Babyproof FAIL

• showing signs of clinginess, will try to climb up you if you don’t lift him up
• continues to preteeth like mad, the drool doesn’t stop yet there are no signs of any teeth!
• is quite a fast little crawler and scales everything now
• likes to climb
• is going through a fussy eating period where he’s rejecting a lot of his pureed foods
• still doesn’t like food that has chunks of anything in it
• isn’t a fan of juice
• still not sleeping through the night and often sits/stands up when has awoken out of a deep sleep
• started saying ‘da da’ last week
• started saying ‘gee gee’ this week
• trying to wean him off the binky but it’s hard!
• isn’t shy with strangers and will reach for them when being held
• doesn’t smile at everyone he sees anymore
• loves being chased and loves chasing (video is here)
• isn’t saying ‘mummmm’ much anymore
• met Santa for the first time (picture is here)
• is not quite standing unassisted but is showing signs of being more stable
• is very ‘busy’ and doesn’t like to be idle unless cuddling, watching youtube videos with Mommy (Mason’s favorite)
• crawls up stairs like a pro and is cautious when at the top of the stairs, he won’t go down them…yet
• has lots of hair now and looks to be a sandy blond
• eczema has been at bay for a few months now with the odd spot here and there
• Mason has been scratching the insides of his ears causing little nicks (I’ve tried to keep his nails short but it’s impossible!)
• the dry weather has left the skin on his head really dry too
• loves music! bought him his first guitar a few days ago

I seriously didn’t think this would be an issue until at least the toddler stages.  I have one stubborn child.

Mason’s bed time has been earlier this week due to the fact we are staying at my parents house on the Island for a visit.  (Vancouver Island, BC) for you ‘out of towners’.  The traveling puts his routine off a wee bit and so it’s to be expected that we’d be a bit off course.  Tonight Mason showed signs of being sleepy around 7ish so after his normal routine of change, bottle etc, we put him down around 8 and he was fast asleep.  Fast forward to 10:00pm and monkey cries, he’s awake.  Okay so I go upstairs (we don’t have stairs at home cause we live in a Condo…my legs are SORE after being here for a few days from trudging up and down the stairs to the bedrooms).  I lay him down, tell him it’s night night, give him his bottle, turn on the new crib aquarium my Mom bought him and leave the room.  Five mins later….wahhh wahhh.  He’s standing in his crib.  I lay him down, tell him it’s night night, give him his binky and leave the room.  Five mins later….wahhh wahhh.  I do this 3 more times before I realize this kid ain’t going down without a fight.  So I scoop him up, blanket and all and take him downstairs to a toasty warm living room and figure we’ll cuddle and he’ll fall asleep.  Wrong. Mason turns into swivel head and is looking all around the room, he has now decided it’s play time.  So I put him on the floor, he heads for the toy basket and Grammy figures she’ll play with him to tucker him out and we’ll put him back to bed.  This lasts about 15 mins before he shows signs of sleepiness and off to the crib he goes.  Mason sleeps for probably 10 mins before it’s wahhh wahhh.  I locate the baby anbesol and run some on his gums, he is expecting a tooth anytime now (he has none) because he’s been pre-teething for almost 4 months and drooling like mad.  I figure the anbesol will calm him down enough to lull himself into dreamy land.  Wrong. This kid will not lie down.  I figure last resort is to bring him on the bed, cuddle him up, throw some songs his way and that might work.  Wrong. For what seems like an eternity, Mason crawls around his 2ft by 2ft square I’ve allowed for him which is circled by giant pillows to stop him from escaping my reach.  He sits up, he lies on me, he gnaws on my sweater.  He crawls towards the wall, bonk goes the head.  He babbles ‘da da da’ for a few minutes to which I reply that Da Da would want him asleep so Mason should go to sleep.  I adjust his position to on his back, he flips over.  He bonks me on the head a few times with his noggin.  Up, down, turn around, will not go to sleep.  I try to put my arms around him which doesn’t allow him to wiggle, he doesn’t like this and cries out.  I am getting frustrated, I am not quite ready to go to sleep and wouldn’t be able to anyway because he will just wail in his crib.  My parents are already asleep and I don’t want to disturb them with the ‘cry it out’ method.  I let Mason crawl all over me and realize there is a pattern to his movements which I’m hoping he’s trying to put himself to sleep.  He sits up and then he drops his head to my stomach and sits up again, repeat.  It’s kind of cute.  This doesn’t last long and he’s onto some other movement.  Finally I’m laying half on my side, half on my back and am clearly not comfortable.  Mason is the opposite of me, his head is near my ribcage and his feet are pointing against the wall.  He jams his head just over my shoulder, resting slightly over my armpit.  He says ‘Mum’ once.  I say ‘yes?’ and he starts snoring.  Oh my lord, could it be? He’s finally passed out?!.  I don’t want to move just in case he’s not quite in deep sleep.  I couldn’t imagine going through that process again!  I have no clue what time it is….
I lay there for a fe more minutes, listening to him breathe.  I slink away from him so he’s laying flat on the bed and I give his little forehead a few kisses.  What a stubborn monkey.  What a charade that was! I’m exhausted.

