Helping dad

Landon was a busy guy helping John install our garburetor last weekend...he was right under there, grabbing the wrench, reaching for pipes, whatever he could get at he was going for :-) The good news: once mommy got Landon busy playing upstairs, it took dad no time at all to get everything installed!

Wednesday news...

There's really not too much news. I guess it's been a slow week *shrug*

Landon's doing well in the crib, he's full-time in there now, the amby has been washed and packed away (mixed emotions there ... I've come to love that bed, all the sleep it got us!). His naps are not completely routine like they were 6 weeks ago ... but I don't nurse him down as often anymore. Maybe a couple of times over the past week (?). There's 2 naps, the first one is starting to be the short one at 45 minutes, the second one alternating between 45 and 90 minutes, although the days he sleeps long on the second nap he has more trouble falling asleep at night :-/ Yesterday was one of those days ... he didn't get to sleep until after 11 pm, although he was in his crib from 9:45 on (pretty happily too, just couldn't get to sleep). I think he may do 2 * 45 minute naps coming up, and sleep better overnight. I can't really complain though - he's easy to deal with all day, and I like that he's sleeping ~12 hours at night!! LOL

Swimming yesterday went quite well. Landon still didn't like the change room when we got there, but he wasn't at all scared in the water. He went right into the 'boat' and enjoyed the entire time in the water. Which was nice as I actually got a work-out! He loved the hot-tub afterwards too, and in the change room getting ready to leave he was fine ... he even 'played' a bit (as much as he can play when I'm not letting him crawl around the wet floor!).

The weather has been INCREDIBLE!! John's in seventh-heaven with this weather. And it's so nice because the days are getting longer again. It actually feels like Winnipeg in spring today. Those days in April when it's finally warm enough to not wear a winter parka ... the snow's almost gone, just a bit where it was piled up beside the driveway or along the boulevard. The wind is not warm, but not cold either. And everything just smells like it's coming alive. What a great day - went for a nice long walk and really enjoyed it.

John's friend Wes is coming to visit this weekend, looking forward to seeing him. He and John will be checking out bands all over Calgary I'm sure :-P

That's the news from here today! Hope all is well with you :-) TK

Crib update...

Landon slept all night in his crib again -- and last night was much, MUCH better :-) I put him to bed shortly after 9, he went to sleep likely by about 9:30. Slept until 8:50 this morning :-D YAYAY I was up about 52 times to check on him, but he was always fine. He moved all over the crib, slept on his back, side and tummy. He was even curled right up to his absolute favourite stuffed toy -- Scooter the dog :-) -- with his arm over Scooter, very cute.
So hopefully the ruckus the past few weeks has just been Landon telling us he was sick of the Amby, and more nights like last night are on their way.
We're back to a 2-a-day napping routine as well ... with the second nap being short, only 30 - 45 minutes, ~ 5 pm or so. That seems to be suiting him fine (for a couple of days anyways, we'll see if it continues), and I can live with it. At least he's in a better mood, and is still going to bed early enough. I can handle 9 or 9:30, no problem :-)

We had a pretty lazy Sunday. I slept late, thanks to John being up very early so he took Landon when he woke up. We took Landon for a sled ride, he's still pretty indifferent to the entire event. But we saw a puppy which made Landon giggle, and he went swinging at the park too which he also liked. What he liked the most about swinging was when I would grab his legs, then let him go again. I think we'll have lots of fun in the park this summer :-)

And we brought Landon's 'birthday gift' out of the basement for him to play with. It's an 'activity walker', so that maybe he'll quit pushing our chairs around to help him balance while he practises walking! He didn't use the walker to walk -- his balance isn't quite good enough to use it as it moves alot easier than the chairs -- but he enjoyed the activities.

That's the news from here today. I should give Landon some cereal and put him to bed shortly. Let's hope tonight's a good night too :-D Until next time...TK

All-Night Crib Sleeping!!

Landon actually slept in his crib overnight last night. YAY It wasn't all joy and fun though :-( He went ot sleep ~9:30 pm, I put him in his Amby. He woke up shortly after 10, as per usual. But he cried cried cried until I couldn't stand it. I went to get him, he was on his side with his arm jacked under him, the blankets under him, boogers all over his face ... he was a MESS! I got him out of the Amby, he finally calmed down a bit but now isn't very sleepy :-/ So I thought if he's gonna be up he can be up in his crib. He played in there for about 15 minutes, then started crying (he was tired!). He pooped his pants, so I changed him and put him back in the crib (where did that poo come from? He rarely poops at night ... especially since he's been sleeping through the night!). He CRIED, HARD, until almost 1 am! Almost 2 hours of crying....it just about killed me. Finally I went in there and did what all the 'experts' tell you not to do ... I picked him up. He calmed down only when I turned on the musical aquarium (FINALLY - that thing becomes worth it!!LOL). So I held him for a few minutes and put him back down - he screamed and yelled some more, but finally went to sleep. It was shortly after 1. aiaiaiaii

Then we woke up at 8:30 and John was like "did you check on him overnight? is he okay?" It was funny - usually I'm the one panicking that something unspeakable has happened overnight. But Landon was fine ... his head was crammed into the corner of the crib, but beyond that he was fine. I don't know if he fully awoke at all overnight as I didn't hear anything. But he woke enough to move into the corner of the crib :-) And when he woke up himself at ~9:30, he was happy and didn't seem to be completely ruined from crying for almost 2 solid hours (despite my absolute conviction that we were destroying him by having him cry!).

