This morning, Calum saved a bee. It was buzzing around the Old DC and was about to meet an unfortunate end (I was ready to whack it) when Calum told me to put it outside. That's one lucky bee. Not, however, as lucky as the dozen or so ants that he rescued in the kitchen just a little earlier. Now those, I really would have dealt with but he was having fun saving them. Calum is a really into insects these days. We regularly have to read his bug book to learn about ants, spiders, beetles and butterflies. Oh, and ladybugs. Everyday after I pick him up we have to look for ladybugs (sadly, I think we accidentally killed them all - not easy for small hands to pick up).
No big news this week. Don and I went to see The Police in concert last night with some friends. It was a nice night out. We've only ever seen one other concert together and we both didn't like that one. Grandma, Grandpa and Buddy helped look after Calum for the night. He was pretty excited and was still talking about Buddy this morning. Baby (the cat) wasn't as impressed and didn't come home till this morning.
I'm planning on helping Larry and Tabitha with their big move tomorrow. Mom and Dad may be down too so I'll finally be able to give Mom her Mother's Day gifts from Calum. We've been planning to take a trip to Merritt (combined work/visit) but it hasn't happened yet. Ah well, by the time we do get up there it should be nice and warm.
Oh, some good news for us. The daycare is going to be open in July this year. Fees are going up a bit, but that wasn't unexpected. That means July is covered and Don and I just have to either take vacations or re-arrange or schedules a bit for August. Desiree is planning on working full time and I expect Dakota will want to also. We don't know how it will all work out yet but I must say I'm looking forward to the summer. The outdoor pool across the street opened this week and Calum and I are giving it a few days for the water to warm up before we go over.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A typical night with a two year old (New post for L and T)
We start getting him ready for bed after his bath. This is usually around 8:00. You'd think he'd soon be in bed and asleep, wouldn't you? Not so. It then takes time to get him ready for bed, to read books, to get him in bed and to get him to sleep. We've been getting a bit better at it (we haven't had to go for a drive to make him fall asleep for over a week) but it's still a two hour thing. Here's what happens:
Bathtime - 8:00 (splash, splash, get Dad wet, run around with towel on, "I'm cold Mom").
Pre-Bedtime: 8:30(changing diaper, getting pjs on "Not that one", chasing Calum)
Bedtime: 9:00
(Calum, fresh from his bath and in his pjs)
(Mom): It's almost bedtime
(C): I don't want to (picture a pout with lip out, arms crossed and a mad little face)
(Mom): Two more minutes
(C): No! (Glares at Mom).
(Mom): OK, let's go.
(C): (Hides behind the chair)
(Mom): Say goodnight to Dad
(C): No!
(Mom): Come on, let's go. Turn off your tv (Batman or Spidey show playing in the background).
(C): No! (turns off tv)
(Mom): (prompting) Goodnight Dad.
(C): (starts to head for the kitchen)
(Mom): (Leaving the room) Goodnight Dad.
(C): (Entering the room, grabs Mom's hand) 'Night Dad
(Mom): Give him a kiss
(C): (Runs back and gives Dad a hug)
(Dad): Kiss.
(C): (big hug)
(Dad): (slightly wet from the water fight at bathtime) OK, hug. Goodnight Calum
(Mom and C): (walking down the hall to the bedroom) Goodnight Des, Goodnight Dakota (Dakota is usually downstairs on the computer and Des is in her room)
(C): 'Night Des.... NIGHT DES. NIGHT DES!!!!
(D): Goodnight Calum
(C): (Entering bedroom) Books?
(Mom): Just two
(C): OK
(Mom): You pick.
(C): (Sorting through stack of about 20 books under the bed). This one, this one, this one, this one, this one....
(Mom): Just two
(C): (Smiles) OK
(Mom): Which two?
(C): (Grabing a stack of 1o) This one.
(Mom): OK, three.
(C): OK.
(Mom): Get into bed and I'll pass you the books.
(C): (Jumping on the bed, pointing at his new ladybug light, throwing himself down and jumping back up)
(Mom): Which three? Spiderman? Batman? How about these ones?
