As Quinn becomes more active and a little more mobile, I have quickly learned that while quiet is sometimes music to my ears, it usually means he is up to something he shouldn't be.
As I said in the last post, Quinn has started to make some more sounds and he goes on and on for a long time babbling to himself, and sometimes it gets quite loud. In fact, on a number of occasions while I was watching TV , I have caught myself hitting the mute button while pointing the remote in Quinn's direction. Surprisingly it doesn't work on Quinn, or on the baby monitor as well.
Anyway, I love to hear Quinn's voice, but sometimes I just want to hear quiet. This is where the line "be careful what you wish for" comes into effect.
A few weeks ago, I had purchased Quinn a couple of new toys to play with, since he is getting bored of everything we have for him. I unpacked a couple of them from their boxes and left him with his new treasures while I threw away the packaging.
I was quiet pleased that he was content, and discovering his new friends, so I went to the kitchen to start dinner.
Wow, I thought, he really must be enjoying himself, as not a peep was to be heard from my little guy. I went to check on him, and lo and behold, he wasn't playing with his new toys, but had somehow discovered the small piece of cardboard that I mistakenly left behind and was sucking on it.
So, I took it away and the quietness disappeared. I had ruined his fun.
A few more times since then, I have discovered our quiet Quinny has gotten a hold of something he isn't supposed to, or working his way to something he isn't supposed to, but now I have realized that once all is quiet, all is not well.
Case in point, was this morning.
I had just finished giving Quinn his breakfast and decided to check out the e-mail etc. I put him on his blanket with some toys, and I went about my work on the computer. He was babbling away and having fun, and then all of a sudden he went quiet. I turned around to see what he was up to and to my complete disgust was splashing his hand in a puddle of puke.
I raced around trying to clean him and the floor up before he made even more of a mess.
My instincts were right. He was up to something he shouldn't be, and now I know, that silence, at least when it involves a child, is never good, unless of course they are asleep.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Time flies...
I can't believe it has been a month since my last entry.
Quinn will be 8 months old in a week, and he is changing every day. His face has gotten older, he is starting to move around a little bit and has already had a few head bumps. All of them are my fault, simply because I underestimated his ability. No longer can I just leave him in his car seat or rocky chair without being buckled in. Not even for a second, as he and I discovered the hard way. He can get out of both, and the result was to fall on the hardwood and bump his head. I felt horrible when it happened, and it was a wake-up call that our little Quinny is beoming much stronger and figuring out how his new muscle power works. He isn't crawling yet, but is starting to make the motions. Although, Rob and I were just commenting the other day that we think Quinn might walk before he crawls. With very little help, and sometimes no help, and under the perfect circumstances, he can pull himself to standing. He hasn't quite figured out that he still needs to hang on, which resulted in another bump on the head after I wasn't quick enough to predict his erratic movement and subsequent fall.
I know, it sounds like Quinn is hitting his head all the time, but really it has only been a few times.
Another new development is that for about a month now, Quinn takes his bath in the regular big bath tub and quite enjoys it. Rob and I are quickly realizing that Quinny loves the water. We still go to the pool once every couple of weeks to practice our Starfish moves, and our bathtime is now quite a wet affair as Quinn loves to splash and play with his boats. Rob and I couldn't be more happy about his love for the water, and are looking forward to watching him play at our beach and splash around the lake this summer.
Our food adventures are continuing. Quinn definitely has his likes and dislikes, and has now learned that he can tightly close his lips when he doesn't want any of the yucky stuff, so Rob and I are constantly trying to find new ways to get him to open up.
Quinn has also discovered that he can spit and sputter with his lips and tongue, so it's not uncommon for Rob and I to be wiping our face just as many times in a day as we wipe up Quinn.
We finished our baby sign language classes, and each week Rob and I add a new sign to the repertoire. Quinn hasn't signed back yet, but we are confident he knows what some of the signs mean. When I use the sign for milk, he gets a big smile on his face, and if Quinn is in my lap, immediately buries his head in my chest. He uses his own sign for 'up', which is both arms in the air, which also means that he is finished playing in the ExerSaucer, or on his playmat.
And if Rob were writing this blog entry the first thing he would tell you about Quinn is that he can say "Dada". We aren't sure if it is deliberate or coincidence, but Quinny is definitely saying it. Sometimes he goes on and on saying da, da, da, da, for a while even when Rob isn't in the room, but on a few ocaissions when Rob enters the room, Quinn will start saying his Da, da sounds.
We are excited to see Quinn's new developments, but at the same time realize his first year in our lives is more than halfway through. We love our little boy more and more each day, and quite often Rob and I will say to each other how indescribable our love for him is. That, and the fact that hands down we have the cutest, happiest, smartest baby in the world.
And even though I haven't written any entries in a while, I have had a number of ideas come to mind, so please stay tuned for my advice on investing, learn what my new pasttime is, and I will share with you another special milestone in Quinn's life.
