My little helper

John sharing some quality time with me while I make dinner. One day he'll be able to do more with that whisk than just drool on it. At least that's my hope.

I know, I'm supposed to let him play on the floor, but we still have all of our cleaners in the bottom cabinet, and mice are living under the sink. No floor-time in the kitchen until I can get everything scoured clean, and replaced with sterilized tupperware. Besides, on those days when he wants to be held, this keeps him happy (clearly), while keeping my hands free. On the floor, he just reaches to be picked up. It's so heartbreaking to see that pouty face, and those little outstretched arms, and not be able to do anything about it at the momment.

I made up some new babyfood for John, and so far, things are going well. Though, I started with peach, which is hard to dislike. The green beans can wait. I tried some, just to get myself prepared - if I can eat something and seem excited about it, he'll eat it too, so I have to be prepared to eat everything I want him to eat. I think the green beans will be a challenge. They're really vile. Thankfully, the baby food book my parents got me said the orange veggies are more important that the green ones, and for the most part, the orange ones are fine.

We're trying the baby cereal again too. So far, so good. He didn't sleep well last night, but it didn't seem to be gas - there was a lot of fist biting going on, so I think his teeth were bugging him instead. Hopefully, his gut has matured enough to handle it - he likes the texture much more than real cereals, and it has all those extra vitamins.

The transition to the new crib is going very well. He's been sleeping in his own room at night for a couple of days now. It's working out great, because we don't wake him up when we come to bed or wake up anymore.

The strike situation is still going well. No new news, but no news is good news at this point. Everyone's still at the table, which is a good sign.

The Alice Perogy stuffing recipe would be great! Not that I plan to do that again for a while - at least until Mike has some time to help me roll. He's actually had quite a bit of time off lately. He was burning out pretty badly, so he stopped taking extra shifts. He also volunteered to sit for a few days, and asked for Saturday off so we could go to our riding association's AGM. He wound up with about five days off, and went back to work this morning looking much more rested.

I'm not going to Montreal!!! Woohooo!!! For those of you who don't know, there's a party convention going on in Montreal in March. I've been lobbying to not have to go for months now, and I made it through the AGM without Mike putting me on the delegate list! I'd love to go - conventions are soooo much fun. And I hear there's an unspoken, underground movement to vote for a leadership review, which I would love to be a part of, but things are just more complicated with John in the picture. He's at a bad age for conventions - maybe in, like, eight years or so. We'd have to hire a sitter, which is so expensive, and he hates taking bottles, so I'd have to run back to feed him all the time. This way, Mike (as long as there's no strike) can tag along on the bus that's being rented, or split gas with someone. Maybe he can even split a hotel room with someone else. So much easier, and less expensive. He's still pushing for me to go to the provincial convention in Ottawa, the last weekend in February. I don't know how I'm going to wiggle my way out of that one. I was hoping the strike would take care of this for me. Oh well. At least everyone speaks english in Ottawa - it'll be easier to find a sitter.

John's fan club

Visiting with Gran and Gramps P

John (and the rest of us) had some company - my parents came for a visit. They were here for a few days before heading to TO for a few trade shows. They'll be back next week, before heading home. They babysat for us for a very long afternoon, which we really appreciated. They looked a little weary by the time we got back, so I felt bad, but it sure was nice to have a few hours away from John. He enjoyed the visit too - especially munching the strings on Mom's hoodie. We got a new highchair for John, and my parents got it broken in, feeding different foods to John. Sweet potato is still a huge hit. Carrots, not-so-much. Even the former favourite of squash pales next to sweet potato. He actually spit it out. Thankfully, he still likes banana. It's the one thing that never goes out of style.

John figured out that if he blew rasperries with his mouth full of food, he could make my parents laugh. He played that game for a good five minutes, and it was so obvious he was doing it just to make them howl.

We got him a few new things to try over the next few weeks - peaches, apricots, peas and green beans. I'm thinking the peas and beans won't be very well-liked. Maybe I can mix them with banana, and he won't notice?

We tried John in the big crib last night. He took it pretty well. He woke up screaming a couple of times, but fell back to sleep easily each time after a quick cuddle. I think he was scared waking up in a new bed in a new room. We slept in the nursery with him to make the transition easier for everybody, and I think it helped. It helped me at least. He's been napping in the crib today too, and is doing very well - settling fast, and sleeping soundly.

