Thoughts on a go train.

"I'm sorry. She has autism"

This was a comment I heard from a frazzled mom on the go train yesterday afternoon. The word frazzled is not a fair word  perhaps, but it's the best one I can describe given the scenario: the accessibility coach was full of able-bodied go train passengers who didn't seem to understand that this coach is for people who are unable to climb the stairs. Also, given that the train was leaving union station at 3:15, it was right in the middle of their "upper level silence time" where you are not allowed to speak, so definitely a kid-free zone. Basically this lady and her 4 year old daughter, who she was pushing in a stroller, was in the exact place she was supposed to be. 

So there she is, pushing a stroller with a heavy kid, who is nonverbal and quietly watching something on an iPad to keep her entertained for the journey, and none of the able-bodied people will move out of the designated areas, where this lady would technically have way more right to be, and someone gives her snarky attitude when her daughter accidently flails her leg and brushes a lady's jacket. Something along the line of kissing her teeth at her, or a sideways eye roll. 

"I'm sorry, she has autism"

Is this something we are supposed to make a person feel sorry for? Is this what our society of "don't make eye contact because then we have to acknowledge people around us. Keep pressing refresh on your iPhone on Facebook."

"I'm sorry she has autism" 

I wonder how many times she has uttered this phrase in some form or another. 

On her way off the train she stopped to talk with Cillian and I, and discuss the Thomas the train boots he was wearing, and he was so excited to have someone talk to him. At which point I realized in a train car full of 50 people at least, not one  person had acknowledged him at all, sweet Cillian and his little metal cars going on an adventure with his newly acquired cardboard Go bus. 

Keep on looking down, no need to interact anymore when we have social

media. 

Tuesday November 11th: thoughts

I'm sitting in my bedroom, where my new bed will be tomorrow morning. I'm so tired after working late, and then taking apart our old bed, and then packaging up our old mattress to send off to be recycled. I would put myself right to bed right now, except....well my bed is currently in pieces beside me. 

Parting with our current bed is pretty bittersweet, if you go for that nostalgic stuff; we won our bed 13 years ago at Ikea during a crazy contest!

During the contest we had to stay in our pajamas all day and lie in a bed in the Ikea bedroom section. We spent the day participating in random events (Build a size table blindfolded! Put a duvet cover on as fast as you can! Quick,switch  clothes with your partner under the covers!) and we came down to three finalists, where we won our mattress. It was an epic day, where I stood on a table in the cafeteria and sang my little heart out to try and win votes, Chris was told by a 6 year old girl that they had the same pajamas (he was wearing mine at this point), and it was such a great day of teamwork for Chris and I, who usually butt heads at every turn. 

So, goodbye little mattress. You served us well. You will be missed. 

Happy Tuesday!

Date nights these days

This is what date night looks like these days around my house: funny hats in the baby section of Target. Yup. These faces are the happy faces of parents that can wander through a store without chasing a toddler. Oh how times have changed. 

One of the major differences of having a baby is missing out on nights out alone with your partner. For the first year and a bit of being a new mom, I didn't miss going out as a couple much at all. I was tired, and breastfeeding, and all I wanted to do after Cillian went to bed was immerse myself in the Mindy Project, and read blogs about organization and food prep. I know, super glamorous, right?

Now that we are almost two years in, we are now at the point where we are trying to figure out what our life looks like with a toddler who thankfully finally sleeps 12 uninterrupted hours at night, which means we have all this time on or hands now, but no money for babysitters. 

So does anyone have a secret for how they are able to peel themselves away from stupid chores, and off the couch to "unwind" (which for me basically means putting on the West Wing and falling asleep at 8pm). Any tried and true tips on finding time to have "date nights" in your own home?

Happy Monday!

A Cillian minute

So this little dude is turning two in less than a month. It's craziness. So in honour of his 23 month here on earth, here are a few of my favourite details about my little man. 

Weight: teeny tiny little guy, at 23 months he's probably only 24 pounds. This is likely because he doesn't stop moving. Ever. He eats more than any kid in his daycare, I'm told every day they are amazed at how much he eats. This makes a mama proud. 