Quinn will be 8 months old in a week, and he is changing every day. His face has gotten older, he is starting to move around a little bit and has already had a few head bumps. All of them are my fault, simply because I underestimated his ability. No longer can I just leave him in his car seat or rocky chair without being buckled in. Not even for a second, as he and I discovered the hard way. He can get out of both, and the result was to fall on the hardwood and bump his head. I felt horrible when it happened, and it was a wake-up call that our little Quinny is beoming much stronger and figuring out how his new muscle power works. He isn't crawling yet, but is starting to make the motions. Although, Rob and I were just commenting the other day that we think Quinn might walk before he crawls. With very little help, and sometimes no help, and under the perfect circumstances, he can pull himself to standing. He hasn't quite figured out that he still needs to hang on, which resulted in another bump on the head after I wasn't quick enough to predict his erratic movement and subsequent fall.
I know, it sounds like Quinn is hitting his head all the time, but really it has only been a few times.
Another new development is that for about a month now, Quinn takes his bath in the regular big bath tub and quite enjoys it. Rob and I are quickly realizing that Quinny loves the water. We still go to the pool once every couple of weeks to practice our Starfish moves, and our bathtime is now quite a wet affair as Quinn loves to splash and play with his boats. Rob and I couldn't be more happy about his love for the water, and are looking forward to watching him play at our beach and splash around the lake this summer.
Our food adventures are continuing. Quinn definitely has his likes and dislikes, and has now learned that he can tightly close his lips when he doesn't want any of the yucky stuff, so Rob and I are constantly trying to find new ways to get him to open up.
Quinn has also discovered that he can spit and sputter with his lips and tongue, so it's not uncommon for Rob and I to be wiping our face just as many times in a day as we wipe up Quinn.
We finished our baby sign language classes, and each week Rob and I add a new sign to the repertoire. Quinn hasn't signed back yet, but we are confident he knows what some of the signs mean. When I use the sign for milk, he gets a big smile on his face, and if Quinn is in my lap, immediately buries his head in my chest. He uses his own sign for 'up', which is both arms in the air, which also means that he is finished playing in the ExerSaucer, or on his playmat.
And if Rob were writing this blog entry the first thing he would tell you about Quinn is that he can say "Dada". We aren't sure if it is deliberate or coincidence, but Quinny is definitely saying it. Sometimes he goes on and on saying da, da, da, da, for a while even when Rob isn't in the room, but on a few ocaissions when Rob enters the room, Quinn will start saying his Da, da sounds.
We are excited to see Quinn's new developments, but at the same time realize his first year in our lives is more than halfway through. We love our little boy more and more each day, and quite often Rob and I will say to each other how indescribable our love for him is. That, and the fact that hands down we have the cutest, happiest, smartest baby in the world.
And even though I haven't written any entries in a while, I have had a number of ideas come to mind, so please stay tuned for my advice on investing, learn what my new pasttime is, and I will share with you another special milestone in Quinn's life.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A spoonful of sugar, err, I mean sweet potato and a smile of course
Life with Quinn has been hectic lately. Last week I was so burned out by Thursday, we skipped going to the Early Years drop-in.
We started the week with our last class of swimming lessons and I am proud to say our little guy passed his starfish class, and can now move on to being a Duck, although I don't think we'll sign him up for his next classes until the fall.
Tuesday we had a fun day with our accountant, and then off to meet with our minister to go over the details of Quinn's upcoming baptism.
Wednesday it was off to the first of three baby sign language classes.
Thursday we skipped drop-in, but I had to go to a dentist appointment that afternoon, so Quinn stayed home with daddy.
Friday Quinn and I went to the World Day of Prayer service at our church, then we took him out to the pub for a beer. I know it sounds bad, going out for a drink after church, but I kid you not, our minister was at the pub too enjoying a few cocktails. Actually a number of people from church were there.
Saturday it was off to Huntsville to watch our nephew Braiden play in a hockey tournament. We stayed over night and then hung out with them in the beautiful sunshine until about 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Anyway, that is the long story as to why there wasn't a post last week.
Time is going by so quickly lately, and Quinn will be 7 months old next week. eek.
Our newest adventure/experiment with our Quinny has been in the food department. As I said in an earlier post, I am making all of Quinn's baby food, and so far so good.
We starting out with the rice cereal for a few weeks then dove head first into real food. Well, real food, if you can call it that, blended up into a pulp, but the head first is a pretty accurate description if you look at Quinn after lunch.
There are many things to consider when introducing your little one to new foods. The first rule of thumb is you have to put your own tastes aside.
Rob and I eat a variety of fruits and veggies, but when it comes down to it we are pretty plain Jane.
There are a number of fruits and veggies that one of my baby food cook books recommend because of their rich nutrients and healthy fats, which are great for babies. Turns out, Rob and I have never tried some of these items.
I decided that I was going to defy everything I read about what to introduce first, veggies or fruit, and go with my own program of one veggie, then one fruit, and try to mix up the colours a bit. Turns out, there are a lot of orange veggies and fruit out there, which is a bit of a challenge.
We started our food adventure with the tried and true. Sweet potatoes. One of my personal favourites, and as it turns out, one of Quinn's too.
Great, this will be my secret weapon. My spoonful of sugar, if you will.
