Swing, Swing, Laugh!

Aidan and I took advantage of the rare sunshine and went to the playground near the seawall. Tell me do you think he liked his first time on the swings?

Rain

Gwen's itching for sunshine, apparently. And cursing us too. First about the sun, then about the no rain. Heh. Well, it's raining now.

:(

Sun Gone!

Oops! I blogged too soon. The sun is gone and all we have left is the fog. NO blue sky, no yellow object up there, missed opportunity. Oh well. At least it isn't raining yet. We still might be able to go on the swings yet today. Maybe after his Nobs' nap.

Sun? What's that?

It is really too bad that Anthony and I are so sleep deprived because the sun is finally out. There are still clouds in the sky but the sun is definitely making an appearance. We really should take Aidan outside so he can see what this wondrous yellow object in the sky is. And blue, is that a colour he hasn't seen in the sky in a dog's age.

I guess we will have to suck up the tiredness and go outside for a walk. Hmm, maybe this is a good day to see if Aidan likes the swings. We will keep you posted.

Bath time for baby!

It is always fun for Aidan during bath time but I have found something that makes it easier and more fun for Mommy. How do you make bath time safer and more contained? Why use your laundry basket of course.

I was reading my "blogging baby" and there was another mother talking about he son outgrowing his baby bath tub and what she now uses. (She also has no space for extra stuff.) I was reading this just before I put Aidan in the bath tub and I thought "what a great idea." It was indeed.



Aidan can reach all his toys, he is not slipping, he has a place to put his hands and a place to brace his feet. What more could a boy ask for. Oh yeah, it also is usable for other tasks and it rinses and dries quickly. What a great idea.

Aidan was having so much fun that both cats came to check him out but Andromeda was the most interested. I guess that she likes the "captive" audience.





What do you think of these pictures? Could one of these be the one for the "beautiful baby" search?

Pull up time!

Today Aidan has proved that nothing and nowhere is safe in the house. He has figured out how to consistently pull himself up anywhere. He started by pulling himself up on the chairs that we have blocking him from the fireplace and the dining room. I thought no problem this makes sense. Then Aidan pulled himself up at the small coffee table that has Tammy's present on it. He seems to think that anything that is wrapped must be for him, so he decided to start unwrapping it for himself. Luckily I am still faster than he is.

So, you are thinking what next? Well, he then pulled himself up to the larger coffee table and wrecked havoc on a piece of paper. Then I need to change the boy so he got some time in his crib while I got some things ready. He now can pull himself up in his crib again. We now need to check the height on the mattress again (there is one more lower setting.) I thought that he would still be unable to pull himself up in the playpen because he ends up with his face mashed in the mesh. No, wrong again as you can see. This is a later photograph, I think that the space suit was the really helper in the pull up marathon. I think that it gave him confidence. Anyway, here is some photographic evidence for all of you back home.

Power Struggles

This has been causing a headache today:


For those who don't know, this is the rear (alley) of our building. Specifically, this is our garbage bin. Those two windows on top? Those are our bedroom windows, one in Aidan's room, one in ours.

See how well protected the garbage is? That platform on top was added some time last week. The idea is to keep the person(s) who has been scaling the gate from using the garbage area as a bathroom.

I ask you: now what will he do?

Well, given that he is comfortable scaling the gate, it seems that the Strata has now provided easy access to our bedroom windows, and the small terrace that sits outside them.



When I saw this, to speak mildly, I was pissed.

So, I sent a letter off (by email ... who actually writes anything these days?) to our owner, Gerald. Gerald got back to me this morning, and set in motion a typical set of exchanges between owners, Strata councils, and property managers. Although attempts were made to keep things civil, and use facts and simple logic, it seems that threats of litigation were eventually used (by Gerald). In the end, we're not getting what we want (the removal of the platform), but the Strata is paying for the purchase and installation of security bars in the two bedrooms.

