party time! excellent...?

hubby's friends had a b-day party for their 1-year-old son that we'd never met (yes we're asses). they told us they had all the gear we would need (swing, playpen, bouncy seat, change table, crib, etc., etc., etc.). we decided to make the trip (about an hour away) since we felt bad that we'd never gone before, and also for the purely selfish reason that while the invites for our childless friends' parties aren't exactly fewer, it is slightly more difficult to make arrangements for a sitter with all that gear! ;) you do have to admit it's awfully convenient! and if the baby had a freakout crying session, well, his cries would most likely be drowned out by the other kids high on cake and coca cola.

it took us about 3 hours to gather all our gear, feed the baby, change him, get the gear into the car, feed us, feed him again, change him again, and so on, before we even got out of the house. even with all the promises of their gear, we still had an awful lot of our own (15 diapers, 2 cans of formula, 2 changes of clothes, etc., etc.). we arrived 2.5 hours late but it was ok. no one seemed to notice or, as parents in their own right, they understood.

the party itself was an interesting experience. it was our first time at a 1-year-old's b-day party. there was cold pizza (delivered 2 hours hours prior to our arrival), a vanilla backyardigans b-day cake, and pop. notice no alcohol on this menu. these friends of hubby's, that i had mainly spent time with drinking as a sport, hubby and i were suddenly having conversations about breastfeeding and labour pains and teething. the few childless friends that were there were left listening in, politely smiling at our stories about our adorable offspring, and most likely wishing for a glass of wine or shot of tequila to ease the pain. i can't believe this was us a year ago! have we really changed this much???

it was nice to get out of the house as a family to somewhere other than the grandfolks, and, i must admit, we had a pretty decent time!

oopsy toddler!

i'm certainly not an expert (yet) on 15-month-old's, but isn't suri cruise a little too old to still be on the bottle?

source

gorgeous natural toys for creative play

i recently came across natural pod's site featuring the most amazing natural, wood toys i've seen. priding themselves on stocking toys that bring out imaginative play and are sure to become heirlooms, it is truly a purist's idea of heaven! from wooden bicycles and toy planes, to soothing amber teething necklaces and soft organic dolls, there is something for everyone and it can be tough deciding what NOT to buy!

i was also pleasantly pleased to find out the site is canadian, which means i can buy more since i won't be hit with any ugly customs fees at the door!

um, what??

a thousand of these "baby bling" swarvoski crystal pacifiers were recalled after someone realized the glued-on crystals could come off and pose a choking hazard. crystals also contain lead. read full details about the recall here.

who would put one of these in their baby's mouth anyway???

look ma, no colic!

after a couple of whiny days, the little man is pretty chilled today! (although he did have a little freakout as i tried to eat lunch. so much so that i missed the purolator man trying to deliver hubby's hgtv player for review.)

it's a relief though. hubby and i have this paranoia that he is colicky, or will develop it if he doesn't have it yet! our neighbours suffered through it for months, as did we since their baby's room was directly across from ours.

however, i've gathered from obsessively reading up on the subject, that colic tends to run in a series of threes (i.e. crying for 3 hours, 3 days in a row, etc), and since today is the third day, it can't be, right? today he was relatively minor compared to yesterday and the day before. so i'm glad, not to mention relieved, about this.

had a pleasant afternoon that began after his minor freakout session at lunch. after an early start to the day, i decided to feed him in bed. feeding him while we're both laying down tends to result in more sleep for both of us. he ate for about half an hour, and afterwards we both drifted off to sleep. when i next looked at the clock, it was 2.5 hours later!! i couldn't believe i'd slept that long. i was about to get up to enjoy a few minutes by myself, when i noticed he was waking up himself... and he was hungry!

i took him downstairs to feed him but he fell asleep again after 30 mins. so i laid him in his crib. and he continued to sleep! this has been the biggest challenge lately! he'll sleep on anyone, anytime, but as soon as he's put down, he wakes up and starts wailing! except at night. which i guess we should be thankful for as the trade-off!

as he started to wake up, i ran a bath for him, and plopped him in before he had a chance to fuss. he was so happy to be in, seemed amused by a couple farts he let out (typical male), that i kept him in longer than usual.

so today has been a good day. i even had enough time for myself where i actually got a bit choked up thinking about how much i love the little bugger and how lucky i am! ;)

*yawn*. on afternoon naps

i have a hard time putting the baby down for naps in the afternoon. he falls asleep easily enough when feeding or when i carry him, but not sooner than a few minutes after i put him down ... wahhhhh! it makes for a fairly long day, i must say, esp. when i'm barely going on any sleep myself. sometimes i'm close to wailing with him.

right now i'm feeding him, again, for the third time in two hours. after his bath, i breastfed him for about 35-40 mins, we threw a load of laundry in (i held him in one hand), then went for a stroll in the backyard... he still seemed hungry and cranky so i made up a bottle of about 40 mL... he lazily drank that (as i began to doubt he was hungry). afterwards i rocked with him in our new glider we finally got on the weekend (ordered before he was born but that's another story), walked around with him throughout the house...and finally he fell asleep. i figured i'd put him down in his bassinet so he'd feel a bit more snug, as if i was still holding him. i went downstairs with the monitor to throw the laundry into the dryer, when i heard his cries come wailing through. and so here i am, again! i don't know if what i'm doing is bad, but man! it quiets him down pretty quick!

but really. he can go a whole day without a nap longer than 2o mins. by the early evening, we're normally so cranky and exhausted that we both collapse. then normally my mom comes to visit and complains that he's sleeping, and hubby soon after. usually mondays are the worst... i wonder if babies can get a case of the mondays?

when will i ever learn?

a too-good-to-miss sale on the tea collection line through a U.S. online site had me splurging a bit this week on some gorgeous clothes i've been eyeing since learning i was pregnant (since i didn't know the sex of the baby i couldn't buy anything then!). i'm a frequent online shopper and normally know the "tricks" of getting around certain shipping costs, esp. from small U.S. sites, because of the typically high customs rates we canadians have slapped on us. i've been hit with some pretty outrageous and unexpected costs at the door (sometimes higher than the total cost of the merchandise!). this wasn't one of those times... but close enough! seriously. when will i ever learn?
so i was in the middle of feeding him when i heard the knock at the door. i thought of ignoring it, but it was persistent so i finally get up with the baby in my arms, just as he lets out one of his famous turbo poops, a loud, violent force of shit that i can feel through his pants as i open the door. i see the UPS guy step back from the smell emanating from this kid, and perhaps i'm too embarrassed since i easily hand over my credit card to cover the charges.

still reeling, i head upstairs to change his diaper, set him down on the change table, and start to remove the diaper when i notice he's still not done!! there is still poop oozing out!! i let him finish, use a dozen or so wipes to clean him up, bend down to grab a fresh diaper, and notice a stream of liquid soaring over my head. i leap out of the way as i quickly grab whatever i can to block the pee from hitting us. i shake my head and wonder, again, when the hell i will ever learn!