Miraculously, aside from waking up at 1am after doing a large poo, Harry slept through until 7.45am. Of course, however, sods law demanded that my back was as sore as you like all night long thus guaranteeing me no more sleep than usual despite taking mega amounts of painkillers.
Miraculously also, I put H down for a nap this morning at 10am and he's STILL THERE despite waking up once .... he dozed off again and is having a long nap! Which he NEVER DOES. EVER.
No doubt this last 24 hours is an anomaly but wow, is it nice to have some time and a well rested baby.
I'm planning on going to the gym this afternoon but I'm not sure if my back is up to much. Maybe I'll just do some cardio stuff. I need to work off all the Cadburys Creme Eggs I ate this weekend. I'm also trying to book an appointment with my massage therapist this week because with a bit of luck she can help me out with this pain which is approaching agony in my lower back and hip area.
I'm getting old.
The frigging tumble drier piece of crap has stopped working again. G & Alex seem to think it's worth fixing and can be fixed, but, after many days of not being able to dry the ton of clothes that require washing on a daily basis in this house, I'm about ready to be done with it & go and buy a new one.
H suddenly started babbling new consonants this morning and has continued to do so all day long. Started off with DADA much to G's delight, and all manner of odd sounds have been flowing from his mouth as he shows off his new found skill. Cute!
Took H swimming for the first time yesterday afternoon and he *loved* it. I remember D was always a bit nervous and clingy at the pool as a baby, but H was so happy kicking and splashing around and didn't mind at all when water went into his face. A great afternoon experience shared by the 4 of us.
I also took him for his final DTP shot & got some cream for the drool rash on his face which the Doc thinks might be a bit of excema (coinciding with my cutting down on BF'ing?). We talked a little about vaccinations as he'd just been to a lecture on the various options available here in Canada. I decided that Dylan will not be getting the MMR 'Booster' shot which he is supposed to have around now. This is not because I don't believe in having him vaccinated but because it's not actually a booster at all. Did you know that when kids are given the MMR vaccination at age 1, it works for 90% of them. The reason they do the other shot age 5? To cover 90% of the 10% that are left. So we bombard their systems once more the diseases and the crap like Anti-Freeze that goes with them just incase they are amongst that small number. I think not.
There's a huge difference here in Canada in the roles that partners play in relationships compared to those in the UK. It absolutely must be a cultural thing and it's interesting to note.
Here there is a very traditional / what I consider to be old fashioned split in responsibilities between partners. Women generally have full responsibility for the children and the home and cooking, and the men, generally the major breadwinners, go to work and do the heavy duty tasks like shovelling snow or working in the garden. And never the two shall meet.
Back home I think it is true to say there is a far more shared approach to parenting & working in the home. Certainly for us, and for that of my friends and family, the guys are equally responsible for the kids and dont balk at the idea of cooking dinner or changing a nappy.
I'm trying to be careful not to be judgemental here as I know that people from both Canada & the UK read this, so let me stress again as I said earlier, it's clearly a cultural thing and the expectations the society you live in have of you as to what is 'normal' for you. I can see both angles.
Having said that, on a personal level I hate the thought of not sharing all of that stuff with G. Actually just yesterday we were bickering good naturedly about something I asked him to do and he said something along the lines of I was lucky that he did as much as he did. My response was no, Im not lucky, Im married to you because of who you are and if you were a different type of person I probably wouldnt be, because of the expectations I have from a relationship.
Our division of labour is equal to that of our peers back home and hopefully it will stay that way and not be influenced by all you weirdo canucks ;-)
Getting another bloody cold, as if the last one weren't enough for one person to deal with in a year. Also feeling very exhausted due to a certain small person waking up constantly throughout the night. He's teething again, looks like the eye teeth are about to break through. He's also got a sore face which needs some cream (going to the DR later for his checkup / shots and will get a prescription for it if necessary as nothing else is working). Yesterday he was hard work to keep entertained as he was obviously in alot of discomfort. I'm taking him to baby & me swimming this afternoon though, hopefully he'll enjoy that!
