J Just Said "I Love You"!

I know, I know - it sounds deluded. I mean, he's not even 4 months old yet. But I swear he did it!

I was playing with him in his bassinet, and I looked at him and said "I love you". He looked back at me and, clear as anything, said "I [gurgle noise] goo"!

Now granted, that could have been "I love you", or it could have been "I just pooed"; I can't be certain. But I am going with "I love you". So I think he's at least imitating sounds he hears.

What a sweet and dear little boy!

Here is a pretty current photo of him. He loves kicking and playing in his bassinet, and he frequently kicks off most of his swaddling blanket and wears what's left like a sash. How cute is this?

J's Hearing Test

J's appointment to get his hearing test is on August 8 at 1:00 p.m. at the hospital. I think I'll have to go and scope it out ahead of time to make sure I can actually find the room on the day of the appointment.

Apparently, we need to keep our little guy sleep deprived for a period of time before the appointment (including in the car ride over - I'll need someone to go with me to meet that end, since he always falls asleep in the car). That should be a joy to manage - he gets so cranky when he's tired, and it's hard to handle him then.

When we get there, they will put us into a dim room where I can nurse him/rock him, etc. Once he is asleep, they will attach little probes to his head while he sleeps and monitor his brain activity to see how he reacts to various sounds. (It's a sleep deprived EEG? I think that's what they called it, anyway.)

He is probably just fine, but it will be good to have it all settled and to know for certain one way or the other.

J will be 4 months old on August 7. Wow! I can't believe he's already almost 4 months old. Where does the time go?

The Evasive Sleep

Can't sleep. Should sleep. Can't sleep.

H snores peacefully. J kicks and squirms, fighting sleep, though his beautiful little eyes are closing, closing, closing. Downstairs, the dryer works on a load of diapers. I can't hear it from up here, but I know it is working. Faith is a beautiful thing.

Cat insists I pet her, since I'm up anyway. She is slightly dehydrated; I must pick up a fluid bag tomorrow (today, I suppose) so she'll be sure to remain hydrated through the long weekend ahead. Five years since she got sick, and she's still with us. But vet bills are astronomical on a long weekend, so must take precautions.

So tired. So very tired. Can't sleep.

I should throw out my computer; I waste more time here...

Good News!

It appears J can definitely hear. At least some of the time. We still don't know why he doesn't startle to loud sounds, but he can hear.

H was playing with him. H said "Hi". J immitated H perfectly, and said "Hi" back! I think that's a pretty good sign that our little boy is not deaf. Now we just need to find out why he doesn't react to certain sounds.

J also gave his first social giggle tonight during play time. It was precious!

Anyway, we still need to go for his hearing evaluation, but I am temporarily relieved.

My book came! My book came!!

Did I mention that MY BOOK CAME?!!!

"Never Talk to Strangers", my favorite book as a child, is out of print, so I couldn't get a new copy for J. Mine fell apart long ago, so I couldn't hand my old copy down to him either. But I found a very good copy at a used bookstore, and I ordered it over the weekend. It is a hardcover version, in really nice shape, with the same illustration work mine had when I was a kid. And it only cost $2.44! (Now, with shipping and GST, it actually came out to around $10 - but still!) And it came today!! (I am so excited by this, I could just pee - well, not quite, but you get the drift.)

Anyway, if anyone is looking for any used books, I would highly recommend performing a search on this site. Works like a charm!

J's New Pedi

I took J to his new pedi yesterday. I must say, I think he's much more thorough than the previous pedi. I quite liked him. And so far, I trust him. (Thank you, theatre mommy, for the recommendation. Good on ya!)

J is not to start solids until he is 6 months of age. And the pedi was happy to know that J's tongue-tie was released, and admitted that it would have caused feeding difficulties. They adjusted him for his prematurity, and he is now in the 20th percentile (I believe that was what the pedi said - either 15th or 20th, but I think it was 20th) for both height and weight. He is still in the 5th percentile for head circumference though, but that doesn't mean too much. He just has a little head. He is a whopping 10 lbs 14 oz now! Woo hoo!! He's still considered a bit small, but nowhere near as bad.The new pedi advised that we should turn J in the bassinet so he faces the opposite direction for the next couple of weeks, and then rotate him back and forth - one week in one direction and the next week in the other direction. J likes to look to the right, and he's developing a slightly flat spot on one side of his head as a result, so we'll want to correct it by encouraging him to look left while he's lying down sometimes.

