It seems like I am taking an unofficial break from blogging. I can't seem to find the motivation lately - despite having great fodder - like Kiernan turning two and being the chattiest and I think funniest kid I've ever met ;)
I'll try to get back into the swing of things I'm soon. I'm sure once I have my computer back from Future shop (is 2010 at this rate :P) then I'll post more often. Don't give up on me yet! :)
Despite being completely uninspired to blog lately I can tell you about...
adventures in math
the toys of my husband's childhood and their fate as toys for our child
the genius that is my son
all without having to compose a word - Eric tells them better most of the time anyways ;)
Last night Eric, Kiernan and I went out for dinner.
And you know what Kiernan had?
A grilled cheese sandwich, mashed potatoes and a glass of milk! And I didn't have to ask them to check the ingredients. And he slept through the night. Which (and I've been holding out on this for awhile now) makes me confident enough to say: the milk intolerance is over!!
Think the cheese will fatten him up? ;)
Next... soy. We're almost ready to try that one.
Happy happy joy joy joy! :)
Yesterday two things happened to me that you're not "supposed" to talk about.
1. I found out I was pregnant.
2. I had a miscarriage.
Both were hugely emotional, and both were things I wanted to talk about. Talking about things is pretty much the only way I know how to deal with emotions. If I don't talk about them, I ignore them, pretend they don't exist, until they come back one day to bite me in the ass and give me anxiety attacks, nightmares and emotion explosions.
So I shared (and am sharing further now). And I'm ok. I was very very happy, and then I was very scared, then I was sad, and now I feel ok.
I was lucky (if you can dare to call it that) that it all happened in one day and that I didn't have more time to really process the fact that I was pregnant. I struggle between feeling like I should be more sad and that I don't have the right to be sad because other people who have gone through this when they've been much further along had it so much harder.
I'm lucky that I know, and I think believe, all the things that people tell you when you have a miscarriage: it's probably for the best - these things often don't work out because there's something wrong; it's not your fault - you didn't do anything to make this happen.
And I'm lucky that I have this blog to air these thoughts on - trying to put my thoughts into words, no matter how jumbled, really helps me process the emotions I often prefer to ignore.
So I realized that I don't think I ever even announced on my blog that the STORE IS OPEN! OH MY GOD!! WE HAVE A STORE!
And it's awesome and it's great and we're exhausted because it's an awful lot of work and Vicky and I are covering off most of the shifts of a mall that is open 9:30-9pm 6 days a week and 11-5 on Sundays. But it's awesome and I'm happy. But a bit brain dead.
I'm hoping I'll soon have more time for blogging again. Thoughtful blogging. So stay tuned ;) Until then - look at our store! :) Isn't it pretty?
We were at the park the other night and just as we were getting ready to go, this very cute little boy, about 18 months old, charged on over followed by his mom who had been over in the bigger park with her son, older son, and husband. She was Asian - I don't know where from, but she spoke English quite well, but with an accent (this is relevant to the story ;)
So, it's time for us to go and we'd already been prompting Kiernan to get back in the wagon for the ride home. So he runs over to the wagon and hollers over to us "Tiernan go in the wagon!"
And the woman looks at me in disbelief. "He just said a sentence! How old is he?"
So I tell her that he's almost two, and yes, he's quite advanced with his language skills.
She starts telling me how her older son only started talking at two, and how her younger son, at 18 months old only had a few words.
And so I said again "ya, he's really ahead with talking." and something like "oh kids... they're all so different aren't they?"
But she's not ready for that to be the answer. "Did you put him in some kind of training?"
"Um, no"
"He just picked it up? You didn't work with him?"
"Well... we talk to him a lot and tell him stories and sing songs...."
"But he speaks so well, I think you must have taught him with some special program"
"No..."
"He just picked it up? My son at two only said a few words. Babies only say a few words at two, they don't talk in sentences"
By now, I'm just not sure what else to say anymore so fortunately her 18 month old ran off and she had to chase after him. I'm sure that (this is where it gets relevant) that she must be teaching her kids two languages at the same time which always slows down the speed that kids start talking but it was her unwillingness to just believe that some kids naturally talk earlier that I didn't know what to do with.
Or, I mean, send your kid to my house for my special learn to talk early program - only $499.99 ;)
Scene: Mommy getting Kiernan for bed and going to sit in rocker to read a book. Mommy stubs her toe (as she is want to do) and says "ow"
Kiernan: Mommy ok?
