And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~Dr. Seuss
Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
At this time of year, we can't help but think of all of our loved ones and friends, near and far. We hope that this holiday finds you happy, healthy and in good spirits.
So from our family to yours, Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Surgical update and other odds and ends...
As some of you may (or may not) know, when Benjamin was born, neither of his testicles had descended. So back in April, he had surgery to bring the left one down. By all accounts, this one was successful.
Fast forward to this week. Thursday, Ben was scheduled to have surgery to bring down the right testicle. The thing was, we (well his urologist) wasn't sure where the testicle would be. Back in June, he had an ultrasound and they couldn't locate it. She's never been 100% sure that she could feel it anywhere in his groin. So it was basically going to be a fishing expedition! One of four things could happen: she could find it and move it down into the scrotum, she could find it and move it partway down and then move it all the way down at a later date (to give the blood supply time to grow and stretch), she could find a small testicle that wouldn't be worth moving (she'd take it out), or she wouldn't find one at all and Ben would have to have a laproscopic procedure later to try to locate it. It is very important to find it though, as his doctor needs to be able to check it (i.e. for cancer when he's older). Whether it stays in or is taken out, we needed to know where the heck it was.
On Thursday, our little boy was a real trooper. He wasn't really scared at all. I, on the other hand, was so anxious! I couldn't stop thinking about him being in pain, or scared, or both. The urologist was in and out in about an hour - she found a good-sized testicle in his groin! Gord and I were very pleasantly surprised - we had resigned ourselves to the thought that IF they found one, they'd just take it out; we didn't think that it would be a good testicle. I could tell that the doctor was also pleasantly surprised. She did say that the blood supply is under a bit of tension, but she didn't seem to be preparing us for the worst or anything. All in all, it was a successful day! Ben did take longer to come out from under the anesthetic, and we had to wait until he drank and peed and could walk around before we could come home, which took longer too. But we are relieved and happy that he won't have to go through this again.
The ultrasound for baby #2 is tomorrow...I can't wait to see him/her bouncing around! S/he is very active, giving me the ol' one-two every couple of hours, just to remind me that s/he is in there! Like I would forget!
We are r-e-a-d-y for Christmas! Gord is very excited to hang out with the family and enjoy some quality time together...and I agree! Our shopping is pretty much done and everything that we have is wrapped. I haven't put everything under the tree yet...we're not sure how well Ben will understand that not every present under the tree is for him and is therefore free game. We'll see...we're still working on tree issues...
I'm going to post a few cute pictures too...
Carrie
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
A mover and a shaker!
The boy loves to dance...if any music comes on the TV, he'll start dancing. Even the 'Jeopardy' Final Jeopardy song. BUT, if I tried to play Christmas music, he just stares at the cd changer. Until now...
I have this Christmas tree shaped door thingie - it has bells on it. Therefore, when you open and close the door, the bells jingle. Ben really likes it, and asks to play with it quite often. Last night, he was busy with it, and started shaking it. Gord started to sing "Jingle Bells" and Ben really got into it! He made us sing it at least a dozen times! It goes something like this (imagine Gord and/or I singing - or don't, we're horrible!) :
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a one horse open sleigh!
Hey! - at which point Ben drops the bells, throws his hands up and says "HEY!", then has to pick the bells back up so we can continue with...
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a one horse open sleigh!
Hey! - at which point Ben drops the bells again, throws his hands up and yells "HEY!"
My oh my, he's so sweet! This is going to be a fun Christmas!
I have this Christmas tree shaped door thingie - it has bells on it. Therefore, when you open and close the door, the bells jingle. Ben really likes it, and asks to play with it quite often. Last night, he was busy with it, and started shaking it. Gord started to sing "Jingle Bells" and Ben really got into it! He made us sing it at least a dozen times! It goes something like this (imagine Gord and/or I singing - or don't, we're horrible!) :
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a one horse open sleigh!