I finally decide that he’s asleep and I prepare his crib for his arrival, lift his sleepy body from the bed and tuck him in.  He stirs for a second, I tell him it’s just Mommy moving him to bed and he drifts back asleep.  It’s 11:09pm

And for now, the only sound I hear is snoring.

Goodnight Mason.

Goodbye and Good riddance to Mr. Binky!

I’ve been wanting to write this blog for a long long time and in doing a lot of research I figure I have until Mason is 12 months to ensure that Mr. Binky takes a hike.   Mason didn’t seem too interested in the pacifier after he was born but we bought one anyways, in hoping that it might have calmed in one of those fussy situations.  Before we knew it, Binky accompanied us everywhere….car trips, around the house and of course nap and bed time.  Mason quickly calmed down when Mr. Binky was around and it became quite the savior.  Once Mason was about six months old, I started to limit the time he had binky to nap and bed times only, he didn’t really need it during the day and spit it out eventually anyhow.  I figured that it was best that Mr. Binky made his exit soon after because pacifiers have been known to interfere with speech development as well as leading to dental problems.  Mason is now 9 months old and has yet to show any teeth, so I figure I’ve still got a few months to kick this habit.  He’s not dependent on it, I don’t think.   But we are.  Clayton still carries one on his outings which I asked him to refrain from doing just so Mason forgets about it during the day.  Since I do most of the night wakings, I rely on binky to get Mason back to sleep instead of letting him ‘cry it out’.  I’ve been trying harder and harder to not give him the little plastic soother but it’s SO hard.

So last night I put Mason down at 9:30ish, a bit late but he had a bed time snack after we got home from grocery shopping, he had a bottle in bed (apparently another no no but I am not listening to that one) and fell sleep fairly fast, he woke up around 4ish but wasn’t ‘really’ awake, so I gave him just an oz or so of milk and back he went to dreamy land.

Let’s see how long it lasts….

I say, “don’t bother”.  Mason spent more time flipping over the toy and spinning the wheels as well as getting better access to the spinner wheels they put at the bottom of the walker.

Going on maternity leave is usually an exciting time.  Your new baby is arriving in a few weeks, you don’ t have to work! You can get caught up on your soaps and eat bon bons all day.  Okay,  maybe not.  So seriously, the one thing about going on maternity leave that is extremely stressful is having a reduced paycheck.  I asked around to get an approximate amount of money that EI pays out (in BC) and it was $1600 after tax.  Yikes.  That’s considerably a lot less than what I make full time.  However it is better than nothing and you do get to spend a year (if you choose) with your baby.  Here is some information for you new Mommy & Daddy to be’s…

Register for Employment Insurance (EI) the minute you stop working.  You don’t want to register too soon or too late.  Visit the Canadian Gov’t Website by clicking here.

The basic benefit rate is 55% of your average insured earnings up to a yearly maximum insurable amount of $42,300. This means you can receive a maximum payment of $447 per week. Your EI payment is a taxable income, meaning federal and provincial or territorial, if it applies, taxes will be deducted.  Maternity benefits are payable to the birth mother or surrogate mother for a maximum of 15 weeks.  To receive maternity benefits you are required to have worked for 600 hours in the last 52 weeks or since your last claim. Parental benefits are payable either to the biological or adoptive parents while they are caring for a new-born or an adopted child, up to a maximum of 35 weeks.  Parental benefits can be claimed by one parent or shared between the two partners but will not exceed a combined maximum of 35 weeks.

There is a lot to read about the different situations of being on EI, whether you give birth to your own child, adopt or encounter other issues.  I recommend reading the EI information page to ensure you know your rights.