The photo's we were due to have taken on Saturday have been delayed. This due to the fact that the photographer didn't realise that Harry can't sit properly on his own yet and she recommends waiting until he's a little more stable to get the best possible results from the session, which is fair enough. At least I have a little more time to get him something 'perfect' to wear, which has been tricky thus far! I plan on going down to Oakville this weekend to see if there's anything in the boutiques they have there which sell European imported clothes like Jean Bourget and Miniman. I miss having that stuff easily accessible, plus it's extremely expensive here. When D was small he lived in good clothes all the time because they were affordable.
Alex fixed our tumble drier last night (hurray!) which means I can actually do laundry again without having to hang it all over the house on clothes horses. When you have 2 small boys you need to do alot of laundry!
Hey Gorgeous Boy
What a month it's been for you. You've changed so much I don't know where to begin.
This month you took one of those big leaps that babies do and wake up almost like another person overnight. You're suddenly demanding things, getting cross if they're taken away from you, eating loads, waving your arms and legs around excitedly when you see someone you love and yabbering away constantly at everyone. It's odd to think that only a couple of weeks ago I was concerned that you were so quiet. I guess your hearing problem has cleared up!
You're finally rolling over (hurrah!) and very interested in the world around you. You love your exersaucer and you still love being out & about gazing at the world. You also love sitting in your high chair eating rice crackers or bits of bread. And you're STILL not sleeping very well, please fix that, please! We're getting up with you at least twice a night still, it's very tiring!
I joined a gym and you've been experiencing your first 'daycare' times and you love it! The ladies think you're absolutely the bees knees and you are so incredibly happy and well behaved for them when I am killing myself on the various torture machines. I think it's good for you to have a change of scene and person, especially during these long winter months where we tend to be antisocial.
Your grandad came to visit a couple of weeks ago and you thought he was brilliant fun, and he thought you were absolutely delightful. He played with you constantly and cuddled you non stop. Hopefully you'll see him again soon because one thing you do miss out on, being here in Canada, is seeing other members of your family on a regular basis. We were going to take you to the UK this year again, but it's not looking promising as I am dreading the idea of flying with you and Dylan on my own, not to mention the extortionate cost of the trip at that time of year! Oh well, we'll take you somewhere, don't worry :-)
Right now you're in your crib having a nap and I'm hoping you will stay there for a while as you're exhausted from your morning activities at the gym. Napping is improving, slowly, at least!
Love you lots little guy, you're so happy and fun, chuckling and smiling at the world, you're absolutely beautiful.
Love
Mummy xxxx
Best word ever, H's first, used properly on Weds for the first time and repeatedly since, every time he sees me :-)
Just took my first Aquafit class and despite Karen and I being the only young ones amongst a bunch of old ladies (presumably due to the low-impact aspect of the class) it was a good workout and I'm sure I will hurt tomorrow. The thing I liked about it was that it was possible to work hard, and you don't get hot because of the water! Will definitely do that one again.
Throwing ourselves in at the deep end, we did a 'Step' class this morning and OMG I thought I was going to pass out from exertion. Blood was rushing around my body so fast and hard that I was almost seeing spots.
The daycare lady came to fetch me 45 mins into the class as Harry needed changing and I've never been so glad to see a pooey bum in my entire life.
I now HURT. ALOT.
Tomorrow we're doing an Aquafit class. Are we mad?
H did extremely well in the daycare, really seemed to enjoy it and the ladies in there seemed to enjoy him - saying they could not believe what a happy good natured baby he is, and that he'd kept another baby entertained by similing and chuckling constantly. Ahhhhhh :)
One of the things I'm pondering on with regards D's issues with risk taking is whether *I* am to blame, in part, for it.
I think I might ride him a bit hard when I feel he's not doing something properly and I wonder if it might be making things worse. For example if he's doing his homework and not concentrating or doing giant letters instead of tidy ones I tend to get frustrated with him & lecture him on trying harder, not messing up, concentrate for goodness sake!!
