It started off well.
The three of us (G, M and I) had a happy morning, we got dressed and I decided that today would be a great day to go to the playground. I told the girls we were going to a playground and while they played, I gathered up their bathing suits and a towel to bring with us, in case they wanted to go to the spray pad as well. It crossed my mind that maybe I should bring a little snack, but I thought "No, we'll just come home if we get hungry."
By the time we got to the park, it was turning into a beautiful day, and G was very excited to see the spray park.
"Can we go in?" she begged.
"Well, actually, yes. I have your bathing suits."
She cheered and we made our way to the washrooms to get changed. The moment we stepped into the bathrooms, G started whining about the smell. It wasn't your standard "This is a stinky bathroom" smell, it was the overly-chemical smell of "we don't want this to be a stinky bathroom". G has a super-sensitive nose lately, so I asked if she'd rather get changed at one of the picnic tables in the park. She quickly agreed. It's nice that my kids are young enough to have no modesty whatsoever.
Once they were both in swimwear, I sent them to the spray pad. G's general approach with spray pads is to run to the water, barely touch it, then run out screaming. For M, this was her first encounter. Unlike G, who tends to be timid about new things, M has no qualms about just going for it. She ran in, full speed and giggled like mad.
G took M's hand, like the dutiful big sister and tried to lead her around, but in reality, it was M who was doing the leading. Every time G tried to bring her out of the water, M pulled her back in.
Soon enough, G was running to me, shivering. The sun had gone behind a cloud and she'd had enough. I wrapped her in the towel and she demanded to get dressed. Her spray park time had lasted 3 glorious minutes.
M, on the other hand, would not come out. She stood in the water, shivering, but enjoying her self. Her little lips started to go blue and still she wouldn't come out. I stood at the edge, fully clothed and not looking to get wet calling her name.
Finally, out she came and I dried her off and got her dressed, which was much like dressing a greasy eel. A greasy eel who is crying because you took her out of the water. All the while, G is at my side saying
"Come ooooooon!! Let's go to the plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayground!!"
Finally, the two of them ran off to the playground as I hear my cell phone make its non-annoying-but-still-audible notification noise. I check it.
Oh. Crap.
G has a gymnastics class in twenty minutes. Across town.
I yelled to her. She is excited for gymnastics and came right away. M is in the middle of a tunnel, so I wrestled her out and onto my back in the Ergo. We ran to the car and got in.
Now, St. John's is not a big city. It doesn't take all that long to get from one end to the other. However, where I was (Rotary Park) and where G's gymnastics class was (Torbay) are about as far from each other as you can get and still be in the city.
We hit every single red light on the way there.
As we pulled into the parking lot, it hit me. The class started at 11:45 (it was now 11:50), it ended at 12:45 and we had not eaten since breakfast. Why did I not pack that snack? I had no food on me, not even my emergency car food (note to self: replace emergency car food). I turned to G and gave her a choice "Do you want to go somewhere and eat, or do you want to do gymnastics first?" She chose gymnastics, so in we went. My stomach growled while I watched her, M was a bit cranky, but somehow we managed to make it.
Showing posts with label M. Show all posts
Showing posts with label M. Show all posts
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
On Having Girls
My two older sisters and some of my friends have only boy children, and I imagine that if I had only boys, I might be jealous one of the things you get to do with girls - brushing their long hair and putting it up in braids, ponytails and other styles.
I too had this dream. When I had G I thought that I'd soon learn how to french braid and had visions of cute little pigtails.
There is a lovely vision I had and maybe moms of boys have it - sitting in the sunlight, calmly brushing your daughters hair, laughing together as you braid it, her bouncing away looking adorable.
The reality (for me at least) is this: G wakes up in the morning with a rat's nest on her head. She dips the ends of it in her cereal bowl because she cannot handle tucking it behind her ears. After she gets dressed, I attempt to brush it. The moment she sees the hairbrush she says "OW!". I haven't touched her. I beg her to come sit on my lap. She runs to the other side of the apartment. I finally wrestle her into my lap and run my fingers along her neck to move her hair. "YOU'RE HURTING ME!!" she screams.
The rat nest (always in the exact same location on her head) is the first plan of attack and I attempt to hold her on my lap with one hand, brush with the other and use my third and fourth hands to hold the hair while I brush it.
She wiggles free.
