Postcards from (...The Unknown Father), (...The Son of A Rolling Stone), (...A Disgruntled Consumer)

Well, it's your lucky day! THREE (or more) posts in ONE!!

As kim announced to the world the other day, I returned from my conference late Saturday night. Not late enough though to miss the boy's evening ritual. I pulled in the driveway around 6:30ish just in time to see a quiet baby, turn in to a very very very loud baby.

I'm not exaggerating, or just looking for something to write about. He was very loud.

Normally he cries after his bath, (because lets face it, he's my son, and us loney folk don't like getting 'un'-naked), but it would be a HUGE understatement to say this was 'crying'. . . no, this was more like 'circumcision via cheese grater', 'wow I just realized how to make some REAL noise' noise.

It was new to us.

I couldn't help but take it personal, and kim really didn't help by flat out stating "Maybe he doesn't remember you!". . . thanks kim.

After a few minutes of frantically trying to dress him, while being told that my son is afraid of me, I passed him on for his feed, and sulked in the corner while Kim had to bring him up to bed - for risk of me 'scaring' him any further... I couldn't help but feel like a big sack of poo the rest of the night.

While I wallowed in my self-pity, I couldn't help but realize how crazy it is to be a father, and have this incredible connection with this little scream machine. While it would bother me to see another baby screaming like this, I would probably be more annoyed, and thankful that I wasn't the one who had to try and console him... but this was my kid, and it completely wrecked me to see my little boy in so much distress, with so little that I could do to remedy it.

Anyhow, 5 minutes later, he was full and flat on his back on his way to a great night of sleep. He only got up once that night before starting the day bright and early Sunday.

So completely unrelated... my parents decided last week to move to Florida. Being in timeshare, it is pretty easy to pack up and move where ever, and there was an opportunity for them in Sandestin Resort. So, they are on the move AGAIN... As kim puts it, no risk of moss growing on them.

Their plan is to live in Florida for 6 months and London the other 6 months. This plan should come in to full effect in 1 to 2 years. All the grandkids are making them realize how much they're missing, and with at least 2 or 3 more coming in the next few years, they are going to be needed for some serious babysitting.

And with Sharon getting up there, she OBVIOUSLY can't be living anywhere with stairs, so she is going to have to find a safe and level condo with rubber walls, no sharp corners, no teenage hooligans and wired with the 'help I've fallen and can't get up' medical alert system which can only be found here in London.

Then Burnie and Chris can get the hell out of dodge, by a Motorhome and park it in our driveway 1 for every 3 months out of the year, and we'll all be one happy family!

WATCHOUT - CHANGE OF SUBJECT

So, as part of my 101, I am to bring in my laptop before the warranty expires... well, considering yesterday the power adaptor started shooting sparks out of itself, I figured now was a good time. So, off to Future Shop I go.

Now I have the full warranty, covering EVERYTHING, including accessories (which the Power Adaptor classifies as), so it shouldn't be a problem. I also have 3 other things wrong with it including a crack in the panel/screen, a busted out infrared, and a dead battery. I wasn't prepared to hand over my laptop (because I want to back everything up first) but I guilelessly thought there was a chance that they would just hand me over a new laptop there on the spot. (My reasoning was just - if they can't fix the problem, then I do get a new laptop - and they definitely can not fix the crack in the screen panel... so I was hopeful). Anyhow, at the very least, I thought I was going to be able to get a new power adaptor because clearly the thing was broken - SPARKS were shooting out of it... it does not take a 'trained' technician to look at it, see the exposed wires, and conclude 'this ain't unbroken'...

Boy was I wrong!

Apparently, I need to hand over my ENTIRE laptop for 2 days before they will even look at the POWER ADAPTOR (A removable accessory I might add for anyone (Sharon) who knows nothing about computers) so that they can then ORDER a new power adaptor (if needed he claims!) which will then take an additional 2 WEEKS to a MONTH to arrive... all the while my laptop is sitting on their shelf.