Thoughts?
Dylan's teachers have commented on an issue he is having at school, which is an issue he has at home and at play too.
He won't take a risk. He's scared to make a choice or a decision incase it is the wrong one. He doesn't want to be wrong.
I've noticed this before and I think it's becoming more pronounced as he gets older, and I'm not entirely sure what to do about it.
Example: Dylan asked me for something sweet after his lunch. I offered him either 1 candy or 1 piece of birthday cake. He sat there for 10 mins stressing about which to have, fear of making the wrong choice preventing him from choosing. Eventually he chose the candy, tried it, didn't like it, and burst into tears because he'd made the wrong decision.
Example 2. I told Dylan I was enrolling him in the summer soccer programme with his mates. He was initially excited then asked 'What if I don't score a goal?'. I tried to explain that he didn't *have* to score a goal, that his job might not even be to score a goal and instead defend. 'What if I accidentally touch the ball?'. He started to stress and eventually said he did not want to do soccer.
Example 3: Reluctance to go skiing every week 'incase I fall'. This is not a fear of falling, but a fear of people seeing him fall, that he has failed somehow.
Example 4: Constant erasing of his writing if he makes a mistake. Finds it very hard to cross out and re-do it because then someone will see he got it wrong.
Example 5: At school he was given a multiple - choice test with a choice of 4 answers. He immediately eliminated 2 possibilities, leaving 2 behind. Would not answer the question incase he chose the wrong one.
Suggestions on how to approach this very welcome.
So I joined a gym today (groan). My friend and I have been talking about it for a while and theory is we'll encourage each other to go regularly (3x per week). First 'Step Class' tomorrow. I was quite pleased with the gym we joined, it has a decent daycare centre for Harry which was one of the main selling points for me. At a gym I joined previously the daycare was a bit of a dead loss, 2 young girls who mooned around while the kids sat staring at a TV. This place had 2 mature ladies, plenty of toys, and no TV at all..... and after a 5 min conversation with them I was satisfied that I would be happy leaving H with them for an hour or so when I'm there. Whether he's happy with it is another matter, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I suppose I ought to also consider cutting out the CINNABONS and CAKE and CHOCOLATE now. Ha Ha.
I really need to get with it regarding feeding Harry solids. Last week he hardly slept and this week his sleep is FAR better in that he's only waking once or twice. Last week because he was sick I didn't give him any solids and he was feeding non stop from me. This week he's had so far 3 meals per day as well as his milk and he's clearly benefitting from it (as am I!!). When I think how obessed I was with doing the solids thing 'right' for Dylan, I realise I really need to get with it for Harry ASAP. I need to realise that skipping meals isn't really an option any more and that he'll be hungrier and not satisfied by milk if I do!
I've had it good for the last 7 months. G took 5 wks off when H was born, and then wangled a gig working from home so he's been around ever since. Today he's gone back OUT to work for the first time & I forgot how the days can drag when you're home alone with a baby to entertain. Don't suppose it helps that until yesterday my dad was here too so it's a bit of a double-whammy!.
H is, at least, incredibly entertaining at the moment. He's gone through one of those changes that happen overnight. You go to bed with one baby and you wake up with another..... one who can suddenly do new stuff! He's desperate to get his hands on EVERYTHING that he sees so that he can ram it into his mouth. He's also cut two bottom teeth at the same time! And he's eating bread, and last night he slept till 6am... what joy!
My dad went home today. I always feel a bit sad when he's gone because we have a really good time hanging out together when he visits. We don't do much, we just mooch, chat and spend time with the boys and it's always enjoyable. He regaled us with alot of funny stories about his life as a journalist this visit which were brilliant, and I'm hoping he'll publish some of them online somewhere one day.
He's always so entertained by Dylan too and laughs non stop at his antics. And of course, he got to spend some time with his 2nd grandson who he loves to bits!
