Farting Noises

Lucas has learned to entertain us by making farting noises by blowing on the leather chair or an arm. He doesn't realize why its funny only that when he does it we laugh, so he continues to do it over and over again. Somedays I think he will grow up like his mother and love to be the center of attention. I wonder if that is a quality of being the oldest as everyone only has one person to focus on with the first, but when the second comes around the attention is more shared. Anyway it is very funny and it does make us laugh. Here are the pictures of Luke teaching his pop how to make farting noises on the chair.


Lucas has also become very good at walking along the furniture. Again I don't know how much of it is intentional but practice makes perfect. And since he loves to stand he is getting lots of practice. Also if we stand him up towards a cupboard he like to hang onto the knobs. As you can see in this pic. Darryl was opening a can of cranberries, so Emma had to get in on the action as well, just to be sure it wasn't a can of dog food.


Well I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

The Auction

This morning Darryl, Lucas and I went to a hardwood flooring auction. It was lots of fun and Darryl and I learnd lots. I want to turn one of the front rooms into a "play room" for Lucas the only problem is the carpet in there smells. So we wanted to put hardwood flooring down and heard about this hardwood auction. So we truck over to the "industrial" part of the city and take a look aroundat the hardwood we'd like. We decided on 3 1/4 inch gunsmoke oak (a dark stained oak in wide planks). The problem was this was our first auction and we had no idea how it was going to work and that stuff was first. So the guy explains the quality of the wood, 9 layers of veneer and veenered all the way around, not just on top. So we are thinking sounds good. So just like a typical auctionner the guy starts out 8 dollars, 8 dollars. I'm thinking 8 dollars! We came here for a deal. I was thinking more like 2-3 dollars. Then he starts to go down, 7 dollars, 7 dollars, 6 dollars 6 dollars. Whew, I was getting worried that this was all a big waste of our time. One he gets down to 2ish Darryl puts up his card, then other people start putting up there card, so it goes, 2- 2.50-2.75 Darryl bids again for 3, then someone else bid 3.50 then we bid 3.75, The auctionner is calling 4$, 4$ and no one is biding. Then he goes down 3.85 and that guy bids 3.85. Then the auctioneer is calling back at us 4$, 4$. But we decide not to go for it. We did stick around for a couple more lots of hardwood to be sold off so we could get the hang of it for next time.

It was a fun experience, one of those things everyone should do in their life. So now I can cross it off my list. At least till next time we go.....

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

The Break Up

Well today Lucas and I had a couple of day home interviews. Lucas did not get a proper nap and so he has been sleeping since 6;20. The good think was he wasn't incredibly grumpy the whole day, although was a little more subduded at the second interview. Plus there were lots of kids running around, which was a new thing for him. I wonder if he was thinking "where is Emma to round these kids up".

It is amazing how different two people can be at their jobs. The first woman I went to see was very laid back. She fed kids when they were hungry, put them to bed when they were tired and generally had a very lax schedule. She described herself as easy going. I have often described myself as easy going as well, but I don't know if I should anymore. I need to have a schudle and structre with Lucas. She seemed to really love the kids that she babysat and encouraged lots of outings and bbq's so the parents could meet eachother. The deal breaker for me and the first house is that she smokes. I don't want to put my child in that enviroment. The weird part is I have to call her next week and tell her. I did not really date alot (or at all) as a teenager, so I don't really know how to "break up" with people. It will be interesting to see how I do.

The second people we went to visit have a calendar with all the food and "big" activites they will be doing in a month. The parents all get a copy of this calendar. They have a much more structured day. This woman is part of an agency, which does offer some peace of mind, but does charge a fee for that peace of mind. One of the things I really liked about her was her desire to plan activites to help Lucas learn.

Although I am quite fond of the second lady I saw I'm not sure about holding a spot. Really I don't need someone to care for Lucas till August. Maybe I have started looking to early. The first woman said I would have to pay for each month from now to hold the spot. I understand it is their livelyhood, but it seems a like a lot of money for someone on unemployment. Well I will give the second lady a call and her agency and see where to go from there. It would be nice to know that I have a place for Lucas, but I'm not sure what price I'm willing to pay.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Sick in the Throat

Well today I am actually sick. Not just feeling bad about stuff but actually sick. My throat feels like it's swollen to twice it's noraml size, so the only food I"m really putting down there is liquid. I feel a little like Lucas. Darryl was good enough to stay home today so I have been able to sleep for most of the day. Unfortunanatlybeing sick means we missed our sign language class, which I am disapointed about. I really like that class. But there is always next week.

Lucas is definitly on the mend. My dad came over this morning and Lucas was so happy to see him. Usually he sees his Grandma and Pop once if not twice a week, but he hadn't seen Pop for over a week. I think it was the happiest I'd seen him all week. (Lucas I mean). Last night was also a bonus becuase he took the bottle to get to sleep and we didn't have to hear him crying. We have not been as fortunate with naps today, but hopefully it is a step in the right direction.

Yesterday we had Matthew come and visit us after school. Matthew loves bubbles and so he entertained both himself and Lucas by blowing bubbles for a good 45 minutes. It's amazing how much kids love other kids.