And our little man also needs to go for a hearing assessment, since he does not startle to loud sounds. I mentioned it, and the doc did a check and concurred; J doesn't look for the source of the noise and really doesn't react at all. We will hope for the best. (And we will hope for an early appointment so we get early answers.)

In any event, J had a rough night last night and barely slept. I am tired. (Yaaaawwwwwwn.) I hope for a nap this afternoon, but just now he is still fussing so I can't do that yet. During his morning nap (assuming he ever takes it - doesn't look likely as it's already almost 11:30) I need to fold laundry. Lots and lots of laundry!

Real Estate Investing Conference

Today, I received in the mail an invitation for a "once in a lifetime financial conference". It's odd that I've had an invitation to this same conference (different dates each time, of course) several times. As has my wife. How "once in a lifetime" can it be?

The invitation enclosed two complimentary tickets, each "a $69 value". But then, at the bottom of the invitation, it says "others have paid over $20,000 to learn" the stuff that will be taught here. My question is: how gullible were they then to pay over $20,000 for a $69 conference? Or was it a bunch of people whose combined $69 tuition fees totalled over $20,000?

The conference is supposed to teach me a number of things, among them being how to "create instant cash flow in 7 days". But "7 days" is not "instant". NOW is instant.

Apparently "the easiest way to become a millionaire is to be coached by a millionaire". I think not. I think it is apparent that the easiest way to become a millionaire is to prey on those persons looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, and charge them a bunch of cash for some binky little self-help seminar.

By the way, the conference is on a Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. So it is pretty evidently aimed at persons without day jobs.

According to the invitation, I was referred to the man putting this stupid conference on. I would like to know who referred me to him; I want to remove that person from my Christmas card list.

Miscellaneous Weirdness

Tonight, I came home from work. I brought groceries; among them was a pizza. I put the groceries in the kitchen and came out to the living room to say hi to the baby. When I returned to the kitchen, I found the cat on the counter, standing squarely in the middle of that pizza. (Thankfully it was wrapped in cellophane and there were no claw punctures in it.)

We went for a drive after dinner, to try to make the grumpy baby a bit happier. On the way home, we passed a sign which read "Schizophrenia Walk & Run". (Sorry. It was in an awkward location, so no picture.)

Does anyone else see the irony in the wording of this sign?

What Not to Say on Your Blog

My wife's family is all up in arms that people would actually have on-line journals. Why is this an issue? Apparently, they are nervous about private information on the Internet. We've tried to explain that it's really not an issue. You just have to make sure that you keep certain things to yourself and for goodness sake don't blog them. For example:

"Well, those stupid doofuses at the 148 Street branch of the ATB screwed up my account again. I kept saying '678123', but they kept entering it as '678321'. And then they'd tell me my password was incorrect! I kept saying 'I know my password; it's toysrus. The only reason it's not coming up is because you're putting in the wrong account number!' Then they tried telling me I don't have $25,000 in my chequing account. Of course I have $25,000! What do they take me for!!

That's when I asked to speak to the manager. So he comes over, like he's some long lost friend, and says 'Johnny! How's your beautiful wife and the 3 Jones kids over at 1313 Mockingbird Lane?' I was about to punch his lights out, but I had things to do and really didn't have time to get arrested today.

Well, enough venting for now. I still have to pack, get a duplicate key made to put under the front mat for the housesitter, and take both dogs to the kennel. We're going to Cancun for 2 weeks, and after all, our plane leaves tomorrow morning at 7:00."

So then, we wouldn't blog anything like that!!!

More House Stuff

Saw a gorgeous house on the Comfree. Of course it's pending!

We're going to look at it anyway, at around 7:00. J is teething and he's extremely grumpy today, but hopefully this won't be an issue - we'll be in and out.

Conditions get removed Wednesday. I'm sure it will go through, though, so this will just give us an idea of what's available in this area at this sort of price point. (It has a lovely view of a major freeway. Not a bonus.)

On a different note, J just headbutted me in the mouth. Boy does that ever smart!

I Had a Dream

Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed that I was back at work after my mat leave, and we were running out of space in the office and had to put as much stuff as possible into storage. Where storage wasn't possible, we had to move everything closer together to keep it as compact as possible so that we would have more space.

In my dream, jugglepants was a packrat lawyer whose stuff we were trying to wane down. He had shelves and shelves of old plays and books - hundreds of them - not law books, but actual fiction and non-fiction type books such as we might expect to find all through the famed second hand bookstore. They were piled on bookcases throughout his office; the shelves were spread really far apart, and they spanned from floor to ceiling. So many books did jugglepants have that they were spilling out into the rest of the office. I was trying to convince him that, if he could put just eight of his other books into storage, one particularly prized collection would then fit into his office. But he could not bring himself to put eight of his books into storage, as he felt he might need them later. (Did I mention there were hundreds and hundreds of books in there?)