Hey! - at which point Ben drops the bells, throws his hands up and says "HEY!", then has to pick the bells back up so we can continue with...
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a one horse open sleigh!
Hey! - at which point Ben drops the bells again, throws his hands up and yells "HEY!"
My oh my, he's so sweet! This is going to be a fun Christmas!
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Gearing up for Christmas!
The tree is here (but still outside) and the gifts are bought - heck, they're almost all wrapped! We're all set to start enjoying the season!
Today was my company's children's Christmas party. It was pretty fun. I wasn't sure that Ben would get a lot out of it, but he surprised me! They have those huge air-filled jumping/climbing apparatuses (apparati?) for the kids to play in, along with Karaoke, arts & crafts, food, face-painting, and of course, Santa Claus! (They give you a pager and will page you or call your cell phone when it's your turn with the big guy!) Ben HAD to go in the Thomas the Tank Engine jumping thing, and Mommy had to go with him and sit on the side. He was a little leary at first, but it didn't take long before he was hopping all around! He face-planted a couple of times, but came up smiling, so obviously he didn't hurt himself! Mommy almost bit it getting out of the darn thing, but that's another story! I also took him down the (smelly) slide a couple of times - even I enjoyed it (not the smell, the slide). We ate our hot dogs and chips and then had some popcorn. Yep, Ben ate a great lunch!
When we were finishing eating, Dr. Goodbear from the Children's Hospital Foundation came walking by. Ben was asking to get out of his stroller, so I let him go. He beelined it to Dr. Goodbear and kept smiling at him. Ben would turn around to me with a big smile on his face, so I went over to Ben and asked him if he would like to give Dr. Goodbear a hug. Well, Ben didn't just give the Doc a quick hug - he gave him a bear hug! And it lasted for almost a minute! It was so cute. And then Ben had to give him another one before he took off. I guess big stuffed life-size characters don't intimidate my kid! Disneyworld, here we come!
Carrie
Today was my company's children's Christmas party. It was pretty fun. I wasn't sure that Ben would get a lot out of it, but he surprised me! They have those huge air-filled jumping/climbing apparatuses (apparati?) for the kids to play in, along with Karaoke, arts & crafts, food, face-painting, and of course, Santa Claus! (They give you a pager and will page you or call your cell phone when it's your turn with the big guy!) Ben HAD to go in the Thomas the Tank Engine jumping thing, and Mommy had to go with him and sit on the side. He was a little leary at first, but it didn't take long before he was hopping all around! He face-planted a couple of times, but came up smiling, so obviously he didn't hurt himself! Mommy almost bit it getting out of the darn thing, but that's another story! I also took him down the (smelly) slide a couple of times - even I enjoyed it (not the smell, the slide). We ate our hot dogs and chips and then had some popcorn. Yep, Ben ate a great lunch!
When we were finishing eating, Dr. Goodbear from the Children's Hospital Foundation came walking by. Ben was asking to get out of his stroller, so I let him go. He beelined it to Dr. Goodbear and kept smiling at him. Ben would turn around to me with a big smile on his face, so I went over to Ben and asked him if he would like to give Dr. Goodbear a hug. Well, Ben didn't just give the Doc a quick hug - he gave him a bear hug! And it lasted for almost a minute! It was so cute. And then Ben had to give him another one before he took off. I guess big stuffed life-size characters don't intimidate my kid! Disneyworld, here we come!
Carrie
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Goodnight Moon, the remix
from my Feb playgroup message board (courtesy of babywaiting2003):
Goodnight, innocence
Louis Bayard
Special to The Washington Post
November 29, 2005
"Goodnight Moon," the children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown, has gone smoke-free. In a newly revised edition of the book, which has lulled children to sleep for nearly 60 years, the publisher, HarperCollins, has digitally altered the photograph of Clement Hurd, the illustrator, to remove a cigarette from his hand....
"It is potentially a harmful message to very young kids," (Kate) Jackson (editor in chief of HarperCollins Children's Books) said, "and it doesn't need to be there."
