Canada Day Long Weekend

Renos on bathroom are complete. It's very yellow.

















Chance got a new toy box.















Lots of yummy treats, like new teething cookies. Very tasty, very hard to chew, but very good for stimulating very itchy gums.















Spending time with Daddy, what fun!
















Front teeth are really popping through now.

"I have a bear on my doorstep!"

Those were the first words out of my mouth while I was on the phone with the police. Then it occured to me that they might think I meant a REAL bear. Here's the deal:

Monday afternoon my neighbour Juanita dropped off a Stuffed Bear wearing a back pack. Inside the back pack was a log book, detailing the Bear's journey. The Bear is originally from Toronto, it seems. Also in the back pack were 2 disposable cameras and an envelope of money and cheques. The idea is that you make a donation, then pass the Bear on to someone you know, who passes it on to someone they know, etc.

I thought it seemed to sweet to be real, so I followed up on the registration number provided on the Govt. of Canada's website. No luck. I phoned them, and the Ontario government. Still no luck. So here I am with a dumb stuffed Bear and a bunch of other people's money. Without a valid registration number I'm not going to donate and I'm certainly not going to pass the Bear on! I was told to contact the local police.

The police officer on the line said to bring the bear in to the nearest police detachment. So....the Bear is going to jail!

Soup-er Lunch!

Chance and I ate the exact same thing for lunch today: tomato soup with elbow macaroni, crackers, cheese and watermelon. It sure seemed like Chance was impressed that he was eating "grownup" food!

Auntie Jim is a Photoshop Queen

Top Front Teeth

These little babies made their appearance on Saturday, June 23, after several days of blue gums, a runny nose (see the crusty nostrils...ewww...), and generally grouchy temperament in the evenings. A lot of work but they sure are cute though!

What's for dinner?

Does anyone have an idea for dinner? We had chicken and pasta last night. The winning submission will be featured on this website for all to enjoy! Please submit dinner ideas/recipes by commenting or email to cddemmans@shaw.ca! Bonus points if your recipe is baby-friendly (i.e. can be chewed by a nearly-toothless 8 month old boy. 5 PM deadline or else Cam cooks!

Back from Vacation

We arrived back from our vacation in Northern Saskatchewan yesterday afternoon after 7.5 hours in the truck traveling from Grandma and Grandpa Demmans' farm in Meadow Lake.

The trip up went exceedingly smooth, Chance went to sleep right away in his car seat and we clocked 285 km he woke up. We drove a bit further while he played with his toys and then stopped in the park in Viking, Alberta, which is right next to the railway tracks and Chance got to see his first freight train up close and personal! He just stared at the train cars rushing by and hung on tight while I held him.

After all the crawling around in the park and a big lunch, Chance soon went back to sleep and we drove another 280 km before stopping at the North Saskatchewan river.

The last leg of the trip was a bit harder, everyone was tired of being in the truck but we arrived around 4 PM and soon we all happier with Grandma and Grandpa. Chance was so happy crawling around on their big lawn.

We stayed at the farm on Saturday night too and were off for Missinipe on Sunday. We left early in the morning and took a gravel road to La Ronge, where we stopped for a short visit with Cam's grandma and Auntie Juanita and cousin Tanika. Chance and Dani stayed at the house while Cam picked up some groceries and then we continued north for about an hour to Missinipe, arriving around 4 PM.

The cabin had a hot tub which wasn't very hot so Chance could take a dip in the evening. He really enjoyed the warm water.

Fishing from the dock proved successful and Dani landed a pickeral (about 1.5-2 lbs) and a 1-lb perch, delicious for supper the next night! We had some rain, but went into La Ronge for a better visit with family and were treated to a fish supper. We also visited Robertson's Trading Post, the very same that Chance is named for. Chance came away from La Ronge with a new toy from his cousin Tanika, a rider-car (which is actually a zamboni, Tanika told me). It has a horn that beeps and he loves it, along with the other attachments.

On Wednesday Cam told me that I needed to get down to the plane launch as soon as possible as he had arranged for me to hitch a ride on a flight to pick up 2 fly-in fishermen with Osprey Wings, the local float plane carrier. He had said that he wanted to make sure that I had some alone-time while we were on vacation, but I didn't expect this!

On Thursday we went for a hike along one of the prospector trails that had been cut by Cam's ex-employer, Golden Band Resources. We stopped halfway for a fire and lunch.

Chance didn't have one incident while we were at the cabin until the last night. Cam was cooking dinner and Dani was packing, and Chance pulled a small night table on top of himself. It was light, so it scared him more than hurt him, but still he had a little bruise on the bridge of his nose to show for it. At Grandma's there was a tussle with a kitchen chair that Chance got the worse end of. Poor baby has really toughened up though as he did not cry much once in Mama's arms.

We started back home on Friday and stayed for the weekend at Meadow Lake. Our trip to Calgary was smooth until about 100 km away from home. Then Chance had had enough of the truck and no amount of cheerios could placate him. The cheerio container spilled and we had to stop to dump out the car seat. There were tears and screams for the last 45 minutes of the trip. Chance was soooo happy to be home, and he clearly was excited to see Scarlet. I'm not sure how happy Scarlet was that we had brought Chance home.

All in all, it was a great vacation. The carpet is a little scratched up...kitty was not too happy all by herself, it appears. The garden is doing not bad, the darn spinach isn't growing though. A bit of junk mail to sort through and 50 emails to read, but everything else was pretty much in order. We are glad to be home.