So it became my job to try to move all of the shelves closer together so that we could fit more shelving into jugglepants' office and thereby move more of his books in. But I did not want to take on the dubious task of unloading the shelves and then trying to reload them in the same order; (the order of the books only made sense to jugglepants). So jugglepants and I were arguing with our office manager as to whose job it was to unload and reload those shelves. It was determined that I had to prepare the office space for new shelving units and I had to move the shelves closer together, but jugglepants would have to unload and reload the shelves if he wished to keep the books in the same order.

Dreams are weird.

I Robot

The Personality Defect Test says I'm a Robot:

You are 71% Rational, 28% Extroverted, 28% Brutal, and 14% Arrogant.
You are the Robot! You are characterized by your rationality. In fact, this is really ALL you are characterized by. Like a cold, heartless machine, you are so logical and unemotional that you scarcely seem human. For instance, you are very humble and don't bother thinking of your own interests, you are very gentle and lack emotion, and you are also very introverted and introspective. You may have noticed that these traits are just as applicable to your laptop as they are to a human being. In short, your personality defect is that you don't really HAVE a personality. You are one of those annoying, super-logical people that never gets upset or flustered. Unless, of course, you short circuit.

To put it less negatively:

1. You are more RATIONAL than intuitive.

2. You are more INTROVERTED than extroverted.

3. You are more GENTLE than brutal.

4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant.


Compatibility:

Your exact opposite is the Class Clown.

Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Hand-Raiser, the Emo Kid, and the Haughty Intellectual.

Who Am I?

I took the Personality Defect Test. I got it from human_loser.

I believe I am either the "Spiteful Loner" or the "Robot". I can't decide if I am more gentle than brutal or the other way around. I do know that when I actually take the test, I end up in the 42-58% region on all points, except that I am decidedly introverted. So I can fall into any category that is introverted. And clearly I do, since if I take the test a second time with exactly the same answers, I will fall into a different category than I did the first time!

Initially, the test said I was the "Bitch-Slap", but that can't be right. I am more rational than intuitive. FAR more rational than intuitive. A second run said "Robot", and a third pegged me as a "Spiteful Loner".

(I know - trust me to check the test out to see if the same results display each time, huh?)

Babies are Fun

Especially when they do things like demand a clean fresh diaper so that they can poop in it immediately. Or insist that the diaper must be changed right now so that they may pee all over the place during the diaper change.

Or (my favorite) when they decide to pee, poop and vomit all at the same time while the diaper is off during changing. And Mommy's hands are busy dealing with one of these so she can't attend to the other two right away. And the baby, who is now covered with milk curds, takes advantage of Mommy's busy hands and wiggles around, getting poop all over his feet and his sleeper. And then he smiles and giggles at Mommy, all proud of his tremendous skill.

Babies are a lot of work. But no matter what their antics, and no matter how icky their various messes may be, that smile and giggle just mean the world. J smiles at me, and my heart melts and all of my frustration just disappears. He is such a sweet little boy, and I love him so much!

Lots Done Today

H had a day off today. He works Saturday to make up for it. We had lots to do, and completed most of it.

After breakfast, we took J to visit one of H's co-workers who had not yet met our sweet little boy. Then photocopied and dropped off a claim form for our benefits. Picked up cat food, then came home for a bit. Had lunch, etc.

Back out: applied for J's SIN# (and found out I forgot to change mine to married name - whoops! I'll take care of that). Then went to the Organics store to pick up Lime Mate air freshener. (Smells wonderful! And great for diaper pails too.) Then book shopping. ("Never Talk To Strangers" is out of print. Bummer!) And then we went to buy fruits and veggies for dinner. Great fruit stand!

Came home. Made dinner (lemon salmon with dill sauce - a favorite). Ate and cleaned up. Dug up dead sandcherry from front yard and returned it for full credit. Found out my other dead shrub with the rabbit damage died from winter weather rather than the rabbit, and can also be returned for full credit. (YAY! $60 back to me!) Went for a drive to explore and unwind. Came home. Took to keyboard and ranted at some homophobes. (I truly don't know what's wrong with them; they annoy me.)

Still need to do cover letter for H. There's a position open in a different department at his work that he wants to apply for. Sounds cool. Feeding J now, so will get this done soon.

Busy, busy.

