The Thrimple Sings (or, the Simple Things)

Views from the Left-Wing Fringe

2010-03-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Along with a large group of other Canadians today, I'm appalled and disgusted by this:

Gay rights section nixed for immigrants' guide

an article exposing the Conservative Immigration Minister's...well, I can't even call it a gaffe. A deliberate order to remove references to gay rights in Canada's immigration guide is beyond a gaffe, is beyond disgusting.

It's a deliberate and malicious misrepresentation. A shoddy maneouver to continue the marginalization of gays and lesbians (among others) in this country. Also, by appointing an opponent of same-sex marriage to the Immigration and Refugee Board, the minister stands in an ideal position to act as an impediment to the immigration of gays and lesbians to Canada for refugee purposes.

I'm proud to be someone that supports and speaks for the rights of women, mothers and children, gays and lesbians, people living with disabilities, and other minority groups in Canada whom this government would rather lump together as the "left wing elitist fringe". I'm sick of the Conservative party shenanigans, lies, and manipulations.

I'll continue to speak out - with my voice, my keyboard, and, most importantly of all, with my votes. Take note, Mr. Harper.

The Letter M, and other things

2010-01-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

I'm back! Happy New Year!

Yes, well, finally. Unintentionally, I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus, which went from a week, to a month, to, well, nearly two months. I stopped blogging a few weeks before Christmas. Between a bad cold and cough for both Jarren and myself, and then the holidays and family visits, and then, well, just life with a busy toddler, work, housework...well, every time I decided to try and write something, it was like there was a logjam in my head. A case of too much to write about, almost. And I didn't seem to have the time to jot it down, though it seemed like I had a million topics in my head.

So, needless to say, it's finally a relief to spill a few thoughts out to the anonymous (or not so anonymous) Internet again.

Luckily for me, the blogging world has been giving me some wonderful food for thought, packaged into small, easy-to-read articles. I've read some lovely and thought-provoking articles on natural parenting, toys, breastfeeding in times of peace and times of crisis (ever appropriate for the current situation in Haiti), discipline...the variety of blogs out there for the reading...well, it's like a banquet with too many foods to taste.

On the homefront here, our household seems to have switched gears into full-blown toddler mode. Jarren went from taking his first shaky steps in December, to steady walking, to (almost) running, and climbing at this point in time.

He never stops. Except to sleep. Which means that I never stop. Except when he sleeps. My house is constantly upside-down - tupperware scattered on the kitchen floor, blocks under the couch and the fridge, fingerprints on the walls, crayons in the dog bed. And yes, letters in surprising places, including, to my surprise a few minutes ago, the Letter 'M', resting in my baking pans.

For the sake of a good-lead in, the letter M provides a good base for a few things I'd like to accomplish this year.

Marriage - needs some loving detailed maintenance this year. Jon and I find ourselves doing the basic watering, but we really need to spend some time weeding out some things (bad habits, petty resentments, being too rushed), sharing (parenting ideas, encouragement, meals!), and trying new growth.

Meals - 5 dishes. (Trying for realism, here). I'm going to learn 5 new, healthy, QUICK, made-from-scratch-with-fresh-ingredients recipes. I want to be able to know them like I know my chicken parmesan recipe or the back of my hand. Because my husband is utterly lost when cooking anything but steak or toast, I'm often cooking two meals in one night (one for that night, and one for the nights that I'm working), I need new repetoire. My current recipes are getting, well, a bit wearing. Suggestions, anyone?

Money - Actually, I'm proud to say that we started on this goal back before Christmas. We wanted (and made time) to completely overhaul our budget and review our expenses to see if we could find extra savings. A few things that surprised me? We both had no problem deciding to cancel cable. We use far less gas than we think we do. Going to a lower-priced grocery store is not worth the drive or decline in produce quality just to save $10-15. Hopefully, our new year will be lean with a forecast of a bit more green. :)

As a final note, I really an thinking about switching the blog title to something new. It's fairly obvious we don't have a wee baby anymore, and I'd love to revamp (I love re-decorating!) and renew the look of the blog in general, as well as ensure the title is relevant to what I'm posting. Keep watching for something new!

A Welcome and a Whoops!

2009-11-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

We thought this week wouldn't be terribly exciting,,we were wrong, however!
Our close friends Scott and Kristine have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new little girl. On Monday, one day prior to her due date, Kristine began experiencing her first contractions. Yesterday afternoon, after a long (and unsuccessful) labour, their daugher Meghan was born by Caesarian section, but is happy, healthy, beautiful, and doing great! We are predicting that she and Jarren will eventually be great friends -they already have a few things in common - like birth weight - 8lb, 13oz, and height, 21".

Kristine and Scott are over the moon, and we're so excited for them. Whoo for new babies!

Now, for something completely different:

*smack!*

Please excuse my forgetfulness. We went to our family doctor for Jarren's 12 month wellness check and vaccines, and I completely forgot to make note of it here. So, for the intensely curious (yes, some of you really are), here's a general summary:

Jarren's height: 31 inches
Jarren's weight: 21lbs, 8.5 oz (I was surprised - that's all?)

Jarren's checkup (all 1.5 minutes of it) went well - he's healthy, right on target for his major milestones, so I'm told (insert slight eyerolling here) and his motor and verbal skills seem to be 'progressing well'. Nothing I didn't know before our checkup - we're fully aware of the fact that we have one happy, enthusiastic, and darn smart kid on our hands! ;)

It's been a quiet night tonight, and a good one for reminiscing. Jon is down in the city at a Rockettes show (don't ask why), and I'm just puttering around the house, prepping for a busy work day tomorrow and puttering around my blogroll in between that. I was wading through some of my early blog posts yesterday, and wishing that those early days didn't seem so surreal and far away now.

Another thing that popped into my head, on an entirely different track, was the realization that I've accomplished one of the major goals I'd set for myself before giving birth; I've been able to sucessfully breastfeed for at least twelve months - wow, and hurray! I can't help but be more than a little proud that I've been able to provide that nutrition for my son for the first year.

Looking back, I can't believe I ever doubted myself, because nursing now, well, it's just so easy, ...there's no reason to stop now, and I can truly say that I look forward to breastfeeding as long as Jarren needs to do so. It's actually more enjoyable, because our nursing sessions usually begin with Jarren asking for milk, then doing this absolutely hysterical and adorable full body dance when I get ready to nurse him. I usually end up laughing, he's giggling, and more often than not, he grins off and on for the first few minutes on the breast.

Anyways...what else is new? We've finally kicked the nasty cold all three of us have been struggling through for the past few weeks. Jarren's started to stand without any support this week, and just this morning, he decided to surprise me by repeating the sign for 'water' after me as well as saying 'wa-wa.' Holy cow!

On Wearing my Baby

2009-11-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

I'm so lucky I 'discovered' babywearing long before my son was born. I happened to run into a woman (in Walmart, of all places) wearing her toddler in a cute little Hotsling when I was, oh, no more than 2 months pregnant. That afternoon, I promptly went out and bought my very first sling - a reversible black and white Little Star pouch.

A few months after that, the pouch started getting a bit snug, and I wasn't comfortable (then, not now) using different positions with it, so I went on a search for something different. I discovered ring slings, bought my first, made my second, and have just gifted my very first homemade sling, and now I find myself preaching the 'gospel' of babywearing, both in conversation and by example ever since then. I'm absolutely in love with wearing Jarren, though, now that he's almost walking, he doesn't want to be in the sling as much these days. However, some of our most special moments together are often still the moments when I'm wearing him and he's snuggled close to me.

Inspired by Stef at Adventures in Babywearing, I wanted to post a few babywearing pictures - some of my favorites. I don't have many, because usually, when I'm wearing Jarren, I'm doing busy something else with my hands and have no time to take pictures. The first picture is of one of (if not the very first) time I put Jarren in the sling (it felt AWESOME to be wearing him like that, and to have him constantly close to me), while the other is a hilarious portrait of Jon wearing Jarren for the first time. ;)

Dear Jarren, Today, you are One

2009-11-09T01:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Jarren,

Happy Birthday, honey! One year ago today, your dad and I became parents - your parents. Well, ok, we were parents before that point, but our experience of parenting up up to that point was limited to the tiny kicks and nudges and the physical changes of pregnancy.

But one year ago today, on a rainy, bone-chilling November night, you changed everything. You arrived at 1:57 am, and the world suddenly tilted on its axis for your dad and I as we truly saw you for the very first time. We couldn't get enough of you, and we still can't! I can't even count the number of times I'd turn to your dad and exclaim 'His ears! Jon, look, have you seen his ears?' You were tiny and fit 'just so' into the crook of my arm and satin soft and you had fuzz on the backs of your ears that I would brush my lips against countless times every day.

And now! Holy cow, kid - you're huge! I find myself looking back at those early first months, and they're starting to seem dim and fuzzy and far away already. The change from tiny, flopsy infant to the go-go-go, almost walking, almost talking toddler you're becoming be is just...astounding.

For instance -there was the stretch of, oh, 3 months where you didn't want to sleep for more than two or three hours at a time - a period of time where your dad and I (only half seriously, really) hashed out the details of just which doorstep we were going to leave you on in that town 100 km away. Nowadays, you're pretty consistent when it comes to sleep - in bed at 7:30pm, and up at 6am, with a nap (sometimes two) during the day. Thank you for that. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

You eat- and wow, do you eat a lot. I'd like to think that your willingness to eat most things comes from the fact that I was um, shall we say, really, really adamant about a varied introduction to food, but really, I just think that it's because you like to eat. Period. Kinda like your dad. :) You only have four teeth (2 upper, 2 lower) but that isn't slowing you down much, You're starting to consistently want to use a spoon by yourself now, too, and that's got us heading for trouble, because whoa, boy, watch OUT if you don't want us to feed you with that spoon. You have a lightning fast grab-n-fling technique that any ball player would kill for.

The person that you are, and are going to be, is showing itself in new ways every day. You are so smart! You're quite the little mimic, often trying to repeat words after we've labelled something for you. The cutest part is when we catch you trying to sound things out under your breath a few minutes later. You're also a ham, and you love to make us laugh, often giggling right along with us when you've done something funny.

You're building up your own mixed vocabulary of words and signs. You can make animal sounds for duck, sheep, cow and lion, say mama, dada, and Na-Na (for Aunt Nadia), and you can also say (and wave) hi (ha) and bye-bye (bah-bah), ball( buh), clock, (cuck), banana (na-na-na) and truck (guck). You're also signing a few more signs, (more, milk, dog, hot and telephone) including one that seems to be made up - we haven't figured that one out yet!

You're insatiably curious, wanting to touch, grab, throw, open and close everything in reach, though what's really most interesting to you is usually whatever your dad or I are doing, whether it be loading the dishwasher (you like to climb on top of the door - eep!), reading a newspaper or on the phone. You also love to dance - you'll dance to music on the radio or your toys, or even just a drumbeat, doing this funny little up and down body wiggle that makes us laugh hysterically. Your dad and I love having morning dance parties with you in our pjs to the alarm clock radio.

Though you're not ready to take your first steps alone yet, you can stand one-handed and cruise our furniture with ease, and you'll happily walk with the both of us holding your hands. You still prefer to crawl, though. Surprisingly, you haven't really developed any attachment to a particular toy - you'll hug and kiss the stuffed monkey that you sleep with, but you still really prefer our company and the comfort of our arms holding you to any lovey toy. (I'm not complaining!)

We've also seen that we have some interesting times ahead with you. You're starting to realize that increasing your volume often gets you a bigger reaction (especially from grandparents), and we've seen the advent of the Tantrum, which is a back arching, whiny cryfest that sometimes happens when you're tired and/or bored and we're doing something that doesn't fit with your idea of what should be happening at the moment. Your dad and I realize that we're going to have to have The Talk soon...no, not that Birds'n'Bees talk, but the biggie -The Discipline Talk - very, very shortly, if we're going to have any chance of keeping at least one step ahead of you, sir.

You know what, though? We wouldn't have it any other way. Jarren, you are such a special little boy, and you've changed us in the most incredible, unimaginable ways. I don't think your Dad and I could have imagined, before you were born, just how much you would alter our lives, our household, our routine, the way we'd have to relate to each other, even. We love you in a million different wonderful, fantastic ways, and, just when we think that we couldn't possibly love you one. bit. more., you come along with a hug or a smile or a new silly sound to make our hearts expand again and make us catch our breath anew. We can't wait to watch you, to hug you and hold you and explore the world with you as you grow up.

Happy Birthday, Jarren!

Love,

Mama

Last Day

2009-09-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

This morning...

We read lots of books together, his chubby hands on mine, turning the pages and pointing to his favorite pictures. We played hide-and-seek, and as high-pitched giggles filled the room my heart overflowed and my smile was so wide I thought it would burst right off of my face. And then I picked my son up, put him in his sling, and we took a few quiet moments.

Just he and I. He slept, head under my chin, and I remembered every moment like this that we've had over the past year.

Tomorrow, we start a new routine, a new experience for all of us. We'll be more rushed, together less often, and all three of us will take new steps to meet the challenges that my return to work might bring us. I'll be on my feet all day, wrestling with both the mental and physical demands that come with my job. Jon is taking on more duties with work down in Toronto, which means more days commuting for him, which is exhausting at the best of times. And Jarren will be meeting more children, forging new bonds with them and with his caregiver, and experiencing new things in an environment that's different than the one we've created for him.

However, as long as we can steal moments like these from the spaces in between all of these things, I know we'll be just fine. We'll manage. We'll take a minute to slow down, to renew our bonds, and to find common ground in the differences between our separate days. In fact...we won't be just fine.

We'll be, truly, a family.

I Feel So Unimportant

2009-09-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the day. The Big Event - our first daycare trial day. This morning, we were up and out of the house at 7:15 (gah! we usually don't leave the house until 8am) to take Jarren off to Nikki's house for a half day of care this morning. And now...I sit here, alone, and feeling, well, bereft. Oh, and also, a little indignant.

Let me elaborate. The past few weeks have been filled with 'what-ifs', moments of returning-to-work insomnia, and nail-biting over what this day might be like. I imagined grand disasters - screaming hysterics, flailing, biting, crying himself to exhaustion, refusing to eat - in short, I was thinking that perhaps my son might actually miss me as I left him with a complete stranger this morning.