Yeah, I tried to question this logic... however to no avail. I offered to sign off on any waivers, start the process, and come back in two days when the technician will eventually get around to looking at it, bla bla bla, but no. "Everyone waits in line sir - you are checking in the laptop, and the power adaptor is part of the laptop - we need to take responsibility of the laptop... and oh, you will need to sign off stating that it is alright if we erase/break your pc while it's in our possession".

F*#KERS!

So, we left Future Shop PC in hand. The crappy thing is, I can't even back up the information on my hard drive because I have no power. I think I may wrap the power cord with rubber though and try backing up my stuff. On the bright side, once I get the thing backed up, it's a new PC for me!

Anyhow, that's that!

Cheers.

Postcards from Work...

Well, if eating and drinking for free, and playing poker until 2 am is work, then... yup... 'from work'.

I'm in T.O for my 2 day sales meeting, and yeah, that's all I have to say about that. What I WILL say however is something that shouldn't surprise anyone - I really miss the boy. It's so weird - how I can miss this little human being who has really only pooped on me, and provided the occasional spit up. Though I have been thinking of him quite regularly, it wasn't until I returned to my room tonight (ugh, I guess this morning) and saw the cute friggen pictures of him on Kim's blog (and Lyndsay's)... it gave me this unbelievable, and indescribable feeling in the pit of my stomach that churned loneliness and a desire to kiss that fat little face.

I'm honestly quite surprised however how much I miss him. I did not think I would be writing a post about how much I missed him - it's SO 3 months ago! But again, those pics got to me.

Anyhow, I just got back to my room (2 nights in a row at 2am), after a night of poker. While I lost $40 last night, it's tonight that made me really pissed.

So last night, 5 of us started a game around 11ish, and I finally called it a night around 2 - after 2 buy in's and $40 later. That's fine, I had a lot of fun - so to me that was worth it.

Tonight, was supposed to me a similar night, only starting earlier. At 9ish, I returned from dinner, and began an 8 person game - the usual 5 of us, plus 3 newbies (to our game, not THE game) - the newbies being my supervisor, and 2 other femmes.

I really did not want to lose right away, so I was really biding my time - 2.5 hours in and I only played 2 or 3 hands - so yeah, really biding my time. Finally people started going out, and by 1am, there were only 4 of us. The booze had been flowing (with not a whole lot of involvement on my part mind you - however my manager was feeling alright, and I couldn't help but notice the very 'interesting' aroma that was attached when she first sat down at the table). Anyhow, at around 1, they get the idea to go up to the managers room for a 'session' leaving 2 of us still involved in the game to stare at the walls... I have to say, this was a new thing for me, and quite refreshing... Being a one time aficionado of the herb, I very rarely had an opportunity to turn it down when it was offered in a social setting. It's interesting what fatherhood will do to you... while they were up puffin' away, I couldn't help but think of Gord, and how I would do anything to be with him, where at one time, I surely would have been up there with them.

Anyhow, the point of this all, is that I was incredibly tired, and not too impressed that 2 of the players (along with 4 spectators) left 2 of us still playing behind to wait. Meanwhile, the other player opted for bed, and gave his chips to me to play out (and I would share in the winnings). When they returned, it left 3 of us... and this is where it got really frustrating. I was playing very conservative all night, waiting for my hands so that I could make a serious run for the $150 top prize. Well, the blazo and blitzo are now 'tired' and vote to play 4 more hands before ending the game. I quickly object stating that it's last one standing bla bla bla, but they majority rules and we were apparently going to play 4 hands before divvying up the cash. I had no restraint pointing out that there was no motivation to play those last 4 rounds as no one was going to risk anything as we were guaranteed $50 a piece. We continued play all the while I was voicing my chagrin for this stupid forced finale - again mentioning the absurdity of splitting the money. Nonetheless, the 4th hand finished after I made some reckless bets, all the while being sure to keep some chips to claim my $50 stake. As the money was motioned toward, suddenly blazo (the chip leader) and blitzo seem to think that we were 'cashing out' casino style. Completely wrong, and backed by a 3rd party witness to my interpretation of arrangement, I had no choice to just take $20 and get the hell out of there.

I was (and AM) so pissed... I played literally 6 maybe 7 hands over 4-5 hours so that I could hand over all this cash to someone who didn't officially win!

UGH.