Who wants bars in the windows? Not us, but I'll feel better with them if they're keeping that absurd platform in place. I've also let it be known that if there are signs of trespassing on the terrace outside of our windows, I will be raising a big stink (choice of words completely intentional) and pushing for the removal of the thoughtlessly placed platform.

On the other hand, did the flash do a good job illuminating the back of the building without any local ambient light? :>)

This one?

I think that this has got to be a contender. 

Cuter?

How about this one? 

Is this the Cutest baby?

Well, I need comments on this and a few other pictures. I am going to send a picture of Aidan to Live's Cutest baby search. So I will post a couple of pictures here and you can let me know which I should send. Thanks! 

Hopefully Harper will last less time than "Joe Who?"

Well, I guess that he finally got what he wanted. Power. At least with a minority parliament he should have at least a few checks and balances with regards to his social conservatism. I just can't believe that we have him for Prime Minister. Ugh! What is Canada coming to?

As an aside yesterday we were driving home from the grocery store and Hedy Fry was on 12 Ave. campaigning with some signs and umbrellas. As we passed her Aidan started to cry. We had to reassure him that we would be by her very quickly and safely home. I though it was quite funny. Maybe we have a political baby. I know we have one who knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. (Maybe the "Sex Pistols" I listened to while he was in the womb made an impact. LOL) Ah well.

Wish us all sleep. Ciao!

Voting Day

Just for kicks, here's a site to judge where you fall in the political spectrum. I was surprisingly much more Left/Libertarian than I expected to be. You can also compare yourself to where the site thinks our major parties lie:

http://www.politicalcompass.org

and

http://www.digitalronin.f2s.com/politicalcompass/canada2005.php

Veggie Baby?

I wonder if The Boy is taking the VeggieTales thing a little too much to heart.

After not a little bit of experimentation, The Boy doesn't seem to like meat very much. Attempts to feed him tonight some concoction featuring chicken were spectacularly unsuccessful. However, the green beans mixed with rice and the Just Apple dessert went over swimmingly.

In fact trying to get him to eat almost anything with meat is usually met with active resistance. The little guy could have held Europe all by himself.

Anyway, is this a sign of things to come, or, like everything else that's preceded: just a phase?

Grumpy might be right. Maybe we are raising a Lotus Eater.

Cadet Champange's Send-Off

Last night was Lynn's "Going to Depot" send-off. We arrived when the party was in full swing, owing to the commute from UBC to "North Delta" and the incredible traffic on the East-West Connector.

Lots of friends were there to wish Lynn well. The party was held in the party room in Lynn & Hendrik's complex, and it was plenty large enough to hold the crowd. There were a number of young 'uns there, and Aidan hit it off well enough. As the evening went on, he flirted with everyone there, and outlasted all the kids ... continuing to crawl around, chasing me all over the room. This wasn't a small room, and he chased me for a good 10-15 minutes, so we expected him to be all tuckered out last night.

Well, he zonked out pretty quick in the car. Of course he woke up when we got home, but Gwen eventually got him back down. And then the night. Oy. I think I got 5 or 6 hours sleep, and hardly any of it contiguous.

He's running a really low fever (maybe) today, and continuing to be cranky. Teething and maybe a little bit of something else. At least we're justified in keeping him hopped-up on Baby Tylenol tonight.

Good luck Lynn! Have fun! 

Is it teething or do we just miss Mommy and Daddy?

So I am not sure what was up with Mr. Aidan last night but he is sure being a pain in the butt. He woke up at least 4 times last night and not softly at all. Usually we can at least ignore 1 waking sine he doesn't really wake but makes noises in his sleep. But no, last might is was full on crying. I swear that he spent the whole night feeding again.

So today Aidan has been Mr. Cranky-pants, and lets admit it Mr. Crappy-pants. He is drooling up a storm and has had at least 5 bowel movements today. Not diarrhea (thank you for that miracle), but lots. I guess that I will have to make an amendment to the cranky-pants a bit, Aidan was wonderful while Lynn and Hendrik were visiting. It is 6:30 pm now and he has been fed and is in his PJ's. I think I will try to put him to bed for all our sakes. Wish me luck.