In other news, we finally ate the perogies. Turns out they grow when you boil them, so I actually made a pretty huge amount of food. I only cooked about a third of them, and we couldn't finish them all at one meal. Mike said - after days of watching me roll, fill and pinch - that they were the worst homemade perogies he's ever tasted. But only the worst in that they were textbook perfect - they tasted like commercial perogies, which I guess isn't that bad a complaint. I guess he's used to his moms, which have more flavour. On the upside, he said, even though they were the worst homemade perogies ever, it was by far his favourite meal in a long time. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure if that was actually a compliment after all.

He said if the strike goes ahead, he'll help me make a batch. Speaking of the strike, it has been temporarily averted. Midnight tonight was the deadline, but the company went back to the table with two new negotiators just this afternoon, and the union feels that things are sudenly looking very positive. So, everyone's on alert for a strike to be called at any minute, but until then, they're doing work to rule instead. All that means is not accepting overtime hours until further notice. So, there may not be a strike after all. Or, there might be one in the next few days. It all depends on these new negotiations. But, new people at the table and good vibes from the union leaders are both very good signs. I'll keep yo posted.

John's "big baby" bed

The new crib - I doubt he'll ever fall asleep in it.

John's crib has finally arrived! It was supposed to arrive Saturday, but we had a snow squall storm. I couldn't even see the house across the street for most of the day, so the delivery guy turned back. Mike came home early - he couldn't even see traffic lights. It was pretty dangerous. He picked up the phone when the delivery guy called to reschedule - they spent a few minutes swapping driving horror stories.

John loves the crib, though I think he finds it too exciting to sleep in just yet. I sat him down in the middle, and the first thing he did was shimmy over to the side, and pull himself up with the bars, laughing the whole time.

When I laid him down in it, he tried to crawl. He can't yet, but when he tries, he winds up going backwards. So, after a few minutes I looked over, and he had backed himself into a corner, and his legs were sticking out between the bars. This is going to be fun.

He's feeling much better - he can digest again, which is nice for the person who has to change all those diapers. That would be me. No more fever, or cough. He still has a runny nose though, so no baby rhyme time for us again tomorrow. Probably a good thing - my parents are coming for a visit, and I'd have to go straight from there to the airport. This way, John can still have his morning nap and lunch at a regular time, so he'll be more sociable in the afternoon. Hopefully, the last of it will be gone in a day or two.

I've been trying to make perogies for Mike - the real kind, not the frozen ones. What masochist invented this recipe!? I'm reading it, I'm thinking, wow, that sounds so simple. I can do that. I make the filling, I make the dough, and I start rolling. And filling. And pinching. And rolling. And filling. And pinching. Eight hours of labour later, I don't even have enough to feed one person - especially not one with an appetite like Mike. I froze what I had, and we had beans for dinner instead. They've consumed my life for days now. I think I might actually be able to serve them today, and not go to bed hungry. I don't even want to cook them. I sneak a peek in the freezer now and then, just to marvel at how so much effort can fit into such a tiny space. It seems a shame to eat them - they are a monument to slave labour.

I'm never doing this again, until we have an army of children, all old enough to join a perogy assembly line. I'll call it Ma Walchuk's labour camp.

On the mend

Rub-a-dub-dub - John in the tub. ( Do you like the artfully placed pouf?)

We're thinking we're going to get some tub toys for John soon. He likes to sit up and splash around in the bath now, but all he has to play with is the shampoo bottle, which is just sad.

John seems to be feeling better. He was much more energetic and playfull yesterday, runny nose aside. He's still got a bit of a runny nose and a cough this morning, but he seems to be getting better. Just as long as that cough doesn't turn into anything more severe.

On Mike's strike front, the vote results haven't been released yet - a few divisions still need to vote. But the company has already been put on strike notice. They plan to release the results next week, and be on strike at the end of the month, if the company doesn't come up with something positive.

Apparently, the big issue is money, but it never even made it there in the negotiations. The little things were negotiated first, and the company dug in its heels so hard on those, the union walked away before getting to the hardball issue. They're upset that they do the same job as techs in the parent company, but make as little as half what they do. I can see their frustration. I used to be in a non-unionized paper within a unionized division. I was the only reporter who wasn't in the union, and always made less than the other guys. I not only did the same job as them, I was also the paper's receptionist, and had to handle classified ads and complaints from the public. I also took photos, which the other reporters didn't have to do. I laid out pages, which is worth more in the union, but didn't get paid extra for it, and I proofed pages, which I figured was just part of the job, but if a union guy does it, they get paid extra for that as well. It probably wouldn't have bothered me that much, except I had union guys constantly whispering in my ear how much I'd be making if I was in the union, and how I was going to be the first to be axed if there were cutbacks, because I had no job protection. I think they were trying to empathize in a twisted way but they were just rubbing salt in the wound, because it's not like I could just join the union. Apparently one of the companies' contract demands was that the reporters at my paper ( I was the only one) not be allowed to join. Good times.