Yeah, right. Within 60 seconds of us walking into Nikki's house, he was already likethis with her 10 year old son, army crawling his way around the living room furniture, and trying to muscle a Barbie book out of another little girl's hands. He didn't even spare us one glance backwards as we got ready to leave, and was too engrossed in the World of Princess Barbie to pay any attention to my hugs and kisses goodbye.

After wandering out for breakfast and dropping Jon off at work, I decided that I'd go home and give Nikki a quick call to see how Jarren was doing. (in other words, to see if I could measure the decibel level of his crying accurately over the phone line. Ahem.) After two rings, Nikki picks up the phone and exclaims "We're having so much fun here! He's doing great!"

Turns out Jarren loved the walk to the bus with the older kids, loves the upstairs playroom, is smiling and clapping with Nikki, and didn't even make a face when he met Nikki's husband John. Not one tear, not one sniffle, not even a whimper after we left.

Pfffffft. Well, fine, then. I guess I'm not the best thing since sliced bread after all, but just plain, boring old Mummy. :)

The times, they are a changin'...

2009-09-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

Well, here in our house it's September already, which means that we're experiencing cool nights, changing leaves, and school buses clogging the roads again. I remember being pregnant at this time last year, and how much I enjoyed being pregnant at that moment. The kicks and bumps were getting stronger each week, and I really took the time to savour the autumn sun last year, make the most of long leisurely walks with the dog, and, after my mat leave started, stretch out those afternoon naps.

It's an entirely different pace this year. Still filled with anticipation, however. I feel that I've been on 'hold' for the past ten months, meandering on a delightful side path, and now I can see the main path opening up again just ahead, full of runners and cyclists and masses of hustle and bustle. I am excited to return, but, yes, also apprehensive. Since it's *peeks at calendar* September 14, that leaves us with a grand total of two weeks before I return to work. Deep breaths, all around. We start practice runs at with Nikki, Jarren's daycare provider, next week. Jarren has developed quite an attachment to Jon and I, so I'm interested (a.k.a. REALLY BLEEPING ANXIOUS) to see how he'll do on his first day, as I bravely put on a happy smile and leave him behind for a few hours.

In our little corner of the world, wow, are things changing with our little boy! At ten months (last week) he's such a ham, and has such a cheery, bubbly personality. Physically, we've seen an explosion in the past two weeks. He's picked up speed while crawling around the house, and every raised ledge, coffee table or reachable shelf has become a tool to pull himself to standing, and cruising is a National Crib Pastime hereabouts.

First attempt - kneeling to standing, 3 weeks ago

Now we pull up on anything, even the new box of cat litter...

What a big boy now!

Developmentally, well, we think he's genius material. :) He uses two signs consistently and appropriately ('milk' and 'more'), and he's starting to recognize the names of familiar objects around the house - he points at them insistently, often exclaiming 'dat!' until we name them for him. One of his favorite games is 'light on, light off' with the light switches in our house, which means, unfortunately, that simply entering or exiting a room takes longer than usual.

Another game; open the door, shut the door...

One of the most hilarious things he's just learned how to do is quack like a duck, and as far as we can tell, it's not random - he associates the sound with the picture of ducks in his books or his rubber bath duck, and it's really funny to watch him anticipate those pages because he's SO EXCITED that he gets to say 'gack gack! when he sees the duck! Often he'll even start babbling 'gack-gack-gack-gack' over and over again when he's 'reading' the book on his own - hysterically cute to watch.

Might I mention that I absolutely ADORE the previous owners of our house for leaving us these wonderful built in cabinets? They've been so handy for out of the way DVD storage, and I use them as bookcases and display shelves. A week ago I emptied out one of the bottom cabinets and created a reachable, safe toy cupboard for Jarren. Uh, duh? Why didn't I think of this before?

Jon and I have also agreed recently that we need some things to do outside of work (for him) and baby (for both of us), just to retain a modicum of sanity, so we've been taking some time to work on a few separate projects. His is a new (used) snowblower we obtained this weekend, and he's been up to, well, almost his ears in parts and grease and tools to bring it up to par for use this winter. If we get even half the amount of snow we did last year, that machine is going to be a lifesaver.

As for me, a while ago I decided to try making another sling for my own use as an experiment, and though I'd purchased the fabric for it about a month ago, I just couldn't seem to make the time to get it sewn. After Jarren went to bed last night, I left my husband in the garage with the snowblower, and shut myself downstairs with my sewing machine and CBC on the radio. Yes, the fabric's bright (but it was cheap, which was better to experiment with) but I'm pretty happy with the results. If I can find the time (hardy-har-har. Free time...what's that?) I'll make more this winter.

There's been another idea taking up space in the back of my mind as well recently. Since it really didn't take me more than about an hour to make it, I'm wondering if there might be a way in Barrie to make these, and make them available for other moms who may need a baby carrier but can't afford one. I paid a whopping $70 for mine, and though I consider it worth every penny, there are so many out there who can't afford food, never mind a sling, or who don't have the resources or know-how to make their own. Hmm...

Forsooth, Forsooth, We Have a Tooth!

2009-08-31T11:06:00.001-07:00

Yes, indeed, the wonderful world of Teething has finally interrupted our idyllic existence. This morning, similar to many mornings this past week in which we awoke, oh, EXHAUSTED by Jarren's night waking. Upon fetching my son this morning, I noticed a few dried bloodstains on his cribsheet. Panic immediately ensued, but after we exited our sleep induced haze and explored further (finding no wound, cut, nosebleed, gushing artery, etc), we discovered that Jarren's gum is now proudly displaying one razor tooth edge - bottom, right side. He was extremely restless in his sleep last night between wakings, even after teething gel, so I'm guessing that he was trying to gnaw on the crib sheet.

Hurray for teething starting, at last! I was concerned that Jarren wouldn't break his first tooth until daycare started, and the last thing I wanted was to make that transition any more difficult for him.

NOT hurray for my poor boobs, as they would probably be swearing at me if they could actually talk for themselves.

Oh, and um, the past two days have been bringing milestones down on our heads willy-nilly. BOOM. Jarren sits up on his own. BOOM. Gets up on hands and knees, goes from kneeling to sitting to standing. BOOM. New tooth. BOOM. Figures out how to climb the step up to the landing at the bottom of our stairs. ACK! Someone slow this kid down!

In other news - last checkup at nine months was a few weeks ago. There's too much to post right now, but let's say that, though I'm happy that Jarren's healthy and growing well (30", 19 lbs 5oz), I'm extremely unhappy with my GP. If Barrie wasn't the land of No Doctors, I would be switching, pronto.

Transitions

2009-08-12T05:46:00.001-07:00

It seems that summer is going by thisfast, and I've really felt like I've needed to take advantage of a) the great weather we're finally having, and b) the rest of my mat leave.

At the Toronto Zoo on August 9. Happy 9 months, Jarren!

Yes, that's right. As of last Sunday, Jarren was nine months old, and that leaves me a few days short of eight weeks before I return to work. Yikes.

This past month has been all about transitions for Jarren, and also about preparing for our upcoming transition to a family with two working parents. When did October pop up just around the corner? Suddenly it seems that I have so much to do in these few short months to get the three of us ready for this. Gah! Ack! Stop the bus!

Well, it's really not as bad as that, I guess. I've been lucky enough to negotiate a schedule at work (yes, I'm going back the the vet clinic) that is as consistent as possible. Jarren will only have to attend daycare part-time during the week, I'll have either 2 or 3 full days off each week, and Jon will be able to enjoy full days with him on the weekends that I'm at work. Jon seems to think that this will be a breeze. Hah.

But enough of then. This is now! What's been going on at our house this month, you ask?

Movement

Over the past two weeks, Jarren's perfected his own unique style of getting around. Jon and I call it the army/demented inchworm crawl, and though it's not the traditional hands n' knees crawl, he can still get across the living room, into the hallway, through the kitchen...

He's been using this new skill to chase the dog and cats, to come see what Mom's doing in the kitchen, to try to get his hands into the dog's water bowl, and this morning, he figured out how to get over to the kitchen cabinet and open the door. He's most entertained when he's opening and closing one of our French doors, over, and over and over again. *sigh*

So far, he's not yet able to move himself into a sitting position, but he can manage to get himself from sit to stand in his crib. Whoops! Down another notch we go!

Food

About a month ago, I slowly started introducing some basic finger foods. Now, mealtimes are longer, the dinner area is usually a disaster zone, and I'm pretty sure the dog is packing on pounds as we speak. Jenny Craig for you, pup...

With practice and lots of cheering on, he's now mastered the art of picking things up and getting them into his mouth - ta DA!- even with slippery things like banana. Though he still does enjoy pureed food, he prefers to eat at least part of every meal with his hands. I'm also trying out new tastes and textures with him. So far, foods he can eat by hand and enjoys are:

-soft fruit, especially melon, avocado and plums
-soft minced chicken
-grated apple
-quartered grapes, halved soft blueberries
-ground beef
-cheerios
-bread or toast with butter or avocado spread
-minced cooked salmon with cream cheese
-pita
-cubed soft tofu
-cooked sweet potato or carrot cubes
-diced tomatoes
-diced soft roasted peppers
-whole wheat pasta
-shredded cheese

Dinner isn't dinner unless it's messy.

Drinking from a cup

Since we have to start thinking about how Jarren's going to take fluids during his days at daycare, we've started cup training. My greatest preference would really be to continue to breastfeed Jarren exclusively, but since I'm not able to detach my boob and send it off to daycare (I can just picture our daycare provider's face - hang on while I try to stop snickering here. Oh, those hippie moms who breastfeed their toddlers!) my goal is to pump and send breastmilk to daycare for him, and then nurse him in the morning and evening on the days that I work. That may be more work than is possible for me, but I'm really not ready to introduce him to cow or goat milk yet. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of bottle or sippy cup use into toddlerhood, so I'm trying to skip that step and go right to the cup.

So far, it isn't going too badly. (fist pump - YES! I am a competent mother who knows what she's doing....Some of the time.) With the help of a Doidy Cup, Jarren is taking small amounts of water with every meal, though he also usually manages to flood his high chair tray at the same time, and then has the best. time. ever. splashing Mom and Dad at the dinner table. We're slowly making progress, though! This week, he's holding the cup by himself at least 50% of the time, and he's learning to swallow the water slowly instead of huge gulps that leave him spluttering.

Daycare

Ah. The big 'D' word. Since I first found out I was pregnant, I started to entertain this teeny, tiny, ridiculous hope that there would be Some Way that I could avoid returning to work. I searched for ways I might be able to work from home, considered working for family, considered selling myself for medical research...

Ok, not really. But all attempts to avoid putting Jarren into daycare went bust.

So that wee fragile hope is dead. Squashed like a bug on some gigantic windshield, unless we win Lotto 6/49 in the next month or two. However, aside from the schematics of what is likely to be a crazy schedule, I'm actually starting to look ahead to the positives of returning to work.

1) After months of searching and a few nightmare interviews (shudder) I found a great daycare provider. As in, I walked in the door, and within a few minutes, my gut was telling me 'Hello! This is it!'
Nikki is experienced, licensed, and warm and caring and positive. She had no problem answering any of my questions. She's willing to deal with the breastmilk and the cloth diapers and my extreme need to have everything related to daycare organized to the T.
Um...I haven't talked to her about the whole cup feeding thing yet, however. Shhh...give me another few weeks.

2) I'm looking forward to Big People conversation again.

3) Yes, my job is stressful and hectic and often dramatic. But I love what I do - it's challenging and on the days when it doesn't kick my butt to he$% and back, very, very rewarding.

Other Stuff

I remember a comment my next-door neighbour made last year, as her daughter was about to turn one and as she was preparing to return to work. She lamented that her little girl was 'just getting interesting, and now I have to miss so much when I'm at work!"

Well, Jarren's been far more than just 'interesting' to us for every day of his short life, but in many ways, I agree with her. What a little boy he's becoming! He's finding enjoyment in so many new skills lately - he claps his hands when we sing 'If You're Happy and You Know It', and joins in (loudly!) in the 'shout hurray!' verse at the end. In fact, yelling has become very, very popular in our house. My ears...
Hmm..other new things. He also likes to clap excitedly when he sees trucks driving by us in the car. When he doesn't want any more of what's on his tray, he scrunches his nose and snorts at me, then giggles like it's our own private joke. He likes to 'Find Mommy', but gets worried if I'm hiding for more than a minute or two.

We also seem to have a budding socialite on our hands. He waves at everything, though it's more of an enthusiastic arm flapping, and he thinks it's just hilarious when he uses our hands to wave instead of his. Even the words 'hello and bye-bye' elicit smiles! He bounces on his bum when we ask him if he wants to read a book, and loves flipping the pages. (or ripping them. Yay for board books) When we're at the park or just in the backyard, he minutely examines every blade of grass or bug or bit of weed he can get his hands on, and leans out of our arms to grab leaves on trees. My son's going to be a biologist. :)

Yep, way too many changes to count right now. We're just having fun over here. We laugh a lot, play lots of tickle and hide-and-seek, read tons of books, and enjoy every sunny day we have outside as a family. Soon, soon, before we know it, we're going to have a one year old on our hands!

Peekaboo!

2009-07-09T18:33:00.001-07:00

I'm sure most babies love this game...but it's so much fun playing different

variations with your own baby...isn't it?

Ready for some fun...

Peekaboo, Mummy!

Wow....8 months. Already?

2009-07-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Never before has time seemed to fly by this quickly. Today, Jarren is eight months old, and suddenly, his one year birthday is looming a scant four months away. Our little boy is bouncing, kicking, climbing, go-go-go and full of want-to-know and beginning to let us know how he sees the world. Last week, he started clapping his hands. This week, he started to use the bars of his crib like monkey bars, pulling himself along the sides to get from one end to the other. (Yes, he's figured out how to push/pull down the airflow bumpers - alas!)

This afternoon was beautiful and sunny, so we headed out to the nearby park for a picnic lunch. We tried out the swing, we tried out the slide, and we spent time investigating what leaves feel like (and taste like too - oops!).

Those were great peas, Mum!

Down the slide! Whee!

Life is becoming a lot more interesting these days. Happy 8 months, Jarren!

The Nap Dance

2009-07-03T09:22:00.001-07:00

It seems like every time I see some progress with Jarren's sleep, suddenly, a few days later, we regress again. Today's nap situation is a prime (though, I believe temporary) example. For the past 2 weeks, we've had a lovely nap routine and some lovely naps. Jarren eats breakfast, then we read a story, I walk him in the sling for a few relaxing minutes, and then I put him in his crib, where he usually rolls around for a few minutes, rubs his eyes, then cuddles up with his snuggly dog and goes to sleep.

