While at camp last weekend, we were all talking about messes and cleaning and my aunt said something that really irritated me. With regards to being messy, she said, "I could say something about messy houses to Sunny but I won't right now." Everybody kind of went silent and then just pretended it didn't happen.
This is my mom's brother's second marriage and they have a young son together. Her house is always clean and I guess it always was even when their son was a baby/toddler. Even though she only has one child, whom she had at an older age, she gives the impression of knowing what's right and what's best for all people in all circumstances - you might say, a know-it-all.
This aunt has never seen my apartment in person before or after my child was born. She makes this comment in front of everyone based on what she's seen in a few photographs shown by my grandmother - photographs of my baby covered in food, or playing with toys scattered all over the floor. Jai said he had a hard time to keep from yelling at her, my one cousin later said, "WHAT DID SHE MEAN BY THAT?" and I felt hurt and belittled and infantalized.
I shouldn't be surprised at anything she says though. When I was twenty and talking about 'my boyfriend' she actually said, "I hope you're not sleeping in the same bed as him." WHAT? I don't see how that was her business and how was it at all tactful to say that in front of the whole family??? Another time she told me to hide my nose piercing because it was "disgusting."
With a baby (who's very mobile), I'm noticing that it's very difficult to get anything done around the house. And when I do get things done, it's hard to feel good about it because there's about a million other things that need doing. I finally get the living room clean but oh dear, the rest of the house is a disaster! I finally get my closet clean but oh dear, the floors haven't been swept/mopped/vacuumed in months! I finally get all the laundry done but oh no, there's no food in the house. It never ends.
And no, I'm not really complaining even if that's what it sounds like. I do like a tidy house but I'm not a perfectionist by any means. Plus, spending time with my child is much more important than having everything clean. There will be years when my child (or children) want to be independent: they won't need constant supervision and they won't want to spend every waking hour with me anyway. That is when my house will be tidier.
Looking at pictures from my childhood, the house almost always looks like a disaster. My mom had two kids and years and years of babysitting anywhere from 2 to 10 extra kids. She has a tidy house now; a little extra clutter and a pretty full storage room, but mostly immaculate. Her messy house full of kids was no indication that she was a slovenly person.
So you know what? I really don't care if my house is immaculate or not. I'm only human and I'm not going to over-work or stress myself out so that everything is picture perfect. Sure, I'd like to be tidier and I'd like more time to get things done, but these early days and years with my son are so precious. I'll never get them back. And no amount of picture taking could replace actual one on one time.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Canada eh?
It's July 1st and eventually we'll get out of the house to see what's happening around town. I know there are lots of parties and festivities taking place and I'm sure we'll hear the fireworks tonight. I'm going to dress up my baby in a red shirt that says "Canada" and put his maple leaf socks on today. I'm not "in your face" patriotic but I do love living in Canada. 142 years since the joining of the British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces. We've come a long way since then and have a long way to go. Happy Birthday to the land of my birth.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ten Months
Dear RJ
You are ten months old today! It's been such a busy month You've had many new experiences, achieved many milestones, and met so many new people. Sometimes all the chaos has caused you to be quite unhappy and other times your smiles and giggles have lit up the room. Everything is new to a baby and your dad and I, no matter how tired, are always thrilled to experience the world through your eyes.
Meal times have remained a challenge this month. You drink all your bottles with almost no problems at all, but sitting in the high chair for breakfast and dinner can be quite stressful to you and challenging for me and daddy. You usually eat the first few spoonfuls no problem and then you suddenly remember you hate being spoon-fed and start fussing. I sometimes put your hand on the spoon and guide it to your mouth and that works for a few more spoonfuls. Then I resort to putting your puff treats on the spoon with the rest of the food and that usually gets your mouth open again, at least for a few more bites. Then we make funny faces and do just about anything to try and get you to open your mouth. The worry of a picky eater is always at the back of my mind but it's probably too soon to tell.
Two more teeth popped up this month (bottom lateral incisors), which brings your total to eight. Everybody says you have really big teeth; we call them your chompers. Unfortunately, with the teeth, comes biting. I don't think you do it on purpose but we're still trying to discourage it from happening. You seem to use your mouth as a tool, to help pull you into a standing position, even if that means biting our legs or arms as you try to stand up. I also wonder if you're trying to give us kisses and use your teeth because you don't know NOT to use your teeth. We say OUCH really loudly and you stop, but you think it's a game. You laugh when we say ouch because you enjoy the high-pitched vocalizations. I'm not worried about your biting yet because I know you're not doing it out of anger or purposely. I will start to worry, though, if it continues past your first birthday.