Next it was on to Avocado. I know, don't worry, most people give me a funny look too when I told them I gave him avocado as his first fruit, rather then banana.
Anyway, since Rob and I have never had avocado, or purchased an avocado, it was a little bit of an adventure. All of the avocados in the store were hard, so we had to wait a few days once we got it home before we could use it. We cut open the soft, ripe fruit, and weren't really sure what to think. We both gave it a taste, and to be honest we didn't really care for it, nor did we know if it was supposed to taste like that. Anyway, without hesitation I mashed it up and tried to feed it to Quinn. With a hesitant look on my face I gave him a spoonful. His reaction was to make a funny face and then gag.
So, I took the mashed up avocado and mixed it with some breastmilk and took my new favourite kitchen appliance, the hand blender, to it to make the texture a little more smooth.
Then I sat down again and put a smile on my face and made some yum, yum sounds and it went down a little easier this time.
I read in one of my books that your own aversions to certain foods can be sensed by your baby, and if you act like it is gross and yucky tasting, apparently your baby can pick up on this. I'm sure by this point you are thinking I really got sucked in this time, but I am now convinced it works.
After avocado we tried squash, broccoli, apple, banana, and mango, even though at the time I thought I was feeding him papaya. It's a long story, but it goes a little something like, I've never purchased either and the sign at the supermarket was wrong.
I am determined to let Quinn try everything and anything, even if I don't like it, or haven't tried it. And while he definitely isn't a fan of apple yet, I think it's not sweet enough for him, and the broccoli looks kind of gross all pureed, and isn't one of Quinny's favourites, one of my new pastimes is to see how much of the "gross" stuff I can get Quinn to eat by hiding it in the foods he does, like sweet potato, and of course my smile and yum, yum sounds.
Rob finds treating the spoon like an airplane or a boat works equally as well to get the broccoli down, even though he hasn't quite caught on to how mix the yucky green stuff with the yummy orange stuff, and then wonders why when he feeds Quinn he always has the yucky green stuff left over.
While my approach on the foods I am feeding Quinn isn't the tried and true of potato, peas and carrots, although they will come into the menu soon, my goal is to give Quinn as many tastes as possible, so he will continue to enjoy the healthy stuff for a long time.
And if this approach doesn't keep working, I'll move on to plan number two. It's a little something I call "what he doesn't know, won't hurt him."
Now, if you excuse me, I just have to track down those recipes I was given that sneak beets into brownies, and cauliflower into mac and cheese, just in case.
We started the week with our last class of swimming lessons and I am proud to say our little guy passed his starfish class, and can now move on to being a Duck, although I don't think we'll sign him up for his next classes until the fall.
Tuesday we had a fun day with our accountant, and then off to meet with our minister to go over the details of Quinn's upcoming baptism.
Wednesday it was off to the first of three baby sign language classes.
Thursday we skipped drop-in, but I had to go to a dentist appointment that afternoon, so Quinn stayed home with daddy.
Friday Quinn and I went to the World Day of Prayer service at our church, then we took him out to the pub for a beer. I know it sounds bad, going out for a drink after church, but I kid you not, our minister was at the pub too enjoying a few cocktails. Actually a number of people from church were there.
Saturday it was off to Huntsville to watch our nephew Braiden play in a hockey tournament. We stayed over night and then hung out with them in the beautiful sunshine until about 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Anyway, that is the long story as to why there wasn't a post last week.
Time is going by so quickly lately, and Quinn will be 7 months old next week. eek.
Our newest adventure/experiment with our Quinny has been in the food department. As I said in an earlier post, I am making all of Quinn's baby food, and so far so good.
We starting out with the rice cereal for a few weeks then dove head first into real food. Well, real food, if you can call it that, blended up into a pulp, but the head first is a pretty accurate description if you look at Quinn after lunch.
There are many things to consider when introducing your little one to new foods. The first rule of thumb is you have to put your own tastes aside.
Rob and I eat a variety of fruits and veggies, but when it comes down to it we are pretty plain Jane.
There are a number of fruits and veggies that one of my baby food cook books recommend because of their rich nutrients and healthy fats, which are great for babies. Turns out, Rob and I have never tried some of these items.
I decided that I was going to defy everything I read about what to introduce first, veggies or fruit, and go with my own program of one veggie, then one fruit, and try to mix up the colours a bit. Turns out, there are a lot of orange veggies and fruit out there, which is a bit of a challenge.
We started our food adventure with the tried and true. Sweet potatoes. One of my personal favourites, and as it turns out, one of Quinn's too.
Great, this will be my secret weapon. My spoonful of sugar, if you will.
Next it was on to Avocado. I know, don't worry, most people give me a funny look too when I told them I gave him avocado as his first fruit, rather then banana.
Anyway, since Rob and I have never had avocado, or purchased an avocado, it was a little bit of an adventure. All of the avocados in the store were hard, so we had to wait a few days once we got it home before we could use it. We cut open the soft, ripe fruit, and weren't really sure what to think. We both gave it a taste, and to be honest we didn't really care for it, nor did we know if it was supposed to taste like that. Anyway, without hesitation I mashed it up and tried to feed it to Quinn. With a hesitant look on my face I gave him a spoonful. His reaction was to make a funny face and then gag.
