Yesterday Owen stood on his own for about two seconds. It happened by accident when he was examining some drink coasters at the coffee table. He had one, then two, in this hands and then couldn't hold on.
Today we were at Grandma's for Thanksgiving and he stood for about 30 seconds shaking a rattle.
Look out.
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Monday, October 11, 2010
It's been a while
No, this is not a Nickleback song, but it has been a long time since I posted. I thought that our exile in Bridgeland would afford lots of opportunities to post, but it turns out that life got in the way. I will therefore attempt to recap.
Owen's birthday kept going and going. He had cake two separate times and loved each and every bite. I thought there'd be more mess. However, I guess when he's really motivated, most of the food makes it in the mouth.
He got lots of presents from lots of great friends and family. He's already enjoying many of them and will continue to enjoy many for years to come.
Trying to balance work and family has been difficult. I have brought way more work home, and actually done some of it. I am glad to be back at work though. Not to say that I didn't enjoy my year off with Owen, but I do love my work. I remember a colleague telling me that having kids would change the kind of teacher I was. They were right. I feel like I can empathize with my students more. Not that I didn't care before. It just feels different.
We finally made it to the end of our renting lives and after it all it wasn't too bad. What a dump that place was though. It was cleaner when we left it than it was when we arrived.
It was a bit shocking to see how much stuff we have. We are no where near unpacked. It's hard with Owen. We've bought lots of baby gates. He is a maniac. Despite having a million toys, all he wants to play with are the stairs, the cupboards, and whatever else will be dangerous. Maya's food is now officially on the counter. I will say that he is pretty good at getting up stairs. Also, he's not too bad a getting down, but he needs to be reminded to turn around. Otherwise he tries to do the skeleton down the stairs.
Nevertheless, we are home and loving it. Now time to start renovations.
Owen's birthday kept going and going. He had cake two separate times and loved each and every bite. I thought there'd be more mess. However, I guess when he's really motivated, most of the food makes it in the mouth.
He got lots of presents from lots of great friends and family. He's already enjoying many of them and will continue to enjoy many for years to come.
Trying to balance work and family has been difficult. I have brought way more work home, and actually done some of it. I am glad to be back at work though. Not to say that I didn't enjoy my year off with Owen, but I do love my work. I remember a colleague telling me that having kids would change the kind of teacher I was. They were right. I feel like I can empathize with my students more. Not that I didn't care before. It just feels different.
We finally made it to the end of our renting lives and after it all it wasn't too bad. What a dump that place was though. It was cleaner when we left it than it was when we arrived.
It was a bit shocking to see how much stuff we have. We are no where near unpacked. It's hard with Owen. We've bought lots of baby gates. He is a maniac. Despite having a million toys, all he wants to play with are the stairs, the cupboards, and whatever else will be dangerous. Maya's food is now officially on the counter. I will say that he is pretty good at getting up stairs. Also, he's not too bad a getting down, but he needs to be reminded to turn around. Otherwise he tries to do the skeleton down the stairs.
Nevertheless, we are home and loving it. Now time to start renovations.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Happy Birthday
One year ago, on August 20, Owen was born. A year later, we are living in a crappy apartment, counting down the days until we move into our new (to us) home. Even still, we had a little party to celebrate Owen's first birthday. There is a party planned, but with all the craziness we have planned it next weekend.
Kris went all out, buying a banner, candles and a party hat for the birthday boy. Of course there was cake. Owen loved it. See for yourself
Kris went all out, buying a banner, candles and a party hat for the birthday boy. Of course there was cake. Owen loved it. See for yourself
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
44 sleeps
My feet are killing me! I haven't worn heels (other than the occasional dinner date or Symphony event) for more than a couple of hours since about 12 weeks pregnant. I'm still not sure if my feet have changed size... they say that can happen when you get pregnant. What I do know is that they are swollen now. And, I have blisters too. I have only brought 3 pairs of dress shoes to the apartment, all of them heels of some sort. I may have to go on a shopping expedition.
My birthday is tomorrow. What a crazy year! Last year on my birthday, my water broke in the front of an Indian Take-out resturaunt. Now, a year later, we have become renters... I have never rented before in my life. Well, except for the summer I spent in Medicine Hat studying rattlesnakes. But that doesn't really count because everything was arranged by my job. I pseudo-lived on my own. It is wierd.
Kris printed out a bunch of pages with numbers from 46 to 1. We are crossing off the days. Still not sure what we're gonna do about the soft matress. I looked again on kijiji. No deals better than buying new from Ikea.
Owen has started really 4-point crawling. Kavin, one of the dayhome kids noticed it today. According to him, Owen made about 2 or 3 left-right's. Tonight, he went maybe 6 or 7. Look out tomorrow!
Tomorrow is the first real day of classes. 5 full classes with 30-ish kids a piece. I hope I'm ready.
My birthday is tomorrow. What a crazy year! Last year on my birthday, my water broke in the front of an Indian Take-out resturaunt. Now, a year later, we have become renters... I have never rented before in my life. Well, except for the summer I spent in Medicine Hat studying rattlesnakes. But that doesn't really count because everything was arranged by my job. I pseudo-lived on my own. It is wierd.
Kris printed out a bunch of pages with numbers from 46 to 1. We are crossing off the days. Still not sure what we're gonna do about the soft matress. I looked again on kijiji. No deals better than buying new from Ikea.
Owen has started really 4-point crawling. Kavin, one of the dayhome kids noticed it today. According to him, Owen made about 2 or 3 left-right's. Tonight, he went maybe 6 or 7. Look out tomorrow!
Tomorrow is the first real day of classes. 5 full classes with 30-ish kids a piece. I hope I'm ready.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
45 sleeps
I always thought that the function of a box-spring was to make the bed "normal height". I now know that to be incorrect. We have moved our mattress to the apartment and put it on the floor and it is now way softer than it used to be. So much so that Kris went to the chiropractor today and I have woken up the last two mornings with my left arm so numb that it actually doesn't move properly for a few minutes. I haven't slept well for this reason, among others. I woke up this morning exhausted.
Going back to work hasn't been a piece of cake either. A lot is the same; except that I now have to remember how things went 2 years ago, rather than one. It's starting to come back to me but slowly.
In all of it I'm just so glad I don't have to worry about Owen. Today when I picked him up she gave me a loaf of grain bread that she whipped up today. It was delicious.
Going back to work hasn't been a piece of cake either. A lot is the same; except that I now have to remember how things went 2 years ago, rather than one. It's starting to come back to me but slowly.
In all of it I'm just so glad I don't have to worry about Owen. Today when I picked him up she gave me a loaf of grain bread that she whipped up today. It was delicious.
Monday, August 16, 2010
46 days and counting...
We spent the better part of this weekend moving the bare essentials of our daily existence into the crappiest apartment in Bridgeland. It is awful. It wasn't very clean, although they said it would be, and it isn't furnished, although the original ad said it could be. But its cheap. Before moving I thought it would be like college living meets being stranded in Europe, but its kinda worse. Poor Owen doesn't know what to do. He is having a really hard time adjusting to sleeping in his playpen. Both last night and tonight he's taken about a half an hour to decide to lay down. Last night Kris just laid down beside him and waited for him to fall asleep. Tonight, I laid there and watched him stand at the edge of the playpen, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. He fell down and picked himself up about 10 times before he was too tired and uncoordinated to get up again. At that point I left and he fell asleep.
We are here for 46 more sleeps. I can't wait. This place blows.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We are here for 46 more sleeps. I can't wait. This place blows.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Packing, Packing, Packing
I have had Owen in care every day since we got back from Saskatoon last weekend. I've been so busy with packing that I haven't even had a chance to be sad that we're not together. Today though, it hit me. Tomorrow is officially our last day together. We have Salsa Babies at 11 am so I decided to keep him for the day. We are going to have lots of fun. No packing, just enjoying each other's company.
Yesterday at dinner, Owen stood up in the playpen all by himself. He's going to do a lot of firsts in this next year and I'm sad I might not be the first one to see them. I think I can appreciate more how Kris felt when he went back to work.
Thanks to Jean Chretien for giving us a year to look after our babies.
Yesterday at dinner, Owen stood up in the playpen all by himself. He's going to do a lot of firsts in this next year and I'm sad I might not be the first one to see them. I think I can appreciate more how Kris felt when he went back to work.