My friend Kristine had her baby today. It was a boy and they named him Micah. I'm so happy for both of them and hope labor went well for Kristine. It reminds me of the first couple of weeks with Lucas. Which seem like such a blur now. Mom and Dad were so helpful and so I hope you get lots of help as well. As I posted in their blog. Let the games begin!

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Sick to My Stomach

Well I probably shouldn't post today becuase I am having a bad day. It's amazing how some days can be good and even when things go wrong it doesn't seem so bad, but when you are having a bad day the smallest thing seems insurmountable.

Last month my child was a great sleeper. I don't know what's happened but now he cries when going down for naps and bedtime. I know that it is a phase that will pass but it's just so hard to hear him crying. I don't know what's wrong, but I'm getting tired of spending a half and hour to get him to go to sleep, when I just want some time for me. Which I know sounds so selfish, but this mothering thing is hard.

I'm also feeling sick about trying to find childcare for Lucas. This is another thing that is only bothering me because I'm having a bad day. I have some interviews lined up for Friday so hopefully that will go well. I'm just feeling bad about leaving him with anyone I don't know. I'm sure it will all work out fine and I know that it will be best for both Lucas and I to have some socially activites some of the days of the week. Plus I'm only going back part time. It's just a bad day problem.

Well enough with my negative rambling. I'm going to have some tea and chocolate. Maybe that will improve my mood.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Fun Times at the Park

Well Lucas has learned to love the park, which is of great joy to Emma. Usually by the time we are leaving the park Emma is exhausted. Lucas likes to stand at the slide and play with the rocks. When he first started to do it I hated the noise. It was like nails on a chalkboard. Of course he loved playing with the rocks. And it is one of the places where he will pull himself from a sitting to a standing position. Just to see those rocks on the slide. Amazingly enough he has not ingested any rocks, although attempted to once. I don't think he was to fond of their taste or hardness. So he has only tried once. Usually he just likes to make his hands really dusty with them.

Emma is an amazing dog. She will play frisbee while Lucas and I play. She is very good about bringing it back or just laying in the shade when she wants. She never bothers anyone else, but will let others throw her frisbee. Sometimes I worry that people will not like her being there, but once she catches that frisbee out of the air it is entertainment and most people are happy to have there kids entertained by Emma for a while.

Next we head over to the swings. Which he also loves. The swings was where we started in the park. At first I was quite worried he would go head over tea kettle but so far so good. And I push him quite high now. Not where I'm running under him, but I lift him up to chinish level and let him go. It usually gives him big smiles. Then I push and push, while he watches Emma and practices talking. It is very good for all of us. Emma gets to run and Lucas and I get some sunshine and fresh air.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Snotty Nose Booger Face

Well it's offical Lucs has his first cold. We are certainly fortunate enough that it has been 8 months and this is only our first cold. It is hard as an adult to have a cold, but it must be even worse for a kid. Especially a kid who doesn't know how to blow. So here I am every 5 minutes wiping up the snotty nose. Plus we can't really go anywhere or do anything becuase of this cold. Although we did go to Walmart today for some kleenex with lotion and baby dimetapp. Luke still doesn't really like the kleenex with lotion. His nose can get quite red too. Poor little guy. The worst is in the morning when the snot is caked all over his face. Then I have to use hot towels to get it off. It's hard for him to fall asleep as well becuase he's use to having the soother to fall asleep, but now he's so stuffed up he needs to breathe through his mouth.

The good news is that he is still in high spirts. Execpt when I am attacking him with the booger sucker or a kleenex with lotion. Today just before nap time we were reading one of our favorite blogs http://www.dooce.com/archives/daily/04_24_2006.html
Today's blog has a video of there little daughter singing a version of Twinkle Twinkle Little star. It is adorable. I was watching it with Luke in the chair with me and he was mesmorized with it. He would smile at her and look at me when it was over so I'd play it again. I'm sure he was thinking: Finally someone who speaks my language.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

PS Luce and Vlado I'm not sure of your e-mail but I heard you read the blog. We had your wine last night and it was delicious. Thank you very much. I look forward to trying more of it and introducing you to Luke in the summer.

Swimming is Exhausting

Well Lucas started swimming lessons today. I'm not sure if he enjoyed it or not. He didn't really smile throughout, but nor was he crying. It was probably the cold water that got to him. We did have fun and did lots of fun song and blowing bubbles in the water. The only time he smiled was when he saw Darryl watching from the sidelines.

On the way to lunch he fell asleep in the car. We wen in and had lunch then headed home and he fell asleep again on the way home. Maybe we'll have to try swimming beofre going to bed at night. =) It has exhausted him.

Till Tommorrow
Jenn

Incriminating Questions

So last night I went out with a bunch of people from the hospital where I use to work. It was great to get out for an evening. Plus I have an affinity for most of these people as many of these ladies are similar in age to my mother and when I first moved to Calgary they took me under their wing. I remember my first Thanksgiving in Calgary I had turkey at 3 different places.

During a converstation I was having with one of the ladies from the hospital she asked, what did I do all day? And what did I do when Lucas was sleeping? Now maybe she meant this innocently enough but I certainly felt like I had to stand up for myself. Especially since this person doesn't have children. Not that people without children can't be sympathetic, but I had no idea what it was like to be at home until I went through it. Not that being at home is the hardest job I've ever had, I guess the difference is that it is never ending. Whereas when you have a job away from home when it's done it's done. When you are a parent you are always on call. The job is never over. So yes I get breaks in the day when Lucas has his naps. Usually I am cleaning the house or finalizing mortgage stuff etc. But I also sit down and have tea, blog, watch Oprah. But I could get called back to work at any moment. Including 2:30 in the morning. I don't have my weekends off. I don't get to pee or eat lunch by myself. It is never ending. But it's hard to explain it unless you go through it.