(C): Spiderman. Batman (Grabs the stack of 10)
(Mom): OK.
9:30
(Books have been read, twice)
(Mom): Time for sleep
(C): No. I don't want to.
(Mom): Come on, we've got to go to the Old DC tomorrow.
(C): No!
(Mom): Yes. Sleep.
(C): Up please. (Points to the living room).
(Mom): No.
(C): Mama, up please. No sleep! (Starts to get up from bed)
(Mom): Sleep!!!
(C): Dad? Dad!
(Mom): No Dad. Sleep
(C): (crying, rolling around on the bed) No, sleep. Mama, no sleep. (Crying continues, getting quieter and quieter).
9:35
(Calum cuddles up to Mom, sniffles continue).
9:40
(Calum is asleep)
You think that would be it for the night but lately we've had him waking up at 1 or 2am and trying to get up. Then again at 3, 5, or 6......I think he's teething again.
So that's a typical night of putting Calum to bed. I used to think I'd get a lot done when I put him down for the night, now I'm lucky if I can stay awake. If I do, I know I still have to get to bed at a decent hour because we still have the whole night to get through.
Two year olds. Enough said.
Bathtime - 8:00 (splash, splash, get Dad wet, run around with towel on, "I'm cold Mom").
Pre-Bedtime: 8:30(changing diaper, getting pjs on "Not that one", chasing Calum)
Bedtime: 9:00
(Calum, fresh from his bath and in his pjs)
(Mom): It's almost bedtime
(C): I don't want to (picture a pout with lip out, arms crossed and a mad little face)
(Mom): Two more minutes
(C): No! (Glares at Mom).
(Mom): OK, let's go.
(C): (Hides behind the chair)
(Mom): Say goodnight to Dad
(C): No!
(Mom): Come on, let's go. Turn off your tv (Batman or Spidey show playing in the background).
(C): No! (turns off tv)
(Mom): (prompting) Goodnight Dad.
(C): (starts to head for the kitchen)
(Mom): (Leaving the room) Goodnight Dad.
(C): (Entering the room, grabs Mom's hand) 'Night Dad
(Mom): Give him a kiss
(C): (Runs back and gives Dad a hug)
(Dad): Kiss.
(C): (big hug)
(Dad): (slightly wet from the water fight at bathtime) OK, hug. Goodnight Calum
(Mom and C): (walking down the hall to the bedroom) Goodnight Des, Goodnight Dakota (Dakota is usually downstairs on the computer and Des is in her room)
(C): 'Night Des.... NIGHT DES. NIGHT DES!!!!
(D): Goodnight Calum
(C): (Entering bedroom) Books?
(Mom): Just two
(C): OK
(Mom): You pick.
(C): (Sorting through stack of about 20 books under the bed). This one, this one, this one, this one, this one....
(Mom): Just two
(C): (Smiles) OK
(Mom): Which two?
(C): (Grabing a stack of 1o) This one.
(Mom): OK, three.
(C): OK.
(Mom): Get into bed and I'll pass you the books.
(C): (Jumping on the bed, pointing at his new ladybug light, throwing himself down and jumping back up)
(Mom): Which three? Spiderman? Batman? How about these ones?
(C): Spiderman. Batman (Grabs the stack of 10)
(Mom):
9:30
(Books have been read, twice)
(Mom): Time for sleep
(C): No. I don't want to.
(Mom): Come on, we've got to go to the Old DC tomorrow.
(C): No!
(Mom): Yes. Sleep.
(C): Up please. (Points to the living room).
(Mom): No.
(C): Mama, up please. No sleep! (Starts to get up from bed)
(Mom): Sleep!!!
(C): Dad? Dad!
(Mom): No Dad. Sleep
(C): (crying, rolling around on the bed) No, sleep. Mama, no sleep. (Crying continues, getting quieter and quieter).
9:35
(Calum cuddles up to Mom, sniffles continue).
9:40
(Calum is asleep)
You think that would be it for the night but lately we've had him waking up at 1 or 2am and trying to get up. Then again at 3, 5, or 6......I think he's teething again.
