This morning as I drove my still wee, but at the same time, so big, boy to daycare, we were talking about growing.
We had passed a "digger" on the way to drop his dad off at work and were excited to see a smaller "digger" on our way to the daycare. I asked him if he thought that the little digger would grow up to be a big digger. He, of course, thought this was a great idea and that the little digger would soon be a big boy.
There is a magic about growth, isn't there?
When you're pregnant, you spend 40 weeks fascinated with your baby's growth and a little horrified at the growth of your waistline.
When your baby is born, you spend the first year of their life, constantly sorting through their clothes, marvelling and mourning a little, as they grow. My cousin's child once grew out of a pair of sleepers over night!
When you're a child, there are goals that are achieved through growth:
Walking, talking, wearing big boy or big girl undies, riding trikes, bikes, crossing the street, playing outside until dark, being allowed on different rides at the fairgrounds...
I am loving the concept of growth these days as I watch my tow-headed boy grow. I remember anticipating growth for myself as a child - praying and hoping I would be taller than I am. I may only be 5'1" (and a bit) on the outside, I am 6 feet tall on the inside on my good days.
My boy, he's the most adorable little elf these days. In this photo, he's standing under the trees in an apple orchard. I wonder how long he'll be able to do that.
While he may not grow to be 6 feet tall, it's going to be magic watching him.
Showing posts with label Mogrunt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mogrunt. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Quick Change Obsession
The little man in my life has been the recipient of much of my crafting over the last few months. It all started when I went to the library and borrowed Anna Maria Horner's latest bok, Handmade Beginnings. She does make a crafty person get all "wanty", doesn't she?
I got a little "wanty" about the Quick Change Trousers. And the next thing I knew, the Mogrunt had three pairs.
I love this pattern - the contrast on the bum gives you the opportunity to play around a bit. Of course, I'm not exactly a pro-sewist (sewer?), so I didn't do the best job lining up my pattern pieces on the fabrics. You can tell, for example, on the red pants above, that I didn't really optimize the gnomey-ness of the back of the pants.
Ah well, learn and grow, learn and grow!
The pants below, with their elephant-camouflage look (perfect for hiding in the forest with your elephant friends), were the first pair of quick change trousers I made:
I'm still not sure if these are cute or bordering on obnoxious... but hey, the other side of these pants have dogs driving cars, so really, who care? Dogs driving cars, man, dogs driving cars!
The most recent pair of QCT, were these, Superman pants, for my sweet boy's 2nd birthday:
With the comic strip in shades of blue on the reverse side, I'm not sure who likes these pants more, the Mogrunt or his mama:
What makes me a little sad about these pants is that soon enough, the Mogrunt will grow out of the pattern sizing. And then there's the day I dread, when the Mogrunt starts to rebel against wearing the things I make for him. Until then, little man, it's elephant camouflage and gnome pants for you!
I got a little "wanty" about the Quick Change Trousers. And the next thing I knew, the Mogrunt had three pairs.
I love this pattern - the contrast on the bum gives you the opportunity to play around a bit. Of course, I'm not exactly a pro-sewist (sewer?), so I didn't do the best job lining up my pattern pieces on the fabrics. You can tell, for example, on the red pants above, that I didn't really optimize the gnomey-ness of the back of the pants.
Ah well, learn and grow, learn and grow!
The pants below, with their elephant-camouflage look (perfect for hiding in the forest with your elephant friends), were the first pair of quick change trousers I made:
I'm still not sure if these are cute or bordering on obnoxious... but hey, the other side of these pants have dogs driving cars, so really, who care? Dogs driving cars, man, dogs driving cars!
The most recent pair of QCT, were these, Superman pants, for my sweet boy's 2nd birthday:
With the comic strip in shades of blue on the reverse side, I'm not sure who likes these pants more, the Mogrunt or his mama:
What makes me a little sad about these pants is that soon enough, the Mogrunt will grow out of the pattern sizing. And then there's the day I dread, when the Mogrunt starts to rebel against wearing the things I make for him. Until then, little man, it's elephant camouflage and gnome pants for you!
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
A little over a year ago
Just 13 months ago I started back at work. I left my sweet boy in the care of a dear friend and entered into that extremely fun, oh so guilt-ridden, life of the working mom.
My first full day at the office was, well, horrendous - I felt like I was in the wrong place all day.
Mr. Happy picked up our little Mogrunt and brought him to the office to get me at the end of the day. When I saw the little Mogrunt walking down the hall to my office that day, with tears in his eyes, I crouched down and met him with a hug and my own tears.
I wore this vest on my first day back at work. The name of the pattern is Bleaklow. On my Ravelry page, I have this project listed as "How I feel about retuning to work" - because I did, indeed, feel Bleak and Low about it.
Now, a year later, the Mogrunt has graduated from home care where he enjoyed playing with his dear friend, Ella, her dog Maya and her Mama, to daycare (another set of tears and an adjustment period and finally complete joy at playing with his friends every day) and now, we're in another transition period.
A daycare opened near my office and my husband's office. Rather than travel across the harbour bridge twice a day (the ONLY downside of our former, lovely daycare), the Mogrunt and I now drop Daddy off before popping over tot he daycare. This shortens our drive and decreases our stress levels immensely, as well as puts money back in our pocket.
However, it is another new experience for him and there have been more tears both from him and Mama.
The guilt continues: The old daycare was near the waterfront, where he could see tugboats, ships, trains, cranes, sailboats, and all sorts of activity every day. And every morning we would drive past Theodore Tugboat at his dock and every day the Mogrunt would say, cheerily, "Dood Mornin' Pee-da-pour!"
Now, he's in the industrial park where it's cars, trucks, construction and blah. Granted, his daycare is situated near a lake with a boardwalk around it. And as the area around him isn't over-developed, he will get the pleasure of trees and birds and other wildlife.
I just have to remember that the benefit of having him close by will be more apparent in the winter when I'm not travelling across that bloody bridge in a snowstorm and fighting traffic on icey roads. And, as we'll have more time to play in the evenings, we'll just have to go visit the waterfront on our side of the harbour.
So Bleaklow. I'm trying to feel it less and see the good things in it.
I love this vest. I just wish I had knit it a bit longer. oh, and I also wish I hadn't gained 10 pounds since returning to work.
My first full day at the office was, well, horrendous - I felt like I was in the wrong place all day.
Mr. Happy picked up our little Mogrunt and brought him to the office to get me at the end of the day. When I saw the little Mogrunt walking down the hall to my office that day, with tears in his eyes, I crouched down and met him with a hug and my own tears.
I wore this vest on my first day back at work. The name of the pattern is Bleaklow. On my Ravelry page, I have this project listed as "How I feel about retuning to work" - because I did, indeed, feel Bleak and Low about it.
Now, a year later, the Mogrunt has graduated from home care where he enjoyed playing with his dear friend, Ella, her dog Maya and her Mama, to daycare (another set of tears and an adjustment period and finally complete joy at playing with his friends every day) and now, we're in another transition period.
A daycare opened near my office and my husband's office. Rather than travel across the harbour bridge twice a day (the ONLY downside of our former, lovely daycare), the Mogrunt and I now drop Daddy off before popping over tot he daycare. This shortens our drive and decreases our stress levels immensely, as well as puts money back in our pocket.
However, it is another new experience for him and there have been more tears both from him and Mama.
The guilt continues: The old daycare was near the waterfront, where he could see tugboats, ships, trains, cranes, sailboats, and all sorts of activity every day. And every morning we would drive past Theodore Tugboat at his dock and every day the Mogrunt would say, cheerily, "Dood Mornin' Pee-da-pour!"
Now, he's in the industrial park where it's cars, trucks, construction and blah. Granted, his daycare is situated near a lake with a boardwalk around it. And as the area around him isn't over-developed, he will get the pleasure of trees and birds and other wildlife.
I just have to remember that the benefit of having him close by will be more apparent in the winter when I'm not travelling across that bloody bridge in a snowstorm and fighting traffic on icey roads. And, as we'll have more time to play in the evenings, we'll just have to go visit the waterfront on our side of the harbour.