News item, The New York Times, Nov. 17, 2005
In the great green room there was ...
A cordless telephone
And a red balloon, non-helium and securely tethered out of toddler reach
And a picture of the cow jumping over the moon, with a warning label never to try this with cattle or indeed any animals without parental supervision
And there were three little bears, roaming freely in their native habitat, secure in their endangered-species status
And two little neutered kittens
And a pair of mittens, purchased from a Cambodian collective
And a little toyhouse with all potential choking hazards fastened in place by six-inch bolts
And a young and humanely captured mouse
Goodnight room, which is more than many Burkina Faso children have
Goodnight moon and all moon-related goddesses
A special shout-out to persons of color, the differently abled and victims of tobacco-company propaganda
Goodnight solar-powered clocks
And goodnight sustainably manufactured hemp socks
Goodnight synthetic tortoise shell comb and brush
Goodnight anybody who has ever been made to feel like a "nobody" by a rigidly patriarchal society
Goodnight organic whole-grain GMO-free oatmeal mush
And goodnight to the lady of mature years seeking an environment conducive to thought
Goodnight stars, which remind us that we are not alone in this cosmos and must henceforth redouble our stewardship efforts
Goodnight air, which we have done so much to pollute with our inhuman sport utility vehicles and our Weber grills
Goodnight all noises in the immediate vicinity ... .
... with the exception of the white-noise machine, the Haydn concerto loop, and the four-gallon cool-mist humidifier with the evaporative wick filter that was changed only last weekend
Goodnight to anybody whose feelings might have been injured by not being included above.
Goodnight, innocence
Louis Bayard
Special to The Washington Post
November 29, 2005
"Goodnight Moon," the children's classic by Margaret Wise Brown, has gone smoke-free. In a newly revised edition of the book, which has lulled children to sleep for nearly 60 years, the publisher, HarperCollins, has digitally altered the photograph of Clement Hurd, the illustrator, to remove a cigarette from his hand....
"It is potentially a harmful message to very young kids," (Kate) Jackson (editor in chief of HarperCollins Children's Books) said, "and it doesn't need to be there."
News item, The New York Times, Nov. 17, 2005
In the great green room there was ...
A cordless telephone
And a red balloon, non-helium and securely tethered out of toddler reach
And a picture of the cow jumping over the moon, with a warning label never to try this with cattle or indeed any animals without parental supervision
And there were three little bears, roaming freely in their native habitat, secure in their endangered-species status
And two little neutered kittens
And a pair of mittens, purchased from a Cambodian collective
And a little toyhouse with all potential choking hazards fastened in place by six-inch bolts
And a young and humanely captured mouse
Goodnight room, which is more than many Burkina Faso children have
Goodnight moon and all moon-related goddesses
A special shout-out to persons of color, the differently abled and victims of tobacco-company propaganda
Goodnight solar-powered clocks
And goodnight sustainably manufactured hemp socks
Goodnight synthetic tortoise shell comb and brush
Goodnight anybody who has ever been made to feel like a "nobody" by a rigidly patriarchal society
Goodnight organic whole-grain GMO-free oatmeal mush
And goodnight to the lady of mature years seeking an environment conducive to thought
Goodnight stars, which remind us that we are not alone in this cosmos and must henceforth redouble our stewardship efforts
Goodnight air, which we have done so much to pollute with our inhuman sport utility vehicles and our Weber grills
Goodnight all noises in the immediate vicinity ... .
... with the exception of the white-noise machine, the Haydn concerto loop, and the four-gallon cool-mist humidifier with the evaporative wick filter that was changed only last weekend
Goodnight to anybody whose feelings might have been injured by not being included above.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Our little shadow
Ben has begun repeating everything we say. I believe I may have said something to the effect of, "we have to watch our language around him" a few blog posts ago. Well, the time has really come. A couple of weekends ago, he and I were painting on a lovely Sunday morning. He had a brush, and proceeded to paint something he wasn't supposed to. Here's the running commentary:
Mommy: "Ben, no! Don't paint the!"