On another note: During a diaper change, J grabbed his spit-up cloth. When he was lifted from the change table, he draped it over his head so he looked like Lawrence of Arabia. Very cute!

Barnyard Baby

I was playing with J in his bassinet (at 11:30 at night, when he really should have been sleeping, but he was wide awake anyway.) He loves to make funny faces and squirm, play with his fingers, etc. At one point during our playtime, I looked at J and said "Hi!!" He looked straight at me and very clearly said "Moo!" I called T and said "Honey, my son is mooing at me. We have a cow baby!" T laughed and started to leave the room. I once again looked at J and said "Hi!!" And I got the same response - a most emphatic "Moo!"

Despite this consistency in response, T insists that it was just a coincidence and that J is not actually a barnyard animal.

Stupid Cat

H left the door to the bedroom open for a few minutes this morning. It was early; we were both still in bed; J was freshly changed and fed, and I'd just swaddled him and put him back in his bassinet. He was gurgling, cooing and playing with his hands. We usually keep the cats locked out of the room so they stay well away from J; we don't really trust them around him just yet. But since we were both awake and watching, H thought it would be safe.

WRONG!

Jive jumped directly into the bassinet, landing right on J. Dumb cat was quickly removed from the room. J is just fine. (The cat weighs more than the baby, and I was less than impressed.)

Cat Antics

I went downstairs to get a glass of milk for myself and T before going to bed when the first thing I saw was Jivercat sitting on the arm of the couch.

The table lamp beside him was the only light in the room and half of his face was lit up. The rest of him was in darkness. I think he was trying to tell me a ghost story.

I could just see him thinking "It was a dark and stormy night..."

Cough. Cough! Sneeze!!

Well, now J and I are both sick. Poor little man had trouble breathing last night, and could be heard quite loudly. He didn't want to sleep, and still doesn't - he's in his bassinet playing right now. He had some major pukies during a couple of coughing fits, and all his bedding and his pj's had to be changed twice during the night. He's also been sneezing up a storm. No fever, and no wheezing, so all is well and it isn't in his lungs.

I'm starting to get sick too. Just a really stuffed up nose and a sore throat. I am hoping J will take a nice power nap in this afternoon and I'll be able to sleep as well. Maybe we can shake this thing together.

J Has a Cold

Poor little guy! He just keeps snuffling, sneezing and coughing away. He's really quite stuffed up. And he's all turned around for time, since he's been sleeping more yesterday and today (I assume trying to fight off his cold). Right now, he thinks it's play time rather than bed time. It doesn't matter that he's in his pajamas in the bassinet with the lights off; it is play time, and Mommy is nearby, and she is expected to play with him. He's wide awake, kicking away, shaking his little arms over his head, and having a grand old time of it. Every so often, I try to tuck his blanket in around him; he promptly kicks it off - what a fun game it is! In despair, I have left the room in hopes of encouraging him to go to sleep. I am hoping that, when I return to bed, he will be sleeping peacefully. Sometimes it works, but I don't know if that will happen tonight. He's reeeeeally active.

I hope he goes to sleep soon. I'd really like to get some sleep tonight, and I can't sleep when he's beside me kicking, flailing and talking to himself. Does not work.

Good Day

I had a really good day today. J was in good spirits and played for a bit this morning. He even seemed to enjoy his swing briefly. H and I went to visit va1kyrie and gsimian for awhile this afternoon. It was a good visit, and we got some more very nice clothes for the ever-growing J (who must be over 10 pounds by now - I'll get him weighed this week to make sure). It's lots of fun to hang out with good friends. We took a catmint plant over with us and gave it to them. I hope they enjoy it. I believe we have three more chunks yet to dig out of the garden and give away. (The main plant seeded last fall while I was on bed rest, so we have extra patches of it this year.)

Then we went to C's (H's brother) 40th birthday bash. C's girlfriend, L, put on the party. It was a good time. C got a bit drunk, but that just made him funny and jovial. He's a good drunk, and a heck of a nice guy. But then J got an upset stomach, and he threw up on - well, pretty well everyone, but mostly me. We left early, because there was cigar smoking on the patio outside of L's, and I can't tolerate smoke (it sets off my asthma something fierce); even from inside the house it affected me. But before we left, we got some potentially great news. I hope for officially wonderful news soon, and am waiting eagerly.

We came home, and the shrimp smell was finally out of the house. (It still smells a bit musty for some reason, but no longer shrimpy.)