So yeah. I can empathize with Mike's union. I think I'd still be voting no, but I see where they're coming from.

Mike is furious. He said the people at the vote were rabid. He didn't even express his opposition to a strike, much less make a speech, for fear of his life. He said it was like being at a meeting for the mob. His big fear is, management will dissolve his company and he won't have a job to go back to. They're threatening to bring in a new contractor they created - it's currently only in eastern Ontario - the guys work piece rate, so most wind up making even less. Regardless, he said the strike will probably be long and bitter. At $200 a week for strike pay, we certainly can't afford for it to be very long, but, we'll take things as they come.

cold update

And the nose drips on...

John's fever is gone, but he's still feeling yicky. He's developed a fear of Kleenex. I can't say I blame him. Sure hope this clears up soon, though it is nice having him sleep so much.

Another first

Not a good first, but a first nonetheless - John has his first cold. So, no picture today. He's looking a little rough. We're both a wreck. I guess he got it from me, who got it from Adrian. He's coughing, sneezing, and has a very runny nose. I'm assuming he has the sore throat too, because he's refused all solids for the past couple of days - even banana. Thankfully, he's more than happy to nurse, so he won't starve or dehydrate. He has a low grade fever this morning, so I'll keep an eye on that. Mostly he seems really cold. We've got all his baby blankets out. He uses about four heavy ones at night. I keep thinking he's going to overheat, but when I put my hand under the covers, it's not that warm under there, and without them all he fusses. I tried bringing him to bed with me last night to keep him warm, but he didn't like that too much - he definitely wanted his own space. And he's soooooo tired. Yesterday was a six nap day. He was awake less than an hour this morning, so it'll probably be that way again today. Poor little guy. Hopefully, this will all pass soon.

Short and sweet

An old favourite. That hat doesn't fit anymore. I was going to take it with us to the eye appointment, to keep the sun off his dilated eyes, but it was way too small.

Not much of a post today - I'm sick. I thought I was just stuffed up kicking up too much dust housecleaning yesterday. But now, I'm definitely sick. On the upside, the house looks fantastic. I rearranged the furniture, so it doesn't look a cluttered, and vacuumed underneath everything. I challenge anyone to find a single cobweb. I even washed the curtains. Place looks great, but now I'm a wreck, so I'm going to tag along with John's naps today.

I forgot to mention yesterday, the eye doctor place was filled with babies and toddlers - several in glasses. We were there just at the end of the "baby hour," apparently. All the old wheel-chair bound people with glaucoma and stuff like that were making their way in as the strollers started to thin out. Anyway, in one of the waiting rooms, there was a 10-month-old. He and John were checking each other out from across the room, so the mom came over and sat beside me so they could meet. They both smiled. Then they both reached out their hands, and started holding hands! It was so cute! Mike's a little nervous that he wanted to hold hands with a boy. The way John goes nuts over girl babies, you'd think he can tell the difference, but obviously, a baby is a baby. It's just luck of the draw which ones he goes nuts for, I'm sure.

Anyway, I'm off to bed for the rest of the day. Sure wish I could take something for this cold. I can't even take vitamin C. The only things I'm ever allowed are Advil or Tylenol. Big improvement over pregnancy, though. I was only allowed Tylenol then.

A new hit

Mmm...oatmeal

I've finally discovered how to make banana oatmeal that doesn't make John wince, cringe, convulse or gag!

Banana Oatmeal a la John
Take one heaping tablespoon oats
Add three tablespoons water
Microwave a minute or two
Add three or four slices of banana
Frappe in blender until smooth and frothy
Add to John - mixture will splatter
Transfer immediately into warm bath

It seems oatmeal by itself is far too chunky, and that although plain banana may have chunks, banana oatmeal may not. So fussy! He got his hands right in the bowl for this one. By the time we were done, he had it all over his face, his feet, his clothes, my clothes, the couch, my hands. The bib was a disaster. The whole area was a disaster, really, but at least I found a winner. Can't go wrong with smooth, sticky goo.