They're gone...at last!

Scarlet here, reporting that the house is quiet. Personally, I like it. Oh sure, they'll be back next week, with him, but for now I'm enjoying the peace and quiet. Sometimes it's nice when my people go on a long vacation.

The Big Bang

Tonight just before bed Chance was jamming to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on his aquarium, hanging on to the crib bars and jumping up and down in the crib. Then he slipped and hit his mouth on the crib bars. It happened so fast! His little sharp teeth must have pinched his lip because there are two hairline cuts on his lower lip - like a quotation (") mark. There was a bit of blood but I dabbed it with a washcloth and then got him nursing, I figured the suction/pressure would stop the bleeding, seemed to work. His lip is slightly swollen, I hope it is better tomorrow.

Teething, front and centre

3:10 PM, Tuesday, June 12

Crafty AND organized!

Yesterday I took a staple gun and some wire to our computer desk and tidied up all the delicious tangled cords that surrounded the work area.

It really was an improvement! If you don't believe me, here is the BEFORE picture:

It didn't take very long, maybe an hour or so by the time all the wires were untangled and sorted out. I fastened all the wires under the table, even some of the peripherals like the modem box.

Additionally yesterday I finished sewing Chance's new sleeper bag. His old one still fits him, but it is not going to be long before he needs something larger. So now instead of a Rocket Bag, he's got a Penguin Bag.

While I write this Chance is exceedingly interested in the bookshelf, which up to this point has been hiding behind his playpen and bath tub. "Hmmm...look at all the THINGS to pull from the shelves!" he seems to be thinking!

All tuckered out

On Friday Chance woke up quite early and it was a struggle to keep him awake until his regular nap time at 9 AM. Actually it was a losing battle. I tried shifting him around and playing with him and dancing and playing peekaboo, then I wanted to get the laundry started before he went down, so I put him in his crib with the mobile on. I could hear him playing with aquarium toy that is hanging in his crib, it makes sounds and has lights, Chance was squealing and hitting the buttons. I started the laundry and then came upstairs...and it was quiet, except for the mobile music. Chance had passed out in the crib, and his legs were sticking out, it was so cute I had to take a bunch of photos and even used the flash because I didn't want them to be blurry. He never even flinched.

I purchased a cowboy hat for Chance to wear to this year's Stampede events. It is a bit too large for him, but it only makes it look cuter. What a little buckaroo.

****Last night was the first time that Chance slept through the night! He slept from 8:30 until 5:45. I went to bed at quarter to 11, so that was 7 hours of contiguous sleep - awesome!****

This morning Cam took care of Chance while I went out for a nice bike ride in Fish Creek Park. I saw 4 male mallard ducks land right in front of me while I was taking a rest by the river. Then biked home and saw the neighbours were having a garage sale (it was only 8 AM, so I swooped in to see what they had as I figured it wouldn't be too picked over yet). I bought 2 finished wooden shelves for $5, they will be great storage in the laundry room (for the laundry soap, stain remover, baby stain remover, bleach, etc.) I nursed Chance and then headed out to see my friend Lynne at her house and enjoyed a nice morning coffee with her before coming home around noon. Daddy had managed to get Chance to eat all his carrots and cauliflower (which he LOVES, that surprised me, I thought it would be too bland for him), as well as a bunch of Cheerios.


This morning we saw Chance pull himself up to standing on the kitchen chair, and then let go and grabbed his high chair legs. Not quite cruising, but getting braver.

Do-It-Yourself Farce

OK, so I started painting the cracked, peeling, ugly windowsill in my kitchen. I thought it was funny that the paint looked more like white glue than paint. Shrugged, and kept on painting. I thought maybe it would dry white. Finished and cleaned up. Then I read the can. It said: ACCENT BASE. I looked up ACCENT BASE on Google and found out it is a protective coating, NOT paint. So...I have 2 AFTER photos. 1 after the ACCENT BASE, and 1 after actually PAINTING the window.

Watermelon Slurp

Chance's new favorite technique for eating involves slurrrping his food off the spoon. He especially likes doing it with his new favorite food, frozen watermelon with rice cereal.

On Tuesday we had a fairly heavy thunderstorm with pelting rain, and there was flooding and fire in Calgary. That house was burning because of a lightning strike! Talk about being unlucky!

Scarlet has been shedding like crazy lately, so we try to keep her brushed, but still come up with massive hairballs every time. 5 minutes of brushing and you get a (small) fist-sized clump. Ew. We are taking her to the vet in a few weeks for her normal shots so will be sure to mention the shedding.

Does your baby suffer from VBT??

VBT - Very Bad Teething. 10 ways to find out if your baby has VBT:

1) Your child refuses solid food, even their favorites.

2) Your child wants to nurse/drink like a dying man in the desert.

3) You haven't seen your child's fingers all morning, as their hands have been rammed so far back into their mouth.

4) Your child's entire shirt is damp from all the drool.

5) Spit up, spit up, spit up.

6) Did we mention the crying and whining?

7) When not crying and whining, your child is squealing.

8) Naptimes seem sooooo much more quiet than they used to.

9) When your child smiles at you (between the crying/whining/squealing) you can see their gums change colour from pink to white back to pink again.

10) Your child is named Chance Robertson Demmans.

Weekend Pics

Heatwave

Sunscreen and hat.

Paddling pool.

Crushed frozen watermelon.

Water water water.

Nursing all day long.

Naked baby (diaper).

Poops only at night.