A New Found Sense of Independence

Today Anthony and I decided that we could not stand the pigsty anymore and made the effort to clean up. As you might know, part of the problem with trying to clean, is getting Aidan to play by himself without constant supervision and him being able to see both of us.

So we tried as we always do when we need to clean, or suck up water or whatever, to put him in the exersaucer. He played for almost a half hour by himself without any complaints. Of course we cheated and had "Treehouse", the kids channel, on the television for him and we have moved the legs of the exersaucer to the top position, so maybe one of those changes helped. Although Anthony had him in the playyard later and ignored him for quite a bit while he (Anthony) played on the computer. So maybe Aidan has really grown up that much in one day, or he has just decided that his toys are more interesting than his parents.

Teeth are fun!

Aidan's latest way of exploiting these new things that have appeared in his mouth is to pick up Cheerios, one at a time, and hold them in his fingers while he bites down on them with his front teeth. Chewing, in fact, but holding the Cheerio in his fingers. Cute, but irritating when trying to feed him breakfast cereal (aka that awful paste we feed him in the morning).

Our little beaver.

Why is laundry such a hassle?

Yesterday was a funny day. I thought that at least I could get some laundry done and that maybe when Aidan took his nap that I could rest a bit then get the rest of the house clean. So much for good intentions.

I did get the load of laundry I had already washed into the dryer and got the last load into the washer. Aidan was tired and since he had been up since 6:30 am I thought that maybe I could get him to sleep. Well, I did get him to sleep at 10:45 am and it lasted a whole 15 minutes. I guess that was a good thing as the sound I thought was just the broom falling in the hall was actually the washer hose disconnecting from the drain in the wall and the hall and under-stairs flooding. However it happened near the end and I wasn't in time to stop the washer. So, with puddles everywhere and nothing to suck the water up Aidan and I needed to make a trip to Home Depot to rent a shop vac. Needless to say the rest of the house didn't get cleaned.

We have now had to move all the stuff in the hall again and Anthony and I have vacuumed the hall, under the stairs, the cat room, the edge of our room the front hall closet, moved the freezer in the baby's room and vacuumed there, and we will vacuum one more time before the shop vac goes back at 12:00 pm. Now we need to decide if we rent the industrial dehumidifier for a day and put up with the racket so we can dry out the floor. With the rain we have been having and will continue to have it is unlikely that we can use the fans to dry it out so it looks like that will be our course of action.

It really seem silly that while we do have a drain in the wall, and one directly under the hot water heater, we do not have one in the floor under the washing machine. I am sure that this is not the first time this has happened ( the second for us in the last year) and it would seem that if you can have a drain under the water heater you should be able to have another drain in the floor. Well, I guess that it would be more expensive to do it that way. In my dream house there will be a nice drain for the laundry room and there will be absolutely no carpet near the washer and dryer. It just seems to be asking for trouble.

At least Aidan didn't cry the whole time I was trying to clean up the mess, but he sure doesn't like being cooped up in his playpen when there is something else going on. Well who does, I guess?

From the really wet coast, ciao for now.

6 Teeth and a Book

So, you have seen the book. I was very happy that this morning when Aidan got up from his short nap and he was put in the exersaucer he seemed happy to be there. I turned the tv to the knowledge network to le him watch "Little Bear." Aidan was happy and quiet and facing the tv and I thought why not let him stay that way for a few minutes? You have seen the pictures so now you know the answer why not. I didn't realize there was a book on the ledge of the exer-saucer or that he was chomping away at the book. He was really chewing and swallowing. There was no evidence of the paper that he got off the book. And I was worried about the books when he only had 2 teeth. He can do much more damage now.


I guess that the moral of the story is one of two things. Either we don't let him at the books with out us being wholey present and able to take the book out of harm's way, or, we just forget about the books and let Aidan love them any way he sees fit. I am sure however it will be a combonation of the two. We will just have to keep an eagle eye on him. What else will he get into tomorrow? I am almost afraid to wonder. On the bright side he is sleeping better and nursing less, so maybe you just have to take everything in stride. I am hoping that I will.

