Sunday, February 13, 2011
Reflections - Valentines 2010
Last year we had our maternity photos taken on Valentines Day. It was a great experience and I am so happy to have had these photos taken. Although we didn't know we were having boys at the time, it looks like the shirt predicted correctly.
Friday, February 11, 2011
What to do while getting a flat tire fixed
This is what the boys think of spending 3.5 hours at the car dealership getting a flat tire fixed. What a snooze.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My Poor Neglected Blog...A catch up post
I am always thinking of things I'd like to write about in my blog, things I want to reflect on and remember about my experiences raising my boys. However it seems time is escaping me and my journal/blog isn't at the top of my 'to-do' list.
As I read some of my mommy friends blogs and all the insightful and reflective things they have to say, I am a bit jealous of their 'gift of gab' and ability to write so eloquently about their lives, the products they use, their creative crafting and baking skills, and ability to plan stellar birthday parties for their little ones.
So as a catch up...here is the last week and a half in review...
It was a stressful week. Greg started to feel really sick and sore on Monday, he had the chills and just felt horrible. Originally we thought it was the flu, but things got worse and on Tuesday he noticed some unusual swelling. On Wednesday our family doctor sent Greg to emergency, where he ended up having a CT Scan and emergency surgery to remove a abscess. I am just thankful it wasn't something more serious, as when he found a lump as all sorts of things start running through my head. We went through thinking he had the flu, to all of a sudden being sent for a CT scan. Since last Wednesday it has been recovery mode. We have had a home health care nurse come to our house daily to provide wound care, and Greg was on IV antibiotics for 4 days in addition to being in a lot of pain and being knocked out from painkillers. Gray who has recently developed an obsessions with following power cords, was very curious about the IV tube, and poor Greg had his IV pulled at a few times...OUCH! The good news is that he is on the mend, back at work, and after a few more nurses visits and weeks of antibiotics all should be back to normal.
The boys are mobile! They officially started crawling just over 2 weeks ago, and now they are climbing and pulling up on everything, removing anything and everything from coffee tables, pushing chairs around, and they have open and closed cupboards so many times that the knobs have loosened. Bumps and bruises have become the norm in our household, and the fireplace surround has become the most desireable place to climb. Bedtime and naptime have become an even greater adventure as the little monkeys climb the rails of their cribs, practice their gymnastics, jump up and down, and anything else they happen to figure out. I am just thankful they haven't figured out how to undress themselves yet, otherwise I would be scared to see how they would look when I got them up from bed in the morning.
Daycare tours. Finding and choosing childcare for the boys is an adventure. There are so many options out there. Each has its pros and cons and it is so hard to choose what the best option is for our family - live-out nanny, home based daycare or a daycare centre. Several weeks into touring daycares and a multitude of discussions with friends, I don't feel I am any closer to making a decision than I was when I first started looking. I am heading back to work in 5 weeks, so the decision needs to be made soon. At least I have options and am able to decide, but sometimes that makes things even harder.
Playdates. I am so greatful for my mommy friends and their little ones. With everything going on, we still managed to have several great get togethers with our mom & baby friends. I am really going to miss these get togethers when I head back to work next month, and hopefully I can still attend a few since I am not going back full time. I love watching them interact with their peers, yet always knowing who their brother is. Its nice that whenever they are together, they can always find a familiar face in the room.
Party Planning. The Big 1st Birthday is coming up quick. I can't believe it. The guest list has been written and I just need to lock down the location as there are way too many people for our little house. Part of me wonders if it should just be a small family dinner, but part of me says, you only get one 1st Birthday, even if you don't remember it. At the end of the day, as long as their birthday is celebrated and they feel loved...it will be perfect!
Heading Back to Work. Last week I had two 'information interviews' for a project based role at the company I work for. They are in the process of restructuring the HR department so my job as it was prior to me leaving, won't be the job I go back to. I will know at the end of February what my new role will be. My entire career thus far has been in field HR working directly with the employee population on day-to-day staffing issues and performance management, but it looks like I will be going into an HR Strategy/Operations type role which will be a big change.