So Bleaklow. I'm trying to feel it less and see the good things in it.
I love this vest. I just wish I had knit it a bit longer. oh, and I also wish I hadn't gained 10 pounds since returning to work.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
YAY!
Yesterday we took a long overdue drive to one of our favourite places - the Annapolis Valley.
Mr. Happy had been working in the Valley last week on a film shoot. They had shot some scenes at a local beach and he wanted to show it to me. We pulled the sleeping Mogrunt out of the back seat, carefully picked our way down the path to the beach and were treated to this:
The Mogrunt wandered out onto the beach, quiet except for our voices and the cries of the birds flirting (fighting?) above our heads, raised his arms up and shouted...
"YAY!!!!!!"
That was exactly how I felt. It was a beautiful place. The tide was out - and those that know the Bay of Fundy understand that this meant the beach went on for what seemed like forever.
You doubt me? Here, look for yourself. We were about two-thirds of the way from the high tide mark at this point (if the tide was high, we would be under about 15-20 feet of water here):
I grew up on the other side of this body of water - no, not the land you can see on the horizon (that's actually where my dad grew up) - and I still feel a fierce sense of home whenever I'm near it.
The boy had a great time running around on the beach - we eventually took off his shoes and once he got over the feeling of the sand (still mushy and wet from the departing tide) under his feet - and I think he wore off some energy.
When it was time to leave, well, let's just say he didn't go quietly.
Moments after we drove out the road, the sky opened up in the kind of torrential downpour that only seems to happen around farm country. Thank goodness we weren't out on that beach when it happened.
We grabbed some lunch in Port Williams, then headed up to Gaspereau Valley Fibres where I picked up some "Kitchen Sink Lopi" from Legacy Lane. It's listed on their site as a novelty yarn, which something in me finds offensive. It's beautiful, colourful and soft, so maybe it is a "novelty" for the Lopi name. I also picked up a copy of Ysolda Teague's Ishbel. I can't wait to knit that up. Surely I have something in the stash for it.
From there we stopped for a quick visit with the lovely Lala who has always said, "Stop by when you're in the neighbourhood!" Little did she know that we would take her up on the offer one day! If you've not seen Lala's artwork, you must click that link. She's a kindred spirit to fibre lovers everywhere.
After leaving Lala's hideaway, we headed for the farm market where we picked up some Gravensteins (which rival Cortlands as my favourite apple), and pears before grabbing a coffee at Just Us and then heading home.
It was a perfect day, made only more perfect by this:
A double rainbow that arched over our heads. The brightest bow ended right over the highway. And for those of you who have been looking at my photos on Flickr and have quote the "Double Rainbow" song, asking, "What does it mean?"... Let me tell you this:
When a double rainbow ends on the 103, it means that the roadkill is wearing green pants, a green hat and black shoes... and there are gold coins scattered all over the highway.
Mr. Happy had been working in the Valley last week on a film shoot. They had shot some scenes at a local beach and he wanted to show it to me. We pulled the sleeping Mogrunt out of the back seat, carefully picked our way down the path to the beach and were treated to this:
The Mogrunt wandered out onto the beach, quiet except for our voices and the cries of the birds flirting (fighting?) above our heads, raised his arms up and shouted...
"YAY!!!!!!"
That was exactly how I felt. It was a beautiful place. The tide was out - and those that know the Bay of Fundy understand that this meant the beach went on for what seemed like forever.
You doubt me? Here, look for yourself. We were about two-thirds of the way from the high tide mark at this point (if the tide was high, we would be under about 15-20 feet of water here):
I grew up on the other side of this body of water - no, not the land you can see on the horizon (that's actually where my dad grew up) - and I still feel a fierce sense of home whenever I'm near it.
The boy had a great time running around on the beach - we eventually took off his shoes and once he got over the feeling of the sand (still mushy and wet from the departing tide) under his feet - and I think he wore off some energy.
When it was time to leave, well, let's just say he didn't go quietly.
Moments after we drove out the road, the sky opened up in the kind of torrential downpour that only seems to happen around farm country. Thank goodness we weren't out on that beach when it happened.
We grabbed some lunch in Port Williams, then headed up to Gaspereau Valley Fibres where I picked up some "Kitchen Sink Lopi" from Legacy Lane. It's listed on their site as a novelty yarn, which something in me finds offensive. It's beautiful, colourful and soft, so maybe it is a "novelty" for the Lopi name. I also picked up a copy of Ysolda Teague's Ishbel. I can't wait to knit that up. Surely I have something in the stash for it.
From there we stopped for a quick visit with the lovely Lala who has always said, "Stop by when you're in the neighbourhood!" Little did she know that we would take her up on the offer one day! If you've not seen Lala's artwork, you must click that link. She's a kindred spirit to fibre lovers everywhere.
After leaving Lala's hideaway, we headed for the farm market where we picked up some Gravensteins (which rival Cortlands as my favourite apple), and pears before grabbing a coffee at Just Us and then heading home.
It was a perfect day, made only more perfect by this:
A double rainbow that arched over our heads. The brightest bow ended right over the highway. And for those of you who have been looking at my photos on Flickr and have quote the "Double Rainbow" song, asking, "What does it mean?"... Let me tell you this:
When a double rainbow ends on the 103, it means that the roadkill is wearing green pants, a green hat and black shoes... and there are gold coins scattered all over the highway.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Pants for my Monkeypants
Back in May, I went on a sewing binge. My little boy would soon be spending his days with the sitter and I would soon be spending my days sitting... in my office. Sigh. I assuaged my maternal anxiety by making pants. Cute little pants for Mr. Mogrunt Monkeypants.
Not trusting my ability to make pants from a hand drawn pattern, I picked up a pattern for children's pajamas and got to work. I traced the pattern onto freezer paper, rather than cut out the pattern pieces. I want to be able to use this pattern for many different sizes, so I thought this would be the best way to go. Originally I took a little length off the legs, but after the first two pairs of pants, I realized that a little more length and a little extra room in the seat wouldn't be a bad thing.
I also figured out that you need to use non-folding elastic for the pants - it makes them so much more comfortable around the waist.
Another thing I did after the first couple pairs - I sewed French seams for all of the seams. I have no serger and my sewing machine is old. Switching back and forth to zig zag the seams would have been torture for both me and the machine. I don't know when the machine might decide it will give up the ghost. The French seams just seemed nice and tidy for these pants.
For two pairs, I cut the pieces out of a couple of dress shirts that had belonged to Mr. Happy. He no longer wore them so they made lovely pants for our boy.
I took the shirt pockets and sewed them on the back of the pants. The pocket is a little "oversized" and kind of cute - though not really noticeable.
To mark the pants so that we could tell which way was the back, I stitched a little ribbon into the waistband. I found some old name tag ribbon that my mom had bought for my brother many years ago - from the Eaton's catalogue (so, not yesterday) - and just folded it in half so only my maiden name shows when you look in the pants.
One thing I discovered while making these pants is that there is a thin line between a boy wearing cute little homemade pants and a mullet-coiffed dude wearing a tank top and wrestling pants.
A thin, thin line.
Since making these pants, I've been staring rather longingly at the cute pants people are making from Anna Maria Horner's book, "Handmade Beginnings". I've requested the book from the library but had a peek at the instructions in a local bookstore. I think I might be able to fudge a pair of these adorable pants from her instructions. I just wish that a local store carried her fabrics.
Though the fact that the alphabet fabric had my name on it...
...almost makes up for the lack of AMH's fabric.
Almost.
(Apologies for the wrinkly pants in the photos. I took these photos on the fly one day when all the pants were clean at once. Taking the time to iron them... HA! Are you nuts?)
Not trusting my ability to make pants from a hand drawn pattern, I picked up a pattern for children's pajamas and got to work. I traced the pattern onto freezer paper, rather than cut out the pattern pieces. I want to be able to use this pattern for many different sizes, so I thought this would be the best way to go. Originally I took a little length off the legs, but after the first two pairs of pants, I realized that a little more length and a little extra room in the seat wouldn't be a bad thing.
