Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the firefly and the fairy.
Thank you again, to A. RT, who made the costumes. Thank you to all the neighbours who gave my son candy, even though he is too young to eat it. And yes, the chocoholic in me said "Yes!", but the conscience is saying "Bad, Lisa."
Thank you also to AD, who let me borrow her camera as mine is almost in retirement.
Lisa and E

One More Sleep To Dress Up Day

One more day to Halloween.

This is one of my favourite holidays of the year. While any day that allows you to get free candy is great, it’s not just the sugary treats that I love about Halloween.

I love dressing up and watching people’s reactions as I walk by in what can only be described as some fabulous Halloween costumes.

I have been lucky in my 35 years of dressing up - I have never had to wear a store-bought costume. Instead, either my incredibly talented aunt or mom has sewn up some fabulous outfits.

I have been DarkWing Duck (winning a contest for this simple costume) Maleficent from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (complete with her evil crow sidekick), Merlin from Disney’s Sword in the Stone, a scarecrow, a mime, a clown, a ghost and this year’s wonderful creation - a fairy. Thank you, A. RT. A. R also made my son’s firefly costume, complete with blinking butt.

Come back later to see us in our wonderful costumes.

Happy Halloween everyone.

Pass the cookies

I am afraid to look at the package.

I am afraid to check out just how many calories, how much fat and how much sugar I consumed when I polished off almost two boxes of mint Girl Guide cookies over the course of two days.

I am a sucker for chocolate. And for mint. And particularly for chocolate and mint together.

And while mint is supposed to help upset stomachs, mint Girl Guide cookies don’t, or at least not in the quantity that I just consumed, which is too bad really.

Everything Old is New Again

I am watching as my son plays with my childhood toys. We brought the Rubbermaid container of mainly Fisher-Price toys up to our new office, where my now one-year-old pulls out the A-Frame House, the Children’s Hospital and the Family School, and all of its pieces, not to mention the safari, the circus and more, and plays with them.

There are a lot of memories in those toys as my brother rediscovered during my son’s birthday party Saturday. He claims I stole those toys, robbing his daughter - and himself - of hours of enjoyment.

He is completely wrong. He got the first pick of our childhood toys and books, as he lives closer, and I got the choice of his rejects.
Bring on a new generation of Fisher-Price users.

Yummy Cinnamon

Do you know what the world needs?

More cinnamon.

That’s right. All would be right with the world if there was more of that wonderful spice in it.

When I make anything that calls for the reddish ingredient, I double what is asked. Pumpkin muffins, gingerbread, raisin spicy cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip, cinnamon-sugar toast. All of which leads me to raisin-cinnamon bread.

I had a new variety of this bread this morning. Again I was disappointed. When toasting, the wonderful scent of cinnamon is strong. When eating, the wonderful taste of cinnamon is sorely lacking.

The recent disappointment, Thomas cinnamon-raisin bread. Other disappointments: President’s Choice, No Name and Sun-Maid.

Is there a cinnamon-raisin bread out there that has a enough cinnamon?

Ideas, Ideas, Everywhere

I haven’t been sleeping well the past month.

To be completely truthful, I am dreading going back to work. I am lucky in that I really do love my job. It allows me to be as creative as I want. However, I finally got my dream job - being a mother - and I really want to do that full time or at least most of the time.

So while I am grateful to the women’s movement, which allows us to decide if we want to stay home or to have a career instead, I am also sickened that I have to go back, and have to go back already. (Where did that year go?)

Money. It’s the root of all evil.

However, not sleeping isn’t all bad.

I spend hours in the dark coming up with ideas for online features for work. I have the idea, I have the sources, I have the links, I have the graphics and I have the writers in mind

I am an idea machine.

And I have other ideas as well. Hopefully everything will work out.

Hairdresser Day

I love getting my hair cut. I love going to the hairdresser and telling her to go nuts, do whatever she would like with my hair - with rules.

1. I am a 35-year-old professional and as such, I require a haircut that fits the part.
2. I am a wash-and-go kind of girl. The haircut must be one that allows me to shower, brush and go.

It’s a rare hairdresser who will unleash her creativity with my hair, which is unfortunate as I like someone who confident enough to chop off my long hair and create a whole new look.