Ben: "No!"
Mommy: "Oh shit!"
Ben: "ohshtttt. ohshhhtt."
I'm really trying here people. I'm also trying to keep Gord in line with his language as well - mostly when we are driving. His pottymouth is much worse than mine though!
Other than that, Ben is doing great. His new word tonight: penguin. His version: "penwin" We dug out a rarely viewed Baby Einstein video (Baby Noah) and he is completely enthralled with it when we put it on. That's why it's good to have a dozen or so of these videos lying around - it's easy to cycle them out. Maybe Baby DaVinci will be next...
And of course, Ben is still displaying devilish qualities as well. He absolutely hates his "biiiiiiiig jacket" and throws a big fit when we try to get him into his carseat. What a chore - I was almost in tears last night, as Gord insisted we trek out in the snowstorm to go to Home Depot, when Ben decided that he (like Mommy) did NOT want to go out. Oy vay.
Little Baby Sheppard is also doing just fine. We finally got to hear the heartbeat yesterday - our first prenatal visit, this baby decided to be elusive. I looked at Gord and said, "Oh great! He/she is already causing us worry!" But all (my) fears were put to rest yesterday when we heart that beautiful little sound! I never get tired of it!
We painted the kitchen last weekend - I'll post some pics of the (almost) finished product. And maybe a pic or two of Ben - we'll have to see what's on the camera!
Till next time,
Carrie
Mommy: "Ben, no! Don't paint the
Ben: "No!"
Mommy: "Oh shit!"
Ben: "ohshtttt. ohshhhtt."
I'm really trying here people. I'm also trying to keep Gord in line with his language as well - mostly when we are driving. His pottymouth is much worse than mine though!
Other than that, Ben is doing great. His new word tonight: penguin. His version: "penwin" We dug out a rarely viewed Baby Einstein video (Baby Noah) and he is completely enthralled with it when we put it on. That's why it's good to have a dozen or so of these videos lying around - it's easy to cycle them out. Maybe Baby DaVinci will be next...
And of course, Ben is still displaying devilish qualities as well. He absolutely hates his "biiiiiiiig jacket" and throws a big fit when we try to get him into his carseat. What a chore - I was almost in tears last night, as Gord insisted we trek out in the snowstorm to go to Home Depot, when Ben decided that he (like Mommy) did NOT want to go out. Oy vay.
Little Baby Sheppard is also doing just fine. We finally got to hear the heartbeat yesterday - our first prenatal visit, this baby decided to be elusive. I looked at Gord and said, "Oh great! He/she is already causing us worry!" But all (my) fears were put to rest yesterday when we heart that beautiful little sound! I never get tired of it!
We painted the kitchen last weekend - I'll post some pics of the (almost) finished product. And maybe a pic or two of Ben - we'll have to see what's on the camera!
Till next time,
Carrie
Monday, October 31, 2005
Happy Blogoween!
Hello all! Happy Halloween!
Well, we had a great night going out trick or treating with our little chicken. Ben really enjoyed walking from house to house and examining what all the strange people were putting in his bag. At one point when we were walking up to a house he even said a very quiet and sweet "Tik-o-teet".
After the extensive candy hunt (up and down our street) and playing 'Daddy chased by the 2 foot bird flu', it was time to head back to the house to tally up the loot. Carrie and I verified that there were no razor blades in the treats (or at least none we could taste). Ben enjoyed a sucker and some smarties and then we had to hide the treats.
Enjoy the pics below - they are cute but they just don't do the little waddly chicken justice. Oh well! Remember - you can click on the pics to see a larger version.