I also figured out that you need to use non-folding elastic for the pants - it makes them so much more comfortable around the waist.
Another thing I did after the first couple pairs - I sewed French seams for all of the seams. I have no serger and my sewing machine is old. Switching back and forth to zig zag the seams would have been torture for both me and the machine. I don't know when the machine might decide it will give up the ghost. The French seams just seemed nice and tidy for these pants.
For two pairs, I cut the pieces out of a couple of dress shirts that had belonged to Mr. Happy. He no longer wore them so they made lovely pants for our boy.
I took the shirt pockets and sewed them on the back of the pants. The pocket is a little "oversized" and kind of cute - though not really noticeable.
To mark the pants so that we could tell which way was the back, I stitched a little ribbon into the waistband. I found some old name tag ribbon that my mom had bought for my brother many years ago - from the Eaton's catalogue (so, not yesterday) - and just folded it in half so only my maiden name shows when you look in the pants.
One thing I discovered while making these pants is that there is a thin line between a boy wearing cute little homemade pants and a mullet-coiffed dude wearing a tank top and wrestling pants.
A thin, thin line.
Since making these pants, I've been staring rather longingly at the cute pants people are making from Anna Maria Horner's book, "Handmade Beginnings". I've requested the book from the library but had a peek at the instructions in a local bookstore. I think I might be able to fudge a pair of these adorable pants from her instructions. I just wish that a local store carried her fabrics.
Though the fact that the alphabet fabric had my name on it...
...almost makes up for the lack of AMH's fabric.
Almost.
(Apologies for the wrinkly pants in the photos. I took these photos on the fly one day when all the pants were clean at once. Taking the time to iron them... HA! Are you nuts?)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Sunny Days
We've had the most beautiful summer in quite a few years. Other summers we have had so much rain that we spent the season dashing around the yard with the lawn mower on the dry days before the clouds threatened again. This summer has been sunny and warm and glorious. Really.
We've spent almost every weekend doing something fun... going to the market, the beach, a wedding (at a winery), a birthday party, hosting impromptu barbecues, eating outside whenever we think of it, and enjoying the out of doors as much as we can. All too soon we'll be cuddled up under blankets, staring out at snowy scenery.
Last weekend we went to "The Incredible Picnic" at the Dartmouth waterfront. There were booths with local food producers, entertainment, and fun. A local adventure farm had a few animals there for the kids to see. The Mogrunt got very excited about a baby goat.
He wasn't quite sure what sign he should use for it. It wasn't quite a dog or a cat, but he didn't know the sign for goat. The goat, for her part, didn't quite know what sign to use for the Mogrunt, so she wandered away for a drink.
I still have moments when the sight of him chokes me up simultaneously with love for him and sorrow for the fact that my mother is not here to enjoy him. I guess that will never go away.
Since coming back to work I've managed to knit most of a sweater for me, a wee pair of socks for the Mogrunt and I've just started another pair of socks for the Mogrunt. Like I said, soon enough the snow will fly and we'll want those warm socks.
I hope your summer has been sunny both in the literal and figurative sense.
We've spent almost every weekend doing something fun... going to the market, the beach, a wedding (at a winery), a birthday party, hosting impromptu barbecues, eating outside whenever we think of it, and enjoying the out of doors as much as we can. All too soon we'll be cuddled up under blankets, staring out at snowy scenery.
Last weekend we went to "The Incredible Picnic" at the Dartmouth waterfront. There were booths with local food producers, entertainment, and fun. A local adventure farm had a few animals there for the kids to see. The Mogrunt got very excited about a baby goat.
He wasn't quite sure what sign he should use for it. It wasn't quite a dog or a cat, but he didn't know the sign for goat. The goat, for her part, didn't quite know what sign to use for the Mogrunt, so she wandered away for a drink.
I still have moments when the sight of him chokes me up simultaneously with love for him and sorrow for the fact that my mother is not here to enjoy him. I guess that will never go away.
Since coming back to work I've managed to knit most of a sweater for me, a wee pair of socks for the Mogrunt and I've just started another pair of socks for the Mogrunt. Like I said, soon enough the snow will fly and we'll want those warm socks.
I hope your summer has been sunny both in the literal and figurative sense.
Friday, June 25, 2010
The Very Quick Year and The Very Long Post
This past Monday, my little boy turned one.
I can hardly believe that a year has passed since he came into this world, turned it upside-down, inside-out and filled it with his easy smile, his silly giggles, and his beautiful, expressive eyes.
It seems like we had wonderful, long year together and yet, at the same time, it seems way too short. A year at home? Is that really enough with a whole, new person before heading back to the office? Sigh.
Those who don't want to wade the the proud Mama talk can skip the paragraphs between the ***s. It's like this, my own mother has been gone from this world for 13 years. I need to tell someone these things.
He's talking, saying "Mom!", "Dada!" and "Tent". (We pull the bedsheets over our heads and he grins and says Tent. Under the kitchen table is a tent as well.) He's recently added "woof!" when he sees a dog and this week he started saying "Hi-eeee", which we interpret as "Hi!"
He's signing a few words as well. He knows: More, Milk, Dog, Bird, Eat and Water. We're working on things like: Please, thank you, Mom, Dad, Shoes, Want, Ball and Cat.
His motor skills amaze me every day. The Mogrunt took his first steps at 10 months and one week. Now he's cruising around the house. He loves feeding himself individual pieces of corn or peas, as well as occasionally spearing food with his little fork and eating it.
He loves anything that makes noise, especially musical instruments. He plays with his piano and ours with a passion that would put Glenn Gould to shame.
If he picks up a toy with wheels, he immediately "starts the engine" and all we hear is "brrrrrrrr" as his lips flap out the sound. You don't have to teach that to a boy, I guess.
Lately he's been giving really great hugs. Wrapping his little arms around our necks and squeezing. He's also doling out the kisses. He'll come at me with a look in his eye, so I'll squat down and MWAH! BIG KISS righ where you eat! BIG! Closed mouth, even, thank you very much.
I've been a negligent blogger these last months. I got so busy with preparing to go back to work. I was spending all of my spare time either snuggling with the boy or sewing little pants for him to wear at the B's house. We're so lucky to have a great friend taking care of him. (I'll share the photos of the wee pants as soon as I manage to have all of them clean and in the same place at once! Ok, maybe I'll have to photograph them individually.)
For some reason, going back to work felt like I was preparing for a long trip. Like I wouldn't be home again for months. I felt like I needed to cram everything I could into my days. I was a little stressed for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, I realized what I was doing and, after giving myself a stern talking to, calmed down and realized I would, in fact, still be living in the same house, in the same town and still have access to all the things I had access to before.
In this past year, I've learned so much about not only myself as a mother, but myself as a person.
As a mother, I can already see how easy it is to let your child get away with things that they shouldn't. How easy it would be to give in when a fit of independence leads to a temper tantrum. (The Mogrunt freaks out when we sweep because he wants to sweep... and then he gets upset because he can't handle the broom on his own. I hope that this fervour for housecleaning lasts until he has a home of his own.)
I can also already see the things I won't budge on. Especially for his health and safety.
Healthy food is a big thing for us. My mom struggled with her weight her whole adult life and I want my son to have both healthy parents and healthy ideas about food but without making a big deal about it. So far so good. The little man loves everything we've given him. He's a huge fan of oranges, broccoli, peas, corn, carrots, avacado, etc. I really don't want my child to eat fast food or any kind any time soon. I guess it's because I don't want this for myself either.
For the Mogrunt's safety, I've started limiting his internet presence. I'm in the process of deleting his photos from FB, making his photos private on Flickr and have asked friends and family to refrain from posting his photos online. Paranoid, moi? I don't think so.