Word of the week: SPUD
A couple of fantastic uses of this word by Dylan this week were
"Mum, Harry's name is a bit Spud-ish'
"Mum, I'm not going to marry some Spud like you did'
"Mum, if I fall on the ski lift people are going to think I'm a right Spud'
Out of the mouths of babes.
Dear Dylan :-)
Your first milestone entry into this blog, on today your 6th birthday. I still can't quite believe I have a 6 yr old son. 6 is so grown up! You're not an infant any more, you're a real young lad and I'm absolutely astonished that I managed to produce such a fantastic little (sorry, BIG) boy as you!.
6 years ago today your dad and my life was changed irrevocably and wonderfully. I had no idea what to expect from the birth of my first baby (that's you that is) as I lay on the operating table awaiting my c-section with terror. Then, in the blink of an eye, there you were. I'll never forget the DR's briefly holding up this blue looking BEAUTIFUL boy before whisking you off to check you over and your dad and I immediately bursting into floods of tears with the sheer joy and emotion of the moment. I can't put it into words, it was like nothing on earth, seeing you for the first time, so amazing it was. When they brought you over to us a few minutes later we both wept saying over and over again 'I can't believe how beautiful he is' ' I can't believe we have a son'. We were parents, and it was a totally earth shattering life changing moment, one that changed us wholly and completely, one that made sense of the world, and one that has, for the last 6 yrs, brought us so much joy and happiness and love.
OK enough of the really soppy stuff, we'll move on to the slightly-less-soppy stuff.
Over the last 6 years you've constantly opened up our eyes, entertained us, made us laugh, and filled up our hearts. Today you told me you love me so much you could burst, and that your favourite thing to do in the world is to be with me. I know that in another 6 yrs you'll probably be desperate to disassociated yourself from your embarassing and annoying mother, and I am soaking up these moments as much as I can while I can.
I love you, my big boy.
No skiing this morning due to incredibly late night last night plus urgent attention required to fix up my closet this morning before Dad arrives this afternoon. Oh well, I told D we will go to Caledon again this week and he can have another private lesson there.
Last night we played Cranium with friends, which was hilarious! Especially G trying to hum a tune BADLY as he has no musical talent whatsoever.
Still trying to get H to nap and we are having more & more success at it, he's clearly identifying these times where the bedroom gets dark and it's time for a sleep. Now we need to work on elongating the naps and also work on not requiring one of us to hold him until he falls asleep (doh).
There goes my plan to buy a Kanagroo.
The following animals are prohibited within residential area of the City of Brampton:
All Anseriformes (such as Ducks, Geese, Swans)
All Galliformes (Such as Grouse, Pheasant, Turkeys)
All Sciuridae (such as Prairie dogs, Giant squirrels and Flying squirrel)
All Marsupials (such as Kangaroos and Opossums)
All Non-Human Primates (such as Gorillas and Monkeys)
All Felids except the Domestic Cat (such as Lions and Tigers)
All Canids except the Domestic Dog (such Wolves and Hybrids)
All Viverrids (such as Mongooses, Civets and Genets)
All Mustelids except the Domestic Ferret (such as Skunks and Weasels)
All Ursids (Bears)
All Artiodactylus Ungulates (such as cattle, goats, sheep and pigs)
All Procyonids (such as Raccoons, Coatis and Cacomistles)
All Hyaenas
All Perissodactylus Ungulates (such as Horses and Zebra)
All Elephants
All Pinnipeds (such as Seals, Fur Seals and Walruses)
All Snakes of the families Pythonidae and Boidae
All Venomous Reptiles
All Ratitie Birds (such as Ostrichs, Rheas, Cassowaries)
All Edentates (such as Anteaters, Sloths and Armadillos)
All Bats
All Crocodilians (such as Alligators and Crocodiles)
All Arachnids (such as Scorpions and Tarantulas)
I'm an avid reader. I read all the time and I have a library of something like 1000 books here which I add to every week (I really need to catalogue them somehow). Chapters actually gave me a lifetime membership discount card, something they apparently rarely do, because I am one of their best customers.
