Merry Christmas

Well, once again I have failed to connect with this thing as much as I'd like to. "The best laid plans..." etc. I suppose.
In the meantime, I felt I should at least come and wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May all that you hold dear to your heart stay close to you.
May all that you dream of come true for you.
May all the best of the Season find you and yours.

See you in 2011.

J

"And I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight
Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night!"

Back in the habit?

Over two months without a post. (Sigh) So much for getting back into this thing with any regularity.

Our oldest is scheduled to have her tonsils and adnoids removed. (Funny side note: I tried a quick Google for the combined term for the single surgery. While I didn't find that, I did find a site that said they'd give my "child a special 'sleep medicine'..." WOW!) Haven't quite figured out how to "sell" that for her yet. "It's OK honey, you're going to the hospital, you'll have a little nap and when you wake up, you'll be missing some pieces! Oh. And you get ice cream and jello!" I've got a little over a month to figure it out. She was originally booked for January, but a cancellation opened up a spot for December. Yeah, it's the last week of school, but at least it gets it done and she has Christmas break to do a full recovery. With luck, she may make it in for a few days of class. (The actual christmas party might be nice.) I think this also means we'll be postponing her ear piercing for a bit now. (It was supposed to be a birthday/christmas gift, but I don't think fresh open wounds right before, or after, a surgery is so wise.) If all goes well for her, though, she'll stop sounding like an old-time operator and snoring will be a thing of the past. I don't know how I'll tell if she's asleep, actually.
The youngest is progressing well. She's turning a bit scary, in fact. The other day, she started singing the Elmo theme song. When I didn't turn one on for her fast enough, she picked up the remote control for the cable/tv and started mashing buttons. (I think this means we watch too much TV if she "knows" how to turn on Elmo.) 18mths old and she's trying to work the remote control. Crazy. Cute, but crazy. Time to start thinking about getting her out of the crib, into a "big girl" bed and maybe potty training. Or just leave her alone. Choices, choices.

Well, my hockey team is down 3 to zip and the first period isn't even over yet. I'm stuck at work for the night. Dinner break's almost over. I guess it's time to wander off for a bit.

See you soon. (Sooner than last time, I promise.)

Summer's Done (More or less)

Good grief.
OK. So I guess summer is officially the worst time to try and get work done. With the kids and the Mrs all home, I had pretty much no time to myself. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just saying.
There was (Still IS) work to be done on my wife's business. On the website. Blogging that never got done. Some housework that went un-checked for too long. (Finishing the fence, for example.)
But the oldest is back in class now. The youngest is at daycare while I'm on night shifts. Mrs is at work again...I have the house to myself. (For a few days anyways. Nights end after next week.)
I'll try and organize my thoughts again. I have a few things to talk about. A few rants. A couple of pleas and some updates.
In the meantime, I'm shooting out these two quickies.
1) If you have the time and inclination, please register and vote for my wife's business for this contest.

http://momentrepreneur.savvymom.ca/entry/3165641

2) I helped design this site here, and I'm shamelessly adding it to my blog as a way of increasing the SEO for it. (We're still tweaking some things, but the Host sucks. http://www.burnettmanagementsolutions.com/

Again, Too long

Well, I've been 20+ days without a post. Not the rate I was hoping to keep. In my defence, I've returned to work and that's eaten up a lot of hours again. By the time I get home, I just want to chill with the family. (They're not big fans of me coming home, grunting and then heading up to the computer to ignore them. I wonder why?)

The return to work has gone fairly smoothly, I think. I haven't forgotten any of the major protocols or anything. I remembered everyone's name. I guess I can't complain.

We've started looking for an actual babysitter now. The drama of asking the in-laws is getting old. (For the record, my folks live in a different city which makes "dinners out, sitting" very impractical.

Anyone have any thoughts on that? The going rate doesn't seem to have moved much with inflation at all. It's still between $5-10/hr. Seems pretty cheap, for the most part.

Sigh. This never fails. I sit down to write and the baby finishes her nap. I'm sure the oldest is almost finished her movie too. Always so much to do and so little time.

