Easing into Kindergarten

So Friday is the big day. The little guy has expressed to us that he is very worried about taking the bus by himself. He's also worried that he won't know any of the other kids. We've been reassuring him that all kids starting school feel nervous, just like him. I really hope that he doesn't cling to me and freak out on the first morning....

Tomorrow we are going to do a dry run. We're going to get up earlier than usual, and get dressed before breakfast instead of after. I want to time it out to see how much time we really need to give ourselves to make it to the bus. My suspicion is that I'm going to have to change my routine a lot in order to get out the door by 7:23. I'm going to have to shower, iron my clothes, and make lunches in the evening.

Life was so much less complicated before Kindergarten!

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We had a great visit with my brother and family over the long weekend. The little guy was so excited to see his cousins! On Saturday we went to the country fair and all three of the kids went on the rides for the first time. As you can tell from the pictures, they were all smiling from ear to ear.






The weather was beautiful so we spent most of the weekend outside wandering through the Market, at the beach, eating ice-cream, playing at the park etc... The cousins had such a blast running around and playing together. Of course, the adults also had their fair share of fun too!

The nudist

He's a nudist. What can I say?

Today at the park he stripped all of his clothes off and proceeded to stride about doing his very best blue heron imitation.

"It's time to put your bathing suit on," I told him.

"But blue herons don't where bathing suits," he replied.

"Yes, but they have feathers to hide their private parts."

He couldn't argue that point so on went the bathing suit!

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So the little guy is terrified of dogs. Even the tiny rodent-like foofoo dogs. If he sees a dog - even in the distance - he starts trembling uncontrollably. The other day he actually ran into the road to avoid a pug dog. When I got upset at him for running into the street he said, "But mom, there was a dog!" as though his actions were justifiable under the circumstances.

Today I tried to talk to him about his irrational fear of dogs, but he would have none of it. Here's what he told me:

"Dogs should always stay in their cages. Cats can go outside but not dogs."

Then he said, "I'm a cat person and daddy's a cat person, and you're a dog person."

He said this as though I was the scum of the earth or something. How could he have developed such a loathing for dogs when I'm the biggest dog lover in the world? It doesn't make sense! I think we might need to get a dog if he keeps this up much longer. I think it's the only way to cure him.

Hmmmph! Cat people. What's with them anyway?

Pump up the volume

Okay, so you know what's been bugging me lately? The volume. It's unbearable! I have to tell the little guy at least a hundred or more times a day to keep his voice down. Jeez, he reminds me of my Uncle Harry!

And he can't stand it when I try to talk to other people. The second I start a conversation he talks over my voice and tries to get my attention.

Does anyone have any suggestions for dealing with this?

Kindergarten Prep

We have been doing our very best to prepare the little guy for JK. His official start date is September 11 (although we do a visit with his teacher this coming Friday). I'm not sure who is more nervous - the little guy or me. Probably me.

I keep reading and rereading the package of information that the school gave me back in the Spring. Things like, "your child should be able to put on their own shoes" keep jumping out at me. Sure, he's a pro at putting on crocs and rubber boots, but he sometimes need some help with his runners. After all, he's still only 3 years old. Being a late November baby he's going to be almost a year younger than some of the kids in his class. I really hope that they'll take pity on him when it comes to doing up shoes and things like that.

He's going to have to take the bus to school -- all by himself! At the suggestion of his elementary school we went to a school bus orientation session last weekend. I'm really glad we did because it provided the little guy with a "dry run" of what it would be like. We actually rode the bus and went through all of the safety rules. He's pretty nervous about getting on the bus without mommy and daddy but we've been working really hard to calm his nerves. On day 1 we are planning to follow the bus to school, so that we make sure he gets settled into his classroom. Hubby is going to take the day off so that he can also follow his bus to nursery school too, again, to help him with the transition.

The countdown begins!

Muffin tops are in

Which is good news for me I guess as I struggle to lose a few pounds. I've been working out several times a week and I've cut down my calories but my damn stomach still looks fat.

People always tell me how tiny I am (well, maybe not as much lately). But the definition of "tiny" seems to have changed a lot since I was in high school. I remember there were only a handful of overweight students in my school. Now overweight seems to be the new norm. And obese seems to be fairly normal too. If you ask me, it's an epidemic that we're all going to pay for in the not so distant future. More hypertension leading to more diabetes, heart disease and who knows what else. Our healthcare system is going to pay the price.

You know what has also changed since I was in high school? Clothing sizes. Stores like to lead consumers to believe that they are skinnier than they really are. This is wrong in so many ways. I often fit into a size 2 at The Gap. How exactly is that possible? There is no way in hell I am a size 2. What does that tell the kid who fits into a size 8 who actually has a weight problem?

Before baby boy was in the picture I decided to stop eating processed food. In a couple of months I dropped 10 pounds. Tells you something, doesn't it? Processed food is just plain evil. And it's everywhere. I'm always amazed at the crap people have in their grocery carts. It all comes out of a box or a can. It's full of sodium and sugar. The "lunchable," devoid of any nutritional value, has replaced the apple and carrot sticks that kids bring for lunch. Match those with a granola bar (they aren't healthy people!) and a juice box (packed full of sugar) and suddenly it makes sense why teenagers are now sporting those trendy muffin tops. Not to mention that many of them don't get enough exercise....

So why am I telling you all this? Because tonight I saw hundreds of overweight teens shoveling crap into their mouths at "The Ex". It kind of freaked me out and made me think about my own eating habits. I'm just as guilty of eating processed food as anyone else. I think my weight issues have a lot to do with my food choices which are not always the best.

I think I'm going to cut processed foods out of my diet again (except occasionally on weekends) and see what happens. Wish me luck!

Quote of the week and other fun stuff

The little guy continues to think spitting is funny. When I got a little stern with him about it this weekend he said,

"It's against the rules for adults to be mad at children."

I reminded him that it was also against the rules for children to spit.

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Things the little guy is into these days:
- Spiderman (even though he's never even seen a Spiderman cartoon)
-Talking really really loudly, like he thinks I'm deaf or something
- Eating "corn on the bob"
- Reading children's encyclopedias. He wants to know everything there is to know about everything (especially about the ocean and outer space)
- Saying, "Yuck I don't like that." Doesn't he know we are a family of foodies?
- Couch wrecking (note to Hubby: I am no longer the only couch wrecker in the house)
- Wrapping up toys and giving them to us as presents. Gee honey, I loved the really realistic rubber snake you gave me this morning :-) Heaven knows how much I love snakes.
- Playing Farmville and Happy Farm on Facebook (he gets to pick the seeds we grow)
- Hiking and biking (he'll hike up to 5 km!)
- Frog and fish catching (we bought him a pond pail and net)
- Helping himself to stuff out of the fridge
- Putting on his clothes by himself (mostly backwards)
- Bragging about what a pro he is at using the toilet
- Telling jokes. The other day I asked him where my purse was and he told me that he ate it.
- Photocopying pictures, colouring them, cutting them out and laminating them with tape (he could do this all day long!)
- Making "lunches" for himself and packing up his backpack
- Going out for real lunches (his lunch of choice: burgers and fries, avocado rolls and edamame, or pho)
- Constantly trying to sucker hubby and I into buying him toys or treats
- Bird watching (every day his caregiver takes him to the "duck park" and we get a full report about all of the birds he saw. More often than not his bird tales end with the line, "but I didn't see the Blue Heron today."
- Playing games on daddy's iPhone (great for long, boring car rides)
- Motorcycle helmets and goggles (when we go out he sometimes insists on wearing his skating helmet and ski goggles. A nice look for summer).
-Emergency vehicles (those never get old, do they?)
- Carrying stolen change in his pockets. (Our poor washer and dryer)
- And, of course, farting on me and then running away laughing (He gets that from my side of the family. His uncles are very proud!)

News flash!

I promise this will be one of my last posts about toilet training. I'm just so amazed at how fast things have been moving these last few weeks that I just had to share the good news. Here are the latest milestones:

- No more potty. He's moved completely to the big toilet. (Although you can't see it, I'm doing a happy dance right now!)
- He's eager to learn how the toilet paper works so we've started "Wiping 101."
- The toilet seat attachment will soon be going the way of the potty. He's figured out that balancing on the seat isn't as difficult as he thought.
-The diaper bag is gone. It has been replaced with a big boy backpack that he has to carry himself.