J is asleep in his carseat, and we will wake him soon for feeding, changing and then a proper bed down for the night in the bassinet. (H is very tired, but he is not confusing the baby with the cat tonight.) Soon, we will have to move J from his bassinet to his crib, but not just yet. I can still enjoy him being right beside me in the bassinet. I love him so much!

What a darling little boy we have.

I am feeling very blessed tonight. I have a wonderful husband, great friends, a fun and generous family, a beautiful home (and garden), and a sweet dear little child. What more could anyone ask for in life? Yes indeed; I feel very blessed.

Beaches

I saw a Corona beer commercial tonight, and was reminded of a funny story from years ago.

My brother's best friend, M, was doing the poor-man's tour of Europe, staying in hostels. One day, while in France, he stayed out too late. He arrived back at the hostel to find that they had given his bed to someone else and all of his belongings were out in the street. Unable to find another hostel and without enough money to get a hotel room, he set out to try and find a place to sleep for the night. Not wishing to carry the heavy bag with all of his belongings around with him, he first put on all of his clothing, in layers.

After awhile, he found himself down by the river, and he found a nice secluded spot on a beach. Knowing that he had a watch with an alarm and would awake early enough to vacate the beach and return to the hostel in time to get a room, he went to sleep.

The next morning, he awoke at 11:00 a.m., to the realization that his alarm was broken and that he was the only person wearing three pairs of pants, five shirts, etc., etc., ... on a nude beach. All of the naked people were staring at him as though he were some sort of idiot. He slinked away.

The remainder of his trip was uneventful, and the only thing he left in Europe was his dignity.

Name Tags

We attended a family reunion today for my mother's side. Everyone had to wear name tags. We took the instructions quite literally, as you can see.



Monkey is very important to J, so it is most important that everyone know who he be.

Any Trades Accepted

T and I went house hunting tonight.

The sign on the lawn of the dilapidated bungalow across the street from the mall read: "Any Trades Accepted". T said that was a bad omen. I couldn't help but say: "I'll give you an old Sex Pistols tape". T and the realtor both laughed, and the realtor said: "I'll give you my cat".

We trudged up the steps to the front door, me clinging desperately to J lest the steps give way. (The sagging front steps were actually coming detached from the house.) We walked in, and noted the plywood flooring in the entranceway. The kitchen was done in green 70's lino. But they ran out, and did one section in blue. It only got worse from there.

The only good thing about the house was its gorgeous oversized stainless steel refrigerator. It did not come with the house.

Smelly

Tonight, I made a shrimp stir fry. It was quite yummy. But I forgot to rinse out the pan before we went out. We got home, and the entire house smells of shrimp. I like shrimp, but it's not a pleasant odor.

On another note, we went on a house hunt in the southeast. Disheartening. Of the 10 homes for sale that were in our price range: 2 were sold, 5 were pending, 1 (just listed this morning, I might add) had an offer and counteroffer situation happening on it, leaving only 2 houses to view. They were both icky. We also checked out the one with the offer in place and it was really nice, but was located right on a really busy street, and the traffic noise was astonishing. So it didn't seem appropriate to get into a bidding war with another potential buyer, especially when we're not sure the southeast is the right area for us in any event.

**Sigh!**

House Hunting

Very tiring! Very frustrating!

I love my house. But I have to acknowledge that it is no longer the right home for us. It's a beautiful house in a very nice neighborhood. But it lacks schools and near daycares (a real consideration these days), and it is not on a decent bus route. (I work downtown, so that is quite important.) Plus, it is a 2-storey home, so we have a lot of stairs to barricade from J. Besides, if I ever end up on bed rest again, it would be best for us to be in a bungalow. We don't have a finished basement or a garage and, with the new baby, we won't be able to find the time to do these things ourselves (not that we're particularly handy folk who could figure it out anyway); we certainly don't have the cash to hire someone to do it! So it is with some sadness that we must begin the dreaded house hunting process.

But where to live? H and I have very different takes on this issue. He is partial to the area where he grew up. I love that area as well and, if that were the only consideration, we'd probably be devoting ourselves to a search in the city's southeast. But that is not the only consideration.

My parents, who are our main source of support and care for J, live in the west end. (Kind of northwest, actually.) Being southeast would not work for us from that perspective. We'd lose our main support and possibly some childcare assistance. Suffice it to say that I quite enjoy the help of my family and don't wish to lose it by moving really far away from them.

So I propose we move to the west end of town, near my parents' home. Of course, H prefers southeast, and states that the west end is too far from his mother, who has some health concerns and is in need of assistance. My thought is that the west end works better for us right now and housing is temporary - we could always sell our west end home down the road if it is not working as well for us and we still prefer the southeast communities. But for right now, we need to be where it makes sense right now.