So, I took the mashed up avocado and mixed it with some breastmilk and took my new favourite kitchen appliance, the hand blender, to it to make the texture a little more smooth.
Then I sat down again and put a smile on my face and made some yum, yum sounds and it went down a little easier this time.
I read in one of my books that your own aversions to certain foods can be sensed by your baby, and if you act like it is gross and yucky tasting, apparently your baby can pick up on this. I'm sure by this point you are thinking I really got sucked in this time, but I am now convinced it works.
After avocado we tried squash, broccoli, apple, banana, and mango, even though at the time I thought I was feeding him papaya. It's a long story, but it goes a little something like, I've never purchased either and the sign at the supermarket was wrong.
I am determined to let Quinn try everything and anything, even if I don't like it, or haven't tried it. And while he definitely isn't a fan of apple yet, I think it's not sweet enough for him, and the broccoli looks kind of gross all pureed, and isn't one of Quinny's favourites, one of my new pastimes is to see how much of the "gross" stuff I can get Quinn to eat by hiding it in the foods he does, like sweet potato, and of course my smile and yum, yum sounds.
Rob finds treating the spoon like an airplane or a boat works equally as well to get the broccoli down, even though he hasn't quite caught on to how mix the yucky green stuff with the yummy orange stuff, and then wonders why when he feeds Quinn he always has the yucky green stuff left over.
While my approach on the foods I am feeding Quinn isn't the tried and true of potato, peas and carrots, although they will come into the menu soon, my goal is to give Quinn as many tastes as possible, so he will continue to enjoy the healthy stuff for a long time.
And if this approach doesn't keep working, I'll move on to plan number two. It's a little something I call "what he doesn't know, won't hurt him."
Now, if you excuse me, I just have to track down those recipes I was given that sneak beets into brownies, and cauliflower into mac and cheese, just in case.
Monday, February 23, 2009
It's definitely a guy thing
I've known for quite some time now that guys are hard-wired a little differently than girls. I definitely figured that one out probably a day or so afer Rob and I first moved in together.
I guess what I didn't realize is just how much of it is automatic, and it starts so early.
It totally brings a new side to the debate of nature versus nurture.
Quinn turned six months old on Thursday and there are many things I have learned about boys in my short time as a mother, and in my seven years as an auntie.
It's amazing all of the things boys and men do without being taught.
I swear from the day he was born, my nephew Braiden has had a need for speed, and probably the first noises out of his mouth were the vroom-vrooms of dinky cars. I'm not sure what part of the brain controls these features, but boys know how to imitate the sounds of boats, cars and trucks the second they pick up these toys.
My other nephew Kyle at almost two, can by now fix and put togehter just about anything, and if he could use the words, would tell us how everything works. I think one of his favourite Christmas gifts this year was a set of play tools.
And I will always remember what one of my good friends told me "Boys want to build the house and girls want to decorate it" when describing the difference between the two sexes and how they play as small children. It's good advice to keep in mind, and so true.
My observances with Quinn as a boy go as follows and could very easily apply to his father as well I have learned. Sorry Rob. And to tell you the truth, having male children of two very different age categories (6 months and 428 months) gives me the perfect opportunity to evaluate nature versus nurture.
Here are my observances.
Quinn sometimes gets a big smile on his face when he lets out a big fart, and the other times acts non-chalantly as if nothing ever happened. Rob does the same. One point for Nature.
Quinn can sometimes let out some prettty big burps, and after which Rob will say "nice one" and come over and give Quinn a kiss. Actually I think that was the same reaction he had when he heard me let out a big belch for the first time. But anyway... 2 points for Nature.
One of my most recent observances with Quinn was during a diaper change. He found himself so to speak, and I actually had to remove his hand away as he gave his little package a good squeeze. And now every chance he gets during a diaper change his hand will wander down south. And I know there isn't a woman in the world who wouldn't give another point to Nature on this one. I can't believe though that it's such an early age in which guys are fascinated with themselves. All I can say is thank God that Quinn will be in diapers for a few more years and there isn't easy access, because I already have a hard enough job with my 428-month-old on this subject.
As the months and years go by I will have some more for this debate, but this whole experiment really opened my eyes on how men work, and no matter how much I try to intervene, boys will just simply be boys, no matter how old they are. And I just realized why The Week the Women Went is now my favourite television show.
I guess what I didn't realize is just how much of it is automatic, and it starts so early.
It totally brings a new side to the debate of nature versus nurture.
Quinn turned six months old on Thursday and there are many things I have learned about boys in my short time as a mother, and in my seven years as an auntie.
It's amazing all of the things boys and men do without being taught.
I swear from the day he was born, my nephew Braiden has had a need for speed, and probably the first noises out of his mouth were the vroom-vrooms of dinky cars. I'm not sure what part of the brain controls these features, but boys know how to imitate the sounds of boats, cars and trucks the second they pick up these toys.