With the money we're sure to save on diapers we bought a new mattress. Our old one was about 12 years old and well past it's prime. With hubby's bad back, we decided that we couldn't put off this purchase any longer. Instead of buying a widely available toxic, formaldehyde-filled mattress we decided to get an organic mattress. The one we selected is made out of cotton and latex and has a 25 year warrantee. At 40% off, it was a screaming deal! It arrives early this week.

In other news.....Amma (hubby's mother) flew back home after a week long visit. The two of them were very busy while hubby and I were at work last week. One day we came home to a house decorated with balloons and streamers, and the smell of freshly baked carrot cake. They decided to throw us an early birthday party (hubby and I are both September babies). What a nice surprise!

Another night Amma kicked hubby and I out the door for a date night. We went to this amazing restaurant that we've been dying to try for months. The restaurant served mostly local, raised/grown in Canada dishes that were prepared in the most unconventional way imaginable i.e. creme fraiche frozen in liquid nitrogen (the dry ice gently gliding across the table really made for an interesting ambiance). I believe the term to use is "molecular cooking." It's hard to explain. You really have to go there and experience it. The kitchen, which we got to tour after our 12 course meal, looked more like a science lab than a kitchen. There was no menu. You just sit down and they start bringing you food. Each dish was in itself a piece of artwork. Just check out the gallery on their website.

Fun times!

Today was my "lucky" day

I have to carry around a Blackberry during the week. Occasionally (once a month) one of my clients will call me on it if they have something urgent to talk about. So you can imagine my surprise when my Blackberry was ringing off the hook this morning.

The first call was really strange. When I answered the man on the other end of the line (who sounded old and perhaps a little intoxicated) told me his name was Joe. I asked him why he was calling. He said, "My friend gave me your number." I knew then and there that he had the wrong number. I asked, "are you calling for communications advice?" He hung up on me.

Not five minutes later the phone rang again. A different number. When I answered using my name, the male who was calling said, "Oh sorry, I must have the wrong number."

When 10 minutes later I got yet another phone call from another strange number, I realized something weird was going on. The man I spoke to this time said, "Is Lucky there?" Hmmmmm.....how many people do you know named Lucky? And how many people do you know named lucky who work for the government? Definitely the wrong number. I asked him how he got my number and he was reluctant to answer. After fumbling for a second he said my number was left on his answering machine. I told him that I was wondering who had left the number on his machine because I had already had a few other wrong numbers this morning. He repeated the line about the answering machine and quickly hung up.

I checked my phone log. It turns out that I had also received calls at 2:00 am, 3:00 am and 4:00 am -- all from different numbers. Let me guess that they were all calls from lonely men?

Half an hour later, caller #2 rang me a second time. When he realized that I wasn't "Lucky" he hung up. I did a search on Canada411 and discovered he was calling from a Zeller's store. A boring day at the office, maybe?

Whoever Lucky is, she sure missed a lot of calls today. 10 or 12 at least.

I'm pretty sure that someone accidentally printed my phone number in a personal ad. I wasn't sure what to do. Should I answer the phone in a sexy voice? Pretend that Lucky wasn't here right now and take a message? Pretty tempting but frankly I wasn't getting any work done with all of the phone interruptions. So I called the Help Desk and asked them to change my Blackberry number. They were very understanding about the situation.

So tomorrow I get a new number. Guess those guys didn't get "Lucky" today :-)

Oh happy day!

It's always nice when a happy day follows a sad one. Why am I so happy? The little guy has adopted the diaper free lifestyle at daycare as well as at home. I was so worried that he might revert back to his old ways. Guess I worried for nothing.

Over snack he asked his buddy SM, "Do you know how to use the toilet?" knowing full well that the answer was "No." What a little show-off! It's only been a little over two weeks now and already he's acting like an expert.

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So we're back to work this week after a glorious 2-week vacation. Photos to follow shortly! We especially enjoyed our trip to the cottage, despite having a few rather wet and rainy days.

Once the photos are uploaded I'll tell you more. In the meantime here is a funny story.

Hubby's fishing rod snapped after an unfortunate tangle in the weeds. It was, however, fixable (or at least temporarily). The little guy watched the whole repair job with great interest. A couple of times he also made himself useful by climbing up to the cottage to fetch supplies.

On his first supply run he said, "Mom, I need Daddy's little knife" (swiss army knife).

"Where did daddy say he left it," I asked. "On the kitchen counter," he replied.

I fetched it and off he went to find hubby. Not two minutes later he was back again. This time he said, "Mommy, I need the sculptate."

"The what?" I asked.

"The sculptate," he repeated.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Can you say it again?"

At this point he became very frustrated with me. "Sculptate!" he yelled over and over.

As I tried to figure out what he was looking for hubby yelled up the hill to us, "Did you find the scotch tape?"

:-)
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He's suddenly become Mr. Independent -- helping himself to snacks, brushing his own teeth, using the toilet and getting dressed all by himself.

The getting dressed part is quite humourous. Most days he puts his shirt on backwards and/or inside out. Often he underwear is on the wrong way too. When I point this out to him he says, "That's the way I like to wear them, Mom." Hey, who am I to judge?

He is, of course, just as skilled at taking his clothes off as he is at putting them on. If he had his choice he'd be naked all the time. Luckily our friends think it's really cute when he performs his little striptease act. Apparently I was a little exhibitionist when I was his age, so I guess he comes by it honestly.

Sad news

When I was in university I spent my summers taking children with disabilities to camp. I was an outreach worker and my job was integrate my "clients" into regular camping programs. Every week I worked with a different child. Sometimes I accompanied them to day camp, other time to overnight camp. I did this for three summers in a row and, in that time, met some very remarkable kids. Being an outreach worker was incredibly rewarding at times. I watched children get on a horse, paddle a canoe and sleep in a tent for the first time. For many of these kids, I was sharing in the best week of their entire year.

The job was also very stressful at times, particularly when working with children with more severe disabilities. My most difficult child was a boy with ADHD. He locked me in a closet in an empty building and then ran away laughing, leaving me alone in the dark. I should really get some therapy for this --- I still have nightmares.

The job was physically challenging. I did a lot of lifting and transferring and pushing wheelchairs over rugged terrain. I didn't mind the physical part. It was the emotionally challenging part that I couldn't deal with. The part I still can't deal with.

People often ask me why I didn't choose working with people with disabilities as a career path. For one, the pay sucks. But the really big reason is that I can't handle the tragedy. At least 3 or 4 kids I've worked with directly or indirectly have died. And those are just the ones I know about.

I took a teenaged girl to camp two years in a row (she had a rare disease that she picked up while living in India). The first year she could easily walk by just holding my hand. The second year, she appeared to have advanced Parkinson's Disease and required a person on each side to help her walk. Although I lost touch with her (she was in foster care) I can only imagine she is no longer alive today judging from the rapid progression of the disease. All she wanted was to be a normal teenager! It was so heartbreaking to watch.

And then there are the children with cystic fibrosis who all die young. And the ones who have succumbed to other illnesses.

Today I found out about the tragic death of my favourite little camper of all time. His name was Rodmond and I first took him to camp when he was 6 years old. This child was the most energetic, outgoing and enthusiastic kid I've ever met. He had Spina Bifida and was paralyzed from the waist down. Technically he was "disabled" but you would never know it if you spent five minutes with him. This child integrated himself into the camp program with very little help from me. Within hours of arriving at the camp, he was the most popular kid around. We couldn't go anywhere without him high-fiving councillors, or him calling out "What's up dude?" or "I'll catch you later okay?" to passersby.

Rodmond couldn't swim but he was too proud to admit it. He flailed himself across the deep end of the swimming pool. When I could see him struggling I'd reach out to grab him and he'd get so mad. "No,no, no" he'd tell me. "I can do it myself." I remember throwing him a flutter board and saying, "Hey, let's pretend we're sharks." This allowed him to save face in front of his peers while "swimming" to safety.

Rodmond had the most incredible family. His mom was an absolute inspiration. Talk about a mother who would not for one moment let her son feel sorry for himself. Rodmond was like every other kid and that was that.

On the last day of camp that first year, Rodmond cried his eyes out. He was so afraid we'd never see each other again. That night his mom called me at home and asked me to be his respite worker. I gladly accepted the job, which allowed me to visit him occasionally throughout the year.