BTW, Katherine Grace is the big winner of the prize for the Ben word contest. She wins our share of the 54 million bucks our friend in Alberta won. Bet you wished you had entered now, eh? For posterity's sake, the answers are:
1. Moom (a thing) - Moon
2. Bapa (a person/entity) - Grandpa
3. Jo-ja (a person/entity) - Georgia
4. Vee-vee-o (a thing) - Video (Baby Einstein)
5. Jew (something he would consume) - Juice
6. Doh (command) - Go
7. Ev-eee (an easy one!) (adjective) - Heavy!
8. Biiiiiiiiiiiiih (adjective) - Big
9. En-do (a thing) - Window
10. Ya-yeee (a person/entity) - Charlie
11. Dup (a thing) - Cup
12. Mewh (something he would consume) - Milk
13. New-noh (something he would consume) - Noodle
14. Piyoh (a thing) - Pillow
And the super bonus non-listed word was 'yogurt'. (Yo-yert)
Well, we had a great night going out trick or treating with our little chicken. Ben really enjoyed walking from house to house and examining what all the strange people were putting in his bag. At one point when we were walking up to a house he even said a very quiet and sweet "Tik-o-teet".
After the extensive candy hunt (up and down our street) and playing 'Daddy chased by the 2 foot bird flu', it was time to head back to the house to tally up the loot. Carrie and I verified that there were no razor blades in the treats (or at least none we could taste). Ben enjoyed a sucker and some smarties and then we had to hide the treats.
Enjoy the pics below - they are cute but they just don't do the little waddly chicken justice. Oh well! Remember - you can click on the pics to see a larger version.
BTW, Katherine Grace is the big winner of the prize for the Ben word contest. She wins our share of the 54 million bucks our friend in Alberta won. Bet you wished you had entered now, eh? For posterity's sake, the answers are:
1. Moom (a thing) - Moon
2. Bapa (a person/entity) - Grandpa
3. Jo-ja (a person/entity) - Georgia
4. Vee-vee-o (a thing) - Video (Baby Einstein)
5. Jew (something he would consume) - Juice
6. Doh (command) - Go
7. Ev-eee (an easy one!) (adjective) - Heavy!
8. Biiiiiiiiiiiiih (adjective) - Big
9. En-do (a thing) - Window
10. Ya-yeee (a person/entity) - Charlie
11. Dup (a thing) - Cup
12. Mewh (something he would consume) - Milk
13. New-noh (something he would consume) - Noodle
14. Piyoh (a thing) - Pillow
And the super bonus non-listed word was 'yogurt'. (Yo-yert)
Thursday, October 27, 2005
An idea...
I thought we'd all play a little game! Let's call it "Lost in Translation" (a very good movie, if you haven't seen it yet!). Here's how you play - I'm going to list a bunch of things that Ben says, and then all you fathful readers can post back with your guesses! I'll have to work on a prize though...correct answers will be posted IF we get a certain number of responses (say 5)...winner will be the person with the most number of correct answers. Gord, you can't play.
Here we go!
1. Moom (a thing)
2. Bapa (a person/entity)
3. Jo-ja (a person/entity)
4. Vee-vee-o (a thing)
5. Jew (something he would consume)
6. Doh (command)
7. Ev-eee (an easy one!) (adjective)
8. Biiiiiiiiiiiiih (adjective)
9. En-do (a thing)
10. Ya-yeee (a person/entity)
11. Dup (a thing)
12. Mewh (something he would consume)
13. New-noh (something he would consume)
14. Piyoh (a thing)
OK, this is going to be much harder than I thought, so I've added "categories", like on Wheel of Fortune.
Ready...set...post!
Carrie
Here we go!
1. Moom (a thing)
2. Bapa (a person/entity)
3. Jo-ja (a person/entity)
4. Vee-vee-o (a thing)
5. Jew (something he would consume)
6. Doh (command)
7. Ev-eee (an easy one!) (adjective)
8. Biiiiiiiiiiiiih (adjective)
9. En-do (a thing)
10. Ya-yeee (a person/entity)
11. Dup (a thing)
12. Mewh (something he would consume)
13. New-noh (something he would consume)
14. Piyoh (a thing)
OK, this is going to be much harder than I thought, so I've added "categories", like on Wheel of Fortune.
