First off, thank you so much to everyone who's commented on our last few posts re. daycare and especially re. The Bean's fever. Your advice and support is so appreciated! The Bean woke up at 8:00 this morning with a nice normal temperature. We still took him to the peditrician, where everything checked out okay. Looks like we made it through our first illness.
Secondly, The Bean took his first step this morning! We were in the kitchen where I was making tea and he was standing up banging on his step stool. He likes to be up looking at things in the kitchen and was reaching over towards me, then he took his other hand off the stool and just stood there for a second, then he lifted up his left foot and took a step. Then plop! Down he went! I scooped him up off the floor while shouting for Jen to come in because he'd just taken a step. Well, maybe a half step. But still! Our little guy is growing up!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sick Baby
It had to happen at some point. The Bean got sick. I guess ten and a half months is a pretty good stretch to go without getting so much as a sniffle, but I still feel really bad for this little guy.
We were visiting family for Thanksgiving and noticed on Saturday that he seemed to be a little warm and fussy and just not himself. But it had been a busy weekend... and he was cutting some new teeth... so we thought (hoped) it might just be that. Nope. It's definitely a full blown fever.
We've been giving him medicine every four hours or so. We've been trying to make sure that he's eating and (especially) drinking enough. We called Telehealth Ontario for advice. We called MedVisit to send a doctor over. (What a great service!) They pretty much confirmed that there's not much else we can do but wait for the fever to break. It's been hovering around 103 all evening.
Our little guy is not at all himself. He's so sleepy and sad. All he wants is for us to hold him when he's awake and then, after a short time, to go back to his crib to sleep.
I know we're extremely fortunate to have a baby who up until this point has been quite healthy, but it's still hard to see him like this. I hope he's doing better tomorrow.
Any tips on helping a baby get over a fever would be much appreciated.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Daycare Debate
As much as we would like one of us to be able to stay home with The Bean until he starts school, it is not a viable option for us. So, for the past several months we have been talking about what we will do once January comes and Jen's maternity leave is over.
Daycare waiting lists can be a little ridiculous in the city. We knew this before The Bean was born, but didn't really give it too much though. After he was born we started thinking about it a bit more. When he was maybe a month or two old I thought I'd check out one of the very reputable daycares that just so happens to be right across the street from my work. We picked up an application and I inquired about how long the waiting list was. The woman behind the reception desk told me that if he didn't have a sibling already attending the daycare, we were looking at about three years. Three years! I mean, how is that even possible? You'd have to get on the list when you start thinking that you might want to have a child one day. Despite this, we paid the ($50!) application fee and got our names on the list. Then we did the same thing at about three or four other places.
As the year went on we started thinking about other options.
A nanny might be nice if we found one we really liked. But it would also be super-expensive. Like, hardly worth going back to work expensive.
A nanny share could work though... if we could find someone who wanted to share a nanny. We couldn't.
Maybe a small home daycare then. We called a local organization that oversees licensed home daycares. There was one near our home that they hooked us up with and another one near our work. Jen went to visit the one near work. The provider seemed really, really nice, but there were some issues with the space (a small, dark, basement apartment). We went together to the one near our home, but had major issues with it (a virtually empty --read: prison-like-- room for the kids to play in, a lunch menu that consisted of some variation of pasta everyday, what seemed to be a strong aversion to any type of outdoor time throughout the entire winter, to name a few).
Jen also had a business card of a woman who had approached her in the park one day, so we called and set up a meeting time with her. She ran a licensed home daycare/preschool. We had some concerns about The Bean being the youngest in what would be a group of five children (him included), but overall this seemed the most positive option. Jen was gun-ho and I was on board.
But we had already made plans for me to visit the home provider who was really, really nice. And I really, really liked her. And I didn't think the space was as bad as Jen had made it out to be.
Then a daycare that we were on a waiting list for called.
Just when we thought we had made a decision...
So we discussed some more. Jen was still really sold on the daycare/preschool and I was on the fence between the two. We decided not even to check out the other daycare. It just seemed too overwhelming. Ultimately it came down to location, price, and long-term potential, with the daycare/preschool being the front-runner in all three categories.
We stopped by again last night to fill out all the paperwork and pay our deposit.
It's a relief to have it done.
I hope we made the right decision!