The eye doc appointment was very discouraging. John doesn't need glasses right now, but he probably will, likely before he even starts school. She says it's genetic, and there's nothing we can do to stop it or slow it down. I was so mortified. I worked so hard to give him a good start. I ate all my orange veggies while I was pregnant, and counted my protien grams. I never missed a single vitamin pill. I eat spinach. I breastfeed. I don't drink. I eat very little junk food. And yet, despite it all, he's going to start kindergarten already wearing glasses, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Mike doesn't see why I'm upset, but he didn't have to go through his whole life wearing glasses, and he doesn't know what it's like to be blind without them. He needs them, but he can function relatively well without them.

It could be worse, of course. There are worse fates in the world than needing glasses. He's not terminally ill, and he has all his limbs, and a bright mind. It's just very disappointing. We were told he'd probably need them, I just didn't think it would be so soon.

On the upside, he actually has perfect vision right now - not normal for a baby, which is why they say he'll need glasses. Most babies still have poor vision, and it perfects as they grow. His is perfect now. That's probably why everyone says he's so bright and attentive - he can see things other babies can't.

Mr Grab-it

Mmmm...potato

The new food is actually apple, but he doesn't like it. He barely finished half a cube. I ate most of it, and he wouldn't have eaten any if I hadn't done that.

We've entered this new grab-it phase, and I can't wait for it to end. (Please, please tell me this ends!) He grabs everything in his reach, and shoves it straight in his mouth. If it's out of his reach, he lunges for it with all his strength, and he's a pretty strong little guy. I'm constantly scanning, to make sure there's no knives or staples or tacks within lunging range. He's also found that, although he can't crawl, he can climb on us while he's being held. Every time I hold him it's like a wrestling match. He's not trying to get away from me exactly, he's trying to use my body to get where he wants to go. It's completely exhausting. For the first time since those first few weeks, I actually feel like I need a break from him. Mike's been pretty good. He's enjoying this new fearless explorer phase - much more fun to him than the helpless baby phase - so he takes him off my hands for a bit when he's home. But even he can't take it for too long. So, how long until this phase ends? It is a phase, right?

He still can't crawl, but he's making progress. Last night he was hyper, so we brought him to bed for a bit of quiet play to wind down. Mike put him on his belly, and he turned his body, and started creeping towards me, inchworm-style. As soon as he got to me, he snuggled up against me, and promtly fell asleep. It was so cute! It took him a few minutes to do it, but he did do it. Mike looked a little offended - there was no denying who his choice was. He shouldn't feel slighted; I may be first choice for cuddles, but when it comes to play time, it's all about dad. This morning, John was trying to go after the cat. He was up on all fours and was rocking so hard he was kind of lurching forward. He was actually making progress, until she left. Without his prize, he stopped rocking. It's dawning on me what a nightmare it's going to be once he can crawl. I'm not going to be able to leave him for a second. He's going to get into everything, and it's all going to go straight in his mouth! Yikes!

Baby CPR didn't happen yesterday. It was cold and rainy, so only me and one other mom showed up. The nurse and the Red Cross lady decided to hold off, so more moms could be there. It worked out alright, because the other mom left, so John and I had a nurse all to ourselves for a half hour, while we waited for Mike to pick us up. We got lots of questions answered. The nurse is very impressed with John, and how strong he is. She said he's clearly thriving. I felt a little bad for the other mom, who actually got chastized for underfeeding her baby. She was a pretty tiny baby, and I guess public health holds these programs partly to seek out babies in trouble, so the nurse was just doing her job. And from the way the mom was acting, I think large amounts of crack have probably played a role in the problem, but I still felt bad for her. I know how mortified I'd be if anyone said I wasn't giving John enough to eat. Next week is all about babyproofing and home safety, which couldn't come at a better time for us. Then it's immunizations, which I'll probably pass on. We're already firmly pro-shot. No sense preaching to the choir.

Mike didn't come in the end - he had too many other things to do. He lost his wallet a couple weeks back, and has just come to terms with the fact that it's actually gone. All his credit cards were already cancelled, but he needed the time to replace everything else. He's still in mourning - he loved that wallet - he'd had it for 10 years. We're not too worried about identity theft or anything like that - it's not an identity worth stealing.