A dear friend had a complete stranger approach her and her daughter while they were out shopping, exclaiming "Oh, this must be [insert daughter's name here]!" Upon my friend inquiring "Do I know you?", the woman responded that she had seen photos of [insert daughter's name here] through a mutual friend's comments on FB. My friend immediately went home and made her photos private. If anyone is going to put my kid's face on the internet, it should be me or his dad and we're even being cautious about that. I wouldn't want our extended family to be responsible if his image was used without permission. Especially on FB.
As a person, being away from my office job really helped me to rediscover who I am and what I want out of life for me and how it will impact my little family. I don't know how this impacts my job right now, but I do know that, at home, my personal creative time is definitely no longer going to take a back seat to silly things like dishwashing and laundry. (Although it will a bit until I can afford a dishwasher. My kingdom for a dishwasher.)
Other things I discovered while on mat leave:
1. I really love grocery shopping on a Monday or Tuesday morning. It's so much faster and easier to navigate the aisles when it's just me, other mom's and retirees. Now if only Tuesdays were also sample days.
2. Believe it or not, I'm a very quiet person. During those first few months at home with the Mogrunt, I had to remind myself to talk out loud. To be fair, I had a lot on my mind and spent a lot of time thinking things through, so I was often lost in my thoughts. Now that he's talking and walking, it's much easier to chatter away with him.
3. I really enjoy sewing. I'm sorry knitting, but I've got another outlet for the madness in my head.
4. Our neighbourhood is rather interesting during the day. There are strange people going through the recycling, teenagers smooching in front of our house on the way home from school, old men wearing sweatpants walking dogs wearing sweaters, people walking to the bus and looking unhappy about it.
5. I love receiving packages in the mail. It's good that I'm broke because I would totally go nuts buying stuff online. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the postal van in front of my house. Wheee, presents!
6. I have amazing friends. Really, the best. And I'm not naming names because I'm keeping them all for me.
7. My husband is the best dad and husband in our house. Maybe your dad or the father of your children would be strong competition, but I'm limiting the possible nominees to one person. He does dishes, laundry, housework, cleans poop off diapers, does 3am playtime with weirdo boys who won't sleep, makes supper, grocery shops, plays the piano and guitar with our boy, sings to him, and even makes fart jokes with the boy... already. Oh, our child is soooo advanced. HA! As I was saying, he's all kinds of awesome and I'm so glad he's my husband.
Hopefully, I'll be able to take some time to post in the coming weeks and months. I've got some knitting and sewing to show you and some ideas stuck in my head.
For those of you who made it this far, thanks!
I can hardly believe that a year has passed since he came into this world, turned it upside-down, inside-out and filled it with his easy smile, his silly giggles, and his beautiful, expressive eyes.
It seems like we had wonderful, long year together and yet, at the same time, it seems way too short. A year at home? Is that really enough with a whole, new person before heading back to the office? Sigh.
Those who don't want to wade the the proud Mama talk can skip the paragraphs between the ***s. It's like this, my own mother has been gone from this world for 13 years. I need to tell someone these things.
**********************
We drove him home from the hospital like there were crystal wine-glasses stacked in a pyramid on top of our car. Now he's running around our house like a mad man, surprising us when he doesn't bonk his noodle (his head) when he trips on his toys or getting back up and acting like the latest spill was "nuthin'" and just wait, there will be more!He's talking, saying "Mom!", "Dada!" and "Tent". (We pull the bedsheets over our heads and he grins and says Tent. Under the kitchen table is a tent as well.) He's recently added "woof!" when he sees a dog and this week he started saying "Hi-eeee", which we interpret as "Hi!"
He's signing a few words as well. He knows: More, Milk, Dog, Bird, Eat and Water. We're working on things like: Please, thank you, Mom, Dad, Shoes, Want, Ball and Cat.
His motor skills amaze me every day. The Mogrunt took his first steps at 10 months and one week. Now he's cruising around the house. He loves feeding himself individual pieces of corn or peas, as well as occasionally spearing food with his little fork and eating it.
He loves anything that makes noise, especially musical instruments. He plays with his piano and ours with a passion that would put Glenn Gould to shame.
If he picks up a toy with wheels, he immediately "starts the engine" and all we hear is "brrrrrrrr" as his lips flap out the sound. You don't have to teach that to a boy, I guess.
Lately he's been giving really great hugs. Wrapping his little arms around our necks and squeezing. He's also doling out the kisses. He'll come at me with a look in his eye, so I'll squat down and MWAH! BIG KISS righ where you eat! BIG! Closed mouth, even, thank you very much.
***********************
I've been a negligent blogger these last months. I got so busy with preparing to go back to work. I was spending all of my spare time either snuggling with the boy or sewing little pants for him to wear at the B's house. We're so lucky to have a great friend taking care of him. (I'll share the photos of the wee pants as soon as I manage to have all of them clean and in the same place at once! Ok, maybe I'll have to photograph them individually.)
For some reason, going back to work felt like I was preparing for a long trip. Like I wouldn't be home again for months. I felt like I needed to cram everything I could into my days. I was a little stressed for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, I realized what I was doing and, after giving myself a stern talking to, calmed down and realized I would, in fact, still be living in the same house, in the same town and still have access to all the things I had access to before.
In this past year, I've learned so much about not only myself as a mother, but myself as a person.
As a mother, I can already see how easy it is to let your child get away with things that they shouldn't. How easy it would be to give in when a fit of independence leads to a temper tantrum. (The Mogrunt freaks out when we sweep because he wants to sweep... and then he gets upset because he can't handle the broom on his own. I hope that this fervour for housecleaning lasts until he has a home of his own.)
I can also already see the things I won't budge on. Especially for his health and safety.
Healthy food is a big thing for us. My mom struggled with her weight her whole adult life and I want my son to have both healthy parents and healthy ideas about food but without making a big deal about it. So far so good. The little man loves everything we've given him. He's a huge fan of oranges, broccoli, peas, corn, carrots, avacado, etc. I really don't want my child to eat fast food or any kind any time soon. I guess it's because I don't want this for myself either.
For the Mogrunt's safety, I've started limiting his internet presence. I'm in the process of deleting his photos from FB, making his photos private on Flickr and have asked friends and family to refrain from posting his photos online. Paranoid, moi? I don't think so.
A dear friend had a complete stranger approach her and her daughter while they were out shopping, exclaiming "Oh, this must be [insert daughter's name here]!" Upon my friend inquiring "Do I know you?", the woman responded that she had seen photos of [insert daughter's name here] through a mutual friend's comments on FB. My friend immediately went home and made her photos private. If anyone is going to put my kid's face on the internet, it should be me or his dad and we're even being cautious about that. I wouldn't want our extended family to be responsible if his image was used without permission. Especially on FB.
As a person, being away from my office job really helped me to rediscover who I am and what I want out of life for me and how it will impact my little family. I don't know how this impacts my job right now, but I do know that, at home, my personal creative time is definitely no longer going to take a back seat to silly things like dishwashing and laundry. (Although it will a bit until I can afford a dishwasher. My kingdom for a dishwasher.)
Other things I discovered while on mat leave:
1. I really love grocery shopping on a Monday or Tuesday morning. It's so much faster and easier to navigate the aisles when it's just me, other mom's and retirees. Now if only Tuesdays were also sample days.
2. Believe it or not, I'm a very quiet person. During those first few months at home with the Mogrunt, I had to remind myself to talk out loud. To be fair, I had a lot on my mind and spent a lot of time thinking things through, so I was often lost in my thoughts. Now that he's talking and walking, it's much easier to chatter away with him.
3. I really enjoy sewing. I'm sorry knitting, but I've got another outlet for the madness in my head.
4. Our neighbourhood is rather interesting during the day. There are strange people going through the recycling, teenagers smooching in front of our house on the way home from school, old men wearing sweatpants walking dogs wearing sweaters, people walking to the bus and looking unhappy about it.
5. I love receiving packages in the mail. It's good that I'm broke because I would totally go nuts buying stuff online. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the postal van in front of my house. Wheee, presents!