Well...the "ba ba ba" I can hear over the baby monitor is letting me know that naptime is over...better get up there before they boys start swinging off their mobiles!
As I read some of my mommy friends blogs and all the insightful and reflective things they have to say, I am a bit jealous of their 'gift of gab' and ability to write so eloquently about their lives, the products they use, their creative crafting and baking skills, and ability to plan stellar birthday parties for their little ones.
So as a catch up...here is the last week and a half in review...
It was a stressful week. Greg started to feel really sick and sore on Monday, he had the chills and just felt horrible. Originally we thought it was the flu, but things got worse and on Tuesday he noticed some unusual swelling. On Wednesday our family doctor sent Greg to emergency, where he ended up having a CT Scan and emergency surgery to remove a abscess. I am just thankful it wasn't something more serious, as when he found a lump as all sorts of things start running through my head. We went through thinking he had the flu, to all of a sudden being sent for a CT scan. Since last Wednesday it has been recovery mode. We have had a home health care nurse come to our house daily to provide wound care, and Greg was on IV antibiotics for 4 days in addition to being in a lot of pain and being knocked out from painkillers. Gray who has recently developed an obsessions with following power cords, was very curious about the IV tube, and poor Greg had his IV pulled at a few times...OUCH! The good news is that he is on the mend, back at work, and after a few more nurses visits and weeks of antibiotics all should be back to normal.
The boys are mobile! They officially started crawling just over 2 weeks ago, and now they are climbing and pulling up on everything, removing anything and everything from coffee tables, pushing chairs around, and they have open and closed cupboards so many times that the knobs have loosened. Bumps and bruises have become the norm in our household, and the fireplace surround has become the most desireable place to climb. Bedtime and naptime have become an even greater adventure as the little monkeys climb the rails of their cribs, practice their gymnastics, jump up and down, and anything else they happen to figure out. I am just thankful they haven't figured out how to undress themselves yet, otherwise I would be scared to see how they would look when I got them up from bed in the morning.
Daycare tours. Finding and choosing childcare for the boys is an adventure. There are so many options out there. Each has its pros and cons and it is so hard to choose what the best option is for our family - live-out nanny, home based daycare or a daycare centre. Several weeks into touring daycares and a multitude of discussions with friends, I don't feel I am any closer to making a decision than I was when I first started looking. I am heading back to work in 5 weeks, so the decision needs to be made soon. At least I have options and am able to decide, but sometimes that makes things even harder.
Playdates. I am so greatful for my mommy friends and their little ones. With everything going on, we still managed to have several great get togethers with our mom & baby friends. I am really going to miss these get togethers when I head back to work next month, and hopefully I can still attend a few since I am not going back full time. I love watching them interact with their peers, yet always knowing who their brother is. Its nice that whenever they are together, they can always find a familiar face in the room.
Party Planning. The Big 1st Birthday is coming up quick. I can't believe it. The guest list has been written and I just need to lock down the location as there are way too many people for our little house. Part of me wonders if it should just be a small family dinner, but part of me says, you only get one 1st Birthday, even if you don't remember it. At the end of the day, as long as their birthday is celebrated and they feel loved...it will be perfect!
Heading Back to Work. Last week I had two 'information interviews' for a project based role at the company I work for. They are in the process of restructuring the HR department so my job as it was prior to me leaving, won't be the job I go back to. I will know at the end of February what my new role will be. My entire career thus far has been in field HR working directly with the employee population on day-to-day staffing issues and performance management, but it looks like I will be going into an HR Strategy/Operations type role which will be a big change.
Well...the "ba ba ba" I can hear over the baby monitor is letting me know that naptime is over...better get up there before they boys start swinging off their mobiles!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Business of Sleep
No matter where I am, no matter who I talk to, or what I am reading, there is always a discussion on sleep and/or sleeping through the night. Perfect strangers will ask me in the grocery store whether my kids sleep through the night, and I can't count the number of status updates I read on facebook pertaining to my friends children's sleeping habits.
