Feverama

Stinx is experiencing his very first fever. It started the night before last. He had woken up at 4am, super hot and sweaty. Now, Stinx' room is the coolest in the house. I find it absolutely freezing in there between 1am-7am. So I could tell right away something was off since he was so hot to the touch. I took off his sleep sack, peeled off his pj's and noticed his diaper was soaked. Dad had put him to bed that night so I was thinking he must have drank a lot of milk. Anyways, so I brought him to my bed, gave him some Tylenol and then he nursed back to sleep. He woke up at 7am and his body felt cool. The rest of the day his temperature was quite normal. I asked Dad and he said Stinx hardly drank any milk the night before. So I tried to give him lots of fluids during the day.

His nap was a little rough yesterday. He woke up after 1.5 hrs and was very cranky. I decided to nurse him to see if he'd feel better. Instead he nursed right back to sleep. He slept almost 3 hours in total which is quite long for him.

Last night after his bath he was shivering so bad. His body felt warm from the bath but he was shivering. I got him into his pj's and sleep sack and he fell asleep pretty quickly. He whimpered a bit in his sleep last night and then woke up at 3:45am. I brought him into the bed with me and he was very very warm again. I took him out of the sleep sack and tried to give him Tylenol but he refused. I didn't take his pj's off because I was afraid he might get chills. He fell asleep and woke up still very warm despite having no blanket on. I took his temperature and it was 39.1. I took his pj's off and right away his body seemed to cool down to 37. I felt like an idiot for not taking his pj's off earlier. I just didn't want him to go from one extreme to the other.

We went out this morning to get some portraits done (hmmm. yah, not the greatest idea. I thought being out might distract him and since we already had an appt) But on the car ride home he fell asleep! It was like 10:15. He napped until 11:30am and then when I nursed him again (I have to keep his fluids up) he fell asleep again. Poor guy. He's still sleeping and it's almost 1pm.

There might be a trip to the doctor or hospital if he doesn't feel better soon. I'm almost 99% positive its because all of those eye/canine teeth are coming in at once. I've heard stories of kids having to go to the hospital because of teething related fevers.

My poor little guy.

:(

Officially Teething

It's official. Stinx' eye teeth are coming in. ALL at once. The top 2 sharps points are out. The bottom 2 are swollen and puffy. Maybe they've broken through but I haven't dared to check yet today. Poor Stinx is a frustrated and angry boy these days. He's never been so fussy.

He's teething.

This morning he cried for 30 minutes straight. All because I had a shower. I tried to comfort him as best I could but nothing worked. Finally I grabbed the Hylands Teething Gel which seemed empty, cut the end off and stuck my finger in there, then wiped the homeopathic remedy onto his gums and he suddenly stopped crying. Not sure if it worked or if Stinx was just curiously distracted by the container I stuck my finger into. He then put his finger in it and wiped some on my lips. Haha. Needless to say, I am buying another tube of that stuff. Also, a friend recommended Baby Advil.. Maybe I'll give it a try too. The Tylenol doesn't seem to do much.

And, it's also official, he's going through the terrible two's. He's only 20 months. But I am sure "terrible two's" is the only possibly explanation besides teething as to why he freaks out, tantrums, and tests his aggression on the weak, smaller children. Namely his cousin R.

Just a couple months ago Stinx was the nice gentle toddler that was being pummeled by the terrible 2 year old toddlers. Now, unfortunately, it is his turn. Which means I have to keep my eyes on him even more so.

I babysat my cousins kids, K(age 3.5) and R(age 11months) this week and Stinx just couldn't resist hitting R on the head. I kept saying "No, don't hit, be gentle. Remember how to be gentle?". At which point he'd freak out. Or if R was hit hard enough he'd cry - which would send Stinx to the floor crying as well. I guess he's just trying to figure out the cause and effect. It wears on me though.

Although there was a breakthrough today. We had a Halloween party this morning and Stinx did very good for the most part. K and R were there and Stinx didn't hit R once (at least not that I saw, and oh - I was watching). At one point Stinx even held another girls face in his hands and gave her a kiss. It was the cutest thing ever. ever. ever.

So I guess he's not fussy all the time.

But when he is feisty, its wearing. I just really hope my son will be a gentleman one day. Not a brute. Terrible two's end eventually right?

The Halloween party was pretty fun. Except that I forgot to hand out the loot bags. Darn it. And that's not really the kind of thing you can give to people later. Like, "Hey, Merry Christmas, oh and here's the loot bag I meant to give you at the Halloween party"... right? or am I wrong?

On Sunday I experienced the worst shopping trip with Stinx, EVER. I was doing groceries. He wouldn't stay in the cart. I forgot the Toddler Hawk in the car. He wouldn't follow me. He was darting in front of fast paced carts. He had the worst tantrum. People were coming over and peering to see what was going on. I saw 14 year old girl giving me the stink eye.

I don't think I will be taking Stinx shopping ever again. OK, well maybe not until the terrible two's are over. The only place I plan on taking him is to playdates, the park, the zoo, and the nursery at church.