My other nephew Kyle at almost two, can by now fix and put togehter just about anything, and if he could use the words, would tell us how everything works. I think one of his favourite Christmas gifts this year was a set of play tools.
And I will always remember what one of my good friends told me "Boys want to build the house and girls want to decorate it" when describing the difference between the two sexes and how they play as small children. It's good advice to keep in mind, and so true.
My observances with Quinn as a boy go as follows and could very easily apply to his father as well I have learned. Sorry Rob. And to tell you the truth, having male children of two very different age categories (6 months and 428 months) gives me the perfect opportunity to evaluate nature versus nurture.
Here are my observances.
Quinn sometimes gets a big smile on his face when he lets out a big fart, and the other times acts non-chalantly as if nothing ever happened. Rob does the same. One point for Nature.
Quinn can sometimes let out some prettty big burps, and after which Rob will say "nice one" and come over and give Quinn a kiss. Actually I think that was the same reaction he had when he heard me let out a big belch for the first time. But anyway... 2 points for Nature.
One of my most recent observances with Quinn was during a diaper change. He found himself so to speak, and I actually had to remove his hand away as he gave his little package a good squeeze. And now every chance he gets during a diaper change his hand will wander down south. And I know there isn't a woman in the world who wouldn't give another point to Nature on this one. I can't believe though that it's such an early age in which guys are fascinated with themselves. All I can say is thank God that Quinn will be in diapers for a few more years and there isn't easy access, because I already have a hard enough job with my 428-month-old on this subject.
As the months and years go by I will have some more for this debate, but this whole experiment really opened my eyes on how men work, and no matter how much I try to intervene, boys will just simply be boys, no matter how old they are. And I just realized why The Week the Women Went is now my favourite television show.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Testing, testing...
An essential tool for any parent is the baby monitor. It's actually one of the tools I have heard the older generation actually praise as opposed to the usual mocking which is heard whenever there is a mention about all of the new baby gadgets out there.
Anyway, there are lots of these monitors out there and they all make wonderful claims, and the problem is there is no way to test out these gadgets without ripping open the boxes and using them.
Some have a special pad you place under the crib mattress which will sound an alarm once no movement is detected. It is supposed help against SIDS. The review on this monitor at $150 from Rob's sister is, it isn't worth the money. Apparently it tends to go off if the conditions it is used in aren't perfect, and I think they had a few false alarms, which doesn't do the heart very good at 3 in the morning.
Rob and I both agreed we did not want one of the new video monitors that they have, and we thought it best to leave spying on our child until he turns at least 16.
We chose the monitor we put on our registry because of its long range. We figured with our property and business it would be handy to be able to be outside etc. when our little one is asleep and a monitor with a longer than average range would be beneficial.
So after charging up the batteries we put it to the test. It seemed to work well, and even though we didn't test its range, we were quite happy with our selection. All was good until the phone rang, or we used the microwave, and then the thing went crazy. The interference was annoying, and we acutally didn't realize until we heard someone else's monitor, that it's not actually supposed to have that annoying clicking sound.
Our monitor was a dud and the interference was starting to drive us crazy.
I started doing some more research on baby monitors and read some reviews online. I came across a new monitor just out on the market that is digital, and is guaranteed not to have any interference. I haven't been able to find it in stores yet, but to my surprise, while out shopping last week I discovered another digital-type monitor. I read over the box carefully and it said its digital technology was guaranteed to have no interference. So, $90 later, and I was ready to put this claim to the test.
I get the monitor home, unpack it and after a day of charging the batteries we were ready to go. We turned on the battery powered unit in Quinn's room and took the parent unit downstairs. We turned them on, and there were red lights going off everywhere. Rob and I frantically read the instructions and it turns out you have "pair" up the two units, so they will talk to each other, even though in the instruction manual it proudly tells us that each nursery and parent unit is made specifically to only work with each other. So the next time Quinn goes for a nap, we try to "pair" the units up. Everything was working fine until I came downstairs, then the red lights went off again. Apparently our "pairing" exercise didn't work very well. We went back to the instruction booklet, where it tells us that if the red light goes on it means it is out of range, or it could be do to interference i.e. walls, ceilings, electronic devices, flourecsent lightbulbs etc., despite the manufacturer's guarantee. Great, we bought another dud.
So, at bedtime that night, Rob and I methodically go through the instructions, and finally the units are now talking to each other, even though this exercise in frustration has left Rob and I silent partners. After about an hour the red light goes off again. By this time we give up, hook up the old monitor and promise to figure it all out the next day.
Nap time rolls around again and we discover the batteries in the nursery unit are dead. They barely lasted a day, and they aren't rechargeable. Great, another device that gives us reason to start looking into buying stocks in a battery company.
After a couple of days of troubleshooting, we finally figured this new gadet out, and to our great surprise, the guarntee is true to its word. There's no interference and everything seems to be "talking" just fine, including Rob and I.
Anyway, there are lots of these monitors out there and they all make wonderful claims, and the problem is there is no way to test out these gadgets without ripping open the boxes and using them.