You're understanding what we say more and more. If we call your name, you almost always turn to look at us. If you start to touch something you're not supposed to, we say NO and you always stop to look at us. Sometimes to reach out to touch again and sometimes you don't. Obviously, you don't know what the word means yet, but it's starting to have an impact. We'll keep practicing.
You said "Dada" this month and it was really exciting! Yes, I was hoping you'd say "Mama" first but it was definitely great to hear "Dada" in your whispery little voice. You said it over and over again for a few days and then the frequency dropped to only a few times every few days. I don't think you've made the connection with the actual word and daddy but it won't be long now.
You stood by yourself for the first time this month AND took your first steps. I stood you up in your bedroom one day and you held on to the crib leg and then slowly let go. You laughed and laughed at your accomplishment before falling onto your bum. A few days later, in the living room, I stood you up in the middle of the floor to see if you could do it again. You balanced pretty good and then tentatively took a step, laughing all the while. Then you fell down and laughed some more. We practiced for awhile, standing and then taking a few steps before falling. You showed daddy and Gramma what you could do and for a few days I thought you'd be walking around the apartment like an expert.
But then you learned that you don't actually HAVE to walk by yourself. Just because I place you on your feet, doesn't mean you have to stay on your feet. Once you realized you could lower yourself to the ground again, you didn't want to stay standing. It was as if a light clicked and you suddenly realized that crawling isn't so bad after all. You still LOVE to be walked around while we hold your hands but you don't complain as much when we stop. You're so confident in your crawling ability now and you KNOW it's faster to crawl where you want to go. Your zip around the apartment and pull yourself up on everything! You crawl over things and under things and even climbed the back of the couch! Now that you're so speedy, I think it'll be another month before you show more interest in walking by yourself.
Of course, with your new found mobility, we're unable to leave you alone in a room if we have to use the bathroom or check something in another room. You like to play by yourself but you like to be with us too. If we leave the room, you often follow us to see where we're going. We've put a giant piece of ply-wood to keep you in the living room in an attempt to lessen the mess in other parts of the house. You stand up and hold onto the wood and bounce up and down if you're in a good mood. If you're getting hungry or tired, you bang on the wood and whine.
This month you had your first plane ride, first taxi ride, first train ride, first trip to the beach, and first trip to the zoo! We went to Cobourg to visit Daddy's family: Grampa D, Uncle D, Great Aunt C, Great Uncle M, and cousins A, A, M, A, D and H. Everybody enjoyed meeting you and you enjoyed having new people walk you around. You especially enjoyed playing with Great Aunt C's cat and dog. They loved having their tails and ears pulled (which is strange) and you giggled every time you saw one of their furry little bodies dash by. It won't be long before you're asking for a dog/cat of your own.
You didn't like being away from your own bed during our trip. You slept in a borrowed play pen and had to be rocked to sleep every night. You woke up screaming every morning as you were in an unfamiliar place. Also, Grampa D was really sick with a cold when we were there. But we couldn't NOT visit him after traveling so far! Alas, he passed the cold to you, you passed it to me, and I passed it to Daddy. We were quite a sick bunch of people. But luckily, you remained relatively cheerful throughout your illness. Although, it was my first time dealing with a dripping baby. I've never seen so much snot in my life. It dripped constantly and was smeared over all my clothes and every surface in the house. You whined every time I came near you with a Kleenex. It'll be nice when you can wipe your own nose.
You did well on your first plane ride. You didn't like having to sit on our laps the entire time but for the most part you were very interested in all the new things to look at - especially the tvs on the plane. You even fell asleep on the flight back home! First taxi ride isn't really a big deal, just something to put in your baby book. The first train ride was pretty fun. You weren't nervous or scared, though I'm sure you didn't know we were on a train. You enjoyed the zoo in Peterboro though there weren't very many animals to see. There was a fun water park that you walked through with Great Aunt C. When you're older you'll have a lot of fun splashing in sprinklers and looking at animals.
Technically, your first trip to the beach was in Grand Marais Minnesota, at the end of May. We sat on the rocky beach on the shores of Lake Superior and you ate a rock and we put your hands into the freezing cold water. But your first real sandy beach was in Cobourg: it's a lovely beach with beautiful soft sand. You loved running your hands through the sand and we put your hands into Lake Ontario. When we got back home, we went to the beach near our house: Boulevard Lake. It's a lot smaller than Cobourg Beach, but the sand was soft and the water was warm. We walked through the water and you giggled and tried to run. You sat in the sand and dug your hands around and then stuffed handfuls of it into your mouth. I found sand in your diaper that evening.
