does sonya spoil me? signs point to yes!

Sonya cracks me up.

A few days ago my FB status indicated that I wanted a magic eight ball. I was feeling kind of frustrated not knowing stuff - like how my hands were doing, what kind of bebe was using my lungs for resistance training, and all the other million things I don't know about the future (when will I get my flying car?).

Anyway, SJF jumped to action and mailed me not one but TWO Magic 8 Balls - a regular once for daily questions, and a High School Musical one for career-related inquiries. NARF!

To provide adequate padding, the care pack was rounded out with an astonishing variety of Pocky products...including the highly mysterious Pocky green tea mousse, the very elaborate Dessert Pocky, and the inexplicable Pocky Milk. Wacky!

And to top it off, a package of extremely disturbing lemon bubble gum that comes with a plastic identity card with photoshopped pictures of cats doing strange things. I think I will put in into the bebe's memory book with no explanation whatsoever so when the kid is twelve s/he will be able to point to that as proof positive that s/he's being raised by lunatics.

Thanks so much Miles! You made my week!

carry on!

Last Thursday Nathalie and I went to evymama, the breastfeeding boutique (this is why it's good to live in a major city, they have shops for everything, if you can find 'em) to try out baby holders. With the crap hands, I want to have as many options for kid-hauling as possible.

I'm very glad we went there, since the owner was extremely helpful and took the time to show me every carrier she had (which was a sizeable stock) and I was able to try them on with dolls. Some designs that I had seen in other shops or online that looked like they would be good options turned out to be nearly impossible for me to adjust without seriously damaging my paws.

I ended up purchasing two: a simple black cotton ring sling (which I thought would be too small for me, but actually fit great) made locally by a company called Rolz and Sassy and a more versatile soft structured snuggli style carrier called a Pikkolo made by a Chicago company called Catbird. The Pikkolo can be worn front, back or on the hip, so hopefully the player-to-be-named will like being strapped in place.

I'm still looking for baby holding and placing options, as my capacity for babe-in-arms holding may be restricted, so I welcome all suggestions!

(photos feature Matt's bear. Actual baby size may vary.)

basement III: drywall delight

rock and roll, ladies and gents - the basement is starting to look like an actual room!








Saturday was a blitzkrieg of drywall action. Matt's brother Kevin came over and was a huge help, his own reno skills being top of the class. Together with Matt and Tom, the trio were able to make big strides in the crucial area of "walls".






Coming up this week: mud, sanding, scraping and leveling!

Mystery Genie!

A big thank you to the kind sir, madam or collective who sent us a Diaper Genie II, the diaper pail of champions, so I am told. Unfortunately, the packing slip from Toys "R" Us (why is flouting grammar considered cute marketing strategy? Seriously, someone explain it to me.) did not list the giver's name. So, if you gave us this, many many thanks, and please let me know somehow so I can thank you properly.

Oh, and happy Good Friday. Can you say "happy"? It seems tacky, like saying "Merry Immolation", or "Joyful Beheading"...

convertible hand splints or cat toys?

My hand braces (aka the blueberry palm prisons) have been retooled so I have options: the thumbs completely covered, or the tips showing. This adaptive measure means I can control how much immobility the braces provide. For now, right thumb is in riot lockdown, while the left thumb enjoys fresh air privileges.

The thumbs now have little caps that are adjusted with velcro. In all, kinda neat design.

Except they make most excellent and exciting cat toys. Sigh.

happy fun basement! now with...wiring!

More basement fun...last week and weekend were all about the wiring.

Matt took point on the network wiring, while Tom used his mad lx skills to set up the power supply.

Next stop: drywall!

Belly! Big!

This is posted for everyone who's been bugging to see my gigantic belly.

The dvd shelf in the background should provide some sense of scale.

Why yes, I have swallowed a classroom-issue globe. Thanks for asking.

Doyle Vs The Belly Mice

I awoke this morning to the strangest situation yet.

Around 6 AM, I felt a weird jumping in the belly. Not just kicking or clawing, a jumping. I opened my eyes to see Doyle, the intrepid black cat, standing on top of my belly and stalking the little ripples and kicks that the very active little person was inflicting on the top of the belly. The kicks are now big enough to be visible through my clothes. Doyle must have noticed the squirming, and took it for an exciting hunting opportunity. As the bebe practiced high kicks, Doyle pounced and kneaded. This went on for about five minutes, as I wasn't very awake and kind of surprised so I didn't really want to move. When I finally rolled out of bed and shooed Doyle off, he was quite annoyed that I had ruined the game.