Today...he would have none of it. In the place of my peacefully snoozing son was a soggy, whiny, snotty, clingy mess of a baby who would NOT sleep. Not with a backrub. Not with shushing, not with rocking, bouncing, or laying down with him . No, not even with nursing!

I felt so awful for him. I could see he was tired, and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. I suspect that the teething monster is back again, and this is what's causing his discomfort. After some teething gel and a cool cloth on his gums, he was much happier, though wide awake at this point. *le sigh*

We had planned to visit a prospective daycare this morning, so instead of more useless struggles with naptime, off we went. Although I liked the lady we met, and her dayhome was clean and seemed well-run, I don't think our care styles particularly mesh. So - our search continues.

On the way out the door, Jarren started burrowing his head into my shoulder, sleepy-eyed. To say he fell asleep as soon as I put him in the cat seat might be an exaggeration - but not by much. He was out cold after the 10 minute car ride home, and, thank goodness, didn't make a peep as I lifted him out and carried him up to bed.

One step forward, two steps back.

Decadent

2009-06-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

This morning, decadence is a soundly sleeping baby, clean hair, bright sunshine through my window, a view of my just blooming garden, and bites of a warm, fresh italian bun sharp with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

I close my eyes, and know I'm the luckiest person in the world.

No tedium 'round these parts

2009-06-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so grateful that my days are usually fairly predictable. Jarren and I have settled into a smooth weekly routine now, which, with the exception of (yes - still!) some night waking, moves along like warm honey or smooth peanut butter. (Yum)

However, we've had a few things going on around here lately that have been keeping us busy, for better (or worse). Heaven forbid we have an entirely boring week. Or month!

First on the list. Two weekends ago, Jon woke up on Sunday morning feeling odd. His heart was racing, he was clammy and pale, and whenever he tried to to anything mildy physical, his heartrate climbed even more. We determined that he also had an irregular heart rhythm as well. We packed Jarren into the car and off to emerg we went. After admission, an ECG and some bloodwork, we were told that Jon was having an episode of atrial fibrillation.

No other issues arose, so...we hung out in the RVH emerg for the rest of the day. Jon cracked jokes about bedpans, the ECG leads and ripping out chest hair, Jarren entertained the nurses in his sling, and we waited for his heart to return to a normal rhythm again on its own- which apparently is what usually happens. After waiting....and waiting...and waiting some more, we still had a funky heartbeat going on, so Jon decided to go with Plan B - a mild shock (cardioversion) to restore normal heart rhythm.

Just as they were prepping to shave his chest prior to...ta-DA! A-fib resolved on its own. (I secretly suspect having the prospect of being shaved with a hospital razor - ouch! - is what did the trick) No episodes since, but tune in next week for "Jon Goes to the Cardiologist, or Holter Monitors Are Fun!!!?!" Well, it's been great joke fodder for the both of us these past two weeks, anyways. If we didn't laugh about it, we'd spend too much time worrying.

Our swimming lessons, alas, are now over. However, that means fun swimming videos of Jarren! We continue to believe that we have a future Olympic swim star on our hands :) If Jarren could grow gills, I think he'd even be happy sleeping in the water. He kicks, he splashes, he dunks, he giggles - nothing fazes him. We're looking forward to swimming with him all summer long in Jon's parents' pool.

Last week, we also started to see our son become a mover and shaker! Jarren discovered that his arms will not only propel him around in a circle during tummy time, but they also propel him backwards, too. I turned around after loading the dishwasher two days ago to find him halfway under our couch - a full four feet behind the spot where I had left him. I truly wish I'd had a camera handy at the time - the look on his face was sheer bewilderment.

This week, I've been having fun trying out a few new recipes from my Gourmet Baby Food book. I am head-over-heels in love with this book - not only does it tell you how to make your basic purees as tasty and appealing as possible, it also has tons of fun and unique (and EASY) food combinations to try. This week I tried acorn squash/peach puree, and blueberry/roasted apple/Bosc pear puree. The roasted banana puree(which is sheer heaven over chocolate ice cream, by the way) is one of Jarren's favorites so far, along with the bright green broccoli puree. Beef puree has been the only one that I've had spit immediately back out at me so far. We're starting to see some definite taste preferences from our little guy, now. If a new food appeals to his tastebuds, that mouth opens like a small bird's. However, different textures or a taste he's not sure about produce a 'huh?' look, soon followed by 'bleeeeeeeh!' and pursed lips.

And last, but not least, we know he understands what we're saying, but now we really know he can link actions to words. An example of our son's burgeoning genius:

Um. I think I take just a few too many pictures. But how do I stop, when this chubby-cheeked, pint-sized boy steals my heart second by second?

7 Months

2009-06-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Jarren,

I would tell you that today is your seven month birthday, but it really was yesterday. Since you're still too young to understand the concept of missed birthdays, we'll just pretend for now, ok?

This past month has been both immensely joyous and intensely frustrating for your dad and I. You are developing your own personality traits, and you come up with some new way to wow us on a daily basis. Yesterday, we found out that although you love playing peekaboo when we're holding the blanket, the game takes on another level of fun when we cover your head and peek under, causing you to dissolve into hysterical giggles.

You are also becoming hyper aware of the environment around you. You want to explore! This includes everything from toys, to our pets, to the sensations of the outdoors, to the movements of your own body. You are trying out new ways of reaching for things, holding things, and seeing the things around you. You like to bang things, whether it be two things together, a toy on your high chair or the floor, or just your hands on a surface. Sometimes, we peek into your room to find you wondrously clasping and unclasping your hands like they're the greatest new toy on the market.

As well, you're really starting to develop a preference for the way you think things should be done. You know that story time comes before nap time and bedtime. If we're not fast enough in procuring a book to read, you're starting to develop the habit of suddenly leaning out of the rocking chair to reach for the bookcase yourself. You also seem to think that telephones were made just for little boys to play with - sometimes when I'm talking on the phone, you're doing everything in your power to GET THAT THING into your hot little hands. And last, your need to continually interrupt our sleep every few hours has been the mountain on top of the molehill this month. We love you more than you could know, but I think Mother Theresa's patience itself may have been challenged by your night waking these past few months.

As for your physical skills, luckily for us, you're not incredibly mobile...yet. You sit on your own, and are starting to lean on your arms from side to side while reaching for things. You're able to pivot yourself around on your stomach, but haven't yet mastered forward nor backward movement. We know this could change in the blink of an eye, so we've started our baby proofing!

Even as your changes bring us new challenges, we want you to know that you are so special to us. We can't wait to see your ear-to-ear grin when we sing 'Good Morning' to you every day, and as your attachment to us grows by leaps and bounds, our love for you grows too. As always, we look forward to what experiences each new day with you brings our family.

Love,

Mom

Behind the ball...

2009-06-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: The author of this post refuses all responsibility for mid-post napping, brain numbness, or loss of workplace efficiency awards arising from the attempt to read, in its entirety, the gargantuan length of the following post.

You have been warned.

Ok, so you caught me - yes, I haven't been blogging as much as usual. I could easily point to a number of reasons why this is -it's too nice to stay inside, my garden needs planting, the dog needs walking, Jarren's nap was short today, whoops, more diaper laundry...however, it's just easier to say that around here, we're darn busy!

Picking flowers at the Early Years Centre Annual Picnic

Late May and early June seems to have brought with it a number of new experiences for our family here. Jarren and I can be caught enjoying our backyard and the deck these days - me cursing (way under my breath) the chipmunks who are already decimating my lettuces as I tend the garden, and he interjecting his own brand of chatter from his blanket on the lawn.

The latest word of the day seems to be 'guh'. We hear 'guh' whenever something really catches Jarren's fancy - the cats are "guh!", as in "Look, Mom, the cat ran out the door again!" The dandelions on the lawn are "guhhhhh", as he nearly topples over trying to reach them from his blanket, and, best yet, as he sees me mixing his food in his bowl before meals, is his imperious "GUH! GUH! GUH!" punctuated by loud banging on his high chair tray, which continues non-stop until I get the first spoonful of food into his mouth.

So far, to Jon's frustration, it seems he's mastered every early consonant except for 'D'. I think Jarren's holding out until Jon gives finally gives him the keys to the car. :)

On to other milestones - like teething. Or...the lack of. We were sure Jarren was actually cutting a tooth a few weeks ago - all the signs were there, dang it! However, a day or so later, his teething symptoms disappeared, and he's still got his lovely gummy smile. Jon is convinced (and has been convinced since Jarren was 3 months old) that every night waking episode is because of teething. This conversation seems to have featured like a broken record almost every night this past month:

Jon: He's fussy. I bet he's teething.
Me: Could be. (in my head: Or, he's just overtired. Or just wants to nurse. Again.)
Jon: Why don't we give him something cold? Where's his gel fish? Where's his teething keys? What about a cold cloth?
Search ensues for cloth, teething toys, etc.
Jarren: Throws gel fish on floor. Turns away from cold cloth. Wails inconsolably while yanking at my shirt.
Me: Why don't I just nurse him?
Jon: He can't be waking up every time just because he wants to nurse.
Me: Oh yeah? Ever heard of the words habit? And attachment? And sleep associations?

And so on. Our sleep problems continue on. Like a teeter-totter, they seem to improve briefly, and then our sleep situation declines again. The last few weeks, we seemed to be making great progress suddenly - Jarren was falling asleep regularly on his own, was only waking once at night needing to nurse, and was consistently putting himself back to sleep when he awoke in the middle of the night, rarely needing reassurance. Hooray for gradual sleep training, we cheered!

This week? Whole different ballgame. Speaking of which, a ballgame is what I blame our sleep setback on, however unfair or unreasonable it may seem.

Last weekend, just as we were starting to think "Ok, we're doing this sleep thing, it's going well, we feel pretty human again", we decided it would be fun to take Jarren to his first Blue Jays game. Actually, we had a great day. We had so much fun taking Jarren on the subway for the first time, (he chatted to his reflection in the window all the way downtown) and the he was cheery and so interested in the people and new places around him.

We bought tickets to the highest level in the Skydome in order to sit in the shade if the dome was open. Unfortunately, these seats also brought us too close for comfort to the speakers in the dome. We took our seats in the middle of the second inning, in relative quiet. However, as soon as the Jays scored a run, the crowd went wild, the speakers blared, and we had a very unhappy little boy on our hands! Strikeout!

Mom! How can you take pictures at a time like this?!

I ended up taking him out to the concourse, where we walked around for a while and shared lots of hugs and cuddles in the sling. After about 15 minutes, we braved the stadium again, and although he was a bit uncertain the first few times the speakers played, we were able to reassure him with lots hugs, smiles, and happy chatter, and soon he was giggling and bouncing away on my lap ( or Jon's) for the rest of the game.

As much fun as the game was, it meant a late bedtime, an overtired little boy, and a reversion to a sleep schedule that seems to have put us right back into the Dark Ages of 3-4 night wakings. In some amount of desperation a few nights ago, I reluctantly agreed to Jon's suggestion that we try, finally, to let him cry it out to sleep in his crib.

What.

Disaster.

Now, this isn't Ferberization we tried. We went through his normal bedtime routine, including nursing, and then put him into his crib when he was sleepy, remaining by the side of his crib quietly for reassurance. First, he lay there, rubbing his eyes. Then he fussed. I tried moving out of the line of sight. He continued to fuss and rub his eyes, then started truly crying. (This is where my blood pressure started to climb off the charts). We waited. He continued crying, increasing in volume.

Jon tried to rub his chest, while I stood agonizing, feeling like the most horrible mother in the universe. We waited a few more minutes (I think total time crying was actually about 10 minutes) by which point Jarren was shrieking so hysterically that he was going red and purple in between gasps.

That's as far as it got. At that point, I was nearly as upset as he was (though was trying desperately not to show it), and I COULD NOT let him cry any longer. After I scooped him into my arms and felt his little body shaking with sobs and hiccups, all I could think about was how angry I was at myself. It took me all of 10 minutes to get him to sleep - he was exhausted from crying, and every after-whimper and hiccup tore me to peices as he nursed himself to sleep, cuddled close to my chest. After I put him into bed, I went downstairs and had my own little meltdown on the couch.

*Sigh* Well, I'm not ready for that, and neither is he, so we'll have to work out this sleep thing together, he and I. I'd rather have a million sleepless nights than feel like that again. We'll start from square one, which means re-starting our gentle removal plan while nursing before he falls asleep (a step which he'd moved far past) and trying to get him to return to self-soothing again. In the meantime, I'm sleeping in his room so I can get a few more zzz, and get to him (hopefully) before he's fully awake in the middle of the night. I'm sure there'll be more on this later...

In other news:

This weekend, I went to work! And it felt great! And... Jarren was fine! I worked this weekend as a favour for one of my co-workers, and although I admit I was uncertain initially about leaving Jarren for a whole day today and part of tomorrow, it was refreshing to hold adult conversations all day long, as well as get to do what I love best, other than being Mommy. It's also given me a taste of what life after mat leave might be like - and y'know, it wasn't so bad.

Jarren has discovered the digital camera phone that sits on our side table. He spent a whole half an hour the other day watching the pictures scroll. His favorites seem to be the ones featuring himself, so far!

We've now moved Jarren to his 'big boy' carseat, witha minimum of fuss. Our backs are much happier now, since we aren't having to lug around the awkward infant seat any longer.

And that's all for now! If you've made it this far, you're either Jarren-obsessed, bored, or have an unfair amount of free time on your hands. :)

I've never thought about food this way before.

2009-05-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

Geez. Could there be any more conflicting information about how to start feeding solid foods out there? I'm truly amazed at the variety of advice I've gleaned from different sources, and I have to admit, I'm a bit stressed out. I want to make sure that I'm feeding the right foods, at the right times for my son, and ones that will ensure he's getting everything he needs. *Sigh*

Honestly - exclusive breastfeeding was much easier to navigate - baby is hungry, offer a breast, breastmilk = Total Nutrion. Period. Now, I have Jack Newman advising me that meat is a better source of iron than infant cereal, I have a public health nurse advising me that I should be offering infant cereal at least twice daily, I have my Better Baby Food manual advising me that both are recommended (2-4 tbspns of cereal twice daily and 1-3 of meat between 6-9 months) to ensure adequate iron consumption. Never mind the heated discussions about introducing fruits/veggies vs. meat first, even during our weekly lunch groups.

