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.

Quinny's going to have ADHD

I have already resigned myself to the fact that my son will likely have ADHD, and I especially think this after reading a recent article in the Toronto Star.
According to the article, exposing your child to television before the age of 2 can in all likelihood lead to them having ADHD.
I have read articles like this before, but haven't really given much thought, until I started my own little research project.
One of the article's sources, a pediatrician, noticed that his colicky baby developed a taste for CNN. He noticed that his baby would calm down once he got view of the television, even though his child had no idea what he was watching. This doctor discovered that its the bright colours and quick movements on the tube which attract those little eyes. I can't believe this guy spent how many years in school to become a doctor to just suddenly discover that babies are attracted to bright colours and quick movements. I guess the fact that all baby toys are brightly coloured didn't clue him in before, but that's not really here, nor there. Anyway the article states that this over-stimulation from watching television, be it CNN or Baby Einstein, is likely the cause of the drastic increase in children who suffer from ADHD.
Another article I read also said that even having the television on in the background can wreak havoc on your child's attention span. But I have to raise the question, is this also the case if you have the radio on all day?
Rob and I have known for a while that our little Quinny is attracted to television, and he has been for quite some time.
Usually in the morning when we get up we turn the television on to see what the weather is etc. As we go about our usual routine around the house, the television usually stays on, whether we are watching it or not.
After Quinn is fed, he plays for a little while with the various apparatus we have for him, while we make some coffee and grab a quite bite to eat. On a number of occasions his little coos have suddenly become quiet, so we go over and see what he is up to. And there he is, neck cranked around at an odd angle, watching the T.V. So now we strategically place his toys out of range of the T.V., or we move him around so he can't see it.
I have tried to be a little more conscious about our daily television watching habits, but it's hard. While I like to have peace and quiet, I also like some background noise. And let's face it, it is pretty boring just sitting on the floor all day playing with toys that are designed to entertain a 5 month old, so, while Quinny plays, I watch a show or two.
If there was more concrete evidence that TV and ADHD are linked, maybe I'd be more apt to take this a little more seriously. Don't get me wrong, we want to raise our child in the best environment possible, but I don't think we are about to give up television because Quinn on occasion catches a glimpse of the t.v., and why wouldn't he since we just brought home a new 46" LCD-HD television. I'm not sure how he can keep his eyes off it. In fact we've had to completely remove all of his toys from the viewing area.
See, we are not dismissing the article completely, and Rob and I would feel pretty horrible if Quinn was later diagnosed with ADHD (ADdiction to High Definition) television because of our irresponsibility.

Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder

I had this weird feeling come over me yesterday. It was something I hadn't felt in a long time. It was a sense of calm, and felt as if all the stress had melted away, the tension in my neck released, and all the sound around me dissipated. I was in my own little bubble, and even my tiredness was barely noticeable.

You are probably thinking that my wonderful husband sent me to the spa, sadly the answer is no. No, I found this serenity, this peace, at a Shopper's Drug Mart. And in case all you mothers out there are wondering which magic bottle behind the pharmacy counter this blissful moment came from, don't get too excited, it doesn't exist.

After a couple of hectic days in the city, we were on our way home, both of us exhausted because our little Quinny, actually our nosey little Quinny, doesn't like to sleep much at Grandma's house. There's too many new things to see and he has a hard time settling down at night.

Anyway, once we got to Gravenhurst and filled up with gas (it's cheaper here than in Toronto if you can believe it), I realized that I needed a few things from the drug store which is right across the road. I have been trying to get to the drug store for a couple of weeks now, but usually I have Quinn with me, and after doing a bunch of errands, the last thing I want to do is lift his heavy car seat out of the car, again, and lug him around the drug store. So I've made do.

Quinn was asleep, and Rob could stay with him in the car while I did some shopping, alone.
When I originally stepped foot in the store my goal was to get in, grab what I needed and get out. This has become our new shopping mantra when Rob and I are together. When I'm out by myself with Quinn I take my time, but when Rob's on the scene he puts me into a panic and rushes us around.