Late in the month, we went to Great Uncle C's camp, which is near Sioux Lookout. Unfortunately it rained for much of the weekend, but you did get a chance to crawl around in the grass, sit on a dock, sit by a camp fire, sleep in a cabin, and you even got your first mosquito bites. Not bad for a first camp experience. You met even more new people too! You've already met Great Uncle C, Great-Gramma, Great Aunt D, Great Uncle T, and cousin B but on this trip you got to meet Great Aunt C, Great Uncle R, and cousins S, K, G, A, T, and N. Everybody wanted to hold you and walk you around. I barely had to do anything. Everybody wanted a chance to visit with you and I even heard your Great Uncle R say you were the happiest baby he's ever seen.
The four hour drive on the way there wasn't bad but four hours in a car seat on the way home was a bit much. You did sleep for awhile and I managed to entertain you with toys and funny voices. But after three hours, you had had it. You struggled so much in the car seat, that it caused you to vomit everywhere. At the time, your dad and I were quite frustrated and upset. But one day, this little incident will be a story we can laugh about: pulled over to the side of the road, in the rain, with a naked baby covered in vomit. Mom tries to keep the baby happy while dad rummages for clean clothes and attempts to mop up your vomit covered car seat. It's not something I'd like to repeat.
With everything we've been up to this month, your routines have been pretty scrambled. As well as meal difficulties, we seem to be having bed time difficulties. You still sleep through the night and take three naps a day, but you have a lot of trouble falling asleep. I'm back to putting you in the swing for nap times, but I won't do that for the end of the day bed time. I put you directly into the crib and within seconds, you're on your feet, hanging on to the side of the crib. I leave you for awhile and then lay you down again. I have to repeat that action a few times before you get the hint that it's bed time. You usually cry a bit before falling asleep and often I still go in to rub your back. At this point, you're so enthralled with your ability to crawl and stand that you don't want to lay down in your crib no matter how tired you are. I expect bed time will be a real battle until you're able to admit you're tired and lay down quietly in bed with your eyes closed.
We've been feeling the heat of summer now that June has come and gone. The apartment turns into a sauna on the hottest days; we have every fan going and the blinds pulled to block the sun. Sometimes you just sit around in a diaper. You haven't been miserable in the heat as there has been no extra whining. It will be interesting to see what happens when you're older: will you hate the heat like your mom and Gramma J? Or will you LOVE it like Grampa P? I'm sorry we don't go for many walks in the boiling heat. I just can't stand to be outside baking in the sun, even with a hat and sunscreen. The heat zaps my energy and makes me miserable. When you're older we will hopefully have air conditioning and then we can go outside and have lots of summer fun; I'll be okay knowing that cool air is waiting for me inside.
Yes, it's been an interesting and busy month. I didn't like taking you out of your routine during our travels. You didn't really like it either, not at bed time anyway. During the day, even when you were whiny and over-tired, you still had smiles for everybody. Perhaps this is a sign that you will be less routine-oriented than I am. Or perhaps you're just good at hiding your displeasure. Either way, change in routines is difficult but it's also a good thing. It wouldn't do for you to grow up not knowing how to adapt to new situations. Dad and I know that schedules are important because babies feel comforted when they know what's going to happen next. It's also easier on parents to have an organized and structured day but we cannot control everything all of the time.
Things happen to disrupt our daily routines and we have to adapt; hopefully adaptation is a skill you'll be able to learn from us as you grow older. Dad and I are going to be here to laugh with you during the good times and cry with you during the bad times. Change won't always be easy and it won't always be fun but one thing is for sure: change is necessary! And you know what else? For parents, having a child is a huge life change! It's not always easy and it's not always fun but for me and your dad, it's definitely necessary! I wouldn't want to imagine life without my little boy! You disrupted our lives in the biggest and best way possible! We love you so much!
You are ten months old today! It's been such a busy month You've had many new experiences, achieved many milestones, and met so many new people. Sometimes all the chaos has caused you to be quite unhappy and other times your smiles and giggles have lit up the room. Everything is new to a baby and your dad and I, no matter how tired, are always thrilled to experience the world through your eyes.
Meal times have remained a challenge this month. You drink all your bottles with almost no problems at all, but sitting in the high chair for breakfast and dinner can be quite stressful to you and challenging for me and daddy. You usually eat the first few spoonfuls no problem and then you suddenly remember you hate being spoon-fed and start fussing. I sometimes put your hand on the spoon and guide it to your mouth and that works for a few more spoonfuls. Then I resort to putting your puff treats on the spoon with the rest of the food and that usually gets your mouth open again, at least for a few more bites. Then we make funny faces and do just about anything to try and get you to open your mouth. The worry of a picky eater is always at the back of my mind but it's probably too soon to tell.
