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Friday, May 30, 2008

Long Week - tired little guy

Monday: trip to the mall (see monday's post)

Tuesday: Morning trip to the market to pick up some veggies. Afternoon trip to the library to pick up some books. Evening attended our first La Leche meeting.

Wednesday: Morning yoga class. Evening mama and papa get there hair cut.

Thursday: Afternoon mama has an appointment with her naturopath. Evening annual midwives pot luck picnic.

Friday: Sleep, Eat and play in bed...

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Hand crafted sleep sacks

On Queen East in TO there is this great little shop called Lumiere that does decor items for the nursery. All items are hand made in the shop by the owner. She also does these fabulous looking sleep sacks; we are thinking of getting one for Christophe in the fall for the winter months.

Samarah and Christophe

Check out this pic of our little devil at Samarah's house. Papa is still a bit behind on blogging one day we will post our pics from this play date.

The hidden chemical in cans

Both Geoff and I have always been more pro-active then your typical household on chemicals and so on but it is great to see a major paper write about one of the concerns we have had for a while now.

Many people who have been getting rid of their plastic cups and baby bottles do not realize that BPA hides in many other products including canned goods.

Check out this great article from the Globe and Mail for more information.

Now only if we could find a source of tomatoes in a glass jar. Canned tomatoes is really the only product that we would miss.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Mall shopping

Today we went to Scarborough Town Center and checked out the various kids stores they have. I tend to buy most of Christophe's stuff at Value Village or small independent baby boutiques so this was a new experience for us. My main purpose was to get him a pair of jeans--yes, even babies need jeans. We picked out a great pair of gaga tagou jeans at the Bay; we got them a bit on the big side so we hope they will last a few months.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that baby gap, baby roots and baby old navy all have organic lines of clothing. Both roots and old navy were reasonably priced considering its organic, however gap was similar in cost to the organic items you can find at little baby boutiques.

By all means, the mall will not replace my typical shopping spots for him but I will definitely poke my head in, once in a while, to see what new organic fashions are available.

Oh! For all you nursing mothers out there, if you are out shopping and are looking for a quiet place to nurse, every Sears has a nursing room near the infant section.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Dining in Toronto with Baby

Restaurant: Joy Bistro
Address: 884 Queen St. E.
Meal: Saturday Brunch

Stroller Friendly: Yes both patio and inside - The staff were great at choosing a table were the stroller was out of the way and easy for us to reach.

Change Table:
No - We had to place some paper towels on the floor then a blanket and make our own change table. The floor in the barrier free washroom are cleaner and more spacious.

Breastfeeding:
The booths are very comfy for breast-feeding. While I was nursing the staff left us alone, I found it amusing that as soon as I was done nursing the waiter came by and filled my water glass; it was like he was waiting for the green light that is was ok to approach us. All in all I felt comfortable nursing.

Server: Good without being exceptional.

Food: Average.

Dining in Toronto with Baby

Geoff and I have always enjoyed eating out at restaurants; however since Christophe has been born we have not attempted too many outings until recently. Anyone who knows me well; will tell you I am not to fond of most "family restaurants". Being a vegetarian there is usually only a veggie burger or veggie wrap to chose from.

That been said I have decided to blog about the various places we test out with Baby and rate different aspects.

Restaurant: Casa Di Giorgio
Address: 1646 Queen St. E.
Meal: Friday Supper

Stroller Friendly: Patio yes; Inside no - The inside of the restaurant is very tiny which makes it hard to find a spot to park your wheels; we chose to eat on the patio. They were great at helping us chose the perfect spot for our stroller.

Change Table:
No - We made sure to be seated on the wooden benches outside; these are long enough to use as a change table in a discreet way. Make sure to bring a plastic bag to hide the dirty diaper in.

Breastfeeding:
The benches on the patio are very comfy for breast feeding; I am not sure I would have been able to breast-feed on the patio chairs due to the chair arms. The staff and patrons did not make any comments or treat us differently while I was feeding. While I was nursing him the waitress came up and took our order just like any other table.