The other incriminating question or more so comment I've been getting lately is about breast feeding. Breast feeding is such a tricky subject. Many people I talk to are surprised that I am still nursing Lucas. Honestly in some ways I am too. In the beginning there is such pressure to breast feed. Now that I'm good at it there is pressure to stop. We are almost done and I will be a little sad when it is over. It will be the end of an era, but that's a whole other blog.

Lucas has been doing so great. He does have a bit of a cold, so I think I'll have to break down and buy some kleenex for wiping his nose. =) He is also still having trouble going to sleep at night. But I'm sure it will be a passing phase. Other then that everything is status quo. No crawling yet. Tons of smiles and happy times in the day.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Toy Snob

Lucas is starting to become more demanding with his entertaining needs. It's funny how when you give kids good stuff they expect you to keep up with it. Now when i give Lucas a block that he has already seen in the last 24 hours he gives me a look like" Come on you've got to be kidding, this is the twenty first century, can't you find something better, I just played with this last night!". For the moment he is very into cars. Darryl had a bunch of matchbox cars (I think that's what they are called, but I can't say for sure becuase I am a girls girl) from when he was a kid and Lucas quite like to chew on them. For the moment those cars are the favorite toy. He will study them, put them in his mouth then stdy them somemore, see how the wheels turn. Really these cars are quite fascinating.

I'm even noticing the snobbery with books. We got some great usbourne books that are touchy feely or lift the flaps. Now when I read him a regular ole book with no interaction, he rubs the pages looking for the different texture or a flap to lift. I'm sure he's thinking, "come on mom where is the softness hiding or there's got to be a flap on here somewhere" Ahhh what a smart kid.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Elsewhere- Sarah McLachlan

I love Sarah. It's amazing how calming and mellow her songs are. Plus so many of them speak to me. Her song Ice Cream was my wedding song. It does remind me of Darryl everytime I hear it. The other thing that I find amazing about her songs is how they often have very different meanings then what I find in them. For example her song Hold On, really reminds me of moving to Calgary. Even though it's about someone dealing with the death of a spouse. Just the first line. Hold on, Hold on to yourself becuase this is gonna hurt like hell. I guess that is applicable to many situations.

Anyway we have been having some dificulties with Lucas and bedtime, part of the problem is he is loving his mom. Anyway tonight I was taking advantage of my new Tiger OS and playing Sudoku on Dashboard. One of the other "widgets" I have on dashboard is a tool that gives you the lyrics to the song that is playing on your computer at the moment. I had been listening to Elsewhere by Sarah McLachlan. Then Darryl called me in while he was giving Lucas his bottle to grab a spit cloth. The moment Lucas saw me he got upset and I ended up doing the rest of the bedtime routine.

So I take Luke upstairs to bed but he doesn't want to go to sleep right away. As long as I stay in the room he won't scream, so I stay in the room. He's playing with his soothers and his bunny and eventually rolls on his tummy and falls asleep. The whole time I am taking yoga breaths and the song "Elsewhere" is going through my head.

I love the time and in between
The calm inside me
In the space where I can breathe
I believe there is a
Distance I have wandered
To touch upon the years of
Reaching out and reaching in
Holding out holding in

I believe
This is heaven to no one else but me
And I’ll defend it as long as I can be
Left here to linger in silence
If I choose to
Would you try to understand

I know this love is passing time
Passing through like liquid
I am drunk in my desire...
But I love the way you smile at me
I love the way your hands reach out and hold me near...
I believe...

I believe
This is heaven to no one else but me
And I’ll defend it as long as
I can be left here to linger in silence
If I choose to
Would you try to understand

Oh the quiet child awaits the day when she can break free
The mold that clings like desperation
Mother can’t you see I’ve got
To live my life the way I feel is right for me
Might not be right for you but it’s right for me...
I believe...

I believe
This is heaven to no one else but me
And I’ll defend it as long as
I can be left here to linger in silence
If I choose to
Would you try to understand it

I would like to linger here in silence
If I choose to
Would you understand it
Would you try to understand...

The song is actually about being a teenager, but I felt so in the moment while upstairs breathing with Lucas.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Sign Language

One of the recent trends in babies and child rearing is teaching your children sign language. As a person who likes to jump on band wagons (for example after the Calgary Flames were in the playoffs all of the sudden I've become someone who watchs hockey on Saturaday nights) we have decided to take a sign language class.

I love this class. Alot of the other baby class I have taken have been here's a class for the mom and try to entertain your baby at the same time. I was expecting the same thing from this class. The instructor will teach us signs while we try to amuse our babies and we'll pick up half of what we should. Well this class is so much better then that. There is lots of signing and playing with the babies and then the instructor introduces signs while playing. For examples she brings out lots of bears and we play with them and learn the signs for bears. Then we sign a song about bears. Next is balls, next is a snack. It is a really great class and I'm hoping Lucas will have an easier time communicting with me when he can do these signs. It should take him a month or two but hopefully he'll get it. Darryl and I just have to be consistent with using them. Here is a pic of Lucas with his friend playing at the sign language class.