Two more teeth popped up this month (bottom lateral incisors), which brings your total to eight. Everybody says you have really big teeth; we call them your chompers. Unfortunately, with the teeth, comes biting. I don't think you do it on purpose but we're still trying to discourage it from happening. You seem to use your mouth as a tool, to help pull you into a standing position, even if that means biting our legs or arms as you try to stand up. I also wonder if you're trying to give us kisses and use your teeth because you don't know NOT to use your teeth. We say OUCH really loudly and you stop, but you think it's a game. You laugh when we say ouch because you enjoy the high-pitched vocalizations. I'm not worried about your biting yet because I know you're not doing it out of anger or purposely. I will start to worry, though, if it continues past your first birthday.
You're understanding what we say more and more. If we call your name, you almost always turn to look at us. If you start to touch something you're not supposed to, we say NO and you always stop to look at us. Sometimes to reach out to touch again and sometimes you don't. Obviously, you don't know what the word means yet, but it's starting to have an impact. We'll keep practicing.
You said "Dada" this month and it was really exciting! Yes, I was hoping you'd say "Mama" first but it was definitely great to hear "Dada" in your whispery little voice. You said it over and over again for a few days and then the frequency dropped to only a few times every few days. I don't think you've made the connection with the actual word and daddy but it won't be long now.
You stood by yourself for the first time this month AND took your first steps. I stood you up in your bedroom one day and you held on to the crib leg and then slowly let go. You laughed and laughed at your accomplishment before falling onto your bum. A few days later, in the living room, I stood you up in the middle of the floor to see if you could do it again. You balanced pretty good and then tentatively took a step, laughing all the while. Then you fell down and laughed some more. We practiced for awhile, standing and then taking a few steps before falling. You showed daddy and Gramma what you could do and for a few days I thought you'd be walking around the apartment like an expert.
But then you learned that you don't actually HAVE to walk by yourself. Just because I place you on your feet, doesn't mean you have to stay on your feet. Once you realized you could lower yourself to the ground again, you didn't want to stay standing. It was as if a light clicked and you suddenly realized that crawling isn't so bad after all. You still LOVE to be walked around while we hold your hands but you don't complain as much when we stop. You're so confident in your crawling ability now and you KNOW it's faster to crawl where you want to go. Your zip around the apartment and pull yourself up on everything! You crawl over things and under things and even climbed the back of the couch! Now that you're so speedy, I think it'll be another month before you show more interest in walking by yourself.
Of course, with your new found mobility, we're unable to leave you alone in a room if we have to use the bathroom or check something in another room. You like to play by yourself but you like to be with us too. If we leave the room, you often follow us to see where we're going. We've put a giant piece of ply-wood to keep you in the living room in an attempt to lessen the mess in other parts of the house. You stand up and hold onto the wood and bounce up and down if you're in a good mood. If you're getting hungry or tired, you bang on the wood and whine.
This month you had your first plane ride, first taxi ride, first train ride, first trip to the beach, and first trip to the zoo! We went to Cobourg to visit Daddy's family: Grampa D, Uncle D, Great Aunt C, Great Uncle M, and cousins A, A, M, A, D and H. Everybody enjoyed meeting you and you enjoyed having new people walk you around. You especially enjoyed playing with Great Aunt C's cat and dog. They loved having their tails and ears pulled (which is strange) and you giggled every time you saw one of their furry little bodies dash by. It won't be long before you're asking for a dog/cat of your own.
You didn't like being away from your own bed during our trip. You slept in a borrowed play pen and had to be rocked to sleep every night. You woke up screaming every morning as you were in an unfamiliar place. Also, Grampa D was really sick with a cold when we were there. But we couldn't NOT visit him after traveling so far! Alas, he passed the cold to you, you passed it to me, and I passed it to Daddy. We were quite a sick bunch of people. But luckily, you remained relatively cheerful throughout your illness. Although, it was my first time dealing with a dripping baby. I've never seen so much snot in my life. It dripped constantly and was smeared over all my clothes and every surface in the house. You whined every time I came near you with a Kleenex. It'll be nice when you can wipe your own nose.
You did well on your first plane ride. You didn't like having to sit on our laps the entire time but for the most part you were very interested in all the new things to look at - especially the tvs on the plane. You even fell asleep on the flight back home! First taxi ride isn't really a big deal, just something to put in your baby book. The first train ride was pretty fun. You weren't nervous or scared, though I'm sure you didn't know we were on a train. You enjoyed the zoo in Peterboro though there weren't very many animals to see. There was a fun water park that you walked through with Great Aunt C. When you're older you'll have a lot of fun splashing in sprinklers and looking at animals.
