Never a dull moment!!

Last weekend was our trip to Banff with Cam's company. We left Calgary just after lunch and Chance slept the whole way there. We got an early check in to our hotel and then went shopping at all the little stores in Banff. Chance was very good and didn't get grabby or anything, just stood there and looked for the most part (except the store that had baskets of stuffed animals on the floor, he couldn't help himself!). We went to the Christmas Store there and let him choose an ornament, he picked out a wooden rocking reindeer. He wanted to carry it, so we let him, but in the next store (a candy store) he got excited and tripped on his snow boots and fell, dropped the ornament and one of the rockers came off. It was salvageable, so I pocketed the rocker and tried to put the ornament away, but Chance still insisted on carrying it. Fine. Next stop was the Bay, to get Cam an undershirt for his itchy turtleneck he wanted to wear to the Christmas party. While we were standing in line to pay, Chance saw a kid with caramel popcorn, it must have twigged his memory that we bought caramel popcorn at the candy store, and he started clamoring for some "pa-corn, pa-corn!" I told him to wait a minute till we were out of the store and - BAM - he pitched his poor rocking reindeer and had a tantrum right there in the store. The rocking reindeer is now just a set of legs. No rockers, no tail, no head. Oops. It is hanging on our tree just the same and I wrote "Chance 2008 - Banff" on the bottom with a Sharpie.

The party was excellent, very nice dinner and drinks, Chance was a good boy and slept for his babysitter. We went for breakfast and a walk the next day, returned back to the hotel for a nap and then took Chance swimming at the hot springs, he enjoyed it so much. Cam went out to meet some coworkers for a drink that evening and I stayed with Chance in the hotel room, lights out at 9 PM for both Mommy and Chance. Woke up and had a hotel room breakfast of oranges, bagels and apple juice and then packed up and went home. Around Lac des Arcs (near Canmore) Chance started making uncomfortable sounds, at first I thought he was just bored and so gave him a few books to read. The whining continued, so I offered him his soother, which always gets a "yes please / vigorous nod ". 30 seconds later he puked. Poor kid! We pulled over, I stripped him down and got new clothes while Cam wiped up the mess. I'm sure every vehicle that passed us pointed.

The hotel air was very dry and he has a few patches of eczema now, every night we have to rub him down with lotion and dab on his Rx cream. He is getting used to it so now we make it a game "left foot out, right foot out, etc." Wish we could say the same thing about teeth brushing...

This Friday was my company work party held at the Hyatt hotel in a beautiful ballroom. They had lots of light displays, everything was purple and teal and silver. We had a nice meal, unfortunately no chocolate for dessert. Hard to please everyone in a crowd of 2000, I guess.

Will have to post some photos later, for now it is time to get the day started. I got up at 7 to do the morning operations call on the well I am working on and no one has made a peep yet, 9 AM now. Chance will be ravenous when he wakes up, maybe will whip up some muffins or something now.

Dragon's Den Soother Tip

I just about jumped out of my seat watching Dragon's Den when an entrepreneur came on the show soliciting this product. Now, at $30, it's too much for me to consider buying, especially since Chance will in all likelihood be moving away from his soother habit sooner than later (I swear, if a tonight is like the last two nights I'm going to personally dismantle every soother he's got as I don't know if I can keep waking up in the night to him screaming blue murder for the return of the thing!). But, I will consider tying/sewing his soother to a stuffed animal to keep him from accidentally dropping it through the bars in his crib. Will keep you posted.

Must.....sleep....

Awwww...

Smirk

This made me laugh, I was reading a message board about ear infections and someone's signature included this quote:

"Babies are like tattoos. You see other peoples' & they're cool, but yours is never as good & you can't get rid of it."

November 20 is Kick A Ginger Day

What Chance will be faced with one day.....my poor little red-head!


1 year ago...

2 years ago....

3 years ago....

Horoscope for Chance and Mommy

This was really funny. Today was actually a lot of fun (not like other days are like pulling teeth or anything, but it went smoother than I thought it would). Woke up at 8:15, breakfast of french toast, Chance played while I took a bath, left the house for a birthday party at a local rec centre (his "extreme social event" for the day, I guess), where he did indeed choose the middle-of-the road approach, opting for the "baby" slide and swaying pillars rather than climbing to the top of netting and tubing aparatus the kids were playing on. Came home and had lunch, Chance napped for an hour and a half, I piddled away the time. I can be darn unconstructive if I put my mind to it. Oh well. Fed Chance a snack and put his lunch for tomorrow together as well as prepped dinner, then went to the pool for an hour. Chance loved the hot tub. Came home to and put dinner in, folded laundry for 20 mins before Chance chimed in "me hongy". Waited 10 mins more and dinner was ready, of which he ate 2 bites. Coloured a few pictures in his new colouring book with "big boy crayons". Curled up on the couch and watched Cars, both of us fell asleep by 7:45.