Does it ever stop? Will there ever be a time as a parent when I know exactly What To Do?
*snort* Yeah, slim to no chance, I'm guessing. This job only gets easier with trial, lots of error, and extensive practice.

As to our food situation, I decided to take a middle road. As Jarren seems to like mostly everything we offer him so far, I've taken to offering a bit of everything: a few tablespoons of cereal (often mixed with fruits he's tried) in the morning. In the evening, a few tablespoons of cereal again at dinner, a tablespoon or two of meat, and a few tablespoons of veggies as well. I sometimes offer some mashed fruit as well if he still seems hungry. I nurse before each meal and in between, on demand.

Anyhow - now that I'm starting to feed a variety of different foods to Jarren, I thought that I would whip off batches of a few favorites during his naptimes and freeze them. Miraculously, he napped for over an hour at each naptime yesterday, allowing me to convert some ordinarily tasty foods into colourful...mush.

At the end of last night, my kitchen was a disaster, but this morning, the sight of bulging freezer bags full of liquid chicken, carrot, butternut squash, asparagus, and roasted banana cubes greeted me.

Anyone for a snack? Mmm....

And our weekend begins...

2009-05-23T17:52:00.001-07:00

With a garage sale score of scores!

This morning, we were up bright and early (not that we had a choice!), so we decided to head over to Jon's parents' subdivision to check out the annual community garage sale. I'd been looking for a few more cause/effect toys for Jarren, but our limited budget won't stretch to allow us to buy a ton of new toys. (I wouldn't pay for them at overinflated prices these days, to boot!)

So, for a grand total of $40, we managed to score, in good condition:

A Playskool Busy Tumble Top

A Fisher Price Little Superstar Stage

A Little Tykes Tap-a-tune piano

2 toy cars with 'popper' balls

An Evenflo Frame Trailblazer carrier with sunshade

Whoo for good deals!

When perfect days come along...

2009-05-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today has the makings of a perfect day. Last night, I got some very lovely, honest-to-goodness, deep, unbroken sleep. I was so tired that I went to bed at 8pm, and didn't wake up until Jarren wanted to nurse at 12:15 am. To add to that, he had a good night - was easily settled the two times he woke up later in the night, and slept until 7am this morning instead of his usual 6 am wakeup call.

As if that wasn't enough, the weather is stunningly gorgeous outside - blue sky, soft breeze, and warm enough for capris and sandals. Since the both of us are well rested and in a great mood, we're off to the Barrie Library this afternoon to have some fun in the kid's section and pick out some new books to read.

And, since I had company over yesterday, my house is clean already, and I'm strangely excited about being able to hang his cloth diapers out on the line again this afternoon, then put my feet up and enjoy the sun outside while he takes an afternoon nap - fingers crossed for a long one!

Ma-ma-ma-ma!

2009-05-15T07:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Jarren discovered how to pronounce a brand new consonant.

'M'!

My ears yesterday were filled with nothing but strings of ma-ma-ma-ma (and ba-ba-ba-ba, which he mastered a few weeks ago). Even at Mother Goose, where he's usually fairly quiet, he was chatting away to anyone and everyone who would listen. Coincidentally (or not?) he tends to use his ma-ma's when he's upset or I'm out of the room, increasing exponentially in volume until I come back or pick him up.

On another note...we're teething! (Well, I'm not, but this certainly is a process that involves our entire family, like it or not!) Jarren has started to cut his bottom teeth, and has been a rather unhappy and clingy little boy for the past few days, waking up frequently at night and shoving things into his mouth with frantic movements. His facial ezcema is also seeming to worsen again with the application of large quantities of drool, poor guy. We can see that his gum is swollen, and the teeth appear to be right below the surface, ready to break through.
Hopefully in the next week or so we'll have a new tooth to show off, and a happier little boy!

He rolls, he rolls!

2009-05-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Jarren has actually been able to roll over for a week or two now. However, we've discovered that he's a roller on the sly. He never rolls when we're watching, and especially never when we happen to have the camera in hand. I think he has a camera sixth sense. We'll go into his room at night to find him flipped over, or I'll come back into the room after briefly leaving to find him on his stomach. But this morning, when he thought I wasn't watching...

Six months ago...

2009-05-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Jarren,

Six months ago today, you and I came face to face for the first time - one exhausted, elated mom, and one tiny, red wailing bundle, all flailing arms and scrunched up eyes. Your dad and I marveled at how strong you seemed already - you tried to lift your head as the nurse cleaned you off, and the grip of your miniature fingers on ours seemed unbreakable.

In these six short months, you've changed so much! Not only in stature, but in personality as well. Your mastery of new skills seems to grow, week by week, and you continue to amaze us with your cheery, easygoing attitude towards every challenge that seems to come your way.

Your dad and I would also like to tell you how much we've enjoyed sleeping these past few weeks. The past few months have been difficult for all of us - your sleep schedule has been all over the map. For the past two months, you wouldn't sleep for more than four hours consecutively at night, often waking anywhere between 4 and, one terrible night, 9 times during the course of the night. We've struggled to get you to nap better and longer as well.

With help from the No Cry Sleep Solution, we've been teaching you how to fall asleep on your own, without having to nurse or be rocked right to sleep. It's been a slow process, but sleep is slowly improving for us all. I can now put you in your crib when you're very sleepy, and you'll fall asleep while cuddling with your blanket. The introduction of solid foods also seems to be helping you sleep longer at night, with fewer wakings - only 1 or 2 now. Thank goodness for this, as I was starting to wear thin, both emotionally and physically, from sleep deprivation. There are still nights where you need to start at square one again, and want to nurse, nurse, nurse 'til you're conked out, but they're becoming less frequent. And, finally, your naptimes seem to be getting longer, and are taking on a regular routine.

Sleep aside, here are some of the fun things we get to see you do lately. You:

Love mirrors, and will happily entertain yourself in front of one by trying to talk to, hit, grab, and yes, even kiss your reflection. This results in some nasty head bonks occasionally.
Can sit without support (and without falling!) and play independently with blocks or your stacking rings.
Can and will give kisses - though only to Mommy, Grandma, and Aunt Nadia. Daddy's cheeks are too rough!
Love playing Peekaboo and will pull our hands or the blanket we're hiding behind away.
Can roll over back to front - and as of this morning, will do this in your sleep without waking yourself up.
Love 'flying' though the air, and you giggle madly when we hold you upside down and pretend to munch your belly
Chew on everything and anything
Can make the sign for 'milk', though you often use it as well when you want more cereal or want to be picked up
Have tried rice, oatmeal and barley cereal and have loved them all.
Have tried banana this morning - and hated it. You gagged and made lots of 'yucky' faces.
Bang toys in your high chair and while playing on the floor
Are enjoying swimming lessons. Did I mention that you LOVE to splash?
Can pull your shapesorter box towards you, take blocks out one by one and dump the whole box over (your favorite thing to do, by far)
Sleep on your side, with a loose blanket - something that I worried about for several nights!
Will reach for and accurately grab just about anything - including the dog and cats, which isn't so popular with the dog and cats. Next step - teaching gentle petting!
Will soon be moving into your bigger carseat

Your dad and I are eyeing the months ahead cautiously - we have some idea of what's in store to challenge us. More rolling, crawling, walking, first words...

Ah, who am I kidding? We can't wait, kiddo. Happy 6 months - on to month 7!

Add-on

2009-05-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

For readers interested in pictures of our Calgary trip, I've added pictures to the 'Part 2' post below, and will be adding more as time allows!

Ready, Set, Solids!

2009-05-06T16:53:00.001-07:00

So....

We jumped the gun a little. Yes, Jarren doesn't actually turn six months until this upcoming Saturday, but we've started solid food already. Rather than go by a set date, I've decided to follow Jarren's developmental cues. For the past 3-4 weeks, he's shown us that he was becoming more and more ready to start food other than breastmilk - he can sit up steadily on his own, can turn his head away from us, and will open his mouth for a spoon. In fact, he's already decided that he should be in charge of the spoon, thankyouverymuch, Mom.

Trying out the utensils...hmmm.

Oh, yeah. And he's been showing interest (understatement of the year) in our food. As in, waving his arms and making loud hooting noises at us when we eat. As in, trying to rip the Bits N Bites airplane bag from Jon's hand as he was snacking on the plane. As in, I risk major spillages if I'm drinking something while I hold him due to lightning fast grabs for my cup.

Last week, we started him on rice cereal, and added oat cereal a few days ago. He LOVES it, and quickly mastered the art of swallowing (after a few funny faces and some tongue gymnastics). Now, we seemto have an eating machine. He's eating twice a day, at least 2 tablespoons per feeding.

He'd readily take more, but I want to wait until his 6 month vaccine appointment to discuss our next steps and amounts with our doctor. We'll see how that goes - unfortunately, he tends to be rather vague with his advice sometimes.

Making mess = fun!

Lord help us when he's 16. He's going to eat us out of the house.

Tomorrow, we start barley. Soon, on to veggies, fruits, and liquid meat - yum!

Fun with mirrors

2009-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Like every other baby at this age, Jarren's fascinated with mirrors. He didn't quite know what to make of this one, however!

Part 2 -with pictures!

2009-05-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

We're back! We can't believe how fast this week has flown by.

Picking up from where I left off...

Most days were a chance to catch up with everyone. Jarren was amazingly calm meeting my mom and sisters, which I'm so thankful for. Once we got to Mom's house from the airport, we sat on the couch and chatted while he played on my lap. When I passed him to her after a few minutes, he kept his eyes glued to me, but after a few more minutes he was trading smiles and squeals with her like a pro.

The two days prior to the wedding we were able to relax and enjoy visiting. We took a walk outside on the one warm(er) day last week, and took a trip to the dog park with Mom, Tina, and their new husky puppy.

Ah, the husky puppy. As an aside, she provided plenty of entertainment and some amount of frustration while we were there. We came home minus two baby socks (she'd steal them right off his feet while we were holding him) and with the hat of his Peppa doll chewed off. *sigh* I love puppies, but was it ever a relief to come back home to our well-behaved Corgi. :)

Saturday (the day of my dad's wedding, and the reason we had flown out) came sooner than we expected, and dawned rather overcast and...cold. Hmmm. Although we hadn't expected summer temperatures, we had been hoping for at least 9 or 10 degrees outside. With an eye on the clouds, we got dressed and made the drive to meet up with my dad.

The wedding itself was beautiful, set in a tiny church (which was heated by a woodstove) at Heritage Park. Suiting my dad and Vicki to a T, it wasn't an enormous black tie affair, but a beautiful, simple ceremony from beginning to end - just perfect. I was incredibly lucky to find myself a part of their special day - I know that'll be a day to remember for a long time to come.

After the ceremony, we sat down to an informal lunch...and then the baby passing started. :o) In his pinstriped suit, I do believe that Jarren could have knocked the socks off of every girl in the room. After an afternoon of excitement, however, he had enough, and we headed home...just as it started, yes, snowing. Those ominous clouds hadn't been wrong - and it wasn't the last time we'd see snow, either.

The rest of our time passed in a bit of a blur - we really enjoyed relaxing with my Mom and sisters, dinners with Vicki, Dan, Lexi and Beth, and we even managed to snatch some time to ourselves.

(Who am I kidding? My mom practically shoved us out the door to catch a movie so she could steal some alone time with her grandson) :)

Sooner than we thought, it was time to catch our flight back. I'm so happy that this past week went smoothly - Jarren slept well while we were there, he was happy, chatty, and had some decent naps, and was the best traveller ever on the plane. (2.5 hour nap on the flight back - that's a record!)

Now, our next challenge is to ease him back in to his regular schedule, which is proving more difficult than we thought. He seems to be upset being in his crib again, and wakes several times a night for reassurance. Complicating the problem is the fact that he's become a crib mover and shaker in the past week - I'll regularly find him rotated in different positions than I left him in, and I suspect that he's also waking himself up.

So, amidst yawns from the both of us, we're off to nap!

A few pictures from our trip:

Hanging out with Aunt Tina

When bored on the plane...just find your toes!

Trying out Mom's old rocking horse

Checking out the airport with Aunt Tasha

Bedtime story with Grandma

The bride and groom, braving the elements and looking fabulous (note the snow on the ground?)

Two handsome men - at the wedding with Poppa

The wedding party

Cuddling with Nanny at the Old Spaghetti Factory
Asleep in his sling at the wedding lunch

Vsiting with cousin Laura

The three 'J's, all dressed up

Conked out with dad - whew!

View from the window - bye for now, Calgary!

We came, we saw, we conquered - Part 1!

2009-04-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Time, as ever, flies by. I've been meaning to blog about the past few weeks - our rush to get ready, get packed, get sleep...more on the sleep situation when we get home.

Here we find ourselves in Calgary already, with 4.5 days gone by and only another day or so until we fly home. I'm so pleased to say that this has been much, much easier than I thought it would be. Our week has gone as follows, beginning last Sunday:

Sunday: Do laundry. Check list. Do more laundry. Start packing Jarren's suitcase -start with onesies, sleepers, socks and bibs. Do load of diapers. Pack more of Jarren's stuff - daily outfits, sweaters, suit, shirt and tie, Bundleme (snow predicted), hat, jacket, boots, mitts, sunglasses. Check list. More laundry. Pack receiving blankets, bath soap, moisturizer, D-drops, breast pump, bottles, nipples, breast pads. Pack carry-on diaper bag with diapers (disposable), toys, wipes, sling, changepad, extra outfit.

Sunday night (9-10pm): Pack suitcase for Mom and Dad.

Wednesday morning: Departure time! We had hemmed and hawed about bringing along the stroller, and in the end decided just to pack the sling and wear Jarren onto the plane. I'm so glad we did this. Not only did we not have to tote around a bulky stroller, but Jarren fell asleep easily at the airport and on the plane, snuggled close to my chest with his Peppa doll in hand. I nursed during takeoff and landing (with complete support from Westjet flight attendants - love Westjet!) and there was no fussing on the plane whatsoever. Thank you, Dr. Sears, for introducing me to babywearing.

Wednesday night was probably the toughest night here. We had an unhappy, overtired little boy by 4pm Calgary time, and though we put him to bed, he woke through the night around 5 or 6 times. The new place and change in altitude/time zone combined with Jarren's increasing sleep mobility made for some patchy sleep the first night or two.

The rest of our week has been great so far (aside from the snowstorm we landed in, and the snow/rain on Saturday...)