Thanks to Jean Chretien for giving us a year to look after our babies.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Step two, buy a house
Well, we've finally done it. In true meticulous shopper fashion, as Kris and I both are, we found a house almost identical to the first house we viewed when this all began. We both love the split level bungalows. They tend to be bigger and the stairs break up the spaces, making them
more interesting than the classic post-war bungalow. The first property we viewed was a split with extensive renovations. It was beautiful, but didn't have any room to grow, no storage, only 3 levels (bedrooms, living-dining-kitchen, and half-basement family room/man cave, and a very small yard. Eventually, we found the same house, without the renos, but with a 4th level, unfinished, where we can put a guest bedroom and a play area for kids. Not to mention storage and a space to make a wine cellar. Bigger lot, 2 car garage, and a back yard that is essentially a blank slate. There was some negotiating on the price and we ended up with a pretty good deal. Though the sale is pending home inspection, I feel confident in saying that our new address will be 9 Haverhill Drive SW. Is it silly that I'm very excited to live on a name street (for the first time in my life)? I'm also, even though its gonna be a lot of BS, really excited to decide on tiles and backslashes and paint colors and such.
Bad news is that we don't move in until Oct 1. So we are renting a crap apartment in Bridgeland for 45 days. I am trying to think about it like it's a Europe/vacation from reality kind of thing. The difference being that I have to go to work every day. Oh well, it's a means to an end. And there is an end in sight.
Europe really changed my outlook on life. There was a lot of "suck it up, buttercup" during our extended stay across the pond. Now that we're back home I feel like I can handle way more adversity than before. I keep thinking, "it's not like we're sleeping in a train station in Venice. And with a baby no less."
We are moving into the home where we will raise our children. How awesome is that?
more interesting than the classic post-war bungalow. The first property we viewed was a split with extensive renovations. It was beautiful, but didn't have any room to grow, no storage, only 3 levels (bedrooms, living-dining-kitchen, and half-basement family room/man cave, and a very small yard. Eventually, we found the same house, without the renos, but with a 4th level, unfinished, where we can put a guest bedroom and a play area for kids. Not to mention storage and a space to make a wine cellar. Bigger lot, 2 car garage, and a back yard that is essentially a blank slate. There was some negotiating on the price and we ended up with a pretty good deal. Though the sale is pending home inspection, I feel confident in saying that our new address will be 9 Haverhill Drive SW. Is it silly that I'm very excited to live on a name street (for the first time in my life)? I'm also, even though its gonna be a lot of BS, really excited to decide on tiles and backslashes and paint colors and such.
Bad news is that we don't move in until Oct 1. So we are renting a crap apartment in Bridgeland for 45 days. I am trying to think about it like it's a Europe/vacation from reality kind of thing. The difference being that I have to go to work every day. Oh well, it's a means to an end. And there is an end in sight.
Europe really changed my outlook on life. There was a lot of "suck it up, buttercup" during our extended stay across the pond. Now that we're back home I feel like I can handle way more adversity than before. I keep thinking, "it's not like we're sleeping in a train station in Venice. And with a baby no less."
We are moving into the home where we will raise our children. How awesome is that?
Friday, July 30, 2010
Make me an offer
Today is the day the offer goes firm on the sale of our condo in Parkdale. Last night we saw a property in Willow Park that we really like. We went back today to take another look and put a offer on it. The place is vacant (sort of) and is listed for possession of 10 days. It kinda all works out, if it all works out...
...which it didn't. Turns out that the guy wasn't that interested in selling. He could make more money renting. Bastard.
I'm trying my best not to get my hopes up or get excited/nervous.
We've been on the road pretty much all day so naps have been a lost cause. Despite it all though, Owen has been in great form. He was slightly whiney when we were signing papers, but that's about it. He's slept a bit in the car.
What a trooper.
...which it didn't. Turns out that the guy wasn't that interested in selling. He could make more money renting. Bastard.
I'm trying my best not to get my hopes up or get excited/nervous.
We've been on the road pretty much all day so naps have been a lost cause. Despite it all though, Owen has been in great form. He was slightly whiney when we were signing papers, but that's about it. He's slept a bit in the car.
What a trooper.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Step one, sell the condo
I'll start this post by saying two things:
As an aside, last August 19th, I was standing in the Indian takeout resturant picking up my birthday dinner when my water broke. Ran down my leg and onto the floor. Owen was born the next day.
Tuesday we looked at 9 properties in Kingsland, Haysboro and Chinook Park. Two were nice, but neither had everything we really want. We have decided not to settle, just because we're on a tight timeline. We can rent an apartment close to downtown for $1000 a month and store our stuff with a mover for $50. A small price to pay to get the home we will raise our kids in.
Tomorrow we are going to see a bunch more homes in Willow Park, Maple Ridge, and Lakeview... there are a couple in there we are really excited about. They look really nice in the pictures.
- We listed our condo about a month ago... we are bursting at the seams. Owen needs space to roam around and his toys aren't getting any smaller. We've had a handful of showings, but I didn't expect much last weekend... in the midst of packing for the trip I got a call that there would be a showing. Hence why we didn't leave town until about 3pm.
- There is no cell service in Yoho... anywhere. Off the grid.
As an aside, last August 19th, I was standing in the Indian takeout resturant picking up my birthday dinner when my water broke. Ran down my leg and onto the floor. Owen was born the next day.
Tuesday we looked at 9 properties in Kingsland, Haysboro and Chinook Park. Two were nice, but neither had everything we really want. We have decided not to settle, just because we're on a tight timeline. We can rent an apartment close to downtown for $1000 a month and store our stuff with a mover for $50. A small price to pay to get the home we will raise our kids in.
Tomorrow we are going to see a bunch more homes in Willow Park, Maple Ridge, and Lakeview... there are a couple in there we are really excited about. They look really nice in the pictures.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Weekend Camping and Hike in Yoho
We organized a weekend camping trip to Yoho National Park last weekend. We left town at about 3 pm with hopes to get a spot at the main campground, Kicking Horse. When we got there, of course it was full. The back up plan, to go to walk in sites at Takkakaw Falls was also a bust. We ended up finding a site 20 km further down the road at Chancelor Peak at about 8:30. At least there was a fire pit, which many sites in Yoho don't have. Owen really had a tough time getting to sleep, mostly because he fell asleep in the car on the journey to our campsite. He cried for over an hour.
He woke up at 2:30 am and was inconsolable. I rubbed his back and whispered for him to go back to sleep but nothing seemed to work. Had I brought a soother, I would have used it but I left them at home for that very reason. It felt like the whole campground could hear him. Not to mention that there was a young black bear in the area, which we were now advertising ourselves to. After probably a good 45 minutes, I brought him into the sleeping bag with me. Still pretty upset, I gave him a breast, which he happily took and then fell back asleep. He slept between Kris and I for the rest of the night. The next morning, when I saw Kris wrapped up in his sleeping bag like it was a cocoon, and saw that the ceiling vent was wide open, I realized why he was so upset. Cold. Probably freezing, actually.
roaring whitewaters,
We sat inside for a while and relaxed. The lemonade (Country Time Crystals... way too sweet) was awesome.
The guys who served us told us there was a different way down, which Kris was particularly happy to do. He's always happier to do a loop than an up-and-back style because you get to see different things. It was only one more kilometer (so now we're up to 17 km round trip...) and took us through an old avalanche area. Very cool, but mentally challenging.
It would not do well to break an ankle in there, which was when we realized we didn't have an emergency blanket, or a first aid kit. Foolish.
After the rocky traverse, there was a T-intersection of trails, and we took a left, just like the kids up top told us to... never mind that there was a sign that the trail wasn't maintained. Secretly, I shook my fist at the boys. Didn't they see we had a baby? The trail was supposed to get us back to laughing falls, a pretty big falls we saw on the way up. We heard the water and thought it wouldn't be that far. The sound got quieter, and then louder as we walked. After about 30 minutes, and through a few areas of treefall, where Kris and I both scraped our legs, we came to a bit of a clearing and saw... twin falls! We had been going the wrong way!
Thankfully we had the sense to turn back and got back on the right trail and made our way down. Owen was very upset though. He'd been stuck in that carrier all day and, though he is a pretty patient baby, this was just too much. Plus, I'm pretty sure he felt our stress mounting as we got more and more lost and the sun got deeper and deeper in the sky.
It was an adventure... about 21 km in all after the twists and turns. Not a choice I'd make with a baby, but it all worked out.
