Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Postcards From The Nocturnally Befuddled Baby...

Gord, I tell ya (shaking fist in the air)...

This boy of ours has been a real hit and miss when it comes to sleep. Several weeks back he was horrible at getting to sleep, but once asleep, he would grace us with a semi-full night sleep - waking once around 2am, then again for the morning around 7...

Then, he lost the habit of screaming for 45 minutes before falling asleep, and decided he was all about the short nap, but still sleeping well through the night...

Now... this short nap business has worked its way into his nighttime sleep. Ugh!

For the last week or so, we have noticed him closing the length of the long stretch, that at one time lasted an average of 7 hours. It moved up to around midnight... then 11:30pm... then 11:00... (you get the drift)...(but yet I continue)... then 10:30... and now he is getting up at 8:30pm (as he did tonight).

If that isn't bad enough... that is STILL his 'LONG' stretch. Yup. That means that he is not exceeding an hour and a half throughout the night. Take last night for example: He was up every 1 to 2 hours all night. We blamed it on an upset stomach, but now he continued his nasty new hobby tonight.

So here I am, 5 times a night, having to roll over and turn the monitor off as Kim goes off to put him back to sleep. , . I know can you believe it!!??! ... She doesn't turn to monitor off when she leaves the room - how RUDE! She really should be more considerate. *

Cheers.




* For the record... HUGE JOKE... HUGE... (please don't yell at me kim). As i've noted here before, she is great in giving me the week 'off'... I LOVE YOU KIMMY!!!
But really, the only thing that puts him down, is the boob, so she would have to be getting up anyhow...

Monday, April 24, 2006

Postcards from a lost blogger...

Hmph, I really suck.

I used to be so current in my postcards, and now look at me... over 1 week between posts. I make myself sick.

Part of the reason has to do with the fact that I want to keep the few people that return here up to date about things, but more importantly, I want to keep myself mindful of how things have gone.

I just spent a few minutes reading some of the posts from the past and it was great having such a detailed history of events, and insight into what I was going through at the time. Lately, my posts have been crap. CRAP! Well, that's a little harsh, after all, I did write them ha ha ha... but really, I need to get back to the detail and passion I once had when it came to Gord's bowel movements /explosions, or Kim's crazy mood swings. Help me out here!!! Would it kill someone to have a mild injury or trip to emerg??? ... ok, well actually, I can really go without a 5th installment of Postcards from the Hospital.

Ughhhh... Authors note... Kim is totally snoring right now, and it's not the standard snoring/wheezing/blowing - which I could totally handle right now, and would do anything for it to be that kind... but no, it's the gargley/gurgle kind that makes YOU (the listener) feel like you have a bunch of mucus stuck half way between your nose and throat, and makes you really want to either blow it out, or suck it in... (you know what I'm talking about it)! But yeah, it's that kind of snoring and it's driving me crazy!!!

Wow, this is totally like those sitcoms that end up doing 'highlight'/'clip' shows because the writers can't think of anything new and exciting to write about. They just try and remind people that at one time, there was something good that made you tune-in in the first place. They try really hard to weave their shining moments in and out of a pathetic story line just to show off that they may of had some talent somewhere along the line, but the fleeting vestiges of flair is something they just don't want to admit...

I hate 'clip' shows... except for Seinfeld.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Postcards From The Boy...



Postcards From A Born Again Blogger...

"Like a virgin... posting for the very first time..."

This is NOTHING like riding a bike... I completely forget how to do it. It has been way too long, and now I feel like I have so much to say, that I can't figure out what to say... oh, I'm scared!

Anyhow, you may have read on Kim's latest update that Gord has been a hit 'n miss when it comes to sleeping... so I won't reiterate that point. (Well, other than to say that his naps have been pretty good especially if we can catch him at the right time - too soon and he cries because he is not tired, and too late and he cries because he is over tired. His bedtime has been pretty easy, touch wood, and we do a good job of winding him down. Relaxing play, bath, baby massage, feed, and he's out like a light. He does wake up though much more during the night than he used to. Every 3 hours or so now for some reason.)

I guess I had more to say about that than I thought... I'm turning in to Lyndsay - well, that's assuming I put you to sleep - whoa, BURN!! ha ha just kidding Lynds. Really, just kidding.

So, Easter was alright. Gord is too young to realize that the Easter Bunny came, so Kim and I claimed ownership of all the chocolate in the house. And by 'Kim and I', I really mean Kim. And by 'ownership', I mean completely obsessive and still has chocolate stains on her face. (That's for your 'working on the pc' comment kim - thats right, I can read!!!)

Work has been work. I made some real good progress last week that I'm patting myself on the back over, and the next few weeks are looking pretty good. I'm working on a raise actually - I guess my boss has been trying to give me another discipline to cover in my territory, and if the money is worthwile, I will take on the extra work. The thing with this job, is when your busy, your crazy busy and completely stressing out... but when your not busy (ie the other 9 months of the year) you really have nothing to do. So, i'm kinda entering that time where there is nothing to do. Well, I shouldn't say that. I have things to do, but it is manageable, and I feel like I could handle a little more work without adding a lot to my plate. So, we'll wait and see.