Anyhow, again, when I got back to my room, I saw that sweet little face of Gord, and it really made me look forward to getting home tomorrow (today).

So that's that.

Cheers. (I didn't proof read, so sorry for any mistakes...)

Postcards from a 'Good' Line Up...

Well, while out and about tonight, listening to Matt Good and discussing the upcoming concert, it came to my attention that Kim apparently is unaware what he looks like... So... I decided to put her to the test... she must pick Matt Good out of a 'Rock & Roll' line up... check the comments for her pick...

Postcards From The Guy You Find At Your Front Door Who Starts The Conversation With "Hi I'm Steve, and today I would like to talk to you about..."

Don't you hate it when someone you know joins, say a network marketing (MLM) company (like avon/amway), or worse yet, becomes a born again christian and then all they talk about is this new 'lifestyle' and try so desperately to have you sign up or whatever it is you need to do to join the cult???

Well, I may not have found 'Jeebus', but I am going to make an attempt to have you do something that that I most recently found myself doing. . .

As noted earlier, I donated some money to the Children's Health Foundation. I was on their website, and couldn't help but feel that my donation while i'm sure appreciated, doesn't even make a dent in the needs that this foundation requires.

I have always had an emotional side when it came to children, but with some of the recent events over the last few years, this foundation (and other's like it) have really hit home... including close friends of ours who required the assistance of this foundation's services for their son... also, Kim most recently had a mother in her "Mom's Group" make use of this foundation... This little girl, 6 months old, had difficulties from birth and required open heart surgery. She was released from the hospital last week while waiting for additional procedures, and for unexplained reasons passed away in her sleep 2 nights later. Kim attended the memorial/wake friday night, and we are still unable to shake the unapologetic bleakness that fogs our emotional state of mind.

Perhaps if Gordon wasn't in our lives, or if it hadn't happened to the ones we call friends, it would be easier to accept these happenings as part of the 'big picture'. But the fact of the matter is, I hear these experiences, I read the stories online, and I can't help but think of Gord, and I can't help but become welled up.

It is unfortunate that it has taken this long (and so many 'close to home' factors) to realize the importance of these charities/foundations... And this is where the "Join My Cult" plea comes in...
I ask for 1 of 2 favours... (or both)... Please follow this link, and make a donation (of any size - even $5). If you recently have donated to a charity, or are unable to do so, and you have a blog, please put a link to the Children's Health Foundation - http://www.childhealth.ca/ (or local children's charity) on your site with a similar request.

Please post a comment letting me (and anyone else here) know if you are able to do one of these simple requests...

As important this issue has become to me, I promise this will be the one and only blatant request for an effort on your part, so please don't blacklist me as pauperizer.

Cheers.

Postcards for Charity - Thanks

Well,

19 comments - mostly due to Lyndsay sending people from her site...

There were quite a few people who didn't comment - I think it was around 53 unique hits/visitors according to the hit counter...

So, even though 'Charity Broglio' didn't make it in before the deadline, i'll count it anyway... and I'll round it up to an even $20.

Thank you for all the suggestions for charities. As important each of them are however, I really wanted to donate something to a childrens charity... so I have decided to go with Julie and Thomas' (Celia's Agent) suggestion - Children's Health Foundation (Charitable Registration Number: 11885 2482 RR0001). Thank you very much Julie & Thomas for suggesting this.

So, this is an additional $20 the CHF charity didn't have 2 days ago - so thanks people for coming by! All in all there will be close to $200 going towards this charity today.

Cheers.

Postcards To The Plastic Rubber Orb...

For anyone who has read the comments of late, you may notice an awful lot from this 'Beechball' character...

If so, you are probably left with 1 of 2 overwhelming impressions.

a) "Awe, Steve is a special guy to have a great friend like that... so sweet... so supportive, she always has a kind word to say, or expression of inspiration... wonder how he knows her..."

OR,

b) "Awe, Steve is a great guy to have a 'special' friend like that... he must have volunteered with the special olympics..."

Well, for the record, I think it's only fair that I clarify... I wouldn't want anyone to have the wrong impression... I don't think Lyndsay has an interest in organized sports...