Collateral Damage II

A close-up on the travesty. 

Collateral Damage I

This is what 6 teeth and a few minutes in the exer-saucer will do to great literature! 

Healthy Happy Baby, 9 Month checkup.

So, today we went to the doctor for Aidan's next flu shot and his 9 month check-up. He is (as we all know) wonderful and healthy. He has grown 6 cm since his last check up and is now fully in the 25th percentile. He is still about 21lbs (he has lost a few ounces since the middle of December) and is in the 50th percentile for weight. Aidan still has a larger than average head and he is in the 90th percentile. Good thing we all know he is smarter than the average child as well.

This was the first time that Aidan has had a shot and not cried at all. He was much more interested in finding a way to get at Dr. Izen's stethoscope, or the examining table or the blood-pressure gauge. We really have a healthy, happy and CURIOUS child.

Back to routine, and normal sleep patterns!

So, last night Aidan actually went to sleep at a normal time. He didn't nap in the afternoon and had a good supper and a bath. Anthony fed him a bottle at 8:30 and he almost went to sleep for Daddy but he still needed a bit of Mommy time to complete the transition from awake to asleep. He did his I must awake and cry at the 45 min. to 1 hour mark and Anthony was able to sooth him without removing him form the crib and getting me to nurse him.

Then came the miracle . . .

Aidan did not wake up again until 5:18 am. He slept from 9:00 pm till 5:18 am. That is a whole 7 hours. As I was asleep by 10:30 pm it means that I actually had almost 6 hours without iunteruption. It was bliss. I hope we can repeat it tonight. Wish me luck.

Aidan also seems to finally be back to Vancouver time. I think that the walks have really helped and today we went to music class. He had time to play with other babies, crawl around a safe environment and gum bells and shakers. What else could a baby boy ask for?

The music class was lots of fun and again it seems to be populated with only baby boys. A group of us had coffee (well tea in my case) and were talking about it afterwards. It seemed a little shocking to us that in the group only boys were present. That led to an interesting conversation about ultrasounds and pregnancy and so on.

After tea Aidan and I walked back home. He is so much better behaved when he gets outside in the stroller. It makes Mommy feel better too.

4 Items, 3 Planes?

OK, the last bag is here. Sans routing tag, ID tag, and lock. Everything seems to be in it, but we still haven't found the small digital camera. Hmmmm.

Keeping score?

Two bags have been "located" and delivered.

That leaves one that's still "missing".

Containing various Christmas gifts, underwear (including all of Gwen's nursing bras), sleepers for the boy, a digital camera, 6 or more VeggieTales DVDs, rechargers for: cell phone, video camera, PDA, NiMH batteries, and many other inconvenient-to-lose items.

Grumble, grumble.

We're back!

OK, so we're back. Most of our luggage isn't. In fact, of the four things we checked, 3 didn't make it. What came? The car seat. Of course, they lost that on the trip East.

Maybe I should cut Air Canada some slack, since our flight out of Halifax was delayed almost 4 hours. That meant that we were booked on no fewer than 3 different flights from Toronto to Vancouver. Who would have expected a modern airline to route baggage along such a complicated path?

And the flight from Toronto to Vancouver (on which we had centre-aisle seats instead of our original side aisle two-seats-to-ourselves assignment) was extended almost an hour in the air due to head winds. We arrived home at 8:30pm. Make it 12:30pm 12:30 AM Atlantic time. We got up at 6am to get ready to leave.

I ask you ... how cranky do you think the 9-m0nth-old was?

Really? Nope.

Even crankier.

But, we're home. The luggage is supposed to arrive later today. Someone called at quarter to seven this morning. You'd think we should have been up, but we weren't. Or, more accurately, we were abed again.

I'll get Gwen to post stuff about the trip.

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