---
It makes me wonder how other people deal with the decision of what to do for child care and what leads them to the choices they make.
So, dear readers (those of you with children), what did you decide and why?
Daycare waiting lists can be a little ridiculous in the city. We knew this before The Bean was born, but didn't really give it too much though. After he was born we started thinking about it a bit more. When he was maybe a month or two old I thought I'd check out one of the very reputable daycares that just so happens to be right across the street from my work. We picked up an application and I inquired about how long the waiting list was. The woman behind the reception desk told me that if he didn't have a sibling already attending the daycare, we were looking at about three years. Three years! I mean, how is that even possible? You'd have to get on the list when you start thinking that you might want to have a child one day. Despite this, we paid the ($50!) application fee and got our names on the list. Then we did the same thing at about three or four other places.
As the year went on we started thinking about other options.
A nanny might be nice if we found one we really liked. But it would also be super-expensive. Like, hardly worth going back to work expensive.
A nanny share could work though... if we could find someone who wanted to share a nanny. We couldn't.
Maybe a small home daycare then. We called a local organization that oversees licensed home daycares. There was one near our home that they hooked us up with and another one near our work. Jen went to visit the one near work. The provider seemed really, really nice, but there were some issues with the space (a small, dark, basement apartment). We went together to the one near our home, but had major issues with it (a virtually empty --read: prison-like-- room for the kids to play in, a lunch menu that consisted of some variation of pasta everyday, what seemed to be a strong aversion to any type of outdoor time throughout the entire winter, to name a few).
Jen also had a business card of a woman who had approached her in the park one day, so we called and set up a meeting time with her. She ran a licensed home daycare/preschool. We had some concerns about The Bean being the youngest in what would be a group of five children (him included), but overall this seemed the most positive option. Jen was gun-ho and I was on board.
But we had already made plans for me to visit the home provider who was really, really nice. And I really, really liked her. And I didn't think the space was as bad as Jen had made it out to be.
Then a daycare that we were on a waiting list for called.
Just when we thought we had made a decision...
So we discussed some more. Jen was still really sold on the daycare/preschool and I was on the fence between the two. We decided not even to check out the other daycare. It just seemed too overwhelming. Ultimately it came down to location, price, and long-term potential, with the daycare/preschool being the front-runner in all three categories.
We stopped by again last night to fill out all the paperwork and pay our deposit.
It's a relief to have it done.
I hope we made the right decision!
---
It makes me wonder how other people deal with the decision of what to do for child care and what leads them to the choices they make.
So, dear readers (those of you with children), what did you decide and why?
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Guest Post on 2moms2dogs2babies
Hey all,
I wanted to let you know that I have a guest blog post over at 2moms2dogs2babies on what it was/is like being a twin. Please check it out and feel free to comment!
-Allison.
I wanted to let you know that I have a guest blog post over at 2moms2dogs2babies on what it was/is like being a twin. Please check it out and feel free to comment!
-Allison.
 |
| Jennifer on the left, me on the right. |
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Wonderful Weekend
This is going to be a quick one, since I've given myself until 10pm to finish up on the computer for the evening.
This weekend I was my school's "Midterm Break", which means I got both Friday and Monday off. It was AWESOME. The past several weeks have been extremely busy with events at the school that I have had to attend in the evenings. It was really starting to take a toll on me. But this weekend I got to spend four wonderful days with Jen and The Bean. I intended to do work stuff, but somehow got distracted by...
...bagels and "birthdays"
...bagels and "birthdays"
...puppies and kitties
...swim classes and sweet smiles
Hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend too!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Sono
I went in for my sonohystogram yesterday morning. There was no reason to think that anything would come up, but I was still worried that something might. The doctor was able to give me the results right away and in her words, we are "ready to rumba". What a relief.
I'm still worried that it will take more than three tries to get pregnant and then we'll have to go to the clinic in Buffalo which will be quite a bit more difficult logistically-speaking. I'm really worried that those three tries won't work out. If they don't, I know it's not the end of the world, but I still think it'd be nice if The Bean and his future sibling could share a biological link.
To end on a positive note, the sono didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. It wasn't comfortable, but I thought I'd be in some pain following the procedure. Nope. I got home and Jen and I took The Bean out for brunch and a walk around my old neighbourhood and a little shopping. It was a really nice day.
