left a cup of coffee on the coffee table on morning, and went into the kitchen. The sound of silence from the living room alerted me that someone was up to no good. When I went to investigate I found baby boy trying to take a swig from my coffee cup. When he realized I had caught him red handed, he dropped the mug (without spilling, thankfully), and took off running.

BBQ season is finally here

Thank God! I was beginning to think that winter was going to last forever. Instead, we skipped spring and went straight to summer.

On the weekend we went hiking with Scooby and his folks. We tried our best to keep him from drinking dirty pond water.

The little guy has learned some new tricks. He now spins around and makes himself dizzy for kicks. Thankfully he hasn't tried that on a full stomach yet....

He does high fives.

He sings the "backpack" song from Dora the Explorer (often replacing the refrain "backpack, backpack" with "tee tee, tee tee," "dadda, dadda," or "pooh pooh, pooh pooh."

He climbs up on anything and everything (but yells to be rescued because he doesn't know how to climb down again.)

He pulls the cord in the garage and makes the door go up.

He's also picked up some new bad habits. Screaming, throwing stuff (including tantrums), harassing the plants, not listening etc... Some days I want to pull my hair out. Is this a preview of the terrible twos? If it is, we're in for a rough ride!

Here we are in April

and this is my first blog entry this month! Finding time to write has been an enormous challenge these last few weeks. But I won't bore you with all the details.

So, what's new? Lots.

The little guy is saying so many new words every day that I stopped counting. My favourite is when he says the word "lemon." I need to get it on tape and share the audio clip with you so you too can hear how cute it sounds.

Grandma came for a short visit last week. While in town we went to the farm to see the animals. It turns out that this little shy stage he's going through applies to animals as well. He absolutely freaked out when he saw the cows. In fact, the only animals he wasn't scared of were the bunny rabits, baby goats and barnyard cats. Which reminds me of a funny story. A cat jumped into the back of baby boy's stroller to escape an annoying kid. We gave him a free ride to safety. However, our little stow away got a little too cozy in the stroller so we had to boot him out.

Now that spring has sort of arrived (brrr....cold) we've been doing a lot of park hopping. The slide is very popular these days, as is climbing around like a monkey. We've also been carting him around a lot in the bike trailer -- another favourite activity. Most kids kick and scream about having to wear a helmet. Not our little one - he demands to wear it, even if we're just going for a walk in the stroller. He points at his helmet and yells "Hat! Hat! Hat!" I guess we can't complain about that!

In other news, we finally caved in and babyproofed the snack cupboard. He protested loudly for a couple of days, but then got over it. You have no idea how much this has improved my quality of life. The weather is bad enough outside. I really don't need for it to be raining crackers inside the house! The constant pot, pan, and everything else rummaging has levelled off a bit. We bought him a basket of toy vegetables. Now when we're cooking we give him a spatula and a frying pan and let him go wild making pretend stirfries.

I'll post some new pictures soon. Happy belated Easter everyone!

His first sass!

A new milestone - his first sassy comeback. Yesterday, he was playing with the lamp on the bedside table, which he knows is a big "no-no". I said his name in a disapproving tone of voice. Mimicking my tone back to me, he said "wha-a-at??"

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In other firsts....he helped Daddy BBQ the other night for the first time. Dad held him up and let him help operate one of those really long BBQ flippers to turn the pork chops. Don't worry - he was nowhere near the hot grill....It was a mind-blowing experience -- the moment he had been waiting for. For a 16-month old, it really doesn't get much better than that! Waiting for the meat to cook on the other side was agonizing. He kept banging on the sliding glass door, pointing at the BBQ, and yelling "That! That! That!".

The next day at daycare, he carried a pink, plastic toy spatula with him all day. He even napped with it. In fact, the spatula had to come home with us this weekend because he flat out refused to part with it. He has it on standby in case any Barbecuing opportunities present themselves.

What a goof!

Better late than never

I've been meaning to post these pictures since January -- they were taken during Amma's visit.



Back in the collander toting days...



Getting ready for a hike on a warm winter's day.



All snuggled in for a backpack ride.



Hangin' out with Amma.



Shake, shake, shake!

Juice?

Hubby brought home one of those big, huge jugs of bottled water yesterday (the office water cooler type). He set it down in the front hall. Baby boy ran over to it, looking as though he had just hit the jackpot. He looked up at my hubby and said "juice?"

:-)

Snuggle bug

A funny anecdote

The other day, baby boy threw a rubber ball across the room and it rolled under one of our living room chairs. It was hopelessly out of reach so daddy came to the rescue. While digging under the chair, daddy also found a missing puzzle piece, a block, and a few other odds and ends.