As I hate spending money on the hairdresser (and I really hate that I am forced to give a tip), my hair is quite long by the time I show up at a hairdresser’s.

And most hairdressers see that length and opt for a trim rather than a whole new look, in fear I am not really ready to see all my hair on the ground.

What I also enjoy about the hairdresser is having my hair washed and brushed. I love people playing with my hair; I find it so relaxing.

But for me, it always boils down to cost. I would rather spend $50 to $80 on almost anything else.

So for the second time in a year, I went to Sassoon Husband for my hair-cutting needs.

The price was right.

Happy First Birthday

Tomorrow is our son’s first birthday.

It doesn’t seem like a year ago when our son was laid against my face for the first time. It doesn’t seem like a year ago that I just sat there and watched this miracle boy sleep in my arms.

Other than those two weeks at Sick Kids, each of the 365 days that have passed has been an absolute joy.

People tell you that your life complete changes with a child. While shopping isn’t as easy as it once was, my life has only been enriched and if anything has changed it is that each day brings happiness and contentment.

Happy Birthday, my little one.

Two Thumbs Way Down

Hands down to the Ferber method of sleeping training.
It did far more harm than good.

Two thumbs down to Pampers.
Curse you Pampers Size 5, nighttime protection, which found me sitting in a puddle after one hour and then after three.

The Itch

My gums are itchy.

Yes, that’s right, my gums. I would like to pull out my teeth, take a steak knife and scratch back and forth with that knife over my gums, particularly beside my back molars.

I do not know why I get itchy gums. I have had it for years. The doctor suggested visiting the dentist, and the dentist looked at me like I had two heads.

So know one knows what causes it or what I should do to help it. You know, other than running my fingernails back and forth - and down - into my gums.

I figure it might be allergies, as itchiness is a symptom I get with seasonal allergies.

However, when ragweed is done for the year, what is the excuse then?

Introducing The Newest Hockey Player

My hockey–loving family should be pleased.

Before my son picked up a pen or crayon, he has mastered the art of the hockey stick. He can pick it up, hit the ball with it, twirl it like a baton, pass, steal your stick, high stick, hit and other good hockey traits.

Look out Maple Leafs.

Fun At Home

Today was supposed to be the first day my son tried daycare.

My daycare provider, LC, phoned me last night to inform me her five-year-old has come down with the flu and suggested my son stay home.

Yippee. (Yippee to my son staying home, not a child caught the flu.)

While I am sure my son will be OK with playing all day, Mommy wasn’t ready to lose her little guy, not even for four hours.

While I had made lots of plans to occupy the time, I really wasn’t looking forward to not being constantly around my little guy.

So while a small part of me was sad that I couldn’t develop pictures, the rest of me was excited that I could instead read, play with blocks, cuddle and enjoy my son as he explores his world.

Hand-me-Down Some Clothing

My sister-in-law showed up for Thanksgiving Sunday in a new-to-her top. She received it from her 75-year-old coworker, D, who has fabulous tastes, and shops at Le Chateau, The Gap and other trendy stores. Good for D. And great for LC, whose wardrobe always has new pieces in it.

My question is why can’t I have a D?

My stepdaughter would say it’s because I am a giant. (I am sure she means that lovingly but as she also called me tone deaf and told me I had a large rump I could be mistaken.)

AD is right somewhat, however. My legs are on the long side, but I do have a petit-sized top half.

Unfortunately, as blog readers will know, I don’t have a chest, which means no hand-me-downs, or even borrowing, from her, which is sad because there is no shortage of clothing to chose from.

The lack of a chest also means no hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law’s girlfriend or anyone else I know.

Maybe one day I will have my own D or maybe I will become so fashion savvy and have lots of money, that I will be D. You just never know.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

May your turkey be so big that you are eating leftovers for the next week.

Lisa

Extended Maternity Leave

Our maternity leave should be longer.

While I appreciate I won’t get any sympathy from the likes of my mom, who had to quit her job when she was pregnant with my older brother; those from Holland who get only six weeks of maternity leave; or those from the States who get an equally short time to spend with their newborns, I still think Canadians should get a longer maternity leave.

Particularly now that doctors, healthcare workers and moms have returned to the idea that “breast is best.”

“They” say that you should breastfeed your baby until he is one year old. Wonderful. I agree.