6. I have amazing friends. Really, the best. And I'm not naming names because I'm keeping them all for me.
7. My husband is the best dad and husband in our house. Maybe your dad or the father of your children would be strong competition, but I'm limiting the possible nominees to one person. He does dishes, laundry, housework, cleans poop off diapers, does 3am playtime with weirdo boys who won't sleep, makes supper, grocery shops, plays the piano and guitar with our boy, sings to him, and even makes fart jokes with the boy... already. Oh, our child is soooo advanced. HA! As I was saying, he's all kinds of awesome and I'm so glad he's my husband.
Hopefully, I'll be able to take some time to post in the coming weeks and months. I've got some knitting and sewing to show you and some ideas stuck in my head.
For those of you who made it this far, thanks!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
This Little Face
This little face gets me every time. I spend more time looking at this little face now than I ever spent looking at my own as a teenager (when I spent a lot of time in front of the mirror trying to determine if I was dorky looking in a variety of poses - the answer, always yes, dork!).
I love waking up with this face beside mine in the bed. I love the way this little face makes Mr. Happy's face just that - Mr. Happy. I can't believe I MADE that little face.
He's so funny, my little Mogrunt. He amazes me with what he sees, what he does, what captures his attention and how it shows on his face. He purses his lips in concentration, just like his great-grandmother. He sticks his tongue out, (likely feeling his teeth) while he plays, reminding me of stories of his Auntie Suzie reading a book with her tongue between her lips (she did this as a child, she's managed to stop now that she's a grownup). He has a sneaky smile, just like my Grampy Taylor, which makes me ever so grateful for genetics. His eyes sparkle when he's being silly, just like his dad.
We're heading into new territory with this little face. In two all too short months I will be heading back to work and I will not spend my entire day looking at that little face. While I've missed my coworkers (ok, some, not all), I've found a suitable replacement for their company.
I'm drinking up all of that little face that I can right now. I hope you don't mind indulging me while I do.
I love waking up with this face beside mine in the bed. I love the way this little face makes Mr. Happy's face just that - Mr. Happy. I can't believe I MADE that little face.
He's so funny, my little Mogrunt. He amazes me with what he sees, what he does, what captures his attention and how it shows on his face. He purses his lips in concentration, just like his great-grandmother. He sticks his tongue out, (likely feeling his teeth) while he plays, reminding me of stories of his Auntie Suzie reading a book with her tongue between her lips (she did this as a child, she's managed to stop now that she's a grownup). He has a sneaky smile, just like my Grampy Taylor, which makes me ever so grateful for genetics. His eyes sparkle when he's being silly, just like his dad.
We're heading into new territory with this little face. In two all too short months I will be heading back to work and I will not spend my entire day looking at that little face. While I've missed my coworkers (ok, some, not all), I've found a suitable replacement for their company.
I'm drinking up all of that little face that I can right now. I hope you don't mind indulging me while I do.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Tiny parade
It's time for a tiny parade of finished objects.
First the Turn a Square hat by Jared Flood. Ravelled Here
Next up, the Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau. Ravelled Here
Last for now, but certainly not least, my second Balsam by Ilga Leja. This has been finished for quite a while, but this is the first chance I had to get a photo of it. I had the pleasure of knitting a sample of this pattern for Ilga. It's an addictive knit and I really enjoyed making it again. Ravelled here.
Now, in other news, somebody has two teeth:
And he's not afraid to use them:
First the Turn a Square hat by Jared Flood. Ravelled Here
Next up, the Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau. Ravelled Here
Last for now, but certainly not least, my second Balsam by Ilga Leja. This has been finished for quite a while, but this is the first chance I had to get a photo of it. I had the pleasure of knitting a sample of this pattern for Ilga. It's an addictive knit and I really enjoyed making it again. Ravelled here.
Now, in other news, somebody has two teeth:
And he's not afraid to use them:
Sunday, January 10, 2010
How I Killed An Hour Today
It went something like this:
The Mogrunt's diaper was wet, so I went upstairs to change it while talking on the phone with Becca:
1. Remove wet diaper, balancing phone between ear and shoulder
2. Put on fresh diaper, still talking but Mogrunt is suddenly hollering loud enough that I can no longer hear Becca.
3. Hang up phone before fresh diaper is fully fastened because the Mogrunt is carrying on and has already peed in the clean diaper.
4. Pull out another fresh diaper, have a look at the Mogrunt's butt and realize he could stand a little sitz bath.
5. Run tub for Mogrunt and add baking soda.
6. Undress Mogrunt and take him to the bath.
7. Let him play in the bath for 10 minutes or so - hoping that the baking soda is helping to soothe his diaper rash.
8. Take the Mogrunt out of the tub, dry him off and start dressing him.
9. Fresh diaper (see #4) is on, diaper cover is on and all of a sudden, the Mogrunt starts to make that face. You know the one. The red face. It's either poop or he's about to yell at those kids on his lawn again.
10. Help the Mogrunt to stand in his crib for a few minutes - also known as: Assuming the poopie position. He loves standing, thinks he is king of the crib.
11. The undeniable eau de toilette wafts through the air.
12. Pull out fresh diaper number 3 and change the Mogrunt. Try not to gag. Try not to say, "ooooh, stinky" as Mr. Happy likes to remind me that it's possible that I'm "shaming" the Mogrunt. Wonder if Mr. Happy's self-esteem is injured when I go on and on after he emerges from the washroom with a magazine.
13. Dress the Mogrunt and dispose of poooooooh.
14. Look at all the dirty diapers in the bucket, realize that we're almost out of clean cloth diapers. Run downstairs with the dirty ones and throw in a load of laundry.
15. Come back upstairs and rescue the Mogrunt from his crib.
16. Wonder if that isn't the faint scent of poo in the air...
The Mogrunt's diaper was wet, so I went upstairs to change it while talking on the phone with Becca:
1. Remove wet diaper, balancing phone between ear and shoulder
2. Put on fresh diaper, still talking but Mogrunt is suddenly hollering loud enough that I can no longer hear Becca.
3. Hang up phone before fresh diaper is fully fastened because the Mogrunt is carrying on and has already peed in the clean diaper.
4. Pull out another fresh diaper, have a look at the Mogrunt's butt and realize he could stand a little sitz bath.
5. Run tub for Mogrunt and add baking soda.
6. Undress Mogrunt and take him to the bath.
7. Let him play in the bath for 10 minutes or so - hoping that the baking soda is helping to soothe his diaper rash.
8. Take the Mogrunt out of the tub, dry him off and start dressing him.
9. Fresh diaper (see #4) is on, diaper cover is on and all of a sudden, the Mogrunt starts to make that face. You know the one. The red face. It's either poop or he's about to yell at those kids on his lawn again.
10. Help the Mogrunt to stand in his crib for a few minutes - also known as: Assuming the poopie position. He loves standing, thinks he is king of the crib.
11. The undeniable eau de toilette wafts through the air.
12. Pull out fresh diaper number 3 and change the Mogrunt. Try not to gag. Try not to say, "ooooh, stinky" as Mr. Happy likes to remind me that it's possible that I'm "shaming" the Mogrunt. Wonder if Mr. Happy's self-esteem is injured when I go on and on after he emerges from the washroom with a magazine.
13. Dress the Mogrunt and dispose of poooooooh.
14. Look at all the dirty diapers in the bucket, realize that we're almost out of clean cloth diapers. Run downstairs with the dirty ones and throw in a load of laundry.
15. Come back upstairs and rescue the Mogrunt from his crib.
16. Wonder if that isn't the faint scent of poo in the air...
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Mini Mars Bars, The Breakfast of Champions
I'm sure that many of you are munching Halloween treats this morning. Either you've raided your child(ren)'s stash or you've got lots of leftover treats because the threat of the flu kept children at home.