My state of bliss didn't happen immediately, but after a few minutes something came over me and I got lost in my own little world. I actually remembered the few things that I needed, but decided to walk up and down all the aisles to check out some of the products, and see what was on sale.

I got sucked into the vortex called the baby aisle, checked out all the products and actually found the expensive diapers we like on sale. I stood there and pondered for a few minutes what size to buy. Quinn is currently in size 2, but they only go up to 18 lbs. Quinn is just over 16 lbs right now, so I couldn't decide if I should by one or two bags of #2. How long would it take him to reach 18 lbs? Would it happen before we went through another two bags of #2 diapers. Not that I had to buy two bags of diapers at all, but they were on sale and I wanted to stock up. Then out of nowhere, my question was answered. Apparently the next size up in the Swaddlers diapers is a 2-3. I have never seen this size before and just assumed that after Quinn grew out of the Swaddlers #2 we would have to go through another diaper experiment, which is quite expensive, and requires me to do a lot of laundry until we find out which diaper can contain Quinn's poop the best.
Anyway we can hold off on the poop test now until he is 22 lbs, I bought a bag of #2 and a bag of #2-3.

After I made the diaper decision I decided to check out all the baby food. Quinn will start food in a few weeks, and I just confirmed with myself why I will be making every morsel that goes in his mouth, with the exception of cereal. Have you ever looked at the expiry date on those jars in the store. The ones on the shelf right now are good until 2010. So I looked at the ingredients, and it said apples and water, but I'm not convinced. They have to put something in it, or do something to it, to have a shelf life of over a year, and something must be turning the sweet potatoes in those jars a brownish colour.

Anyway, after I'm not sure how long, I decided I'd seen enough, had what I needed and was making my way to the counter, when suddenly my moment of bliss was abruptly taken from me with the ring of my cell phone. I knew who it was. I had taken too long and now Quinn had woken up and was not very happy. I quickly paid for my purchases, walked out to the car and got in.

Imagine my surprise to find Quinn was still asleep, in his own little dream world.
Oh no, I could have stayed longer, or at the very least finished my excursion without feeling rushed, taking my new found state of bliss with me, rather than having it ripped away. Doesn't Rob know what he has taken away all because of his need to rush around, Obviously he doesn't, and I've resigned myself to the fact that he wouldn't get it anyway even if I explained it.
Oh well, I guess I can still hold on to the memories. And it got me thinking; They didn't pave over paradise, they put up a Shopper's Drug Mart.

All for the sake of convenience and sleep

Yesterday morning I was awakened by a warm hand petting my face. I opened my eyes and there were these two bright blue eyes smiling at me, and then his head dive-bombed my chest. I guess it was time for breakfast, and in case you haven't figured it out, I am talking about Quinn, not Rob.
Today, I was awakened by a cold little punch in the eye, actually it was a couple of punches. They weren't on purpose of course, but Quinn was ready for daddy and I to wake up.
We don't usually have Quinn in bed with us. We are not the co-sleeping-type family. After I rock Quinn to sleep every night, he goes to his own crib in his own room and luckily, we don't usually hear from him until around 7:30 or 8 the next morning.
It's not that we are against co-sleeping, many people do it, but it's just not for us. For one thing, I wouldn't be able to sleep too well with Quinn in our bed for fear of rolling over on him. But I have to admit it would have made those 3 a.m. feedings a lot easier if I could have just laid in bed to do it. But for the most part I relish sharing my bed with just my husband, and some nights I don't even enjoy that, as we fight over the covers and who is taking up more of the bed.
So how did we break down? Well, it wasn't a complete break down, but a few mornings over the last little while, Quinn has decided to wake up around 6 a.m., which is much too early for us. So Rob goes into his room, I prepare a spot in our bed, and we snuggle with him until we all fall back to sleep for another couple of hours.
I'm sure we are creating a bad habit by bringing him into bed with us, but we, and more specifically I, just can't bring myself to become vertical at that hour to feed him and rock him back to sleep just for another hour of rest, those days are over. And besides, Quinn seems quite content to hang out with us in bed until his hunger gets the best of him.
I know, it sounds mean, I won't get up to feed my son, but if you have seen him lately, he certainly doesn't look like he misses a feeding, and of course if he was fussing and carrying on, I would feed him. Usually he just closes his eyes and dozes off to sleep again.
Isn't it funny how what you say you are or aren't going to do as parents, quickly goes out the window, all for the sake of convenience and more importantly, sleep.
As I said before, Rob and I are actually on the same page when it comes to parenting. We haven't had too many disagreements on what our principles are on raising our children, and so far we have only given in to a couple of things we said we never would.
Co-sleeping was one of them. I guess we just co-nap in the morning, it's not like Quinn's with us all night, except for the night the power went out for five hours and we were afraid he would get cold. Although, I think it was actually Quinn who was keeping us warm.
Our other ideal that went out the window was the introduction of the soother. When we created our baby shower registry we stood at the store looking at soothers, but I very quickly dismissed them, saying, no child of mine will be a soother baby. So we never put them on our registry. We got some soothers for shower gifts anyway, and I politely said thank you and stored them away in a drawer, all the while thinking I'm never going to use these. I think this frame of mind lasted maybe for a week after Quinn was born. He's a real sucker that son of ours, and the soother has been a Godsend. It is essential to our daily lives, and I can't tell you how many times during the day that Rob and I trip over each other in a panic trying to find the damn thing. Now look who the real suckers are.
And even though we have given in and are ready to admit to our faults, a cold punch to the face still isn't enough of a wake-up call to stop us from naively judging how others choose to raise their children. "We will never let our child do that" is still a part of our vocabulary.