However, if you are as unfortunate as I and you have to return to work, how can you feed on demand until your child is one when you have to go back when your child is one?

Should you quit breastfeeding cold turkey? Pump at work? Or, as I am attempting to do, wean prior to the first birthday?

My best friend JM, who has been doing daycare for years and who has two children of her own, said I don’t have to worry about weaning my son from his daily feeds prior to going back to work. She told me babies, or toddlers as he will be in a couple short weeks, are clever creatures.

He is not going to look to daycare provider, LC, for breast milk. And he won’t miss it because I am not there tempting him with it. She said I should be more concerned about weaning him at night, not for his sake but for my own.

While that did put my mind at ease, I still want to help my son learn to fall asleep on his own, without nursing. I want to make his transition to daycare as easy and stress-free as possible - for him anyway.

So if my maternity leave was say ... two years or even a year and a half, I could nurse until he was one and have him weaned before having to head back to work.

Disposable Troubles Part 2

The disposable diaper situation continues.

Before BM and JW responded to my Trouble With Disposables blog, I purchased Huggies active brand of diapers in Size 5. My son soaked through that variety in less than three hours. Those diapers went back.

As Huggies was sending some coupons in the mail, and I couldn’t find either the Supremes or the Overnights as was suggested by my followers, I decided to hold off purchasing any more diapers.

Instead, I have been putting two Size 3 Pampers overnights on my son. Sometimes he soaks through both, sometimes he doesn’t. And most time, his nursing/drinking habits are the same.

While waiting for the Huggies coupons to arrive, I received an email from the Pampers team letting me know the following:

“Babies can outgrow the absorbency of a diaper before they outgrow the fit. Your son may be ready to move into the next size diaper for added absorbency and protection. The weight ranges on our packages overlap and are only meant to be guidelines for fit. Other things you might consider are:

- Baby's age
- Eating and drinking habits
- Mobility
- Baby's build (for example, a slim child may fit in a Size 2, but may need the extra protection of a Size 3).

“If the leakage is just overnight, you may want to move up in size just for nighttime. With the right size, we're sure our diaper's absorbent padding, leg leak barriers, and snug fit will help keep your baby dry, day and night.”

However, neither Pampers nor Huggies recommended a type of diaper so I am hoping to try the overnight variety of Huggies, in Size 5, and if that doesn’t work, try Size 5overnights for Pampers. And if that doesn’t work, I may put a cloth diaper over top of the disposable and hope for the best.

The search continues.

Year Of Love

It’s been almost a year since our little guy has joined our family. A year of love.

My maternity leave is coming to a close and my heart is breaking at the thought of leaving my little guy, missing his first moments and watching his discoveries.

What fun it has been. From the moment he was laid near my face to now, sitting on my lap, trying to get the keyboard to do his own writing, my world has revolved around my baby boy blue.

I have less than a month to soak in every aspect of this wonderful little guy who is showing he is as strong willed as the rest of the family, who can do things by himself, but who isn’t afraid to ask for help and is always willing to provide wonderful hugs.

His laughter is contagious, his happiness shines in his eyes and even his ‘Oh-my-goodness-my-life-is-tough’-head-on-the-ground-I-am-so-upset pose is awfully cute.

So while I am grudgingly going back to work, I have to wonder how anything can be as important as motherhood. Or as exciting.

Safety First

Well, I asked for it and I finally got it.

The safety gates are up at my house, helping to prevent our son from falling down the two sets of stairs that are in our house.

Unfortunately, it does give our house that jail-like feeling, which is helped by our son, who grabs hold of the bars and shakes them.

It has also created a hazard for my already-accident-prone stepdaughter. Of course it doesn’t help that she is now trying to climb over the gates rather than opening and closing them.

The reason? She says she has a hard time getting them closed. I do understand. With my benign tremour, I, too, have a hard time closing the stupid things, however, I think it is more difficult to leap over the gates than to take the time to open and close them properly.

It must be hard for AD as well as I hear a lot of “Omphs” and “Ahhhhhs” as her short legs don’t carry her all the way over.

The safety latches have also been troublesome.

You hear a lot of cursing as we yank on the cupboard doors, expecting them to open the whole way only to catch on the latch and open an inch or two.

Oh yes, we are baby proofed, or as much as we can do in our house, and no one is happy.