We are still having trouble with Lucas and not wanting to go to bed for the night. Tonight we'll try to keep him up until 8pm and see if that helps. Once he falls asleep he is down for the night. Which I am very grateful about especially when talking to other moms. I've also put him down a little later for his afternoon nap so we'll see if that can help sustain him better in the evening.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Sign Language

One of the recent trends in babies and child rearing is teaching your children sign language. As a person who likes to jump on band wagons (for example after the Calgary Flames were in the playoffs all of the sudden I've become someone who watchs hockey on Saturaday nights) we have decided to take a sign language class.

I love this class. Alot of the other baby class I have taken have been here's a class for the mom and try to entertain your baby at the same time. I was expecting the same thing from this class. The instructor will teach us signs while we try to amuse our babies and we'll pick up half of what we should. Well this class is so much better then that. There is lots of signing and playing with the babies and then the instructor introduces signs while playing. For examples she brings out lots of bears and we play with them and learn the signs for bears. Then we sign a song about bears. Next is balls, next is a snack. It is a really great class and I'm hoping Lucas will have an easier time communicting with me when he can do these signs. It should take him a month or two but hopefully he'll get it. Darryl and I just have to be consistent with using them. Here is a pic of Lucas with his friend playing at the sign language class.

We are still having trouble with Lucas and not wanting to go to bed for the night. Tonight we'll try to keep him up until 8pm and see if that helps. Once he falls asleep he is down for the night. Which I am very grateful about especially when talking to other moms. I've also put him down a little later for his afternoon nap so we'll see if that can help sustain him better in the evening.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Wednesdays.....

Well it' Wednesday again so I don't have too much to post about Lucas. I was at school this morning and everyone did really well on their tests. So I"m happy about that. I also don't have any pics to post from today. Hopefully tommorrows post will be a better one.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Smorgy

So everyone know you should not go to the grocery store hungry. I am not an idiot I know this. The problem is the time you go to the grocery store is when you need food. If you have no food in the house you are probably hungry, then you go to the grocery store. Anyway today I went to the grocery store hungry. Now I am eating a kit kat bar. This is after the chips I had with my lunch. I know I know you should not go to the grocery store hungry.

So yesterday mom and dad came over for dinner and we introduced Lucas to bubbles. At first he was not sure what to make of them. We did it again today in the back yard and he quite liked them. That is another good thing about the sign language class. It gives me ideas of new things to play with. If I know the sign I am trying to use it on a daily basis. Bubbles is a sign I know, so now we are playing with bubbles.

So last night at about 3am I heard this sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like someone popping that bubble wrap. I ignored it at first but it persisted, so I thought I'd get up to figure out what it was. Little Emma came down the stairs with me and headed right for the front door. Crazy me, opens the front door in the middle of the night and there is Torin, the cat. Somehow he got outside and no one knew. Needles to say he is quite exhausted today and didn't bother Darryl at 6am. Here is a picture of our scratched weather stripping.

Here are a couple more cute pic of Lucas. I can't believe that only 4 more months are left till I head back to work. All of the "computer" work I've been enjoying will have to slow down. Who knows if I'll have time to take pictures everyday....... Good thing SAIT work will only be part time.


Till Tommorrow

Jenn

PS Thanks to Tammy for the title of the blog today. Defintion of Smorgy: A meal in which you throw all kinds of things from the fridge together to come up with dinner.

Easter Weekend

Well it was a very busy weekend! Although my definition of busy has changed alot since I've become a mother. Lucas still napped when and where he was suppose to, so there was, as there always is these days, some down time.

My uncle, aunt and cousins came to visit from Saskatewan and my Oma and Opa came from BC. The weather was fairly nice here, which was great. We have a good visit with all of them and it's so nice for family to be together on holidays.


One of the nights we went to the Olive Garden for dinner. Of course there was an hour wait, but once we got seated Lucas loved playing with the menu. It was like a kid at Chrismtas with that menu. One of the nice things about taking Lucas out places is that people generally go and ga after him. Which is always fun.

Here is a picture of the turkey Darryl made. Darryl is such a great help in the kitchen. I could not do big dinners without him. He always does the turkey.

During the down time of the weekend I fell further into computer geekdom. As you can see there is also a new feature on the website a flickr link. I will post pictures on this website as well and you can feel free to make comments there as well. Then all pics will be in a general location.

Hope everyone had a great long weekend.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Monthly Newsletter- Month Eight

Dear Lucas,

Today you turn 8 months old. It's amazing to think that eight months ago at this time I was happily recieving an epidural and waiting for your arrival. Well it has benn another interesting month. You have become an expert on sitting by yourself. You can sit and twist all the way around. Although you are not qute sure how to get up or down from the sitting position. I can see that your lack of mobility is starting to frustrate you. Although I'm sure it will only get worse before it gets better. Maybe in the next month you will be crawling, but maybe not and that is just fine with Moomy. Although you are getting heavy to cart around everywhere.