So that's a typical night of putting Calum to bed. I used to think I'd get a lot done when I put him down for the night, now I'm lucky if I can stay awake. If I do, I know I still have to get to bed at a decent hour because we still have the whole night to get through.
Two year olds. Enough said.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Thank you, Mama
Calum has learned to say "Thank you" and he uses it a lot. There is something very cute about hearing him say it.
We've had a quiet week so far. Calum continues to be a bit off though - he doesn't want to go to sleep and Don and I have had to resort to a few late night drives to get him to drift off. Last night he didn't want to go to sleep and then woke up with the sun - much too early. He finally fell back to sleep, sometime after 6:30 and slept till 8:30. Lucky for us, the daycare is across the street. He was very happy though, he had all of the kids shooting webs and jumping. Don and I are getting a cold again so the lack of sleep is making for some very long days.
Tonight, we are off to run errands and do some shopping. I'm going to try to keep him as busy as possible to tire him out.
Oh, one funny Mother's Day story. Calum and I went to buy some flowers for Grandma Bain. He was very happy about it. He picked them out, carried them around the store and was very careful the whole time. When we got home he told me that they were his flowers and he wanted to keep them. I convinced him to take them for a ride to Grandma and Grandpa's and once he saw Buddy he was over the flowers and ready to give them away.
Hope you are all having a good week.
We've had a quiet week so far. Calum continues to be a bit off though - he doesn't want to go to sleep and Don and I have had to resort to a few late night drives to get him to drift off. Last night he didn't want to go to sleep and then woke up with the sun - much too early. He finally fell back to sleep, sometime after 6:30 and slept till 8:30. Lucky for us, the daycare is across the street. He was very happy though, he had all of the kids shooting webs and jumping. Don and I are getting a cold again so the lack of sleep is making for some very long days.
Tonight, we are off to run errands and do some shopping. I'm going to try to keep him as busy as possible to tire him out.
Oh, one funny Mother's Day story. Calum and I went to buy some flowers for Grandma Bain. He was very happy about it. He picked them out, carried them around the store and was very careful the whole time. When we got home he told me that they were his flowers and he wanted to keep them. I convinced him to take them for a ride to Grandma and Grandpa's and once he saw Buddy he was over the flowers and ready to give them away.
Hope you are all having a good week.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Save the spiders
I hate to admit it but I used to be as likely to squish a spider or a bug if it crossed my path as I was to let it free. Now, thanks to Calum's fascination with bugs I just can't do it. Today, thanks to Calum, the big spider I found crawling along the floor is now happily spinning a web in the yard. He finds insects very interesting. As you can see from our photos, he has a bug net and also a bug container. We brought it to daycare one morning and spent about 15 minutes looking for bugs outside. We managed to find a few ants but none of the other kids were really impressed. Calum likes ladybugs and spiders but will happily play with anything he can find.
We brought Calum's library books to the Old DC one morning. They are chapter books, meant for bigger kids but he loves them. They were, of course, about Spiderman and Batman. I had to read them and realized I had to make them appropriate for other kids. How do you explain villains and bad guys to toddlers? Calum just calls them meanies and cheers for the hero. I had no idea what some of these kids had been exposed to so I had to make up the story - Spidey caught a lot of meanies and they all had to apologize for not minding their manners. Luckily, most of the kids politely listened for a few minutes then went off to do other things.
We spent the day at doctors appointments. Another rescheduled hearing test, only to find he has another ear infection so it was off to the clinic. The doctor checked him over and said his sinuses are backed up, causing fluid build up in his ears, and so on. I was worried after he woke up last night and wouldn't settle. We have some nasal spray and antibiotics and it will be another round of appointments in a few weeks to make sure the infection is gone and we can go in for a proper hearing test. We haven't managed one yet.
More news when we have it.