More to come!

5 Months!

2009-04-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am SO entertained. Over the past few weeks, Jarren has morphed into this giggling, cheery, active, bright little boy. He's so interested in the world around him! And what a change we've seen in the past few weeks. As always, it seems that he's picking up new skills in bunches rather than one at a time, though apparently this isn't unusual. At 5 months, here's what our little boy can do:

-Sit for short periods of time without support (15-30 seconds).

-Reach for and hold a toy while sitting.

-Can reach for and hold toys with one hand.

-Bang keys or his measuring spoons on his high chair tray or the floor.

-Do arm/chest pushups during tummy time.

-He can smile/giggle and laugh when tickled - and loves tickles!

-Can splash in the bath/pool.

-Can make "guh" "mmm" "bah" and brrrt sounds and is having fun experimenting with his tongue.

-Loves 'crinklies' - paper, crinkle toys, magazines.

-Shows interest in solids - he becomes very animated, waving his arms and talking to us when he sees us eating or drinking, and grabs cups or reaches out to grab food if he's on our lap.

-Recognizes familiar routines, and he gets excited when he knows we're about to do something familiar -ie) bathtime, Mother Goose, storytime.

-Can arch and roll over from his back to his side and allllmost over onto his tummy - skill in progress!

-We're pretty sure he's now starting to recognize the words 'Daddy' 'Mommy' 'cat' and 'dog'. Oh, and 'milk', of course. He's starting to look interested and looks around when I tell him "Daddy's home!" or ask "where's the dog?"

It's both wonderful and terrible that 5 months have passed by so swiftly. Has anyone found a way to turn back the clock yet? We look forward to the months and milestones yet to come!

Happy 5 months, Jarren!

Swimming - Take 2

2009-04-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

It seems we have the next Michael Phelps on our hands.

Or, at least that's my interpretation of the swimming instructor's comment about Jarren's inability to NOT SPLASH for one second during his first swimming lesson. (What she actually said was "Well. It looks like we have a swimmer on our hands here, hmm?" Jon just thinks she was impressed with Jarren's ability to splash everyone else in the class using both arms and legs simultaneously.)

Though I absolutely love doing things with my son, it was so much fun to see Jon take swim duty on Monday. Though he doesn't often complain, I think he really feels left out sometimes when I rave about our weekday activities. So I was more than content to watch from the viewing area as the pair of them toured around in the water, practiced floating, swam in circles while singing songs, and, yes, even practiced dunking.

And after the dunk? NO tears. NO grimaces. Just a bit of a sputter, a look of surprise, and then more smiles (and splashes). I am SO proud.

So - see you at the Summer Olympics, 2030?

Zen

2009-04-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

Pushups are the new thing of the week in our household, and watching Jarren test out this new skill today was entertaining, to say the least. But in the midst of our play (and my photo session), this pose

reminded me that I need to do more of one thing: relax. Looking back on the past few weeks, we've been busy with appointments and errands and visits and housework and...
well, you get the picture.

I realize now that I spent too much time trying new things to "fix" Jarren's sleep instead of cluing in to the fact that I needed to stop trying to shove so many things into my day.
I needed to fix me instead!

Today, a quiet, grey day at home, was one of the best days I've had in the past few weeks. We played, sang songs, and had fun discovering the dog's cold nose together. We napped (oh, and how we napped!) snuggled together on the couch. And as tempted as I was to just empty the dishwasher or pop in another load of laundry, I didn't. How wonderful!

On a completely different note, yesterday I found a picture of myself at 4 months old. It's been fun to look for differences and similarities. (Where did I get all that hair from????)

Jarren, 4 months

Jenn, 4 months (with Animal from the Muppets. Thanks, Mom)

And last, but not least - spring - it's officially here! I spy, with my little eye, in the midst of my sadly neglected front garden:

Today...

2009-03-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

...my husband brought me flowers. With a smile, and a kiss, and a 'just because'.

Only he knows how much I've desperately been longing for the sun and warmer weather to arrive. My day started with white blanketing the ground outside, and now I have a secret little bit of spring, all for my very own.

Sleep tight...

2009-03-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Oy. It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, let me explain myself.

Two days after his vaccines, Jarren began not sleeping. Again. As in, the kind of not-sleep you are blessed with when they're a week old, waking every hour or two (or more) through the night. Furthermore, instead of waking up gradually at the end of a sleep cycle, he'd often unpredictably wake screaming bloody murder. We went through a list of what might be wrong:

Vaccine reaction
Teething
Ear infection
Growth spurt
Hunger

And so on. So...blogging hasn't been at the top of my list.

We managed to eliminate medical causes and narrow it down (we think) to lack of daytime sleep. He was just way too overtired at night, every night! The past few weeks have been busy, busy, busy, and Jarren's naps have been here, there, and very occasionally nowhere. If we were busy playing and I waited until he started looking sleepy, he would already be overtired and wouldn't nap well or long enough. So, our new routine is in place, and for the past few days, this is how it goes:

6am (approx): Wakeup. Feed. Quiet play downstairs (Jon sleeps until 7:30. Why, I ask, am I too nice to kick him out of bed?)

8am: Morning nap. He used to go down around 9:30 to 10am, and would usually wake after 20-30minutes. The first morning he went for that 8am nap, he slept for 2 solid hours - and woke up smiling and chatty - whoo! Even today, he was down for around an hour.

12-12:30pm - Afternoon nap.

3-5 pm: Usually sneaks in a 15-20minute catnap.

7pm: Our bedtime routine starts - bath, massage, story, feeding, then bed no later than 8pm. If he wakes before 11pm, Jon goes in to soothe him.

We're still working out some hiccups, but the past few nights have been gradually better. I've also started swaddling him again, and that also seems to make a difference. For now, we're crossing our fingers, knocking on wood, and hoping this sticks.

At least until those teeth start appearing.

Exer-huh?

2009-03-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend we decided to have some fun, and let Jarren try out his exersaucer. Luckily, we received this one second hand (and free!) from a mom in our Tuesday lunch club.

Hilariously, this resulted in something closer to an America's Test Kitchen episode than a play session. Let the fun begin!

Sorry, Flames fans...

2009-03-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, we know we should be ashamed of ourselves....

But winning isn't everything, right?

ETA: Although, maybe we do have reason to hope?

On a Toe Safari...

2009-03-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hunting wee piggies....

I've also decided that Kid's Closet is my new favorite place. I got this great bumper for only four dollars - it's washable (yay!), has pockets with interchangeable pattern cards on one side, and the other side features different fabric textures and stuffies to play with. Yes, it's a *gasp* crib bumper - but it's secured to within an inch of its life, and I'm not too worried about airflow or suffocation, as a) it's only along one side of the crib, and b) Jarren's not into crib antics yet. So far he loves it!

4 Months Old! (OR, Beware -Monster Post!)

2009-03-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Before I make my additions to my 4 month post, I'm taking a moment to send quiet, heartfelt *hugs* to Jen and Anderson. At 4 months after Jarren's birth, I can identify with the feeling of time slipping by far too fast. Looking ahead, October seems to loom ominously in the distance. It was just yesterday that Jarren giggled for the first time, and I caught myself thinking about other firsts that I might miss after I go back to work. The first steps? More first words? What new things will someone else get to experience with my son for the first time? I know this is a recurring theme with me, but you only get to be a first-time mom once.

I'm thinking back to last summer, when the office manager at work was discussing my return to work in the context of 'if.' As in, 'IF you come back to work after your maternity leave is over...'. I remember how ridiculous that sounded - I loved the work I was doing, and I just knew (ha!) that I wasn't going to be one of those stay-at-home moms - I'd be bored to tears!

How quickly that changed. Although we've started our daycare search with one eye fixed on the looming deadline, I would give anything to be able to stay at home now, to live through all those firsts day by day with Jarren. Yep, career woman out the window, folks.

Ahem. Anyways - 4 months! We're seeing some pretty neat things happening with our little boy. New skills, likes and dislikes are emerging!

Some 4 month skills according to our infant development guideline:

Displays accurate visual tracking: definitely yes. Jarren especially loves to watch the dog. Or watch the dog chase the cats!

Stands supported: yes

Sits propped up on arms: yes, for short periods of time. He doesn't seem to mind the nosedives that follow shortly after so far.

Rests on elbows: yes

Rolls tummy to side: Still working on this one - this happens only sporadically. I'm wondering if the bulk of his cloth diapers are hindering his motion somewhat. However, he's been airplaning for the past month, which is supposed to be a five month skill.

Transfers toys hand to hand and mouth: Another five month skill, and yes!
Grabs toes: Yes

Two-handed embracing reach: yes.

Explores clothing, pats mother's breast: oh, yes. He recognizes those, no doubt about it.

Uses mittenlike grasp: yes

Shapes mouth to change sounds: yes - his latest creations are 'uuuuuuuh', 'guh' and 'gooo. He seems to reserve the 'goo's for his chats with himself in the mirror. If he's really upset or tired, then it's 'mum-mum-mum' -though I think that's purely coincidental.

Blows bubbles, sputters loudly: not yet! We hear more squeals than sputters so far.

Laughs when tickled: Yes! Though he's not really laughing yet - just short giggles so far

Social gesturing: Not seeing much yet - he'll occasionally reach out to me if he's upset.

Binocular vision, gazes intently, tracks accurately: yes

Forms mental images of what to expect when gives a cue: I suppose so?

Is aware that persons and things have labels: We're just starting to see this, I think. He'll hear me say daddy or cat, and sometimes will turn his head as if he's looking for them.

Right now, our likes are:

Singing - LOVES singing. I sing everywhere -bath, change table, getting into his carseat, getting dressed, while we're playing...surefire way to get a smile!

Lifts up in the air

Peek-a-boo

Grabbing my nose or patting my face

Dislikes:

Bedtime with Jon! :( Lately Jarren has taken to screaming when Jon tries to put him to bed, even if he's full, dry, and exhausted. He just wants me, which is both frustrating and just the tiniest bit flattering all at the same time. I feel terrible for my poor husband - bedtime is some of the only quiet time he gets to spend with Jarren, and watching him try to soothe a red-faced, screaming baby to sleep lately has been heartwrenching. The situation isn't helped by the fact that Jarren stops screaming and falls asleep no more than two or three minutes after I take him.

Well, that's four months. Onward and upward - to new things and new experiences every day, for all of us! Yay for 4 months!

Goodbye, Yoga - Hello, Mother Goose

2009-03-05T20:51:00.001-08:00

A few months have flown by, and - yes, say it with me - winter is almost over. Hooray! This morning the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and, *gasp*, our thermometer read above zero. It was a good day for a walk outside and our last Mom and Baby Yoga class.

I first went into this class with a fair amount of skepticism - it seemed like such a 'yuppie mom' thing to be doing, and I wasn't sure how Jarren would handle the change in his routine as well as a whole 45 minute session. As it turns out, we've both enjoyed it immensely! It was so much fun to see how Jarren learned to recognize and love the yoga stretches and bounces we learned, and I've made a point of incorporating a short yoga session into each of his morning play sessions now, even during days spent at home.

Our next venture, if we can manage to get in, is the hugely popular infant Mother Goose program at the Early Years Centre. I've heard that attempting to get into this class is like trying to get last minute front row seats for Madonna, so I'll be up at 7am (no stretch there) and online to enter the fray with the fastest clickers out there on registration day. Wish me luck!

We're also going to try swimming lessons starting in April. By we, I mean mostly Jon, who has been calling dibs on taking Jarren to his first pool sessions since, oh, last summer. I picked up a bright Swimmi to try out, since I hate the thought of using those disposable swimmer diapers. I'm crossing my fingers that Jarren will love swimming as much as his dad - he really likes his bathtime so far. We've even dunked him once or twice in the bath (before washing), and no tears! Just a really comical expression and a bit of a splutter.

Aside from our new pursuits, I'm also longing for the day we can go for a stroll without having to bundle up. Hurry up, spring!

Weekend in...well, not paradise

2009-03-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been interesting for Jon, Jarren and I. By interesting, I mean pretty miserable. Jarren has been battling a cold, which has meant a stuffy nose at night and more night wakings, and Jon woke up on Friday morning with chills, a headache, and congestion as well as a screaming sore throat. After debating for what seemed like forever about whether or not to go, he finally made the decision to take himself to the walk-in. Voila - it was determined that he has strep throat, and is now taking amoxicillin for the next week. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't get it, and I'm hoping even more fervently that Jarren doesn't come down with it as well. We've been super careful about handwashing this weekend, and I've been sleeping in the spare room to let Jon get more sleep, and to minimize my exposure as well.

Oy.

Jon is happily feeling much, much better today, aside from lingering congestion and sounding like he's going through puberty again. (sorry, honey) His only complaint has been that he hasn't been able to kiss and hug Jarren this weekend like a dad should be able to.

Aside from a house filled with coughs, sneezes and the sound of nose-blowing, this weekend also seems to have brought about some dramatic changes in our little boy. He seems to have stretched somehow into this lanky little guy over the past few days. Next size up, here we come!

Jarren also figured out today that it's much easier to get through tummy time by resting on his elbows - and he discovered how to reach for and grab toys, too. (chatting all the while)

We went from this just last week - an airplaning, bobbleheaded baby:

To this, today:

Huh.

Bit O' News

2009-02-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

It's been well over a week since I've posted anything. Can you tell we've been busy?
Here's what's going on at our house this week:

The advent of the Jolly Jumper. We picked one up from Kids Closet here in Barrie. To say Jarren loves his jumper would be an...understatement. Video soon to come, I promise. He's hysterical - all smiles and squeals and bouncy feet this week. I think he's going to render the dog a nervous wreck -she's convinced he needs constant patrolling (and the occasional sniff check) while he's in it.

We made a visit to one of my least favorite places - a Barrie walk-in medical clinic - last Tuesday. Jarren had some streaks of blood in every other diaper or so, and, since my GP was on holiday, I packed him up and off we went. 3 hours later (not a fun wait with an overtired baby) the problem turned out to be just a superfical anal fissure which should heal naturally. Whew.

Erm...hair, anyone? It's a tight race between the dog, the cats and myself to see who sheds more. The postpartum hormonal hair shed has begun - and I'm finding my hair on pillows, on the floor, in the baby's crib, on him, on me...never mind the horrors I gave myself in the shower the other day while actually shampooing. Handful of hair = icked-out mommy. If I'm not a cueball in a month, I'll be AMAZED.