Later on that day, the little guy was racing around with no pants on. I jokingly asked him, "Where are your pants?" He thought about it for a second and then ran over and looked under the living room chair.

:-)

My sleeping in days are over

Daylight Savings time. Just what I need - one more hour of lost sleep!

When baby boy was really little he used to sometimes sleep in until 9:30 or 10:00. This kind of made up for all of the all-hours-of-the-night feedings. But, alas, Sir Lounge-a-Lot has grown up quite a bit an now fancies himself a morning person. Normally I am too but, on weekends, I like to take my time getting up.

So this morning, little guy starts itching to get up at 5:40 (technically 6:40 because of the time change, but 5:40 according to my internal clock). I tried nursing him to see if I could coax him back to sleep. Didn't work. He starts tossing and turning, kicking me in the back, climbing on top of me, and yelling "uice, uice" (translation: juice). So I get up and get him some juice and let him drink it in bed. Afterwards, I change his diaper thinking that he might relax and go back to sleep if he's nice and dry. Wrong!

He starts climbing around like a monkey. Walks into the bathroom and threatens to splash in the toilet. Starts rattling the lamp cord. Grabs my glasses off the nightstand.

So I turn on the television, thinking the novelty of getting to watch cartoons will inspire him to snuggle back into bed. Worked for less than five minutes. Then he pooed. Again with the diaper changing routine. By this time, I'm wide awake. I give up and we go downstairs for breakfast.

What I would give to be able to sleep until 9:00....

Big mountain adventure

The trip to Whistler was a big adventure for the little guy (athough he slept through the whole flat tire incident...). Among other things he....

Played in the snow.




Went on a gondola ride! We decided to take him up to the top of the mountain because he was so fascinated with the gondolas passing by overhead. The whole gondola experience had such an impact, he learned how to say "gondola" although it comes out sounding like "gonyaya."







Climbed on a very cool play structure.




Rifled through a whole new set of kitchen cupboards.



And, did some good hanging out and relaxing back at the condo we were renting.



In addition to his adventures, baby boy also acquired a taste for lemon wedges, and hot peppers (which he stole from our platters). A short time after eating the hot pepper he farted and yelped "hot!"

Smallville vs Hockey

Why do hockey games overtake Smallville on the tube virtually every Thursday night? It's the only show I make a point of watching. No offence hockey fans - but Smallville is way more intersting! And that Tom Welling guy who plays Clark Kent is pretty easy to look at, if you know what I mean....Way easier to look at than a bunch of sweaty, crooked-nosed hockey players.

The television ads say Smallville will be on tonight. If I find out that it's been cancelled by another stupid hockey game, the network is going to hear about it!!!!

I never thought I'd use my blog to rant about a television program. But everyone else does, so what the heck!

Off, off and away!

We're heading off for a mountain ski vacation. I'll check back with you in just over a week.

Have a great week (I know we will!)

My cupboards are empty

Okay, this has got to stop. I need to reclaim our kitchen. The little guy has taken off running with every pot, pan, lid, collander, spoon, etc...in the joint. The clanging and the banging is driving me nuts! Not to mention the piles of confiscated stuff we're now storing on the countertop. Our floor is covered in cracker bits, cereal, rice and pasta from broken open packages. I'm not exagerating when I say that it looks like a hurricane blew through the kitchen (and the rest of the house for that matter). Just as I'm cleaning up one mess, he starts another one.

And, he's now discovered how to get at the garbage can under the sink. I think he's been throwing toys in there -- a lot of them have mysteriously gone missing in the last couple of days. He's either found a new hiding spot (hopefully not the toilet), or they are buried in the trash. I don't feel like digging around to find out.


Should I put locks on the cabinets, or block the kitchen with a gate? I'm thinking a better strategy would be to get him a play kitchen and a play garbage can and let him go wild. It's worth a try!

Forget what I said yesterday

Today he was happy to see me, and eager to accept my hugs when I picked him up after work. No, it wasn't because it was Valentine's Day, but rather because he had had a bad fall and was feeling quite traumatized. The poor duck tripped and fell on his face, and bit his lip really hard. There was much blood, and much crying. Our caregiver called to let us know so that we were prepared for the sight of his fat lip. I'm glad she did because, let me tell you, it looked aweful! I had to fight to keep my composure.

Luckily, mouth injuries heal quickly. The swelling has already started to go down and it doesn't seem to be causing him any discomfort.

All this to say, I got a positive reception when I picked him up today. I just wish it had been under different circumstances!

I feel so rejected

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad (extatic even!) that the little guy loves daycare. It's just that I wish he'd act a little happier to see me when I picked him up. I always feel like I'm crashing a party that I wasn't invited to.

Yesterday, he was busy cooking up a storm in the play kitchen when I rudely interrupted him. And today, I got between him and a joy ride with a giant toy bus.