A week or so ago there was an email thread going with a group of my fellow twin mommies discussing sleep. I really appreciate the dialogue and getting everyone's thoughts on the best sleep strategies. Within our little group, some have great sleepers, others have bad sleepers, others are somewhere between, and everyone has had at least some sleep issues since their children were born.
The exhausted parent is a BIG BUSINESS opportunity. Millions of dollars are made off of desperate parents looking 8 hours of consecutive sleep. Just do a quick google search, and you will find loads of literature you can buy, or people you can hire to consult with you on your child's sleep habits. These sleep consultants even claim that they have never met a child who they could not get to sleep through the night, providing parents were committed to the process. I am often surprised that the TV Show The Dragons Den has not featured a person selling some sort of device for getting kids to sleep.
I have come to the realization that not every baby/child is going to sleep through the night or have a 3 hour nap every afternoon allowing their mom to prepare a fabulous gourmet meal, but that doesn't make one a good parent or bad parent if their child happens to one of the children who keep food on the tables of sleep consultants, doulas and authors. If I was the only person who had a child who didn't sleep through the night, my local Chapters wouldn't have an entire section dedicated to Sleep Training, and there wouldn't be information sessions at the local baby store geared to sleep deprived parents willing to pull out the credit card for the 'hope' that their baby will give them a good nights sleep.
Here is a little excerpt from my contribution to the sleep strategy email thread.
I will state it here in writing "I will not make any more 'donations' to the sleep business". My boys will sleep through the night and take 3 hour naps when they are ready.
A week or so ago there was an email thread going with a group of my fellow twin mommies discussing sleep. I really appreciate the dialogue and getting everyone's thoughts on the best sleep strategies. Within our little group, some have great sleepers, others have bad sleepers, others are somewhere between, and everyone has had at least some sleep issues since their children were born.
The exhausted parent is a BIG BUSINESS opportunity. Millions of dollars are made off of desperate parents looking 8 hours of consecutive sleep. Just do a quick google search, and you will find loads of literature you can buy, or people you can hire to consult with you on your child's sleep habits. These sleep consultants even claim that they have never met a child who they could not get to sleep through the night, providing parents were committed to the process. I am often surprised that the TV Show The Dragons Den has not featured a person selling some sort of device for getting kids to sleep.
I have come to the realization that not every baby/child is going to sleep through the night or have a 3 hour nap every afternoon allowing their mom to prepare a fabulous gourmet meal, but that doesn't make one a good parent or bad parent if their child happens to one of the children who keep food on the tables of sleep consultants, doulas and authors. If I was the only person who had a child who didn't sleep through the night, my local Chapters wouldn't have an entire section dedicated to Sleep Training, and there wouldn't be information sessions at the local baby store geared to sleep deprived parents willing to pull out the credit card for the 'hope' that their baby will give them a good nights sleep.
Here is a little excerpt from my contribution to the sleep strategy email thread.
My guys are far from STTN and I have accepted it. We have tried this and that with limited and temporary success. I was loosing sleep over lack of sleep. I was crying over it, doubting my abilities as a mother and feeling really down.
What helped me put things in perspective is that every stage is temporary. Yes I am tired, but my kids are happy, they smile at me in the morning and are healthy. What more can I really ask for? Eventually they will be ready to STTN, crawl, walk, feed themselves, use the toilet, change themselves, read, drive a car, move out etc...and I'll be wondering where by babies went.
This is a phase. I would rather be up all night comforting my boys as 10 month olds than being up all night wondering where my 16 year olds went with the car.
Every stage will test my patience in different ways...I just need to remember that eventually it will pass.
I will state it here in writing "I will not make any more 'donations' to the sleep business". My boys will sleep through the night and take 3 hour naps when they are ready.
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