Since Dylan was born either G or I have read to him every day without fail and at age 4 he too learned to read. I can take credit for his love of books but not the learning to actually read part ................ I'll never forget his Montessori teacher sending him home with a book saying 'ask him to read it to you'. Looking at it, I was fairly sure she was on drugs. There were no pictures. Just words, several pages of them. He and I sat down and he read it to me, cover to cover. I was moved to tears, so amazed was I that my little boy was reading to me.
His love of books has continued to grow over the last year, he's currently reading at a Grade 3 level despite still being in Kindergarten. Last night he asked me to take him to the bookshop today after school because he's decide he likes to read himself to sleep (just like mummy) and would like something new to read tonight.
Very proud mummy here.
Update: We bought several books for him this afternoon. This evening he sat reading rather than watching TV (great moment!) and then continued after he had gone to bed for a good 40 minutes. Awesome :-)
This morning not very successful, 30 min nap. Woke up at 10.45am. FINALLY got him to have another nap (after many tries) at 2.00pm -- does this baby have a thing against sleeping? Wonder how long this one will be!
2.15 - he woke, crying. Managed to get him to go back to sleep by 2.30
He slept until 3.15. Not bad - almost an hour's sleep, probably his best yet. Must. Persevere.
Harry and I were just listening to this and I realised the lyrics are quite horrible.
Oranges and lemons" say the bells of St. Clement's
You owe me five farthings" say the bells of St. Martin's
When will you pay me?" say the bells of Old Bailey
When I grow rich" say the bells of Shoreditch
When will that be?" say the bells of Stepney
I do not know" say the great bells of Bow
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
HERE COMES A CHOPPER TO CHOP OFF YOUR HEAD
A quick google tells us:
The words and lyrics have been much loved by generations of British children. The place names relate to some of the many churches of London and the tune that accompanies the lyrics emulates the sound of the ringing of the specific church bells. The words of the nursery rhyme are chanted by children as they play the game of 'Oranges and lemons' the end of which culminates in a child being caught between the joined arms of two others, emulating the act of chopping off their head! The reason for the last three lines of lyrics are easily explained. The 'Great Bells of Bow' were used to time the executions at Newgate prison, which for many years were done by means of beheading. The unfortunate victim would await execution on 'Death Row' and was informed by the warder, the night before the execution ' here comes the candle to light you to bed' of their imminent fate and to make their peace with God! The executions commenced when the bells started chiming at nine o'clock in the morning. When the bells stopped chiming then the executions would be finished until the following day!
So, he slept through the night [almost] on Tuesday. He slept from 7pm to 6am, woke for a feed and then went back to sleep until 8.30am. Amazing as it's the longest I've not been woken up by him in about a year. Unfortunately and typically I didn't sleep so well as I was expecting him to wake up and wondering why he hadn't!
Sadly, the following 2 nights he's woken at least twice, and four times last night (sigh)
I'm trying to train him to Nap too, as of today. Currently his napping is really bad. He takes 3 x 45 min naps during the day, and is overly cranky as a result. I wish he'd sleep longer but he wakes. I need to get rid of the swing as he's at the weight limit for it plus he's not particularly interested in being in it any more -- won't nap in it either, so the new regime is going to be naps IN BED, twice a day, and hopefully they will begin to be longer than 45 mins each. It's kind of tricky to fit them in around Dylans various school runs but I am trying my best.
Oh & he FINALLY ROLLED OVER!
I need to get some naps in myself, I'm exhausted! Went skiing yesterday which was lots of fun & I was totally knackered afterwards and still am today.
Harry making farty noises with his mouth (new trick) all the time we were in Wal Mart and everyone around us laughing.
Dylan making a phone call to a friend (his first phone call to a friend!) and sounding so very grown up.
Tim Hortons have a new donut - Caramel Cappucino. Very nice indeed!
Also they will now toast all your sarnies.
Yummy Timmy Goodness