A certain someone has suddenly switched his bedtime from 10pm to, oh, around 8-8:30 pm in the last two days. He started falling asleep (and staying sleepy/tired) long before his bedtime this weekend, so I tried putting him to bed at 8pm yesterday. He woke up once or twice, but was settled easily again and out for good by 8:30. Tonight, after his bath, he's been zonked out since 8 (as I write this at 8:45). Unbelievable!

Visitors yet again. Last Thursday an old friend from public school was in town from Edmonton. Although it was great to see her (and her new boyfriend), we were up far past our bedtime, and I was still recovering the next day after a cleaning spree, cooking dinner for four, cleaning up, and a difficult bedtime for Jarren, since he was overtired. As much as I used to love our old, active social life, now I'm beginning to appreciate our quiets nights in with only the three of us - I was exhausted!

We're on the move! Well, not yet. In April, we've been invited to my Dad's wedding, which we're really, really looking forward to, for many reasons. The difficult part? It's in Calgary. Stay tuned for my plans on navigating the logistics of a trip to the airport and 3+ hour flight with a 5 month old baby, stroller, packable bassinet, around a gazillion suitcases...oh, and a husband, too. *wink*

Well, I'm tapped for more news for now. I'm off to make a cup of tea, and maybe, just maybe, curl up on the couch with the book I've been trying to finish forever.

I should be celebrating...

2009-02-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy weekend and beginning to this week for all three of us, so, when Jarren slept straight through from 10 pm last night to 6:15 am this morning, you would have thought that I'd be dancing in the streets this morning. Instead, this morning, I felt just a wee bit cheated.

Now, you've all heard me complain about lack of sleep after getting up one or two times a night -I don't function well on 5 hours of sleep vs. a nice 7 or 8. But deep down, even though I'm always yawning and half asleep through those middle of the night feedings, I'm also basking in the feeling of my son's warm, sleepy little weight held close.

Since I usually take him to the spare room to feed now (he's outgrown the rocking chair in his room for feedings), we had developed this perfect little ritual over the past month - waking to Jarren's hungry noises, I'd slip into his room, scoop him up and then we'd both snuggle into the spare room bed. He'd eat with slowly drooping eyelids and chubby little hands clinging to me, and I'd stifle another yawn and let my mind wander to the day ahead or mull over the day just past. Some nights I'd just watch him breathe and stroke his head, or run my fingers down his cheeks. Then we'd both snuggle into bed and drift off for another few hours.

I love 3 am because, at that time of the night when everything is quiet and dark, and the house seems empty, my arms and heart are holding my son...and they're brimming.

So when I publicly whine again about those late-night wakings... someone, please pinch me HARD and remind me that those minutes are short.

This little piggy...

2009-02-12T13:15:00.001-08:00

Due to a lack of time to type the post that's floating around in my head, and my own lack of mental organization to organize those thoughts into something coherent today, I just thought I'd leave you with a few wee piggies...

Also, I think I might shamelessly steal the Hangman game from my friend Jen's blog - because it's so darn addictive...

3 Months!

2009-02-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Jarren,

It's hard to believe we're here already. It wasn't so long ago that I was exclaiming '3 weeks!' on this very same blog, and now I find myself amazed by all the changes you've gone through.
This has been a fun month to watch you grow! Your personality is emerging, and you seem to do something new every day. Your list of new skills so far:

Hand play - you can grasp and shake toys while lying down or sitting up - and they inevitably find their way to your mouth. Your favorite toys still seem to be your own fists so far, though! You're also getting grabby about other things - glasses, hair, mom's shirt, dad's ears...

Sitting up - you can really pull yourself up to sit when holding onto our hands - great head control now.

Standing (with support) -to my disappointment, you prefer this position to anything else - you'd rather stand than sit on my lap, which means I'm holding a stiff, back arching baby if I try to sit you down on my knees. It's hard to do standing up bouncy rhymes!

Vocalizing - what a chatterbox you're getting to be! You have fun experimenting with volume, 'ooooo's and lots of squeals, especially when we sing to you.

Tummy time- you can hold your head at a 90 degree angle, and you can look around at toys or at me. You can rest on your forearms when they're under you for several minutes. Also, you seem to like being on your tummy for longer periods of time now - yay!

Rolling onto your side from your back - though you're still working on a complete roll either way.

Some other things we've noticed? You are GRUMPY when you first wake up (just like your mom). You like meeting new people, but you're often funny about it, smiling at them at first, then burying your head in mom's chest, then coyly peeking out again and grinning when you see they're still there. You love watching the dog and the cats. Your favorite songs are 'The Wheels on The Bus' with yoga moves, 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', and 'The Grand Old Duke of York' with up and down lifts.

We've also made one big transition this past week - we moved you from the bassinet in our room to your crib in your room for overnight sleeping as well as napping (which you've been doing in the crib for a few weeks now). You did very well the first night, sleeping from 11pm until 6:30 am with only one brief awakening. Your silly mom, on the other hand, was up four or five times to check on you. Now you go down to sleep very well in your crib every night, though you're still a bit unsure when you wake up in the morning in it.

Your dad and I are also thankful that you're now fairly easy to read - we now know what you look like when you're overtired or when you're hungry, and, also luckily, once those needs are met, you're (usually) easily comforted.

I'm so amazed by the little person you're becoming, and, though not every day is easy, I can't wait for every new day to start, just to see what changes you may surprise me with. Your dad and I are, really, more lucky than we know to have you in our lives, and although we may sometimes joke about backaches and earplugs and wanting to make you do your own laundry, you continue to completely win our hearts over day in and day out. We love you, sweetie - happy 3 months old today!

My favorite things - 3 months

2009-01-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Every mother needs tools. I decided it's about time to create a list of my favorite things - things that I've found handy during these first few months with Jarren at home. I'm sure I'll have more as tme goes by, but here's a start.

Breastfeeding: A Holistic Handbook - I really found this easy to read, and very pro-breastfeeding without being anti-anything else. Very helpful! It focuses on care of yourself (relaxation, stretching, nutrition, visualization etc.) as a way to prepare for breastfeeding and to start and continue successfully. It has a section on troubleshooting, as well as a well-informed section on starting solids, what to start with, and how to introduce them.

Littlestar Pouch Sling - I got ours from Once Upon a Child here in Barrie, and I wear Jarren in this usually during the day at home. It really allows me some hands free time, and I've found that he loves to sit facing forward in it now. It's also been handy for late night wakings - the sling calms him down, and he usually falls asleep quickly when he's in it. The one I have is reversible, and they come in plain or really funky patterns, and are made from a nice, durable cotton. The only complaint I have is that it's not adjustable - I'm going to have to find a ring sling as he gets bigger, though I won't be carrying him around as often, either - he's getting heavy!

Magic Bullet - this thing is amazing! If I don't have time to sit down and eat a bowl of cereal, I can just throw some yogurt, frozen berries, and milk together for a really quick smoothie to get me through a few hours until I can get a chance to eat. 3 seconds blend time. 'Nuff said.

Dr. Sears - A Baby Book. This has been our babygo-to for attachment parenting. Covers generally everything in the first year, from sleep to feeding to development, etc. The Sears website is also full of LOTS of articles and tips. I can't say that everything works - no baby I know goes by the book - but it's where we usually look first for non-medical help.

Bumgenius 3.0 one-size diapers. I LOVE using washable diapers. Not only are they cost friendly, but I feel great about not sending hundreds of pounds of disposable diapers to landfills. They come in fun colours, and they're much easier to care for than I thought they would be.

Bumbo chair.

We're just starting to put Jarren in his, and so far he enjoys being in it - he's discovering toys and his hands, and the Bumbo seems to provide a nice stable support for him to sit up in.

BundleMe Carseat Bag. Another gift - and great for Ontario winters. So warm and comfortable, and there's no fussing with bulky snowsuits. You can just put them into the seat, zip up and go. Also, the cover unzips right off and I've used as a blanket to lay Jarren on in a pinch.

Summer Infant-to-Toddler High Chair. We got this as a gift, and we really enjoy it! It's great for Jarren to be able to be eye to eye with us at the table, or be able to sit in it and play with a toy in the kitchen while I'm prepping dinner or putting dishes away. It both reclines and sits up, so if he falls asleep while playing, I can just lay the chair back.

Our own bathtub - we actually bought an infant tub to use, but have used it only a handful of times. Jarren screamed every time we would bath him, until we tried bathing him in the big tub with us. He loves it! He smiles, and splashes, and talks through his entire bathtime. I think we'll be donating the infant tub, or taking it to Kid's Closet.

Medela Mini-Electric Breastpump. For the occasional times I pump and bottle feed, I've used this small electric pump. I'm pretty pleased with it - it's easy to use, has several settings, and is easy to clean and sterilize. Medela also sells BPA-free bottles that attach right to the pump, which can go right into the fridge or freezer.

Right now, we're looking ahead to what we'll be using for the next 6 months. Any raves or recommendations are most welcome!

Soapbox

2009-01-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

I had someone ask me the other day how I was enjoying my 'baby holiday' at home.

I was at a bit of a loss to respond - I think I flippantly replied with something like "Oh, fine." After thinking about it later, I really think this particular person has it all wrong.

Mothering is no holiday.

There are days that seem infinitely long to me - days when I feel like I've accomplished absolutely nothing, when the dirty diapers pile up faster than I can count them, when I'm dead on my feet and my patience with an overtired, clingy baby starts to wear thin, and when I count down the minutes (and seconds) until Jon gets home just so I can get myself something to eat. There are the days I put my son in his crib and wind his mobile for fifteen minutes just so I can have a few minutes without him in my arms. There are also days when I want to beat my head against the wall when he only catnaps in 15 minute increments during the day, and even cute smiles can't ease the ache in my back and the desperate need to do something that's not 'baby'.

I feel terrible for feeling like this sometimes. No, more than terrible - I feel like a really bad mom, one who doesn't deserve this smiling, chubby-cheeked little boy - but I am reassured by the fact that I'm not the only one. I know, because I've talked to other moms, read their books and blogs online. I'm not alone on this "pleasure cruise"! :o)

Cheers to all the moms out there, slogging their butts off day by day to make sure their wee ones are warm, safe and happy!

Panic!

2009-01-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

So...I'm limping.

Two minutes ago, I was congratulating myself on the fact that Jarren has been napping for an hour and a half, when I heard a noise on the monitor - not a cry, sneeze or cough, but one of those heart-stopping breath stutters that make you catch your breath and picture all sorts of scary scenarios. I raced upstairs, thinking that he had somehow gotten his face under the blanket, or turned over, etc, and tripped UP the stairs, turning my ankle and banging my knee.

When I looked over the side of his bassinet, the darn kid was fine. Still sleeping soundly, breathing fine, well swaddled, and not a hair out of place.

I'm amazed. And slightly embarrassed. And laughing at myself as I ice my foot.

Addenum

2009-01-21T15:19:00.001-08:00

Oh, and I forgot about two more new things this week:

Jarren has noticed the Octoplush on his change table - and has started to hold 'conversations' with it during change times. He loves it!

And while I was taking pictures yesterday, I discovered that using the zoom lens produces this!

"What is that, Mom?"

Another year older. Am I grey yet?

2009-01-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

So this is what 28 looks like from this side. I honestly can't remember a time when I was less excited about my own birthday - yesterday I was absorbed in Jarren's newfound ability to (almost) laugh - that silly gasp/squeal that isn't quite laughing, but definitely is meant to express delight, and is so absolutely hysterical that Jon and I couldn't stop giggling madly after he did it yesterday.

It's about time I had a minute to sit down and blog again. Last week was eventful:

We started two new weekday programs - Mom and Baby Yoga and Life with Baby at the Ontario Early Years Centre. As much as I think yoga is fun, I don't think I'll be getting much out of it in the way of exercise - it's mainly a class for baby stretching, but Jarren seemed to enjoy his first session, and now grins away when we do the songs and stretches at home together.

Jarren had his 2 month vaccine appointment last Monday. The injections were not fun, and there was much wailing, especially after the Prevnar 5-in-1. The nurse was wonderful, though, and let me stay as long as I needed to comfort and nurse him afterwards. He weighed in at 13lb, 8 oz and was 24" - 95th percentile for height. I can just imagine what his footwear is going to cost as he gets older!

I had two appointments - an orthodontic appointment, and an opthalmologist's appointment, which meant I was able to get fun new glasses last week.

We also went to our first Momstown event -a meet and greet at a local cafe. It's interesting to see the same moms over and over again at each of the things I do! That's one reason I'm glad Barrie is still fairly small.

After the craziness of last week, this week I vowed to relax. Jon took the day off yesterday to take care of Jarren and give me a break for my birthday - heaven! However, the evening didn't go so well after that. Jarren WOULD NOT sleep. In the past, we've tried an earlier bedtime - around 7 or 8pm - but though he would sleep for 10 or 15 minutes after being put to bed, he would wake up andwould (happily) stay awake for 2 or 3 more hours. Now, our usual bedtime routine involves getting him to sleep at 9:30-10 pm, and then he sleeps until around 7:30am, though he usually wakes for a brief feeding at around 5 am.

Last night, that ALL went out the window. He napped briefly at 8:30 pm, then would not. go. to. sleep. He was wide awake and burbled and smiled (if in our arms) or fussed and cried (if put down) at us for 3 hours past his bedtime - whether in his bassinet, being rocked in my arms, or his swing or sling. Nothing brought on the sleepies. I ended up taking him into the spare room to lay down and nurse him at 1:30 am so Jon could rest - and then he fell asleep, finally. I'm going to reach the end of my rope fairly quickly if this is a new trend starting - what the heck made me think I would eventually succeed at shifting him to an earlier bedtime? *sigh*

Today, my eyes have been burning coals in my head, the laundry that really needed doing hasn't even been started, and I'm fantasizing about pillows and beds in hotel rooms far, far away.

Dear World...

2009-01-14T14:55:00.001-08:00

To the saleswoman in the mall;

To the grungy-looking man in Tim Hortons with a hot coffee in your hand;

To the general public;

PLEASE - don't touch my child. I mean, you wouldn't pet my dog without asking me, right? So why would you stroke my son's head, or grab his feet, or pinch his cheek without asking me? I get it, I understand, really. People love babies, and they love to touch babies, talk to them, make funny faces at them. However, you cross a major boundary with me if you touch my son when your relationship to him is not Mommy, Daddy, Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny, Popppa, etc. Even my close friends ask me before picking him up or holding him.