Death Trap

My car was a rolling death trap.

I knew the front brakes were probably due.

What I didn't know...

The rear brakes were toast too.
It needed new brake fluid.
The front struts were shot.
This also needed a new link kit.
The rear strust were shot.
Again, rear link kit.
The timing belt....oi.
The battery was gone.
New wipers, new air filter, ka-ching, inspection costs, ka-ching ka-ching!

Wowza.

The "Gross" Factor

Boys teach you how to handle "gross" things, how to take them in stride.

Last week Chance and I fed the cat her supper. Scarlet is generally happy to sit and munch t-bits from her dish and get lots of pets. Actually it's probably her most favorite thing in the world, one of the rare times she purrs. Chance was squatting next to her while she crunched her food, stroking her back. I got up and started loading the dryer, and while I was cleaning the lint trap realized that I could hear Chance breathing heavily. I figured he was just plugged up again, so grabbed a kleenex to wipe his nose, turned, and....found him with his tongue jammed into the filter hole of Scarlet's litter box. I dropped the kleenex, scooped him up and made him drink directly from the bathroom tap to get his mouth rinsed out. Gah!

On the weekend he gave me an olive. It was partially chewed. And room temperature. It clicked: I spilled a container of olives a few days ago. I thought I cleaned them all up, but must have missed one. GAAAH!!!

We Remember

We are thinking of our friends and family today. We are so proud and love you all.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

2nd birthday!

Happy birthday Chance! We can't believe that you are already 2!

Other headlines over the last few weeks....


2 new molars (bottoms)! Only 2 more baby teeth to go!

New Youtube videos, birthday fun!

Chance refuses to carve pumpkin, claims "owwie".

Party = Smartie, Party = Party, Party = Potty ? Anyone confused?

Dayhome gives 2 month ultimatum - potty train by Christmas or bust.

Welcome back Kids + Company (part time back up care only)!

Halloween candy overdose leaves Mom bloated, cranky.

Haircut

My "baby" is growing up fast...

Quick Post -- Trip to Zoo

Spent Thanksgiving Monday with Chance at the zoo. We had an.....educational....time.

Away for a long time!

Wow, things are really picking up I guess, it's been 3 weeks without an entry!



The biggest thing that happened was about a week and a half ago, my boss came into my office first thing in the AM and said that there had been a last minute cancellation for a training course in Colorado & that I could go. I had a day to prepare! That meant calling in some help to cover child care for Chance as Cam had a golfing trip planned as well as an evening out at a friend's house one evening, as well as his Thursday curling game. The golf game didn't pan out, but we are grateful that our babysitter was available to take care of Chance for the other things. So I spent the last 8 days in the Rockies in Colorado, learning all about marine sandstone depositional systems, fascinating stuff but not really of immediate use for me in my new job. Oh well, it was certainly a fun trip and I learned so much, also met some very nice people. Returned home to find the house still standing. Chance was very happy today, and noticed his new toy cars right away (picked them up in the Craig, Colorado Walmart). We spent the AM hanging out at Bragg Creek, had pizza for lunch and ended up buying a painting. Definitely a luxury item, Cam and I are calling it our anniversary and Christmas gifts to each other. It looks great in the newly painted office.



Chance seems to have grown up immensely since I left last week. He now flushes the toilet and wants to sit on the potty when we go. He mimics sneezing "ahhhh-chooo" when someone else sneezes and knows how to blow when we wipe his nose. He was really, really good today for getting his pamper changed. He fought like a Tazmanian Devil while getting his teeth brushed tonight though. He needs a haircut. He is drinking out of a cup on his own pretty good now, just a few spills today, really only dribbles down his bib.



New words/phrases:

watch (as in wrist watch)

my blanket

my Daddy/Mommy

Boost, Ramone, Snot-Rod (the 3 cars I bought for him in the States)

Michael, McQueen, Doc, Sherrif, Chick (Chicka-chicka-chicka), helicopker

Dinoco

(these words in RED refer to the Cars movie he has been addicted to for the last 3 months. From talking to other parents it should be only another 4 years before he gets tired of it.)

Is it gone?

See?

Colours (this means crayons)




One of our first outcrops on the field trip. I got a nice ophiomorpha specimen here (trace fossil made by a shrimp-like creature 70 million years ago).