The next year we went to camp again for two weeks. I couldn't believe I was being paid to work with him, he was such a joy. He made me smile and laugh all day long.

I think you know where this story is going... Rodmond died on June 24th but I only just found out today when my mom told me about an article in the paper. It was a story about how the health care system failed Rodmond. His parents took him to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday. On the way home they missed their connecting flight in Denver. While at the airport he became very ill and had to be hospitalized. His condition improved slightly but, due to a bureaucratic nightmare, missed his opportunity to be flown home. A few weeks later he died of an infection in Denver, with only his mother by his side. His dying wish was to go home, but his wish was never granted.

I read his obituary and didn't make it past the first two lines before I was in tears. Even with all of the health issues he faced, he had an incredibly life. Reading about what he had accomplished made me so proud. It may have been a short life but it was a life well lived.

I'll miss you forever Rodmond. You are always in my heart.

The no-diaper vacation experiment

WARNING: The following blog entry contains pooh content. Don't read any further if you don't want to hear about it.

Starting at exactly 4:30 pm on Friday, we started our diaper-free vacation. Everything was going well until the little guy had to poop. Instead of just listening to his body and sitting down on the potty, he decided to hold it in. All weekend long. Even after feeding him a dozen or more prunes. By Sunday night he was walking around holding his butt and complaining that it hurt. We kept encouraging him to sit on the potty. A few times he sat down on it but then refused to go.

On Monday morning we decided that since we weren't in a rush to be anywhere, we would stay home until he pooped. It was a battle of the wills. Hours passed. Nothing. He got crankier and crankier. Then the moaning and groaning started. I couldn't bare to see him in so much pain so I went to the pharmacy (no, not to buy diapers!). The pharmacist recommended using a suppository. He said that because he had held it so long, his stools were probably impacted (sorry for being so graphic). I wasn't sure I like that option so I also bought some oral medication too.

When I got home I told the little guy he had two options - he could take the medicine by mouth or bum. To my amazement he chose the latter! I was really afraid that the experience would scar him for life so, before I gave it to him, I put on my communicator hat and came up with a really good story line. I told him that the suppository had to go talk to his pooh and tell them that it was time to come out. I said that it might be uncomfortable for a few minutes, but that it would be all better just as soon as they finished talking. Five minutes later he was sitting on the potty and voila! All was good in the world again. The little guy was delighted with himself and told us that he was a big boy now etc. We of course heaped on the praise and rewarded him with ice-cream.

Today, the whole scene all over again. Again he just held it and held it.

Our new strategy is to feed him tons of fiber so that he gets lots of practice over the next couple of weeks. We figure that once he gets over his fear, the whole potty training thing won't seem like such a big deal anymore. We've also told him that letting the pooh out is his job -- a job that he has to do everyday. I read some advice online that using this kind of language really helps. So far he's responded really well to us saying this, and likes the idea of having an important responsibility.

We're going camping tomorrow. I'll report back on Friday.

Two big steps back

Do you even need to guess what I'm talking about? I am officially past the end of my rope.

This morning he peed all over the bedroom carpet and refused to help clean it up. Then, tonight, he left pooh and pee piles all over the bedroom carpet again refusing to help clean it up. (Note to self - time to install hardwood). When we asked him why he didn't use the toilet or the potty he said it was because he was mad at us (presumably for not giving him a diaper).

Leading up to the pooh incident he begged me for a diaper. I told him he didn't need one because he was a big boy now. He yelled, "I don't want to be a big boy!" I calmed him down by putting his potty in front of the television and putting on his favourite Caillou video. To sweeten the deal even more I gave him a lollypop to lick while he sat on the potty. I then left the room to give him some privacy and told him to call me when he was done. A little while later I heard a whizzing noise following by the door slamming. When I went upstairs to investigate, it was like walking into a crime scene -- there was pee and pooh everywhere within a three foot radius of his potty.

I'm not sure how to deal with this type of behaviour. If I get mad, he rebels even more. If I'm nice about it, he thinks I'm giving him a ticket out of potty training. If I tell him I'm disappointed he laughs at me. Should I go on?

I have no more ideas. I've tried everything and nothing works. I'm trying to be optimistic about our diaper free vacation but it's hard. Am I the only mother on earth who has a kid that refuses to toilet train. HELP!!!

Drawing inside the lines

The little guy's artwork has evolved rapidly over the last couple of weeks. Instead of scribbling, he carefully tried to colour inside the lines. Also, his drawings now resemble what he is trying to depict. The other day he drew an amazing rocket ship with fire shooting out of the bottom. Well, amazing for a 3-year old in any case.

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His favourite new line is "For goodness sake!" I hear it at least a hundred times a day.

Like this morning when he said, "For goodness sake Mom, it's time for breakfast."

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Do you want a toilet training update? Sigh.....

Every single day this week he peed his pants at daycare. I swear he's doing it on purpose because he never does that at home. First day of school for him is September 11. Tick, tick, tick.

Our holiday starts at 4:00 pm next Friday. After that all of the diapers disappear.

30 second update

- After much anxiety, the little guy successfully pooped on the potty last night! Afterwards he asked if he could have some candy as a reward. I told him I wasn't sure if we had any candy and he replied, "We have some candy in the kitchen, in fact." And, in fact, he was right!
- This potty training success was quickly erased this morning when he peed all over the kitchen floor (and did I mention he's been peeing all over the bedroom carpet lately and not telling us? We keep stepping in puddles)
- A new stage has begun: the violent temper stage. He's like a volcano and when he blows he really blows. And you never know what's going to set him off. We've been hearing him yell the following phrases a lot lately:

"No! You're being rude to me!"

"That's not fair!"

"I'm going to knock you down!" and other statements to this effect.

- Of course hubby and I are the only ones who are witnesses to his violent temper. Everyone else reports him as being so well-behaved, gentle, nice, cooperative etc...He's the model child outside the privacy of our home. Oh well, I guess everyone needs to blow off a little steam once in a while.

- We are finally able to sleep in again on the weekends. In the morning he just trots downstairs and quietly plays with his toys. If he gets hungry he just helps himself to some crackers and fruit and pours himself a glass of water.

- This morning he drew some pictures and we said, "These are great!" He replied, "Yes, I'm a great drawing boy!"

- Our new couch suffers so much abuse. The pillows are constantly being cast around and turned into forts, water slides, dens etc...And there is no point making the bed because no sooner as the bed is made the blankets and pillows are sprawled out across the room.

- Daddy bought the little guy water pistols so when the weather is nice it's game on! Even some of our neighbours have been joining in.

- What is it with little boys and spitting? Enough already!!!!

Happy Canada Day!

It was free admission at the Aviation Museum today so we decided to check out the Canada Day festivities they had planned. Areas of the museum that are normally closed to the public were open for viewing. The little guy got to sit and "drive" some of the airplanes including one that was used to train Snowbird pilots. Pretty cool!

Speaking of the Snowbirds, they put on a show overhead. When we pointed into the sky and said, "Look, the Snowbirds," the little guy replied, "Those aren't birds, they're airplanes!" And since we got home he's been going on and on about how he saw the "snow planes." :-)

In the afternoon we wandered down to the market for a late lunch on the patio. I love people watching on Canada Day while sipping on sangria...People really went all out this year with the red and white attire, Canadian flag tattoos etc...

The fireworks should be starting very soon. Hubby and I are going to watch them from our rooftop balcony.

The poop on Kindergarten

On Monday, I took the little guy to a lemonade party/Kindergarten orientation. They had all sorts of fun activities happening on the playground, the teachers were friendly and nice, the kids welcomed the little guy with open arms. When we left, both of us had dreams of junior kindergarten dancing through our heads. It was until I opened up the orientation folder that night that my bubble burst.

One of the sheets included suggestions to help your child prepare for kindergarten. There were a bunch of handy little tidbits and then in big, bold writing it said:

Practice personal habits such as:
- going to the bathroom unassisted (wiping, flushing, turning on and off faucets and washing hands)
- blowing nose
- sneezing or coughing into sleeves


Guess which one I'm worried about? Granted we have made some progress in the last few weeks. He's been pooping in the potty at home but won't go near the toilet to save his life. And if memory serves me correctly, they don't have potties in kindergarten.

And wiping? We aren't even close to wiping lessons yet.