Technically, your first trip to the beach was in Grand Marais Minnesota, at the end of May. We sat on the rocky beach on the shores of Lake Superior and you ate a rock and we put your hands into the freezing cold water. But your first real sandy beach was in Cobourg: it's a lovely beach with beautiful soft sand. You loved running your hands through the sand and we put your hands into Lake Ontario. When we got back home, we went to the beach near our house: Boulevard Lake. It's a lot smaller than Cobourg Beach, but the sand was soft and the water was warm. We walked through the water and you giggled and tried to run. You sat in the sand and dug your hands around and then stuffed handfuls of it into your mouth. I found sand in your diaper that evening.
Late in the month, we went to Great Uncle C's camp, which is near Sioux Lookout. Unfortunately it rained for much of the weekend, but you did get a chance to crawl around in the grass, sit on a dock, sit by a camp fire, sleep in a cabin, and you even got your first mosquito bites. Not bad for a first camp experience. You met even more new people too! You've already met Great Uncle C, Great-Gramma, Great Aunt D, Great Uncle T, and cousin B but on this trip you got to meet Great Aunt C, Great Uncle R, and cousins S, K, G, A, T, and N. Everybody wanted to hold you and walk you around. I barely had to do anything. Everybody wanted a chance to visit with you and I even heard your Great Uncle R say you were the happiest baby he's ever seen.
The four hour drive on the way there wasn't bad but four hours in a car seat on the way home was a bit much. You did sleep for awhile and I managed to entertain you with toys and funny voices. But after three hours, you had had it. You struggled so much in the car seat, that it caused you to vomit everywhere. At the time, your dad and I were quite frustrated and upset. But one day, this little incident will be a story we can laugh about: pulled over to the side of the road, in the rain, with a naked baby covered in vomit. Mom tries to keep the baby happy while dad rummages for clean clothes and attempts to mop up your vomit covered car seat. It's not something I'd like to repeat.
With everything we've been up to this month, your routines have been pretty scrambled. As well as meal difficulties, we seem to be having bed time difficulties. You still sleep through the night and take three naps a day, but you have a lot of trouble falling asleep. I'm back to putting you in the swing for nap times, but I won't do that for the end of the day bed time. I put you directly into the crib and within seconds, you're on your feet, hanging on to the side of the crib. I leave you for awhile and then lay you down again. I have to repeat that action a few times before you get the hint that it's bed time. You usually cry a bit before falling asleep and often I still go in to rub your back. At this point, you're so enthralled with your ability to crawl and stand that you don't want to lay down in your crib no matter how tired you are. I expect bed time will be a real battle until you're able to admit you're tired and lay down quietly in bed with your eyes closed.
We've been feeling the heat of summer now that June has come and gone. The apartment turns into a sauna on the hottest days; we have every fan going and the blinds pulled to block the sun. Sometimes you just sit around in a diaper. You haven't been miserable in the heat as there has been no extra whining. It will be interesting to see what happens when you're older: will you hate the heat like your mom and Gramma J? Or will you LOVE it like Grampa P? I'm sorry we don't go for many walks in the boiling heat. I just can't stand to be outside baking in the sun, even with a hat and sunscreen. The heat zaps my energy and makes me miserable. When you're older we will hopefully have air conditioning and then we can go outside and have lots of summer fun; I'll be okay knowing that cool air is waiting for me inside.
Yes, it's been an interesting and busy month. I didn't like taking you out of your routine during our travels. You didn't really like it either, not at bed time anyway. During the day, even when you were whiny and over-tired, you still had smiles for everybody. Perhaps this is a sign that you will be less routine-oriented than I am. Or perhaps you're just good at hiding your displeasure. Either way, change in routines is difficult but it's also a good thing. It wouldn't do for you to grow up not knowing how to adapt to new situations. Dad and I know that schedules are important because babies feel comforted when they know what's going to happen next. It's also easier on parents to have an organized and structured day but we cannot control everything all of the time.