He napped well in there today as well, both times going to sleep within about 15 minutes of being put in the crib. yup - both times. He napped from 1 - 2:30, and 5:30 - 6. I really don't think he can do only 1 nap a day, as we have tried a few times. He was sooooo overtired last night - which is part of the reason he woke up to begin with, and most of the reason he then couldn't get back to sleep. But the second nap is getting shorter, only 30-45 minutes, so maybe that's all he'll need for now until he is ready to drop it *shrug* I don't mind ... I like that bit of downtime just before dinner! I'll just have to get more used to doing errands in the morning, as that is becoming his longer awake period now.

Swimming lessons went well this morning. Landon wasn't overly sure about the water again, poor little chicken-sh*t! But after about 20 minutes he got used to it and proceeded to splash everyone within a 10 foot radius with his arm-waving! LOL Then we sat in the hottub again (Landon on the edge) and he really liked that - especially when dad showed up in the hottub. He really loves his dad -- he lights right up when John shows up. He loves me too, so much so that he insists on whining whenever I'm around, but there's just something about John...

John and I are probably going to buy a membership at the pool place, the pool is great, and John worked out there this morning and said the facility is very nice. They have childcare too, so we will likely drop Landon off one night a week and do some climbing as they have a good climbing wall there as well.

And I actually tried out our humongous bathtub tonight -- I had to try it, it's so huge!! LOL It was nice, but I still think those big soaker tubs are a bit ridiculous! Ah well...

That's the news from here. I'd better go, give Landon some cereal and we'll see if he's about ready for bed. Wish us luck with the crib-sleeping tonight! Will post soon...TK

well well well...

Landon sure loves to dance ... he's been a dancing machine all over the place this last week or so. It's great fun to watch. Now he's starting to dance with us too, giving me some much-needed dancing practise!! LOL
He is very busy these days. He goes around and around the living room, from the window to the tv to the fireplace, piano bench, loveseat, sofa, table, window, tv, etc... Too funny. When he gets bored downstairs he likes to play in his room too. And when he gets a bit tired, he's loving to 'read' books. You know he has a book because he's sitting there groaning as he turns pages :-/ What a goof. He's liking when I read him stories a lot more now too, especially Brown Bear, Brown Bear -- because I make the sounds of all of the animals in the book too. Cats and dogs make funny sounds according to Landon!

On the sleeping front - I think he is down to one nap a day ... for now. We'll see. Yesterday he had two naps, only because I nursed him down for the second one which was only 30 minutes long. Then he wouldn't / couldn't get to sleep until after 11 last night :-/ So today I let him play until he went to sleep (on his own, in the crib, on his tummy - now that's a first!!). It's been about 45 minutes, we'll see if he wakes up or stays sleeping. It seems to be the last few days if he has a short first nap, he wants / needs a short second nap and can still go to bed well. If he has a longer first nap (1.5 - 2 hours), then he doesn't need the second nap. I think I'll like that ... I like the idea that when he gets up from this nap I won't have to worry about the next nap and being home and yada-yada-yada. We can go shopping, make dinner, etc, and he'll be fine. Plus - his bedtime will likely move up some more, which is good news too!! The other day when he had only one nap, he went to bed at 9 and slept until 9! So that would be cool.

I'm excited to finally be getting a haircut tomorrow. How sad is that? aiaiiaai It's been so long though, and my hair's driving me bonkers in this dry climate ... it's all dry and frizzy. ick.

And Landon's swimming lessons start tomorrow morning. We'll see if he likes swimming a bit better tomorrow morning! I'm off to buy him some swim trunks / diapers this afternoon. Hopefully I can hold myself back and not buy a whole pile of stuff :-/ But if I do, so be it! LOL

That's the news for today...will post again soon!! TK

short crib-napping...

Well, in the time it's taken to post some pics, Landon has woken up again. A very short crib-nap today :-/ I don't know if that's good or bad. He only napped for 45 minutes.... I'm going to leave him in there for awhile, see if he'll get back to sleep again. He's not upset or anything. I can hear him playing with the aquarium-music toy, and he must be swinging his soother around because I can hear some clacking. *shrug* I was hoping he'd have a nice 1.5 hour nap ... but I guess not.
I think the worst part about getting this crib-napping thing going is the unsurity. I'm unsure ... does he want / need one nap or two? Are the length of his naps changing because they are changing, or because he's in his crib? Should I be working harder to get two naps in / or longer naps in? *shrug* Frustrating ... it seems to be that just when I think I've gotten something figured out, Landon changes it up again (yes, I was forewarned that life would be this way). It's this perpetual state of 'should I?' that annoys the snot out of me!! lol

Ah well ... we'll see what comes our way this afternoon....
hope you enjoyed the pictures! TK

Some pictures for everyone...