Ha ha ha...

Thanks for all your comments Lynds... My special little friend!!

Cheers.

Postcards From Second Place...

Well, I don't know what I was thinking... I kept encouraging kim to start a blog, and finally - voila.

I am already starting to feel inferior. I've been slowly losing my 'pants' in this household, with Kim being so friggen amazing at this 'parenting/homemaker' gig of hers... Updating the world on our current events was my last stronghold. And now, she is about to take me over on that as well. Soon, i will wither away into the internet black hole along side "flashy animated gif's", and just behind "Frames".

I'm not trying to feel sorry for myself, or feeling insecure, I just know she's going to kick my writing ass.

I should have learned my lesson. Before University, we went to different highschools. And quite honestly I thought my school was harder. We both ended our final year top of our class (Well, I think in second spot to be specific - Damn that 1/2 percent!!) So, when we registered at the same University, and shared some of the same classes, I looked forward to proving my intellectual superiority... and well... I'll let the Masters speak for itself.

There have been a few other incidents over the years, and any time I think I have an edge over Kim, she slaps me upside the head with a huge-ass dose of reality.

Well, actually, let's look at it this way... Kim's posts are from her point of view right... stay with me here... and WHO is in this view... ME... eh eh... so, if her writing proves to contain more entertainment value, who is responsible??

See look at his... she has ONE post and I'm already writing trash... I better step it up.

Cheers.

Postcards for Charity...

So, I am planning on donating some money to an undecided charity as part of my 101 list. Then, completely unrelated, this morning, while I was thinking about who may be reading these postcards, I came up with an idea... I'll combine the two.

So here is the deal. I will donate $1 (over and above the amount I was planning) for every person who comments to this postcard (before Wednesday March 22nd). Nothing crazy, just a first name and where your from would be great (and anything else is always appreciated) - but please include a charity of choice.

It's sad that I have to bribe people to comment... but at least it's going to a good cause.

Cheers.

Postcards from the 100th Post!!!

Well, I hadn't realized until I went to make this post... but yeah, it's my 100th Postcard. Wow. I had no idea I knew how to say the same things over and over and make them sound relatively different....I love gord, gord is great, gord is cute, I like gord, gord shot poo out his butt, kim snores, bla bla bla...

Anyhow, holy crap last night was a looooong night...Gordo style.

Mel and Jeremy came up(down/left/right?) from Windsor for her birthday. We went out for dinner and came back here. We tapped into the board game we got her. Kim cheated so she won. Really, she cheated. Ever since she lied to the insurance nurse, she's been making up for lost 'bad ass' time I guess. And it wasn't a 'little' cheat... it was the FINAL question, and we both needed 1 answer to win... first one to get it right took home the prize.... and her question was "In the premier if Party of Five, how did the parents die?" ... she answered "PLANE CRASH" - DUH!!! WRONG! ... but, her cohort across the table, made an obvious 'NO NO NO, THAT WAS WRONG', head shake and mouth motion, and kim quickly retracted her statement... she then claimed 'oh, maybe it was a 'car accident... let me think about this... hmmm.... I'll go with car accident". Curse you women!

I'm pretty much over it now...

Anyhow back to the night time debacle. Gord, that intuitive little turd, KNEW that we had stayed up past our 9pm bed time (until 11:20) and decided that he wanted to be up too... all night.

Backing it up, he had slept when we went out for dinner at 5, and could NOT be woken up no matter how hard we tried around 6-6:30. It was not until after 7 that he woke up, and I think that it put his schedule out of wack. So come 12:30, he started the fussin'. There were a few bouts of fussing, then an hour sleep, another few bouts, another hour... the night progressed that way until 7 when we (kim more specifically) got up for good.

That brings me to another point. 4:30 am is definitely NOT the time to start 'discussing' the fairness and equality issues surrounding both of our weekly/nightly sleep allotments. Really bad idea to bring that up. Even worse to start throwing in the 'We work these hours/take care of him these hours/bla bla bla'. We have gone this long without the stereotypical husband working/wife full time mother job discussion... why we chose the ungodly hour of 4:30 am to try it out baffles me. In all fairness, I do have to take responsibility. I (I think like most people) don't think too clearly when they have had such little sleep For example, when I would go and try and soothe the boy around the 3am mark, I couldn't get two very intense (dream continuations?) thoughts out of my head: 1) What flavour of/ingredient inspired milk was he supposed to get, and 2) what text books should he be using - very strange!. So the fact that I thought it was a good idea to express some concerns shouldn't surprise me... and kim was more than willing on returning her personal thoughts on the matter.