We had lots of things happen this month that changed you from an "infant or newborn" into a full flegled baby. We lowered your crib so now you are way down there. We moved you from the little to the big tub, so now you look very small again while in the bathub, rather then very big in the baby tub. We also changed your car seat, so I cannot carry you around in your little car seat any more. I can't believe how fast you are growing up right before my eyes.

Another thing has happen which may have to do with the disruption in your sleep habits. I'm frustrated that it is affecting your sleep, but so happy that you feel this way. You love me. You really really love me. I have been putting so much love and work into you and now I know you feel the same way about me too =). I am trying to savour this because I'm sure the day will come very soon when you are pushing me away.

We have also started you on finger foods. Which has been fun. You don't really have the "pincher grasp" down pat yet so most of the time you end up raking in the cheerio with your whole hand and then sticking most of your hand in your mouth. It is funny and you have turned it into a pretty effective method for eating cheerios. It has been fun to try all different types of food out on you. Beef gravy, my yougourt in the mornings. Most food you quite like. So far you are taking after your father and are not a picky eater.

Well punkin I think that is it for this month. I love you so much.

Love Mommy

Bye-bye Little Blue Tub

Bye-bye mirror washing, bye-bye steamy bathroom. Hello big scary tub.

Well Lucas has graduated from his little baby tub to the big tub. I don't think either of us are too happy about it. But it is for his own safety. A couple of days ago he stood up in the tub by using the side of it to brace himself. I did have to catch him though becuase his arms were not long enough to support him while standing. He had a bath in there again today and did almost the same thing. So for safety's sake we are graduating to the big tub.

We will miss the little tub. Lucas likes to look at himself in the mirror when the tub is sitting on the counter. I started to clean off a foggy spot for him and now he does it himself. It was also easier on my back. Now I will have to be on my knees for his whole bath. Maybe I'll buy one of those bath seats for him. That may make me feel a little safer.

The other thing that will not be happening is the steam in the bathroom. We use to trun the shower on high and let it steam up the bathroom so it would be warm for him. Can't do that when he is under the shower head.

It's weird now to be putting things away that won't be used again till there is another child............

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

10 Random Things About Lucas

I got lots of comments on the random things about me, so let try it about Lucas.

Here are 10 random things about Lucas.

1. I wear lucky horse shoes.

2. My mom just started putting size 4 diapers on me at night, to hold all my pee

3. I don't like it when Mom and Dad leave me. I just realized that we were not connected but I really love to be with them. They always come back, but I really don't like it when they are not around.

4. My favortie TV show is Sesame Street, with Barney running a close second. Why is that you ask, becuase these are the only two shows mom lets me watch.

5. My favorite time of day is when Dad comes home from work.

6. I love blueberries and arrowroot cookies, although sometimes if I put too many in my mouth before swallowing I gag.

7. I'm starting to get frustrated that I can't move around more. When mom puts me on the linoleum I can move around more, but mostly backwards.

8. I have a picture of Florence in my room.

9. I've already been on a plane twice. So far I like flying.

10. I love to be outside. I like to run my fingers through the grass and watch Emma run.

Till Tommorrow

Lucas and Jenn

Things People Feel Strongly About!

Different people have different things that they feel strongly about. And usually people have a variety of different things. Tammy feels that you need to eat in the kitchen, not living room. Mom hates to be late for church. Darryl needs to sanatize the kitchen before cooking in it. It's interesting that everyone has there own things. Alot of people "things" have to do with cleanliness. I unfortunatly have none of those.

One "thing" I do feel strongly about is reading, especially to Lucas. When Lucas was first born we had to figure out a bed time routine. That was one thing I said had to be in there. Now everytime before going to bed, even naps, we read to him. I love it. I love to read him books. We recently got a bunch of "interactive" books. He caught onto them so quickly. He know where all the "lift the flaps" are. He know where to feel for the fuzzy ears or the rough paws in That's Not My Lion. Plus he quite enjoys alot of his older books. We read the same ones day after day, but he still listen and looks at the pictures. Goodnight Moon and Sheep in a Jeep are ones we had since he was born.

Now Darryl and I know most of his books off by heart. Sometimes one of us will break into the lines from a book. For example "big A, little A was begins with A" and the other one will chime in with the answer. "Aunt Annie Aliigator, a,a,a" Or we can recite whole books together. "A cow says mooo, a sheep says baaaa, three singing pigs say la la la" Honestly we could go on for days.

I am glad that Darryl has embraced reading aloud to Lucas. It was not his idea of fun and although he knew it was important for him, I think he was self concious about doing it. But lucky for me, he does it now with pleasure. I guess that's what happens when you feel strongly about something.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Random Things

Well I'm feeling very uninspired today. We have hit a blip with Lucas and his sleep, so I'm feeling a bit sleep deprived.

Here are a 20 random things about me.

1. I'm so glad Oprah is back with new shows. I really like Oprah. I think she genuinly cares about the world.

2. I am a flyer shopper. I always see things in the flyer that I think would be great and then when I get to the store I don't buy it.

3. I am frugal. Probably one of the reasons I like flyer shopping. You don't have to spend any money. I don't usually buy any clothing unless it's on sale.

4. My shoe size is 8

5. When I was a kid I wanted to be a radio DJ. And still enjoy talking in a microphone.

6. Usually I'm a chocolate lover but today I really felt like chips. Except when my dad was here last time he ate them all. So I ate chocolate instead

7. I am a tea drinker 100%. Not even close to a coffee drinker

8. I'm 26 years old and have had two major professions. First as an x-ray technologist and now as an instructor. Both jobs have been great.