Some have a special pad you place under the crib mattress which will sound an alarm once no movement is detected. It is supposed help against SIDS. The review on this monitor at $150 from Rob's sister is, it isn't worth the money. Apparently it tends to go off if the conditions it is used in aren't perfect, and I think they had a few false alarms, which doesn't do the heart very good at 3 in the morning.
Rob and I both agreed we did not want one of the new video monitors that they have, and we thought it best to leave spying on our child until he turns at least 16.
We chose the monitor we put on our registry because of its long range. We figured with our property and business it would be handy to be able to be outside etc. when our little one is asleep and a monitor with a longer than average range would be beneficial.
So after charging up the batteries we put it to the test. It seemed to work well, and even though we didn't test its range, we were quite happy with our selection. All was good until the phone rang, or we used the microwave, and then the thing went crazy. The interference was annoying, and we acutally didn't realize until we heard someone else's monitor, that it's not actually supposed to have that annoying clicking sound.
Our monitor was a dud and the interference was starting to drive us crazy.
I started doing some more research on baby monitors and read some reviews online. I came across a new monitor just out on the market that is digital, and is guaranteed not to have any interference. I haven't been able to find it in stores yet, but to my surprise, while out shopping last week I discovered another digital-type monitor. I read over the box carefully and it said its digital technology was guaranteed to have no interference. So, $90 later, and I was ready to put this claim to the test.
I get the monitor home, unpack it and after a day of charging the batteries we were ready to go. We turned on the battery powered unit in Quinn's room and took the parent unit downstairs. We turned them on, and there were red lights going off everywhere. Rob and I frantically read the instructions and it turns out you have "pair" up the two units, so they will talk to each other, even though in the instruction manual it proudly tells us that each nursery and parent unit is made specifically to only work with each other. So the next time Quinn goes for a nap, we try to "pair" the units up. Everything was working fine until I came downstairs, then the red lights went off again. Apparently our "pairing" exercise didn't work very well. We went back to the instruction booklet, where it tells us that if the red light goes on it means it is out of range, or it could be do to interference i.e. walls, ceilings, electronic devices, flourecsent lightbulbs etc., despite the manufacturer's guarantee. Great, we bought another dud.
So, at bedtime that night, Rob and I methodically go through the instructions, and finally the units are now talking to each other, even though this exercise in frustration has left Rob and I silent partners. After about an hour the red light goes off again. By this time we give up, hook up the old monitor and promise to figure it all out the next day.
Nap time rolls around again and we discover the batteries in the nursery unit are dead. They barely lasted a day, and they aren't rechargeable. Great, another device that gives us reason to start looking into buying stocks in a battery company.
After a couple of days of troubleshooting, we finally figured this new gadet out, and to our great surprise, the guarntee is true to its word. There's no interference and everything seems to be "talking" just fine, including Rob and I.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
I am a believer
When you become a parent you are given a lot of advice from everyone, and some of it you just don't want to believe, or you think you will do things differently, therefore said advice doesn't apply.
Rob and I have been really blessed with Quinn. He is easy-going, hardly ever cries, likes to eat, is a little bit of a character, smiles and laughs lots, and has always been a good sleeper (anywhere, anytime etc).
Some parents don't like to hear how great our Quinny is, especially if their baby is a little fussy. And I have to admit Rob and I sometimes feel guilty telling them about our pride and joy.
Anyway, sometimes these bitter parents will tell us not to count our chickens yet, because things change. Rob and I merely laughed this suggestion off, that is until a couple of weeks ago.
Our Quinny is still all of the great things I described, with the exception of "a good sleeper".
Rob and I readily admit that we have been spoiled in the sleep department. I think Quinn stopped waking up every two hours at night after the first couple of weeks, and from there he quickly went to every three, then every four hours, then around the three month mark I was usually only up with him about once a night, and sometimes not even that. Up until about two weeks ago, it was rare for Quinn not to sleep about 10 hours straight.
And not only would Quinn sleep through the night, but would also give me a couple two-hour naps during the day, thanks to the swing, and he would sleep anywhere, in the car, in the stroller while out shopping, at grandma's in Toronto etc.
Rob and I naively thought we had it made, and we are the first to admit, we were wrong.
A couple of weeks ago we were in Toronto for a few days and Quinn had a few bad nights of sleep, to the point where bringing him into our bed was the only way we could all get a few zzz's, and a nap during the day was out of the question until we took him out for a car ride.
We figured Quinn was over-stimulated and thought once we returned home we would all fall back into our normal sleep routine. Quinn had other ideas about that.
Quinn decided that the magic sleep machine (aka the swing) would no longer do, and we had to revert back to rocking him to sleep for naps, except whenever we tried to put him down he would wake up. And then at night, he did the same thing. It would take us literally hours to get him to sleep at night and usually by about midnight he would give in and sleep until morning. This worked for a while, and then he started waking up in the night and we would have to bring him into bed with us. And while this solution works for many families, it is one of the "rules" Rob and I refuse to break. We were desparate, and out of steam.
Anyway, I cracked open one of the baby care books I have and after a quick call to Rob's sister Karen for some advice, we introduced Quinn to our friend Dr. Ferber.