He woke up at 2:30 am and was inconsolable. I rubbed his back and whispered for him to go back to sleep but nothing seemed to work. Had I brought a soother, I would have used it but I left them at home for that very reason. It felt like the whole campground could hear him. Not to mention that there was a young black bear in the area, which we were now advertising ourselves to. After probably a good 45 minutes, I brought him into the sleeping bag with me. Still pretty upset, I gave him a breast, which he happily took and then fell back asleep. He slept between Kris and I for the rest of the night. The next morning, when I saw Kris wrapped up in his sleeping bag like it was a cocoon, and saw that the ceiling vent was wide open, I realized why he was so upset. Cold. Probably freezing, actually.
The hike we planned was to Twin Falls, where there is a CPR chalet built in the early 1900's. Reading online, the hike was about 6 km one way. Considerably longer than our last one, but still totally do-able. When we got to the trailhead, signage told us that the falls were 6.2 km, but the chalet was 7.9 km. Oops, oh well, we were there, and somewhat committed. Still, 16 km round trip shouldn't be too bad, right? The hike was spectacular. Lots of amazing sights - stunning waterfalls,
roaring whitewaters,
and glacier topped mountains.
There were a few steep parts, but lots of flatter sections too so it wasn't too strenuous. Plus, we knew there was some juice or tea or something waiting for us at the top.
We sat inside for a while and relaxed. The lemonade (Country Time Crystals... way too sweet) was awesome.
The guys who served us told us there was a different way down, which Kris was particularly happy to do. He's always happier to do a loop than an up-and-back style because you get to see different things. It was only one more kilometer (so now we're up to 17 km round trip...) and took us through an old avalanche area. Very cool, but mentally challenging.
After the rocky traverse, there was a T-intersection of trails, and we took a left, just like the kids up top told us to... never mind that there was a sign that the trail wasn't maintained. Secretly, I shook my fist at the boys. Didn't they see we had a baby? The trail was supposed to get us back to laughing falls, a pretty big falls we saw on the way up. We heard the water and thought it wouldn't be that far. The sound got quieter, and then louder as we walked. After about 30 minutes, and through a few areas of treefall, where Kris and I both scraped our legs, we came to a bit of a clearing and saw... twin falls! We had been going the wrong way!
Thankfully we had the sense to turn back and got back on the right trail and made our way down. Owen was very upset though. He'd been stuck in that carrier all day and, though he is a pretty patient baby, this was just too much. Plus, I'm pretty sure he felt our stress mounting as we got more and more lost and the sun got deeper and deeper in the sky.
It was an adventure... about 21 km in all after the twists and turns. Not a choice I'd make with a baby, but it all worked out.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Salsa dancing
Today, Owen and I started "Salsa Babies". It was super fun. Owen sat in the baby carrier, the same one we used during our trip to Europe. He got a maraca and then we danced. We danced the merengue, the cha cha, salsa, and another I don't remember the name of.
I'm sort of paying for it now. I went to the gym yesterday and did an all core workout. The sexy dancing is also pretty hard on the core. I ache. But in a good way.
At home today, Owen set a new record for standing at the coffee table. He stood on his tip-toes and bounced and smiled...
and tried to eat the table. Cute.
I'm sort of paying for it now. I went to the gym yesterday and did an all core workout. The sexy dancing is also pretty hard on the core. I ache. But in a good way.
At home today, Owen set a new record for standing at the coffee table. He stood on his tip-toes and bounced and smiled...
and tried to eat the table. Cute.
Monday, July 19, 2010
New Haircut
Today Owen got his first haircut. He needed it (who knew!).
Kris made him an appointment at Beaners. It's pretty cool. They had a highchair for Owen to sit in that looked like a tractor seat, complete with steering wheel. Owen loved it.
The stylist was really good, despite Owen moving his head all the time to try to see what she was up to. She had a tin full of beads for him to look at and shake. Of course, he wanted his own comb to play with too. It ended up in his mouth a few times. Mmmm... Barbicide.
What a handsome devil. Owen that is... hehe
Kris made him an appointment at Beaners. It's pretty cool. They had a highchair for Owen to sit in that looked like a tractor seat, complete with steering wheel. Owen loved it.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The First Stampede
We went to your third Stampede breakfast today. It was yummy. Owen ate another whole pancake, some sausage and a bunch of hash browns. I know, deluxe Stampede Breakfast. Our MLA. Who happens to be the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party. He needs all the help he can get.
Owen started his first Stampede asleep. We cruised the midway and all the noise and sirens woe him up. Go figure.
Owen went on two rides, one with Mom and one with Dad. I think he had fun. He "oohed" a couple of times. I think he even cracked a smile.
We also took him to the Agri-dome to see the cows, baby pigs and baby chicks. He did his little high pitched "huh". Like he does when he sees Maya. It was cute.
On the soother front, he fell asleep tonight after only a half hour of crying. And the crying wasn't that bad. I'm trying to see the positive.
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Owen started his first Stampede asleep. We cruised the midway and all the noise and sirens woe him up. Go figure.
Owen went on two rides, one with Mom and one with Dad. I think he had fun. He "oohed" a couple of times. I think he even cracked a smile.
We also took him to the Agri-dome to see the cows, baby pigs and baby chicks. He did his little high pitched "huh". Like he does when he sees Maya. It was cute.
On the soother front, he fell asleep tonight after only a half hour of crying. And the crying wasn't that bad. I'm trying to see the positive.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sans soother, day two
I guess it was silly of me to think that this would be easy. I mean, he frikkin' loves that thing! So today when he went down for his nap and cried for 45 minutes straight, I gave in. He was out in less than 30 seconds.
Well I probably didn't do him any favors in the end because when we put him down for the night things didn't go so well then either. He cried pretty solid for 10 minutes, which turned into 20, and then 30, 40, 50, and 60. I felt awful and went in after about 45 minutes, which only made it worse.
He'd start to sound like he was settling down, and id start to feel relieved for him, and then it seemed to start all over again. After an hour, Kris made me go out on the patio so I didn't have to listen to him cry any more. It was breaking my heart. He stopped crying shortly after.
I have to keep telling myself that this is the best thing for him. It's devastating in the moment but after its over he won't even remember what a soother is.
Well I probably didn't do him any favors in the end because when we put him down for the night things didn't go so well then either. He cried pretty solid for 10 minutes, which turned into 20, and then 30, 40, 50, and 60. I felt awful and went in after about 45 minutes, which only made it worse.
He'd start to sound like he was settling down, and id start to feel relieved for him, and then it seemed to start all over again. After an hour, Kris made me go out on the patio so I didn't have to listen to him cry any more. It was breaking my heart. He stopped crying shortly after.
I have to keep telling myself that this is the best thing for him. It's devastating in the moment but after its over he won't even remember what a soother is.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sans soother, day one
I didn't wake up this morning thinking, "This is it! No more soother." Nope. Those who know me know I'm a terrible procrastinator. So even though I've been thinking about getting rid of the thing since just before Italy I was no closer to actually doing it. I worried terribly about how bad the crying would be, especially for Kris, who I felt couldn't afford to loose sleep during the week, and selfishly not wanting to loose sleep on the weekend myself. But, (perhaps even more selfishly) I don't want to have to negotiate the soother away from him when he's old enough to be sad for the loss and mad at me for causing his pain. So I knew it had to be done.
Lately Kris has been bringing the soother in with Owen in the mornings because he's been cranky after the morning feed.
Yea, Kris gets up every morning and brings Owen to our bed for me to breastfeed. It's very sweet I think.
Anyway, Owen sucks on the thing for a bit and then likes to:
-take it out,
-look a it from all angles,
-bite the sucky part while pulling it out of his mouth,
-try to stick the whole thing in his mouth (which I watched him do with more success than I think was safe),
-and shake it like a rattle in his hand.
It was during that last part that the soother flew out of his hand and fell through the rungs on our headboard. Well, it is an absolute disaster under our bed so I didn't want to get it right then.
By the time nap time rolled around I still hadn't managed to get up the courage to brave the underneath, so I just put him to bed without the soother. Everything else I kept the same - his story, closing the blinds and saying "Night, night" to the sunshine, just no soother.
I left like I always do, closed the door a bit and listened to him wail like he was possessed by a demon for the next 25 minutes. I went in there to watch him and try to reassure him that he could fall asleep like a big boy. It was pretty futile. He writhed around from front to back, back to front all over his bed, grabbing at the rungs of the crib. I felt pain in the pit of my stomach and also felt like laughing. It was so awful it was comical, like some James T. Kirk emoting wannabe. I couldn't take it anymore so I left his room.