Alright, I don't want to strain anything, so I think that is good for tonight.

Cheers.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Postcards From The Crib...

You may want to start here if you haven't read my earlier post.

Anyhow, after the horrific ordeal of trying to get him to bed last night, we figured we had until at least 1am, if not 3am until he woke next. Well... wrong! Kim went to bed at 9 (again, because she is not feeling too well), and I stayed up trying to salvage the fleeting vestiges of my Friday night. 11pm rolls around and the boy decides to wake up. This is the earliest he has woken up in a really long time. I tried to put him back to sleep, but he refused… so off to Kim we go. She feeds him, and I’m dreading the put down. To my surprise, he went down effortlessly. Yay!

The bonus of him waking up at 11pm, meant that he was good and full, so he decided to sleep until 4:45. This put down was not as easy. He was up and at it until 5:50 when he had enough of his own voice to take a nap. He slept until 6:25, and I had to grab him and bring him into our bed.

This is a habit we have been getting into lately – whether it is a good idea or not in the long run, it is working in the short run – so leave it alone. We laid him between our two pillows and we ‘cuddled’. He is actually a really good cuddler. I guess the up side of being a tad ‘spoiled’ is he likes the close contact. So he took a bit of a nap, but when I snorted (the early stages of snoring), it scared the crap out of him (as my nose was literally in his ear). His arms flailed, head jolted, and I new I just screwed myself. This was around 7. For the next half hour I tried very hard to get him back to sleep, all the while Kim was cursing under her breath, willing us with her mind to pick up and go down stairs. She got her wish when Gord projectile spit milk all over me and my side of the bed.

So, we came downstairs to more fun. He had filled his diaper while upstairs so I changed it. Of course, the only way to encourage more poop, is to provide a clean diaper. So, 5 minutes later, another diaper change. By 8am, he was getting drowsy, and the blue sky and sun were calling our name. I packed him up, and oh, do I wish it was as simple as it sounds – no! It is not. (I can hear Kim and all the other mothers right now laughing at me with that kind of ‘ha ha SEE what WE have to put up with ALL day… sucker!!!). So after a good while, trying to dress Gord, dress myself, keep Gord quiet so not to wake Kim, make some coffee and get the stroller out of the car, we were set. Not 3 minutes from the house, and Gord in his nasty new habit of not being able to fall asleep without a vocal workout, decided to give it a go.

3 minutes later we were back in the house. I really want to be a good neighbor, and thought I would do everyone a favour.

So, up to crib he goes, all the while I’m having vivid flashbacks to last night and feeling deep in my gut that this is not going to be easy. Sure enough, as soon as his head hits the crib, the wailing starts. It’s so frustrating, because you KNOW he is tired, but just can’t trust himself enough to keep quite and see what happens. Remembering what worked last night, I gave it a shot. WOW, it actually worked again. I think I might have to patent that little trick. I just stuck my head into the crib, cheek to cheek, whispered “It’s Ok” with my hand on his chest, and he was out like that.

“You Rock Superdad!!”

He has now been out for 25 minutes, which means I have at most 20 more before he wakes – because as mentioned way back, you can set your watch to this kid’s nap length. NEVER exceeds 45 minutes.

So, I better make use of this peace and quite… And yes Kim, yaddi yaddi, welcome to your world… bla bla bla.

Cheers.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Postcards From The Land Of zzzzzz666...

Well, they say pay back is a bitch... um yeah, that's an understatement.

Supposedly, I was a tad difficult as a child when it came to bedtime. My catch phrase became "...I just want a glug of milk... a glug of milk!!!!". One christmas, I kept my parents up until 3 am and almost cause 'Santa' to fall asleep and forget to put my presents under the tree. My parents always told me that they hoped my child would give me a taste of what their life was like... well, they got their wish.

I may have noted somewhere in the past that Gord was an angel when it came to bedtime. He would either fall asleep on the breast during his last feed, or fall asleep when his head hit the crib with the slightest assistance from the musical mobile, his soother, or our hand on his cheek... well, somewhere along the line, this 'angel' has fallen from heaven and turned into the 'Damien' of sleepy time.

It started changing so gradually, I couldn't even tell you when it started. What I can tell you, is tonight, was absolute Hell!

I don't have much to compare to, so I apologize if my anecdotal recalling of tonight's dramatic events are a walk in the park for some... If so, I really really really feel sorry for you!

Anyhow, he took a lengthy nap and woke at 5ish, and the following 2 hours were full of his usual routine - play, diaper changes, feed, play (slow downtime play, because he was a wee bit hyper), bath, 'relax the baby' waltzing, finishing up with his pre-bed feed. This last feed is usually the sleeping pill for Gord. He typically falls asleep on the breast, and his putting down is usually a simple transfer with him asleep and draped across my hands. Not so tonight. (Or the last few nights for that matter).

His naps, and attempts to put him down for a nap the last few days have been similar to this, but a very mild preview of the coming disaster.

Following his feed and burps, we laid him in his crib. He would have nothing to do with that. He started wailing.