"Stop it Mommy! I don't want my hair brushed!"
"Look at these fancy barrettes (bobbles, headband, etc.)? Don't you want them in your hair?"
"NOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOoooooOOOOO!!!!"
"When the wind blows your hair in your face, you'll be sad, G."
"I don't care about the wind!"
At this point she runs away. I have three options. I can either put the messiest ponytail ever in her hair (and suffer the consequences when it's time for it to come out), I can leave it and suffer the consequences when we go outside and the wind blows her hair in her face and she can't see, or I can turn on the TV and usually she'll hold still long enough to get a nice enough hairstyle in (never a braid, never, ever a braid).
Or, I suppose, there is a fourth option. I could shave her head. Some days I want to do exactly that.
A footnote to this all is that M finally has long enough hair that I can put it in pigtails, but she has learned from her sister that the proper word to use while Mommy is doing your hair is "Ow!" She says it now with a smile on her face, but give her time.
Secondary footnote: My mom is reading this and laughing at me. Probably laughing quite hard. I was exactly like this as a kid. In fact, to be honest, I still don't love people touching my head. I completely deserve to be treated like this.
I too had this dream. When I had G I thought that I'd soon learn how to french braid and had visions of cute little pigtails.
There is a lovely vision I had and maybe moms of boys have it - sitting in the sunlight, calmly brushing your daughters hair, laughing together as you braid it, her bouncing away looking adorable.
The reality (for me at least) is this: G wakes up in the morning with a rat's nest on her head. She dips the ends of it in her cereal bowl because she cannot handle tucking it behind her ears. After she gets dressed, I attempt to brush it. The moment she sees the hairbrush she says "OW!". I haven't touched her. I beg her to come sit on my lap. She runs to the other side of the apartment. I finally wrestle her into my lap and run my fingers along her neck to move her hair. "YOU'RE HURTING ME!!" she screams.
The rat nest (always in the exact same location on her head) is the first plan of attack and I attempt to hold her on my lap with one hand, brush with the other and use my third and fourth hands to hold the hair while I brush it.
She wiggles free.
"Stop it Mommy! I don't want my hair brushed!"
"Look at these fancy barrettes (bobbles, headband, etc.)? Don't you want them in your hair?"
"NOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOoooooOOOOO!!!!"
"When the wind blows your hair in your face, you'll be sad, G."
"I don't care about the wind!"
At this point she runs away. I have three options. I can either put the messiest ponytail ever in her hair (and suffer the consequences when it's time for it to come out), I can leave it and suffer the consequences when we go outside and the wind blows her hair in her face and she can't see, or I can turn on the TV and usually she'll hold still long enough to get a nice enough hairstyle in (never a braid, never, ever a braid).
Or, I suppose, there is a fourth option. I could shave her head. Some days I want to do exactly that.
A footnote to this all is that M finally has long enough hair that I can put it in pigtails, but she has learned from her sister that the proper word to use while Mommy is doing your hair is "Ow!" She says it now with a smile on her face, but give her time.
Secondary footnote: My mom is reading this and laughing at me. Probably laughing quite hard. I was exactly like this as a kid. In fact, to be honest, I still don't love people touching my head. I completely deserve to be treated like this.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Fatherly Advice
Paul here.
Sometimes I look at my children and I suddenly see them as adults. It's an imperfect vision: adult G is still obsessed with aminals* in my imagination, and I have trouble picturing adult M with much hair. But the degree to which both have grown and changed already sometimes strikes me and I think about how they're actual people who will grow up into actual grown ups and face ... the world. I don't have life figured out; not by a long shot. And I don't know what it's like to be a girl, let alone a girl in the 21st century. But there are things I hope my daughters can learn from me, beyond how to hold a spoon and which shoe goes on which foot. Advice is both a form of nostalgia, and a form of narcissism, but here I go anyway. In no particular order, in what might become a recurring feature here but might not:
A Father's Advice to his Daughters:
1. Don't let anyone else tell you who you are allowed to be. Not even me. But don't buy into the idea of being true to yourself either. There isn't a true self buried deep at your core. You are made by your experiences, your community, your choices, your tastes. The best thing about this is that it never ends and you can decide what kind of person you want to be. Your everyday choices can slowly make you into that person. When I say "don't let anyone else tell you who you are allowed to be" I mean don't let anyone else decide for you who you want to turn yourself into.