Today he pooped in his underwear at daycare and was absolutely mortified. I think he really, truly wanted to use the potty but was too scared. He waited too long to ask for help and, well....poop happens. Can you imagine the humiliation he would experience if that happened to him in Kindergarten?

The clock is ticking so it's time to step up our toilet training efforts. Otherwise he might be sitting JK out this year and heading back to nursery school.

Happy Father's Day!

A little late...but better late than never right?

It's hard to know where to begin paying tribute to hubby. He is the best dad in the world to our son and has been since the very moment that the doctor lifted him from my womb. I was on the operating table with a curtain shielding my view of the operation. The only thing I was able to see were hubby's eyes as he watched the surgery. It was by looking into his eyes that I knew our son has been born. His eyes suddenly became very wide as he witnessed the most incredible miracle he'd ever seen. But as I watched his eyes I saw more than that -- I saw him experience love at first sight.

We got separated for an hour (which felt like an eternity) while I got stitched up after the c-section. It was the loneliest hour of my life. Thankfully baby boy was safe and sound in his daddy's arms. They snuggled skin to skin and got to know each other while I lay on the operating table yearning to hold our baby. What they shared in that first hour was truly magical. It was the start of a close bond that has continued to grow stronger and stronger each day.

Our son lived in a sling for the first three months of his life (when he wasn't nursing, that is). He demanded to be carried around constantly. Hubby would wear him for hours, inside the house and out. He often comments about how he misses those early days when he was a little "pouch-a-rino".

Obviously a lot has happened in the last three or so years. And in that time, the nature of their relationship has changed. They are now the best of friends. I've never seen two people have so much fun together! They are constantly playing, reading, building, cooking, surfing the web, crafting etc...together. Either that, or they are off on wild father-son adventures. Whenever he can, hubby takes days off work so they can do cool stuff together. They go to museums, explore the wilderness, stop at toy stores, eat sushi....Hubby is all about making sure that the little guy has the most enriching life possible.

I loved hubby with all of my heart before our son came along. Now he's given me reason to love him even more.

Happy Father's Day sweetheart!

Our first Youtube post

Check out what the little guy caught in our own backyard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgiWI7OyzjQ

Fun in the sun

It has been the most amazing weekend. Sunny and hot, but not too hot. Perfect weather for hanging out at the beach. On Saturday we explored a small town about 45 minutes out of the city which just happened to have the nicest little beach for wading and throwing rocks. The town was also home to a cozy cafe that specialized in freshly baked scones. Yummy!

In the afternoon we took a stroll down to the market to celebrate the little guy's toilet training accomplishments with some ice cream. At the same time we picked him up a butterfly net so he could catch fish in his kiddie pool. That evening he hauled in quite the catch. Dolphins, sharks, whales, fish and some assorted cars and trucks.

This morning, butterfly net in hand, we decided to bike down and check out one of the beaches inside the city. We met up with our friends there and had a great time splashing around in the water.

I can just feel that Vitamin D kicking in. Bring on the summer!

Target practice

Cheerios. All this time they were the key to getting the little guy to pee in the toilet. You just throw a few in the bowl and let the fun begin. What 3-year old could resist the opportunity to aim and shoot? Standing up pees are now so popular that I don't have to drag the portable toilet seat with us anymore. Nice! And he's even doing standing up pees at daycare.

And newsflash! He pooped on the potty twice this weekend! Finally he's decided on his own that he wants to be a big boy. Let's hope that he keeps up the good work.

Hooray for progress!

An 11th toe?

The little guy and his female friend SW were playing in the kiddie pool yesterday. At one point he decided to strip out of his bathing suit and streak around naked (he's a bit of an exhibitionist). SW, who had never seen a little boy in the nude before, started giggling and staring. She turned to her dad and said, "Look, he has a toe!"

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If the 2s were terrible, the 3s are even worse in some ways. The little guy has developed a terrible temper and just flies off the handle at the smallest thing. Sometimes in his attempt to hurl angry words at me, he ends up saying something hilarious. Like last night, when he yelled, "You better stop that you little guy or you can't come to my birthday party!"

Or earlier tonight when I wouldn't let him have a piece of pie before dinner. "You smack that pie right here, Okay?

Parental advice

Even if you don't ask for it, you sometimes get it. Like last night, when I was talking to my mother on the phone about toilet training. I told my mom that we had tried almost everything to get the little guy to poop on the toilet but nothing seems to be working.

Her advice: baby suppositories.

My reaction: I think not!

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There is a little cheese thief in the house. Every morning when I'm packing the lunches the cheese mysteriously disappears from the room.

When I ask the little guy if he's seen the cheese, he starts giggling.

"I smooched it!" he says.

He's also into "smooching" oranges and apricots.

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You can lead a horse to water

I think they should change this saying to, "You can lead a toddler to the toilet, but you can't force him to poop." The drama around the BMs never seems to end.

Whenever I talk to people about it, they don't understand why he's winning and we're losing. I'll tell you why -- his #1 dominant personality trait is stubbornness. I can't even begin to tell you how stubborn he is. If he doesn't want to eat something, do something, try something etc... there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to change his mind. He has to come around to the idea on his own terms. Eventually he does, but it's an extremely frustrating process.

That's my weekly bitch on the topic...

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I've been trying to get rid of toys. Lots and lots of toys. The nursery school is having a kids yard sale and fair next weekend I've being putting together boxes full of donations.

There's just one problem....Every time I set aside some toys, you-know-who finds them and starts playing with them again. Toys he hasn't looked sideways at for months have suddenly taken on a new life. I swear he can sense when I'm about to chuck something! Has anyone else experience this? I'm not going to let this phase me though. All of his babyish toys have got to go. Same goes for the old Playmobile toys that have millions and millions of little pieces. I have a love-hate relationship with Playmobile. The toys are very cool and spark a lot of imaginative play, but good lord are they messy! I'm constantly tripping over little parts and pieces. They drive me nuts! When he's older and better at keeping track of the pieces we'll get him more Playmobile but, right now, they have got to go.

I'm going to load up the car tonight so he doesn't see them leave the house. My guess is that he's never miss any of those toys. He probably won't even notice they are gone.

Negotiating

We've figured out a way to get the little guy to pee on the toilet on command. Just offer him one dollar.

"One dollar?" he asks in disbelief, as if he's just won the jackpot. "Can I have one dollar if I do a pee?"

When he asks for payment we just tell him we owe him and will pay him next Tuesday. He seems okay with that.

I wonder if this strategy will work for poops?


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Speaking of money....On Saturday we hit a giant neighbourhood garage sale. I gave the little guy five dollars in quarters to spend. After a great deal of house hopping looking for the perfect toy he stumbled across a large sack of emergency vehicles. It was packed full of some really nice fire engines, ambulances and police cars. They were bundled together with the price tag of $5. When I told him that he had just enough money to buy them he was overjoyed.

I helped him count the money and give it to the vendor. He was so please with himself and his big purchase!

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So we've gone back to diapers at bedtime after FOUR nights in a row of bed wetting. Maybe we'll try again in a few weeks.

Just stick it in the IV

The little guy has a new Playmobile toy - an ambulance complete with driver and medical supplies. One of the little pieces is a miniature IV. He's been asking us tons of questions about what it is and how it works. I was pretty sure he had it all figured out until he he told me today that the IV had soap in it, not medicine.

"Why does it have soap?" I asked.

"At CC's house she uses IV soap," he told me.

It took me a long time to convince him that she really used Ivory soap. :)

Toilet training update 1,543,209

Two days ago we took all of the diapers away (except for at daycare). He doesn't even get one at night anymore. For a few months now he's been wearing underwear full time when he's at home so it seemed like a natural thing to do.

When I told him there were no more diapers, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'll do my poohs at CC's house (his caregiver)." Pretty soon those diapers are going to disappear too. Once nursery school is out for the year I'm going to ask her to put away the diapers too. It's going to be underwear all the time this summer!

Other than the poohs, toilet training has been going really well. He's even made some progress using the potty at daycare. I'm feeling optimistic that the worst is over.

Stay tuned

Long weekend: the final chapter

Here are a few more pictures from the weekend.

Did I mention that the purpose of our visit was to celebrate my big brother's 40th birthday? I was impressed by how he embraced this milestone. He has had no less than five birthday parties to date, including a trip to New York with nine of his best buds. On Saturday night my family marked the occasion with a swanky dinner out for just the adults.