Daycare for dummies . . . and I'm the dummy

If you ever have a hope in hell of getting licensed child care for a child between 12 and 18 months, you should have put your name on a waiting list before you even considered getting pregnant. Years before the thought of children ever entered your mind.
Here in Muskoka, and more specifically south Muskoka, there are a total of12 spots available for infants (between 12 and 18 months). Yes you read that correctly 12 spots. I was told by the nice lady at the District of Muskoka, who was probably laughing under her breath at my stupidness for only starting to look into daycare options when my child is five months old, that one of the daycare's lists for 6 available spots is 90 people long, so it's probably not worth the effort. After a call to Gravenhurst Children's Place, where the other six spots are, Quinn is on the list but he is about number 50, and apparently by the time September roles around, maybe three spots will become free.
I am mad at myself. I have heard about these lists, but for some reason never really thought too much of them, and always considered them someone else's problem. Well, now they are my problem. I only started really thinking about daycares when a good friend of mine, who now lives in New Brunswick, was telling us recently that she put her name on a list three years ago, and is now lucky number 13 on the list. Hopefully by the time she goes back to work at the end of October of this year, she will have a space for her daughter.
The other option if you want licenced child care is to go to a home setting.
I have called an agency who supervises licenced home child care and Quinn is on the list for the only licenced home child care place they have listed in Muskoka. The odds look pretty good that I could get a spot by September, the nice lady on the phone told me. I am waiting to hear back from the other agency on the other only licenced home child care provider in Muskoka, to see what my odds are. What is more frustrating is that if I want Quinn in licenced care, I have to take what is given to me, whether I like the place or not. I guess I pictured myself going on an outing, inspecting these places and choosing what we think is the best for him, but now we have to take what we can get.
There are probably lots of unlicenced child care situations in the area, and I guess that is my next step. It's time to start working the grapevine.
How could I have been so naive, no, the better word is stupid. What the hell do people do for childcare when they have a 1-year-old? It brings new meaning to take your child to work day, oh I mean year.
I guess I should look at the bright side of this whole fiasco, I am miles ahead of myself when the next child comes on the scene. By the time we are blessed with another one, a space for infants might actually become available. Actually, I think I may call the daycare with the 90 people waiting list. And while I'm at it, I better start reserving Quinny a space in the toddler room, one might open up by the time he's ready for Kindergarten. Who says the first child is always spoiled. Quinn might have our undivided attention and love, but our second child will get the better pre-school education.