2. A sister is a friend for life. Your grammy had (and probably still has) a cross-stitch with that on it in her house when I was growing up. It isn't limited to sisters. The same idea goes for cousins, parents, aunts, uncles; it's true about brothers, but you don't have any. But I especially want to focus on sisters: on your relationship with each other. A sister is a friend for life doesn't mean that you will always like each other or that you don't have to be good to each other. It means that your family is with you forever. If you make your sister into your friend, you will always have a friend. And it means that even if you make your sister into a stranger or into an enemy you don't have to lose her forever.
3. Don't overwater your plants. You're more likely to drown them then to dry them out. Don't stress out too much over them either. Plants want to live. Just let them. It took me so very long to figure this out.
4. Read. This advice shouldn't be surprising coming from me, but I really can't overstate it. Read history and read science, read the news and read theology, read the Bible, read comic books, read challenging modernist fiction and pulpy adventure stories. Many things you read will make you a happier person, and everything you read will make you a bigger person. Read.
5. You are not in charge of anyone else's feelings. Be kind and courteous, be loving and gracious; but do those things for your own sake. Know that you can't make someone else happy, you can't make someone else better, and you can't make someone else love you. Don't be kind to people so that they will be happy, be kind to them so that you will be. Love the people around you because love makes you better. But don't worry too much about what other people are feeling. That is up to them, in the end.
And finally: This isn't advice, but you have parents who despite their inevitable screw-ups, love you both so very very much. I hope you always know that.
*=not a typo, that's how she pronounces it
Sometimes I look at my children and I suddenly see them as adults. It's an imperfect vision: adult G is still obsessed with aminals* in my imagination, and I have trouble picturing adult M with much hair. But the degree to which both have grown and changed already sometimes strikes me and I think about how they're actual people who will grow up into actual grown ups and face ... the world. I don't have life figured out; not by a long shot. And I don't know what it's like to be a girl, let alone a girl in the 21st century. But there are things I hope my daughters can learn from me, beyond how to hold a spoon and which shoe goes on which foot. Advice is both a form of nostalgia, and a form of narcissism, but here I go anyway. In no particular order, in what might become a recurring feature here but might not:
A Father's Advice to his Daughters:
1. Don't let anyone else tell you who you are allowed to be. Not even me. But don't buy into the idea of being true to yourself either. There isn't a true self buried deep at your core. You are made by your experiences, your community, your choices, your tastes. The best thing about this is that it never ends and you can decide what kind of person you want to be. Your everyday choices can slowly make you into that person. When I say "don't let anyone else tell you who you are allowed to be" I mean don't let anyone else decide for you who you want to turn yourself into.
2. A sister is a friend for life. Your grammy had (and probably still has) a cross-stitch with that on it in her house when I was growing up. It isn't limited to sisters. The same idea goes for cousins, parents, aunts, uncles; it's true about brothers, but you don't have any. But I especially want to focus on sisters: on your relationship with each other. A sister is a friend for life doesn't mean that you will always like each other or that you don't have to be good to each other. It means that your family is with you forever. If you make your sister into your friend, you will always have a friend. And it means that even if you make your sister into a stranger or into an enemy you don't have to lose her forever.
3. Don't overwater your plants. You're more likely to drown them then to dry them out. Don't stress out too much over them either. Plants want to live. Just let them. It took me so very long to figure this out.
4. Read. This advice shouldn't be surprising coming from me, but I really can't overstate it. Read history and read science, read the news and read theology, read the Bible, read comic books, read challenging modernist fiction and pulpy adventure stories. Many things you read will make you a happier person, and everything you read will make you a bigger person. Read.
5. You are not in charge of anyone else's feelings. Be kind and courteous, be loving and gracious; but do those things for your own sake. Know that you can't make someone else happy, you can't make someone else better, and you can't make someone else love you. Don't be kind to people so that they will be happy, be kind to them so that you will be. Love the people around you because love makes you better. But don't worry too much about what other people are feeling. That is up to them, in the end.
And finally: This isn't advice, but you have parents who despite their inevitable screw-ups, love you both so very very much. I hope you always know that.
*=not a typo, that's how she pronounces it
Monday, May 21, 2012
Early words
M has started saying a few words. Dada has been a popular one for awhile and she's a fan of Hi and Bye-bye. But her new favourite by far is the word Head. She loves to touch her head and everyone else's head.