Things happen to disrupt our daily routines and we have to adapt; hopefully adaptation is a skill you'll be able to learn from us as you grow older. Dad and I are going to be here to laugh with you during the good times and cry with you during the bad times. Change won't always be easy and it won't always be fun but one thing is for sure: change is necessary! And you know what else? For parents, having a child is a huge life change! It's not always easy and it's not always fun but for me and your dad, it's definitely necessary! I wouldn't want to imagine life without my little boy! You disrupted our lives in the biggest and best way possible! We love you so much!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Back from Camp
Thursday of last week, my uncle drove me, my mom, and RJ out to his camp. Friday some more family arrived, then Saturday even more arrived, including Jai. We (me, Jai, RJ) left Sunday afternoon just in time for RJ's afternoon nap. It was a short visit but it was long enough considering it rained almost the entire time. But I really enjoyed seeing a lot of my family again. RJ had a real blast seeing all the new faces. Everybody walked him around and he was full of giggles and smiles. My seven-year-old cousin was super excited to see RJ and kept calling him, Young Man: Hello young man, how are you young man? So adorable!
Highlights
Visiting and laughing with my family, some of whom are extremely hilarious!
Seeing some cousins I hadn't seen in years.
RJ was thrilled to be the centre of attention for awhile. Everybody took turns holding him, entertaining him and walking him around.
Getting Jai away from work, if only for two days. It's always great to get a break from civilization.
Lowlights
Sharing a room with RJ. I love my baby but I can't sleep in the same room as him. He makes so much noise during the night (sneezes, sighs, grunts, snoring, coughing) that I'm constantly listening and unable to shut my mind off. I barely slept for the three nights we were there.
The constant rain on the second two days. I love the rain and I don't like hot weather, but we were getting pretty cramped in the main cabin. It did keep the bugs down to a dull roar but I don't think I felt dry until I got home, everything was damp.
One very unwelcome relative: "Aunt Flow." Aunt Flow and an outhouse??? Ugggghhhh!!!
Driving four hours home with an unhappy baby who did NOT want to be in the car seat anymore. I don't know if he was sick from something he ate or if he just struggled too hard but we had to stop at the side of the highway after a projectile vomit incident. Standing, in the rain, transports zooming by, with a screaming vomit covered baby, trying to get puke out of the car seat and rummaging through the trunk looking for clean clothes. Not the best time of my life.
Seems like the lowlights outweighed the highlights. I guess it looks that way when written down but I don't regret our little vacation in the least. It was wonderful to see my family. If circumstances were different, I would have enjoyed staying longer. I am, however, looking forward to a lot of relaxing in July after our extremely busy June.
Highlights
Visiting and laughing with my family, some of whom are extremely hilarious!
Seeing some cousins I hadn't seen in years.
RJ was thrilled to be the centre of attention for awhile. Everybody took turns holding him, entertaining him and walking him around.
Getting Jai away from work, if only for two days. It's always great to get a break from civilization.
Lowlights
Sharing a room with RJ. I love my baby but I can't sleep in the same room as him. He makes so much noise during the night (sneezes, sighs, grunts, snoring, coughing) that I'm constantly listening and unable to shut my mind off. I barely slept for the three nights we were there.
The constant rain on the second two days. I love the rain and I don't like hot weather, but we were getting pretty cramped in the main cabin. It did keep the bugs down to a dull roar but I don't think I felt dry until I got home, everything was damp.
One very unwelcome relative: "Aunt Flow." Aunt Flow and an outhouse??? Ugggghhhh!!!
Driving four hours home with an unhappy baby who did NOT want to be in the car seat anymore. I don't know if he was sick from something he ate or if he just struggled too hard but we had to stop at the side of the highway after a projectile vomit incident. Standing, in the rain, transports zooming by, with a screaming vomit covered baby, trying to get puke out of the car seat and rummaging through the trunk looking for clean clothes. Not the best time of my life.
Seems like the lowlights outweighed the highlights. I guess it looks that way when written down but I don't regret our little vacation in the least. It was wonderful to see my family. If circumstances were different, I would have enjoyed staying longer. I am, however, looking forward to a lot of relaxing in July after our extremely busy June.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Unpopular Opinion
I have an opinion about summer that is unpopular with almost everybody else I meet. There are very few people (Who I've met at least) that share my opinion.
Here it is:
I do not like summer.
There used to be a few things I liked about the summer but as I'm older now, nothing is coming to mind. I used to like a break from school but once I graduated from University, that didn't really matter any more. I used to like how it got light at 5am and stayed light until 11pm. Now with a child and blinds that don't block out the sun, I just wish for darkness.
The extreme heat and humidity leave me feeling lethargic and depressed. Some people feel depressed in the winter, for me, it's the hot summer.
I have no motivation to do any housework at all because even pulling the vacuum out of the closet is enough to break a sweat. Cooking heats up the apartment, putting my hands in hot water to wash dishes is torture.
There's no air conditioning in the apartment so leaving the windows open is almost mandatory. But all the motorcycles roaring by, the construction on the streets, the summer partiers, the kids setting off fire-crackers in the middle of the night, the skateborders, etc, it gets harder and harder to fall asleep.