I'm not one of those crazy germophobes, either. My son needs to develop a healthy immune system, and though I would prefer you didn't transfer your cold/flu to him, I realize that, especially as he gets older, he's going to be exposed to certain illnesses.

Right now, Jarren can't tell you whether or not he wants you to touch him. However, as he grows older, he may not want to be touched, held, or talked to by strangers like you. Though I'm proud of my son, and I love when people talk to me about him, I need to advocate for his personal space until he's capable of doing that for himself. That's what moms do. I do look forward to socializing Jarren with lots of people and other kids, but only at his pace and at a pace I feel comfortable with as well. So when you see my son, however adorable he may be, please, please, PLEASE - ask me before you touch him, or I may (perhaps politely, but very likely NOT) tell you to get your #$%#$ mitts off him and make a quick exit.

Thanks!

Signed,

One (sometimes crazy) mom

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, for the general public, I present Jarren and his latest accomplishment:

NOMMM, NOMMM, NOMM.

Thus begins the era of The Mouth. The past day or two he's been grabbing his toys and holding them for longer periods of time, and today he figured out how to get this butterfly to his mouth. Hooray!

Two Months

2009-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today, on the coldest day of the year (brrr for -27 tonight!), Jarren turns two months old! The changes we've seen in him are unbelievable:

He smiles all the time now, and recognizes Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Nadia.

His head control seems to be getting better daily, and he can lift his head during tummy time and look me in the face if I'm lying down in front of him, though he's still frustrated being on his stomach for long periods of time

He tracks us and moving objects, and turns his head to see Jon or I when we talk

He holds toys for brief periods of time, and will examine them intently if they're held or shaken in front of him. He's happy when he's on his playmat with rattles and toys to practice hitting and grabbing - though most connections are happy accidents so far.

He's sleeping for 5 1/2 hours at a time on average every night - heaven! He generally feeds around 9:30 pm, then sleeps for 1/2 an hour to an hour, then is awake and feeding frequently until he goes down for the night between 11:30 and 12.

He's found his voice -yells, coos, and a high pitched (and rather grating) squeal/whine have all been added to his repetoire of sounds. He's hysterical to talk to while we're having fun on the change table - his expressions and 'comments' never fail to make me giggle.

Jarren, we love you from your head to your wiggly little toes - happy 2 months, munchkin!

Unluck

2009-01-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Well, the sun doesn't shine every day.

Exhibit A:

After a basement flood last week that soaked our carpet at the foot of the stairs, the insulation, and turned the drywall to flaky mush, we had to rip open the wall to look for a foundation crack. Thankfully there isn't one, but we now have to regrade the ground outside to prevent water from sitting against the foundation when snow melts (which can't be done until warm weather), and then redo the wall and carpeting. Yikes.

Exhibit B:

After I stepped on them at some wicked wee hour of the morning, my glasses are toast. I have an appointment to go pick out new ones next week, which means more $$ out the door right after Christmas. I needed new ones anyways - I just thought I could procrastinate a little longer.

And the good news?

My son gave me an enormous grin when I got him out of his bassinet this morning. Made all my troubles disappear. (Or at least seem to for a while)

2009 - Here We Come!

2009-01-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

2009.

Wow. Did 2008 really speed by that fast? In my mind, last year was the Year of Being Pregnant - it seemed that the whole year revolved around the anticipation of Jarren's arrival. Now that he's here, he's already changed our lives immensely, and I'm so excited to see what's in store for us this year as he grows and changes. Resolutions aren't my thing, but looking ahead to the year yet to come, I have a few hopes, and a few anxieties:

I want to be as involved and attached as I possibly can with my son, to help him grow and learn in the way that feels most right to me as a parent. Too often I find myself feeling defensive about certain parenting choices already, like using cloth diapers, wearing the baby in a sling, or not wanting Jarren to watch TV. Sometimes I even feel that I'm under attack for wanting to breastfeed. (thank you for making me feel like crap, woman in the parking lot who was pointing and grimacing at me as I fed my son in the back of my car)

I hope to start spending more time with Jon as a husband, not just in his role as dad. We need to start making regular 'us' time - starting now!

I would like to start feeling fit again. Yes, most of my baby weight is gone, but I think that eating healthier and our Mom and Baby Yoga class are both going to improve my physical and mental outlook.

I worry, already, about the day I'm going to have to go back to work. Not only are daycare costs skyrocketing, but I wince when I think that Jarren would be spending more hours in a week with strangers than he would with us. I hope to find a better solution, somehow.

This year is going to be full of surprises, unforgettable moments, first laughs, bumps, bruises and growing pains - and that includes Jon and I as parents, too. If we can be succesful in loving, supporting and encouraging each other as well as Jarren, then the rest will follow. I can't wait to grow more as a Mom, and to see Jarren begin to explore the world around him. What exciting times we have to look forward to!

Happy New Year, to everyone!

And we slept...

2008-12-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

For 4 hours in a row last night.

Best. Holiday. Gift. Ever!

All right, not really. But I was thrilled to put Jarren down to sleep at 12:30, and then find myself not waking up to his wakeup noises until 4:45. It was lovely.

We had a good holiday week, fairly relaxing all in all. We woke up around 8 on Christmas morning (no sleeping in for Mr. Bright Eyes, here) and opened gifts from Poppa and Nanny, who sent some great gifts from their Australia trip and a Bundle Me Bag -very comfy! After that, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's for a pannetone breakfast (yum!) and gift giving there. It was great to receive lots of new 6-9 month clothing for Jarren - I suspect he'll be out of all of his 3 month clothing in another few weeks!

With some new outfits from Bubby

We also got a great gift from Jon's sister Nadia - Mom and Baby Yoga classes at Serenity Birth Studio here in Barrie. I'm really looking forward to a fun activity to do out of the house together, and it seems like a good way to gradually start getting back into shape again. We'll keep you posted!

After this weekend, I'm looking forward to getting back into our daily routine at home again. This week seems to have messed with Jarren's internal schedule, with the travelling back and forth to Jon's parent's all week, different people visiting and holding him (and sometimes not giving him up, even when he was obviously hungry/tired and upset - honestly, that bothered me) and different bedtimes as well. He wanted to nurse more often and for shorter periods at a time over the past few days, and had more green stools than usual. I also found that once it got to around 9 or 10 pm, (when we usually start his bedtime routine) he was so overstimulated that he would start getting fussy and grumpy until he finally crashed.

With Jon Christmas morning.

However, I've taken a deep mental breath, and things are getting back to normal. Now I'm going to figure out how to repeat that 4 hours of sleep again!

Phooee on acne

2008-12-22T14:12:00.001-08:00

I hate infant acne. Oh, I know it's harmless enough, usually, but to me, it looks like my baby's face has erupted like Vesuvius reborn. Jarren broke out with an ugly case of infant acne a few weeks ago, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better - in fact, there's no end in sight. Oddly enough, his face also seems to be dry in between the acne spots, causing more facial redness, and Jarren's starting to scratch. I've been applying Aveeno Baby to his face twice a day, and that seems to help with the itchy dryness without making his acne worse.

On top of that, he's also developed cradle cap in the past two days. *sigh* Poor liitle guy. Between the lotion on his cheeks and oil on his head, he must be thinking I'm prepping him for a beauty pageant. Either that, or a tossed salad.

In other news - I love his new BumGenius diapers! So far we've only had one leak, and that's been a urine leak one morning, which (I think) happened because the insert shifted to much overnight. The diapers are great so far at containing even the biggest poops that would have been blowouts in the disposables - and they come in fun colours, too. I even caught Jon) (who was extremely skeptical about the whole cloth diaper process from the beginning) showing them off to his Mom the other day.

We're finally just about ready for Christmas. Our shopping has been fairly simple this year, since we wanted to just focus on relaxing and spending time together, rather than spending hours on the crazy roads and in the even crazier stores. I absolutely hate keeping Jarren in his carseat longer than I have to - shopping marathons just aren't worth it.

More things I'm smiling about this week:

- Just 6 weeks after Jarren was born, I fit back into my old jeans. Whoo! They're still slightly snug, but I'm not doing any acrobatics to get into them. That warranted a secret happy dance in front of the bathroom mirror.

- Jarren is very aware of things around him now. He was intently staring at and hitting his hanging rattle this afternoon (though accidentally, I'm sure), and he loves to watch the blinking lights on the Christmas tree and the black ceiling fan in our bedroom. In fact, the ceiling fan elicits more smiles than Mommy or Daddy!

- Bedtime is getting better! The past two nights, Jarren's slept for around 3 hours at a stretch. He's also not seeming to need to eat as much at night - he now only takes one side at a feeding, then goes right back to sleep -which is a good sign, I think! He still doesn't want to actually go to sleep until about 11:30 at night, but he sleeps well in between feedings until morning. We've tried a few different tactics to help with bedtime. Warm baths, a massage, dimmed lights and wearing him in the sling before bedtime seem to be some of the most effective ways to get him into 'sleep' mode so far, with the sling being the best. Although we've tried swaddling, it seems to be hit and miss - some nights he sleeps well swaddled, other nights he fusses and squirms until he's unwrapped.

So, that's our week so far. I hope everyone has a wonderful, fulfilling holiday, and, most importantly, is able to spend it with family, friends, or other loved ones. Merry Christmas!

A Week of Firsts

2008-12-15T07:57:00.001-08:00

With all the holiday goings-on, we've had a busy week at our house. Aside from time with Jarren, I've been decorating, cleaning, and visiting with Jon's family this week, and in the midst of all of that, trying to catch up on emails, find time to start my Christmas shopping and cards, re-work my blog template....whew. It's a good thing I don't have anything going on today, and Jarren and I are just hanging out in our PJs this morning. I hope I don't have to answer the door for anything.

This weekend has been fanstastic, however - we hosted our annual Christmas party for friends - Cheryl, Scott, Kristine, Dan, Krista, Steve and Leslie came for an early turkey dinner. We had a lot of fun opening $5 gifts (it's amazing what great things you can find for only five bucks) and playing a game that Steve and Leslie brought over - a kind of timed verbal guessing game combined with Hot Potato. You had to get your team to guess the word on the game without saying the word, then pass the game to the other team before the buzzer sounded. It was a ton of fun - I might try to find it for our Christmas Eve dinner at the in-law's house this year.

Our party left both boys a little tired, however.

We're also excited that Jarren's had a few 'firsts' this week. Last Tuesday we were playing the Tummy Tickle game, and he broke out his first honest-to-goodness gummy baby smile for me. I think my face nearly cracked open from grinning back at him, and I'm pretty sure the dog thought I had gone crazy, since I tried nearly everything to get him to smile again right after, including the Squeaky Mommy Voice. Since then, he's smiling more and more - neck tickles seem to be a big hit these days.

We also tried a bottle for the first time this weekend. We had been meaning to wait until Jarren was at least 4-5 weeks before trying any type of bottle feeding, so we thought we'd give it a go this weekend. I have to say, pumping several times a day on top of feeding was a bit of a pain - I only seemed to get an ounce or so at each pumping session. We only tried one feeding session with a bottle (mainly because I didn't pump enough for more than that), but it seemed to go fairly well. Jon fed him, since general advice says that babies take a first bottle far better from someone other than Mom, and after a few moments of confusion on Jarren's part, he latched on to the bottle well. I went right back to breastfeeding at the next feeding, and luckily there was no confusion between how he latched on to bottle and breast. I think we'll keep the occasional (every week or two) bottle feeding and see how that goes. Eventually it'll be nice to be able to get out and be able to leave a bottle for him - I'm just not in a hurry to do that yet.

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Jarren!

2008-12-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

Well, plus one day. I didn't blog yesterday as we didn't get back from Jon's parents until late last night - we stayed over to watch the end of So You Think You Can Dance on their big screen TV, and I wasn't up to blogging at 11 pm at night, since Jarren actually decided he was going to go to sleep (and stay asleep) as soon as we got home.

The last month has flown by - not without warning, I have to add. I've had other parents tell me how quickly time seems to fly when you have children, and I find myself repeating the same sentiment to our childless friends - and it seems that almost daily, Jon and I look at each other and wonder where the time went.

Our gorgeous little guy has grown so much this month! He's so alert now, and his latest 'thing' is lights - any lights will do, but the lights on the Christmas tree are particularly fascinating for him. He's also become captivated by his own reflection in the mirror, which is great for squirmy diaper changes. His head control seems to improve daily - he prefers to hold his head up for longer periods of time when he's up on my shoulder, often for 15-30 seconds at a stretch.
Tummy time, however, is not popular in our house. The rainforest gym/mat combo we were given has a mirror and a musical singing bee, but even these can only occupy his attention for 10 minutes or so on his tummy, and then he begins to get grouchy, regardless of any new toys or distractions that are presented to him. I've found that he's much better if I break up tummy sessions into a few blocks every day.

On another note, I really surprised myself yesterday. Jon and I had some shopping to do, and before we left, we stopped in at Jon's parents' house for a quick visit. When we went to leave, Jon's mom offered to watch Jarren while we shopped. A 'No...we're taking him!' came flying out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Why? I have no clue - and looking back, it probably sounded pretty rude. I have such a hard time separating myself from him - which, I suppose, is a good thing, to some extent. However, he's going to have to eventually learn how to cope with new situations and new caregivers.... and I guess I'm going to have to learn how to cope with my newly found separation anxiety!

3 weeks - already?

2008-12-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

I'm astounded! How quickly time flies by - Jarren's 3 weeks old already, and creeping up on his 1 month birthday this weekend. Already I can see the differences - he's longer, heavier, and seems less fragile than the newborn he was a few weeks ago. He can hold his head up longer, and he's wide awake for longer periods during the day. He's beginning to follow my face when I move it slowly back and forth, and he likes to stare at our faces (and make some cute faces back at us) the bedroom blinds, the ceiling fan, and a picture of the dog on our calendar.

We had our 3 week checkup yesterday at the doctor's too. Though we're still waiting for the results of his hip ultrasound, I'm reassured that breastfeeding is going well - Jarren weighed a respectable 10lb, 14.5 oz, and is almost 22" now. He's outgrown his 1 month old clothing, and though the 3 month clothing is still a bit big, we're having to dress him in those outfits.

This past weekend we had a visit from Poppa and Nanny - my Dad and his fiancee Vicki.