Sippy Cup Review

So when the big BPA scare came out months ago I decided to try my BPA-Free options. Below are my opinions of the sippy cups that were BPA-Free and available to me at the time. I thought it might be nice to share some of this knowledge with people before they spend money on some possibly really crappy sippy cups.

Now when people see Boon Fluid, they automatically fall in love with it because it looks wonderful. It's like the cool, edgey, arty, modern sippy cup. It's the "cool" looking one. Well, trust me folks, it's a superficial sippy. There seems to be no brains behind this beauty. Stinx could not get any water out of it for the life of him. I actually had to jamb a knife in the slit so more water could come out. Even that did not help. And, ok, I admit, I tried it myself. EVEN I COULDN'T GET MUCH WATER OUT OF IT. It was a chore to drink.
Oh man, Nurture Pure's Grow Pure Multi-Stage Feeder was also terrible. The idea itself is awesome. How great would it be for a bottle, sippy and straw cup all be one? It's a great idea. And I do think with a little redesigning, it could be successful. I kind of wandered upon this at Community Natural Foods and thought I'd give it a try. Oh, it was a waste of time. I'm sure the bottle part worked fine, but the sippy insert had the same problem as the Boon Fluid. It was impossible to get anything out of it. The straw function was alright but leaked a lot. I returned this one the same day and they gave me a really hard time. It was a piece of crap!


I bought the Born Free sippy at London Drugs. I really thought this would be a good one based on reviews. This sippy also failed me. Difficult to drink from once again. I returned it as well. I can't remember what else I disliked about it specifically but I will not be buying one ever again.Ah, the Klean Kanteen. A great and reliable sippy cup. This was our 1st BPA Free sippy. Grandma bought Stinx one for a Christmas present (well before the BPA scare). My only negative with the Klean Kanteen is that there are no handles. This sippy really only seems useful to a child who can hold a heavy stainless steel cup full of water. It's heavy for wee ones. If it had handles it would be much better. But, it does make a great Sippy Cup for Toddlers. We quite like ours. I have been known to use Stinx' once in awhile.





The Foogo series is made be the brand Thermos. It's my favorite. It's just a step ahead of the Klean Kanteen (in my opinion) and simply because the sippy has handles! This is the perfect sippy cup. It is a thermos but because it has the handles its not so heavy. It is lighter than the Klean Kanteen (probably because it doesn't hold as much). The spout is great for babies learning to drink out of a sippy. I love that it keeps fluids cold. I loved it so much that I bought the thermos (featured on the right) which is also really nice. Sometimes I make some instant oatmeal for Stinx, throw it in the thermos and bring it to the zoo for a warm little snack on a cool day. I haven't tried the Straw cup (featured in the middle) but I probably will eventually. I bought my Foogo products from London Drugs but recommend buying them from Mountain Equipment Coop. They're about $5 cheaper there.



And then there is the Safe Sippy. This cup was in such high demand and didn't come out until a couple months ago because it was back ordered. By then I had fallen in love with the Foogo. So I haven't tried this one but I have heard good things about it. I think it would be worth trying.



Most stores seem to be selling BPA Free plastic cups anyways so there are more options. We just bought some Nuby cups from wal-mart. While they are great because they are cheap, they are not the best and leak quite a bit.



So yes, overall Stinx and I like the Foogo cup the best. Close behind it though is the Klean Kanteen. There are probably many more products available now and hopefully more worth the money.

Whirlwind

So some bummer news. We won't be looking into adoption anymore. I've been praying a lot and then Dad and I had a conversation and we agreed to stop looking into adoption for now. There are a few reasons which I'm not comfortable talking about on-line. It's not that we won't ever adopt, it's just that we won't be doing in the next 5 years... That is unless the Big Guy makes it very clear that he wants us to. Maybe we never will. But I am still hope full that if its God's will, it will happen, even if it's when we're 60 years old. If it's his will, He'll have his way.

And so, if there is ever a child #2, it looks like it will be a biological one (If God wills that!). But there is NO RUSH on that either.

I feel like Dad and I are learning so much about ourselves and our roles as parents. We both feel like there is still so much for us to learn.

And we are still soaking up every moment with this beautiful Boo.

Anyways, went out for Great Grandpa-in-law's 80Th Birthday. Here is Stinx dressed in his traditional Chinese outfit. His Great Grandma (Tai Poh) bought this when he was in the womb. Finally fits him. So glad we finally had an occasion to dress him in it for.

He's already turning into a bad ass Biker like Grandpa Gary!

Next thing you know he'll be smoking and swearing like a trucker! Haha. Just kidding!

Here is the picture of the delicious mint cake that I promised those of you who read this ridiculous blog. Looks good don't it!!

It was splendid. But I probably won't be buying another one anytime soon. I never actually buy cake. I just couldn't resist this one.

Midwifery will be Funded!!

