...and how are the girls?

Calum, Calum, Calum. Understandably, Don and I have been a little obsessed with our newest bundle of joy and haven't had as many stories about Desiree and Dakota lately. Most people ask us about wee Calum and we go on and on until they follow up with "And how are the girls?" It makes you stop and think for a minute - we do indeed have two other kids and life goes on for them too.

I am happy to report that Desiree and Dakota are doing well. Desiree will be out of school for the summer very soon and is on the hunt for a part-time summer job. After a summer of lazing about the house last year she's decided that earning a bit of money isn't such a bad idea. Don was working at a pretty young age too and I remember endless days and nights of babysitting so it's probably a good idea for her. With that in mind, Don went out yesterday to apply for her Social Insurance Number (SIN) card. While there, he also applied for one for Dakota and Calum.

Desiree has a sudden interest in the guitar - a little something to do with her boyfriend I think and has been asking for one. Discussions are ongoing as Don and I have heard our share of "I promise I will practice everyday" platitudes from Dakota. We have enough things collecting dust just now, thank you.

Dakota is very keen on emulating her big sister these days. Both now have purple streaks in their hair [a vast improvement over green]. Dakota seems to like the same movies and music as Desiree and spends a lot of her time online and on the phone [as Des did only last year]. She's planning on spending the month of July with her mom in Brooks, Alberta. I asked her what she will do to avoid boredom while her mom is at work as her friends will be here and she said she will bring her roller blades and skateboard. Oh, yes, the skateboarding is her thing right now even if she seems to spend more time either carrying it around or riding around on her butt. Don insists that she wear a helmet as she is very accident prone but she resists.

Des and Dakota have adjusted well to being big sisters. Desiree is great with the little guy and can cheer him out of a grumpy mood. She often gets the most smiles from him too. Dakota is a little more hesitant around him and is suffering a bit from the middle child syndrome. She was the baby for so long that it is an adjustment for her. She is more apt to make comparisons between Calum's childhood and hers. For example, she's not happy to hear that Calum will be getting the same amount of allowance as them each month [though not really, because Cal's will go into an account that he won't know about till he is old enough to need it - 18 ish?]. Also, the girls have never had passports and Don and I will be getting them for all the kids soon. Dakota thinks it's unfair that Calum will have one while he is a baby but it makes travel so much easier that we can't do with out them these days. I think Dakota will enjoy being a big sister more when Calum gets a bit bigger and starts to follow her around like a shadow.

I can't resist sharing some Calum news though. Don and Calum are having a fun time adjusting to our new routines. Calum doesn't like the bottle and continues to fight Don and grandma when they try to give it to him. He will take some - but not enough to fill his belly. We've tried all kinds of nipples and have no real success yet. Luckily, I can work from home and adjust my schedule most days so that I can be around for feedings. After hearing the little guy struggle again today while I was working away I have decided to try the Haberman bottle - something I seen on the Baby Whisperer show. Calum seems to not suck properly on regular bottles - not enough suction I think though I know he can do it. Maybe this special bottle will work better as it's designed for newborns and babies with feeding issues. I'll let you all know if it works. I ordered it online and we should have it by next week.

As for me, I am happy to be back working but miss Calum a lot during the day [even when I am in the home office as I don't get to enjoy play time]. I've applied for a couple of employee positions with Indian Affairs, even though I like the flexibility of contract work and haven't decided if I really want to make the change. For government jobs you have to take a written exam as part of the hiring process and so far I've written two and have another one this month. The whole process seems to take months as I had applied for the postitions back in March and am only now getting call backs. With three kids, I would like the security of having benefits, regular hours and vacation time so I'm exploring my options at the moment. For now though, I'm back wrapping up one project and going back to another. It's great to be back at work but I have some new challenges I will have to share some day [you try finding a place to express milk in an open-space office].

Until next time.