Oh, this is a good time to mention that he has discovered a new sound. The sound of him WAILING. Not the typical wail, but the high pitch squeal that babies at some point realize they can accomplish. This new discovery was yesterday, and since then, he has not stopped doing it. Most of the time it is quite cute, and in a playful manner. However, when used as a tool to express his absolute disgust with the situation... not so cute.

Us putting him down to sleep was the exact situation he was disgusted with tonight. He cried, he wailed, he flailed and he tried, very hard, to stay awake... it was either that, or drive us completely insane, and well, he succeeded at both.

We tried everything: Resting our hands on his face while the other wrapped their hands around his torso and rocked him gently, covering his body with our hands and arms like his baby seat belt and holding him tightly, we even tried the 'let him cry himself to sleep' tactic, but yeah, we really don't have the stomach for that one, and it only lasted about 45 seconds. Nothing worked.

So, back to the breast.

That worked... for about 30 seconds. He fell asleep while nursing, and even lasted the transfer to the crib, but by the time we got to the living room, it was a 4 alarm fire upstairs. It was my 'turn' so I went up to try and calm him down. No dice. He spit up a bit so I picked him up to see if he had any burps... no burps, just a whole lot of screaming. Kim came to see who was killing who, and requested the opportunity to calm him down. I needed a break, so I came downstairs, and I could hear the silence... but a few minutes later that was interrupted and I went back upstairs to try and provide kim some relief. Somewhere in there, we managed to get him into the crib without crying - no music, no soother, just him and the far off possibility that he could fall asleep.

We again, managed to make it downstairs, sit on the couch and speak the unspoken look that soldiers share when walking away from battle, not knowing when the next bomb is going to drop. Then it happened. I heard the pin being pulled... that slow winding up whine that any moment is going to erupt in to full blown carnage. I run upstairs, this time taking not bullshit (in a nice daddy son kind of way). I simply put my head right in the crib, nose to nose, exhaled the warm breath while deeply mumbling "it's ok" and resting my hand on his chest. It was a long shot, but I had no other ideas. For some reason, the timing was right for this and it worked. He closed his eyes, cocked his head and let his arms fall to his side.

Victory was ours.

We may have won this battle, but the war is only in it's fourth month with no end in sight.

The whole ordeal lasted about 45-50 minutes.

Not fun.

Not, fun.

And, I'm outta beer.

And yeah, I didn't mention this... but kim is feeling like a big bag of poo. Either really bad allergies, or the quick onset of a cold. We're hoping for the allergies.

Till next time.

Cheers.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Postcards from a coffee drinker...

Well, it has been a bit… I’ll use the lack of laptops as an excuse. Which still pisses me off btw… I have been trying to transfer all my files to dvd or the big old pc…anyhow, we went for a loooong drive tonight to let Gord get a good sleep, and had two coffees on route, so I am quite wired, and all over the place in regards to what to post about… so…. Perhaps I can copy the bro in law, and make this a bunch of random one (or more) liners… here goes…

...Gord has been quite the spitter upper today – it all started with the gag this morning, and since then he has spit up ATLEAST 15-20 times…

…Kim’s birthday started Monday with a trip to the Palasad where we were supposed to play games and bowl, but Gord decided to be a big baby! We ended up getting a little pool in while he slept, but from 5:30 to 7, he kept pooping, peeing on himself, spitting up and crying. Kim had to rush while opening up her gifts, which was unfortunate, but luckily, Monday wasn’t her ACTUAL birthday…

…We made up for it ON her big day! 27!!! I’m married to an older woman! Gord decided to make this day special for his mommy, and was absolutely fantastic. I can safely say that was probably his best day… ever! I worked in the morning, then came home to pick up the wife and kid, and went to East Side’s where Kim was surprised to see my folks (who supposedly left for C-wood that morning), Gary, Melissa and Brad. We had a great lunch, and Gordo slept most of the time…

…After lunch, Kim, the boy and I went shopping!!! We spent a few (that’s right – not a couple, but ‘A FEW’) hours shopping. (See, with Kim’s birthday being 19 days before mine, I really have to set a precedent … so this year better be REAL good!!!)

…Gord was being extra cute last night. He laughed harder and louder than ever before. He was in such a good mood. Even following his bath, when he normally wails at the slightest attempt to dress him, he was happy as a clam.

… The Matt Good concert Saturday night was fantastic. Jay (Terry’s b-friend) is all talk (ha ha), and couldn’t get us in before hand. It turned out to be completely fine, because we probably would have picked the same spot we ended up in. Dave did a good review – so I won’t bother…

…Gord is 4 months old now!!! Wow. His 4 month postcard should be posted shortly (not like you want to read more ‘oh I love you gord, you’re so great, you did this, you did that bla bla bla’, but it’s coming!).

…Kim doesn’t want to send Gord to French immersion because – her quote from tonight’s drive – “He will have his own secret language, and we don’t want that!!”…

...‘Lost’ is on now, so I’m finishing here…

Cheers.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Postcards for the Birthday Girl...

Happy Happy Birthday Birthday Kimmy!!!

Love you!