Five months and counting

As I said in my first entry, my husband Rob and I became parents on August 19, 2008 when our son Quinn was born. Our world changed forever at 7:48 p.m. that day, and every day since then we have learned something new. Apparently all of this learning is what actually creates what is called "baby brain". Even fathers get it, at least that's what we heard one day on the radio. All of this new learning gives our brains quite a workout and because of this we forget even the simplest of things, like where we put the car keys, our cell phones and other personal belongings. Although Rob and I will be the first to admit we were quite forgetful before Quinn came on the scene, now we can legitimately blame it on Baby Brain.
Anyway, these first five months of parenthood have gone by in a flash, but if you ask Rob, he says that it feels like time is going by at a regular pace. And although I think it has gone by quickly, it feels like forever ago that I was pregnant. We both agree however, that it feels as if Quinn has been a part of our lives all along.
Everyone told us our lives would never be the same, and they were right, but I guess we kind of expected it to be more dramatic. And for many couples it is, but Rob and I are fairly relaxed when it comes to parenting, and I feel as if we know what to do most times as if it is second nature. But we have learned a few things along the way, like... not all diapers are created equal; if you have a boy, point his peter down to cut down on the number of times he pees through the diaper (of course this was only possible for us for the first three weeks, then Quinn got snipped - yes our poor guy got circumsized, and no we aren't Jewish); we know exactly what to look for when we buy our next car seat (thank you to Scott and Charlene for giving us our sanity back - a word to the wise, don't buy a car seat unless you can loosen and tighten the straps from the front), everyone you talk to about immunizations will give you completely different and conflicting advice, and the best advice is to be educated and make the decision for you and your child, not what is the current trend, thank you very much Jenny McCarthy (if you need some literature on this topic, I think I have literally read everything out there); don't get dressed to go out until you are at the door (I now lay out the shirt I am going to wear with my jacket because otherwise you will get spit-up on); and companies who make formula are very clever, and I only figured this out a three in the morning one day - they send you formula samples before you have the baby so you have it on hand when your baby goes crazy with hunger your first night home from the hospital, before your milk comes in - I am proud to say I didn't succumb to this temptation, but it was close - they also keep sending you formula after the baby is born, and at exactly the time when your baby goes through a growth spurt; and breastfeeding does actually get easier with time, oh yeah, and less painfull and time-consuming.
Our list of course will grow longer as the days and weeks progress, so we'll be sure to keep you informed.

Yep, I'm a blogger

I've recently been reading two blogs, which have been created by friends who are currently abroad. I enjoy seeing what they are up to, and incidently it got me thinking that a blog is a great way to document life's experiences.
And the past year has definitely been an experience and one for the books, as they say.
My working life as a newspaper editor came to an end, I guess pause is a more appropriate word on August 1, 2008, as I said goodbye to 9-to-5, and hello to 24/7. Well, the 24/7 didn't come until August 19 at 7:48 p.m., when our beautiful son Quinn Robert entered the world.
I am on maternity leave, and have to admit, I am enjoying every minute of it. Although I don't punch a time clock everyday, I am busy, and the days seem to melt into weeks, and Quinn is almost 5 months old already.
I'm not sure why some women think maternity leave is boring.

My husband Rob and I are extremely blessed to have the best baby in the world. He is so content, easy going, and has the cutest damn smile we have ever seen, and the sweetest little voice. Rob keeps telling me to sign Quinn up for the Gerber Baby contest. I know, I know, you are probably thinking that every parent thinks their kid is the next Gerber baby, but honestly we get compliments about Quinn every where we go. People sometimes seem to go out of their way to come over and tell us how beautiful he is. Even if we are in our own little world here in Bala, I may start to do some research about how Quinn can become a Gerber Baby.

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to document our life with Quinn, since I haven't been on the ball too much with documenting his every move, even when I was pregnant. Now, I kind of wish I started this blogging thing earlier. Another reason for this blog is to vent my need to write. For months my only want to sit down at the computer was to check my e-mail, and to snoop on Facebook. I haven't wanted to write anything, until I started checking out other people's blogs, and now I feel I have so much to say I'm not sure where to begin. So, stay tuned....