I have a confession to make:
Last night was the first Halloween in many years where I was excited about the holiday. For many years Halloween was a PITA for us. Our dearly departed dog, Bentley, had a hate on for children and would spend the entire evening barking at the tiny ghosts and goblins who came to our door. When Mr. Happy and I moved into our house, we handed out treats for a couple years, but then it just got easier to turn off the lights and hope that no tricks were played on our house. After Bentley went to the big doghouse in the sky, I finally acknowledge the truth - I really didn't like Halloween all that much.
Growing up, I was a pretty shy kid, so I wasn't keen on visiting houses of people I didn't know - which in my hometown was only about 5 houses, but still, I didn't like it. And then when I got to the age where my mom would get me to help opening the door, well, I wasn't keen on it then either.
But yesterday? Well, yesterday changed all that because we had our first chance to dress our kid up in a costume. Which we did with glee and the knowledge that at some point later in his life, he will be embarrassed by these photos.
First, we carved our pumpkin. I drew the bat and Mr. Happy, also known in these parts as "Daddy", carved it. Then we posed the Mogrunt with the pumpkin:
Notice anything? Do you see who is sitting up all by himself? Yeah, it lasted a few seconds before he face planted into the grass and came up with a piece of leaf in his mouth. I may have a picture of the tears, but not of the leaf part. What? You know you would do the same!
Later in the afternoon, I got the Mogrunt dressed and headed out to visit family. First we went to visit his Auntie and cousins:
It was exhausting, being in the car in costume.
Then we picked up Daddy at work and visited the Mogrunt's girlfriend, who was dressed like a lamb. Sorry, no photos. I don't have permission to show you photos of the Little Lamb.
Then we went to visit Nana and Poppa, where we took some photos outside:
Then home again, where we sat the poor tired little duck next to his pumpkin again.
Daddy had to get back to work*, so we visited three houses in the neighbourhood and gave out goodies to a flashy robot from across the street. Then I had to admit that I was done and so was the Mogrunt.
We set the bowl of candy outside and went upstairs for bath and bed time. When I checked the bowl later, there was still quite a bit of candy left in it. I think that a lot of the kids were staying home because of the flu going around.
This morning, I'm very glad that we participated in Halloween, especially b/c we have leftover chocolate this morning and I'm really looking forward to next year. And not because I'm going to use my kid to get candy for myself.
Honest.
I have a confession to make:
Last night was the first Halloween in many years where I was excited about the holiday. For many years Halloween was a PITA for us. Our dearly departed dog, Bentley, had a hate on for children and would spend the entire evening barking at the tiny ghosts and goblins who came to our door. When Mr. Happy and I moved into our house, we handed out treats for a couple years, but then it just got easier to turn off the lights and hope that no tricks were played on our house. After Bentley went to the big doghouse in the sky, I finally acknowledge the truth - I really didn't like Halloween all that much.
Growing up, I was a pretty shy kid, so I wasn't keen on visiting houses of people I didn't know - which in my hometown was only about 5 houses, but still, I didn't like it. And then when I got to the age where my mom would get me to help opening the door, well, I wasn't keen on it then either.
But yesterday? Well, yesterday changed all that because we had our first chance to dress our kid up in a costume. Which we did with glee and the knowledge that at some point later in his life, he will be embarrassed by these photos.
First, we carved our pumpkin. I drew the bat and Mr. Happy, also known in these parts as "Daddy", carved it. Then we posed the Mogrunt with the pumpkin:
Notice anything? Do you see who is sitting up all by himself? Yeah, it lasted a few seconds before he face planted into the grass and came up with a piece of leaf in his mouth. I may have a picture of the tears, but not of the leaf part. What? You know you would do the same!
Later in the afternoon, I got the Mogrunt dressed and headed out to visit family. First we went to visit his Auntie and cousins:
It was exhausting, being in the car in costume.
Then we picked up Daddy at work and visited the Mogrunt's girlfriend, who was dressed like a lamb. Sorry, no photos. I don't have permission to show you photos of the Little Lamb.
Then we went to visit Nana and Poppa, where we took some photos outside:
Then home again, where we sat the poor tired little duck next to his pumpkin again.
Daddy had to get back to work*, so we visited three houses in the neighbourhood and gave out goodies to a flashy robot from across the street. Then I had to admit that I was done and so was the Mogrunt.
We set the bowl of candy outside and went upstairs for bath and bed time. When I checked the bowl later, there was still quite a bit of candy left in it. I think that a lot of the kids were staying home because of the flu going around.
This morning, I'm very glad that we participated in Halloween, especially b/c we have leftover chocolate this morning and I'm really looking forward to next year. And not because I'm going to use my kid to get candy for myself.
Honest.
Friday, October 16, 2009
My Uterus Does Better Work
While it may seem that I have dropped off the face of the blogosphere, in fact, I have not. I'm still around - lurking through your posts, often smiling at your stories, occasionally commenting, and occasionally forgetting to comment as I run off to change a diaper or rescue a baby who has spent "just enough time, thanks Mama" in his activity gym.
It seems I'm pretty busy these days - who knew that wiping up spit-up could be a full time job? I have become quite adept at anticipating imminent milky messiness. Despite that, I do currently have a big glob of wet on my shoulder right now as the Mogrunt planted a nice glob of cheese-curdy goodness on me before falling asleep.
Back when the Mogrunt was just a fish in my belly, my SIL laughed when I mentioned that I would like to get some knitting done while off on mat leave. She thought I was being unrealistic, but it seems that, despite the amount of time I spend doing laundry, I am managing to meet my own expectations. I wasn't so disillusioned to think that I would be sitting here with the Mogrunt on my lap, just knitting the days away, but having worked as a caregiver to two young girls, I knew that there would be time here and there to get in a few stitches.
It does seem, however, that blogging about those stitches is a harder task. As I said to my husband's family over Thanksgiving dinner - "Our camera used to be filled with photos of knitting - now it's filled with photos of the Mogrunt." My SIL piped up and said, "And those weren't nearly as interesting."
Seems someone is gunning for a lump of coal instead of a handknit stocking this Christmas.
So, in the last 3.5 almost four months, those few meager stitches at a time have turned into:
A totoro hat and a sweet baby cap:
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino DK
Raveled here.
Pattern: Sweet Baby cap is from Gros Blog
Yarn: made with scrap yarn from a blanket a dear friend made for the Mogrunt
Raveled here.
It seems I'm pretty busy these days - who knew that wiping up spit-up could be a full time job? I have become quite adept at anticipating imminent milky messiness. Despite that, I do currently have a big glob of wet on my shoulder right now as the Mogrunt planted a nice glob of cheese-curdy goodness on me before falling asleep.
Back when the Mogrunt was just a fish in my belly, my SIL laughed when I mentioned that I would like to get some knitting done while off on mat leave. She thought I was being unrealistic, but it seems that, despite the amount of time I spend doing laundry, I am managing to meet my own expectations. I wasn't so disillusioned to think that I would be sitting here with the Mogrunt on my lap, just knitting the days away, but having worked as a caregiver to two young girls, I knew that there would be time here and there to get in a few stitches.
It does seem, however, that blogging about those stitches is a harder task. As I said to my husband's family over Thanksgiving dinner - "Our camera used to be filled with photos of knitting - now it's filled with photos of the Mogrunt." My SIL piped up and said, "And those weren't nearly as interesting."
Seems someone is gunning for a lump of coal instead of a handknit stocking this Christmas.
So, in the last 3.5 almost four months, those few meager stitches at a time have turned into:
A totoro hat and a sweet baby cap:
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino DK
Raveled here.
Pattern: Sweet Baby cap is from Gros Blog
Yarn: made with scrap yarn from a blanket a dear friend made for the Mogrunt
Raveled here.
A pair of mittens for the wee man - with plans for a matching hat:
Yarn: Made with bits and bobs of Debbie Bliss Merino Aran and Cashmerino Aran.
Raveled here
Socks for me so that I can match the Mogrunt - we are sock buddies!
Yarn: Trekking
Raveled here.
Yarn: Trekking
Raveled here.
My "Alliteration" sweater for the boy,
Pattern: Organza edged Cardigan from Debbie Bliss special knits - obviously, the Mogrunt chose to "butch it up" a little by leaving off the organza.