Three peas in a pod.


Going for a little spin.


So cute!


My nephew loves to play with these little pylons. He was kind enough to make a wheelchair zone for Grandpa :)

Long weekend part 2

We made history this weekend. It was the first time that all six of the cousins were all together in one place. As you can see, capturing the moment on film was a bit of a challenge :-)


Wait a minute....Where's JK?


Okay, Grandma's got him. Quick, take the picture!



We have an escapee. Let's try that again.



Lining up pre-schoolers is like herding cats. Believe it or not, this was the best shot I was able to get.

Too funny!

Long weekend fun!

This weekend the little guy had an awesome time hanging out with his cousins JK and AK. Here are a few pictures of them playing with the hose at the park on Saturday. They didn't let the fact that it was cold and miserable get in the way of their fun. They had a blast building a river in the sand, getting very wet in the process!

Soccer: Night 2

This weeks soccer practice started off on the wrong foot. The little guy was so nervous that he wouldn't let go of my leg. He just stood there yelling, "I want to go home!" Hubby and I calmed him down and then took turns escorting him onto the field until he felt comfortable. We weren't alone. There were at least three other kids who were just as nervous.

It wasn't until they played some really fun games started that the little guy forgot about us completely. They played hide and go seek soccer, which was a big hit. This was followed by a game called "kick the ball at the coach." Every time that a ball successfully hit one of the coaches they would pretend to be hurt. They would yelp and cry and roll around in the grass feigning pain. The kids thought it was hysterical. I've never seen my child so engaged in an organized game. He must have kicked the ball at his coach 50 times.

What a goof!

Mother's Day

I was one spoiled mom this year. On Friday, I was invited to a Mother's Day brunch at nursery school. Virtually everything on the menu had been prepared ahead of time by the kids. My little guy took all of the credit for the pancakes (which were, of course, delicious). Even the butter was homemade.

In honour of Mother's Day all of the kids were asked to create a portrait of their moms. Beside my portrait was a description of me that the teacher had transcribed. Here is what it said:

My mom is called J****.
She's not at school she is at work.
She is having lunch with me.
She has brown eyes a nose and a mouth.
She looks like my mom.
She has feet.
She has toes.
She has socks.
She has a belly button.

I'd say that was a pretty accurate description, don't you?

On Sunday, I had a full day of culinary delights. In the morning, hubby and the little guy made me french toast with strawberries. Later on they took me out for lunch. And for dinner, hubby made one of my favourite Thai dishes. My boys know that the way to this mom's heart is through her stomach :)

A real nail biter

Yesterday, the little guy and I had to drive hubby to the train station. While we waited in the car for him to grab his suitcase I started biting one of my nails (a terrible, lifelong habit).

The little guy yelled, "No mommy." At that moment I was totally unconscious of the fact that I had been biting my nails and had no idea why he was saying no. So I shrugged my shoulders and continued to gnaw on my nail.

"Mommy, you stop that!"

"Stop what?" I asked, still completely clued out.

"Stop doing that to your hands," he said. "If you don't stop doing that right now I'm not going with you to see daddy's train!"

Well I sure learned my lesson. Maybe he'll help me to kick my habit for good :-)

First night of soccer

There were 15 kids at soccer tonight. Most knew enough to chase and kick the ball in the general direction of the net. And then there was my son, forever beating to his own drum. If the coach said run, he would stand still. If the coach said kick the ball, he would pick it up and carry it.

He was the one who excitedly called one of the coaches over to show him a rock he found in the grass. The one who abandoned a fully charged game of What Time is it Mr. Wolf in favour of kicking up dust clouds along the chalk line. The one who switched teams intermittently and shot at the wrong net.

At one point he decided to just run off the field to come see us. The coaches called after him, "Where are you going? You're supposed to sit with the team." He casually replied, "I'm going to have a nap now."

He may have completely missed the point of soccer, but he sure had fun!

After 30....

It was my friend's 30th birthday last night (spring chicken!) and it really got me thinking about how different you become as you get older. For example, we went to a nightclub for drinks and to listen to a celtic band. All of us 30+ year olds got there early so that we could find a table. Because when you're over 30, who wants to stand in a cramped bar all night?

As the night drew on, I couldn't help but notice a huge serpentine line-up winding around the building. The wait to get in to the bar was at least 45 minutes. I'm pretty sure that all of the people in line were in their early 20s. After all, no one in their 30s (or even mid-to-late 20s for that matter) would ever wait in line to get into a nightclub unless, of course, they were total losers. When you are a 30 something you just shrug your shoulders and say, "oh well, let's go somewhere else." Another way I could tell that the people in line were much younger than me was by their choice of clothing. Many of the females were scantily clad (I've seen a handkerchief provide more coverage!) despite the frigid temperature. We live in Canada for crying out loud! In the very unlikely event that a 30+ year old did decide to wait in a long bar line-up they would at least be smart enough to wear a jacket.

When the bar closed at 2 a.m., I would hazard to guess that there were very few people in their 30s left in the establishment. Why? Because people in their 30s go home when they are tired (unless, of course, they are hanging out with a younger crowd and trying to keep up)! I got home at midnight which is pretty good for a 34-year old don't you think?

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Last night when the little guy asked where I had gone, hubby said, "Mommy went to a nightclub with SB."

"Oh," he said. "Why did SB want to go with mommy to her book club?"

My lack of a lively social life really shows through sometimes, doesn't it?

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Today, the little guy and I both learned something the hard way while on a wilderness hike.

He learned that there is a good reason why we tell him to not get to close to the edge of a stream. And I learned that I should never leave his change of clothes in the car.

Photos to follow..

The babysitter solution

It is so hard to find a babysitter these days. My caregiver's daughters are so busy with activities that I literally have to book them weeks in advanced. The other day I called one of her daughter's friends and was told "I only have time on Monday nights and sometimes on Friday. That's it."

Well.... soccer starts next Monday night, so that's out. I guess I'll have to try to book Friday's a week or two in advance.

On occasion I'll ask my friends to watch the little guy for a couple of hours, but I don't like to impose upon them too often.

It turns out that we are not alone in our struggles to find a babysitter. A group of us were chatting about this at the park today. Someone suggested that we form a babysitting circle with other parents in the neighbourhood and take turns looking after one another's children. I think this is a great idea. The kids would have a fantastic time hanging out together while the parents got a much needed break. And the best part of all is that it doesn't cost a cent.

The fact that I know all the parents that would be a art of this circle is also very reassuring. I would never have to worry about the care the little guy was receiving.

I think we'll give it a try and see how it goes.

Woohoo!

Great news! The little guy used the potty at daycare today while the other kids cheered him on. He was pretty impressed with himself. I rewarded him with gummy bears when we got home.

Anyone want to place a bet on whether or not he'll use the potty again tomorrow???? It could go either way.

He's not pee shy!

It was such a beautiful day today that I decided that we should have a picnic at the park. I hopped over to the store at lunch and picked up some veggies and dip, avocado rolls, fruit salad and drinks so we could head straight to the park from daycare. In all of our haste to start our picnic, it never occurred to me to stop and let the little guy use the bathroom first.

You see where this story is leading.....Not long after downing a whole bottle of juice the little guy had to go really badly. Normally he would come and tell me so that I could get him a diaper. But not this time. No, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He stripped off his shorts and underwear and then proceeded to pee right next to a tree. I'm pretty sure that he was trying to be discreet but instead of going behind the tree to pee, he stood in front of the tree before a crowd of onlookers. We all clapped and cheered (and laughed ourselves silly). Afterwards, the little guy was so pleased with himself that brought some of his friends over to look at the puddle he made. I heard him give them a play by play about how his pee went right into the mud.

It was so funny I just about peed myself :-)

A little bit of this and that

I have a whole bunch of little things to write about today.

1. Toilet training. I have tried every single suggestion in every single potty training book, with the exception of getting rid of all of the diapers. Should I do it???? Or do you think it will backfire? He's been doing great lately at home. Still refuses to poop on the toilet but will now sit on the toilet with his diaper on to "practice". And, still no progress at daycare. I'm so frustrated I could spit!

2. Coming out of his shell. Everyone at the park is amazed at how much the little guy has changed since the fall. He's now super outgoing and talkative. Instead of playing shy for 10 to 15 minutes when we arrive at the park, he goes over to kids (even the ones he doesn't knows) and starts playing with them and chatting away. It's great to see him overcoming his shyness.