9. I am very granola. I have a t-shirt that tells people to recycle. I pay for curbside pick up. I compost. The next vechile we buy I'd like it to be a hybrid.

10. I love to travel to new places. The next big new place I would like to travel to would be China. But I can't wait to take Lucas (and other children) to Europe.

11. I love to travel anywhere really. The next vacation for me will be Kelowna, then Florida, possibly with Ontario in between. All places I've been before.

12. If I had endless amounts of money and had to work any job it may just be as a flower delivery person. I did this one year with my Opa for mothers day and it was a blast.

13. My mom's side of the family is dutch. I eat stomput spinnazzi, mices and open faced sandwichs. My Oma is a great cook.

14. If I had to do another job that made money I would like to be a flight attendant for Westjet. Did I mention that I love to travel =)

15. Right now I am wearing a blue shirt. Blue has become my favorite color to wear, that may have something to do with having a boy.

16. My birthday is September the 15th. Please everyone wish me happy birthday on that day. I like to be the center of attention.

17. I like to wear patterned socks. Not plain white ones, but ones with color.

18. The best day of my life was my wedding day. It was so much fun.

19. The second best day of my life was hearing Lucas really laugh. The day Lucas was born is one of the worst days of my life. Not becuase he came into the world. That was great. But everything leading up to that was not good.

20. I am very ambitious. I don't know if that will change once I go back to work. I figure there may be a struggle for me between that part of me and the mom part. We'll have to wait and see who wins out.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Expectations

Well the weekend is over again. Time spent with Darryl seems to go quite quickly. I guess the saying true, time flies when you're having fun.

So last night Lucas did not want to go to bed. I 'm wondering if he was having some issues with seperation anxiety, either that or teething. About half and hour after going down he was up for 2 1/2 hours. Eventually he fell asleep again on my lap. While he was laying there I was thinking about this blog and the way I've been feeling about Lucas lately.

I'll start from the beginning. Last week I had my friend and neighboor Kelly over. We were talking about different expectations we had when it came to changes in life. For example getting married. When I got married I remember one older lady said I could quit my job now and stay at home. I must say I think I had pretty realistic expectations of marriage. It was very similar to before we got married, not too much changed in day to day life. Most of the time it is wonderful, easy and fun. But it does take work to keep it healthy and strong.

Next big event in life where you have expectations is having children. I expected that having kids would be alot of work. One thing I didn't take into account is the ups and downs. I didn't realize it would be so hard in the beginning and so much easier now. I thought the difficulty level would stay the same. But all in all being a mom, and have my year maternity leave has been alot of what I expected.

What has been very different then my expectations is how much I love Lucas. I know people tell you this but I thought it would be the same love as I feel for other people or pets in my life. But it's not. It is not like anything you have ever felt before. It take over your whole body kind of love. It's I'll sit up in this chair all night if that's what you need to sleep kind of love. It's I will do anything for you kind of love. It is certainly not what I expected. And it took time to develop.


Now people will offer to watch Lucas but all I really want to do is be with him. Today I needed to get some vacumming done because Dad is coming to clean the floors. Lucas doesn't like the noise of the vaccum. So I asked my neighboor to watch him for half and hour, but as soon as I was done with the vacumming I went over to get him. Or yesterday Mom and I were going to take Lucas to church. As time grew closer he was not up from his nap. I heard him stirring, just before we were going to leave, so I went into his room to get him and take him with us. I'm sure I sound like a crazy lady, but it true I just love that kid.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

PS In the picture of Darryl and Lucas they are laying on the bed that Darryl is almost finshed building. Isn't it beautiful? Solid walnut. =)

More the 100 posts

Well now we are over 100 posts. I hope you all have enjoyed my new venture. And as Lori said in her last comments. Long Live the Blog.

Mark, who is a fiancee of a friend of mine also has a blog. http://theesh.blogspot.com/. He was discussing his dogs, which are two Jack Russel Terriers. It is obvious he loves his dogs and is a dog person, becuase he was listing why dogs are better then cats. As many of you know I have both dogs and cats. Both are wonderful animals with there own great qualities, but if I had to choose which is better I would side with Mark and say dogs. (Sorry TIgger and Torin)

Cats do have there good qualites and can be the perfect pet depending on your lifestyle. If you like to travel alot it is much easier to get someone to watch your cat rather then your dog. There's also less of a chance you will get a stupid cat. Granted some are more friendly then others, but I have never met a stupid cat, whereas I have met lots of stupid dogs. Cats also purr, which was something that took me a long time to get use to with Emma. For sure cats are happy when they are purring. Dogs don't have an easily readable sign. I guess wagging your tail, but they don't do that when you are scratching them.

Now that I've had a dog, I would have to say that dogs take the cake. Although they can be a lot more work, you get a lot more reward from them. The cat doesn't coming running to the door when I come home, whole bum a wagging. Emma will come whenever called. If I'm crying Ems will lick the tears off my face. She stay with me as long as I want her to. I may be partial because I have a great dog, but I do think most dog owners would have traits they just love about there dog. Probably my favorite thing about the dog is that it requires me to get outside everyday. To do things that are good for my heart and my life.