"Head." She'll say.
"Head?" I'll respond.
"Head. Head." Tap her head, tap my head, tap her sister's head. At storytime she tapped every kid she could reach. Head. Head. Head.
Both girls were in the bath last night and I said to G "Tilt back your head so I can pour water on it."
"Head!" said M, patting her own head, then her sister's head.
"Head." She'll say.
"Head?" I'll respond.
"Head. Head." Tap her head, tap my head, tap her sister's head. At storytime she tapped every kid she could reach. Head. Head. Head.
Both girls were in the bath last night and I said to G "Tilt back your head so I can pour water on it."
"Head!" said M, patting her own head, then her sister's head.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Beach + Lobster
Last year at this time we had our first lobster boil on the beach. M was a wee 6 month old. Now she's a year and a half and would very much like to eat some lobster.
If she could just figure out how to get into it.
If she could just figure out how to get into it.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Trip To Fogo Island
We've now lived here almost 2 years and while we've tried to explore the island as much as possible, it can be a bit tricky. This weekend, however, we made it all the way to Fogo island.
Our friend, Sam Martin has been the artist-in-residence there for 3 months, so we had a great opportunity to go and stay with him and his fantastic wife, Samantha and their lovable dog, Vader.
The two of them have become our good friends over the past year and a half and are, sadly, moving away to Iowa. We will miss them so much, so it was great to spend some time with them before they leave in August.
We had a great time. The drive up went really well, aside from a three hour wait for the ferry. Luckily the weather was good, so the girls could escape from the car to run around.
We hiked up to Sam's studio, a modernist box in the middle of a bog. It's a big empty space with a desk facing a giant window - what a perfect place to write.
We took a trip to a playground and four caribou walked by, looked at us for awhile then began to graze. It was so cool to see them right there!
We saw a few icebergs in all their glory.
And spent a good amount of time on a sandy beach. G was happy to play in the sand, while M was desperate to run giggling into the ocean. She's a handful, that one! Had it been a slightly warmer day, I might have let her experience the cold of the North Atlantic just to keep her from doing it again.
She's a bit skeptical about that.
Our friend, Sam Martin has been the artist-in-residence there for 3 months, so we had a great opportunity to go and stay with him and his fantastic wife, Samantha and their lovable dog, Vader.
The two of them have become our good friends over the past year and a half and are, sadly, moving away to Iowa. We will miss them so much, so it was great to spend some time with them before they leave in August.
We had a great time. The drive up went really well, aside from a three hour wait for the ferry. Luckily the weather was good, so the girls could escape from the car to run around.
M was desperate to get out.
G found a bunch of spiny sea urchins on the dock and kept throwing them back into the ocean so they could be free. We decided not to tell her that they were most decidedly dead.
We searched for dolphins and whales as we rode the ferry. G was pretty sure she saw her friend Joey the Orca Whale (her imaginary whale friend).
We arrived to Sam and Sam's great little saltbox house on Fogo. G was very happy to be able to play outside whenever she wanted. While G is in love with Vader the dog, M is not a fan of animals. She screamed and shook when he came near, so we spent much of the weekend sending both G and Vader outside. It worked out well for both of them.
Monday, April 30, 2012
In Which We Bring Our Children Up to Be Clones
I am aware that my children will likely have different interests then Paul and me. It is very possible that G or M could become interested in *gasp* sports. But for right now, we are happy to involve them in our interests and we enjoy the times when they imitate us.
Which brings me to this weekend.
When we lived in Manitoba, we went to Central Canada Comic Con a couple of times. When we moved here, we discovered Sci-Fi on the Rock, a Sci-Fi Convention here in St. John's. Since we are massive geeks, we went last year and again this year (and certainly will in the future). For the first day, G and Paul were Superman and M and I were Batman.
(spot the Eleventh Doctor in the background!)
The kids were some of the youngest there and so got a fair amount of attention. It's fun to dress them up as things we like and be a big geeky family together.
Which brings me to the clone thing: it's not the costumes, it's her. G was at a "How to be a Ninja" panel for kids where they basically learned a few martial arts moves and were encouraged to keep active. The other kids there were about 6 to 10 years old, some of them dressed as Jedi. At the end, the woman in charge had some prizes. One went to a boy, the other went to a girl, then one was up for everyone. She gave the first two away with some Star Wars trivia and the last, she asked: "What is Superman's real name?"