Raveled here
Pattern: Organza edged Cardigan from Debbie Bliss special knits - obviously, the Mogrunt chose to "butch it up" a little by leaving off the organza.
Raveled here
I've also made significant progress on the Baby Yours sweater:
Yarn: STR
Raveled here
However, in all of this knitting, the one finished item of which I am most proud is this, the bear that the Mogrunt will be taking with him to University and quite possibly, on his honeymoon:
Raveled here
Yes, ladies and gents, it is finally done. The sweater alone was the cause of much ranting and mental compositions of "Dear Designer" letters. It took two and a half hours just to seam the darned thing! (And that's after I had it seamed at the shoulders and realized that I had only done 3 repeats of the garter stitch stripes at the top of one side and 4 on the other. The sweater almost went out the window of the car on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner in the Annapolis Valley.) We won't even talk about the bear itself because I may start to weep.
It took me almost 11 months to make this bear with my own two hands. Yet it only took me nine months to make a baby with my uterus. My uterus as it turns out has fewer fine motor skills than my hands but while that bear is cute, I think my uterus does better work, as evidenced here:
Look out ladies, he's a heart-breaker.
Raveled here
Yes, ladies and gents, it is finally done. The sweater alone was the cause of much ranting and mental compositions of "Dear Designer" letters. It took two and a half hours just to seam the darned thing! (And that's after I had it seamed at the shoulders and realized that I had only done 3 repeats of the garter stitch stripes at the top of one side and 4 on the other. The sweater almost went out the window of the car on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner in the Annapolis Valley.) We won't even talk about the bear itself because I may start to weep.
It took me almost 11 months to make this bear with my own two hands. Yet it only took me nine months to make a baby with my uterus. My uterus as it turns out has fewer fine motor skills than my hands but while that bear is cute, I think my uterus does better work, as evidenced here:
Look out ladies, he's a heart-breaker.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Guns hurt people...
Last week, the Mogrunt and I hit the road without Mr. Happy aka Daddy, for the first time. We went to New Brunswick to visit my family. Why so soon after our previous visit? Well, rumour had it that my cousins would all be around for the weekend, all of them except my cousin who lives in China. It would be the first time in many years that we were all together. And the real attraction was that my grandmother's seven great-grandchildren would all be together for the first time ever.
I broke up the 5 hour drive by staying at Becca's house on the way there and at my cousin's house on the way home. They both live in the same city which sits at the approximate halfway point of the drive.
We had a lovely visit, spending some time at the lake, lunching with friends at the new restaurant in town (yummy), and hitting the local thrift store for tiny boy clothes.
At the thrift store we made out like bandits: three pairs of overalls, a shirt that matches a pair of the overalls, a pair of brand new Car*ter's pj's AND a bag to put them in for $10. I guess that goes with my "theme" of a $10 bit of happy. The next time, we're looking for stuff for Becca's wee girl too.
On Sunday, we headed to my aunt's house for my cousin's little boy's 1st birthday party. We arrived at 3pm. The party was in full swing only moments later with around 40 people, young and old, running around inside and outside. The birthday boy was passed around, when he wasn't scooting along the floor and playing with his friends, both big and small.
At one point I was outside on the back lawn with my cousins and their children. The kids were alternately playing "Robot" (dressing in boxes decorated by the birthday boy's dad, a brilliant man and a brilliant idea) and running around with water pistols.
This is when things got a bit dicey. Let me give you some background.
There is a tradition in our family, one that is probably more common than families will let on. It's a tradition of cousin abuse. It's not nearly as bad as it sounds, or maybe it is.
It all started when I was just an infant. My dear cousin, Jennifer was carrying me when I was just wee and it seems she got tired of carrying me.
So she dropped me.
Fast forward 6 years or so. My cousin Leah was just wee. I was holding her. My arms got tired. I went to put her down. The next part of the story is up for debate.
The "adults" in the family say that I dropped her. I distinctly recall lowering her to the ground and then Leah squirming a bit so that she fell out of my arms.
Regardless, there was a short distance between my arms and the ground and she fell that distance.
Hence, I carried on the tradition.
I had hoped the "tradition" had come to an end with Leah and I, but alas, the torch was picked up by my elder cousin's youngest boy, we'll call him Nate.
Nate is only 2. Nate had a water gun. I was sitting on a blanket with The Mogrunt and my cousins when Nate went running by. As he ran, he threw his water gun.
Guess who it hit?
Of course, the tiny, sleeping Mogrunt... right on the head.
He started to wail and I quickly checked him to see that he was ok. Once I determined that he would live, and would only require me to wipe the water off his head and the tears from his eyes, I started to laugh. I know, I'm a horrible mother. It may have been relief that made me laugh.
My cousin's wife caught Nate by the hand and made him apologize. He did, after crying a little himself.
Nate, I understand your tears, little man. I've been there.
And just b/c no post is finished without a photo...
I call this one, "Grammy Rides Again"
(Grammy said to me as we were walking back to the house after this photo was taken, "Gee, that was harder than I thought. My leg doesn't bend nearly as well as it used to." Ahem. She'll be 91 in December.)
I broke up the 5 hour drive by staying at Becca's house on the way there and at my cousin's house on the way home. They both live in the same city which sits at the approximate halfway point of the drive.
We had a lovely visit, spending some time at the lake, lunching with friends at the new restaurant in town (yummy), and hitting the local thrift store for tiny boy clothes.
At the thrift store we made out like bandits: three pairs of overalls, a shirt that matches a pair of the overalls, a pair of brand new Car*ter's pj's AND a bag to put them in for $10. I guess that goes with my "theme" of a $10 bit of happy. The next time, we're looking for stuff for Becca's wee girl too.
On Sunday, we headed to my aunt's house for my cousin's little boy's 1st birthday party. We arrived at 3pm. The party was in full swing only moments later with around 40 people, young and old, running around inside and outside. The birthday boy was passed around, when he wasn't scooting along the floor and playing with his friends, both big and small.
At one point I was outside on the back lawn with my cousins and their children. The kids were alternately playing "Robot" (dressing in boxes decorated by the birthday boy's dad, a brilliant man and a brilliant idea) and running around with water pistols.
This is when things got a bit dicey. Let me give you some background.
There is a tradition in our family, one that is probably more common than families will let on. It's a tradition of cousin abuse. It's not nearly as bad as it sounds, or maybe it is.
It all started when I was just an infant. My dear cousin, Jennifer was carrying me when I was just wee and it seems she got tired of carrying me.
So she dropped me.
Fast forward 6 years or so. My cousin Leah was just wee. I was holding her. My arms got tired. I went to put her down. The next part of the story is up for debate.
The "adults" in the family say that I dropped her. I distinctly recall lowering her to the ground and then Leah squirming a bit so that she fell out of my arms.
Regardless, there was a short distance between my arms and the ground and she fell that distance.
Hence, I carried on the tradition.
I had hoped the "tradition" had come to an end with Leah and I, but alas, the torch was picked up by my elder cousin's youngest boy, we'll call him Nate.
Nate is only 2. Nate had a water gun. I was sitting on a blanket with The Mogrunt and my cousins when Nate went running by. As he ran, he threw his water gun.
Guess who it hit?
Of course, the tiny, sleeping Mogrunt... right on the head.
He started to wail and I quickly checked him to see that he was ok. Once I determined that he would live, and would only require me to wipe the water off his head and the tears from his eyes, I started to laugh. I know, I'm a horrible mother. It may have been relief that made me laugh.
My cousin's wife caught Nate by the hand and made him apologize. He did, after crying a little himself.
Nate, I understand your tears, little man. I've been there.
And just b/c no post is finished without a photo...
I call this one, "Grammy Rides Again"
(Grammy said to me as we were walking back to the house after this photo was taken, "Gee, that was harder than I thought. My leg doesn't bend nearly as well as it used to." Ahem. She'll be 91 in December.)