3. Table talk. I remember a time not so long ago when our table and floor were a disaster zone after every meal. And the laundry that meals generated was astounding! Now, the little guy is neat and tidy as can be, barely ever dripping or spilling anything. You can tell that he actually takes pride in keeping his place mat clean and tidy.

Speaking of meals, he's also turned over a new leaf and is much more open minded when it comes to trying new things. Up until a few weeks ago he would never even touch something with sauce. Now he's asking for macaroni with cheese sauce. Just this week he tried sausages for the first time and loved them (getting him to eat meat has always been a big struggle). And, he's starting to "dip" his food, something he's never done before. I'm hoping to introduce him to hummus and other dips this week.

4. Shamed. Earlier this week, the father of one of his friends yelled at him. For some unknown reason, he pushed his friend off of a climber at the park (which totally isn't like him at all). It wasn't a far fall and his friend wasn't hurt (or even phased for that matter) but her father got really upset and scolded him in a deep, booming voice. When we asked the little guy to apologize to the little girl, he was absolutely silent. He just hung his head, looking sad and terrified all at once. I actually felt kind of sorry for him, knowing that he is usually such a peaceful little guy. For more than half an hour he wouldn't look at anybody. He just hung his head in shame. I think he really felt truly sorry about what he had done.

5. Hide and seek. This is his new favourite game, even if he's lousy at it. The little guy usually says, "Mom, you count to ten and I'm going to hide behind that tree." And he never gives me enough time to find him. The second I've finished counting to 10 he jumps out of his hiding spot to "scare" me.

This morning he hid under the blankets on the bed with his legs sticking out. I guess he figures that if he can't see me that I can't see him either. Kids are so funny!

Chopsticks

The little guy desperately wants to learn how to operate a pair of chopsticks. Anytime we eat Asian food he insists on having his own pair. He patiently tries and tries until hunger gets the better of him. It must be so frustrating for him to have to throw down his chopsticks in defeat. But I have to say, all of that practice is starting to pay off. Tonight he successfully pinched a few noodles out of his pho bowl and slurped them down. It was a very proud moment!

On a related note, the restaurant gave us funky, bright orange chopsticks. The little guy picked them up and examined them for a second and then said, "Why did they give us orange chopsticks? Did they run out of white ones?"

Maybe the orange ones work better?

Picking up bad habits

The little guy is fully capable of pronouncing all of his words properly -- or at least when feels like it. Lately, he's been imitating one of his friends, who has difficulties pronouncing certain words. Here are a few examples:

Instead of saying "water" she says "wy-er". Spider is "Spy-er".

Lately, the little guy is imitating her all the time and it's driving me crazy. Especially since he makes an effort to over pronounce these words incorrectly.

The other day he said, "Mom, the dolphin is diving in the wyyyyy---errrr." I asked him what wy-er was? When he repeated it over and over again I finally said, "Oh, you mean water."

Whenever he asks for a glass of "wyy-er" I tell him I don't understand what he wants. I make him ask me over and over again, until he says water properly.

Of course, he's now figured out that he can get me all worked up and frustrated by his mispronunciations. So what used to be a bad habit is now just a game to push mommy's buttons.

Help!

Art is so subjective

Yesterday, the little guy found a scrap of paper on which I had hastily written directions to a friend's house. He asked me if we could hang it on the wall.

I said, "We don't hang directions to people's houses on the wall. Art goes on the wall. If you drew a picture we could hang that on the wall."

The little guy skipped off into the other room to find his markers. A few minutes later he returned with the same scrap of paper. He had scribbled a small picture at the bottom of the paper, right below the directions.

"Here mom," he said. "I'll go get the tape so we can hang it on the wall."

:-)

What a sneak!

This morning the little guy got up at the crack of dawn, so we turned on the cartoon channel so we could lounge in bed for a little longer. I thought he was going to drift back to sleep watching a show at the end of our bed. When I opened my eyes to check on him (not sure how many minutes later), he had disappeared.

I poked my head into the hall and called to him. No answer. I called him again. No answer. At this point hubby jumped out of bed, worried. He called to him. Again, no answer. Hubby ran down the stairs and found him immediately. The reason he was being so strangely silent was because he was sitting at the dining room table peeling foil wrappers off of chocolate eggs. Chocolate eggs that I thought had been put out of reaching distance. We figured he'd eaten at least three or four of them before we caught him red handed.

Besides sneaking treats, he's also been known to sneak money from the change bowl. Yesterday, when he didn't think I was looking, he opened the drawer that the change bowl is located, grabbed some coins, and began shoving them into his pocket. He loves carrying money in his pockets (starts young, doesn't it?). No wonder I've been finding coins in the washing machine!

What a guy!

He's one of a kind, but is his name?

We agonized over selecting the perfect name for the little guy. Our criteria:

- Couldn't be in the top 100 boy names (the name we selected wasn't even in the top 500 names!)
- The name needed to be recognizable, but not common
- It couldn't start with the letter B (didn't want his initials to be BO)
- It had to be a strong name that had success written all over it

Now, thanks to certain popular set of vampire books for young adults, our name is being broadcast around the globe. What if it becomes the new, trendy boy name? That would totally suck! My only hope is that women of child bearing age stop reading these books right now (yah, like that's going to happen).

Out of curiosity, I read through the name popularity statistics for the last few years and guess what? The name is starting to climb up the charts. It still not even close to the top 100 but still....it's our name. And did you know that we've encountered two other kids in our neighbourhood with the same name? How is that even statistically possible?

Hands off people!

Sick and tired of sickness

What is it with little kids and the stomach flu? My 13 year no-puke record was shattered after the little guy came along. In the last 3.5 years, I've had the stomach flu twice.

We've actually been pretty lucky for the last 1.5 years. The little guy has been exposed to many different bugs, but seems to be immune. My theory is that because he had such a wicked case of the stomach flu a couple of years ago that he's built up an immunity. Or until last week, that is. His little daycare buddy (who is the biggest germ factory I've ever met) got really sick and vomited on and off for several days. Then our caregiver got sick. Many of the kids at his nursery school have also been plagued with this same illness.

On Good Friday, the little guy's luck ran out. He puked all over our duvet (10 points for good aim!). Thank god his father was home to clean it up. He handles puke much better than I do. I braced myself for a very long, long weekend. Miraculously, he only puked that one time. Within a couple of hours he seemed to make a full recovery. Or so we thought. Yesterday (Easter Sunday), started off on a high note. We cycled to our friend's house for brunch and were having a great visit when, all of a sudden, he complained of a headache. He was burning up with a fever. And then the diarrhea started. A couple of hours later he was better again. Or so we thought. That's when the sore throat developed, along with another fever. This morning the sore throat persisted but he is otherwise fine (knock on wood).

Now hubby has a sore throat and some gastrointestinal distress. Sigh....

I am hoping and praying that if I get this illness that I am at least spared the vomiting part. Those of you who know me will understand why. I would quite literally rather die than throw up. I'm not exaggerating. I hate being sick so much that if someone handed me a loaded pistol while at the height of nausea I'd probably pull the trigger to put myself out of misery. When I tell people this they think I'm joking. When I tell them I'm dead serious, they just think I'm really weird. I may be weird but I'm not alone. I've met two other people (kindred anti-puking spirits) who feel exactly the same way as I do. We have a little competition going to see who can break my 13 year record. That is a competition I intend to win.

Wish me luck!

Soup is good food

After a rather frosty bike ride, we decided to tuck into a restaurant for some nice, hot pho. As you can see from these photos, the little guy kept his adorable little hoodie jacket on while he ate.

I love my grandparents!

Here are a few pics from the little guy's recent visit with his grandparents.


Peek-a-boo through the cat door.


Grandpa and the little guy have a fascinating discussion about his toy squid.


Baking banana bread with Grandma.


Amma and the little guy doing some heavy construction work at the Children's museum.