To quote va1kyrie, "If I Ruled the World"...

If I ruled the world, H's mother would move into a senior's complex in the west end, where she would be near us and we could provide some assistance and a close relationship with her new grandson. In turn, we would find a suitable house for sale in some nice west end neighbourhood near my parents. The house would be within our price range and, (and this is very important), would be AVAILABLE!! Not sold; not pending; not waiting for acceptance of the other possible offer - AVAILABLE!! We would then sell our current home for an appropriate price, transfer our mortgage to the new house, and move in. And it would all go really smoothly and everyone would be perfectly happy.

Every time we find something we like with a reasonable price point in either southeast or west, it's already either sold or pending. Sure takes time to find anything tangible.

So very tired

J was a bundle of screaming, howling energy today. Everyone is entitled to a crabby day. But it's exhausting for me. H is very tired too. He was trying to get our evening routine together, but in his speech, he kept confusing the baby with the cat. It went something like this:

"So, will you help me feed the cat? And then you can pill the baby. Then you change the cat and put her in her pajamas while I lock the baby in the bathroom so he can eat his cat food. We'll give the cat her vitamin D drops, put her in the bassinet, lock the baby in the hall, and go to bed."

I collapsed on the ground in shrieks of laughter, practically unable to breathe and, gasping for air, stated: "I'm very tired; it really wasn't that funny!" H concurred.

Hands

Today, J discovered his hands. He can't take his eyes off of them, and he keeps playing with his fingers and trying to stuff his fists into his mouth. It is very cute. Poor timing, though, as he had his Sears portraits taken today (much cheaper to get copies for family and friends than Cdn Baby). In most of his pictures, he is either trying to get his hands in his mouth or just staring at them.

Ah well. The pictures are still cute. They will be ready for pickup on August 2.

Hypothetical Real Estate Query

If a house is being listed for sale at $230,000, and the City has it assessed at $185,500, what would be a reasonable offer to make? I don't know the answer to this. I do, however, know that a house assessed at $226,000 will never ever sell for its asking price of $325,000.

Realtors should not smoke crack.

Weight Stuff

J weighed 9 lbs 10 oz yesterday. He is growing by leaps and bounds. (Good baby.) Dr. G, the lactation specialist, says he is actually in the 10th percentile for weight after being adjusted for his prematurity. We don't go back to see her any longer - we graduated yesterday.

She vetoed our pedi's advice that we start J on solids at 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 months, and suggested that we start him at 6-1/2 months (adjusting by a couple of weeks to account for some of his prematurity). She says that our pedi is wrong and that, if we start him early, he could have some gastrointestinal issues. She also suggested we just take J to my GP rather than to the pedi. It's so hard to get in to see my GP, as he's overbooked. But it's equally tough to get in to see anybody else, so I may just go that route. I was going to try to stick with his pedi, but I find myself second-guessing everything she says now. If I don't trust her, how can I continue to go to her?

As for myself, I lost 3.4 lbs this week. (Yay me!) All told, I have now lost roughly one-tenth of the total weight that I wish to lose. One-tenth can sound like a small amount or a large amount. But I prefer to think of it as a significant loss.

55+

Judging from the poor response to my entry about my Lifestyles 55+ magazine, it appears I have very few friends. Whoever will I take to Smitty's with my seniors coupons? And to whom will I give my second free package of Ben Gay? I hobbled all the way to the drugstore to get it. Young whippersnapper behind the counter was no help. I shook my cane at him.

(Sidebar - the following comments were received:)

from human_loser: "sorry, dude, I just don't talk to old people. You guys freak me out."


response from H to loser: "I shake my cane at you."

*********
from va1kyrie: "I understand that your short-term memory is failing, but I responded to your seniority. Mockingly, I admit, but I did respond. I guess I'm the one who gets treated to Smitty's. Hooray!"


response from H to va1kyrie: "You are correct. Smitty's it is. (You may also have the free Ben Gay. And a cane to shake - unless you prefer a walker; I have both.)"

*********
from dottie_parker: "Personally, I prefer an electric scooter. Easier to run people over."

Another Sign

Today, I passed the following sign:


I'm not sure who is expected to have fun; me or the donkeys. Anyone who has experienced a "Miniature Donkey Fun Day" is encouraged to let me know.

(Sidebar - Received the following comments:)

from mejonesutarzan: "My favorite sign is on the Casa Loma campus at George Brown in Toronto. It simply says "no littering children below."