Car's in the garage today. We lost half a tank of gas in just a few hours of running around, and it was having a lot of trouble starting. Seems the thing that pumps the gas from the tank to where it's supposed to go has corroded away, and is pumping gas onto the street instead. It's a blow to the bank we weren't expecting, but it's not something we can afford to let go. Our car is an environmental disaster, and financially, we'll burn through that much in gas in no time, so it needs to be fixed right away. The garage man is fast-tracking it, so it'll stop leaking all over his lot. Hopefully, it will be done today. John has another eye appointment tomorrow morning, where he's going to be getting drops in his eyes. The last eye doc warned me that his eyes will be really sensitive to light, which will likely make him upset, so I don't want to deal with taxis or busses.

Doc update and other stuff

John's ornament got packed away yesterday - my parents sent this print of one of his photos, so we used it for the centre.

Saw Doc West yesterday. All is well - John's still a big little guy. He's 71 cm long - I think that's about 28-29 inches or something, and just over 19 pounds. He was too rushed to convert it exactly for me, and I can't remember how many hundreds of grams he was to convert it myself. The clinic closed between Christmas and New Year's, so now they seem to be playing catch-up. The waiting room was packed, and he was in a hurry, despite running perfectly on time.

I asked him what we're supposed to be doing about solids. He said not to take it too seriously. As long as he's getting several different things over the course of a week, we're doing it right. As for amount, he said just to give him whatever he wants. He said as crazy as it sounds, if he wants a whole banana, give him a whole banana, though maybe stop at half a banana and switch to something else for the sake of variety. I told him about how John just doesn't stop eating, which made him chuckle. He said just keep feeding him until he becomes ill, if it comes to that. Throwing up is my cue to stop. He also commended me for making John's food from scratch. I got two thumbs up, which felt pretty good. I also mentioned how his skin has become very sensitive now that he's older, and he says that's normal - especially for a redhead. He said with most babies that lily white, you just have to look at them the wrong way, and they break out in a rash. He's become so sensitive, zinc oxide actually causes a rash. It's a pain, but given his dad's skin, I guess it was inevitable. I just wonder why it was always so easy to keep clear before.

He said again not to worry about the lack of extra iron in the cereal he can't eat. As long as John is breastfed, and not getting any formula, he'll be alright. No plans to stop that anytime soon, so I guess he'll be OK. Mike did launch a bitter but doomed campaign to get me to switch to formula a couple of months ago. I don't know if he was sick of listening to me yelp everytime John bit me, or if he was feeling left out. His main arguement was that John and I had "become too close," and were "bonded too strongly," whatever that's supposed to mean. I thought bonding was a good thing. Regardless, John rarely bites anymore and Mike gets to do solid feedings whenever he's around for then, so the formula issue has faded away.

We took in Baby rhyme time this morning. It was pretty interesting. Everyone needed a nap this week, so we had a room full of crabby babies. All except John - he was literally laughing through his yawns. They brought some ECE students from the local college in to observe this week. I was sitting beside one, and John was head over heels for her. As the other babies were nodding off to the lullabies, John was jumping around, belly laughing, while holding onto this girl's fingers. She was thrilled, and he had a blast. I just wish she had trimmed her nails. Why would an ECE student wear long false nails when she's going to be around babies?! She could have taken an eye out with those things! The teacher kept laughing at John - she says he's going to be the life of the party when he's older. While every other baby was nodding off and glazing over, there was John, bouncing like a wildman. Yup, that's my boy. (Sound like anyone else you guys know?)

Tomorrow is baby CPR and first aid. Mike has the day off and will probably be able to come along. Though, able and willing are two very different things. He hasn't got much bounce left in him these days. I'll be shocked if he gets out of bed.

The tree is on its way down. I stripped the decorations yesterday. Mike just has to get it to the curb by tomorrow morning at 7. Any bets on whether it'll make it on time? You just might get to see our tree in person, Mom and Dad - and anyone else who treks here over the next few months.

John on the runway...

John in his new Robeez booties and hand-knit sweater. The greatest thing about baby clothes is the size is never wrong - if they're too big, it's just a matter of time, and if they're too small, they can be saved for the next baby.

John, modelling his new loungewear from Grandma and Grandpa W. Don't worry guys - it LOOKS like it fits, but he's got plenty of room to grow into it. 

John playing with his new Peek-a-block giraffe. He just knows how to taste it right now - it'll take him a while to figure it out completely. In case you'e wondering, he's looking at our cat Mary, who's on the floor beside him.  

John with his new mouse and rabbit rattles, from Gran and Gramps P.

Those are the things we didn't get a chance to photograph the other day.