I'll see you again tomorrow.

J

1year

My littlest one is now one year old today. No more having to put her first to avoid that math confusion I mentioned at the beginning.
In a week, I have to go back to work. Of course I end up going back into the rotation on the night shift. At least it's only for a week.
One year. I can't believe she's that old already. At the same time, I can't remember, really, what the house was like before her. It's the same as the oldest. I have a vague concept of life pre-children, but it feels like they've always been a part of how I live.
Daycare costs are about to go up. Two kids instead of one. And never mind September when the oldest enters full day every day school...That likely means before and after school care. That means no more pay-as-you-go for her. We'll be paying for five days a week, even on the weeks we don't need it. What to do at that point? Pay and not use? Or send her in early, even though I'm home...Decisions will have to be made. It would be great if I could work from home. (Or not have to work at all! Anyone got some money they need to get rid of? I take Traveler's Cheques!)
Oh well, work pays the bills. Bills keep the internet, TV, lights, heating, phone, house all connected.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm off to woo my daughter for a good long time. (It IS her birthday, after all.) Besides, soon I'll only see her for a few minutes per day. (At least until I'm off nights.)

J

Infant Colds

Our littlest one has her first cold. I guess this is as good a time as any to write about treating colds in infants. Even with modern medicine, there's no cure for the common cold. All we can do, even for adults, is treat the symptoms.

There's been a LOT of talk recently about over-the-counter (OTC) medications for infants. Talk to the point that they've pulled them all off the shelves here. They've decided that no ammount of pseudoephedrine is OK for infants. (There's also a high concern about the risk of overdosing.)

That leaves us with "natural" remmedies. All the professionals seem to agree, that the best options for an infant's cold are the following:

1) Nasal irrigation. Saline (Salt + Water) drops or sprays. You could make your own, but then you'd have to worry about sterile conditions when you're preparing it, storing it etc. There are LOTS of OTC versions out there. Just be sure to read the label and make sure that it's infant safe. (No extra decongestants, or medicinal ingrediants.) Babies don't like stuff poured or dripped into their noses. You will have to hold them down to do it. (Gently, of course.) Do one nostril and then the other, folowed by suction. (More on that in a moment.) Irrigation is especially important to do before feeding. If your baby can't breathe properly while feeding, they'll be trying to gasp in air through their mouths while sucking. This will create extra gas and discomfort, and nobody wants that on top of the cold.

2) Suction. In tandem with irrigation, or stand alone if the mucus secretions are already thin and watery enough, suction helps clear the nasal cavities and makes breathing a little easier. Most pharmacies and even large gorcery stores have a few brands/styles of nasal bulbs. Go for one that has a thin, but not too long "needle" and comes apart for easy cleaning. Get one BEFORE your baby gets sick, if you remember. There's a little trick to making it work most effectively, so if you can practice, you should. The trick goes something like this...Unlike say, a turkey baster, you don't want the goo spraying out of the bulb when you're using it on your little one. So you need to do a very gentle squeezing action to compress the bulb, then slide the needle into the nose and release the bulb. This will draw the mucus up and into the bulb. Gently squeeze again so as to compress, but not spray, re-insert into the nose and release again. (If you're having trouble, you can always do this in the bathroom. Then you could squeeze the mucus into the sink before putting the device back into your baby's nose.) Do this in each nostril until you're not really getting any more out. Wash the device with soap and water when you're done.

3) Humidity. There are more than a few ways to use humidity for your sick baby. There are in room humidifiers. (Most doctors recommend cool mist humidifiers. This removes the chance of accidental scalding/burning from getting to close to hot water.) There are several brands and types available, of course. Some have the ability to let you use essential oils to add to the benefits. For example; You could add eucalyptus oil and/or menthol to help with breathing. You could also add vanilla to add a pleasant, calming scent to your baby's room. When using a humidifier, it's recommended that you use distilled/filtered water. This reduces the amount of scaling that occurs inside the unit. Tap water can lead not only to scaling issues, but the minerals may then be spread around the room casuing a film to develop over things. When that film dries out, it becomes dust, which could lead to more nasal irritation/sneezing/mucus...etc. You can also run a really hot shower, close the door, turn off the fan and let the bathroom steam up. That steam can help loosen both the mucus in the nose and congestion in baby's chest. Remember, it's a HOT shower...Don't get in it with baby. we don't want any scalding! And don't leave your baby unattended in the bathroom. Stay in for 10-15 minutes and let the steam do its work. (I suggest you bring a chair in for sitting.)