Mommy: Ya, mommy's ok.
Kiernan: *pause* Mommy need a bandaid?
Scene: Bed time. Daddy holding Kiernan and mommy leans in for a hug.
Kiernan: watch out...
Mommy: watch out for what?
Kiernan: watch out for Tiernan
Mommy and Daddy: okay....
Mommy leans in for a hug, Kiernan leans back and gives mommy a head butt.
I supposed I WAS warned.
I bought this book from the teen section because I'd heard despite it being young adult, it was so amazing that adults everywhere were reading it - and since I haven't heard that since Harry Potter, and I love Harry Potter, I was willing to check it out.
I am now obsessed. I couldn't put it down until it was done (that's the problem with a young adult book, I got through it far too quickly) and I was so enamored with the characters that I can't stop thinking about them. (Vicky called me while I was reading and it took me almost 5 minutes to come out of the reverie of reading the book to have a coherent conversation with her, and I don't think that's ever happened to me before).
Now I'm watching the trailor to the movie that is coming out this Fall repeatedly and reading the author's web site and refusing to let myself buy the next book in the series because I'm just too busy right now. Now I just have to stop myself from reading the whole book over again!
I recommend it, but, have a lot of time ready just in case you get as obsessed as me ;)
Kiernan amazes me daily with the new things he's constantly saying - here are a few words and conversations that have stood out recently
* He likes to use the name of who he's talking to at the end of each sentence. "what's that over there mummy?" "go downstairs daddy" "go in the car mummy and daddy" but as he gets more excited words start to blend together and/or he's not paying attention as to who he's talking to and this starts to happen "go on the slide mumdy?" or my ultimate favourite "go on the slide dummy?"
*He gets in, out, under, etc pretty well. "Oh! A zebra in the 'puter!" "Oh! bubbles in the 'puter!" "Oh! My slide in the backyard" (he's always excited by what he sees like when we were driving in montreal and he exclaimed for at least 20 houses in a row. "Oh! another big house!"
* Conversation while changing a dirty diaper:
Me: Where do big boys go poo Kiernan?
Kiernan: In da potty
Me: Where does Kiernan go poo?
Kiernan:....
Me: Is Kiernan a big boy?
Kiernan: Nope
Me: boo
* He's picked up on the fact that we quiz him everywhere we go so he's taken on both roles
"What's that? a flower. What's that? a puzzle? Who's that? grandpapa. Who's that? mommy" Less work for us :)
* He's really getting possessives and it's so cute. We get a lot of "My do it" and "my go outside"
or "No! Kiernan's 'puter!" (which, um, no. get away from my 'puter child. ;)
I can't believe it's already been 2-3 weeks since BFF and I can't believe I never did my wrap up post (sigh) about all the fabulous people I met and how much fun I had. But since I was there I've been thinking about writing a post about hotels.
Hotels are expensive. And trust me, since I started running my own business I really do understand how expensive it is to run a business. I no longer just think about the cost to me but try to be aware of all the costs to the business - it's way harder to make a profit out there than I ever would have imagined.
But that is not the point, the point here is, why is it, that the more you spend to stay in a hotel, the less you get?
Now if I think about it for more than 1 second, I can explain it to you from a business point of view, but as a consumer, it irritates the crap out of me.
I resent that when I spend $100/night (ish) to stay in a hotel I get a nice clean room and often also get free internet and free or discounted breakfast but when I stay at the Hilton I spend $550 for two nights (at the discounted rate) and internet is $10 for 24 hours, parking is $20, there is no included or discounted breakfast and my view looks like this:
The only thing that stood out as worth a lot of money was how comfortable the beds and pillows were - and for a hotel that is obviously important. But still. The housekeeping rated thumbs down, the hotel didn't manage to make sure wireless was available for our round table despite weeks of notice. Hilton, you did not impress me. And I expected to be impressed. And this happened when I stayed at the fancy hotel in Ottawa too - the Brook Street.
Maybe the problem is that I don't have enough money to enjoy an expensive hotel. If I didn't care about the cost I would have a nice room, I would pay for all the extras without worrying about the cost, I would spend $25 on breakfast and eat $5 worth without thinking anything of it, and then the Hilton would be the best place ever to stay.
Instead, I am impressed by the ragtag mesh of smaller hotels I've stayed in in the past and will feel I best spent my money by staying in a Days Inn, Best Western, etc
This hotel in Edson had free internet and a voucher for free breakfast at the restaurant next door. (see that truck, I got to drive it for 10 days, and I kinda still miss it).