Ready...set...post!
Carrie
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Evvv-eeeeeeeeee!
Last week, Ben and I were out playing at his sand table. We were happily shovelling sand into buckets, strainers and the like, having a grand 'ol time. I started lifting a whole bunch of sand (with my bigger shovel) and saying, "Heavy!" in a strained voice. Now, everything is heavy to Ben. Actually, it's "evvvv-eeeeeee". He even says it in his own strained voice. Ben was carrying a very bottom-heavy flashlight around the house last night, saying, "evvvvv-eeeee, evvvvv-eeeee". It was so funny.
What else is Ben doing? Glad you asked! He now signs and says "please" and "thank you". I gave him a drink of water in the middle of the night ('cause he was coughing up a storm) and he said (and signed) "thank you", which sounds more like "tey tey", but I know what he meant!
I was trying to get Charlie to sit in front of me, so I was patting my leg to get her to come closer. So what does Ben do? Says, "Ya-yeee" and pats his leg.
He is big into imitating everything you do lately...I guess we should stop the swearing and yelling at the dog! Otherwise, we'll have a potty-mouthed 2 year-old on our hands!
And at daycare yesterday, his babysitter (Cherise) traced their hands, she made the hands look like turkeys, and then they colored them! There's one for the fridge! I'm such a proud mommy!
Ben caught the cold that went around our house and the babysitter's, and now has given the cold back to me. So I've been sick for a week and a half. Stupid germs.
c
What else is Ben doing? Glad you asked! He now signs and says "please" and "thank you". I gave him a drink of water in the middle of the night ('cause he was coughing up a storm) and he said (and signed) "thank you", which sounds more like "tey tey", but I know what he meant!
I was trying to get Charlie to sit in front of me, so I was patting my leg to get her to come closer. So what does Ben do? Says, "Ya-yeee" and pats his leg.
He is big into imitating everything you do lately...I guess we should stop the swearing and yelling at the dog! Otherwise, we'll have a potty-mouthed 2 year-old on our hands!
And at daycare yesterday, his babysitter (Cherise) traced their hands, she made the hands look like turkeys, and then they colored them! There's one for the fridge! I'm such a proud mommy!
Ben caught the cold that went around our house and the babysitter's, and now has given the cold back to me. So I've been sick for a week and a half. Stupid germs.
c
Monday, October 03, 2005
Mommy is sick...sniff sniff.
I think my stupid brother gave me his cold. Jerk. After everything I've done for him and put up with over the years, and what do I get in return? A stupid head cold. I stayed home from work today (yay!) even though it's month end and not really a good time for me not to be there. But I just couldn't do it - get up and go to work and stare at a computer screen all day and deal with issues I'd rather not deal with on a good day! So I'm at home, doing laundry, resting, loading the dishwasher, resting, blogging, some more resting, etc. etc. etc.
We had a nice weekend though - went to the wedding of my brother's best friend from high school. We had a very good time, but Ben crashed pretty early - he started laying down in the middle of the dance floor. We thought he was just trying to look up the girls' dresses (Daddy was proud!), but I think at least part of it was fatigue. Gord took him home at 9 o'clock, which is WAY earlier than he went home from Chris and Sheri's wedding. But we figure that Ben had a good time anyways.
That's all I can muster the energy for. Sorry folks...
Carrie
We had a nice weekend though - went to the wedding of my brother's best friend from high school. We had a very good time, but Ben crashed pretty early - he started laying down in the middle of the dance floor. We thought he was just trying to look up the girls' dresses (Daddy was proud!), but I think at least part of it was fatigue. Gord took him home at 9 o'clock, which is WAY earlier than he went home from Chris and Sheri's wedding. But we figure that Ben had a good time anyways.
That's all I can muster the energy for. Sorry folks...
Carrie
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