4) Clean. The final thing you can, and should, do is clean. I know you're busy dealing with the baby and the cold, but cleaning helps too. Change baby's sheets as often as you can. (Every day changing helps to reduce the virus that leaks into the sheets as well as reduce the chance of mold/fungus build up from the humidifier.) Vacuum to remove dust and other irritants from carpets, draperies and stuffed toys. The cleaner the room (and house) the less irritants are around to worsen the effects of baby's cold.

Well, there you have it. For a simple common cold, those are some of the best steps you can take to help baby get through it.

Remember though, to keep an eye on other symptoms. If baby has a fever, red/swollen throat or tugs repeatedly on an ear, CALL YOUR DOCTOR. These are usually signs of a more serious viral infection. And never be afraid to cal the doctor anyways. It's always better to be safe and healthy than to let something get worse. That's why the doctor is there, after all.

J

Time is Running out...

So my time at home is rushing by. I can't believe I'm down to just a month left. Where did the time go?
The little munchkin has decided that walking is the thing to do now. (At least until she's tired of falling down.) She does this funny little run sometimes though. She'll get up and head towards the couch. Then she'll suddenly speed up and fling herself at it. It's as though she's afraid that she won't make it if she doesn't hurry. I don't think it's occurred to her that if she were to continue to walk slowly and carefully, she'd always make it. But the little "fling" at the end is funny as all get out.

Further to my last post, it seems that the fence projects are back on hold for now.

My birthday was a few days ago. It was nice to get out for dinner a couple of nights in a row. First was with a "couple friends" and their little girl. Then it was just the wife and I. Hit the Keg and Date Night. Now, the movie choice had more to do with the showtime, than actual desire to see it. I had originally picked it, but read an AWFUL review, so we decided to skip it for The Bounty Hunter. Bounty was playing too late though. We didn't want to leave my father-in-law stuck in our place until midnight. Date was playing at a much more convenient time.
I'm so glad it was. We laughed out loud so many times and for so long...It's a GREAT movie. It's insane, bizarre and preposterous, but it's worth the time out.

Sigh. Once again, the baby has decided that nap time is over while I'm here writing this. Oh well, I've said most of what I came on to tell you. Go see Date Night.

J

It's been too long again. I hope that those who celebrate, had a good Easter. For the rest, I hope you at least enjoyed a long weekend.

The baby has taken steps. And now she's walking as much as she can. It's still that "waddle-shuffle" more than an actual walk, but she's doing it.

Today, I'm going to write about fences. My neighbourhood is gearing up to get fences put up. (We're a "new" sub-division) It seems to bring out some very foolish people.

Our developer has told us that "officially" we shouldn't put up fences until July/August. That hasn't stopped some people and the fence contractors are jumping on them. "Oh, well...In my 5years I've never seen a company come in with bulldozers to re-do grading. It'll be guys with wheelbarrows and shovels..." So? Why tempt fate? Why drop between $1500-2500 on something that another company has said they have the right to tear down? With no compensation to you?

Another bit of mis-information is that if you pick a fence, I have to split the cost...While there is a law on the books related to that (In this area, at least) there's a whole whack of conditions that must be met. You've got to provide three quotes. (Not just the one YOU like) You've got to give me time. None of this "Well, your neighbours have all signed up, so you have to pay us" foolishness that I'm getting from one contractor. This is the same guy who couldn't answer basic questions about his products. (Like what kind of wood!)