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
6 weeks
*Warning: Long Post Ahead!*
I didn't intend to be away from the blog for 4 weeks, but it seems that life has changed a great deal. Does anyone remember inverse proportions from school? It would seem that the amount of time that I now spend online is inversely proportional to the time I spend doing laundry.
(Note to self: get that wool soaker pad made for the bed. No one wants to wash their sheets every day.)
It's been a very busy 6 weeks.
To recap,
Week One: The MILKY WAY
My milk didn't really come in until early Friday morning. So, the kid went from a steady food delivery system on Sunday, to four, almost five days of crappy colostrum supplies for which he had to work HARD...
When the public health nurse came to check him on Wednesday, (one day after he had been discharged from the hospital) he had gone from his birth weight 7lbs 13 oz, down to 6lbs 12oz. To be completely fair, his birth weight may have been "pumped up" a bit by the fact that I was on I.V. fluids for 12 hours before he was born. Regardless, his parental units were completely FREAKED OUT by the lack of milk and took him back to the hospital late that night, less than 36 hours after he had been discharged. The doctor assured us that everything would be fine and sent us home.
At his doctor's appointment the next morning, he weighed 6lbs 10oz (keep in mind - different scales). The doctor scheduled a check up for 5 days later and encouraged us to feed, feed, feed. When we got home, I called in the recruits: Lulubelle arrived with a breast pump and reassuring words of wisdom. JAK arrived too and shared her tales of breastfeeding.
Thursday night after he was born was our worst night. He wouldn't feed on one side, so I pumped what I could and we fed it to him with the dropper from his Vitamin D drops. I was in tears and Mr. Happy, meanwhile, was reading through every childcare book we had, trying to figure out what we could do. Let me tell you, at that point, there are no books that will help you. You need to remember that you have a magnet somewhere, in all the stuff they shoved at you in the hospital, with a breastfeeding help-line phone number. I didn't remember. Luckily, my milk was there with a vengeance the next time he woke up.
On Friday night, he was a different baby. He had lots to eat that day, and drank his fill at midnight that night. The next time we woke up, it was 4am and he was crying, "Feed me!" Mr. Happy and I almost had heart attacks after having slept for "so long" between feedings.
Thankfully, all has turned out well with the milk "delivery system" and at his next checkup, he had gained his birth weight back, plus an ounce. Phewf!
One night after the "milk truck" arrived, I got up around 2am to go to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and sent the following text to Angela (who lives on the opposite side of the country, and who I knew was working late):
"Milk came in. Look like tired, old stripper with wonky boob job."
Week Two: DAWNING REALIZATION
How do parents do this with more than one child? How do single parents do this? How do teenage moms do this without support?
Also: Pippin visits. Pippin the dog who is never any problem at all. Pippin the dog who knows the drill. Pippin the dog who loves hanging out with his Auntie and Uncle. Pippin spent the week gagging and threw up in the house and outside. We spent the week telling him to "Stop eating grass" and ended up taking him to the vet for a shot of anti-nausea medication.
The week ended with a visit from my BFF, Becca, her hubby and her wee girl. It was soooo great to see them. We hadn't seen their daughter since she was only a few weeks old. She's such a cutie!
Week Three: GETTING USED TO EACH OTHER
I spent the beginning of this week with a fever and the chills. We spent the rest of the week hanging out at home and doing our best to behave. The fever, as it turns out, was most likely "Breast Milk Fever", perhaps as a result of a mild case of mastitis. Not fun. I don't recommend it.
Week four: ROAD TRIP!
It seemed like as good a time as any to hit the road, so we headed out with the Mogrunt in tow.
He had some very special people to meet:
and he had some places to go...
Week Five: HOME
It was a great trip, but if the truth be told, it was great to get home. We've settled in to more of a routine, with bedtime baths being the highlight of the day.
Week Six: SMILES
I made it out to knitting a couple of times. I've even managed to DO some knitting. You know, when I'm not trying to make this little face smile:
I'll try to post some knitting content when I have a chance. HA! Hopefully it'll be before the Mogrunt's first birthday! This post actually took me three days to compose!
I didn't intend to be away from the blog for 4 weeks, but it seems that life has changed a great deal. Does anyone remember inverse proportions from school? It would seem that the amount of time that I now spend online is inversely proportional to the time I spend doing laundry.
(Note to self: get that wool soaker pad made for the bed. No one wants to wash their sheets every day.)
It's been a very busy 6 weeks.
To recap,
Week One: The MILKY WAY
My milk didn't really come in until early Friday morning. So, the kid went from a steady food delivery system on Sunday, to four, almost five days of crappy colostrum supplies for which he had to work HARD...
When the public health nurse came to check him on Wednesday, (one day after he had been discharged from the hospital) he had gone from his birth weight 7lbs 13 oz, down to 6lbs 12oz. To be completely fair, his birth weight may have been "pumped up" a bit by the fact that I was on I.V. fluids for 12 hours before he was born. Regardless, his parental units were completely FREAKED OUT by the lack of milk and took him back to the hospital late that night, less than 36 hours after he had been discharged. The doctor assured us that everything would be fine and sent us home.
At his doctor's appointment the next morning, he weighed 6lbs 10oz (keep in mind - different scales). The doctor scheduled a check up for 5 days later and encouraged us to feed, feed, feed. When we got home, I called in the recruits: Lulubelle arrived with a breast pump and reassuring words of wisdom. JAK arrived too and shared her tales of breastfeeding.
Thursday night after he was born was our worst night. He wouldn't feed on one side, so I pumped what I could and we fed it to him with the dropper from his Vitamin D drops. I was in tears and Mr. Happy, meanwhile, was reading through every childcare book we had, trying to figure out what we could do. Let me tell you, at that point, there are no books that will help you. You need to remember that you have a magnet somewhere, in all the stuff they shoved at you in the hospital, with a breastfeeding help-line phone number. I didn't remember. Luckily, my milk was there with a vengeance the next time he woke up.
On Friday night, he was a different baby. He had lots to eat that day, and drank his fill at midnight that night. The next time we woke up, it was 4am and he was crying, "Feed me!" Mr. Happy and I almost had heart attacks after having slept for "so long" between feedings.
Thankfully, all has turned out well with the milk "delivery system" and at his next checkup, he had gained his birth weight back, plus an ounce. Phewf!
One night after the "milk truck" arrived, I got up around 2am to go to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and sent the following text to Angela (who lives on the opposite side of the country, and who I knew was working late):
"Milk came in. Look like tired, old stripper with wonky boob job."
Week Two: DAWNING REALIZATION
How do parents do this with more than one child? How do single parents do this? How do teenage moms do this without support?
Also: Pippin visits. Pippin the dog who is never any problem at all. Pippin the dog who knows the drill. Pippin the dog who loves hanging out with his Auntie and Uncle. Pippin spent the week gagging and threw up in the house and outside. We spent the week telling him to "Stop eating grass" and ended up taking him to the vet for a shot of anti-nausea medication.
The week ended with a visit from my BFF, Becca, her hubby and her wee girl. It was soooo great to see them. We hadn't seen their daughter since she was only a few weeks old. She's such a cutie!
Week Three: GETTING USED TO EACH OTHER
I spent the beginning of this week with a fever and the chills. We spent the rest of the week hanging out at home and doing our best to behave. The fever, as it turns out, was most likely "Breast Milk Fever", perhaps as a result of a mild case of mastitis. Not fun. I don't recommend it.
Week four: ROAD TRIP!
It seemed like as good a time as any to hit the road, so we headed out with the Mogrunt in tow.
He had some very special people to meet:
and he had some places to go...
Week Five: HOME
It was a great trip, but if the truth be told, it was great to get home. We've settled in to more of a routine, with bedtime baths being the highlight of the day.
Week Six: SMILES
I made it out to knitting a couple of times. I've even managed to DO some knitting. You know, when I'm not trying to make this little face smile:
I'll try to post some knitting content when I have a chance. HA! Hopefully it'll be before the Mogrunt's first birthday! This post actually took me three days to compose!
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