Again, if I can come to my defense (or salvage some dignity), I quickly apologized and proclaimed my stupidity for attempting such a conversation at such a ridiculous time. I tried to make it up to her by requesting her to stay in bed when he got up in the morning for an extra hour sleep... but instead when 7am came around the tricky dicky did the 'switcheroo' on the idea, and I unknowingly ended up sleeping the extra hour (I just woke up and she was gone)... I swear she self sacrificed for an even stronger argument in her proclamation of "I rock you suck - be in awe of my Altruistic idiosyncrasy".

And now that the coffee has kicked in, we are a happy bunch of clams - Kim is dropping things in the kitchen attempting a new breakfast concoction, Gord is fighting with his 'Whoozit' (and losing I might add), and yeah, I'm taking it all in...

Well, happy 100. Thanks for reading.

Cheers.

Postcards from a Saturday Afternoon...

It's funny how life changes. Well, maybe that is misleading. It's funny how the little things in life change.

It's saturday afternoon, after a long morning of tidying, listening to music, going for a walk, and surfing a little internet. I've really enjoyed the day so far. I'm sitting in the living room, and watching Gord sit and play... and surprised at how much I enjoy just sitting and watching him. It was at that moment I realized how things have changed in the last 3 months. Before Gord, my saturday's consisted of generally the same routine - the early wake up, the cleaning, going for walks, etc - however I never seemed to be really happy with that. Don't get me wrong, I was happy, but I always seemed to be bored. Really bored. Again, don't get me wrong, I had fun with Kim, but I think she would agree with me - life was relatively boring.

And so as I sit here watching Gord, I realize how long it's been since I've been bored. I think more importantly, I am increasingly aware of this moment in time, and not waiting for something else.

Anyhow, before I get annoying (sorry if it's too late), I'll blabber on about something else.

I try and put myself in his shoes as often as possible. Sure, it's a little more difficult when he is this young, but it is something I hope to be acutely aware of as he grows. I try and think of how he looks at the world, and how different it is from the world I grew up in. I wonder how that is going to shape him, and what he is going to remember when he thinks back to the '2ks' or 'dimes'.

For me, I remember really bad hair (everyone's hair always seemed so big and puffy), mustaches (every one had a mustache), horrific clothes (shoulder pads, neon, and faded baseball style long-sleeve t-shirts), and a general easy-goingness that is purely lacking nowadays.

With all the technology, continuously growing acceptance/tolerance of the violence on t.v/in music, and a more globally aware society being provided a consistent negative/fear mongering message portrayed in the media, how will this affect Gord? Perhaps my bigger concern is how this is going to affect everyone growing with him. I am fairly confident Kim and I can hold back some of the damage that could be caused by this bombardment of bleakness we are all too often subjected to... but what about his peers? This reminds me of a comment I made to Kim about 2 months ago when we were sitting beside a gang of Mennonites, who seemed so content - I mentioned how easily I could throw everything away, and take up a simpler life (Mennonite less the religion part I guess).

As I say this though, I contemplate if this is a right attitude to take. How much resistance should I put up against change. I'm sure my parents had concerns about the world I was growing up in. After all, they experienced the cold war, nuclear threats, practicing 'bomb drills' under their desk etc.

I guess the best I can hope for is our kids to grow up with happy memories. That I have control over.

Ok, I've started annoying myself, so...

Cheers.

Postcards from a Friday Night...

WOO HOO... (Shrug)...

Well, another friday night... and St. Patty's ta boot...

I'm sitting down, having a beer, and well, writing a postcard - exciting stuff.

Gord is sleeping .... ugh, and stirring...

Kim is out for an hour or so.