There was a long pause while the older kids seemed to be racking their brains. G kinda looked up at her for awhile and shouted out "CLARK KENT!"
She was so proud of herself. The prize was a (slightly age-inappropriate) toy bow and arrow set that she learned how to shoot when we got home.
It is truly our daughter who would love to answer a trivia question.
Which brings me to this weekend.
When we lived in Manitoba, we went to Central Canada Comic Con a couple of times. When we moved here, we discovered Sci-Fi on the Rock, a Sci-Fi Convention here in St. John's. Since we are massive geeks, we went last year and again this year (and certainly will in the future). For the first day, G and Paul were Superman and M and I were Batman.
The kids were some of the youngest there and so got a fair amount of attention. It's fun to dress them up as things we like and be a big geeky family together.
Which brings me to the clone thing: it's not the costumes, it's her. G was at a "How to be a Ninja" panel for kids where they basically learned a few martial arts moves and were encouraged to keep active. The other kids there were about 6 to 10 years old, some of them dressed as Jedi. At the end, the woman in charge had some prizes. One went to a boy, the other went to a girl, then one was up for everyone. She gave the first two away with some Star Wars trivia and the last, she asked: "What is Superman's real name?"
There was a long pause while the older kids seemed to be racking their brains. G kinda looked up at her for awhile and shouted out "CLARK KENT!"
She was so proud of herself. The prize was a (slightly age-inappropriate) toy bow and arrow set that she learned how to shoot when we got home.
It is truly our daughter who would love to answer a trivia question.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Rocking Out
Life is about to get scary!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Twas the Season
This was the first year in the life of our family of four where G really knew what was going on at Christmas time. We have made a few traditions in the past, but this year was the first time that she noticed them and cared.
We had the big family celebration on Boxing Day, which was nice. We had our own little Christmas morning together with the girls.
This is also the first year I have really felt caught up in buying presents for my kids. Having a kid with opinions really makes a difference! But we limited ourselves (and I think this will become a tradition) to 3 presents: Clothes (this year it was the dresses in the above pic), a book and a toy. Plus a stocking with a few things and chocolates in it (M was thrilled with the orange in her stocking and didn't care about much else).
Overall, aside from the not-so-great flights (what is WITH Air Canada? Do they hate people?), it was a fun and relaxing Christmas season.
Monday, December 5, 2011
One Year Old
Today wee little M is one year old. I took a monthly photo of her with the same toy, starting at 2 months old.
One month old, without the toy:
 |
| Two Months |
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| Three Months |
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| Four Months |
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| Five Months |
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| Six Months |
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| Seven Months |
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| Eight Months |
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| Nine Months |
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| Ten Months |
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| Eleven Months |
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| One Year Old! |
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Weekend Trip
We took a bit of an impromptu trip last weekend and it was great to get out of the city.We suddenly realized that with a car and no church responsibilities, we were free to go away for weekends if we wanted, so we packed up last Thursday and rented a cabin in Port Blandford for a couple of days, spending one of the days driving up to Bonavista (which is the end of one of the peninsula's of central Newfoundland).
Impromptu trips are fun, but can have their ups and downs.
The cabin was great. It was a cozy little place with 2 bedrooms. We don't own a playpen or anything, so we managed to make a bit of a nest in an open closet for M. It worked perfectly.
I forgot to bring our highchair, but M sat happily on our laps to eat. Parenthood does not have to be about bringing tons of stuff! We managed to bring all the things we needed for the weekend in one suitcase, our backpack diaper bag, a grocery bag and a small cooler. I'm pretty proud of that.
It was an absolutely beautiful drive. No rain, cool, crisp fall weather without being too cold.
One of the major highlights was this amazing playground in Newman's Cove. It had all the fantastic old equipment from our childhood, but the upkeep was great. Teeter-totters, swings, slides... G was in heaven.
Plus the awesome Merry-go-round. They just don't have these anymore. It was a blast. A perfect place to get out of the car and run around.
However, the downs part of "ups and downs" came when we arrived in Bonavista. We stopped for gas and realized that we had left our credit card back in the cabin at Port Blandford, and almost-2 hour drive away. We had already pumped our gas and through a (horrible) comedy of errors*, we didn't have money in our usual bank account. After much back-and-forthing, we finally left them with a license and debit card and a promise that we'd drive back to pay.