Another upadte on Luke tommorrow, I have to go wake him.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn (a person who hopes to never live without pets)

Talk to Me, Tell Me Your Name

Two steps forward, two steps back eh? Lucas has been incredible for his naps and really incredible demeanor in general. Well the last two naps and going to bed last night habe been a bit more of a struggle. Although as I'm writing this he has quieted right down. K guess I spoke too soon. He has also not been great with his foods, so I'm wondering if some teeth are coming in and it's just a general unhappiness. That is the the thing with babies, it's so hard to know what's wrong becuase they just can't tell you. With that in mind....

This afternoon we went to a "Sign and Sign" class. It was alot of fun. I had almost forgetten about it till mom reminded me yesterday. We learned tons of signs today, so I'm going to start implementing some of them and teaching them to Darryl. The teacher for it was really great and there was lots of play and repitition which is fun for babies and helpful for parents. I'm hoping that we are going to learn lots and that Lucas will be able to communicate with his world sooner.

Lucas and I did have a ball yesterday. We played and played with the guitar. He seemed to really like it and I just let him pluck the strings. He not to happy when I do it loudly but he quite enjoys making music. He played with it laying down and upright. That is something I hope he enjoys in his lifetime- music. He doesn't have to play an instrument or be a prodigy but I do hope he likes it.

He is also still working on getting mobile. Rolling is his method of choice at the moment. Yesterday he rolled from the living room all the way down the hallway. Not really crawling yet, just rolling. He's also into a new thing this week where he lifts his legs and then bangs them on the floor. He always seems quite proud when this happens, but I'm sure it's becuae I give him a response to it.

Till Tommorrow (and it will be Friday already)

Jenn

Making Friends

Well now that Lucas has started to interact with his enviroment more he is enjoy the people and pets around him. I have been writing about what joy he is getting from Emma, but yesterday afternoon she got some joy from him as well. We were outside as it is raining today and suppose to tommorrow. Plus fresh air helps to tire him out. Anyway we were outside and I was looking for some "outdoor" toys. I brought Lucas one of Emma's unused tennis balls. But of course Emma saw that ball and she knew it was hers. Now being the good dog that she is she didn't grab it out of Lucas hands. Even though a couple of times I was a little worried. She just watched that ball very intently. Eventaully and I'm sure by fluke Luke threw the ball about a foot. Well Emma pounced on it and brought it right back to me. I gave it back to Lucas (who of course proceeded to put the ball in his mouth). He held onto it again and Emma watched quite intently. Eventaully I took the ball from Lucas and threw it for Emma. Lucas quite enjoyed that as well. I'm sure he's amazed tht she always comes back to us.

Also we had Shaun over for a couple hours yesterday while Tammy ran some errands. Not that Lucas was really playing with Shaun but I'm sure he was learning some lessons. If someone is bigger then you they can take things from you. And it's important to share with people who are bigger then you. They both also enjoyed playing the guitar.

Thanks for the response about the elliptical. I'll have to do some more research. And let you know what I decide.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

It Takes a Village

Well last night mom and dad were over for dinner. Darryl came home for a quick bite to eat, and to help us finish off the pies and then was off to a hockey game. Where the Calgary Flaems lost in the shoot-out 2-1. Mom and Dadcame over for dinner and to give me a break from taking care of Lucas. During that time they were teaching him new things. Things I would have never thought of. It really made me realize that although Luke is crazy about me it is important for him to be around others. That he learns new things from other people. For me that is another reason to have Lucas go to daycare some of the time. He will learn alot (I'm sure both good and bad) from the other children and the adult taking care of them. I want him to be exposed to lots of different people. I will just have to learn how talk to him about what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. Ahh parenting, it's going to be a barrel of monkeys.

Yesterday was beautiful weather so we spent alot of time outside, whereas there has been the threat of rain for the next couple of days so I figure we'll be inside more. Here's a pic of Lucas in his sweater from Oma. It fits him perfect and will work well as a spring coat/coverup. Today we took a quick jaunt to the offleash. It's amazing to see how much entertainment Lucas gets from Emma. He loves to watch her play with other dogs or catch the frisbee. Although I fear Emma's days of peace are numbered. Lucas will be on the move in the next month or so and I'm sure he will chase that dog till he's exhausted.

A side benefit to blogging, it's keep up my typing skills.

You may have seen in the comments from yesterday Mo telling me about his eliptical. Now that I'm not nursing as much I need to be more concious of exercising and what I eat. My days of eating cheesecake without guilt are coming to an end. If anyone saw Desperate Housewives a couple weeks ago, I am starting to relate to the women who was breast feeding her 5 year old to stay thin. Not that I'm thinking of doing that but I can sympathize. I am thinking of getting some sort of exercise machine to do in the evenings once Lucas is down. If anyone knows of anything great please let me know.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

Well the time change has managed to give us a bit of trouble. Atleast more trouble then last time. We are slowly adjusting and I have to depend on watching Lucas and knowing his signs more then watching the clock. Today the naps have been at the normal times so maybe bedtime will be closer to 7:30 rather then 8pm. Darryl is off to a hockey game tonight, so I think it will just be meto put him to bed.