We brought Calum's library books to the Old DC one morning. They are chapter books, meant for bigger kids but he loves them. They were, of course, about Spiderman and Batman. I had to read them and realized I had to make them appropriate for other kids. How do you explain villains and bad guys to toddlers? Calum just calls them meanies and cheers for the hero. I had no idea what some of these kids had been exposed to so I had to make up the story - Spidey caught a lot of meanies and they all had to apologize for not minding their manners. Luckily, most of the kids politely listened for a few minutes then went off to do other things.
We spent the day at doctors appointments. Another rescheduled hearing test, only to find he has another ear infection so it was off to the clinic. The doctor checked him over and said his sinuses are backed up, causing fluid build up in his ears, and so on. I was worried after he woke up last night and wouldn't settle. We have some nasal spray and antibiotics and it will be another round of appointments in a few weeks to make sure the infection is gone and we can go in for a proper hearing test. We haven't managed one yet.
More news when we have it.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
A busy weekend
Calum loves the outdoors. It's becoming a real challenge to get him in from outside. He's smart too, he knows how to trick me. When we come home from the Old DC, he walks up the walk then stops to show me something. It's usually a rock or a bug. When I stop to look at it, he starts motoring for the back yard. He's fast too. When we get back from running errands and get out of the car, he runs for his car (a battery operated quad - Thank you to Pam and Mickey) and insists on looking for sticks or bugs. Sometimes, I can get away with him just playing on the back deck but we always have to play a game where we draw bugs from his insect book then pretend the bugs are trying to catch us. Our neighbors must think we are nuts.
Dakota and I took Calum to the driving range for the first time this past weekend. He was fascinated with the concept but wanted to start throwing the golf balls onto the range rather than hitting them. He was pretty upset when we finished our buckets. Guess we actually better find a club his size though because it was pretty funny to see him try to use ours.
Desiree got a job. She'll be working at the Whitespot up the street from our house. Dakota still isn't on the work schedule for this week but I suspect with the nicer weather she'll be filling in for other people pretty soon. We've got some new pictures to post soon.
Hope you are all cheering for the Canucks tonight. Even the toddlers at the daycare are talking about it.
Dakota and I took Calum to the driving range for the first time this past weekend. He was fascinated with the concept but wanted to start throwing the golf balls onto the range rather than hitting them. He was pretty upset when we finished our buckets. Guess we actually better find a club his size though because it was pretty funny to see him try to use ours.
Desiree got a job. She'll be working at the Whitespot up the street from our house. Dakota still isn't on the work schedule for this week but I suspect with the nicer weather she'll be filling in for other people pretty soon. We've got some new pictures to post soon.
Hope you are all cheering for the Canucks tonight. Even the toddlers at the daycare are talking about it.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Morning meltdown
I made the mistake of agreeing to play Calum's favorite XBox game this morning, Star Wars Lego II. He loves the game, and I have to admit it's a lot of fun. However, when it was time to get ready for daycare he had a meltdown. He wanted to keep playing "Luke!" Then I tried to get him changed and he insisted he wanted to wear his very dirty Luke shirt. I had to frantically search for his other Luke shirt and convince him I'd wash his favorite before I could get him changed. Luckily, the mood didn't last long. As soon as I told him it was raining and we'd need his spidey boots and umbrella he was ready to go. Now, getting him into the daycare and away from the puddles was another matter.....toddlers really remind me of teenagers. Calum's certainly no meek little boy. He knows what he wants and he has me wrapped around his little finger.
Monday, April 16, 2007
More from the Old DC
I generally spend at least 30 minutes a day at the Old DC. Calum, and all his friends, like me to read them stories in the morning. They are each allowed to pick out a book for me to read, which is fine when there are 3 kids but some days there are 7 or 8. They all try to get me to read 2 or more books too. I don't really mind though, it's a great way to start the day and to meet all of the other kids.
They do some funny things though. One girl likes to do somersaults (she's not even 2 yet!), 2 boys like hockey and you have to make a big deal over their hockey jerseys, 1 little guy is quiet but likes to attach himself (limpet fashion) to your leg, 1 likes to jump (as does Calum) and they all spontaneously break out into the "Wheels on the Bus" song. Calum really likes a few of them and they greet each other as soon as they are in sight. He also likes the babies. At the end of the day, when there are just a few kids left, they usually have the infants and toddlers together as they do the end of day chores. Calum loves to show me the babies. He smiles and laughs as though to say "Aren't they strange".