Anyways, there are lots of things that need to be addressed before you should pick a fencing company.
1) What type of wood do they use. (CEDAR should be the answer you're looking for)
2) What is the span between posts? (6ft or less, please)
3) How deep are the post holes? (Depends on the frost line of your area)
4) If you get a quote, does the "linear feet" include the posts? Or will there be extra charges per post?
5) If you're getting lattice, what type of header cap?

There are a few other questions that would vary depending on your specific needs. Gates, latches, post-caps, etc.

The point of this all though, is that you shouldn't rush into ANY contracting job. Don't fall to the pressures of others. Whether they be neighbours, or companies that want your business. Do what feels best for you.

Thanks,

J

"What do you use?"

Recently, a friend asked about a specific baby item on Facebook. She wanted people's feedback about strollers. What brand/style etc. When I posted my response, I realized that this might be info that you might like too. So here's my personal take on strollers. (We're on child #2 in this house, so we've got some experience.)

For the most part, I've always liked the Graco Travel Systems. I like that it's a one stop solution for carrying/moving an infant around. You put the base in the car and leave it there. The actual carrier can be lifted out of the car, put into the stroller, or just carried into the mall. (Or wherever you're going) All that without having to strap the baby in, then un-strap the baby, then strap, then...Well you get the idea. Put your little darling in the carrier once, and you're good for an entire outing. Now the drawback to the Graco is the size of the actual stroller. I'll admit it. It's a beast. If you drive a sub-compact car, it'll be a trick-and-a-half to get it in. Having said that, the stroller lasts a L-O-N-G time. Once baby grows out of the carrier (21lbs or so, I believe) you can still use the stroller normally. The seatback has an adjustable angle for sitting up or lying down, or somewhere in-between. The carry basket underneath gives you plenty of storage. (We get the diaper bag and the older kid's stuff all in there!) The handles are sturdy, if you'd like to hang a bag off them. Ours came with a tray that had 2 drink holders, a lidded tray and a small hard-case "pouch" for stuff. (Like my wallet at the zoo) The bigger wheels made it great in tougher terrain. I'm not talking about off-roading with the baby. (Although we've done that. Hiking with the "beast" is OK.) We get snow here. Sometimes lots. And we live in a new sub-division. Lots of un-finished sidewalks, paths. Means lots of mud. The Graco handles pretty well.

Sometimes, though, you don't need the big stroller. For example, when I go to get our oldest from school, I just plop the baby in a Peg Perego that's lasted us since the oldest was born. I'm not hauling a lot of stuff back and forth to school with us. Just the baby. (Well, sometimes I have to haul the oldest. ;) ) For those occasions, the "little" stroller works fine. If we lived downtown, I might recommend it for city sidewalks with less room. But it's really, for us anyways, the "back-up" stroller. When we go for a day-trip, we don't generally pack it in the mini-van. It doesn't hold enough for everyone. Between a diaper bag, a purse, coats (maybe), changes of clothes, snacks/lunch and whatever we might buy (Stuffed zoo toy, anyone?) we just need more space.

Ultimately, the choice should be yours, of course. Don't let anyone tell you what's best for your needs. Only you know how much effort it takes to move you all around. And only you can decide how much you want to spend on accessories. I will say this, though; Spend what you can. The brands might cost more, but they do last. As I said, ours are on their second go-around. But the final choice is up to you. Get what you think works best for your needs. I won't judge. (Wait, I take that back. I can't ever recommend those $10 umbrella strollers. Ever.)


Jeremy

Plugging along...

Well,

No one's died yet. No trips to the hospital. Great. And now March Break is upon us. What's the plan for the break? Dump the kids at the in-laws and run off for two nights! Weeee!

Oh yeah. Our first getaway since the youngest was born! It's funny, by the time the oldest was 10mths, we figure we'd done 2 or 3 overnights. This time aorund...None yet. I guess it's because now we're dropping 2 kids off, not just 1. It's a bit more work, so we needed the youngest to be at least a little more self reliant. (Not that a 10mth old can fend for herself...)