I remember when I was pregnant and still making a full salary that I would need to make a few changes after I stopped working but I didn’t really know that meant.  I’ve always been really good with my money and at that point my debt was relatively low.  A few months prior to knowing about my pregnancy I was pretty much debt free!  It was a major goal that I had and once I achieved it, I was ready to make a few life changes.  I moved downtown (from having a great roomate in Kits), a new job (from burnaby to yaletown) and at the time I didn’t know it but from single land to dating (and then parenthood!).  Of course after being debt free the only thing I really had to do was…..SPEND money!  lol and did I ever.  I figured it was time to replace my ol hand me downs to nice new (expensive) furniture.  It didn’t take too long to rack up $5k in ‘new things’.  Foolish maybe, but damn did my new condo (rental) downtown look fab!

So with that said, I’m pondering a life that includes a reduced salary.  I had just moved into Clayton’s condo (with my fancy new furniture) and a bit of debt and thought “how hard is this going to be?” So I asked a friend.  Her advice? “You’ll figure it out”.  Hmmmm.  I think I should have really looked into budgeting but now that I’m 9 months into the future, it’s too late!  So as I write this, I want to share my suggestions and tips for you (new parent/future parent to be) on what I would have done differently…

Summarize, analyze, educate and reduce!  What does that mean? It means you need to pull up your socks, roll up your sleeves and get knee deep in your finances.  I thought I was….for the past few months I was seeing a financial planner regularly, setting up RSP/RRSP’s, life insurance etc.  Nope, that wasn’t good enough!

So here is how I started:

1.  I made a summary of all the debt and savings that I had in my name (best to deal with your stuff first before you tackle the relationship expenses). I listed off all my credit, including interest rates and how much I owed.  I then listed all my investments.  And finally all my bills.  Now that I had a better understanding of where I was financially, it was time to make that outlook….better.

2. I analyzed where I was at and figured out what I could change.

3.  I educated myself on my options.  I called the bank and asked for a ‘no fee’ credit card instead of the ‘points’ credit card I had. (Some banks offer no fee points cards).  I also asked the bank if they would lower my interest rate.  Currently my card is at 7.9%.  Yes, CARD.  Singular.  I only have one!  Do you really *need* more than one?

4.  I reduced!  Next I went through each monthly bill and tried to find a way to reduce it.  I dealt with the cell phone next.  While I was working, my employer paid for my blueberry, unfortunately when you go on Mat leave, they take it away   So I had to buy a phone (boo) and get a contract.  I probably should have gone ‘pay as you go’ but that’s up to you.  I went on a decent basic plan, focusing more on daytime minutes and text messaging.  I have no call display (don’t need it), and no web access (don’t need it).  It’s basically an emergency phone as I’m usually home all day with a regular phone (with free long distance).  The next thing I did was see if the bank would lower my monthly service fees by having multiple products (visa, loc, etc) and was able reduce my bank fees from $19.99 down to $11.99.  So go through all of your items and find a way to pay less!  One thing I wish I would have done (and may still do while I’m on my last 3 months of mat leave) is reduce/hold my RSP/RRSP contributions.  It’s important to contribute to your retirement but it’s not worth going into more debt for.  Once you’ve given your financial overview a makeover, it’s time to start a budget!  I’m a HUGE fan of ‘Til Debt Do Us Part’ or TDDUP as the fans call it.  Gail Vaz-Oxlade is a miracle worker getting average joe couples to climb out of their black hole debt pit.  I highly recommend watching her show, you can even watch past episodes here and subscribing to her blog.  I have yet to buy/read her book, book and planner but they are on my ‘to buy’ list (when I’ve saved enough money!).  Also, read my recent post about Smart Cookies and you’ll get some other pointers from me!

Ultimately it’s very important to not spend money that you haven’t earned and avoid using your credit card as much as possible.  Some of you may have a partner/boyfriend/husband to support you financially or you may be completely on your own.  Getting in control of your finances before you get pregnant will put you in the best financial situation because if you wait like I did, you might be in a lot more debt than you expected to be in.  Life happens, babies can be expensive and unexpected bills may come in from nowhere.  Don’t get caught by surprise

That’s all I can think of for now but I’d *love* to hear what else my readers who have been in the same situation (or just on EI) have done to live off of a reduced salary or just reduced their debt for the fun of it