Absolutely fantastic exposures & sometimes dizzy heights. It stopped raining on the 2nd day into the 6 day field trip and even warmed up for the last 2 days.



Excellent photo ops to use for analogue research, maybe one day if I ever get back into sand reservoirs...

September...flying by

Wow, the month of September is more than halfway done, and I feel like it has passed by in a blink! My new job is fantastic and I am enjoying myself immensely. I still go to the YMCA in Eau Claire, so nearly every time I go I see someone from my previous job, as the buildings are close to each other.

Here are the things that have happened this month ( no particular order):

*Chance peed in the potty again. That's twice!

*We bought Chance a big boy bed. It is a toddler bed so the mattress from his crib goes in it, but for now we have a couple of couch cushions laid on top. He likes to lie on the bed and read, or just hang out, but when we tried a nap on it he got scared. Maybe he is scared that he will fall out?

* Chance will be an elephant for Halloween. We are currently planning a small birthday party.

* Finished painting the office, then bought and assembled a new desk.

* Harvested the garden: a bag of potatoes and a bag of onions, two bags of lettuce.

* Have been running around the neighbourhood quite frequently and also going to the Y semi-religiously. Have been trying to focus on eating healthier for last month. Result: have gained 5 lbs. %^&%#$^&&#!!

* Cam took a gun class for his Possession and Acquisition Licence.

* To remove Sharpie marker from inside of your dryer: use nail polish remover. Next time check to make sure your lab coat is empty. To do sometime in the future: buy new towels, bath robe, tea towels, white t-shirt......

* The hot water heater is (maybe) on the fritz (again).

* Last week we had oatmeal for breakfast. Chance ate his bowl and then Cam's portion before Cam could get out of the shower. Poor papa bear did not get any porridge!

* I cracked a filling and need to go to see the dentist to have it drilled & re-filled. Sniff.

* I signed up for a cake decorating class, Thursdays in October. I'm going to miss the second one due to a 2 day work trip to Kananaskis. We've been instructed to dress warmly and bring a flashlight. (??)

That's about all that's new these days. Have taken a few photos but with the new desk the computer spends more time off than usual (it is enclosed within the desk, so gets warm if left running) so download less often, blog less, etc. Instead have been going for runs around the neighborhood in the evening and reading. A simple life.

Ontario Visit

We had a great vacation in Ontario with our good friends Jason & Aimee. Combined, it was 4 adults and 4 kids and 1 dog in the house, sounds busy, but really it was a ton of fun and we enjoyed every minute.

Chance's potty training continues, however he is yet to pee on the potty. I am considering taking a pee in there just to show him what it is really for. 9 times out of 10 after he gets off the potty and into the tub, he wizzes, so I know it's gotta be a matter of time. Maybe if I stuck his feet into a bowl of warm water...

Renos on the home office are coming along, finished putting on the 2nd coat of paint tonight and even though the paint colour is much more yellow than anticipated, it is a definite improvement over the gouged, screw-popped, pin-holed and crayoned walls of the past. This weekend we are planning on looking for a desk, perhaps some shelves.

We just got our computer back from Future Shop and the files are all there, yay! Finally got to upload pics and so here are a few...

Potty Time!

Tonight we bought Chance a potty. We just put it down and told him it was his and he sat on it right away (pants on). While his bath ran, we tried it out with the pants off & handed him a cookie and cup of milk. He sat for the first half of his snack, and then got up and ran around the house like a little streaker. All of a sudden there was this huge commotion, splashing water, struggling noises, etc. Here Chance had pushed Scarlet from the edge of the tub INTO the water. Kitty was not impressed, and looked like a drowned sewer rat.

I'm sure there will be more potty adventures soon!

Broken Computer

Came home from vacation to find that computer had died while we were away. Maybe a lightning storm caused a power surge, who knows. It was fine when we left. Currently it's in the shop getting fixed, or at least they're gonna try to fix it. Maybe it's toast and we'll lose all of our data, pics, etc. Wait and see.

Til then we have the laptop, however we have decided that this is a good time to repaint the office, as we were looking at doing it anyways and now the office is half emptied out. Also looking at a new desk, have found one at Ikea that we like but I'm choking a bit on the price tag. It is a fairly neutral looking desk, all clean in front with doors that hide our junk and keep Chance from pushing buttons, crashing the keyboard, etc. Also comes with a "wire management system" which I'm sure will help keep things under control, even though we are much improved from what we were last year.

Anyways, I'd upload my photos from our vacation but Cam is out in the back yard right now building a fire for us and there is a glass of red wine with my name on it. I am feeling particularly less stressed tonight as today I quit my job. I will be starting a new job in September with another company.