We were really surprised when they first told us they were flying in from Calgary to see Jarren for the weekend - we weren't expecting them to see him until sometime next year. We had a great visit, albeit too short - I'm sure they would have snuck Jarren home on the plane with them if they could have. We went out to dinner at Jack Astor's on Saturday, and we were all astounded by how well Jarren slept through the blaring (and awful) Britney Spears music they had going. Aside from the music, we really liked the infant car seat cradles the restaurant provided - much better than balancing the seat on a chair or booth seat.

Sunday was a visiting day, too - Jon's aunt, uncle and cousins drove up from Richmond Hill to see Jarren for the first time, and I could swear that the game of the night was Hot Potato baby, he was passed around so much. As the weeks pass, I really find myself wishing that my family lived closer to us - it almost seems unfair that Jon's family will get to see more of Jarren as he grows and changes, though aside from spending all our money on airfare, there's not much I can do to change that - it's frustrating, and it makes me sad to know that Jarren won't know his family out West in the same way he'll know his family here.

Ah, well. After the weekend's excitement, it's been fairly quiet here at home. Jarren helped with some laundry last night....

... and we had fun trying on the Santa suit that Jon's sister Nadia bought for him this week. He's not so impressed with the hat. Tonight we're putting our Christmas tree up, and I have to see if I can dig our Christmas cds out from somewhere in our storage closet. I can't wait to snuggle on the couch with my husband and son, bask in the glow of tree lights, and enjoy our new family of three.

The good, the bad and the ugly

2008-11-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

It's fantastic to finally be posting for the first time about Jarren - not 'the baby', 'the bump', or 'the tap-dancing alien'. Our new arrival finally arrived - we gave him an eviction notice in the form of an induction on November 8, and he arrived at 1:57 am on Sunday, November 9. Becoming a mother, as most mothers know, has been and will be a phenomenal experience, one that defies all attempts at description by any medium. You truly can't know how it feels until you're here. I think I've laughed more joyously in the past two weeks than over my entire lifetime, I've found myself weeping over some very trivial (and some not so trivial) matters, and I've spent hours absorbed in the details of tiny hands, feet, ears and ever-changing baby expressions.

It's awe-inspiring.

That being said, the first few weeks haven't been all roses and sunshine. I present to you the good, the bad, and the ugly bits of our first few weeks of parenthood:

The Good:

- Our gorgeous son. It's so much fun to watch him day by day. He nearly broke our hearts (and Grandma's) when he smiled for the first time. It's fascinating to watch him watch us...or his musical bee, or stare open-mouthed at himself in the mirror. He's pure entertainment, and I can't stand the thought of him growing up already!

- Jon, who was involved up to his elbows from minute 1. He changes diapers, he sings made-up songs about the Canadian provinces as lullabies, he doles out kisses by the bucketful, and the look on his face as he held Jarren for the first time will always be one of my favorite memories. He also ran himself ragged trying to do it ALL the first week I was home from the hospital and still managed to be the strongest shoulder I could ever lean on.

-Friends and family, who really came though when needed, or gave us space to heal and recover before rushing over to visit. Both Grandmas were life-savers, cooking when they could for us, changing and holding Jarren when we were both worn out to pieces. My friend Cheryl, who stayed in the labour room with us for 18 hours and who helped me remember the meaning of 'relax!'

The Bad:

-Sleep, oh, sleep, where art thou? Waking every hour/hour and a half to the angry demands of a seemingly starving imp the first week had us both feeling like the walking dead, and me feeling like I should hang a bell around my neck and change my name to Bess (moo.) Thankfully, now our sleep routine has expanded to being awakened every 2-2.5 hours.

-The third diaper. Y'know when you've just put that clean diaper on, and you hear that ominous gurgle that precedes an explosive mess? You then wait for ominous mess to arrive, sigh, change the diaper again, and then, just as you're about to leave the changing table, there comes another rumble and explosion from the deep? The third diaper syndrome often seems to be accompanied by a mysterious explosive force that propels poo onto Mom's hand, and I find, tends to happen at 2am with frightening regularity.

-The pets, Eine especially, are lacking for attention, despite our best intentions and as many outings to the park as we can manage. The dog finds her outlet in chewing....stuff. Like my new mittens. Or a used breast pad fished out of the garbage in the bathroom - wonderful. She disemboweled her goose toy yesterday - all over the living room floor, causing my living room to look like it snowed indoors and causing my vaccuum cleaner to have a minor epileptic fit.

The Ugly:

-One word - tearing. Being unable to walk, sit, shift positions or lay down without pain was terrible.

-Breastfeeding was brutal for the first week. The lactation consultant at the hospital spent all of two minutes looking at my latch, telling me it was fine and telling me that intitial pain was completely normal and that it would pass - I knew that was crap, and by the time I was discharged from the hospital, I was cracked and bleeding on both sides. I spent the first 5 days in excruciating pain, thinking I needed to correct my latch (which I spent almost each entire nursing session doing) because it hurt like hell on earth, and spent an entire two nights sobbing from the pain as I nursed, with Jon frantically tried to figure out how to fix it/me. I can see why some people give up - thank goodness I didn't.

-Engorgement fever. My head was about to explode, I had chills, sweats, couldn't sleep for 2 days straight, and I nearly lost it on Jon's family when over for dinner one night. I did lose it on Jon, dramatically and hysterically one afternoon, and ended up collapsed on the bedroom floor weeping like a fool.

-Jon back at work. It seems that I can't do enough in the day. I feel guilty when he's off to work and doesn't have time for breakfast, or is running late because he didn't get enough sleep. Having one car is hard - if I need the car, we need to get up earlier and pack Jarren up in his carseat to take Jon to work. Jon's so tired when he comes home that he can barely keep his eyes open to take the baby for a while. I'm starting to feel like there's more I need to be doing, like making his lunch the night before, or getting his clothes ready, but the day goes by so quickly, and by the time we go to bed I'm exhausted myself.

So, there it is. Things have been getting easier daily, and, of course, this muchkin snoring away in his sling as I write this makes everything more than worthwhile.

I can't wait for the first smile, giggle, sit-up, and babble words to come along - though I have to laugh at myself - didn't I just say that I never want him to grow up?

Life at 41 weeks...or....get OUT already, baby!

2008-11-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

November 4th - the U.S. election is rocking the world, and the 1 week anniversary of my due date also happens to be today. This baby is super comfy in womb-world, and it doesn't look like things are about to change anytime soon. I can only hope that I get excited enough about the results tonight to start labour.

Self induction methods tried so far:

-Loooong walks
-Stair climbing (repeatedly)
-Doing laundry
-Vaccuuming
-Buckets of rapsberry leaf tea
-Spicy food
-Pineapple
-Stretching
-Giving several verbal eviction notices
-Threatening to start making baby pay rent

Additional suggestions are welcome.

I've been for a few non-stress tests, and have watched, green-faced with jealousy, the women being admitted to the birthing unit in actual labour when I'm there. My last test was this morning, during which I had a long discussion with the baby - "Well, we're already here, y'know. It's nice here - we want to stay for a while today, right? All it would take would be some, y'know, real contractions. Look, the nurses are wonderful - don't you want to meet them too?"

All I got for my attempt at premature parental advice was a good hoof to the ribs. Kids. Sheesh. So, it's left to me to wait a while longer, I suppose. But, fair warning, kid - if you're not here by Saturday, we're going to issue you our final eviction notice (aka an induction). In the meantime, our household has our fingers crossed for an Obama win in the U.S., and for a new arrival to make an entrance closer to home.

Still on the warming cycle...

2008-10-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

I went for another weekly OB appointment last week (I love my OB, by the way. She's professional, but warm and open and has no problem hanging around to answer any questions I might have.) Her good news for me was that I'm doing boringly well, and baby's growth seems to be consistently normal. Her bad news? She expected that I likely won't deliver for at least another 2 weeks. Argh. I realize my actual due date doesn't arrive for another week, but tell that to the newest stretch marks on my thighs (eek! woke up with those 2 days ago) and the tree limbs I have for ankles. I've found a godsend for my aches and restless legs at night, though - the bathtub! By the time I go into labour, I bet I'll be able to compete with any prune 'round this block.

I won't say that this weekend was particularly exciting, but it was productive. We raked the leaves on our lawn into a tidy pile (which was quickly rearranged by Eine), Jon did some yard work outside and furnace work inside, and we took a few walks with the dog. I finally managed to clean out and reorganize my pantry - something I've been saying I'll get to for the past 3 weeks! We're also getting the spare room and beds ready for when Mom and Tina arrive next week - I'm thrilled for them to be here when their grandson/daughter and niece/nephew arrives (although I wouldn't complain if the ball started rolling before then, either!).

The 38.5 week bump in the fall sun...

Fun with leaves (yes, her head is under the leaves here)

Waiting...

2008-10-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

It's only October 5th- is it really fair to be tired of waiting yet? I've been looking forward to starting my maternity leave for the past month, and yet, now that I'm here, I find myself wishing for the hustle and bustle of work again, just to keep myself from going crazy. That burst of energy most people refer to as nesting just hasn't hit me yet, so though I try to keep busy with housework at home, my energy level usually peters out around midday, and find myself crashing for a mid afternoon nap most days.

Last night was not a good one. I've found I'm one of those really lucky people who hasn't been experiencing the major discomforts of pregnancy...until now. Last night I could not settle. My legs were restless, my back ached, I was too warm (even though Jon felt like he needed another sweater or two) couldn't catch my breath, and couldn't have gotten more than an hour or two of sleep. I felt awful for Jon - nothing he offered to do helped. It's a taste of what's to come, I know, but I felt ready to leap out of my own body - my brain was screaming 'Enough! Let's have this baby NOW, please!'.

Thankfully, not every night is like this. Tonight I feel much better. Tomorrow, on to finishing the last load of laundry, and, if my willpower holds out, rearranging the pantry? We'll see.

On another note, I'm really excited that I get to slowly enjoy the seasons changing this year - the leaves are gorgeous around our house. The puppy and I have been out for several leisurely walks over the past week, and it's been fabulous to smell the leaves on the ground, spend some time in the fall sunshine, and smell the fireplaces burning at night. What a great time of year to have some time off!

So much for week by week.

2008-09-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the summer has flown by, and I, master-procrastinator that I am, have not posted any blog entries since May. However, now that I've officially begun my maternity leave at 36 weeks, I'm guessing I'll have more spare time on my hands over the next few weeks while waiting for our wee one to arrive.

One thing that boggles my mind? We're pretty much ready for the baby now. It seems that, even just a few weeks ago, we didn't seem physically or mentally prepared -the room wasn't set up, we were just starting prenatal classes, and our due date seemed to be floating hazily in the distant future. Now that I'm off work, the rapidly approaching birth of our baby has hit me over the head, so to speak. I'm as anxious as any new parent about the actual business of parenting - every 'what-if' there is has crossed my mind at some point during this pregnancy - but I find myself becoming more excited as each day passes. I sit in our rocking chair in the baby's room, singing to my belly as it rolls and bulges, telling it what the room looks like and how comfortable and cozy it'll be. I'm having fun washing and packing tiny sleepers and socks and hats.

*sigh* I can't wait to meet our son or daughter. Soon isn't soon enough!

Pop! goes the button on my jeans.

2008-05-06T11:55:00.001-07:00

All I have to say is that:

I can't fit into my pants anymore.

I'm eating more than Jon is. (mmm, crab legs. And cheese.)

I'm more 'meh' than 'yum' when it comes to steak.

I start huffing when I go up and down stairs, and feel pathetic and out-of-shape.

I'm starting to look like I've swallowed a large water balloon.

And, unfortunately, I find this funny, because this is such an accurate picture of what that damn hormone rollercoaster is doing. I get irritable if Jon aks me what I want for dinner, for pete's sake.

And you thought Mac N Cheese was cool...

2008-04-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are at almost 13 weeks. A few weeks ago, we went for our first portrait session - well, Baby J's, I should say. Really, the appointment was supposed to have a point other than eliciting much ooohing and ahhhing from Mom and Dad-to-be, but it turns out that my IPS testing really can't be done until this Friday. A big "take that" to my doctor, who figured I was several weeks further along than I really am.

So far, I'm still doing...well, very well. I really do need to come up with some alternate, funny answers to all the "how are you?" questions I get everywhere I go. I'm still crossing my fingers and toes that the spectre of morning sickness continues to stay away as it has for the past 3 months, but other than feeling like I've run 10k the occasional afternoons after something as non-eventful as loading the dishwasher, it's all good.

Jon seems to be finding my appetite amusing - I think he's secretly pleased that I can almost keep up to him in the food department now.

Speaking of eating, I'm off to grab some lunch - and maybe a midafternoon snack after that.

First step - tell 'em all!

2008-03-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, all right. We didn't tell everyone, but yesterday we sprang The News on Jon's parents, sister, and my mom and sisters, and Cheryl. What news, you ask?
Well, to go back a few weeks.... *cue Twilight Zone music here*

The last week of February, I started having some odd stomach issues. I'm not usually one to get sick, so at the time, I blamed it on something I'd eaten (I think it was chili) the night before. However, I continued in this pattern over the next few days, and then figured out that other things weren't exactly as they should be either. One morning, Jon looked at me as I walked out of the bathroom (again), quirked an eyebrow, and cracked, "Hey - d'you think you could be pregnant?"

I quirked an eyebrow back. There's only one way to find out, really. Turns out, pregnancy tests are darn expensive - what the heck are they thinking, charging almost $16 for a plastic stick to pee on? Anyways, back home we went, into the bathroom I went (again), and voila - 2 lines!

Jon was stunned, at first. As in, jaw-hit-the-floor kind of stunned. Oh, we've talked endlessly about what it's going to be like to have kids, how we're both looking forward to having them, and now that we had the house, we decided that things were going well enough for us to think about adding another member (non-furry, this time!) to our home.
I don't think he expected it to happen so soon, though. It was like, ready, set, mission accomplished! Now he has a definite countdown to the time when he will actually have to change diapers, get up at 2am, listen to lullabies instead of Metallica, and endure spit-up on his good jeans.

Soon, enough, however, he started grinning. Giggling, too. Now he's as brim-full of baby plans as he is home improvement projects, and it was so much fun watching him tell everyone the good news yesterday.

For the moment, I'm doing very well. No more sickness (in fact, really none after that first few days). I'm a bit more tired, and seem to be hungry more, but so far things are going well. Our first ultrasound is scheduled for April 17th, which should be exciting, and hopefully we'll get some pictures to post soon.

Here's to new parenthood!