Doyle's been trying to get my belly to mush down to a more comfortable catbed for a few months now, but this was different - he was clearly in stalking mode and believed there were belly mice to be mined in them thar pyjamas.

Wait till he gets a load of the real thing.

Toronto? Really

Looks more like the Laurentiens.

Poor LRC. Might get an inferiority complex.

basement update

Matt and Tom spent a good number of hours this weekend moving the basement project forward.

The story so far: Matt's managed to clear out a large portion of our junk pile and toss out the nasty old carpets. Then, it was time to level out the floors with a little extra concrete.

Up now: starting to frame up the walls. Progress has been really great - two of four walls up!

book 'em!

It's a cold and snowy Saturday, and while Matt bashes away at the basement, I have added a few bells and whistles to this page.

Notably, the bebe now boasts his/her own LibraryThing, the preferred social website for book organizing and obsessing. I admit freely that I am completely addicted to LibraryThing myself, and consider it a maternal duty to force my irrational preoccupation with books on to the next generation. There's a nifty widget along the blog sidebar that will show random books from the bebe's library. Small now, but growing!

Also, a photo slideshow of some of the lovely and thoughtful presents the bebe has already received from family, friends and wellwishers. Thank you very much for your great-hearted gifts.

Today has been hiccup central for the little person. Must be all the book excitement.

registered...

I caved.

Today I went to Babies "R" Us (shudder - the precious "R" gives me hives) and filled out a registry.

Don't get me wrong - I know and accept that bebes require stuff with which to clothe, bathe, transport, feed, store and amuse them. I am also very grateful when people are generous and want to share their generosity with the spawn currently using my guts as a mosh pit. I just have always felt odd about the registry process, I had the same reaction to the wedding registry. It feels like getting all your family together and reading them your Christmas wish list in a loud obnoxious voice. That said, I know there are good and practical reasons for having a shopping guide available.

There is also furniture and a bunch of random stuff we're getting from Ikea, which has no registry, so Ikea gift cards are also welcome.

PLEASE, DO NOT THINK THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR STUFF. I am not asking for stuff, I am letting people know what I am planning to get.

I've been asked a lot about what colours we're using. I can now tell you the stroller we're coveting is green and grey (see picture). I prefer solid colours, especially in jewel tones (the darker the better) for clothes and other things. Remember, I am that freak friend of yours who thinks babies in black are absolutely adorable. I really don't like pastel colours. Unisex styles are better. Please, no princess stuff - if the spawn is female, I want to wait for the inevitable pop culture indoctrination to take root before I have to deal with Disney-promoted narcissism. On the other hand, if there is a skull on it, I will giggle with glee. Also , inappropriate t-shirt slogans and leftist political screeds always earn applause (everyone has their something...). Toys: great! Preferences: wooden and sturdy, soft/plush, minimal plastic, stuff that has no batteries, lights or canned music, no small parts (obviously) and prefer no "character" stuff. Watching all the recalls this past year, I'd really rather have a smaller amount of quality toys than many things I have to keep checking out on online recall lists.

Hand-me-downs are also very welcome - bebe will be learning the joy of thrift shopping at the knee of an expert, secondhands are terrific.

Enough materialist ranting!

Doyle at Play

See Doyle play. This is really a test to see if this blog will let me post short video. The fact I am posting a video of my cat being super cute is irrelevant. Really.

Shall we blog?

Hi folks!

As Project Mayhem (aka Operation Offspring) nears the approximate launch date, I am toying around with different ways I would be able to keep the family and friends at a distance informed of events as they unfold.

Translation: most of my family and many of my good friends live very far away, and I modestly believe some people may want to know how things (and people) are getting along.

I am sure that some material will go up on FB, but I will likely limit the photos and other details that go up there, since despite all the earnest protestation posting on FB is a public event. I would like to be able to keep the good folks up on little person developments without boring my colleagues and acquaintances. I suspect Skype will also be a vehicle for person-to-person sharing, but I have been thinking that at clearinghouse like this might be a handy vehicle.

Another advantage of bloggin' this stuff is that people can check in when they want, without me turning into a mass mailing maniac. If I can put up pics, video and VITAL anecdotes here, you can choose when and what you care to look at.

This is a test run...I won't publicize until I decide what will work best for us. Cheers.