And keeping the windows open invites all the pests inside. In the last few weeks, I've found dozens of spiders, dozens of ants, beetles, pill bugs, and ticks in my house. The balcony no longer has a screen door so it's either keep the metal door closed or let even more bugs in.
The headaches I get from the heat are so painful and they never seem to go away. UGH! I don't want to wish my life away but I can honestly say I'd be happier with an air conditioner. Or happier in a cooler climate.
Give me a nice spring or fall day ANY DAY! I sleep better, I have more energy, and life looks a lot less impossible.
And just think, I don't even live anywhere close to the equator. I live in Northern Ontario - we're known for being cold!
AND, just think, it's only June.
Here it is:
I do not like summer.
There used to be a few things I liked about the summer but as I'm older now, nothing is coming to mind. I used to like a break from school but once I graduated from University, that didn't really matter any more. I used to like how it got light at 5am and stayed light until 11pm. Now with a child and blinds that don't block out the sun, I just wish for darkness.
The extreme heat and humidity leave me feeling lethargic and depressed. Some people feel depressed in the winter, for me, it's the hot summer.
I have no motivation to do any housework at all because even pulling the vacuum out of the closet is enough to break a sweat. Cooking heats up the apartment, putting my hands in hot water to wash dishes is torture.
There's no air conditioning in the apartment so leaving the windows open is almost mandatory. But all the motorcycles roaring by, the construction on the streets, the summer partiers, the kids setting off fire-crackers in the middle of the night, the skateborders, etc, it gets harder and harder to fall asleep.
And keeping the windows open invites all the pests inside. In the last few weeks, I've found dozens of spiders, dozens of ants, beetles, pill bugs, and ticks in my house. The balcony no longer has a screen door so it's either keep the metal door closed or let even more bugs in.
The headaches I get from the heat are so painful and they never seem to go away. UGH! I don't want to wish my life away but I can honestly say I'd be happier with an air conditioner. Or happier in a cooler climate.
Give me a nice spring or fall day ANY DAY! I sleep better, I have more energy, and life looks a lot less impossible.
And just think, I don't even live anywhere close to the equator. I live in Northern Ontario - we're known for being cold!
AND, just think, it's only June.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Drunken conversations
I was at my mom's house for dinner tonight. I know my dad gets progressively more intoxicated as the evening goes on, that's just the way it goes. But sometimes the stuff he says still has the power to shock and confuse me.
Me: *singing to RJ* Winnie the poo, Winnie the poo, fuzzy little chubby bear stuffed with honey...
Dad: So you're teaching him paganism?
Me: What? It's Winnie the poo, he's a cartoon character.
Dad: You think he created you?
Me: Um....no....what does Winnie the poo have to do with paganism?
My dad is always stuck on paganism something or other. I know not to pursue it but I really wanted to see where he was going with this.
Dad: I've got a book, do you want to borrow it?
Me: Yes, I want to see this book and I want you to show me exactly where it says that Winnie the poo is pagan.
Dad: It doesn't say that. But you should read it.
Me: Nope, I only want to read it if tells me why Winnie the poo is pagan.
Dad: People don't put God first, they forget who created them.
Me: So you think I put Winnie the poo before God?
Dad: No that's not what I'm saying.
Me: Why did you say that Winnie the poo was pagan then?
At this point my mom yells from the kitchen, CHANGE THE SUBJECT NOW!!! I later told her I didn't need her to protect me from my dad's drunken wrath that would surely have followed if this conversation was continued. I was kind of, how do you say, poking the bear.
A few more choice cuts...
Dad: He's got a boner between his legs.
Me: WHAT?
Dad: Well baby boys get boners?
Me: And?
Dad: You have to teach him right from wrong.
***
Dad: Want me to show you how Italians blow their nose?
Me: Dad, please don't start saying racist stuff around my kid.
Dad: It's not racist, it's a joke!
***
Dad: Do you know what Christmas is all about?
Me: Yeah, I think I was there for that Sunday School lesson.
Dad: People think it's all about Santa Claus's birthday.
Me: Actually Santa delivers presents, it's not his birthday.
Dad: Santa is all about paganism and people worship him instead of God.
Me: I don't think people worship Santa.
Yeah yeah, poking the bear again.
Sometimes he's not that talkative. I prefer those evenings. Sometimes he just sits and looks at the baby and smiles. There are so many different "Drunk Moods" and I suppose tonight was just Self-Righteous-Know-It-All.