Chance's hives are almost all gone and he is feeling much better.

Well this is not the most coherent post in the world, but I'm sprawled on my tummy lying on the carpet in front of a laptop in 30 degree heat and I can hear the fire crackling now through the open window. As the Michael Schumacher ferarri says in Cars, ciao!

Multiple Choice

What did Chance develop 12 hours before we are scheduled to start our vacation in Ontario?



A. a cold

B. hives

C. an attitude











If you chose B, hives, you are CORRECT!!! He developed the cold last week, and the attitude has always been there!

Getting packed up...

Today is Sunday. Laundry Day. Grocery Day. Fill Up The Car Day. And.....Packing Day!! We are getting ready for our Ottawa adventure with our good friends Aimee and Jason and their 3 kids, as well we are going to see my cousin Barb and Cam's aunties Sharon and Susan.

I have a bit of quiet time here before the day really starts as after a pancake breakfast with blackberries and cantaloupe, Cam and Chance have gone to a friend's house to feed the dog & let him out -- our friend went to Vegas. Chance just loves playing with Ringo, although we have to be more careful as last night he was throwing a ball for Ringo and then after a few tosses he ran over to the corner of the yard, picked something up, and brought it to us proudly, as if he was trying to say "Look what I found!!". It was a dried up dog turd, yuck. So, that ended last night's fetch session, everyone was hustled inside and there was some vigorous hand washing. Ew.

Last night we also went to the library and picked up some books on kids construction projects and kids bedroom decoration ideas. This fall will be the project of getting Chance's big boy bedroom in order, as well I would like to paint the office, hopefully a kid-friendly-but-neutral colour just in case Chance ever moves in here and the nursery resumes it's former role as a guest room, or maybe one day a bedroom for another baby. And if Chance never moves out of that room then the office will at least have a much needed new coat of paint.

Well, I am done my coffee and should get in the shower so I can get ready to go out and do our errands. I don't really think we need much for groceries, but we do need gas for the car, and laundry still needs to be done. This afternoon while Chance naps, Cam and I are going to put a second and final coat of stain on our north gate. We did 2 coats on the deck yesterday and one on the gate. The south gate remains unstained, a project for when we get back from holidays!

Chance's latest words:

SHOWER
CAMPER
TATTOO
TANKET (blanket)
TOOER (soother)
CHANCE
POOP (yes, he will tell you when he's gone #2 now)
I'M TIRED (I didn't hear this, but Daddy and Uncle Paul did)
GOERT (yogurt)
COFFEE
CHEERS (he learned this in July, I just forgot to write about it). He likes to clink glasses, like 10 times per meal. On our camping trip he cheersed with Auntie Jen's coffee cup and Auntie Jen wasn't ready for it, she ended up with a big coffee stain on her only pair of jeans for the weekend and Chance landed himself in a lawn chair to think about what he had done. When he came out he gave kisses and hugs to both Mommy and Auntie Jen).

Demmans Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Gone Camping!!

Camping at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park...and the weather forecast looks fantastic!!

July Catch Up

July has gone by so quickly for us. Here is a look at some of what has been going on:

Heiritage Park - We spent a fun morning spent eating pancakes, almost getting sick on the ferris wheel and taking a train ride on a real steam train.
























Stampede - Chance got his first pair of cowboy boots. They were fairly reasonably priced for very good quality boots. They are easy to get on and off (they zip) and Chance walks well in them (sneaker bottoms). I figure Chance can wear them for through the fall and spring of next year.




Kitchen Rearrange - The "train" shown here is something that you see on a regular basis in our house. Chance does it with all kinds of things, shampoo bottles in the bathroom, the remote controls, books, coasters, etc. What you don't see in our kitchen these days is the highchair (seen in the background). I tore it down and shoved it into storage as Chance largely eats his meals with us at the table now. Sometimes (only sometimes), he gets to eat his snack on the couch.





Goodbye - We said so long to our good friends the Drovers. They are moving home to Nova Scotia to new jobs, a new house, and maybe even a new family member in the near future. They will be missed.








New Words:

Montney
Leduc
Kiskatanaw

(Yes, Daddy was teaching him some geology!)

The Great Pretender

Chance has been playing pretending games a lot lately.

* pretending to make cookies from dried dirt and then pretending to eat them.

* pretending to drink and burp afterwards (Mommy taught him that one).

* pretending to hammer things. I see a toy construction set in the future.