And then, it stopped. Five minutes later I went in and he was sleeping. And he slept for almost the next three hours. I honestly thought he'd cry for an hour the first time without his soother and I wasn't sure I could take it for that long.
Later, we went down to Stampede to meet Grandma Chris. We saw the dream home, ate dinner and walked the exhibits. We didn't leave until 8. I drove my mom home so naturally Owen fell asleep in he carseat. Probably not the most ideal situation in which to continue this experiment, but hey, go hard or go home. I assumed if there was 20 minutes of wailing today that there'd be maybe 10 tonight. Nope. Wrong again. He hummed to himself for about 15 minutes and then he was asleep. It's now 11:15 and I've heard him stir slightly once.
I am blessed with the best baby in the world. At least for now.
Lately Kris has been bringing the soother in with Owen in the mornings because he's been cranky after the morning feed.
Yea, Kris gets up every morning and brings Owen to our bed for me to breastfeed. It's very sweet I think.
Anyway, Owen sucks on the thing for a bit and then likes to:
-take it out,
-look a it from all angles,
-bite the sucky part while pulling it out of his mouth,
-try to stick the whole thing in his mouth (which I watched him do with more success than I think was safe),
-and shake it like a rattle in his hand.
It was during that last part that the soother flew out of his hand and fell through the rungs on our headboard. Well, it is an absolute disaster under our bed so I didn't want to get it right then.
By the time nap time rolled around I still hadn't managed to get up the courage to brave the underneath, so I just put him to bed without the soother. Everything else I kept the same - his story, closing the blinds and saying "Night, night" to the sunshine, just no soother.
I left like I always do, closed the door a bit and listened to him wail like he was possessed by a demon for the next 25 minutes. I went in there to watch him and try to reassure him that he could fall asleep like a big boy. It was pretty futile. He writhed around from front to back, back to front all over his bed, grabbing at the rungs of the crib. I felt pain in the pit of my stomach and also felt like laughing. It was so awful it was comical, like some James T. Kirk emoting wannabe. I couldn't take it anymore so I left his room.
And then, it stopped. Five minutes later I went in and he was sleeping. And he slept for almost the next three hours. I honestly thought he'd cry for an hour the first time without his soother and I wasn't sure I could take it for that long.
Later, we went down to Stampede to meet Grandma Chris. We saw the dream home, ate dinner and walked the exhibits. We didn't leave until 8. I drove my mom home so naturally Owen fell asleep in he carseat. Probably not the most ideal situation in which to continue this experiment, but hey, go hard or go home. I assumed if there was 20 minutes of wailing today that there'd be maybe 10 tonight. Nope. Wrong again. He hummed to himself for about 15 minutes and then he was asleep. It's now 11:15 and I've heard him stir slightly once.
I am blessed with the best baby in the world. At least for now.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Is it too gross?
Is it too gross to blog about Owen's poo?
I have often bragged, astounded, and worried here about the amount of food Owen consumes at a sitting (let alone in a day), but I don't think I've said anything about the result of all this eating. Today, that changes.
Owen had the most monumental, half-digested pea filled, disgusting poo of his life. I thanked God, the gods, and anyone else who would listen that I've stuck with the cloth diapers. No pampers or huggies could have stood up the force of this mess. I'm pleased to report that although the diaper and cover were completely covered, there wasn't a pea to be found on any of his clothes. Yuck!
I have often bragged, astounded, and worried here about the amount of food Owen consumes at a sitting (let alone in a day), but I don't think I've said anything about the result of all this eating. Today, that changes.
Owen had the most monumental, half-digested pea filled, disgusting poo of his life. I thanked God, the gods, and anyone else who would listen that I've stuck with the cloth diapers. No pampers or huggies could have stood up the force of this mess. I'm pleased to report that although the diaper and cover were completely covered, there wasn't a pea to be found on any of his clothes. Yuck!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Ye haw!
It's officially Stampede. Uncle Chet's in town and the little cowpoke is excited to do some ranchin'
Thursday, July 8, 2010
First Stampede Breakfast
Owen and I went to the Stampede Breakfast at CBC this morning. I've always meant to go but could never get up early enough. Somehow that's no longer a problem for me. So off we went.
When we got there the line wasn't too bad. I'd kinda cut Owen's breakfast short and brought it with us figuring I could just feed him in the line. As I went to grab the Tupperware I saw some guy out of the corner of my eye who I thought looked familiar. Then I saw this man's wife follow behind him, an Asian woman. And then it clicked. It was Jack Leighton.
We got two plates and two juice boxes. Owen got one pancake, no sausage, no syrup. I got two pancakes, a sausage and lots of syrup. Owen ate the whole thing and loved it.
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When we got there the line wasn't too bad. I'd kinda cut Owen's breakfast short and brought it with us figuring I could just feed him in the line. As I went to grab the Tupperware I saw some guy out of the corner of my eye who I thought looked familiar. Then I saw this man's wife follow behind him, an Asian woman. And then it clicked. It was Jack Leighton.
We got two plates and two juice boxes. Owen got one pancake, no sausage, no syrup. I got two pancakes, a sausage and lots of syrup. Owen ate the whole thing and loved it.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Nice dinner with me ma
So the original plan was for mom to come over today and hang out with Owen and I. We would do some running around - cuz I know she loves it- and then home for Owen's nap. While he slept, we would make some food for him. Still loving the food, so much that the freezer is bare (for him, at least). Sadly - though not for her - she got a job and it started today. I did still manage to make a few things while he napped. A delicious turkey and veg medley, an apple parsnip carrot finger salad, and a red lentil rice and veg mix. Last time I made lentils they were yellow and he didn't care for them unless they were mixed with something. Hopefully he will like the red and mixed.
He's been doing a lot better at a few things, even since the weekend. His forward motion is crazy fast. Still commando style but man can he motor. And he's also much better at getting from sitting to crawling.
His walking is also much better. Now before you get all crazy thinking he's walking, he's not except when you hold him up. But he now willingly puts one foot in front of the other, which he didn't consistently do before.
I'm tired from chasing him around today. I really can't leave him alone for a second. He is fixated on the doors, opening and closing them, which is great except i've had to take off all the plastic ends so he doesn't try to eat them/choke on them. So the door is getting sorta wrecked. To be honest though, I can't be bothered to stop him. He's so into discovering how the door works that I cant bring myself to take him away from it.
He also continues to be enthralled with the lamp. Ive discovered that he cant actually tip the lamp over because the cord's too taut. The speaker stand however, is easy to topple and much heavier. He's brought it down on himself 3 or 4 times today. Thankfully, he didn't hurt himself too badly, bit it's just a matter of time.
I must admit I'm torn as to what to do in these sorts of situations. I've been experimenting with a little discipline: a firm "NO" and a redirect, but he doesn't seem to be getting the message. I can't tell whether he is trying to see if I mean it or is too young to understand. A small part of me thinks that if he hurts himself he'll learn his lesson. But I wonder if that's bordering on negligence. I hope I can walk the line.
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He's been doing a lot better at a few things, even since the weekend. His forward motion is crazy fast. Still commando style but man can he motor. And he's also much better at getting from sitting to crawling.
His walking is also much better. Now before you get all crazy thinking he's walking, he's not except when you hold him up. But he now willingly puts one foot in front of the other, which he didn't consistently do before.
I'm tired from chasing him around today. I really can't leave him alone for a second. He is fixated on the doors, opening and closing them, which is great except i've had to take off all the plastic ends so he doesn't try to eat them/choke on them. So the door is getting sorta wrecked. To be honest though, I can't be bothered to stop him. He's so into discovering how the door works that I cant bring myself to take him away from it.
He also continues to be enthralled with the lamp. Ive discovered that he cant actually tip the lamp over because the cord's too taut. The speaker stand however, is easy to topple and much heavier. He's brought it down on himself 3 or 4 times today. Thankfully, he didn't hurt himself too badly, bit it's just a matter of time.
I must admit I'm torn as to what to do in these sorts of situations. I've been experimenting with a little discipline: a firm "NO" and a redirect, but he doesn't seem to be getting the message. I can't tell whether he is trying to see if I mean it or is too young to understand. A small part of me thinks that if he hurts himself he'll learn his lesson. But I wonder if that's bordering on negligence. I hope I can walk the line.