I'm still worried that it will take more than three tries to get pregnant and then we'll have to go to the clinic in Buffalo which will be quite a bit more difficult logistically-speaking. I'm really worried that those three tries won't work out. If they don't, I know it's not the end of the world, but I still think it'd be nice if The Bean and his future sibling could share a biological link.
To end on a positive note, the sono didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. It wasn't comfortable, but I thought I'd be in some pain following the procedure. Nope. I got home and Jen and I took The Bean out for brunch and a walk around my old neighbourhood and a little shopping. It was a really nice day.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Ten Months Old!
Today The Bean is ten months old!
-He's always been an active baby, but The Bean has been REALLY active this past month. He crawls all over the place, he cruises from one piece of furniture to another (or one mother to another, as the case may be), and he's all about pushing his "lawnmower" around. Even though we're in an apartment he has figured out how to climb stairs, although we need to stay close by. And recently he has taken his hands off whatever he's holding onto and stayed upright for a couple of seconds, making us think that first steps will be coming in the next month or so.
-He's eating pretty much everything now. His first breakfast is a piece of toast. If he's up around the same time as me he'll also pretend to share my tea. It's pretty cute. His second breakfast before he has his morning nap is usually has yogurt and a fruit. Veggies and a grain later. And usually a meat and another veggie for dinner. Sometimes he manages to squeeze in an extra meal. And there are lots of snacks. Organic corn puffs, dried cranberries, etc. He's really taken to feeding himself finger foods. His pincer grip is improving.
-He's started taking a bottle! He really started chomping on Jen when nursing, which lead us to making more of an effort with the bottle. He usually has some breast milk after waking up from naps and water to sip on throughout the day. Some days he drinks more than others. Jen still nurses once overnight when he's usually too tired to bite.
-He's getting very interactive. Now he babbles away quite a bit of the time. He especially likes to talk to the baby in the mirror (who we think he recognizes). He says "Mum" and "Mama" and we think he knows that's us. He sometimes copies sounds we make. When we say "Yay!" he'll throw his hands up in the air. Or sometimes, he'll throw his hands up and wait for us to say "Yay!" LOL. We've been working on waving hello and goodbye and he seems to be sort of catching on. I'm trying to teach him to clap, but that's still a work in progress.
-He's gotten a lot clingier. Sometimes we'll put him down and it's quite obvious he wants to be held. He'll come over and tug on our pants and whine until we pick him up again. Sometimes he cries. Other times he's still content to be down and playing more independently, but there's definitely been a change. He'll still go to other adults pretty willingly which makes us happy since we're starting to think about what we'll be doing for childcare come January.
-He loves to be around other kids and babies. Sometimes it's a bit hard though because he doesn't really get being gentle and will go over and grab or pull up on whoever is around. Most kids and babies don't seem to thrilled with this. Neither does the cat.
-He loves the outdoors. Jen's been taking him out for lots of walks and over to the park to go in the swings. He loves crawling around on the grass and picking up all kinds of twigs and leaves. He also still enjoys swimming and bath time.
We've been thinking a lot about how soon our baby will be one year old. It's been so great that Jen has is able to spend this first year with him and we're sad that it will be coming to an end soon. We're hoping that we'll be able to find somewhere that he will be well cared for. He grows and changes so quickly and it will be hard not being around to see it all.
-He's always been an active baby, but The Bean has been REALLY active this past month. He crawls all over the place, he cruises from one piece of furniture to another (or one mother to another, as the case may be), and he's all about pushing his "lawnmower" around. Even though we're in an apartment he has figured out how to climb stairs, although we need to stay close by. And recently he has taken his hands off whatever he's holding onto and stayed upright for a couple of seconds, making us think that first steps will be coming in the next month or so.
-He's eating pretty much everything now. His first breakfast is a piece of toast. If he's up around the same time as me he'll also pretend to share my tea. It's pretty cute. His second breakfast before he has his morning nap is usually has yogurt and a fruit. Veggies and a grain later. And usually a meat and another veggie for dinner. Sometimes he manages to squeeze in an extra meal. And there are lots of snacks. Organic corn puffs, dried cranberries, etc. He's really taken to feeding himself finger foods. His pincer grip is improving.