Server: Our waitress was extra great with Christophe stopping to talk to him each time she was at our table.

Food: As always the food here is great; they have probably been one of my favorite Italian spot in the city for a while now.

Trip to the ER

Every Wednesday morning we go to our Yoga class. It keeps me limber and Christophe get a kick out of seeing other babies. This week as we were just about to head out of the house I tripped on %^$ knows what with babes in arms. Somehow I managed to twist my body in a way to brake his fall however he still hit his head on the laundry basket. As soon as he hit his head he started screaming. My heart sunk I don't think I have ever been so worried and made after myself all at once. Since we were all packed to go I grabbed all his stuff and when to the ER at Toronto East General. Where he got check out and the doc said all was fine. We were asked to keep a close eye on him for a bit and look for sings of head injuries like, vomiting, excess sleepiness, excess crying ...

All in all I injured myself more then him; bad bruise on the knee and it hurst when I go from sitting on the floor to standing and one of my wrist feels like it was bent in a way that is impossible. Not to mentioned I was an emotional wreck; if Christophe would be old enough to ask for a car I might of bough it cause I felt so bad about what happened.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Toy Spotting

Now now everyone; you guys and gales have to admit Ronronos the cat is absolutely adorable in a weird kinda of way. This is must for Christophe collection. There are 10 adorable little critters you can get from The Delingos family. Since I am a cat and hog lover Ronronos and Pikos are my favorites. They come in 2 styles stuff toy for older kids and Baby Delingos that are flat fabric clutching toys for the wee ones.



Thursday, May 22, 2008

Christophe's Spring-Scale Weigh-In

Way back on 04-Mar, Christophe had his first home visit, which involved this weigh-in:


I had hoped there was a better picture of it than this, but ... you can't always get what you want.

Cathy's Visit

Back at the end of March, Pierrette's sister Cathy was able to come up and meet her three-week-old Nephew. Sometimes he was calm and sleepy:

Other times, not so much:

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

I'm famous

OK not really I just like to pretend. Check out this article from the Star about bath toys that I was interviewed for.

A sleeper that grows with your child...


We are thinking of ordering one of these for our little man. These sound pretty neat; the cuffs on the sleaves and legs are such that they grow with your child. The site claims the sleeper should last about 6 months. That sounds great considering my guys takes about 3 weeks to outgrow any given piece of clothing. If any one has tried these please let us know what you think.

Culinarium

I have been on the hunt to find a shop in Toronto that sells Organic Flour in large quantities and stumbled upon this website for Culinarium a local store that only carries foods from Ontario. Sound interesting, nice and expensive.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Left handed?

So today we realized that Christophe is always sucking his left hand. So I looked up when handedness is determined and the answer is in the womb; so we may have a lefty on our hands. Only time will tell.

Check out this great article on handedness.

Toy spotting

The Green Daily wrote about Ten Thousand Villages a site that sells fair trade items as I was browsing their items I came across the cutest wooden squirrel pull toy. Great price also - $8.50 CDN.


They also have this great wooden toy clock for $20.00 CDN.

Christophe's mile stones

  • held by somebody that was not mama or papa
  • 1st car ride
  • 1st open air pee
  • 1st trip in a snow storm
  • 1st bath (he loves his bath time now)
  • 1st non meconium poo ( if you had our baby this would have been a mile stone for you too)
  • going for a stroll in our stroller
  • regained all of the weight he lost after birth
  • 1st open air poo (and so far the only one)
  • figured out breast-feeding (latches on like a pro)
  • tracked a toy with his eyes
  • put hand in mouth
  • held cats tails (this was a total accident)
  • smiles back when you smile at him
  • pushes down on legs when stood up (or when in tub against the sides)
  • sticks his tong out when you stick your out
  • put hand in mouth and held it there
  • outgrew his first outfit
  • 1st trip in the rain
  • 1st doctors visit
  • smiles
  • 1st yoga class
  • 1st trip to the library
  • played with the kitty (Cain)
  • got kisses in the face from the kitty (Cain)
  • 1st visit at sick kids (and hopefully the last)
  • outgrew more then 10 outfits
  • got his nails cut for the first time
  • 1st coos and gurgles
  • takes only 15-20 minutes to feed (he used to take over an hour each time)
  • touched another baby's hand
  • took a nape not in someone's arms or the sling
  • held a toy
  • when on the ttc (bus, streetcar and subway)
  • discovered himself in the mirror
  • ripped his pacifier out of his mouth with his hand (then got upset cause he could not put it back)
  • took a nape in his crib
  • Spent time at home with dad while mommy went to the store
  • Went for a walk with grandmama without mommy or dady
  • babbles back when talk to
  • can hold up his head for more then 5 mins
  • played in his bumbo seat
  • slept a full night in his crib
  • grabbed and held on to a toy by himself
  • slept a full night in his crib with his mom in another room