Poor RJ. He shouldn't have to hear this kind of stuff from his grandfather. But I suppose, if anything, it will help him to grow into a great man with a lot of life experience; one who isn't ignorant of addicts and their diseased minds. We can answer his questions as they come up (Why does Grampa stink, What's wrong with Grampa, etc) and hopefully stave off any confusion he might have.
Me: *singing to RJ* Winnie the poo, Winnie the poo, fuzzy little chubby bear stuffed with honey...
Dad: So you're teaching him paganism?
Me: What? It's Winnie the poo, he's a cartoon character.
Dad: You think he created you?
Me: Um....no....what does Winnie the poo have to do with paganism?
My dad is always stuck on paganism something or other. I know not to pursue it but I really wanted to see where he was going with this.
Dad: I've got a book, do you want to borrow it?
Me: Yes, I want to see this book and I want you to show me exactly where it says that Winnie the poo is pagan.
Dad: It doesn't say that. But you should read it.
Me: Nope, I only want to read it if tells me why Winnie the poo is pagan.
Dad: People don't put God first, they forget who created them.
Me: So you think I put Winnie the poo before God?
Dad: No that's not what I'm saying.
Me: Why did you say that Winnie the poo was pagan then?
At this point my mom yells from the kitchen, CHANGE THE SUBJECT NOW!!! I later told her I didn't need her to protect me from my dad's drunken wrath that would surely have followed if this conversation was continued. I was kind of, how do you say, poking the bear.
A few more choice cuts...
Dad: He's got a boner between his legs.
Me: WHAT?
Dad: Well baby boys get boners?
Me: And?
Dad: You have to teach him right from wrong.
***
Dad: Want me to show you how Italians blow their nose?
Me: Dad, please don't start saying racist stuff around my kid.
Dad: It's not racist, it's a joke!
***
Dad: Do you know what Christmas is all about?
Me: Yeah, I think I was there for that Sunday School lesson.
Dad: People think it's all about Santa Claus's birthday.
Me: Actually Santa delivers presents, it's not his birthday.
Dad: Santa is all about paganism and people worship him instead of God.
Me: I don't think people worship Santa.
Yeah yeah, poking the bear again.
Sometimes he's not that talkative. I prefer those evenings. Sometimes he just sits and looks at the baby and smiles. There are so many different "Drunk Moods" and I suppose tonight was just Self-Righteous-Know-It-All.
Poor RJ. He shouldn't have to hear this kind of stuff from his grandfather. But I suppose, if anything, it will help him to grow into a great man with a lot of life experience; one who isn't ignorant of addicts and their diseased minds. We can answer his questions as they come up (Why does Grampa stink, What's wrong with Grampa, etc) and hopefully stave off any confusion he might have.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Father's Day
My husband is a wonderful father for:
Coming to every doctor appointment and ultrasound
Holding my hair through the vomiting and nausea
Holding my hand during the delivery
Sharing joy and excitement
Helping me out of bed, to the bathroom, and into the shower
Helping me in to the car, up the stairs, and around the house
Catering to my every whim
Taking care of our newborn and letting me sleep
Sharing the midnight feeding duty with me
Again, coming to every doctor appointment as our son grows bigger
Washing, boiling, and making the bottles
Feeding our baby
Playing with our baby
Waking up early in the morning to get the baby's day started
Changing an equal share of diapers
Being in charge of bath time
Reading stories to our son
Making me laugh
Always telling our son how much he loves him
Giving plenty of hugs and kisses
Letting me relax and have a break when I'm tired or not feeling well
Being there to encourage and uplift me
Continuing to hold my hand through the tough times
Being a responsible and generous human being
Being a great role model of what it truly means to be father, a husband, and a man
For these reasons and so many more, I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my child.
Coming to every doctor appointment and ultrasound
Holding my hair through the vomiting and nausea
Holding my hand during the delivery
Sharing joy and excitement
Helping me out of bed, to the bathroom, and into the shower
Helping me in to the car, up the stairs, and around the house
Catering to my every whim
Taking care of our newborn and letting me sleep
Sharing the midnight feeding duty with me
Again, coming to every doctor appointment as our son grows bigger
Washing, boiling, and making the bottles
Feeding our baby
Playing with our baby
Waking up early in the morning to get the baby's day started
Changing an equal share of diapers
Being in charge of bath time
Reading stories to our son
Making me laugh
Always telling our son how much he loves him
Giving plenty of hugs and kisses
Letting me relax and have a break when I'm tired or not feeling well
Being there to encourage and uplift me
Continuing to hold my hand through the tough times
Being a responsible and generous human being
Being a great role model of what it truly means to be father, a husband, and a man
For these reasons and so many more, I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my child.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