So poop is now coming fast and furious. K maybe that's a bit of an overexaration but now that he eats more solid food then liquids he is pooping way more. The poops are also become more like adult poops rather then baby poops. Anyone out there who has kids knows exactly what I'm talking about. I guess these are all good signs. All I know is whenever I call Health Link they always ask about pee and poopy diapers so along as he still going we must be good.

The Junos were on last night which reminded me to two distinct things. First off is when Darryl, Lexie and I went to the Junos a couple of years ago when they were in Edmonton. It was alot of fun. We drove up for the day, watched people arriving on the red carpet, saw Alanis Morrisette host the show and saw lots of my favorite artisits. Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Micheal Buble, Alanis, Nelly Furtado. It was a very good show.

The other thing that the Junos reminded me of last night was a good friend of mine Alex Neaves. Alex always liked Bryan Adams, we (Susie, Riisa and I) would often tease him about it. At the time I guess Bryan Adams was not very cool. Although now I am quite a fan. Bryan Adams was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame last night by a very funny Chris Martin. My friend Alex is getting married this weekend. Part of me can't quite believe it. He is my first highschool friend to get married. Congradulations Alex, you will love being married. It is great. I hope your day is one you will remember always and I will be thinking of you on Saturday.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Why Did Great Big Sea determine Lucas's name?

Well not much is new here. Weather is good. Lucas has been great. Did some shopping. Had dinner at mom and dad's. Pretty much same old same old. As you can see in these pictures Lucas is eating more and more foods. Here he is eating an orange. Plus a picture of why Emma is starting to love Lucas more and More Leftovers. What I thought I would do insetad of giving you the run down of the day is let everyone know why we named Lucas, Lucas.



I found it to be one of the hardest parts about having a baby. I mean other then the obvious birth, uncomfortableness etc. It was also important to Darryl that we went in with a list of girls and boys names because he wanted to look at the baby before we gave it a name. There is some criteria that we both had about names.

It could not be in the top 10. Having the name Jennifer Brown. I know what it's like to have a very common name. I wanted my child to have a known name and one spelt in the normal fashion, but it could not be in the top 10.

In my case it needed to have a short form. I like to shorten names so I thought it would be best if it had a short form so that I didn't give him a crazy one, like I did with Shaun. Tammy and Pat named there youngest Shaun and many people now call him "Shauny". He will even refer to himself as Shauny.

I also wanted a longer name that could be formally used and that went with a short last name like Park. Mark Park doesn't work, where as Nathaniel Park did. Also if it was a boy we were going to use Gordon as a middle name after Darryl's dad. We even debated for a while having Gordon as a first name.

There were alot of girls names that I like although I was gunning for Katherine after my grandma. Other girls names on the list were Boys names were a little different. Darryl had always liked the name Nathaniel. So that was on the list. Other boys names on the list were: Samuel and Thomas. We did a poll online to see which names people liked. Some one pointed out that with the name Thomas the initals would be T.P. as in toliet paper. So that name left the list. We also had a few names that came and left off the list. Charlie and Xavier, were two of them although I'm sure there were more.

About a month before giving birth one of the ladies from our prenatal class had there baby and they named him Nathaniel. Not that took the name totally off the list, but it did move one of our favorites down a little. While looking for names I found this great book. The Baby name wizard. http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html
It is a great book when looking for names. I use to carry it everywhere when I was pregnant. I remember sitting in my whale pool being very prgnant and reading this book, trying to find the "perfect name". It wasn't until I was about a week overdue and trying everything on the planet to get this baby out that we put the name Lucas on the list. It fit the criteria, a name that people know but is not to common, sounds good with Park, and has short forms.

In the delivery room after many hours of pushing, out came the baby. When we looked at him Darryl said he didn't really look like a Nathaniel. So we had to decide did he look like a Samuel or a Lucas. We pondered over it as we studied all his beautiful hands and toes. Tiny little fingers and beautiful finger nails. Before Darryl went home that evening I wanted to decide. So once they brought us from the delivery area to the new moms area we had to make a descion becasue Darryl had to go home. I said if we named him Lucas he'd already have a song. Lukey's Boat by Great Big Sea. Darryl smiled and we had our little boys name. Lucas Gordon Park.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn

Party Time

Well it has been a fun filled 24 hours of parties. Last night I went to a Luscious Bags party. If you ever go to a party like this my advice is to go early. They had lots of nice bags at good prices but some of the bags I would have bought I couldn't becuase someone else had already bought them and all of their stock is at the house. I did come home with a fairly nice bag and it was only 15 dollars, so the price is right.

This afternoon we also went to Clarke's birthday party. Clarke turned one and is our next door neighboor. We figure as the boys get older they may be good friends. It was a great party, with the best birthday cake I've had in a long time. Lucas enjoyed watching all the other kids and playing with lots of new toys. Darryl and I also enjoyed playing with the other kids. Lucas is at an age where he wants to play but can't do it independantly yet. Well he can, but not very well and not with lots of other kids around. So either Darryl and I end up hanging out with him and all the other kids, while the other adult gets to socialize with other adults.


This morning I had my hair done but my new neighboor and friend Kelly. I thought it may be weird to "pay" your friends, but it wasn't at all. Plus I got a great hair cut (not so triangle head any more) and I didn't have to drive anywhere. She has an adorable little daughter who I also had lots of fun with.

Till Tommorrow

Jenn