*********
from dottie_parker: "As long as the donkeys had fun on their miniature days, I'm happy."


response to dottie from T: "What's really funny is that I asked H 'What is it that's miniature? The donkey, the fun, or the days?'

I'm glad someone thinks like me!"


response to T from dottie: "It's all about the punctuation, baby!"

A Trifle Blue

Ever feel blue? For no reason? Nothing's wrong; nothing's happened; you were content a moment ago, and then suddenly you're not?

I dunno why. J had a bit of a crabby day, so that may have contributed to it. And maybe lack of sleep too. Yes. I'll probably feel better in the morning.

What a moody creature I am!

J's Weight and Stuff

J weighed 9 lbs 7 oz today! (He's still only in the 5th percentile for weight gain, but he's always been in that low end of things.) He saw his pedi. She has redeemed herself in my eyes, somewhat, so I think we'll continue to see her and see how things go. Mainly, it's just hard to find decent doctors who are accepting new patients.

I let his pedi know that his tongue tie was released, and she asked if it bled. It seems that was her hesitancy in releasing a tongue tie - she tries to avoid procedures that cause bleeding whenever possible. I still think it should have been released immediately, but that's just a disagreement on procedure, I suppose. (Though I'm still not impressed that she didn't tell us about it, but whatever.)

Then she reviewed his weight gain, length and head measurement. She told me he was still gaining as he always had - following the same line. I asked if there was anything I could do to improve things, and she said that J just happens to be small. He's in the 5th percentile for all three measurements, but she said that someone has to be at the low end and that's why the 5th percentile exists. Since neither H nor I are particularly large (well, I am, but that's just fat and not structure) it stands to reason that J would be on the small side also. So it seems he is perfectly normal, even though he is little. I suppose I can live with that. It's not as though he's in a higher percentile for length and head size and only the 5th percentile for weight; that would indicate a problem for sure. He's 5th percentile right across the board.

I feel better.

On another note, the pictures from Canadian Baby Photographers were really cute. They took a series of pictures with J in just his diaper, lying on the quilt my sister made for him on his tummy with his head kind of propped up on his arms - some with a ball cap on his head, some with a crocheted baby blanket over the top of his head, and some without props. Then they dressed him up with a little tiger striped sash and leaves in front of him and took some pictures of him with a little stuffed monkey so he looked like Tarzan. Then they took a few shots of him in the little red onesie and denim shorts I had picked out for him, including one with his little soft blue teddy bear that the office sent over when he was born. They were really good at positioning him and catching the picture at the right time. We get a free portrait out of this, and can then decide if we want any of the other shots. But I have a gut feeling they're really expensive, so we may just go with the free portrait only. We'll see what to do in a couple of weeks when they come to the house to review the shots with us. I am looking forward to seeing them.

Anyway, the photographer was using digital technology, so I got to see a few of the shots on his camera. They looked really, really cute! J was in a pretty good mood - until the end, when he started to cry and needed to be comforted.

We've been trying to get the little tyke to go to sleep a bit earlier so we can catch some zzzz's. He's in his bassinet now. I think I'll go to bed too, as I'm likely to be awoken in the wee small hours for a feed. Our logic is that, even if we're woken up for feeding/diaper changing in the early morning hours, we still get in more sleep if he goes to bed earlier on. If he's in bed by 10:00 and then wakes up at 2:00 and 6:00 or something like that, we can still fit in 7 hours of sleep (giving ourselves an hour for changing and feeding from 2:00 to 3:00), whereas if he stays up until midnight or 1:00 and doesn't wake until 6:00 for feeding and changing, we get in less sleep even though it's uninterrupted. I'd rather encourage J to sleep earlier and catch that extra hour or two ourselves.

So when do I get to retire?

Today, at long last, I received in the mail my summer edition of my Lifestyles 55+ magazine. (I received my spring edition some time ago, but it's horribly out of date now.) The magazine contains all sorts of useful tidbits, such as ways to use my CPP payments and retirement communities where I may live so as to still be near my grandchildren. All of this is particularly useful when you consider that I turned 37 this year and have a newborn son. I highly doubt J will be giving me any grandchildren for at least a couple of years yet. (I dearly hope not, in any event.)

How did I end up on this mailing list anyway? Whose idea of a sick joke is that?

(Sidebar - The following comments were received:)

from va1kyrie: "We're on our way to "Freedom 45." That's when our house will be paid off. (me dancing a little jig)")

Happy Baby

J is amusing himself in his bassinet. I tried to swaddle him and tuck him in as usual, but he's become most interested in his feet of late and is having none of it. Instead, he is smiling and cooing as he kicks his feet up in the air and brings them down against the label on the inside of the bassinet. He is enjoying the scratching sound it makes when his toenails scrape against the label material. What fun!