I first noticed Jump Gymnastics across the street from my workplace and thought it would be a great outing for Mason, especially now that he is so mobile and loves to climb!  I visited their website and looked up the info for the drop in class.  I invited all of my parent friends who had kids that were 6+ months as that is the beginning age group they cater to.  The drop in class was $5.00 and there is ample street parking ($3.00/hr) and public parking across the street in the Pivotal Building.  I showed up a bit late because I had ran across the street to my old workplace so I could parade around with Mason.  I’ve only dropped by one other time when he was only a few months old.  I was surprised to hear so many other coworkers had been pregnant or just had their babies!  Yay for babies.  By the time I realized it was 2pm I ran back across the street to Jump and got signed in.  The front area had cubbies for all of the kids/parents belongings and there was a gate blocking the kids from escaping the main area.  Looking around there were a lot of mats, balls, obstacles, balance beams, rings, bars and trampolines.  I spotted Chad and Austin and had a quick hello before I let Mason loose to crawl around.  I was a little surprised at the age ranges.  I was assuming this was a babyJump class (6-12 months) but it was a general drop in for all kids.  I was a bit disappointed because I had to really watch Mason and ensure he wasn’t trampled by the bigger kids and he didn’t have a chance to play with all of the activity centers because they were dominated by the bigger kids.  It was a non structured class which I liked but was hoping for some singing or instructions.  The class ended at 2:45 and the hostess had all the kids gather in a circle where she stamped their feet (and hands and belly buttons) for participating.

I am thinking about joining.  Class is 10 weeks for about $9ish dollars a class for 45 mins.  Drop in after the first promo session is $15.00 a class.  I do not recommend this class for babies who are unable to crawl, while you can still interact with your child and place them on the various centers, I don’t think it would be worth the money.  Even with mason being a pro crawler/stander, I think he’s still too young to do this on a weekly basis, so I think I’m going to enroll him once he starts walking.

Finally after 3 months Mason will now eat carrots! YAY.

T-shirt is courtesy of Bang On T-Shirts – custom design

Today is Remembrance day.  November 11, 2009.  I have to embarrassingly admit that I haven’t attended any Remembrance Day ceremonies since I was in grade school.  It’s not that I had better things to do, I just think I wasn’t mature enough to really take into consideration what this day means.  Now that I’m a Mom, life does really change.  Priorities change and we want the best for our children.  Mason isn’t old enough to understand what his Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother went through so many years ago but I feel like it’s my responsibility to ensure he honors this day going forward.  I was up most the night with him and getting up at nine was a struggle but I pushed myself on as I thought of all the soldiers past and present can’t whine about going into battle.  We were meeting Satri and Sienna at Confed park just after ten so we could attend the ceremonies at 10:45.  I was surprised to see quite a crowd gathering so early.  All ages, all colors, and all sizes attended.  Mason was a perfect little gentleman and was quiet for the majority of the ceremony.  We stood through many songs, speeches, fighter planes overhead, red serge, cadets, Girl Guides, Beavers and war Veterans alike.  At one point in the ceremony the rain started to sprinkle but it was brief.  I felt as though it was tears from all who have mourned the loss of a soldier or Veteran.  It was quite symbolic.  My back started to ache part way through the ceremony as I had Mason in the Baby Bjorn and he ways just about 18lbs now.  However all the soldiers past and present carried more than than on their bodies in gear.  Now was not the time to complain.  I shed a few tears thinking of my Grandfather Cec who passed in 2003.  I tried to  remember the stories he used to tell us about the war and had many pictures to share.  I remember at such a young age (13 or so) that it was important for me to listen and be attentive as sharing was so important to him.  There came a point later in his life that he no longer wanted to speak of the war.  I am proud of myself for creating a new tradition for Mason and hoping that he’ll carry it on, long after I am gone.

Lest we forget.

Satri told me of one of her friends replaced ‘no’ with ‘not a toy’ to direct her child away from playing with something they shouldn’t.  If I started this, I’d be saying *that* all day!  I find that a harsh no when it calls for it is a better way to direct him from danger (something hot, sharp etc).  I’m starting to realize that toys aren’t necessary for babies, they really aren’t that interested in them and would rather play with anything around the house.  Here is Mason’s ‘not a toy’ list:

• Toilet paper
• Toilet paper holder (silver and shiny)
• Electrical cords / network cables
• Guitar for the Wii
• Real guitars
• The cat
• The dog
• Electrical outlets (which are covered btw)
• Anything in a bin (currently my garage sale items)
• The dog leash hanging from the hook (silver and shiny)
• The baby bjorn hanging from the hook
• Shoes
• The highchair (perfect legs to hang on to)
• Lamp posts (silver and shiny)
• The vacuum
• The pet dishes of food/water (silver and shiny)
• Any closet door that is open is like a beacon to him and he pants when he races to it.
• The little covers on the base of the toilet bowl (that cover the screws)
• The door stop (silver and shiny)