A New Year Begins. Again.

So, I haven't been blogging for about a month and a half. Lots happened between the last time I blogged and now. Like Christmas, where TodderL got over 20 presents. It was toy carnage for a while. Like this blog turning 5 years old. Like how I had to work over Christmas. Like how cold it's been so far, and that we had snow long before winter was official. Like how our mall Santa experience was waaaaaaay better than the previous year's. Thanks goodness!

This year, I'm going to be focusing on certain things. Purging stuff (we have way too much stuff, and I'm not talking about toys!), and this includes the amount of personal emails I subscribe to. And junk food. Getting more organized and becoming more efficient at cleaning. I've actually decided not to make resolutions. Instead, I have goals. But I'm going to approach my goals in a slightly different way. Instead of being overwhelmed with doing everything at once, I'm going to pick one or two goals once a month or every other month and try to develop each one into a habit.

What I've discovered, even today, I need to create habit, and stick to them, otherwise nothing ever will get done. It's okay if I fall off the wagon, because it's going to be a habit that I will get back on track with, like brushing teeth. I certainly hope that brushing teeth is a habit for all.



More on my life soon enough.

Childhood Diseases, So Far...

This last month has been really busy for us. In between boughs of daycare colds, we went to Orlando, Florida for a nice trip. It included Disney World, Sea World and Kennedy Space Centre. It also included the biggest goose egg bump on ToddlerL's right forehead. Again. He's fallen and hit that same area so many times that he's formed a weird dent on that side. Seeing the insides of the first aid station at Disney World, twice, was definitely not part of the trip itinerary (The other time was my mom getting heat exhaustion. Apparently we picked the week to vacation when the weather gods decided to give Orlando record high temperatures and lots of humidity. It was good times).

Since starting daycare, ToddlerL has had a number of colds and a couple of fevers, which I had completely expected. I also expect the diarrhea and vomiting. While worrisome and gross as these ordeals may be, I fully expect them at some point and will be (hopefully) prepare to nurse my son back to full health while undergoing a number of sleepless nights myself.

However, he also had some other illnesses which I had never heard of before having a kid. To date, he's had:

• Roseola - He ended up getting spots on his extremities and not the trunk of his body. 
• Hand, foot, mouth disease - his spots haven't completely faded yet
• Reactive airways disease - this is the most worrisome for me as this may develop into asthma later on

While I know many people have asthma, and they learn to deal with it and still live a normal life, I couldn't believe the types of emotions I had when I was told this this may be a possibility for ToddlerL.  I mean, it's okay for everyone else's kid, but my own, and to have to acknowledge that my child may not be in perfect health, well, it's hard. Heart speaking over the head. I never thought I'd actually feel this way. Nonetheless, we have an appointment with the asthma clinic next week, so I will just have to learn to accept reality and move on. Baby steps, right?

The Last Eight Months

Since going back to work, I haven't blogged at all. It's taken me a long while to get back into a new groove, and I still feel like I'm struggling. But enough whining for now, I will whine some more later. Now is the time to update you on the last eight months.

So I have a Facebook account. And I've discovered over time that my statuses tend to be stuff about my kid, practically a micro blog. Today is the day he turns 18 months old. No matter which way you measure it, he is now a full-fledged toddler. So without further ado, the last eight months of my kid's life (with some very minor editing):

Feb 8 - BabyL is 10 months old!!!! He's crawling up a storm and pulling himself up! Pictures are coming, promise...!

Feb 21 - Tooth #5 and #6 have arrived! Finally!

March 8 - Weed has a 11-month old! Pictures coming soon. Counting down to the big 1

March 10 - BabyL has cut tooth #7. Lower left, next to his middle teeth.

March 22 - BabyL got into the daycare centre that was #1 on my list. Yayayay! But I have to wait until July before he can start. But he got in!!! Such a relief!!!!

March 25 - Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!! It'll be BabyL's first birthday in exactly two weeks!

March 31 - Just wrote out a bunch of cheques to BabyL's new daycare. Bubye money... Wah...

April 1 - BabyL took his first steps today!!!!

April 6 - BabyL had a fun day with Grandma! Hubby is now back at work....