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Tuesday, July 6, 2010
While standing on the couch this morning, Owen took one hand off and calmly placed it on the coffee table. He stood there for about 20 seconds and then fell back on his ass. I thought for sure he would cry, especially when I heard myself gasp, but he just turned to one side, twisted his legs around and commando crawled away.
Who needs a baby gate when you have no stairs?
Owen tried to eat Maya's food today. And he would have been successful if he'd had about 10 seconds more. He actually had 2 kibbles in his mouth and one in his hand when I caught him. He must have thought they were cherrios.
He's been crawling about for a couple of days now... not actual 4 point crawling, but rather commando style, like he's some guerilla army guy. And wow, can he motor!
I've been racking my brain for another - higher - place for her food, but there really isn't one. And I don't want to encourage her to get up on the countertops any more than she already does. We tried to put her food in the pantry, but she flat out refused to go in there and eat. I think it's because the pantry is also her toilet. I can hardly blame her. No matter how clean my bathroom was, I wouldn't want to eat in there either.
So today I went on Kijiji to search for a gate.
He's been crawling about for a couple of days now... not actual 4 point crawling, but rather commando style, like he's some guerilla army guy. And wow, can he motor!
I've been racking my brain for another - higher - place for her food, but there really isn't one. And I don't want to encourage her to get up on the countertops any more than she already does. We tried to put her food in the pantry, but she flat out refused to go in there and eat. I think it's because the pantry is also her toilet. I can hardly blame her. No matter how clean my bathroom was, I wouldn't want to eat in there either.
So today I went on Kijiji to search for a gate.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Canada Day Hike
In years past, Kris and I have done hikes on Canada Day, the most memorable being an 18 km one in Waterton. This one was a lot less ambitious, only 5 km round trip, but it was Owen's first hike in the Rockies. The hike is called Grassi Lakes and is just west of Canmore. Grassi is named for a man named Lawrence Grassi, a stonecutter and trail maker who lived from 1890 - 1980. And he was an Italian! which I didn't know until I read the sign along the trail. There was a beautiful waterfall
and two lovely blue-green lakes.
At the top, there were lots of rock climbers.
Kris wore Owen on his back, which he didn't mind too much. After a while, he settled in to looking at the sights and listening to the sound of the water.
On the way down, he had a nap. So cute.
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and two lovely blue-green lakes.
At the top, there were lots of rock climbers.
Kris wore Owen on his back, which he didn't mind too much. After a while, he settled in to looking at the sights and listening to the sound of the water.
On the way down, he had a nap. So cute.
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Europe 2010
I finally found a bit of time to post some select pictures from our trip... ones that I couldn't post with my phone when we were away. To enjoy, click on the picture.
Monday, June 28, 2010
New talents
Today, Owen has decided that he would like to stand. Enter the "straight to walking" theory. For now, the only way he knows how to do that is for me to put him in a sitting position, lean over for him to grab onto my shoulders, and then pull himself up. He then proceeds to put his mouth around my shoulder and "ba ba ba" his way in excitement. I think soon he will try to pull himself up on inanimate objects like the couch, coffee table or breakfast stools. He is such a maniac.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sask-a-bush
We are in the fair province of Saskatchewan for a few days visiting Kris' parents, sisters and families. It's been nice and relaxing, with lots of sitting outside on patio chairs and on decks. The weather is nice, though there's been lots of rain so the provincial bird - the mosquito - has been quite successful.
A while back, a girlfriend introduced me to an app called hipstamatic, which takes pictures like this old analogue point and shoot. I thought the photos would be fitting.
Okay, so this last one isn't hipstamatic, but it's the only one with Owen. He seems to always be sleeping.
Addendum: I finally managed to snap one of awake Owen as he enjoyed a big piece of watermelon. The last time he had watermelon he actually spit it out. Strange, given how much he loves food. But I have the red-stained shirt to prove that he now enjoys watermelon. Somehow I'm not surprised that he came around.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
A while back, a girlfriend introduced me to an app called hipstamatic, which takes pictures like this old analogue point and shoot. I thought the photos would be fitting.
Okay, so this last one isn't hipstamatic, but it's the only one with Owen. He seems to always be sleeping.
Addendum: I finally managed to snap one of awake Owen as he enjoyed a big piece of watermelon. The last time he had watermelon he actually spit it out. Strange, given how much he loves food. But I have the red-stained shirt to prove that he now enjoys watermelon. Somehow I'm not surprised that he came around.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Movin' on up
Owen was sitting, doing his own thing, with a toy just out of reach... not new material I know, but there was a new turn of events. Instead of either crying for mom to bring the toy closer, or finding something else to amuse himself, he became fixated on getting the toy himself. So he rocked forward onto his legs. It looked so awkward. I thought his legs were going to bend in a really wrong way, but finally he did it. He tipped forward and did a really hard faceplant into the carpet. I tried not to make that "are you okay" face, and it worked. He got the toy... success!
Also, yesterday, Grandma Chris came over and they were playing on the floor. Grandma was on her side, and Owen, again sitting, would pull at her shirt, as if he was trying to lift himself up.
Today, he is totally trying to lift himself up. At one point, I held out my hands, he grabbed on and pulled himself up to stand. Kris said he thinks maybe Owen will skip crawling and go straight to walking. After today, I tend to agree.
Also, yesterday, Grandma Chris came over and they were playing on the floor. Grandma was on her side, and Owen, again sitting, would pull at her shirt, as if he was trying to lift himself up.
Today, he is totally trying to lift himself up. At one point, I held out my hands, he grabbed on and pulled himself up to stand. Kris said he thinks maybe Owen will skip crawling and go straight to walking. After today, I tend to agree.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I've had a yucky day
The day started off with nothing to do but a couple of small errands that were only going to take an hour or so, and then back home to curl up with a long cooking pasta sauce boiling on the stove and not much else. An easy day. Well, we were still out at noon with no lunch for either of us and only half of our errands complete. So a rush home to stuff our faces with the intention of heading straight back out. That didn't happen...
Two things have been really stressing me out:
#1: My diminishing milk supply.
Okay, so this has been happening for a long time, and I spent a long time in denial of the fact. I know it's been a long time, because I mentioned it at Owen's 9 month check up and he's 5 days away from being 10 months today! I got a prescription for a drug that the doctor said "might" work that I had to take 4 times a day. I decided not to fill the prescription, opting for a natural/herbal solution first. There were teabags that I drank for 2 weeks straight with no change, and now some pills that don't seem to be working either. I have a lot of guilt believing that I'm not making enough milk for Owen. I really don't want to feed him formula at this late stage, only to switch over to milk when I go back to school. On top of this, Owen has been getting more and more frustrated at mealtimes. Feeding is taking longer as he does more and more finger foods. I start with the finger foods while I get the rest of his meal ready, and then go from chunkiest to smoothest. In Italy, he was eating about 3 jars of food at each meal, so that's sort of my gauge. And, inside my head, I keep hearing the doctor telling me to keep feeding him until he's full. But now, he barely gets through the 2nd course before getting really cranky, although he still opens his mouth when the spoon comes near. I hate that mealtimes have become so stressful for him, so I end it, but then worry that he hasn't eaten enough, which makes me feel more guilty about not having enough milk for him. I'd read about nursing strikes, and pumping to maintain milk supply, but pumping hasn't been that successful for me and I'm afraid that one more stressful thing is going to send me over the edge. So, at my whits end, I posted a discussion to my prenatal class group page. Within 2 hours, I had two other women from my class post saying they are having almost the same problems as me. I was SOOOOO!!!! relieved. One of them has been experimenting with small amounts of cow's milk at mealtimes with a lot of success. She said as long as he's getting iron rich foods from other foods, it's no big deal to start after 9 months. Slowly, she's weaning him so that when she returns to work, he will have switched over to cow's milk completely during the day. I should have done this a long time ago.
Whew! I will try not to be crazy anymore on that subject.