Don, Calum and Dakota will be back soon. Don found another great Craigslist buy. A new zoom lens! Expect more pictures next week. Desiree is out at a Modest Mouse concert (no, that's not a kids concert) and I was finishing some work. Going to go enjoy the last few minutes of quiet before they all get back.
Hope you are all having a good start to your week.
They do some funny things though. One girl likes to do somersaults (she's not even 2 yet!), 2 boys like hockey and you have to make a big deal over their hockey jerseys, 1 little guy is quiet but likes to attach himself (limpet fashion) to your leg, 1 likes to jump (as does Calum) and they all spontaneously break out into the "Wheels on the Bus" song. Calum really likes a few of them and they greet each other as soon as they are in sight. He also likes the babies. At the end of the day, when there are just a few kids left, they usually have the infants and toddlers together as they do the end of day chores. Calum loves to show me the babies. He smiles and laughs as though to say "Aren't they strange".
Don, Calum and Dakota will be back soon. Don found another great Craigslist buy. A new zoom lens! Expect more pictures next week. Desiree is out at a Modest Mouse concert (no, that's not a kids concert) and I was finishing some work. Going to go enjoy the last few minutes of quiet before they all get back.
Hope you are all having a good start to your week.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Where do the days go?
Things have been busy. We've got some easter pictures to post but I haven't managed to download them yet. I'll post them next week. Calum has been doing great. He's really starting to talk and is a real character now. He certainly knows what he wants. Today, he was having fun imagining that he was fishing on a boat. The boat was his little tykes climber and his fishing rod was the broom. We've never been fishing with him so it was pretty neat to see that he is a natural.
After a bit too much attention from us all, he went off to our room today and closed the door. I, of course, opened it and told him he could play in the room but had to keep the door open. He said "OK. Bye". I tried to ask him what he was doing but he just kept saying "Bye." I left him alone for a few minutes then went to check on him. He was eating chocolate, lying on the floor and suddenly started saying "Luke!" Guess he was imagining he was part of the jedi order or something.
He's got quite a sense of humor too. Today he kept trying to get a reaction from me. He put on his shoes and told me he was going to the Old DC. I made a big deal out of it, begging him not to leave his poor mom, but he actually started heading for the door. Guess he was missing all of his friends today. Then he realized he'd get some attention if he had a cough. A few times he put on this pathetic little *cough* for Dakota and I. He may be getting a sore throat but I can tell you that cough was a fake. Funny boy.
Good news for Dakota. She spent her after-school hours doing some training last week at the new Smart Foods store. She's been wanting a job for awhile and is very happy she's now old enough to do things other than babysitting and paper routes. She's trained as a cashier and is currently on call.
Don, Desiree and I are busy too. I am finishing up most of my major projects and thought I might have some rare quiet time for awhile. However, it looks like there will be some wrap up work for the next quarter and more work for my Band. Also good news for me because it looks like I may be making a trip or two up to Merritt over the next few months.
If you haven't looked yet, go to Grandpa Bains blog http://www.radioado.blogspot.com/ to see new pictures of Coy. He's growing so fast.
After a bit too much attention from us all, he went off to our room today and closed the door. I, of course, opened it and told him he could play in the room but had to keep the door open. He said "OK. Bye". I tried to ask him what he was doing but he just kept saying "Bye." I left him alone for a few minutes then went to check on him. He was eating chocolate, lying on the floor and suddenly started saying "Luke!" Guess he was imagining he was part of the jedi order or something.
He's got quite a sense of humor too. Today he kept trying to get a reaction from me. He put on his shoes and told me he was going to the Old DC. I made a big deal out of it, begging him not to leave his poor mom, but he actually started heading for the door. Guess he was missing all of his friends today. Then he realized he'd get some attention if he had a cough. A few times he put on this pathetic little *cough* for Dakota and I. He may be getting a sore throat but I can tell you that cough was a fake. Funny boy.