April 8 - One year ago today at 6.38pm, after almost 40 hours of labour, I gave birth to my awesome little dude! Happy Birthday BabyL! Pictures forthcoming, Mummy's been too busy planning the Birthday Party :D

April 10 - Weed made a lot of cupcakes last night for BabyL's birthday party! Yum! It's going to be beautiful day for a party. I hope my kid can nap after all that sugar.

April 17 - Weed hopes that she's not coming down the the cough that  BabyL had all week! I'm beginning to get a tickle in my throat.

April 18 - BabyL cut tooth #8 today!

May 2 - We finally figured out what BabyL's first word is: mum mum. Not Mama. He also can sign "more". So it's more mum mum. More food. My kid's a walking stomach.

May 6 - Thinks that BabyL may be allergic to egg whites. Yay.

May 14 - So... when does the picky phase end?

May 19 - Reacted from his MMV/Chicken Pox shots. Spots all over. But he's doing better.

May 30 -  BabyL's new bedtime routine: headbutting Mummy. Ouch!

June 6 - Cough + runny nose + bad nap weekend = One very grumpy little dude (and one very tired mummy!)

June 12 - Hubby thinks that BabyL has cut tooth #9, a molar! Or at least somewhere further back. I still have yet to see it myself...

June 13 - Apparently BabyL had cut tooth #9 & 10, both molars, in the past couple of weeks. I see lots of white back there!

June 19 - Weed just spent a LOT of money getting school uniforms for BabyL! For Daycare! Eeep!

June 20 - BabyL had a Pirate Pack in celebration of Father's Day! Yum!

June 26 - BabyL's just went to his first Star Trek Convention!

Jun 29 - BabyL's new favourite pasttime: breaking off mid-nurse to sing or make funny sounds, then continues nuring againg. Good times.

July 4 - BabyL had his first fast food burger today -- an A&W Baby burger

July 5 - "Boooot". That's the sound BabyL makes after he farts, or if he hears you fart

July 6 - BabyL had a great first day at school! And in other news, I noticed tooth #11 & #12. One just broke the gum, the other's been out for a while, but I didn't see it until today.

Aug 3 - BabyL's first piece of artwork from school -- a lovely piece of abstractness rendered in orange and brown crayon -- is now displayed on the refrigerator door.

Aug 12 - Weed wonders when BabyL will stop his transitioning to one nap and just start sleeping at a regular time. When...?

Aug 13 - The day I've been waiting for since BabyL was born: BabyL's favourite word now is "No!"

Aug 13 - #15 & #16 are now out! Finally, he's been a drool monster for the past few weeks!

Aug 22 - Weed has a little dude that LOVES rice.

Sept 2 - BabyL's new word is "more". He can say and sign "more" at the same time. More food. More of his favourite smiley crackers. More playing with Mama when she's tired. More singing Itsey Bitsy BabyL (Spider) for the 27th time...

Sept 3 - Weed is so not impressed that BabyL pushed his entire dinner onto the floor. Definitely not one of his cuter moments. Good times.

Sept 5 -  Kale Chips: the only green vegetable that my kid will voluntarily eat.

Sept 12 - Weed will never, ever, ever, ever, EVER go to a mall without a stroller. Ever.

Sept 13 - BabyL's way of saying good night to Mama: "Bye-Bye"

Sept 20 - BabyL's new comfort pose: right index finger shoved in his mouth, left index finger shoved in your belly button.

Sept 26 - Not only does BabyL LOVES spinach, he asks for more!

Oct 1 - This mama experienced her first trip to the ER with BabyL. Let's hope it's the last time :( At least the little Dude is okay. (Thanks for the concern everyone. BabyL had a bad cold and a fever, which is why we went to the doctor. The doctor heard wheezing and sent him straight to the hospital. In the end, the doctor said it's reactive airways disease, which shows itself as asthma-like symptoms. He too young right now to tell if he will have asthma, we have to wait a few more years before they can run test, I think. He's on some meds to help clear the wheezing, and we're going to an asthma clinic eventually. Other than that, he's back to his old self.)

Oct 7 -  My kid had ketchup for dinner.

Oct 8 - Weed has an 18-month old. No more baby, but lots of toddler boy awesomeness! Bring on the good times!

Mud!!!