Half the time, he doesn't even notice me when I walk into the house. Or, if he does, he gives me a quick smile and then turns back to the fun activity of the moment. No hugs. No kisses. No "I'm so glad to see you mom" glances. When I go over to pick him up, he protests loudly and tries to squirm away.

Sigh....Does he know that I think about him all day long? That I count the hours and minutes until I get to leave to pick him up? That I can wait to embrace him the second I walk through the door? Of course not. He's much to busy to notice any of that. I know, I know. That's a good thing. It means he's happy, well-adjusted etc. I'm just feeling a little rejected, is all.

And that's just at the end of the day. In the morning, he can't wait to get out the door. Even before he's had his breakfast, he starts dragging his snowsuit and boots around the house as if to say, "Come on, hurry up! I'm going to be late for daycare!"

My feeling of rejection melt away once we get home, and he realizes that "hey, hanging out with mom can be fun too!" I may not offer the same level of entertainment as daycare, but to my credit I can build a very nice tower (for him to knock down). I do great animal impressions when I read Barnyard Dance (a thousand times a day). I have a good repetoire of songs, which I sing on demand (with hand actions). I also dance on demand (and boy do I have some good dance moves!). I let him play with REAL pots and pans in a REAL kitchen (and I even let him pull crackers out of the box all by himself). I am always up for the "upside down" game, the "roar" game, and the "I'm going to get you" game (his favourites). Plus, I give special mommy hugs. Only I can do that.

Do more with less

I often complain that our condo is too small. That is, until I saw this web site! If we could make our place look as swanky as some of these tiny apartments, I think I could live here happily for a long, long time! My personal favourite is the apartment that came in third place.

Of course, I don't think any of these people have kids....

My son, the flirt

I know that it is true of most babies, by I honestly think my son is the biggest flirt of them all. Here are just a few examples:

- At a restaurant a few weeks ago, he started winging his toys over the back of the bench to get the attention of the pretty young ladies at the next table. The girls thought it was so cute and funny that it soon turned in to a game of catch.

- Any time we go shopping, he seeks out flirting opportunities. When he sees a pretty female approaching the eyelashes start fluttering, he puts on his lady-killer smile, and starts cooing, laughing, etc...It takes me twice as long as normal to grocery shop with all of the "flirt" stops we have to make.

- We often let him run loose in restaurants just before we leave, to burn off some of his excess energy. Without fail, he finds the table where the prettiest young lady is sitting and introduces himself with a big, dimply grin. I hope this isn't any indication of how he's going to behave as a teen ager...

- We had a meeting at the bank the other night, inside an office with a glass door. The little guy caught sight of a cute little 3 year-old on the other side of the door, and started banging on the glass, waving, and smiling to get her attention. She took notice and started smiling and waving back. The flirting soon turned into a game of peek-a-boo (just as he was hoping!). If she wasn't two years older than him, I would have said it was a match made in heaven!


My mother says he comes by it honestly. My dad is also a big flirt. He still drives the ladies crazy even though he's now in his 60s!!!

The world needs a big blankie

When the little guy is upset, he reaches for comfort in the form of a fleece blankie. We have learned from experience that a blankie should be within reach at all times -- at home, in the car, in the diaper bag. Any time he's upset, mad, or in pain from those darn molars we offer him his blankie. Instantly (and I mean instantly) he calms down, and puts his thumb into his mouth. It's really quite amazing.

I've often thought it would be funny to run an infommercial advertising the "Wonder Blankie 2000". Calms any baby, any time, anywhere. As a bonus we'll throw in the "mini -blankie" for adults. Having a stressful day? Feeling down in the dumps? Need to cool off after a heated argument? The mini-blankie conveniently and discreetly tucks away in briefcases, office drawers, and is even compact enough to fit in a pocket!

Imagine the benefits the world would reap if everyone had a blankie. It could be the magic solution for world peace.

One of my colleagues told me that she secretly wished it was socially acceptable for adults to carry blankies. She confessed that she still has her childhood blankie. I confessed that I too still had mine -- and that it was among my most prized possessions.

Like my son, I was very attached to my blankies as a child. My mother says I had about a dozen of them and every night I would bring the "lonliest" one to bed with me. Over the years I widdled down my collection to one -- my favourite. It is yellow with age, and has a torn edge that I tried to repair with a needle and thread when I was too young to know what I was doing. The botched sewing job now adds to its charm.

Let's face it -- most of us have a secret blankie stashed somewhere. Most of us are just too ashamed to admit it.

My hubby is worried that our son is turning into a "blankie sissy". Well, then I guess he's joining the rest of us "closet" blankie sissies. I say we all unite, and hold up our blankies with pride. Blankies make the world a better place.