Long weekend!

Off for a long (and hopefully relaxing) weekend at the cottage. Have a good civic holiday (those who celebrate it) and everyone else - nyah nyah!

Sweet bro

I'm listening through the baby monitor to James reading his little sister and brother a story. He's a pretty good kid for a teenager.

switch

Like a friggin' light switch Jonah went from sleeping terribly to sleeping wonderfully. Well now someone's thrown the switch again and 5 of the past 6 nights he's been up at least twice (the 6th he was up just once). Not just awake but screaming bloody murder. Not a chance of him settling himself down. I suspect he's cutting a molar but I can't feel anything and the couple of doses of motrin didn't change anything so who knows. *sigh* It didn't take long for the lack of sleep to return me to a brainless zombie either.

Labour unrest?

I work for the feds which means my job is unionized. I'm not a big supporter of organized labour but generally I keep my mouth closed and enjoy the benefits that they bargain for. Now however the union I belong to is in a strike position. Will I be waltzing down the street with a placard? Nope, I got hauled into the board room to meet with a bunch of people who explained to me that I have been deemed to occupy an essential position. They game me a piece of paper - signed and sealed no less - that I have to carry on my person at all times and that will allow me to cross picket lines (should there be any). Man I'm not sure whether to be flattered or worried. Honestly the whole thing weirds me out!

Potty talk

It's been one of those weeks where every morning I've woken up and thought "Thank goodness it's Friday". Oh the disappointment 4 out of 5 mornings.

They've replaced one of the toilets in the women's lav at work, which is something I never would have noticed except that I think the new toilet is a refugee from a kindergarten. Honestly it's not more than 18 inches high. WTF? How did the plumbers not notice they were installing a pygmy toilet? Like it's not hard enough to do the "squat" (you know what I mean) but now to have to aim at a hole a foot too low. I'm reminded of the one single time during my visit to Turkey where nature called in a place without a European toilet (what they refer to as an Ala Franka - with apologies for the spelling).

My sunburn is healing nicely, only a couple of sore spots left and a large portion has reverted to its unnatural sallow blue-white shade already. No base tan here. I will be more careful in the future though, I can't imagine after a handful of burns like that one I'll escape skin cancer forever. Funny though, I don't remember wearing sunscreen as a small child (though my mom was religious about making me wear a hat, long sleeves and knee socks on sunny days) or as a teen and I had only 5 or 6 bad burns. Now though it seems I burn almost every time I'm outside longer than 10 minutes. Is this what the destruction of the ozone layer is doing? Will the very pale eventually become extinct?


July of 1974. click for larger.
Hmmm... I do look a little pink in the face. Doubtless somewhere there was a hat at least to match those oh so fashionable knee socks.

Stooo-pid

Yes I am the stupid-ass poster girl for skin cancer. A lovely Sunday spent playing in the water and sand with the kids at the SIL's cottage. I coated the kidlets in sunscreen but by the time I thought to put it on myself it was too late (and the wussy SPF-15 I borrowed from SIL isn't really made for Nordic-coloured people like me)


Every bit as painful as it looks


Rock lobster... oooh ahhh

Benadryl, aloe vera and vitamin E are keeping me comfortable but I'm kicking myself.

Little Miracles

I'm not a religious person, nor even a particularly spiritual person but I've always had the sense that fate was at work all around me and that whatever will be will be.  I'm also keenly aware of what I've come to think of as little miracles - not the disappearing cancer, surviving a plane crash, finding your lost twin type of miracles but the subtle bits of "good luck" that pop up at just the right moment.  Mine almost always concern money.  This week a little miracle turned up in the form of a family member who showed up for a cup of tea and left behind a cheque just when we needed it most though she had no idea of knowing that. 
 
The gunslinger would call it "ka"

Harry Potter

I just got back from seeing the third Harry Potter movie (why, yes, I am the last person alive to see it) and once I sort out how I feel about it I'll have a longer bit to say but for right now I'll say I enjoyed it immensely despite all that was missing :)

Black & Blue

How could I have forgotten that dreaded toddler-crashing-headlong-into-everything bashing head/face/knees/shins/chins stage? I live in fear that a CAS worker will catch a glimpse of Jonah. Right now he has a faint purply-blue bruise on his forehead, a dark brown and yellow (but healing) bruise above his right eye, a scab on his chin, a cut on his left cheek, a fat lip (and accompanying cut just below the lip), a skinned knee, a skinned palm, a half dozen small bruises on his shins, a small dent on his shin (courtesy Katie's tricycle), a little cut on his scalp above his left temple and a cut on the back of his heel. My tiny baby looks like a rough and tumble boy for sure but man people must think we're the most careless people ever. How long does this phase last again?


You can just see the last of the bruise above his eye - rather like bad 80s eye shadow at this point...

Happy Birthday James

My firstborn is a teenager. How did that happen? Happy birthday Booey.



Click for larger, James at 10 months old.

Turning the corner?

I've been hesitating to mention this because I'm afraid to jinx myself but it seems like Jonah may finally be developmentally ready to sleep through the night - he's done so 3 of the past 4 nights!! He's falling asleep by himself, he's staying asleep and he'S waking up chipper and happy.

The difference this is making in my life is immeasurable. 6 solid hours of sleep are so much more restorative than 8 or 9 hours of broken sleep. I no longer need to suck back diet coke just to stay away (now I do so for the fun of it). I can get out of bed in the morning after only one 'snooze'. I can almost think straight again.

I've also noticed now that he's sleeping better he's far less interested in nursing - he wants to nurse when I pick him up from the sitter's (more of an "I missed you mama" cuddle than a meal) but isn't interested in nursing to sleep or first thing in the morning now.

Big changes... hope they last.

Bits and pieces

I haven't blogged much lately. I've had a million things on my mind that I could blog about and yet I haven't.

But onto brighter bits - Jonah has two new tricks. He walks backwards, which is hilarious! He never checks where he's going (perhaps he doesn't know how to?) just sets off full-tilt backwards, bumping into people, tumbling over things. He's a mini moonwalker. His other new trick is giving kisses, which is so unbelievably sweet. Unfortunate that he kisses like my 8th grade boyfriend - open mouth and slobbery, but sweet nonetheless. He's talking more now too, saying mama, bye, hi, mmmmmm and "baba" (for Papa, apparently he's Turkish). He's still not sleeping well overnight but for two nights running he's put himself to sleep. I've put him into the crib, wide awake, and he's fallen asleep without me rubbing his back, hovering, singing, etc, etc, etc. Wonderful! Gives me hope.

Now - what's up with this?


Click for larger, if you dare

High-heeled flip flops? Mmmkay, flexible floppy soles and high heels... I see broken ankles.

Check out the digital scrap I made for ma belle mere.

Lazy days of summer

Click for larger

This is how a summer day should be spent...

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day everyone! What a wonderful day so far, rain and gloom meant sleeping in until 6:30, big breakfast and nothing to do until this evening!