*It is quite embarrassing. It was a such an idiot mistake. I transferred money from one account into another in anticipation of our trip and, very stupidly, transferred it OUT of our main account rather then IN. And that amount just happened to be all but $25 of what we already had in our account.
So, despite seeing Bonavista's lovely lighthouse and beaches, it put us in a bit of a bad mood to say the least. We will definitely have to go back when we're all feeling happy (and have cash in our pockets).
Paul made the 4 hour drive there and back the next morning in about 2 and 3/4 hours, with me staying behind and praying that he didn't hit any moose!
In the end despite the frustration, it was fantastic to get out of town and see new parts of this beautiful province.
Impromptu trips are fun, but can have their ups and downs.
The cabin was great. It was a cozy little place with 2 bedrooms. We don't own a playpen or anything, so we managed to make a bit of a nest in an open closet for M. It worked perfectly.
I forgot to bring our highchair, but M sat happily on our laps to eat. Parenthood does not have to be about bringing tons of stuff! We managed to bring all the things we needed for the weekend in one suitcase, our backpack diaper bag, a grocery bag and a small cooler. I'm pretty proud of that.
It was an absolutely beautiful drive. No rain, cool, crisp fall weather without being too cold.
One of the major highlights was this amazing playground in Newman's Cove. It had all the fantastic old equipment from our childhood, but the upkeep was great. Teeter-totters, swings, slides... G was in heaven.
Plus the awesome Merry-go-round. They just don't have these anymore. It was a blast. A perfect place to get out of the car and run around.
However, the downs part of "ups and downs" came when we arrived in Bonavista. We stopped for gas and realized that we had left our credit card back in the cabin at Port Blandford, and almost-2 hour drive away. We had already pumped our gas and through a (horrible) comedy of errors*, we didn't have money in our usual bank account. After much back-and-forthing, we finally left them with a license and debit card and a promise that we'd drive back to pay.
*It is quite embarrassing. It was a such an idiot mistake. I transferred money from one account into another in anticipation of our trip and, very stupidly, transferred it OUT of our main account rather then IN. And that amount just happened to be all but $25 of what we already had in our account.
Paul made the 4 hour drive there and back the next morning in about 2 and 3/4 hours, with me staying behind and praying that he didn't hit any moose!
In the end despite the frustration, it was fantastic to get out of town and see new parts of this beautiful province.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween
...And after an unplanned month off of blogging, I am back.
So, it's Halloween! I always enjoy getting dressed up and getting my kids dressed up. This year has been a superhero year. G chose to be Green Lantern and the rest of the costumes easily fell into place.
Evildoers, beware!
At the local comic book store - we entered their costume contest.
I've been meaning to make a Batgirl hoodie ever since I saw a pattern online, and this year I finally had the time and energy to do it! Paul was Clark Kent (there is a Superman t-shirt under that white shirt), M was a baby Batman and I made G a Green Lantern costume.
G had a chance to wear her costume on Friday at Storytime, then again on Saturday for the contest at the comic book store and for a Haunted Hike at the "Boo-tanical" Gardens, again on Sunday for church and now today for Halloween!
We planned to go trick-or-treating, but the weather is very crummy right now. Windy with a side of rain. So, we'll see how much we actually end up doing.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
How to Hack your Ergo Carrier into an Impromptu High Chair
I don't usually post stuff like this, but I love sites like parenthacks and getting tips from parenting magazines, so I thought I'd post this hack I came up with when G was small.
I love my Ergo Carrier so very very much. We used it for G for over 2 years, and we use it for M now. We have quite a few carriers (slings, wraps, a mei tai), but Ergo is the one I'd recommend if you were only getting one.
I've had a few times when I've been out with it to eat at a place that didn't have a high chair (or all of them were taken) like, for example, the Costco food court I went to today.
So I figured out a way to strap a sitting-baby to a regular chair just using my ergo.
Turn the ergo upside-down, so the waist strap is at the top and the arm straps are at the bottom.
I love my Ergo Carrier so very very much. We used it for G for over 2 years, and we use it for M now. We have quite a few carriers (slings, wraps, a mei tai), but Ergo is the one I'd recommend if you were only getting one.
I've had a few times when I've been out with it to eat at a place that didn't have a high chair (or all of them were taken) like, for example, the Costco food court I went to today.