So there's a playdate on Monday. Tuesday will be some family stuff. Wednesday, we drop them off and run away. We might have altered the timeline a bit, but the in-laws are in Mexico. Lucky folks. Sun, sand and swimming. What's not to envy?

Hmmm...I hear naptime ending. I guess that's it for this post. I speak again later.

J

Settling In

OK then.

I've been at this about a week-and-a-half now. The baby and I seem to be settling into each other nicely. (Funny though how Mom's not allowed to put her down once she gets home.)
As I type this on the laptop, my littlest girl is wondering around the living room, trying to see what she can kill herself with. (I kid you not, I had to physically move her away from the TV plug 3times yesterday. And I just "Nah-ah!'d her now) My brother put it extremely well when we spoke yesterday. "Your first child tricks you into thinking that you're ready for your second." So true. Whoops! There goes the basket with the oldest's books. Back in a moment...OK, note to self...Random acts of vandalism may mean poopy bum. Sure. For my wife the baby would just come over, tug her leg, look up at her...and smell. For me...WHAM! Drop a bunch of books and when Daddy comes over, watch his face turn that funny look when the scent hits him.
But back to what I started with. I vacuum every day now. Every day. And still, the baby finds something to put in her mouth that she shouldn't. Our first wasn't like this. She was absolutely not a "divide the world in two; Fits in mouth/doesn't fit in mouth" baby. This one? Every five minutes..."What the hell have you got now? A sticker? Where in the hell did that come from?" I seriously couldn't figure out where the stickers were coming from until today when I saw her peel it off her excersaucer. Now at least I know.
We're getting there though. We get up, get the oldest off to wherever for the day, (School or Daycare) come back home and play. Then we have a snack/bottle and go for nap. I try to get a little bit of work done, then she's up again for her lunch. And then we play around some more until it's either time to go get the oldest, or Mommy gets home.
So far, it's worked pretty well. I'm already sleeping better. I see more daylight. I even went on a field trip with the JK class yesterday. Speaking of....
OMG! We went to the "Safety Village" yesterday. Know what that is? Think about the lecture you got in the school gym that was followed by bike/pedestrian safety practice outside with pylons. Now, lose the pylons and replace them with a pint-sized town. There you have it! It's even the same video! They started the tape (yes, it was VHS) and there's Jiminy Cricket and he starts singing...
"I'm no fool! No siree! I'm gonna live to be 83!" It all came flooding back to me! I'd seen this video in my own school days! (To be fair, we saw the "updated" version...with live action footage from the 80's instead of the 60's original) Ahh, what memories.
Well, that about sums up the events so far.
Until next time.

J

PS- For my Canadian readers....
www.themommynetwork.ca
A GREAT nation-wide list of baby and mom events and sales.

Last Day

All right! Last day at work for about 9weeks...Feels good. Granted, the day has just started...

Found an interesting link about pregnancy and foods to avoid.

http://lifestyle.sympatico.ca/Special+Guides/PregnancyGuide/articles/4_foods_to_avoid_when_youre_pregnant.htm?feedname=PHOTO_GALLERY_PREGNANCY_BADFOODS&pos=2&nolookup=true

Feel free to have a look! I'll be back on Monday to let you know how the "new life" is going.

J

Good grief! Jan 26th? That was the last time I posted anything?
Oh well, it's not like there's a whole lot of people reading me anyways. So far, I can only confirm that ONE person had read any of these.
I guess that means that there's no discussion about that link I posted in the PS last time.

The countdown is still on. 8 shifts left and then I'm off. Anyone have plans for Valentine's? We have no idea what we're doing because our "sitter" is sitting on the fence about taking the kids.

I should be doing something a little more productive here, but I seem to be lacking in focus right now. I'm hoping that a few minutes spent jotting down thoughts and ideas here, will translate into "work" a bit later. Of course, with my luck the baby will wake up from her nap and squash any chance of getting more work done. (Sigh. It's one of those days.)

Well, I see by the clock on the wall that it's time to vamoose. I've got to get some lunch ready for me and the baby. And it's looking like the Mrs might be cutting it close in regards to picking up the older one from school. I'd best keep that in my head too.