Today there was a press release about midwifery being funded in Alberta. This should happen in April of 2009. Holy moly. I am so pumped. I mean, I would have gone with midwives next time anyways, but now it will be free!!!! That is amazing. It's amazing that ANY WOMAN in Alberta can use midwives now. It won't be restricted to families who could pay the $3500.

http://alberta.ca/home/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/200810/24550063EBE33-96F3-5ED1-46942B3A9CB6A7DE.html

THIS IS GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!

To me, this means less c-sections. It means more meaningful positive birth experiences. It means birthing naturally.

Ah. This is a great change.

I feel just that much closer to being able to have a natural, vaginal childbirth...

Ahem, that is if I get pregnant...

I'm addcited to Mint stuff

I really am addicted to mint things. Like the steamed milk at Starbucks. I get them to put some peppermint flavouring in there with some whipped cream. SO GOOD. And then I made some Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies a few weeks ago and those are now my favorite cookies ever. I have always loved After Eight chocolate. And Pep chocolate bars. I have spent a lifetime eating Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. And those delicious Mint Patties.

And so, that is why, I bought the Mint Chocolate Cake that I saw at Sobey's today. I couldn't - resist.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Anyways, I'll let you know how it is.

I'm trying to get my Christmas shopping done. I want to tackle it down and deal with it now. I don't want to leave it until the last minute like I did last year.

So far I got my Dad's gift ordered on-line. He's normally the hardest one to shop for. I don't know why. He is a man with many hobby's. Motorcycling, Pigeons, PS2, Puzzles, Models, Hockey cards etc. I always try so hard to find him something he'll like. But maybe that's the problem. Maybe I over think it. When I ask him what he wants he usually says "Hockey Cards".

So one Christmas, about 2 years ago, I decided to buy him some hockey cards. There was a Card Shop not too far from where I live. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw my Dad's bright yellow truck. ARGH! He was there! He doesn't even live in this quadrant! Anyways I went in and busted him. He didn't receive any hockey cards for Christmas.

That story brings me to one from this week end. On Monday (it was a long week end), I was hanging out with my mom in the north west of the city, close to her house. We had decided to go to London Drugs to pick up a couple things. I needed a new hair dryer as mine broke. As we were going down the isle's I saw my Father. There he was standing in the kid isle looking at hockey cards. My mom, and Stinx who was in the shopping cart and I all hid behind this rack waiting for him to notice us. A few minutes went by. My mom said he'd never notice. We were laughing and giggling like school girls. Finally my mom, who was rebelling from me wanting to wait it out, walked by him flamboyantly. He didn't even notice. Feeling like I had to join her I walked by and poked him in the buttocks. That sure got his attention! Haha. He said he didn't see us with his dark motorcycle shades on. Good times. Good times.

My parents live in their own little world in their neighborhood. Its happened a few times when Mom and I have ran into Dad in the hood. I wish I lived in the hood with them. I wish I lived on the same street. I wish I lived next door.

My mom thinks something is wrong with me because "No one wants to live next to their parents".

But I do.

Ladybug

I was cleaning up yesterday afternoon. I was putting the puzzle pieces away. I picked up a piece and realized there was a bug on it. My natural reaction was to shriek and throw the piece across the room. Yes, I know - sad. It was after all, a ladybug. Stinx was there beside me and wanted to know what made me react that way. He looked curiously at the ladybug. I decided to move it to the garage. I thought it was dead because it wouldn't move. As Stinx and I made our way with the ladybug to the garage, the bug decided to high tail it outta there. So when it finally moved, Stinx let out the biggest, girliest shriek ever! Poor guy. He's never been afraid of insects. Not until he heard me scream at one. I felt so bad. He really was frightened. I put my hand on his chest and it was just pounding super hard. I have never seen him so scared.

I realized immediately that he was only scared because I had shown him my reaction. So I let the ladybug crawl on me. This seemed to help him adjust to it. Finally he became more comfortable. I decided to place the ladybug in a clear Tupperware container so Stinx could watch him.

I wouldn't say he loved the ladybug, but he certainly was interested in it. He kept running back to it trying to say "Bug". It was really cute.

This morning we let the ladybug go free. Hopefully the frost tonight won't kill it. Oh well I guess. They all gotta go at some point.

Every Wednesday the garbage truck comes. If I hear the truck go by I tell Stinx, "There goes the garbage truck! Did you hear it?". Last week we waited for it to come by. I took him outside so he could get a really good look at it. He was in heaven.

So this morning when we woke up I told him the garbage truck would be coming again. He got really excited and immediately started looking for the truck. Finally when it did first come by I was actually on the phone with my mom. I was busy chatting away when Stinx start freaking with joy, he was trying to say "Truck" and get my attention. We were able to catch a glimpse of the truck. We didn't see it drive by as much as it usually does. It's normal by our place about 3 times. So it looks like Wednesday morning's are garbage truck watch out days.

Stinx and I were looking at the pictures from the week end (some of which are posted yesterday) and he was naming the people in the pictures. He's say "Dad" or "Mom" and then for Grandma he'd say "Bugma".. haha. It's so cute that he has a pet name for G-FiFI. Today when he tried saying grandma it did sound better but he also repeated Bugma.