New words:

BOOTS
MOMMY (instead of MAMA)
DADDY (instead of DADA)
TRACTOR
TRAIN
PLANE
BIKE
PHONE
TV
TV-CARS (this means "I want to watch Cars on TV")
GRAMPA (GRABBA)
GRAMMA (MAH-MUH, as opposed to MAMA)
OK (repeats this after Mommy does)
PRETTY
BELT
PUTTY (PUPPY)
FLOWERS

AGAIN

ONE MORE

Back home

A bit of a hiatus, but will update with photos soon.

Still growing, but not gaining weight

Update from our June 10 visit to health nurse.

They don't even bother to read Chance's numbers off the chart anymore. I was asked (squinty eyed) if he was a picky eater. My paranoid side wants to know "What's that supposed to mean?"

This stair-step growth pattern is typical of Chance. Next time I go in, I bet he'll have gained weight but not grown.

Interesting developments....

If you listened outside our bathroom door a few nights ago, you would have overheard this conversation between Chance and I:

Chance: Dis?
Me: That's your foot! There are your toes! And there are your toenails!
Chance: Dis?
Me: That's your leg! There is your knee! Where are your toes?
Chance: (points) Toes?
Me: Yes, good job! Can you remember where your knee is?
Chance: (points) On? [Knee?] (points to different area) Dis?
Me: Um...that's your....peter.
Chance: Pee pee!
Me: Um...yeah. Your pee pee.
Chance: Pee pee! Pee pee! Pee pee!

I just about died laughing.

________


Another interesting observation in the park today: some kid left a red plastic bucket in the gravel so I gave it to Chance to play with while we were there. He went off into the trees to collect pine cones, came back and I watched him count them. He dumped them out on the ground and then one by one dropped them back in the bucket, each time "numbering them". He even got the right numbers for 1, 2 and 3, then it was something like "vie, six, nine, nine, nine, et, nine, tent, nine". My jaw just about dropped.

Joy

A kid at Chance's day home was diagnosed with some strange skin virus called molluscum contagiosum over the weekend. Chance has a red spot on his knee that looks similar.

1) So, he's got molluscum contagiosum.

2) Maybe it's chicken pox?

OR: maybe he kneeled on something and managed to get a little scab on his knee.

As an additional bonus bit of good news: our camping weekend forecast has deteriorated to light rain and sub freezing temperatures.

Oh, P.S.: Chance is cutting molars again.







Kill me now.

Rainy Weekend

Well we had another rainy Saturday spent indoors today. We are so sick of rain! The forecast is still good for next weekend for our camping trip, that will be so much fun.

The baby robins hatched on Thursday or Friday, Cam peeked over the nest and took some pictures, but we have been leaving them alone since then. Mama Robin is always gone worm hunting, and I was worried that she was leaving them alone too much but today I saw her sitting on the nest, keeping the babies warm.









We baked up a batch of Rhubarb Muffins today, Cam says they are his absolute favorite and Chance seems to like them too. I actually haven't had one yet but I remember them from last time I made them, they are good.

Rhubarb Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 egg
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups chopped rhubarb (I picked mine the night before, washed & chopped)



Topping:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A couple of handfuls of rolled oats


1) combine flour, baking soda, salt & sugar.

2) in another bowl, beat egg, stir in butter, buttermilk & vanilla.

3) make a well in dry ingredients, add egg mixture all at once. Stir until just mixed, then stir in rhubarb.

4) spoon 2/3 full into muffin tin, either greased/sprayed or with paper cups.

5) topping: combine all ingredients and sprinkle a level teaspoonful over each muffin. (I think these would be good without the topping too - better for you anyways. I'd only recommend making enough of this sugary stuff for what you're going to eat fresh out of the oven and then the next day - with the heat/humidity it all melted off within 1 day).

6) bake at 350 deg F for 20 to 25 mins (I baked mine for 25 mins).



We took Chance for a swim at the Y this afternoon and the poor kid was shivering and his lips turned blue, so cut our swim short. Just our luck, the hot tub was shut down for maintenance, but we took an extra long warm shower. Chance kept on asking for "more" each time I turned the water off, poor kid was freezing. We didn't think it was that cool in the pool, but a mom I ran into in the locker room said her son did the same thing when they were in.

So we came home and had a supper of pizza, Chance ate a whole 4" wide by 8" long wedge pizza (his usual portion), with milk and half a muffin for dessert. Maybe only a quarter of a muffin...he squished it pretty good and there were crumbs all over the kitchen.

I learned something today at lunch today -- grating a carrot for your toddler is a good way for him to enjoy raw carrots without them being a choking hazard. But you will be picking up grated carrot for the next 3 days.

Pictures!