Quick update

My apologies for being so tardy in updating my blog. Here are the top 10 reasons I haven't updated my blog in over a week:

10. We were out of town visiting our parents last weekend. Let me take the opportunity right now to apologize to all of the friends I wanted to see while I was in town, but didn't. There was just too much family stuff going on and not enough hours in the day.
9. I'm hopelessly addicted to the Twilight series. I'm almost finished the final book
so hopefully I won't be so distracted this week! (btw: I watched the movie last night. Did anyone else find it really disappointing?)
8. I was in Charlottetown, PEI for business earlier this week. Man do I want to go back in the summer time. It is so beautiful and the people are so friendly.
7. The little guy has the stomach flu. Great, just great. I'm crossing my fingers I'm not next.
6. I'm too bloody tired to do anything but read my book and go to bed.
5. It's spring time, which means I'm outside puddle stomping and frolicking at the park.
4. I have all these ideas for topics I want to blog about but I just can't seem to get the words out. Hopefully I'll be more on my game next week.
3. I went through a pretty rough personal issue a couple of weeks ago and have been really down in the dumps. I'm feeling much better though, so no need to worry.
2. It's Good Friday and I'm working. I've got a report due on Tuesday from my trip to PEI so I'm under the gun.
1. I have some awesome pictures that I want to put up but I haven't got around to downloading them yet. Once I do that, I'll have lots of fodder for future blog posts.

Enough with the excuses. I'll be back again soon, with lots of great photos!

Gone fishing

We've gone "fishing" every day now for the last week. At the park. With a stick. In a dirty mud puddle.

He's caught some pretty big "fish" (leaves).

"Mom, I caught a fish!" he yells each time he hooks a clump of soggy, rotting leaves.

Speaking of mud puddles....I practically had to rescue him from one the other day. The mud around the puddle was so thick and squishy that his boot sank in pretty deep. When he tried to lift his foot out it just wouldn't budge. I (stupidly) was wearing my leather walking shoes. Right as I was about to dive in the mud after him (probably getting stuck myself) a nice lady in long rubber boots came to our aid.

Despite it's messiness, I love spring! If I had had my boots on I probably would have dove right into those mud puddles too.

On the bus

Here is a replay of our conversation on the bus yesterday.

Little guy: Why are those people getting off the bus mom?

Me: Because this is a bus stop. People take the bus to where they want to go and then they get off the bus.

Little guy: (obviously baffled as to why anyone would ever want to get off the bus) Oooohhh...

Little guy: Look mom, those people are getting on the bus and those people are getting off the bus.

Me: Yes, that's how the bus works.

Little guy: Mom, do they give us breakfast on the bus?

Me/other nearby passengers: Snicker, snicker, snicker

Me: No, it's not like the airplane. They don't give you food on the bus.

Little guy: Mom, I'm sitting on the bus!

Me: Do you see that yellow cord? When we get close to our bus stop, we pull it to let the driver know that we want to get off. It makes a "Bing" noise.

Little guy: (wide eyed) Oh, do I get to pull the cord?

Me: Yes, when I tell you it's time.

Little guy: Oh....(pointing and using a very loud voice) Mom, what are those people doing????

Me: Riding the bus.

Little guy: Mom those people are riding the bus.

Other passengers: snicker, snicker, snicker.

The conversation continued non-stop until we got off. Fast forward to the ride home on a crowded bus. The little guy had to sit in his stroller because there weren't any free spots.

Little guy: Mom, I want to sit on the seat.

Me: There aren't any seats right now. The bus is too crowded.

Little guy: (pointing at the man sitting next to me) Maybe that guy will leave and I can sit down on that seat.

Me: Maybe when it's his bus stop.

Little guy: Mom, is that guy going to leave?

Me: (silent, pretending to ignore him)

Little guy: Mom, I want that guy to leave so I can sit on the seat.

The conversation went on and on like this. I felt terrible for the poor guy sitting next to us!

Bring on the 5 day weekend!

Woohoo! I'm free until next Wednesday thanks to those overtime hours I've accumulated.

Me and the little guy have some big plans tomorrow. We're going for a bus ride (his idea, not mine) to the coffee shop for lunch. Afterwards, we're going to head to Mountain Equipment Co-op to see the canoes and kayaks and then maybe check out some toy stores before catching a bus home. And since it is supposed to be a lovely day, we'll probably also make a side trip to the park to splash in the puddles.

Should be fun!

Date night

Every time that hubby goes away on a business trip I plan a date night with the little guy. We usually go out for dinner and then do something fun like play with the trains at Chapters.

Tonight we decided to go shopping for a soccer ball. We found a really cool and inexpensive one at Old Navy. The little guy carried it in his arms the whole time we were out. He would have rather kicked it around the mall all night but mommy (that mean, old ogre) wouldn't let him.

Pre-school soccer starts in May so we're going to start practicing. When I told him I signed him up for soccer he was so excited about the idea of playing on a team, just like Caillou. I imagine that coaching pre-school soccer is a little bit like herding cats - should be very amusing to watch.

I've also been toying with the idea of signing him up for T-ball but I don't think there is enough running involved. Also, he would constantly have to wait for his turn to bat, which is awfully hard for a 3-year old. What he needs are activities where he can run his little heart out. Soccer just seemed like the natural choice.

I've gone off on a bit of a tangent here, haven't I? What I meant to say was that besides getting a soccer ball tonight, we went out for dinner and ate sushi and frozen chocolate yogurt. How's that for a date night?

A future marine biologist???

I swear that the little guy knows the name of every fish, shark and whale in the ocean. Yesterday, to his great delight, I presented him with a copy of the "First Encyclopedia of Seas and Oceans." We must have spent two hours looking at the pictures and talking about all of the different types of marine life depicted on the page. He wants to know absolutely everything there is to know about the underwater world.

Sadly, we dismantled our salt water tank last year. If we had known he was going to be so into it, we might have kept it going.

My caregiver was telling me that lately he's been gravitating more and more to her extensive (and I mean extensive) collection of sea creature figurines. Her son used to collect them so she has some really beautiful ones. Yesterday when I came to pick him up he was still napping. Clasped in his hand was the most realistic toy salmon I've ever seen. And, nestled next to him was a whale, a shark and a frog.

As a result of his latest preoccupation, he's become very curious about our fire extinguisher. Even though I've explained it to him a million times, he's convinced that its a scuba diving tank.

I'm predicting that his next phase will be dinosaurs. What's your guess?

Full of surprises

It doesn't matter where I hide the wrapping paper. Or the tape. Or the scissors. He always seems to be able to find them.

Lately, pretty much every morning while daddy is in the shower, I hear a loud crinkle, crinkle noise as he comes into the room dragging a big roll of wrapping paper. He usually has some scissors or tape in tow too. "Mom, can you help me make a surprise for daddy?"

His surprises involve wrapping up a couple of miscellaneous toys and then presenting them to daddy right as he's walking out of the shower.

It's actually kind of fun (although I'm burning through a lot of wrapping paper!). I help him cut a square of wrapping paper, and then the two of us work together to fold the paper and tape it together. This morning daddy got a motorcycle and a space shuttle. Yesterday he got a car and a great white shark.

I just have one question: where are my surprises?

Rough weekend

Here's are a couple of older pictures of the little guy that always cheers me up when I'm down.

Why haven't I been updating my blog?

Well, for one thing, all I ever do is work. My files are on fire right now. Last night I was still getting emails at midnight. Give me a break already!

And tomorrow and Friday I'm acting for my boss, which should interesting (and insane!).

I'll do some good blog entries on the weekend - I promise!

I wish I had taken a photograph

I'll probably laugh about this some day. But it really wasn't very funny at the time. Tonight, just minutes before our babysitter was set to arrive, I noticed that it was strangely quiet in the bedroom. Never a good sign.

When I went in to check on the little guy, he was sitting on the floor with an open can of zinc diaper rash cream. He was dunking his hands into the thick, white ointment and then rubbing his palms together. When I went over to apprehend the cream in my nice dinner outfit that I had just ironed, he reached over and smeared a perfect white hand print across my shoulder.

My initial reaction was to throw him into the bathtub, clothes and all.

"My socks! My socks!" he yelled and cried. At that exact moment, his wet socks were the least of my concerns.

I ran his hands through the water which made the mess even worse. Zinc ointment, I discovered, is water resistant. As well as being water resistant it also spreads and multiplies every time it is touched. There was white cream all over my clothes, his clothes, my hands, the shower curtain and everything in between.

Next I tried using wet wipes, with better success. After much vigorous scrubbing, we were back to our normal flesh tone. Now lets just hope that zinc cream comes out of fabric!