I am hoping he will stay happy for this afternoon. A photographer from Canadian Baby Photography is coming by between 1:00 and 2:00 to take some pictures of him. (It's a free sitting and portrait thingy that came with the Welcome Wagon from the hospital.) J's moods are fairly unpredictable, but he's usually happy these days. Keeping fingers crossed for cute pictures!

Anyway, I'm going to see if I can catch a bit more sleep. It's hard with J talking to himself beside me, but as long as he's happy I may be able to grab a bit of shut-eye yet. I'm tired today. Lots to do, though. Not much time for napping.

Can't argue with that department

Only in a Canadian made for TV movie would you hear a line so riveting as: "When you want to prove something, what you want to do is prove it."

Deep. Very deep. (And so true.)

What a Difference!

J awoke this morning with smiles and coos, talking to himself, kicking his chubby little legs, all ready to face the day. He was squirmy and he felt wet, so I went to change him. He smiled and played through his diaper change and getting all dressed for the day, and he ate his breakfast without any issues of spit-up, tears, length of time, or pain for mommy. He's so happy now, I just can't believe this is the same baby. He's so much more fun!

Yesterday, we took him to the Canada Day Parade. He wasn't interested at all, but we had fun. J pretty much just slept.

I have my Weight Watchers meeting this morning. It's odd; it's a really good program, but it's not motivating me to take off the weight. I'm sure I'd lose the weight if I'd follow the program, but I just seem to lack any drive to do it. So this week, I am determined to get motivated and start doing something about it. I'm not happy with how I look at this weight, and I'd like to have a more healthy and active lifestyle just for the sake of my own health. So I'm going to try to take my eyes off the scale, and H and I are going to work together to be more healthy and active. We're going to eat from the Weight Watchers "Core" plan, which means we will get to eat a wide variety of healthy foods that we like. H, who has no weight problems at all, will just eat more of those healthy nutritious foods than will I. Foods like pop, chips and chocolate will become occasional treats for both of us rather than dietary staples.

This is my goal. And now that J isn't so crabby all the time, I may be able to take more time with meal preparation and not have to constantly hunt for some pre-packaged convenience food that I can eat with a sobbing baby in my arms. This should help. Hopefully by changing to this healthy lifestyle, the pounds will come off as well.

Canada Day Activities

We took J to a Canada Day Parade today. Here are some shots of J "enjoying" the parade!

Getting ready to go

At the parade




All tuckered out

North by Northwest

I felt like Cary Grant in "North by Northwest" tonight, when I passed this sign:


What was really odd about this is that these signs were spaced about 20 feet or so apart down the road, but there were no additional signs anywhere. Weird!

We Need a New Pediatrician

The more I think about it, the more ticked off I get. Don't get me wrong; J's pediatrician is a very nice lady, and I like her a lot. But she wasn't concerned about his slow weight gain - he's only been in the 5th percentile for weight gain, and he was small to begin with. Nor was she concerned about his tongue tie, or about the fact that he was causing me pain when he ate. She just kept saying she was satisfied with his weight gain. Now, the nurses at the Community Health Centre were the ones who told me he was in the 5th percentile for weight gain (50th is average; 5th is far below par). And the lactation specialist said his weight gain was inadequate. So his current pediatrician has lost all credibility with me on that front already.

Then, there's the hurting me when he eats issue, which is not normal and which I feel she should have investigated. But most importantly, I really think she should have noticed J's tongue tie at the hospital and, if she noticed it, she should have drawn our attention to it and given us some information. But she didn't do it and, when we contacted her to ask about it, she dismissed our concerns. We had to go to a completely different doctor to get it attended to.

It's like nursing a completely different baby. It is no longer painful to feed him; he no longer tries to feed for 45 minutes + per side at a time. In fact, he's frequently done in 10 minutes (both sides). I thought maybe he wasn't getting anything, but he is; he's just so much more efficient a nurser now that his tongue is freed up that it takes that much less to get him fed and happy.

So I think we'd best find a new doctor for him. I think his current pedi should have just gotten his tongue tie released and saved us all of the aggravation. I wonder who we will go to.

Just a thought

Broccoli would be better if it were made of meat and slathered in barbecue sauce.

GAP Baby

J was sooooo very sleepy tonight! We were changing him up for bed, and got this picture of him snoozing on his change table.



He looks like he'll probably sleep very well tonight.