#2: Problems with cloth
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
But, since we've gotten back from Italy, I've had nothing but problems. Or, should I say, Owen has. His diapers stank like ammonia, especially at night. Strong, like smelling salts. Then, his penis got inflamed. Super scary! He's gonna need that some day. The doctor gave me an ointment, which I used and it cleared it up. When I stopped using the ointment, it came back. So I stripped the diapers and put him into disposables. After, I put him back in the cloth diapers, and the smell only came back at night. Then, his penis got inflamed again. I contacted the diaper company and they had me do a bunch of other things to the diapers to try to remove any bacteria that might be causing the problem, which I did, and again I put him back into the cloth. And the smell and inflamation has come back AGAIN!!!! I don't know what to do. I guess call the doctor again tomorrow. He's back in disposables until this is resolved. I now am toying with the idea of buying new cloth diapers, to the tune of $400. Kris is not going to be happy.
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
After lunch was over, I could tell that Owen needed a nap so I put him down instead of continuing the insanity. While he slept, I created the insanity you see above. After he woke up and had dinner, we went out to get a Father's Day gift, do the recycling, and get me some dinner - Kris is "working". It's their annual golf tournament, so naturally there's an evening piss-up component. Mission accomplished on all 3 fronts for us.
At bedtime, after he breastfed, I gave him a bit of water. He went down better than he has in a long while.
What will tomorrow bring?
I will try not to be crazy about these things...
Two things have been really stressing me out:
#1: My diminishing milk supply.
Okay, so this has been happening for a long time, and I spent a long time in denial of the fact. I know it's been a long time, because I mentioned it at Owen's 9 month check up and he's 5 days away from being 10 months today! I got a prescription for a drug that the doctor said "might" work that I had to take 4 times a day. I decided not to fill the prescription, opting for a natural/herbal solution first. There were teabags that I drank for 2 weeks straight with no change, and now some pills that don't seem to be working either. I have a lot of guilt believing that I'm not making enough milk for Owen. I really don't want to feed him formula at this late stage, only to switch over to milk when I go back to school. On top of this, Owen has been getting more and more frustrated at mealtimes. Feeding is taking longer as he does more and more finger foods. I start with the finger foods while I get the rest of his meal ready, and then go from chunkiest to smoothest. In Italy, he was eating about 3 jars of food at each meal, so that's sort of my gauge. And, inside my head, I keep hearing the doctor telling me to keep feeding him until he's full. But now, he barely gets through the 2nd course before getting really cranky, although he still opens his mouth when the spoon comes near. I hate that mealtimes have become so stressful for him, so I end it, but then worry that he hasn't eaten enough, which makes me feel more guilty about not having enough milk for him. I'd read about nursing strikes, and pumping to maintain milk supply, but pumping hasn't been that successful for me and I'm afraid that one more stressful thing is going to send me over the edge. So, at my whits end, I posted a discussion to my prenatal class group page. Within 2 hours, I had two other women from my class post saying they are having almost the same problems as me. I was SOOOOO!!!! relieved. One of them has been experimenting with small amounts of cow's milk at mealtimes with a lot of success. She said as long as he's getting iron rich foods from other foods, it's no big deal to start after 9 months. Slowly, she's weaning him so that when she returns to work, he will have switched over to cow's milk completely during the day. I should have done this a long time ago.
Whew! I will try not to be crazy anymore on that subject.
#2: Problems with cloth
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
But, since we've gotten back from Italy, I've had nothing but problems. Or, should I say, Owen has. His diapers stank like ammonia, especially at night. Strong, like smelling salts. Then, his penis got inflamed. Super scary! He's gonna need that some day. The doctor gave me an ointment, which I used and it cleared it up. When I stopped using the ointment, it came back. So I stripped the diapers and put him into disposables. After, I put him back in the cloth diapers, and the smell only came back at night. Then, his penis got inflamed again. I contacted the diaper company and they had me do a bunch of other things to the diapers to try to remove any bacteria that might be causing the problem, which I did, and again I put him back into the cloth. And the smell and inflamation has come back AGAIN!!!! I don't know what to do. I guess call the doctor again tomorrow. He's back in disposables until this is resolved. I now am toying with the idea of buying new cloth diapers, to the tune of $400. Kris is not going to be happy.
I'm committed to using cloth diapers. Really committed.
After lunch was over, I could tell that Owen needed a nap so I put him down instead of continuing the insanity. While he slept, I created the insanity you see above. After he woke up and had dinner, we went out to get a Father's Day gift, do the recycling, and get me some dinner - Kris is "working". It's their annual golf tournament, so naturally there's an evening piss-up component. Mission accomplished on all 3 fronts for us.
At bedtime, after he breastfed, I gave him a bit of water. He went down better than he has in a long while.
What will tomorrow bring?
I will try not to be crazy about these things...
Playing dress-up
Owen and I are enrolled in a class Monday afternoons at a place called "Brilliant Beginnings". It's an independent company, kinda like a Gymboree. We sing songs and play with toys and every week there is a different theme. This week's was the beach. Naturally, we sang about swimming and playing in the sand. And, of course, we dressed up in grass skirts and leis. How cute is that.
Last week, the theme was about Kings and Queens, Knights and dragons, so naturally we dressed up as faries.
Don't tell Kris, but Owen really enjoyed this costume.
Last week, the theme was about Kings and Queens, Knights and dragons, so naturally we dressed up as faries.
Don't tell Kris, but Owen really enjoyed this costume.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
New Tooth
I just finished feeding Owen and he was laying in my lap. I had a pretty good view of the top of his mouth and what did I see there, but a tooth. I've been so busy looking for teeth on the bottom, I never noticed (or even thought) to look up top. He's been so textbook I just assumed that his next ones would be on the bottom.
Friday, June 4, 2010
It's been a while...
It's funny how easily I have slipped back into the hum-drum of daily life. It seems like a million years since we got back from Europe and I am delinquent in posting to the blog, just as I was before our trip. There have been a bunch of things I've wanted to write about too, but I haven't comitted myself to sitting down regularly. I'll fix that now.
The other day I had my friends Lindsey and Kathryn over for a playdate with their kids. We went to a park near our place. It was Owen's first time at a park, although we spent a short time on a swingset in Munich in the beergarten at our apartment. He spent most of the time eating... big surprise. His appetite continues to be insatiable. There were two baby swings there, but the other babies, Ivy and Jasper were using them so Owen didn't get a chance before they had to go home for afternoon naps. Later that day Kris and I went back to the park with Owen to try out the swing. He loved it! Laughed and laughed as he swung back and forth. So cute.
Owen made his first contribution to science this Wednesday. A while back I signed us up at the Speech Development Research Lab at the U of C. I heard about it in the Baby Guide to Calgary. Lindsey is also signed up for it and has done a few things with her kids there. The study is about how babies learn speech, specifically how they begin to figure out the difference between sounds in the middle of words vs. sounds that mark the end of and begining of new words. I found it pretty interesting and the researcher was pretty excited to talk about her work. We sat in a soundproof room with Owen on my lap. I listened to music on headphones while Owen looked at a video screen and listened to pretend words. They videotaped him to see when he was looking at the screen, paying attention to the sounds, and when he was looking away, not interested. Of course, he performed well.
Today, I saw Owen clap his hands for the first time. Kris and I had just finished dinner and we were all sitting on the floor. His hands didn't make any noise, but he put his hands together again and again. He seems to move his left hand more into his right than move both hands together. It was so cute. It never ceases to amaze me how the littlest accomplishments make me such a proud parent.
The other day I had my friends Lindsey and Kathryn over for a playdate with their kids. We went to a park near our place. It was Owen's first time at a park, although we spent a short time on a swingset in Munich in the beergarten at our apartment. He spent most of the time eating... big surprise. His appetite continues to be insatiable. There were two baby swings there, but the other babies, Ivy and Jasper were using them so Owen didn't get a chance before they had to go home for afternoon naps. Later that day Kris and I went back to the park with Owen to try out the swing. He loved it! Laughed and laughed as he swung back and forth. So cute.
Owen made his first contribution to science this Wednesday. A while back I signed us up at the Speech Development Research Lab at the U of C. I heard about it in the Baby Guide to Calgary. Lindsey is also signed up for it and has done a few things with her kids there. The study is about how babies learn speech, specifically how they begin to figure out the difference between sounds in the middle of words vs. sounds that mark the end of and begining of new words. I found it pretty interesting and the researcher was pretty excited to talk about her work. We sat in a soundproof room with Owen on my lap. I listened to music on headphones while Owen looked at a video screen and listened to pretend words. They videotaped him to see when he was looking at the screen, paying attention to the sounds, and when he was looking away, not interested. Of course, he performed well.