-He's started taking a bottle! He really started chomping on Jen when nursing, which lead us to making more of an effort with the bottle. He usually has some breast milk after waking up from naps and water to sip on throughout the day. Some days he drinks more than others. Jen still nurses once overnight when he's usually too tired to bite.
-He's getting very interactive. Now he babbles away quite a bit of the time. He especially likes to talk to the baby in the mirror (who we think he recognizes). He says "Mum" and "Mama" and we think he knows that's us. He sometimes copies sounds we make. When we say "Yay!" he'll throw his hands up in the air. Or sometimes, he'll throw his hands up and wait for us to say "Yay!" LOL. We've been working on waving hello and goodbye and he seems to be sort of catching on. I'm trying to teach him to clap, but that's still a work in progress.
-He's gotten a lot clingier. Sometimes we'll put him down and it's quite obvious he wants to be held. He'll come over and tug on our pants and whine until we pick him up again. Sometimes he cries. Other times he's still content to be down and playing more independently, but there's definitely been a change. He'll still go to other adults pretty willingly which makes us happy since we're starting to think about what we'll be doing for childcare come January.
-He loves to be around other kids and babies. Sometimes it's a bit hard though because he doesn't really get being gentle and will go over and grab or pull up on whoever is around. Most kids and babies don't seem to thrilled with this. Neither does the cat.
-He loves the outdoors. Jen's been taking him out for lots of walks and over to the park to go in the swings. He loves crawling around on the grass and picking up all kinds of twigs and leaves. He also still enjoys swimming and bath time.
We've been thinking a lot about how soon our baby will be one year old. It's been so great that Jen has is able to spend this first year with him and we're sad that it will be coming to an end soon. We're hoping that we'll be able to find somewhere that he will be well cared for. He grows and changes so quickly and it will be hard not being around to see it all.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Lawnmower
The Bean isn't walking on his own yet, but he does pretty well pushing his "lawnmower" (as we call it) around.
Those of you with toddlers, what age did your child/ren start walking on their own? I have a feeling we might have an early walker on our hands.
P.S. I just love the little look he gives me at the end. Don't you?
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Curve Ball
Every once in a while life throws one your way.
We met with the doctor at the fertility clinic on Thursday. It was a lot different from our first visit there. Before we went in with a list of questions, this time it seemed more a formality. Yes, Jen was the one planning on getting pregnant last time, and this time it's me, but we are hoping to go through the same process (unmedicated IUI) so there really wasn't much to ask.
The doctor had a few routine questions for us. She also gave us the good news that this time we could fore go the psychologist visit. Then she told us that we could do our first attempt in December.
December.
As in next month.
Um, I was thinking February.
She said that I could get all my blood work and a sonohystogram done this month and as long as everything looked normal we could start inseminations in December. I was half excited and half freaked out. December seemed so soon.
After taking a few days to think about it and talking about it with Jen, we've made the decision to wait. I'm the type of person who likes to have a plan and stick with it. This was not the plan. Just because it's possible to start sooner doesn't mean that we have to. I can do all the screening now and do cycle monitoring through December to be sure that things are okay in January/February. (The fertility clinic is closed for the holidays, so it all depends on how their hours and my cycle coordinate.)
Plus, we only have three vials from our donor left in Canada. If we did attempts from February through April, that would give me a month or two off and then I could do attempts over the summer in Buffalo. (For newer readers, we have another three vials from our donor in the U.S.) Whereas if we started in December and were finished as early as February, it would seem like a long hiatus before doing the U.S. attempts and I think I would get impatient having to put things on hold at that point.
I need to keep reminding myself that we are not in a rush. Things will happen when they're meant to happen, right? (Fingers crossed that things do happen.)
We met with the doctor at the fertility clinic on Thursday. It was a lot different from our first visit there. Before we went in with a list of questions, this time it seemed more a formality. Yes, Jen was the one planning on getting pregnant last time, and this time it's me, but we are hoping to go through the same process (unmedicated IUI) so there really wasn't much to ask.
The doctor had a few routine questions for us. She also gave us the good news that this time we could fore go the psychologist visit. Then she told us that we could do our first attempt in December.
December.
As in next month.
Um, I was thinking February.
She said that I could get all my blood work and a sonohystogram done this month and as long as everything looked normal we could start inseminations in December. I was half excited and half freaked out. December seemed so soon.