So I've waited about 1.5 years to go to the fancy spa downtown. I actually had about 5-6 hours to myself, without the kid for a change, and I was so looking forward to it! I had decided to do a full body massage (about 80 mins) and something else I'd never tried before.

Looking at the spa's website, I had no clue as to what I wanted to do, largely because the website was poorly laid out and the content didn't make a lick of sense to me. I decided on a mud bath because the person at the other end of the phone suggested it.

Entering the room, I saw a very large tub on one side filled with water. I got to pick between two scents: chocolate mud and pine mud. I chose chocolate because I didn't want to leave smelling like a tree! The spa lady told me to carefully sit myself in it, and of course, in true Irene fashion, I slipped while sitting down, but managed to catch myself myself.

Sitting in the tub was interesting. There were several rows of, what I will call "disco lights". Jets of water sprayed at me from my shoulders to my toes. The spa lady explained that the treatment was designed to stimulate my circulation and my lymphatic system, so I might feel warmer as the treatment progressed. Once the treatment started, the mud was dumped into the water, and the jets rotated being turned on, from my toes up to my neck. I figured it was to encourage my blood to flow to my heart. The disco lights alternated from a combination of yellow, green, blue, and red. I think it was to help you relax, but I don't see how that works. I just kept looking up expecting to see a disco ball.

I started getting overheated near the end of it, and even halfway, I was feeling quite warm. I told the spa lady this, and mentioned I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it again. She mentioned the next time I could ask for the water to be cooler, or to shorten the time I was in the water. I'm not certain that I would want to do another hydrotherapy treatment. While I see the detoxification potentials, it wasn't exactly relaxing. The jets, at best, was no better than a Swedish massage (which does squat to release the knots in my muscle). The foot bar that I was resting my feet on was a tad too far away for my feet to rest properly on and to prop my body up. I had to tense my body a bit to make certain I didn't feel like I was drowning.

All in all, it was an interesting experience, but I'm not certain if I'd do it again.

Article: Shopping Just For The Sake of Buying "Green"

I ran across this article today, and I totally agree with the sentiment. All the greenwashing out there is really getting out of hand and has become a big booming business. I certainly try my best to think of alternatives, but it's hard when we live in a culture of "wants".

Shopping Just For The Sake of Buying "Green". | The Good Human

15 Days And Counting...

I have 15 days left before I go back to work. I'm officially back as an employee February 8th, but I took that week off with my overabundance of holiday time that I've racked up. It's meant as a transition time for me and Hubby, but what it's turning into is a week of me trying to get last minute stuff done.

BabyL is growing by leaps and bounds. He's crawling faster each day, and is pushing himself up to sitting, kneeling, and if the prop is low enough (like my legs when I'm lying down), pushing himself on his feet. I don't think it'll be long before he learns how to pull himself up and starts cruising around furniture.

What I'm not looking forward to is not so much taking the bus to work, but the fact that I've chosen to go back to work at the beginning of Olympics. Where I work is actually an Olympic venue, so I really have no clue how nutso traffic will be taking the bus. We'll see what happens...

Book Review - Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

I think I like this book more than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (PPZ). Like the predecessor, the author of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (SSSM) takes a well knows Jane Austen novel and puts his own twist in it. I felt that the book's altered universe was better woven into the main plot of the story than PPZ. Certainly, despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of SSSM, the altered universe was much less awkwardly inserted into the story.

Sense and Sensibility is my least favourite Jane Austen novel, mostly because I can't stand Marianne's character.I still didn't like her very much in this novel; in fact, she was equally as annoying as her original. But that just meant that Ben H. Winters kept somewhat true to the characterisations in the novel and has a pretty good grasp of the novel's nuances and themes.

My only complaints about the novel are:

• beyond a vague mention of a sea witch, we never find out exactly why Colonel Brandon received his affliction
• Sub-Marine Station Beta is London, so mentioning that there is a city of London in the story makes it a tad more confusing. Why is it that people would want to go to London when there is Sub-Marine Station Beta?
• Eliza William's ordeal, though the author tried to make it shocking and humourous, I actually thought it was sort of a let-down. I mean, I didn't find it all that villainous as compared to the events in the original book. Which made

If that wasn't exciting enough, Quirk Classics had also released a book trailer...