Now, I'm going to join John with his morning nap. He was awake and crabby most of the night. Just how much caffine is in chocolate anyway?! Maybe it has more than I realize, or maybe the effects are just more pronounced because I don't normally take in caffine. Regardless, it turns my milk into baby speed, and there seems to be no safe amount. I knew I was in trouble when all his limbs were a-flapping as he finished the last nurse of the day. I swear, I'm never touching the stuff again. It's just not worth it.

John's first Christmas part three - The Big Day

The first gift of the night, from Gran and Gramps P. He was happy just to play with the wrapping paper, so we had to give him a hand opening it.

Christmas was pretty fun yesterday. By far the best part was having Mike home, though no-one enjoyed it more than John. He was so incredibly excited about Mike being around that he barely slept. His whole schedule was completely out of whack - all he wanted to do was stay up and look at Dad. When he was awake, he was constantly looking for Mike. Even while he was eating, he kept coming off to look and make sure he was still there. I finally turned my body so he could see Mike and eat at the same time, which made him very happy. He still wouldn't stay latched on - he kept stopping to smile - but at least he wasn't craning his neck, looking for Mike every five seconds.

Mike almost didn't get the day off. It's crazy busy at work right now (I think they're trying to ram through all their work before the strike.) He got a page telling him his whole team was to come in. He called dispatch and asked if he could be exempted, with it being Orthodox Christmas, and the new baby and all. They said to call his manager, and they'd look into it as well. He got another page minutes later telling him that he was to work, quoting a section in the Collective Agreement, which states employees can be forced to work whatever day the company chooses. But his manager gave him a call back and told him not to worry about it, and keep the day off. So, he got the day off. He feels bad about it, because they do seem pretty desparate for guys, but he was glad to have it.

He's so wiped! He's been working so hard lately. They've brought extended shifts back, and he's been working them every day for a week, with no slow-down in sight. I think he's secretly hoping for a strike, so he can have a break.

As a result, I took the brunt of the work for Christmas. It showed in dinner, traditionally a two-person job. I was going to make sweet potatoes, so we could give John something to eat that we were having, but they're still uncooked in the fridge. It didn't matter in the end - he slept right through dinner anyway. It was my first year stuffing the turkey, and I think I did something wrong. It exploded. Not nearly as bad as the year we had to pick vertabrae out of the stuffing - we didn't vben have to cut it that year - it was already in pieces. This year it split open down the middle, and all its limbs fell off. It was pretty grissly. We tried a new kind of stuffing which wasn't very good. It was cranberry-apple. I thought cranberries would work, but they were actually pretty gross. We had tart stuffing, if you can imagine that. We normally make sausage stuffing, but it's so rich and heavy, I felt like a change. I think next time, we'll just go back. At least it isn't sour.

We did the gift thing with John at night. We were planning to do it in the afternoon, but he was so out-of-whack, nap-wise, it was impossible to plan around him. We were planning to do it around noon - the turkey going in was supposed to coincide perfectly with waking up from the morning nap. It wasn't meant to be. We finally got to it after dinner, but he wanted to go to bed. He was glazing over as we went, so you'll probably notice in the photos he isn't his usual perky self, but he did like looking at all the toys. He was a little more receptive to playing with things this morning, but wasn't awake long enough for more photos.

All in all, it was a fun day. Mike made all these big plans for stuff we could do, but nothing got done - he was just too beat, so he talked to me from the couch while I made dinner, and flaked in bed while I fed or changed John. He was vertical long enough to eat, then thanked me for taking care of everything and collapsed in bed.

Thank-you to everyone for our gifts! We have enough housecoats now that we don't ever have to share. Though, he likes the one that his parents got me, so I think it's in a bit of danger. He doesn't care that it's girly - he's been wearing my pink one for months now.

Auntie Glen Ellen and Uncle Dave sent nuts and chocolates along with all of John's cool stuff. I'll have to resist eating too many chocolates if I ever want John to sleep again. I think they were the culprit in the recent wave of crabby, sleepless nights - I did notice that once the last chocolates were gone, he went back to normal. Coincidence? Perhaps. But still not worth the risk of a repeat.