The Ferber Sleep Method is where you actually let your little one cry themselves to sleep, with you checking on them during certain time increments to calm them down etc. We decided to try the time increments of 2, 4, 6, and 8 minutes.
The first night was hell for Rob and I. I'm not sure, but I think there were just as many tears on our side of the bedroom door. Rob and I agreed that if Quinn wasn't asleep by the end of the 8 minute check, we would pick him up and cuddle him, which apparently is a no-no for hardcore Ferber believers. Some parents like there kids cry forever and until they puke. We are not those parents.
Anyway, we ended up picking Quinny up and he fell asleep in my arms and slept through the night. The second night, Quinn fell asleep at the six minute mark, and the third night he didn't cry at all. We have so far won the battle in getting to sleep and staying asleep at night, but by no means have we won the war.
Turns out Quinn doesn't like to nap very much now, and is too nosey to sleep while we are out shopping. We are working on the naps, and are very thankful that while Quinn won't sleep when we are at the mall, the car ride still works like magic.
It is a work in progress, and as I sit down to write this entry, Quinny is asleep, Ferber is our new god, and yes, I am a believer, about some of the advice anyway.
Rob and I have been really blessed with Quinn. He is easy-going, hardly ever cries, likes to eat, is a little bit of a character, smiles and laughs lots, and has always been a good sleeper (anywhere, anytime etc).
Some parents don't like to hear how great our Quinny is, especially if their baby is a little fussy. And I have to admit Rob and I sometimes feel guilty telling them about our pride and joy.
Anyway, sometimes these bitter parents will tell us not to count our chickens yet, because things change. Rob and I merely laughed this suggestion off, that is until a couple of weeks ago.
Our Quinny is still all of the great things I described, with the exception of "a good sleeper".
Rob and I readily admit that we have been spoiled in the sleep department. I think Quinn stopped waking up every two hours at night after the first couple of weeks, and from there he quickly went to every three, then every four hours, then around the three month mark I was usually only up with him about once a night, and sometimes not even that. Up until about two weeks ago, it was rare for Quinn not to sleep about 10 hours straight.
And not only would Quinn sleep through the night, but would also give me a couple two-hour naps during the day, thanks to the swing, and he would sleep anywhere, in the car, in the stroller while out shopping, at grandma's in Toronto etc.
Rob and I naively thought we had it made, and we are the first to admit, we were wrong.
A couple of weeks ago we were in Toronto for a few days and Quinn had a few bad nights of sleep, to the point where bringing him into our bed was the only way we could all get a few zzz's, and a nap during the day was out of the question until we took him out for a car ride.
We figured Quinn was over-stimulated and thought once we returned home we would all fall back into our normal sleep routine. Quinn had other ideas about that.
Quinn decided that the magic sleep machine (aka the swing) would no longer do, and we had to revert back to rocking him to sleep for naps, except whenever we tried to put him down he would wake up. And then at night, he did the same thing. It would take us literally hours to get him to sleep at night and usually by about midnight he would give in and sleep until morning. This worked for a while, and then he started waking up in the night and we would have to bring him into bed with us. And while this solution works for many families, it is one of the "rules" Rob and I refuse to break. We were desparate, and out of steam.
Anyway, I cracked open one of the baby care books I have and after a quick call to Rob's sister Karen for some advice, we introduced Quinn to our friend Dr. Ferber.
The Ferber Sleep Method is where you actually let your little one cry themselves to sleep, with you checking on them during certain time increments to calm them down etc. We decided to try the time increments of 2, 4, 6, and 8 minutes.
The first night was hell for Rob and I. I'm not sure, but I think there were just as many tears on our side of the bedroom door. Rob and I agreed that if Quinn wasn't asleep by the end of the 8 minute check, we would pick him up and cuddle him, which apparently is a no-no for hardcore Ferber believers. Some parents like there kids cry forever and until they puke. We are not those parents.
Anyway, we ended up picking Quinny up and he fell asleep in my arms and slept through the night. The second night, Quinn fell asleep at the six minute mark, and the third night he didn't cry at all. We have so far won the battle in getting to sleep and staying asleep at night, but by no means have we won the war.
Turns out Quinn doesn't like to nap very much now, and is too nosey to sleep while we are out shopping. We are working on the naps, and are very thankful that while Quinn won't sleep when we are at the mall, the car ride still works like magic.
It is a work in progress, and as I sit down to write this entry, Quinny is asleep, Ferber is our new god, and yes, I am a believer, about some of the advice anyway.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Another first for Quinn
Rob was just commenting the other day that he was a little sad that there doesn't seem to be as many firsts for Quinn anymore, after all he is five months old and has experienced quite a bit in his short time on earth.
Of course at the beginning, everything is a first, and every first seems to be exciting, at least for us it is, and I have to be sure to mark everything down on the calendar, so when I eventually get time to write in Quinn's baby book, I can actually write a specific date, rather than a generic time frame.
After about mid-September we were in a firsts slump, until Halloween, and then of course Christmas. It seems that in every month of his life thus far Quinn has done something for the first time, and January has been no exception. In fact there have been three.