Favourite foods: pasta, hands down, is his favourite food. Sadly my pasta doesn't compare to his daycare cook Rosa's pasta. Is anyone surprised? That being said, he will still polish off at least two bowls of pasta at home, but at least three at daycare. He still adores avocados, strawberries, and apples, which is usually what I count towards his fruit and veggie intake every day. Any other fruit or veggie can usually be found on the floor beside his highchair, where he's likely tossed it when he didn't like it. Again, at daycare he apparently has eaten lettuce and broccoli (one of his former favourites!!) but at home he's all meat and carbs. Hotdogs and sausages are also favourites around here, and he delightfully refers to all of them as "hot diggities". Hee hee. 

Favourite toys: Cillian still doesn't stray far from Dolly the dog. He adores her and carries her around for most of the day at home, and she usually comes to and from daycare with him. These days she cuddles, reads books with us, and sometimes gets to enjoy some of Cillian's snacks and meals. It's pretty adorable watching him pretend to feed her. Second in toy line are trucks, mostly his faithful garbage truck and cement mixer which we got at a consignment store for a combined $5. They are big and easy to push around, and the garbage truck has a giant opening in the top and back to store things, where we can usually find a train or leftover plastic Easter egg inside.  Thomas the train and all his friends come in third for favourites, and they are usually found on adventures with his trucks. Lastly, his new favourite toy is Play-doh! This is a new one, and basically involves him shouting out things he wants me to make for him (Ball! Snake! Doggy! Banana!) as fast as I can make it. 

Daycare: He started at the beginning of July, and it's been a pretty long, painful transition. He still cries every single day I leave him, but he doesn't cry when I pick him up anymore, so I'm taking it as a good sign. We are hoping that we can transition him from fulltime to parttime daycare if a spot becomes available. His teachers are awesome, but I'm just so jealous that they get to spend all day with him and I have to go to work. We will see what the next few months brings. 

Every day when I pick him up I am told he is a comedian and it must be so fun to have him at home, since he makes them laugh every day. He is also obsessed with a little girl names Annie, likely because it's the only name he can say. He talks about her constantly, and apparently he does it at school too so they are calling her his girlfriend. It's pretty adorable. 

Bedtime and sleeping: Cillian FINALLY started sleeping through the night from 7-7 at 17 months. It was as if he was finally ready, nothing changed on our end. It's amazing. Our current bedtime routine is bath, four books, and then he helps daddy turn off the lights and put on his white noise. After daddy leaves he has a short snuggle with mummy on the couch and then into bed with a million of his stuffed friends, two Star Wars pillows and a muslin blanket. When you look at the monitor you can barely see what is baby in amongst it all. 

Mummy and Daddy's lives: this summer has been difficult transitioning from two days at work, to five days at work. At first the transit was killing me, but now we seem to have a bit of a rhythm happening, and it doesn't seem as bad. We still really want to move Cillian into two or three days at daycare instead of five, but if it takes a while for that to happen it wouldn't be the end of the world. 

So that's our 23 month old in a nutshell! 

Happy Sunday!

The waiting game

So blogging, huh?

 I remember it was almost exactly 12 months ago that I write my last post. I was just about to go back to work, pushing a trolley in the sky, and I was pretty miserable thinking about it. The thought of leaving my little boy, the idea of trying to coordinate childcare with Chris and a crazy flying schedule: it all seemed like too much. I didn't want my maternity leave to end, I couldn't figure out how to be a mom, a wife, a friend, and also go back into the workforce, and I definitely didn't want to blog about my inner misery. 

So now here I am, a year later, sitting in the waiting room of a children's hospital waiting for my darling nephew to come out of open heart surgery, and despite my current location, I'm ready to blog again. 

So, here goes nothing. Feel free to join me on this funny journey on this internet thing. 

Happy Thursday. 

11 months!

My darling sweet boy,

Dolly the dog, and Cillian swinging in Central Park.