We stayed at this hotel pre laptop so I don't know if they had internet, but they had a great included buffet breakfast.
And fancy decorations!
I'd rather stay in these places and save the extra money to go do the fun stuff (wretched photo, but such fun times had with Vicky and Urban mummy and daddy!)
When I was a teenager my parents couldn't pry the telephone away from me - I spent hours upon hours upon hours talking to all my friends. It was especially important for me as a teen because we lived in a rural area and I went to a regional high school so I didn't really have any friends who lived within walking distance from me.
Even when I moved to Ottawa, I would spend hours and hours on the phone. There were countless nights I spent the entire night talking away (back in the days when I could just cut class if I was too tired to get up the next day ;)
And suddenly, in the last couple of years, I realize that I don't like talking on the phone any more. Have I just grown to dependent on online chat and email? It's possibly, although in reality I've been online chatting for so long and a lot of those overlapped with the phone years. Is it just that I have so little down time compared to before that I have a hard time talking on the phone because it's just one thing, and if I'm chatting online really I can be chatting with more than one person, watching tv, reading blogs, etc?
I think the latter might be the most accurate theory and I think it's a bit sad that I rarely give anything my full attention anymore - everything is a bit diluted and that sucks. But I'm not sure I have it in me to stop doing it either. But I'm trying lately, so that's a start. ;)
Do you hate being a doctor, or just working at the clinic? Because every single one of you is a crusty ass when dealing with patients (I'm assuming it's not just me and my son).
Because seriously, saying "Oh it's just a light" in an annoyed voice to a 22 month old when he's not fond of a person he met 10 seconds ago sticking a strange implement in his ear is ass-like behaviour. And you getting a .25 second glimpse into my son's throat and then diagnosing strep seems slightly sketchy too - although I will give you the benefit of the doubt on that one.
Seriously annoyed mommy.
(Kiernan will get his first dose of penicillin ever (I think we've done quite well getting to 22 months without needing any antibiotics) after his nap. I'm allergic to penicillin (but just in a rashy way, not swell up and die kind of way) so I'm a bit nervous. The joys.)
My laptop seems to have self destructed. sigh.
It gave enough warning that all photos were backed up, but my 1000s of Apples'n'Oranges emails - not so much. I'm hoping that laptop might give us one or two more breaths to get them out and then off to the shop it goes where fortunately all should be covered by warranty.
How will I survive without my own computer for the most likely millions of weeks they will keep it away from me?
We're leaving on vacation until the weekend and then I'm back at work next week so I'm not sure how much I'll be online. Miss me lots but keep coming back - I have all kinds of BFF things to say (including a post all about the value of expensive hotels) and I may whine and complain about how Kiernan has decided to wake up in the night every night for no apparently reason and not go down for hours.
I've driven approximately 1500 kms in the last four days and am very very sore and tired and zonked but couldn't not leave a quick post, especially after I was claiming I'd be posting the whole time I was gone. ;)
I have lots to say but it's going to have to wait. I met so many fabulously amazing bloggers and had a great time drinking too much, going on a wine tour, out for dinner and on the maid of the mist. Being hung over, not so great ;)
Coming home was great - especially when Kiernan realized I was home (almost shockingly) and gave me the best big hug ever!
I'm taking the easy way out and not doing all the linking and the storytelling now - so instead here is a taste of the weekend via photos:
Last year I spent the entire weekend of the BlogHer conference feeling horribly jealous that I wasn't taking part.
This year Blogher was even further and I really couldn't justify the trip to San Francisco... but then a couple of Ontario gals decided to have Blog Friends Fest in Niagara Falls for a bunch of us who can't make it. DOABLE!
So we're off! Vicky and I are leaving this morning and will use the opportunity to do some Apples'n'Oranges stuff on the way down and back up. I'm bringing the laptop, camera, and flip so expect to hear from me - this is a blogging thing after all - you can't expect me to go silent for 4 days. I'm going to my people, the ones who understand the never ending need to check email, blog about something and understand it's more relaxing to have your laptop with you everywhere you go than the alternative ;)
I got what I wanted for my bday
so watch out - i may stop using words and just post all kinds of silly videos of my kid ;)
Not his best rendition - but the best I got so far
We had so much fun at the kids' museum (part of the museum of civilizations) today. The bob the builder exhibit was the best part!
Kiernan felt this slide was too wussy so walked down instead :)