Let's see... earlier this week we made our way north to sudbury for a few days. Everything worked out fine up there... (Why is this boy fussing/crying right now??? He never does this!!!)
Anyhow, glad that things went well. We came home a little earlier than expected - I had a lot of work related things to do, which worked out alright.

Other than that... not much going on. I've been asking what's going on with all the other little babies out there and Kim is supposed to be making some calls... Julie you lurk around here, maybe I should go to the source.... How's Gordie's girlfriend doing?

Hmm.... Well, tonight we had the nurse come over for our life insurance policy thingy... So many stupid questions they ask. "Have you or will you fly your own plane"... "Have you or will you ride a motorcycle"... "Have you or will you ever have any sort of fun at all in your life"... it really makes me realize how boring my life is. Even when it got to the drinking questions - "um... 1 or 2 per week is a little much... let's scale that down".

Kim lied! mwa ha ha ... she pulled a Bill Clinton. Several weeks ago, following our meeting with the insurance rep, a nurse called and did a phone interview. Asked us a TON of questions about past experiences, medical history and family medical history. We were both asked about among other things, cancer in the immediate family, and of course we both said no. Well, as it happens, since that last phone interview, things have changed... So we knew the question was going to come up again tonight, so Kim at the beginning of the interview, following my leading statement, "We just gave all this information to the nurse several weeks ago", piped in, with "So I will just give you the same answers I gave her"... ha ha ha... technically not lying!! I have to admit though, I think she was really nervous about that, and if it was up to her, she would have just spilled it all. It took a little arm twisting to get her to pull the Clinton. I tell you, that girl is WAY to good a person to survive on her own... she is lucky to have a guy like me take care of her...

I had to lie too. As far as they are concerned, my only 'experimentation' (as the nurse phrased it), was with a cookie made from marijuana butter when I was 17. After I thought about it, I'm not sure what the point was of making that story up... really... the amount of explaining that had to go into it... really wasn't worth it. I didn't even use marijuana when I was 17! I guess I just didn't want to be labeled a 'smoker', which if you answer yes to the 'marijuana' question, is the same as answering 'yes' to the smoking question, and your rate gets hiked. I haven't done it in ages, so there was no way of them knowing... but I didn't want to tell a BLATANT lie, so I said I ingested it. Egh.

Other than that, I got nothing. My 101 is going alright. Didn't donate blood last weekend like I wanted to, so perhaps tomorrow. Get that crossed off my list.

Uh, kim's home... with food...

Cheers.

Postcards From The 'Michelin Man'...

Postcards from a future 'Hockey Dad'...

Now I know he doesn't ACTUALLY understand what is going on, but humour me if you can... and I'm not exaggerating (for the record)...

He had another few very fussy episodes today, and starting around 6 we began his routine, slightly modified - feed, bath, feed, diaper change, sit/play, diaper change, sit/play, diaper change, feed. After that feed, our dinner was ready, and he was relatively calm.

We put him in his 'bouncy' seat, and had him facing us (at a slightly more than 90 degree angle away from the tv). Well, the Toronto hockey game starts, and it somehow caught his attention.

OK, you can spend the thousands of dollars (ok not thousands) on Baby Einstein DVD's and other 'attention grabber' videos, but while they are great in their own right, they lack one very important (and now obvious) feature... they're not hockey.

The kid was mesmerized. His head (due to the difficult angle) was cocked way left, so I turned the seat facing the tv. I haven't seen him so interested in anything since he discovered his (well, you know) - Thumb people!!! Thumb!

Like I disclaimed in the opening... I realize he doesn't know what is going on, or the finer details of the new NHL rules, but he would watch with such undivided attention, and when there would be action at the net, or a dramatic turnover, the kid would would jolt with vigor, arms flailing and a burst of baby babble.

Seriously.

Standard hockey puck movement - intently still...

Near goal - excited sports enthusiast...

We ended up watching the entire first period - then it was his bedtime.

Now I sit with a glass of wine, write, and about to read my new book.

Cheers.

Postcards from a 'Grown Up'...

Whoa, is that kid tired!!!

... AND LOUD!

He got up from a 25 minute nap around 5:30, and then came the wailing. Probably the loudest and longest bout of crying I've heard yet. Nothing would soothe him.