Today, I saw Owen clap his hands for the first time. Kris and I had just finished dinner and we were all sitting on the floor. His hands didn't make any noise, but he put his hands together again and again. He seems to move his left hand more into his right than move both hands together. It was so cute. It never ceases to amaze me how the littlest accomplishments make me such a proud parent.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
9 Months!!!
OMG... I got an email this morning from babycentre. "9 Montsh: Week 1". I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday, Owen was 7 months old and we were going to Italy for two weeks. How time flies. On some level, I feel like he hasn't changed much, but on another, it's like he's a totally different baby. His personality has really blossomed and he rolls over constantly.
Lately he wants me to watch him do everything, even if it's just him looking at a toy, again. He tumbles it over and over and looks at it so intently that I think he must not even notice that I'm there. But there's no way I can get up to do something else while he "plays by himself". No, no, no. It's important that I watch. Because the minute I do get up, he puts on his mad face and lets out a big mad grunt, stiffening up his body and making fists with his hands. Or he puts on his sad face, sticks out his lower lip really far and cries with his whole face. Nope, I must watch him play by himself. Still, I remind myself, it's cute that he needs me so much even if I'm not doing anything.
Lately he wants me to watch him do everything, even if it's just him looking at a toy, again. He tumbles it over and over and looks at it so intently that I think he must not even notice that I'm there. But there's no way I can get up to do something else while he "plays by himself". No, no, no. It's important that I watch. Because the minute I do get up, he puts on his mad face and lets out a big mad grunt, stiffening up his body and making fists with his hands. Or he puts on his sad face, sticks out his lower lip really far and cries with his whole face. Nope, I must watch him play by himself. Still, I remind myself, it's cute that he needs me so much even if I'm not doing anything.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Grandma Lou
Grandma Lou came over today to watch Owen so I could go out and treat my feet to a much needed pedicure. Walking around all over Europe for a month sort of killed my feet. It was divine.
The two of them had a lovely afternoon of chatting, singing and reading books. Owen said dada a few times, which grandma was so excited to hear.
As much as I appreciate and love to be able to get a little freedom from time to time, I get pretty anxious when I'm out without Owen. The longer I'm away, I get worried that he's having a melt down or that he needs me. So after a while, it's hard to enjoy my freedom. I wonder if that feeling will subside after he's weaned.
For the record, I haven't given any thought to when I will start weaning. I'm not ready to let it go just yet. I wonder, will I ever really be ready?
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The two of them had a lovely afternoon of chatting, singing and reading books. Owen said dada a few times, which grandma was so excited to hear.
As much as I appreciate and love to be able to get a little freedom from time to time, I get pretty anxious when I'm out without Owen. The longer I'm away, I get worried that he's having a melt down or that he needs me. So after a while, it's hard to enjoy my freedom. I wonder if that feeling will subside after he's weaned.
For the record, I haven't given any thought to when I will start weaning. I'm not ready to let it go just yet. I wonder, will I ever really be ready?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mom's Day
Owen woke up this morning at 8:30 am! Happy Mother's Day... an extra half hour of sleep for mom. Best gift ever no. 1.
Best gift ever no. 2? Diaper free day. Kris has changed 3 poopy diapers today. Way to go Owen.
I haven't had to do anything today. No laundry, no deciding what to eat or drink, no cleaning or dishes. It is awesome!
Owen bought me some beautiful flowers and Bernard Callebaut chocolates. Yum.
Owen's made his first vowel-consonant combo... Yesterday morning he was laying in our bed after his morning drink. He likes to hang out with us and tell stories in the morning. He was banging his legs and made some noise at the same time and low and behold, his jaw closed and the sound was different. All day yesterday he would nod his head and make his noises. This morning, he figured out that all he needs to do is close his jaw. The combo is, you guessed it, da-da-da. Happy Mother's day.
Correction: Owen has had 4 poopy diapers today. I think it might be a record.
Best gift ever no. 2? Diaper free day. Kris has changed 3 poopy diapers today. Way to go Owen.
I haven't had to do anything today. No laundry, no deciding what to eat or drink, no cleaning or dishes. It is awesome!
Owen bought me some beautiful flowers and Bernard Callebaut chocolates. Yum.
Owen's made his first vowel-consonant combo... Yesterday morning he was laying in our bed after his morning drink. He likes to hang out with us and tell stories in the morning. He was banging his legs and made some noise at the same time and low and behold, his jaw closed and the sound was different. All day yesterday he would nod his head and make his noises. This morning, he figured out that all he needs to do is close his jaw. The combo is, you guessed it, da-da-da. Happy Mother's day.
Correction: Owen has had 4 poopy diapers today. I think it might be a record.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Rolling over, back to front
Yesterday, we had Owen on his tummy in the living room and he was practicing rolling over onto his back. Then, the craziest thing happened. He saw the box of cords and DVD's sitting under our TV stand. He wanted it. But, the only way to get to it was to reach over, quite far, putting him on his side. He reached and reached and reached. And then... he ended up on his tummy again!!! I think it surprised even him. I am so proud.
Today, I managed to get some video of the big event. Enjoy.
Today, I managed to get some video of the big event. Enjoy.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Home Sweet Home
May 1 and 2 were filled with travel to get us back to Venice for our flight back to Calgary. Try as we might, we couldn't convince the airline to allow us to fly out of anywhere else but Venice. Very dumb.
We hopped a train at 9:30 in the morning of May 1 in Munich and arrived at Venice Mestre at about 5:30 pm. It was long, but not too bad, since we basically just sat around all day. There were some nice older Italian ladies sitting across from us and they loved Owen. Neither spoke any English, but I'd heard enough Italians gushing over Owen to know. They were so cute.
We took a cab to our hotel, since we didn't really know how to get there, and didn't care to figure it out. It was a lot farther from the train station than I thought. The cab cost about 20 Euro!
We ate dinner at a family resturant "about 300m down the street from our hotel" according to the innkeeper. I don't know if he was right, but it was really far! Dinner was decent, but like all resturants in Europe, it took forever for us to get the bill, and Owen was loosing it!
Owen slept in the bathroom, again. At least this one didn't smell at all.
May 2 was the longest day ever... we woke up at 4:30 to get to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam at 7:05am. We arrived in Amsterdam one hour and 50 minutes later. Our flight from Amsterdam to Calgary wasn't until 13:30 so we had some time to kill, and Kris really wanted to go to the red light district of Amsterdam to eat a "space brownie", if you know what I mean. So we hopped a train into town. I've got to be honest, I was pretty aprehensive leaving the airport, even knowing that there was AMPLE time to do so. I just don't travel very well. The weather didn't cooperate with us. It started raining shortly after we got off the train and it was pretty cold. None of us was dressed for it. However, Kris managed to accomplish his mission. We would have explored further, but we were all pretty cold and miserable, so we headed back to the airport. In through customs and ready to go.
We got on the plane at 13:30 and arrived in Calgary around 2 hours later. The flight was delayed, I think because of some course corrections along the way and to avoid Iceland all together. Yea... I watched the flight path from time to time. I know, dork! Owen napped 3 or 4 times during the trip.
When we arrived in Calgary, we got stuck in the customs line... it was, after all, Sunday. I guess there were a number of other intercontinental flights that landed all around the same time. It was brutal.
We managed to get Owen to bed at 8:00 local time and then ourselves at about 9:30. In total, we'd been up for about 26 hours. Whew!
We hopped a train at 9:30 in the morning of May 1 in Munich and arrived at Venice Mestre at about 5:30 pm. It was long, but not too bad, since we basically just sat around all day. There were some nice older Italian ladies sitting across from us and they loved Owen. Neither spoke any English, but I'd heard enough Italians gushing over Owen to know. They were so cute.
We took a cab to our hotel, since we didn't really know how to get there, and didn't care to figure it out. It was a lot farther from the train station than I thought. The cab cost about 20 Euro!
We ate dinner at a family resturant "about 300m down the street from our hotel" according to the innkeeper. I don't know if he was right, but it was really far! Dinner was decent, but like all resturants in Europe, it took forever for us to get the bill, and Owen was loosing it!
Owen slept in the bathroom, again. At least this one didn't smell at all.