The electric blanket is great, Mom and Dad - we don't have one right now, so we're happy to have it. We had it on last night, and it was very cozy. The cats love it too. I guess you must have noticed our sad door matt, and my even sadder, sad, sad slippers the last time you were here. The new ones fit perfectly. My old ones died long, long ago. I kept thinking maybe if I just washed them, they'd look better, but there's just not enough holding them together anymore to survive a trip through the washer, so new ones are great. The CD is perfect - I plan to play it on the looong, drive home, if Mike ever has the time for us to go before I'm back at work. If he's going to make us suffer through a long drive, he can suffer right along with us with endless nursery rhymes.

My grandmas sent us money, which is always a huge help. Mike's grandma sent us some small appliances, which are great - especially the blender, for making John's baby food. We have one now, but it's plastic so it's getting stained and gross. This glass one will be much better. Mike loves his thermos mug and wooley new work socks and long underwear, and my new mitts are great. I don't have a pair right now - I keep stealing Mike's - so they'll be put to good use.

Anyway, it was nice to have a day as a family, exploded turkey and all. There's more pictures of John and many of his new things below!!!

Mmmm...crinkle feet...John's favourite! This is a new chew-toy cat from Gran and Gramps P - He has crinkle feet, and all different patterns, noises and textures. He even purrs and jiggles when you pull his tail! They also sent a rabbit rattle, with delicious ears, and a rattling mouse from France. John loves rattling toys - he gives every new thing a big shake, to see what noise it can make. They also sent him some new Robeez shoes, and some very stylish Robeez boots.

John opening up a new outfit from Grandma nad Grandpa W. He also got a cute little hand-knit sweater from Aunt Dorothy in T Bay - it's Mike's favourite gift. I'll post pictures of him modelling his new clothes tomorrow - he was pretty wiped by the time we finished, and didn't want to stay up very long this morning, so I'll have to take them later today.

Opening some new books from Gran and Gramps P. We opened up the animal book for him, and his eyes got so wide! It's pretty cool - it's all pictures of animals, with peep windows to the next page, and stencils for tracing, and there's a mix 'n match section, where you match different animal parts to get funny-looking animals. So you can make a lion with a kitten body and duck feet. It's fun.

This is a shape-sorter snail from Great-Grandma W. She also sent him a peek-a-block giraffe - you put peek-a-blocks in his head, and they fall out his feet. He loves peek-a-blocks! We got him the sight and sound sets, and he tinkers with them all the time. The giraffe came with the zoo animal set, and he really liked looking in at all those little faces!

Opening a present from Grandma and Grandpa W.

He doesn't know what it's for yet, but it sure tastes good! This is from Grandma and Grandpa W. He lit up with this one - he was playing with one of these at the Early Years Centre during our Parentlink class, and was thoroughly enjoying it. I'm sure he's glad to have one of his own now! The nurse said it's a great toy, because the balls are all different textures, which babies love to explore.

John checking out a baby signing book from Great Auntie Glen Ellen and Great Uncle Dave. They sent their package to be opened early, but we put this under the tree - the rest of the package was new clothes including the striped overalls he modelled earlier, and the blue sheep he has barely been separated from since its arrived.

Boy meets sippy

"And I'm supposed to do what with this? Hey, why am I getting wet?"

"Hey - there's stuff in here. Don't worry, I'll talke care of it."

Oops! 

"Cool new toy, Mom. But seriously, what's it for?"

I started with a sippy and a goal, and ended up with a very wet but happy baby, who has yet to taste water. Actually, I held it up, and tipped it back so he'd taste some, but clearly the prize wasn't worth the effort - most got dumped over the edge of his pillow. The rest wound up on him. At least he figured out how to get the water out - it just didn't occur to him that it belonged in his mouth. I guess this is why the nurse said to start the sippy at six months - it takes them a while just to figure it out.

We went to the Parentlink meeting yesterday after all. It was pretty good. This one was all about play, and we watched a relatively useless video that covered skills that John has already blown past. However, the nurse told me what games and toys we should be looking to get John. She said a box that he can put things in and take things out of is lots of fun now that he can sit with his hands free. Giving him things to drop from his high chair is good too, because he's just figuring out the concept of space. She went around the room, and asked what everyone's baby could do during tummy-time. I said that John likes to swim, which made everyone laugh. But, that's exactly what it looks like. He waves his arms and legs around frantically, trying to move, but obviously not getting anywhere. Either that, or he rises up on his hands.