After taking a few days to think about it and talking about it with Jen, we've made the decision to wait. I'm the type of person who likes to have a plan and stick with it. This was not the plan. Just because it's possible to start sooner doesn't mean that we have to. I can do all the screening now and do cycle monitoring through December to be sure that things are okay in January/February. (The fertility clinic is closed for the holidays, so it all depends on how their hours and my cycle coordinate.)
Plus, we only have three vials from our donor left in Canada. If we did attempts from February through April, that would give me a month or two off and then I could do attempts over the summer in Buffalo. (For newer readers, we have another three vials from our donor in the U.S.) Whereas if we started in December and were finished as early as February, it would seem like a long hiatus before doing the U.S. attempts and I think I would get impatient having to put things on hold at that point.
I need to keep reminding myself that we are not in a rush. Things will happen when they're meant to happen, right? (Fingers crossed that things do happen.)
Friday, November 4, 2011
{this moment} Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa
A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special,
extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If
you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the
comments for all to find and see.
Inspired by SouleMama.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
It's Not Him - It's You
I've been pretty honest about my feelings on nursing. Does it suck in the beginning? You betcha! Did it get better for me? Absolutely.
Until The Bean started teething, that is.
As his bottom teeth came in, little guy gave me a few good chomps. I developed the habit of nursing with one finger laying on my breast ready to shove into his mouth and pry those little choppers open. After those first two teeth popped through it got better again. Until the second set of teeth started coming through. At that point, he was biting me so much I started pumping. I do still nurse him once overnight, but otherwise I pump and we give him bottles.
At our 9-month visit we mentioned his biting to the pediatrician and immediately the doctor blamed it on a reduced milk supply. This is the second time he's indicated problems with my milk supply. The first time was months ago when The Bean went from sleeping through the night to waking up multiple times to nurse...something which Allison and I later figured out was a growth spurt.
Read: It wasn't my milk supply.
I've spoken to other moms who have had similar experiences with their peds. Nursing problem? Must be your milk supply.
As parents we are already under a lot of stress. We are pressured to live up to this ideal of a smiling mother preparing dinner with our left hand and vacuuming with our right while our little one swings from breast to breast happily sucking away. Please. And now we need to feel guilty about not producing enough milk every time there's a nursing problem?
Why is it that pediatricians automatically blame the milk supply? Seemingly without even thinking about other potential reasons for an issue.
Let's examine our recent situation.
Introduction:
Until The Bean started teething, that is.
As his bottom teeth came in, little guy gave me a few good chomps. I developed the habit of nursing with one finger laying on my breast ready to shove into his mouth and pry those little choppers open. After those first two teeth popped through it got better again. Until the second set of teeth started coming through. At that point, he was biting me so much I started pumping. I do still nurse him once overnight, but otherwise I pump and we give him bottles.
At our 9-month visit we mentioned his biting to the pediatrician and immediately the doctor blamed it on a reduced milk supply. This is the second time he's indicated problems with my milk supply. The first time was months ago when The Bean went from sleeping through the night to waking up multiple times to nurse...something which Allison and I later figured out was a growth spurt.
Read: It wasn't my milk supply.
I've spoken to other moms who have had similar experiences with their peds. Nursing problem? Must be your milk supply.
As parents we are already under a lot of stress. We are pressured to live up to this ideal of a smiling mother preparing dinner with our left hand and vacuuming with our right while our little one swings from breast to breast happily sucking away. Please. And now we need to feel guilty about not producing enough milk every time there's a nursing problem?
Why is it that pediatricians automatically blame the milk supply? Seemingly without even thinking about other potential reasons for an issue.
Let's examine our recent situation.
Introduction:
- I've been nursing fine for 9-months.
- My kid has recently started teething and biting on everything he can shove into his mouth.
- He's also recently started biting while nursing.
- Reduced milk supply. Natch.
 | |
| The Bean and I brushing our teeth VERY early in the morning. |
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Sprout?
Tomorrow we're going to the fertility clinic for our first consultation regarding Baby #2 (Sprout?). It'll still be a while before we start inseminations or anything like that. I imagine we'll do cycle monitoring in December and then maybe inseminations starting in January or February. We'll keep you updated. :)
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