So I figured out a way to strap a sitting-baby to a regular chair just using my ergo.
Step one:
Step Two:
Buckle the waistband at chest height around the baby, then around the back of the chair (obviously, this only works on chairs that have backs). Pull it quite tight, so they are secure. They need to have head control, so this works best for babies from about 6-12mo.
Step Three:
Put the baby's legs through the sides of the ergo, bringing the shoulder straps back around the chair. Secure them together using the chest clip.
And there you go. Baby is secured to a chair, and you are able to eat your meal without a baby strapped to your chest, grabbing your food.
Special thanks to my very adorable model.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Life of M
First off: apologies for the lull. When life gets busy, it gets too busy to post! We've officially been living in NL for a full year. I'm sure I'll post a rundown of all the stuff we've learned soon.
Many of my friends and some of my family haven't met our fabulous little 9 month old, so I thought I'd tell a bit about her.
M is seriously mellow. We thought that G was an easy-going kid, but M is even more so. I don't know if I want to have any more kids, since these two have been so great (especially in the sleeping department). The first 9 months of her life have flown by.
Many of my friends and some of my family haven't met our fabulous little 9 month old, so I thought I'd tell a bit about her.
M is seriously mellow. We thought that G was an easy-going kid, but M is even more so. I don't know if I want to have any more kids, since these two have been so great (especially in the sleeping department). The first 9 months of her life have flown by.
M loves her sister. For bathtime, they start off together, then G gets time on her own to splash and play, and often M will come and watch her, pulling herself up on the side of the tub, a new skill she's been perfecting lately. G looks at her and she looks at G and has this ridiculously cute belly laugh.
She even puts up with being dressed up.
M loves food. She eats with gusto and has gone from purees to chunks of food in less then a month. She has loved everything we've given her so far.
Even a bit of corn on the cob.
She is way more "mouthy" then G ever was. I have to be so careful about what's on my floor, since she eats everything she can get her little hands on!
M is super-smiley. Anytime I have her out and about in the carrier, she always smiles for strangers. She happily goes from person to person in a group, with a grin for each of them. While G was already a talker by this age, M is a bit more quiet, but always observing with wide eyes.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Why I Like Waking up at 4am -- a Post by Paul
I know I'm not supposed to, but I really like walking around my apartment with my baby at 4am, pacing and singing her to sleep.
Of course, I don't like having my sleep interrupted. I don't like to hear my baby crying, and I don't like it when M wakes up in the middle of the night--not exactly. And I don't like it when my singing and pacing doesn't work. But usually it does. And when it does, it makes me feel like a good father, which is a really great feeling. When M is crying, and I pick her up and she stops, I love that feeling. And when I rock her and sing to her, and put her back to sleep, and she stays asleep, I'm a happy man.
I really like getting up with her while Jan stays in bed. Mothers have a built-in mechanism for bonding with their children. Especially while she is breastfeeding, Jan has a virtually foolproof way of calming M. But we're trying to convince M to sleep through the night again and a big part of that is breaking the expectation of milk at 4am. Like her big sister, M was an amazing sleeper for her first 6 months or so. But just around the 6 month mark--just before in M's case, just after in G's--she started to wake up in the middle of the night. With G we just assumed it was a fluke and Jan fed her, until before we noticed it had become a habit for G to eat 3 or 4 times a night. With M we're determined not to make that mistake. She's not hungry. She just wants comfort. But M won't calm down in Jan's arms unless Jan feeds her--not in the middle of the night anyway, not when she wants milk. But she'll calm down in my arms. So for fifteen minutes, or half an hour, I hold my baby all alone, in a quiet apartment. Everyone else is sleeping and it's just her and me. And I rock her and sing to her, and she nuzzles in and falls back asleep, because my voice is as soothing as mother's milk.
So yes, I like getting up with my baby and walking around the apartment with her at 4am, singing her to sleep.
Just as long as it doesn't last for too long.
Of course, I don't like having my sleep interrupted. I don't like to hear my baby crying, and I don't like it when M wakes up in the middle of the night--not exactly. And I don't like it when my singing and pacing doesn't work. But usually it does. And when it does, it makes me feel like a good father, which is a really great feeling. When M is crying, and I pick her up and she stops, I love that feeling. And when I rock her and sing to her, and put her back to sleep, and she stays asleep, I'm a happy man.