Good news for Dakota. She spent her after-school hours doing some training last week at the new Smart Foods store. She's been wanting a job for awhile and is very happy she's now old enough to do things other than babysitting and paper routes. She's trained as a cashier and is currently on call.
Don, Desiree and I are busy too. I am finishing up most of my major projects and thought I might have some rare quiet time for awhile. However, it looks like there will be some wrap up work for the next quarter and more work for my Band. Also good news for me because it looks like I may be making a trip or two up to Merritt over the next few months.
If you haven't looked yet, go to Grandpa Bains blog http://www.radioado.blogspot.com/ to see new pictures of Coy. He's growing so fast.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
You want what?
After a nice drive today we stopped at Dairy Queen for treats on the way home. Calum saw the freezer with all of the nice cakes and decided he wanted a cake, not a small treat. I guess he remembered his birthday cake and wanted more. Lucky for him, we all like them so on our way out we picked one up. Don't laugh, it's to celebrate the fact that it didn't rain today!
I've almost made it through the work crunch, just another week of year-end things to do and some reports and updates to finish. Once things are back on track blog posts will be a bit more regular.
Also, hope you all have heard the news by now. Don's Band, Lheidli T’enneh, voted no on their treaty ratification. Watch the news in the next few days as everyone has an opinion on what this means for the treaty process.
I've almost made it through the work crunch, just another week of year-end things to do and some reports and updates to finish. Once things are back on track blog posts will be a bit more regular.
Also, hope you all have heard the news by now. Don's Band, Lheidli T’enneh, voted no on their treaty ratification. Watch the news in the next few days as everyone has an opinion on what this means for the treaty process.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Better now
Calum's ear infection is gone and he was back at daycare. I saw them all out playing today and noticed Calum teaching Julia how to throw stuff. He seemed very enthusiastic about it and Julia joined right in. They were both waving their arms at each other and jumping up and down. I hope that they didn't hit any of the other kids.
Don got Calum the complete Spiderman DVD set (the old 1967 cartoons). He loves it but keeps wanting to change the DVDs. At least now we won't have to worry about getting up early enough to catch it on tv. Got to go pick him up from "the Old DC (daycare)". We call it the Old DC so he will look at it as a special club - only the lucky kids get to play there. He was very excited about going to the Old DC this morning so I hope he had a good day.
Don got Calum the complete Spiderman DVD set (the old 1967 cartoons). He loves it but keeps wanting to change the DVDs. At least now we won't have to worry about getting up early enough to catch it on tv. Got to go pick him up from "the Old DC (daycare)". We call it the Old DC so he will look at it as a special club - only the lucky kids get to play there. He was very excited about going to the Old DC this morning so I hope he had a good day.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Murphy's Law
Don and I had a very busy Friday, juggling our schedules so that we could take Calum for a hearing test on Friday afternoon. We picked him up from daycare and were getting ready to go out for his appointment when I noticed his ear was draining fluid again. An ear infection! He had been very restless the night before and Don and I got very little sleep as we had to get up and watch cartoons with him. We thought it was a cold but we were wrong.
Luckily, since we were both home anyway we took him to the doctor and got in to see her in record time. I think we were in and out the door in 15 minutes. He's on medication for 10 days and it seems to be helping. He was up at 4:30 today, and I couldn't get him back to sleep till 7:00. It's thrown our whole day off but he seems happier now. All of the kids are off for the week - spring break. Desiree and Dakota are helping with Calum as the last two weeks are busy for both Don and I. Let's hope the rest of the week is a bit better.
Luckily, since we were both home anyway we took him to the doctor and got in to see her in record time. I think we were in and out the door in 15 minutes. He's on medication for 10 days and it seems to be helping. He was up at 4:30 today, and I couldn't get him back to sleep till 7:00. It's thrown our whole day off but he seems happier now. All of the kids are off for the week - spring break. Desiree and Dakota are helping with Calum as the last two weeks are busy for both Don and I. Let's hope the rest of the week is a bit better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)