She said next, he'll draw his legs under him, rise up on all fours and start to rock back and forth. Not five minutes after she said it, one of the other moms said "look what he's doing!" John had gotten himself up on all fours, and was rocking back and forth!!! It was a first!! But then he didn't know what to do - he just kept rocking and rocking, while a room full of women waved bright shiny objects in front of him, cheering him to take a step forward. It was all a little too much for him, so he started to cry instead. But wow - it was pretty momentous! The nurse said that the rocking will continue for a while, until one of his legs moves in the process. Then, he'll figure out that if he keeps moving his legs, he'll be able to move. She said it's not a question of strength for him, because he's very strong - it's just a matter of piecing it all together. So exciting! I guess we had better start babyproofing.

This group is much more relaxed than the Baby rhyme time program. There, I had the keener mom right beside me, and she was giving her eight-month-old - the one who's already taken swimming lessons - a play-by-play description of me taking John's snowsuit off. It was cute at first, but got a little irritating after the first couple of snaps. She was also very envious of John's teeth, and I heard her tell her baby as she was getting up to go that he's going to have to get a couple of his own before the next class.

In this class, John was the oldest by about a month, so I got asked a lot of questions by the other moms. It was pretty fun. It brought back a lot of memories, seeing those teeny little babies. John's favourite was little Grace, who was 9 weeks old. He stared at her and laughed for a good chunk of the meeting. We put them face-to-face at the end, and they were both all smiles. It was cute. He's gotten himself the reputation as the class flirt, and had the whole room howling several times.

The nurse started a chart for John, to track his growth. He was 19 pounds, 11 ounces, but he was wearing denim overalls, a shirt and diaper, as well as socks and his Robeez, so he had a lot of extra weight on him. (We'll know his real weight on Monday, when we go to see the Doc.) She commented that he has a lot of personality, and a very expressive face. Nurses are trained to spot depression in moms by watching the baby - depressed moms can pretend to be happy, but they often produce babies with very little facial expression, apparently - definitely not a concern with John!

I'm really glad I went, and I can tell John is having a blast seeing all these other people and their babies, so we're definitely going to keep going. Next week, a guest speaker is coming to teach baby first aid and CPR, which will be useful. I'm so scared that John is going to choke on his food, because I don't know what to do if he does; I'm definitely going to ask about that.

Anyway, I had better go. It's Christmas Eve here, so I have to get ready for John's first Christmas!!! I'm so excited! I'll post lots of photos!

An update on Mike

Fishing for John

John is napping - if he's awake and feeling happy in a couple of hours, we're going to head to a Parentlink meeting. It's run by public health for families with babies under a year. You bring your baby, and every week there's a new topic, often with a guest speaker. The babies get to check each other out, giving John another chance to socialize, so we figured it was probably a good idea.

He's definitely his father's son, Bruce. The program is pretty kooky, though, so I can he why he was laughing. I sung one of the songs for Mike last night, and he almost blew chili out his nose.

Sing this to the tune of Bingo:
I love him and he loves me, and Daddy is his name-o
D-A-D-D-Y, D-A-D-D-Y, D-A-D-D-Y, and Daddy is his name-o.

Speaking of daddy, I thought I'd better give an update on Mike's investigation at work - it actually concluded a while back, but I never updated it. As you'll recall, he broke down a window so a damsel in distress, who had locked herself out, could get back into her house, which turned out to be rented.

Well, turns out, it wasn't her landlord who complained at all - it was her live-in boyfriend, who was in the hospital at the time. The landlord fixed the window, but told them they'd have to pay for it (obvously). Well, they're both on welfare, so they couldn't afford it, so they called Mike's boss, telling him that Mike broke the window, completely omitting the part about how the girl had actually asked him to do it.

The company decided to pay the damages, but asked Mike to head over to the house to get the bill. He was told to pretend he'd have to pay it out of his paycheque, in the hopes that putting a human face to the thing would make them feel guilty, and drop it.

They felt guilty alright, but they're still on welfare so couldn't afford to pay. They agreed to split the bill 50/50 with "Mike." So, Mike was supposed to bring the bill to his manager, who would give him cash to take back to the couple, to make it look like Mike was paying for it himself.

However, Mike was already so embarrssed by the ordeal, that he decided to pay it himself, so the company wouldn't be any more involved than necessary. Apparently, if there's no cost to the company, a report isn't filed for the incident - which I don't believe, but he insists is true. He was worried that if a report was filed, he would become a "hypothetical" situation for training sessions and health and safety meetings for years to come. I think he's already entrenched himself in company lore, whether there's a report or not, but he felt pretty strongly about paying it himself, so that's what he did. It came to about $100, which I guess isn't too bad.