Quinn can now sit all by himself on the floor and play with some toys. Of course I am sitting on the floor with him to catch him before he does a face plant onto the hardwood, and he is bordered by my breastfeeding pillow in case he falls backwards, but he is still pretty much sitting without leaning on anything.
We also gave Quinn rice cereal for the first time on Monday, which he gobbled up very happily, which put me a ease, because I was nervous that he wasn't quite ready, and the doctor advised to wait until the 6-month mark. But more on that later.
These two firsts are exciting, but the third first for January, is, quite frankly, one I hoped wouldn't come for at least another 16 to 18 years, and one that I really hoped I'd never hear about.
On January 27, 2008, Quinn gave out his first hickey. Yes, you heard that right, a hickey, and unfortunately, I have proof. Right here on my chin.
Of course you are probably wondering what the hell goes on at our house where a five month old is giving his mother a hickey, and to be quite honest it was the furthest thing from my mind when the incident happened.
It all began when Quinn was a little fussy and none of his toys would suffice, not even the Jolly Jumper, so I had Quinn sitting on my knee, as I did some work on the computer, actually I'm sure I was just checking out facebook. Anyway, I guess Quinn was getting a little hungry and as I leaned over for something, with his two hands pulled my face toward him and latched on to my chin and started sucking. I quickly pulled his little guppy lips away, but he managed to get close and started sucking on me again. This wasn't the first time he had started to suck on my face, he has done it before on my cheek, and Rob and I just thought it was cute and it was like a little kiss, we had no idea what it would lead to, because he never really got a good latch on my cheek. Obviously he was waiting for the right moment and angle to put his suction power to work.
Anyway Rob came in for lunch and was checking out my face, and asked what was on my chin. I said I had no idea and headed for the bathroom, and to my dismay, there is a little purpley splotch on my chin. Oh my God! I was speechless. What the hell was I going to tell people, I thought, as I walked over to the calendar to figure out the next time I would have to go out in public.
A day later, and the blotch is still there, but not quite as noticeable. I hope it goes down even more before tomorrow when we go to the Early Years Drop-In, as I am sure I would be the first mom ever to explain how her 5-month old gave her a hickey on her face.
And besides this blog entry, this is certainly not a first I will be bragging about to the other moms, unless of course the gloves have to come off and I am desperate to one-up them.
Of course at the beginning, everything is a first, and every first seems to be exciting, at least for us it is, and I have to be sure to mark everything down on the calendar, so when I eventually get time to write in Quinn's baby book, I can actually write a specific date, rather than a generic time frame.
After about mid-September we were in a firsts slump, until Halloween, and then of course Christmas. It seems that in every month of his life thus far Quinn has done something for the first time, and January has been no exception. In fact there have been three.
Quinn can now sit all by himself on the floor and play with some toys. Of course I am sitting on the floor with him to catch him before he does a face plant onto the hardwood, and he is bordered by my breastfeeding pillow in case he falls backwards, but he is still pretty much sitting without leaning on anything.
We also gave Quinn rice cereal for the first time on Monday, which he gobbled up very happily, which put me a ease, because I was nervous that he wasn't quite ready, and the doctor advised to wait until the 6-month mark. But more on that later.
These two firsts are exciting, but the third first for January, is, quite frankly, one I hoped wouldn't come for at least another 16 to 18 years, and one that I really hoped I'd never hear about.
On January 27, 2008, Quinn gave out his first hickey. Yes, you heard that right, a hickey, and unfortunately, I have proof. Right here on my chin.
Of course you are probably wondering what the hell goes on at our house where a five month old is giving his mother a hickey, and to be quite honest it was the furthest thing from my mind when the incident happened.
It all began when Quinn was a little fussy and none of his toys would suffice, not even the Jolly Jumper, so I had Quinn sitting on my knee, as I did some work on the computer, actually I'm sure I was just checking out facebook. Anyway, I guess Quinn was getting a little hungry and as I leaned over for something, with his two hands pulled my face toward him and latched on to my chin and started sucking. I quickly pulled his little guppy lips away, but he managed to get close and started sucking on me again. This wasn't the first time he had started to suck on my face, he has done it before on my cheek, and Rob and I just thought it was cute and it was like a little kiss, we had no idea what it would lead to, because he never really got a good latch on my cheek. Obviously he was waiting for the right moment and angle to put his suction power to work.
Anyway Rob came in for lunch and was checking out my face, and asked what was on my chin. I said I had no idea and headed for the bathroom, and to my dismay, there is a little purpley splotch on my chin. Oh my God! I was speechless. What the hell was I going to tell people, I thought, as I walked over to the calendar to figure out the next time I would have to go out in public.
A day later, and the blotch is still there, but not quite as noticeable. I hope it goes down even more before tomorrow when we go to the Early Years Drop-In, as I am sure I would be the first mom ever to explain how her 5-month old gave her a hickey on her face.
And besides this blog entry, this is certainly not a first I will be bragging about to the other moms, unless of course the gloves have to come off and I am desperate to one-up them.
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