May 2 was the longest day ever... we woke up at 4:30 to get to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam at 7:05am. We arrived in Amsterdam one hour and 50 minutes later. Our flight from Amsterdam to Calgary wasn't until 13:30 so we had some time to kill, and Kris really wanted to go to the red light district of Amsterdam to eat a "space brownie", if you know what I mean. So we hopped a train into town. I've got to be honest, I was pretty aprehensive leaving the airport, even knowing that there was AMPLE time to do so. I just don't travel very well. The weather didn't cooperate with us. It started raining shortly after we got off the train and it was pretty cold. None of us was dressed for it. However, Kris managed to accomplish his mission. We would have explored further, but we were all pretty cold and miserable, so we headed back to the airport. In through customs and ready to go.
We got on the plane at 13:30 and arrived in Calgary around 2 hours later. The flight was delayed, I think because of some course corrections along the way and to avoid Iceland all together. Yea... I watched the flight path from time to time. I know, dork! Owen napped 3 or 4 times during the trip.
When we arrived in Calgary, we got stuck in the customs line... it was, after all, Sunday. I guess there were a number of other intercontinental flights that landed all around the same time. It was brutal.
We managed to get Owen to bed at 8:00 local time and then ourselves at about 9:30. In total, we'd been up for about 26 hours. Whew!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Bier Gartens part two
After such a heavy day yesterday, we decided to stay light today, visiting beer gardens around town.
We started at the English Garden, an urban park that's apparently bigger than Central Park. There are multiple gardens there. While at the first one, we met a man who had a baby the same age as Owen. Well, he was actually 8 days younger, but who's counting? We sat for a while, chatting about baby stuff, how teething is going, whether they were crawling yet or not (neither are yet). It was nice. Owen and Jonas got to know each other too. They cooed at one another and Jonas tried to teach Owen how to say da-da-da-da. No luck though, to Kris's dismay. Then, a funny thing happened. Jonas started to cry. Owen's response was priceless. He stuck out his bottom lip, and after a few seconds, decided to cry too. It was cool to see him respond to someone elses emotion.
We ate some wurst (sausage), saurkraut, and potato wedges by the edge of the water. There were people in rowbats on the water, lots of ducks, and a few swans.
We walked through the garden to find another beer garden, called the Chinese garden. I know, that's a lot of gardens. There was a big open area where people sunbathing. Aparently the English Garden is known for having nude sunbathers, but we didn't see any. Good thing too, since most of the people we saw were dudes. It would have been a "wurst" fest.
After a bit of floundering, we found the Chinese garden. It was pretty packed, and they served Hoffbrau. While enjoying our beer, we posed Owen with Kris's 1L beer. Just as Kris snapped the shot, Owen reached over and tipped the glass to try to drink it. When we get back I'll post the shot. It's priceless.
We decided to return to Hoffbrauhaus for dinner as there weren't any places to eat around our new lodgings. Oh yea, we had to move because the apartment we rented wasn't available our last day. Good thing anyway, we got a hotel a block from the train station and had a train the next morning at 9:30. The Hoffbrauhaus was a little more lively being that it was Friday night. As always, Owen found some people to pay attention to him. It never gets tired seeing the joy he brings to the people he smiles at. They had a band and many of the guests would sing along with some of the songs.
I must admit, this time leaving Europe, I'm a little sad to go. It's been such a crazy adventure. Tomorrow we have a seven hour train to Venice Mestre.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We started at the English Garden, an urban park that's apparently bigger than Central Park. There are multiple gardens there. While at the first one, we met a man who had a baby the same age as Owen. Well, he was actually 8 days younger, but who's counting? We sat for a while, chatting about baby stuff, how teething is going, whether they were crawling yet or not (neither are yet). It was nice. Owen and Jonas got to know each other too. They cooed at one another and Jonas tried to teach Owen how to say da-da-da-da. No luck though, to Kris's dismay. Then, a funny thing happened. Jonas started to cry. Owen's response was priceless. He stuck out his bottom lip, and after a few seconds, decided to cry too. It was cool to see him respond to someone elses emotion.
We ate some wurst (sausage), saurkraut, and potato wedges by the edge of the water. There were people in rowbats on the water, lots of ducks, and a few swans.
We walked through the garden to find another beer garden, called the Chinese garden. I know, that's a lot of gardens. There was a big open area where people sunbathing. Aparently the English Garden is known for having nude sunbathers, but we didn't see any. Good thing too, since most of the people we saw were dudes. It would have been a "wurst" fest.
After a bit of floundering, we found the Chinese garden. It was pretty packed, and they served Hoffbrau. While enjoying our beer, we posed Owen with Kris's 1L beer. Just as Kris snapped the shot, Owen reached over and tipped the glass to try to drink it. When we get back I'll post the shot. It's priceless.
We decided to return to Hoffbrauhaus for dinner as there weren't any places to eat around our new lodgings. Oh yea, we had to move because the apartment we rented wasn't available our last day. Good thing anyway, we got a hotel a block from the train station and had a train the next morning at 9:30. The Hoffbrauhaus was a little more lively being that it was Friday night. As always, Owen found some people to pay attention to him. It never gets tired seeing the joy he brings to the people he smiles at. They had a band and many of the guests would sing along with some of the songs.
I must admit, this time leaving Europe, I'm a little sad to go. It's been such a crazy adventure. Tomorrow we have a seven hour train to Venice Mestre.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Dachau
We took a suburban train today to Dachau. We got a little lost which, at the start of this adventure would have really upset me, but now it's no big deal. We take it all in stride. It was a pretty hot day. There were lots of school groups visiting. One of the groups was from India I think. It reminded me of being back in school.
Actually, on this trip we've seen lots of school groups in every city. I can't imagine taking kids to another country. I've also noticed that they don't have nearly as much supervision as we are required to have. I'm not sure what I think about that.
Dachau was eerie and lonely and dark. The walls, towers, main building, and one set of prisoners baracks are all that remain on the compound.
There is a sign in the gate at the entrance that reads, "Work will set you free."
Also, just outside is the crematorium. You could go inside and see the gas chamber and the cremation furnaces. I could barely stand to be inside.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Actually, on this trip we've seen lots of school groups in every city. I can't imagine taking kids to another country. I've also noticed that they don't have nearly as much supervision as we are required to have. I'm not sure what I think about that.
Dachau was eerie and lonely and dark. The walls, towers, main building, and one set of prisoners baracks are all that remain on the compound.
There is a sign in the gate at the entrance that reads, "Work will set you free."
Also, just outside is the crematorium. You could go inside and see the gas chamber and the cremation furnaces. I could barely stand to be inside.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Beer gartens
Yesterday, we took a train - two trains actually, to arrive in Munich. We had to make a connection in Stutguart. We had 8 minutes to get off one train and get on the other and we didn't know which car to get on. Needless to say, we missed the train. Thankfully, there was another, more direct, and thus faster train 20 minutes later. We sat at a bar at the station and drank a pint of Franziskaner beer. It was foggy and delicious. It helped with the stress.
We also drank German beer on the train. They serve it to you in a glass and you can take it back to your seat.
Our two room apartment is above a nice resturant about 15 minutes from the city center on the U-bahn. There's a room for Owen, and one for us with a bed and tv. No kitchenette. We ate a nice, traditional German meal in the resturant and drank more German beer.
Owen ate toast and made a mess of himself. He enjoyed every minute.
Today we headed for the city center to see what was up. We picked up a tourist map and saw there was a nearby market that has a beer garden. It was pretty cool. No fences or security like in beer gardens in Canada, they serve the beer in .5L or 1L glass jugs. Young people, old people, people in suits or leiderhosen. All sitting around having some pints. Some more than others, but all having a good time.
We did some walking around, saw some gothic buildings,
and a government building,
and then made our way to another beer garden. This one is in a famous inn. We ate more traditional Bavarian food and, you guessed it, drank more beer.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We also drank German beer on the train. They serve it to you in a glass and you can take it back to your seat.
Our two room apartment is above a nice resturant about 15 minutes from the city center on the U-bahn. There's a room for Owen, and one for us with a bed and tv. No kitchenette. We ate a nice, traditional German meal in the resturant and drank more German beer.
Owen ate toast and made a mess of himself. He enjoyed every minute.
Today we headed for the city center to see what was up. We picked up a tourist map and saw there was a nearby market that has a beer garden. It was pretty cool. No fences or security like in beer gardens in Canada, they serve the beer in .5L or 1L glass jugs. Young people, old people, people in suits or leiderhosen. All sitting around having some pints. Some more than others, but all having a good time.
We did some walking around, saw some gothic buildings,
and a government building,
and then made our way to another beer garden. This one is in a famous inn. We ate more traditional Bavarian food and, you guessed it, drank more beer.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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