I am sure somewheres in there I missed something...

Mommy mile stones

So during the past 11 weeks not only has Christophe passed tones of mile stones so have I.

  • Not caring what other people think of my parenting style
  • 1st day at home solo with baby
  • fitting in my pre-pregnancy clothing
  • 1st weekend away from dad solo with baby (well we went to visit grandmama so I had help if needed)
  • Breast-feeding in public without a nursing cover (and not caring what other people may think)
  • Left Christophe alone with grandmama while i went for quick shopping trip down the block (I have to say I never felt so guilty)
  • First mommy and baby class (We now do yoga once a week)
  • Leaving the house with baby in arms in less then 15 minutes (the trick to this is to always make sure your diaper bag is ready)
  • Letting Christophe sleep a full night in his room alone (this was a mile stone for Christophe also)
  • As much as I want to jump in; not intervening when Geoff is taking care of Christophe and he starts crying. He is just as great a dad as I am a mom and can handle it :-)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

MOMMY DAY

HAPPY MOMMY DAY TO ALL MOMS OUT THERE...

101 Reasons to Breast-Feed

I am extremely proud of myself for being abel to Breast-feed and here are 101 reasons why I should be:

101 Reasons to Breast-Feed your baby.

Thank you to New Mommy Rant for sharing this site with us.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Nursery Sleeping

Christophe's been co-sleeping with us since birth, in a co-sleeper. We've been talking about transitioning him to the crib, but Pierrette wanted to do it on a night where the next day, I'd be home (e.g. a Friday or Saturday) so that if the sleeping went badly, I could help out the next day.

So today was the first experiment. Pierrette fed Christophe in the early evening then gave him to me. I settled him, then put him down, while Pierrette went to the bedroom to sleep. Half an hour later, Christophe was firmly asleep and Pierrette came back to the nursery with a pillow and blanket. She's in there sleeping on the floor right now.

Ah, mummies. :)

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Forcing formula on moms?

This morning I was shocked, upset, annoyed, stupefied and pissed all at once when my letter-carrier handed me a box from Enfamil containing a free full size tin of formula. I have requested twice now via email to have my name removed from there mailing list. So this time I called them and once again they promised not to send me anything...

Do we believe them?

Friday, May 2, 2008

When?

So when those he stop looking perfect?
When do you stop staring at his perfect little toes and unbelievable little hands?
How about those amazing lashes (i wish i had his lashes).
When does he stop making you smile just by looking at him?
When does he stop making you worry?
When does he stop being precious?
When does he stop amazing me with every little thing he does?

Thursday, May 1, 2008

MOMMY CONFESSION: BRAIN TUMOR?

I love Mommy Confessions - they always make me smile

1st doctor visit

Today we are going to see Dr. Sood for his first real visit. We have been there once before but that was just for a referral to be able to get a CF test done. Hopefully we will have the results today.

Since our little man is 2 months now I am sure the doc will want to give him his first vaccinations. However both Geoff and I believe in a delayed vaccination schedule with a few modifications. This means I am most likely going to have an interesting conversation with the doc today.

We are still ironing out exactly how we are approaching vaccination and once we have it all figured out we will share our decisions and why with you; but for now due to recent links between early vaccination and allergies we believe 2 months is too early.

Article was originaly published on medscape but you need tp be a member to read it there.