I really like getting up with her while Jan stays in bed. Mothers have a built-in mechanism for bonding with their children. Especially while she is breastfeeding, Jan has a virtually foolproof way of calming M. But we're trying to convince M to sleep through the night again and a big part of that is breaking the expectation of milk at 4am. Like her big sister, M was an amazing sleeper for her first 6 months or so. But just around the 6 month mark--just before in M's case, just after in G's--she started to wake up in the middle of the night. With G we just assumed it was a fluke and Jan fed her, until before we noticed it had become a habit for G to eat 3 or 4 times a night. With M we're determined not to make that mistake. She's not hungry. She just wants comfort. But M won't calm down in Jan's arms unless Jan feeds her--not in the middle of the night anyway, not when she wants milk. But she'll calm down in my arms. So for fifteen minutes, or half an hour, I hold my baby all alone, in a quiet apartment. Everyone else is sleeping and it's just her and me. And I rock her and sing to her, and she nuzzles in and falls back asleep, because my voice is as soothing as mother's milk.
So yes, I like getting up with my baby and walking around the apartment with her at 4am, singing her to sleep.
Just as long as it doesn't last for too long.
Monday, May 2, 2011
BIG DAY
It's a big day in our house. A very big day. Is it the federal election? Is it the death of a famous terrorist?
No.
It's Both Girls in the Same Room Day! Hooray!
Okay, so technically, that day was Sunday night. We've done two nights of it so far. We decided on Saturday that we'd do a trial run. We did have to disassemble the crib to move it, so it's turning out to be a little less temporary then we thought at first - it may be hard to get up the energy to move it back if we need to.
So far, it's had mixed results. G was really excited when the crib came into her room, solemnly repeated our instructions of
-do not throw anything in the crib
-do not climb into the crib
-do not attempt to "help" M in any way
She seemed pretty on board with the whole thing.
Then, nighttime came, and she had a bit of trouble falling asleep (M was not yet in her crib), she asked for glasses of water, her bear and had the following conversation with Paul: "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" (he goes to the room) "Daddy, say I love you" "Okay, I love you, G." "No! I want to say it!" "Okay, go ahead" "I love you Daddy". After that, she slept. Even through a bit of crying from M as she protested being put down.
Then, 4am happened. Repeated calls for Daddy - and when Mommy tried to go in, even more desperate calls for Daddy. She never mentioned M or the crib, but something was off.
But, she was soothed back to sleep eventually.
Last night went better with both girls sleeping great.
However, naps are a bit of an issue. G is very used to being able to play in her room any time she wants, so M napping in it makes her a bit upset. G also has stopped taking an actual nap in the afternoon in favor of a 2-hour quiet time in her room, and I can't leave M in the room for that.
So, M sleeps in the middle of our bed. Which works for now, but not for much longer.
No.
It's Both Girls in the Same Room Day! Hooray!
Okay, so technically, that day was Sunday night. We've done two nights of it so far. We decided on Saturday that we'd do a trial run. We did have to disassemble the crib to move it, so it's turning out to be a little less temporary then we thought at first - it may be hard to get up the energy to move it back if we need to.
So far, it's had mixed results. G was really excited when the crib came into her room, solemnly repeated our instructions of
-do not throw anything in the crib
-do not climb into the crib
-do not attempt to "help" M in any way
She seemed pretty on board with the whole thing.
Then, nighttime came, and she had a bit of trouble falling asleep (M was not yet in her crib), she asked for glasses of water, her bear and had the following conversation with Paul: "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" (he goes to the room) "Daddy, say I love you" "Okay, I love you, G." "No! I want to say it!" "Okay, go ahead" "I love you Daddy". After that, she slept. Even through a bit of crying from M as she protested being put down.
Then, 4am happened. Repeated calls for Daddy - and when Mommy tried to go in, even more desperate calls for Daddy. She never mentioned M or the crib, but something was off.
But, she was soothed back to sleep eventually.
Last night went better with both girls sleeping great.
However, naps are a bit of an issue. G is very used to being able to play in her room any time she wants, so M napping in it makes her a bit upset. G also has stopped taking an actual nap in the afternoon in favor of a 2-hour quiet time in her room, and I can't leave M in the room for that.
So, M sleeps in the middle of our bed. Which works for now, but not for much longer.
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