When I picked him up from his crib and held him flush against me, I thought his diaper felt a little 'hard'... like a teenage boy in jogging pants (if you know what I mean). I thought the 'restriction' could be causing the discomfort, so I quickly un-taped his diaper to ensure he had the proper breathing room... turn my head for two seconds, and return to a massive wet spot all up the front and along his side. Soooo... Gordon still wailing, we decided to try giving him his bath. That didn't help with the crying - as it normally relaxes him.

I know it doesn't seem much to some people (especially those who had a colic baby), but 20 minutes of pure screaming is new to me, and whoa!! My body doesn't know how to deal with that. I break into an extreme hot flash everytime he cries really loud, and tonight I was on fire.

We then tried feeding him, and that soothed him. After the feed, he sat in his bouncy seat and I serenaded him with some guitar and piano. After about 45 minutes of that... the screaming returned. We could tell he was really tired, so I brought him up to bed - the screaming continued. Kim warmed a bottle, I had to 'tag' out as I was seriously about to combust. When the bottle was done, I fed him a couple ounces and he seemed alright. As soon as I put him in his crib however, "WHAAAAA!". Mom stepped in and rocked him to sleep. However when she tried putting him back in his crib - "WHAAAA!". Not for too long, before he cried himself to sleep with Kim's hand on his chest.

That was the same time I started this post. Shortly after, he started crying again, and it only took a gentle face rub to get him to sleep.

The kid was tired.

So now we sit, hoping he is down for his long (un-interrupted) sleep, and I write.

I was in windsor today. Kim brought Gord to her 'mommy group'. I came home for 3:30 as I had 2 conference calls - one of which I fell asleep near the end, and woke up to the 'Please hang up as your moderator has ended the call' repeating over and over. Hee hee.

So, Kim made a brownie last night. I have been requesting a brownie for quite some time, and it was nice to see that she finally came around to it. Once started though, it took a few days (literally). She started it the other night, but the brown sugar was SO hard that she needed to add a few things to it to get it soft enough to break without bending the knife. Then on day 2, she realized we didn't have eggs. Neither of us were up for running out to get some (plus we had to go out later), so the semi-started mixture sat in the fridge for a little longer. Finally - the brownies were made.

Where am I going with this you ask... well, the fact that I only had one piece last night, and was too full from lunch when I got home today to have a piece, sent kim into a fury... and for anyone who knows kim, that consisted of a slight whine, and a few arm hand gestures (nothing too serious). She basically accused me of asking for dessert, and not eating it... well, partly to satisfy her, and partly because I'm a grown up, and I can do things like this now... I had nothing but brownie for dinner tonight!

Kim had soup.

Cheers.

Postcards From The Wind Tunnel...

Kim has been snoring really loud (even the entire time I wrote my previously incredibly boring post - which I should try and blame on the lack of concentration brought about by the constant snorts etc)... anyhow, normally I would be complaining, but the last 5 minutes have been fairly exciting. It progressed from the usual nasal-snore to a blow-air-from-the-small-opening-in-the-mouth-making-a-really-loud-wind-whistle sound... and, in my attempts to prevent the continuous sound invasion, I started moving her lips. She wasn't waking, or stopping.
What I was able to do was maneuver her lips in multiple ways to make a wide range of sounds purely for my own entertainment.
My favourite was closing the lips, and watching the cheeks puff out like a blow fish.

Postcards from... BOR-ING - Don't even bother reading this, it is incredibly incredibly boring... Seriously

Well, I sure haven't posted much lately... anything substantial anyhow. I just feel there hasn't been much to write about. There are only so many ways I can talk about how cute I think Gord is before even he starts rolling his eyes.

So, I figured I would just start typing, and hopefully something relevant emerges. So far it's not looking so good...

Let's see... well, Kim took him to get weighed today - 12lbs 14ounces. Fatty Fatterson! And, he measures in at 24 1/4 inches. He's half way to my grade 10 height!

He's been sleeping alright, with an exception here and there. There being last night. We put him down around 7ish, and he should have slept until 3-4 then again until 6:30-8... but, he was quite restless and was up every couple hours from midnight on.