A new plan that might just work

Okay, so here's the plan. On Monday we're going to start sending him to daycare in underwear. If he wants a diaper, he'll have to ask for one. And once his diaper is changed, it's straight back to underwear again.

I ran the idea by my caregiver today and she's totally supportive. I'm feeling mildly optimistic.

*******************

Yesterday I went to nursery school in the morning and had a blast! There were a couple of memorable moments I just have to share.

In the classroom they have a "pretend" car that kind of looks like a wooden bench with a steering wheel. The little guy loves to sit on it and pretend to drive. So yesterday when he started up the engine I decided to climb on and go for a ride too. No sooner than I had sat down, a little girl climbed on the car behind me. I asked the little guy where we were going.

"We're going skiing," he said.

I turned to the girl behind me and asked, "Would you like to come skiing too?" She nodded her head yes, so off we drove to the ski hill. A moment later the little guy hopped off of the car and ran across the room where the wooden toy building materials are located. He placed two flat boards on the ground and proceeded to ski around the room on them. The little girl who wanted to come skiing with us also grabbed a couple of boards and followed him down the trail. Within a minute, a couple of other kids joined in the fun. It was really neat to watch, especially since the little guy had initiated the whole thing.

Later on, after a nice long ski, the little guy decided to do a puzzle. He worked really hard at it and put all 40 pieces together by himself. When he was done, he started on a new activity. The second he had his back turned, one of the other little boys came by and tore apart all of the puzzle pieces. I saw the whole thing unfold and thought, "uh oh, this is not going to be pretty." When the little guy noticed what had happened to his puzzle, he looked at me in horror, "Hey!" he yelled, "Someone wrecked my puzzle." He immediately started trying to point fingers at one of the other kids who he suspected had sabotaged his masterpiece. In order to clear that poor kid's name I told him what I had seen.

I was amazed by the maturity of his response. He very calmly walked over to the puzzle wrecker and asked, "Did you take apart my puzzle?" The other kid came clean and said yes (of course, being 3-years old he had no idea he had even wronged anybody!). Instead of tattling or getting mad at him he just said, "That really wasn't very nice you know. That was my puzzle. You shouldn't wreck somebody else's puzzle."

I'm so excited!

I booked tomorrow off of work so I can hang out with the little guy all day. In the morning we're going to go to nursery school together so he can show me all of the toys. On the way home we're going to stop at the park and splash in the puddles.

Then we're going to go out for lunch and eat french fries before heading to Chapters to read books and play with the trains.

The little guy planned the whole day himself. I can't wait!

Daylight savings is cruel

I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. Even though I tried to go to sleep early last night, my body wouldn't let me. So I ending up losing an hour of sleep. And apparently so did some of my clients.... Mondays are usually pretty bad, but people were just downright cranky today. One of my clients had a huge (and I mean HUGE) hissy fit. This guy just loves to hate people like me who work in communications.

The little guy has also had a bit of a rough time adapting to the time change. In fact, I can hear him right now chattering to himself and kicking his legs against the wall. He's already called my up to the bedroom twice, both times to say, "Mom, can you come and sleep?" I'd love to, only that I know from past experience that he'll get all riled the second my head hits the pillow. He'll jump on me, climb on my head, tug at my hair, tell me he's hungry, thirsty and that he's not sleepy, beg me to let him watch movies, throw things, ask a million and one questions etc.... In short, If I go up there neither of us will get any sleep.

So, I think I'll just doze on the couch for a little while. Who knew that one little hour could make such a difference.

Babes gone wild

Last night we invited over our friends who we hadn't seen in ages over for dinner. They have two boys: a three-year old and a one-and-a-half year old.

Here are the top 10 lessons I learned from last night:
1. Our house is way too small
2. When a group of toddlers gets together they will all naturally gravitate towards the loudest toys possible
3. Herding cats is easier than herding little boys
4. It is next to impossible to have an adult conversation when you are on referee duty
5. Always have a "plan B" on the menu
6. Make sure to put away the choking hazards before the one-and-a-half year old finds them and puts them in his mouth
7. Block off the staircase to avoid all hell breaking loose on both levels of the house
8. It is possible to break the sound barrier right in your own home!
9. Electronic devices should be put out of reach to head off any unauthorized computing
10. A light coloured couch probably wasn't the smartest of choices

Although it was really nice to see everyone, I think our next gathering needs to be in the great outdoors where we can let our children out to pasture to run.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that this morning I got a phone call reporting that one of the visiting boys starting puking after he got home last night.

Spring has sprung

The weather was glorious today so we went to the park to play and check out the puddles. Even though the little guy was decked out in his brand new, bright yellow rubber boots and waterproof gear from head to tow but he still managed to get completely soaked from head to tow. He actually dove head first into a deep puddle. Twice. Just for the heck of it. What a goofball.

I can't wait until all the kids come back to the park. As much fun as we had today, we were the only ones there. As soon as the snow disappears, all of our neighbourhood friends will start coming out of hibernation. Then we'll be back to hanging at the park every day on our way home -- my favourite was to unwind.

Doesn't spring (or at least the promise of spring) feel great?

A little Friday fun

Watching the girls hockey practice. The nice coach came over and gave him his very own hockey puck!



The secret ingredient in these cupcakes is playdough.

Missing objects report

I keep on finding toys and objects in the little guy's knapsack that don't belong to him i.e. little toy cars. The other day I found a flashing bike light (which have since been returned to J&K - sorry guys!).

Things disappear at home too, usually to be uncovered later in the strangest places (inside drawers and cooking pots, for example). The worst is when he takes money out our wallets. To him money is something fun to play with. Often, right before I catch him with a fist full of 20s he'll come up to me and say, "Mom can I have $13?" I'm sure I'll be hearing that a lot in a few years!

I'm hoping that this isn't the start of a "stealing" phase. So far (knock on wood) he hasn't taken any unpurchased merchandise from the mall or the grocery store. I know some other moms who haven't been so lucky.

Although I've tried to explain to him that he can't just take other people's things, he's still too young to recognize that stealing is bad. When I ask him why he's taken something he responds matter of factly, "Because I wanted it." To which I reply, "How would you feel if someone took one of your toys?" I try to get him to put himself into the other person's shoes but right now the only shoes he recognizes are his own!

Another example of the joys of parenthood!

For once

For once I'd like...

- to get to work and not find some sort of snot smear on my clothes.

- to have a private moment to myself in the bathroom. When I ask for privacy the little guy disappears for 5 seconds and then returns with an imaginary object in his hand. He says, "Here you go mom. I got you some privacy."

- to look under the dining room table and not find any crumbs.

- for people to stop asking me when I'm going to have another baby. Leave me alone already!

- to have a bath without the company of sharks and dolphins.

- to win the lottery.

- a jacket that doesn't spring holes in the pockets.

- to eat my breakfast in peace. Every day after eating a breakfast big enough for an elephant the little guy says, "Bite? Bite?" in the moochiest of voices.

- a one minute pick-up from daycare instead of what feels like an endless string of lollygagging tactics.

- a three day a week job that pays the same or more than my current full-time job.

- to make it out the door without forgetting something.

- a self-cleaning house.

- to be able to eat anything I want but not gain any weight.

- to write all of the stories I have in my head into a collection of best-selling novels.

- for someone else make my lunch (hint hint).

- a pair of pants that I don't need to hem.

- the little guy to say,"I'm not going to go in my diaper any more!"

- a little bit of "me" time with no strings attached.

- to feel a little more like the energizer bunny.

Now it's your turn. What would you like?

Camera shy

Tonight I received a notice from the little guy's nursery school that tomorrow is the last day to order school photos. This came as a complete surprise to me because I hadn't even seen the photo proofs. So I sent the director a note to explain the situation.

I got the following response:

"I am sorry to say that he would not get his picture taken. He was the only one who wouldn't. We took turns throughout the morning trying non-stressful ways of encouraging him....but to no avail. I could tell he was not going to be talked into it without becoming really stressed so we just let it go."

I wrote her back to say that I wasn't too surprised. We've tried to get his passport photo taken three times to no avail. He gets really intimidated by strangers behind big cameras. Lucky for us he's a total ham for the camera at home so we have roughly 2 billion other photos of him.

Picture day wasn't a total loss, though. The staff were able to convince him to pose for a group photo so, at the very least, we'll be getting a group shot.