Until next time....

J

The countdown begins

Yee-ha!
I'm getting off work for a while. My beautiful, kind, hot, smart, lovely, generous wife has granted me a share of the Parental Leave offered here.

In about 3.5 weeks, I'll be off for about 9. Ahhhh...

Now, don't get me wrong. I know that staying home with a baby (I'm never sure what magic age means they're not infants anymore) isn't easy as pie. I know that they require a lot of attention, love, affection, interaction....etc, etc.

You've got to understand though...I work shift work. I do three "different" shifts rotating every three weeks. So...three weeks of "nights." Followed by three weeks of "days." Then finally, three weeks of "splits."

Under that schedule, you're just getting used to one shift, when you're launched into the next. It wreaks you're body. (We all know the research that links shifts in general to poorer health and earlier death.)

So for me, 9weeks of diapers and sing-alongs will be heavenly. I'll get some nice bonding time with both girls. I'll get to walk the oldest to and from school. I'll get to take the youngest for little day outings....I'm going to ROCK this time off.

It might even mean that I get back to posting on a more regular basis again. That, of course will depend on nap times.

I can hardly contain myself at the chance to get two-plus months of better rest and sunlight exposure. (Who cares if it's technically winter? I'm not locked in a dark room!)

My wife won't be a single parent for three weeks at a time! How can we go wrong?

Well, that's enough gloating for today. (Sorry. I'm just really looking forward to spending time with the girls again.)

I'll be back again to share more insights and deep talk.

J

PS- Before I forget, here's a link about eating habits that maybe you changed, but don't need to! Let's discuss it when I get back.

A party yesterday

Slow again on the updates, I see. I've got to get better at that. In my defence though, I work shifts and am on nights right now.

Anyways...

Took the kids to my niece's birthday party yesterday. They had it at one of those playground/arcade places. When I mentioned it to a co-worker he said he had thought about an opportunity to invest in one.

Well...

Having been there, let me tell you. If you EVER think that you'd like to have one, make sure you never have to be IN it! Or make sure you've got a wholesale account with Advil or Tylenol!

My God. I do not exagerate when I tell you that there were 400 kids in this place. Plus parents. PLUS the actual arcade noises. I couldn't hear a grown-up talking to me at face level, never mind my 4yr old talking from 3 feet below me.

Good grief. I was not expecting that at all. We've got a similar place in my town, but it's on a much smaller scale and only has a handful of arcade games in it. When I've been to ours, it's usually during the week so it's extra quiet. Even the few times we've gone on a week-end hadn't prepared me for the level of noise yesterday.

Well, at least the older one had fun. And the baby got held by grandmas and other mothers. We earned enough tickets in the games to get a nice little prize before we left too.

I'll say this too...The security is awesome. When you enter, they give your family a stamp that shows up under ultra-violet light. Turns out they're number stamps, not daily ones like a theme park. When you leave, you have to show your stamps. If you're number doesn't match the number on the kids' hands, YOU CAN'T LEAVE WITH THOSE KIDS. Pretty good idea! This is the kind of place, with it's size and sheer number of people, where kids could get scooped pretty easy. The staff, though are right on top of it though. I thought that was a pretty awesome idea. You might lose your kids IN the place for a few minutes, but at least they wouldn't be able to leave without you.

Well, I thought I'd share that.

See you all next time.

A new year

Well, the new year is underway. I hope everyone is doing well. I've been on the topic of pregnancy and kids a few times so far in this blog. I'd like to add to that...

A nice little site for pregnant couples (or singles) to check out seems to be www.thelaborbag.com

They've got a neat product and they look like they're going to offer lots of info too.

That's my two cents. ($1.50 with inflation.)

Well, looks like maybe I picked an off time to start typing. There's the door and....yes! I'm now looking at my eldest daughter's new "TINK" backpack. Time to go "Oooh and Ahhh!" for her. Then tuck her into bed.

Good night.

PS- I did get the Blackberry.