Well, we met my sisters new boyfriend last night. She started a new job about a month ago, where they met, and first went out with him, let's call him 'Jay', on Valentines Day. By February 17th, when I first heard about him, she was already in deep. Needless to say, things are quite serious by now, and from what I understand some major plans are in discussion. I don't think they are planning on taking their time. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a fall wedding (or a spring baby!! Next spring just for clarification).

We played poker. Then Euchre.

This is really boring. I'm going to stop.

Cheers.

Postcards From The Manicure...

Well, tonight we went and saw Nine Inch Nails. I've never really been a fan, or really even known any of the music (other than the radio singles), but we thought it would be a good show so decided to round up some people (Dan and Lyndsay) from the North to make a 'play date' out of it.

Kim woke up this morning however feeling a little under the weather, and wasn't sure if she was going to be up to making it tonight. She took a nap or two throughout the day, got ready to go out (still feeling blagh), and we dropped off the boy at Terry's.

We went out for dinner (a gourmet Burger joint - an excuse to charge crazy amounts of money for a cheeseburger), and then out for ice cream, as we had an hour to kill before the show. Well, as we left, Kim decided ultimately that it would be smart to just call it a night and get some rest.

Sooo, I dropped her off at home, called up Brad (my former boss) and offered him the ticket (which he accepted).

Off to the show!

It was very entertaining. As I said, i've never really been a fan, but they sure did a good job putting on a show.



...mmm, pretty lights...

Cheers.

Postcards from ... Where Else, The Hospital

No visit would be complete without a family trip to the hospital. Without fail, every time we have family visit, we make a trip to the hospital.

Kim's mom was feeling a little 'off', so to play it safe (and to keep up with tradition), Kim took her to the hospital.

Everything is fine - they are back home now.

Gord and I had a good afternoon in there absence. My sister and the Neph came over, and we headed to the mall, where I got to hear more about her budding new romance, and Gord was again so generous, and bought me a DVD (Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy).

So, the family unit is once again a unit, and Gord is just sucking down some lunch.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Postcard To Gordon...Month 3

Dear Gordon,

3 Months Old!! (March 3)

Now I see what the other fathers were talking about. This month you started smiling and playing for real (non of this gas inspired facial gestures). I don’t feel like such an idiot when I make silly faces or dance all nerdy around you – as you have started realizing how much a goof your dad is.

On that note, I realize how much I’m becoming like your Grandpa (my dad), and if I hadn’t realized it myself, your mom and Aunt Terry are sure to point it out on a very regular basis.

It’s really made me think a lot lately. Having full appreciation for the way I was raised and the antics of my Dad at this point in time, I’m not sure if I always did – not in a negative way, just in a way that I hadn’t fully appreciated yet. I used to roll my eyes, shake my head, and get embarrassed in public. But looking back at it now, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I’m not sure when it happened, but I became my dad. I’m happy with that, but Gord, I’m not sure you will be. You are destined for a life of embarrassment, and “Ughhhh, Dad!!... Mom, tell him to stop!!!”. Again I thought about this. Having clear memory of what it was like when I was going through that, I’ve thought about whether that is something I want to put you through. I didn’t have to think hard though to realize that I wouldn’t want it any other way for you either – even if I had a choice.

That is something that has become quite clear to me this past month… I really didn’t have much of a choice in my parenting style. As a result of my appreciation for the way I was raised and the antics of my dad, I don’t ‘try’ to do anything different. I’m surprised at how natural I am at being such a goof. Even if I wanted to, I would really have to work hard at doing something different. It’s made me realize that there is nothing wrong with being like your dad. And if the day comes, and you hear, “Oh Gord, you are so much like your father” I only hope you take it as a compliment… because that’s how I’ve come to accept it.

I love you Gordon!

Postcards from The Farm...

Well, 'Gran' is here for a visit... and we know what that means - Baby Stuff.

Gord got a set of puppets... though I'm not sure who is having more fun:

Anyhow, the generations are out at the mall... poor Gord. I'm at home, working.

Speak of the devils... they're home... I guess I should get back to 'work'.

Cheers.