You have found a best friend, and her name is Dolly the stuffed dog.  Dolly was bought for you by Nana before you were even born, and her name was originally Perky.  The name change happened during our trip to Newfoundland, when we realized she was the spitting (stuffed) image of Dolly the dog Collins.  This was also when your love affair started with her, as you had never really paid attention to her before our trip, and I only took her with us because she was closest to the bag.  Never before has a boy loved a dog as much as you love Dolly, and your dad and I delight in seeing you hug and squeeze her.  I forgot to bring her with us on Sunday (bad parenting) and when Aunt Jenny reunited the two of you that night, it was like you had been apart for 10 years and you did not find it slightly funny when Grandpa pretended to take her from you.  In fact you told him off in little baby noises.

This month has been a busy month of travel, and you have rocked a trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and a quick trip to NYC.  In two weeks you have taken six flights, which is pretty impressive for a little guy.  When you're not in an airplane, you have been taking steps.  Last week, after cruising around the furniture for what seemed like forever, you finally got the nerve to take three steps to me, and boy were you proud.  Now instead of cruising, you prefer to have us help you walk everywhere.  As promised, Grandmama bought you your first pair of Converse sneakers in NYC as a "walking present".

Your likes: Dolly is currently your whole world, but you also make time for your blocks and stacking cups.  Books have also become interesting again, and you especially like ones that have flaps or things you can touch.  Today you spent a long time looking through your book basket, examining each and every one.  Bath time with Daddy is one of your favourite times of the day, and you even let him wash your hair without protest.  The two of you play with toy after toy until it's time to get out (usually when you refuse to sit on your bum). You now refuse pureed food, which means I have to be a bit better at pre-planning meals and snacks.  Avocado, sweet potatoes and chicken are your favourites.

Your dislikes: This month you REALLY hated being confined in a stroller or carseat.  The back arched, the legs went stiff, and your head whipped back in total protest.  You do not like being strapped into things.  As soon as we get moving, you tend to be okay, but heaven forbid you have to be strapped into something that isn't physically moving.  Also you have started to have fits when something is taken away from you that you were enjoying.  I curse the day I let you play with my keys, because now I hear "uh! uh!uh! uh!" whenever you see them, and then tears when I don't give them to you.

This is my last update before you turn 1! Happy 11 months little man!!!

This is the view I tend to get through my camera these days : blurred and annoyed to be interrupted.

10 months!

My Dearest wee boy,

Happy 10 months! It feels like yesterday that I was writing your 6 month post, lamenting that you were now closer to a year than birth.  Now with less than two months until you blow out your first birthday candles, I am starting to think of you as more of a toddler than a baby.

This month you have started to do a proper hands and knees crawl, rather than your usual "army crawl", and boy does this make you much faster.  This new crawl is even cuter to witness when you are off exploring with Daddy, and happen to find me in another room.  That happy smile, and those little knees working so hard to make your way to me as quick as possible, is probably one of the cutest things ever.

Although your aggressive wave is also adorable.  Any time you see anything that might possibly be something that could wave back (ie. a painting, a tree, a dog...etc) you wave your little heart out hoping for a wave back in return.  You melt strangers hearts when they give you a smile, and they are rewarded with your enthusiastic wave.  It must be so nice to be able to communicate!

Clapping is another of your current favourites, and you must feel like you can command a room, because as soon as you clap, we all clap too.  The joy on your face as you are surrounded by people clapping is priceless.

You continue to pull up on everything, and you have stood a few times by yourself.  Sometimes when you are quickly cruising around the furniture, we joke that you forget you don't know how to walk.  I see steps in your very near future.

Please slow down!!! The only time I seem to find the "baby" Cillian is when you are nursing in the middle of the night.  When you are full and satisfied you still do the baby back arch and stretch that you did your first week home from the hospital.  It reminds me that you are still my little baby, even though you are usually too busy for daytime cuddles.

Your likes: You have started to play with stuffed animals, and sometimes I replace Sophie with a stuffed Bunny for our walks in the stroller.  You like to chew on Bunny's nose, and give him kisses.  You love your stacking cups, and have started to talk into them at mommy's prompting.  I find it hilarious every time. Teething ring Sophie is still a pal, and you still adore your blocks. You love avocado, applesauce and Whole-O's.

Your dislikes: Not much.  You don't like being contained without entertainment, but you're such a good boy you rarely fuss.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!

xoxoxox