Landon had so much fun playing with Ryder and Jackson the other night, and he even liked Carla too :-) He was just happy to have company I think, so he didn't have to settle for playing with mom and dad! LOL

Landon loves to smash down blocks. We build them up, he smashes them down! Sometimes he leaves us alone long enough to build a nice big tower for him to destroy. Most of the time though he's right there, ready to smash down any block you set on end!

Landon was having fun playing 'peek-a-boo' behind the couch the other day with mom. So I snapped a picture of him as he came up from the other side of the couch. He was all smiles to play that game :-)

SUCCESS!!!

Landon fell asleep - BY HIMSELF - IN HIS CRIB yayayayayayayayayaayayay

It was a struggle ... but it was worth it!!
Yesterday Landon had only one nap ... so he was up from 1:30 pm to 9 pm. When I put him to bed, I put him in his crib. He woke up 30 minutes later crying, so I moved him to the Amby. He cried on and off until 11 :-( But then he was good for the night - at least I didn't hear him anymore. He slept until 9 am :-)
Since he was up a bit earlier today, I thought it is a good day to 'practice' falling asleep by himself in the crib. When he showed tired signs at about 10:45 I put him in there. He played. I took him out ~11:30. He played a bit by himself, then got fussy within about 20 minutes. I put him back in his crib. He fell asleep about 20 minutes later - no crying, just some fussing, but no crying. And he's ASLEEP!! YAYAYAAY That is GOOD news!

So I don't know if he's wanting only one nap a day, or two. I think the nursing him to sleep has been keeping the two naps, by getting him down to nap perhaps before he's really ready. Today he was likely more ready for a nap, which is why he could go to sleep on his own (?). I'll see how long he sleeps. yesterday he napped for 2 hours. If he does that again today, I'm thinking he may be dropping a nap. Which I guess will be fine. I do like my 'downtime' during the day, and I guess if it's once for 2 hours (vs twice for 1.5 hours each) then so be it. I actually wouldn't mind if he went to 1 nap a day ... less naps to have to work around :-/ And if he can do those naps in his crib ... and start going down with no nursing ... then that will be wonderful!! Because yeah, I forgot - no nursing him down this morning either :-)

so that's the crib-napping update for today!

other news - I sold my first item on Ebay! Very exciting!! I will mail it off today. What was it? The lovely Dora curtains that were in our spare bedroom until recently. I'm sure some little girl out there will be tickled to have them for her room, and we're happy to have a pull-down blind in our spare room.

that's the news for now...until next time...TK

And Another Tooth!

Forgot -- Landon popped his sixth tooth out today :-) Finally ... that one has been bugging him for quite some time! so he has 3 up top, 3 on the bottom ... the two middle ones, and the first one to the right. I don't know what's up with the left side of his mouth -- a bit slow I guess! LOL

TK

Swimming today!!

Today Landon and I went swimming. It was my first baby and me aquasize class. At first Landon really didn't like it ... he certainly wouldn't get in the little floaty boats that they had. He didn't even want to be in the water, which surprised me. But we got in the water with no real crying, and as long as he could hang on to me super-tight he was okay. He did gradually get used to the water though, and after about 20 minutes I was able to put him in a boat (as long as I stayed very close). After a few more minutes I was able to have him floating through the 'river' (a circular part of the pool with a current) with me swimming along behind. I won't say he was overly thrilled, but at least he wasn't scared any longer :-) After the class we went in the hottub - Landon sitting on the edge. He warmed up and was the Landon I expected ... smiling and splashing. Cute little bugger. A cracker in the change-room and he was happy as can be. Then he had a nice 2 hour snooze when we got home LOL
But that was the only snooze today ... he wouldn't stay down for his second nap. I nursed him until he was asleep, but when I put him in the crib he woke up again. I just left him in there to see if he'd calm down, but no way! He played, happily, in there for about an hour. Then I went and pulled him out. He hasn't been the happiest kid tonight, he's pretty sleepy. I think I'm going to put him to bed right shortly - which likely means he'll be up early tomorrow :-/ But that's the way it'll be I guess. I was thinking I might put him into his crib tonight, but now I think I'll just go back to the Amby - I don't want him thinking this is just a very late second nap!! LOL Maybe tomorrow I'll find the courage to try the crib at night.

The aquasize class itself was fine. I'm glad I'm signed up - it's good to get out and do some physical activity! Plus I met some other moms there too, so it'll be nice to finally meet some people in the area. I'm looking forward to Landon's swimming lessons too - Saturday mornings :-)

Landon's still dancing a lot too - it's adorable. He's even dancing when his dumptruck plays a song. Too cute!!

That's the news from here. Oh yeah - and my first auction on ebay has been successful. It ends in about 1.5 hours, and I have a bid so I know for sure it's going to sell. I don't know if there'll be more bids to get the price higher, but at least I have one :-)

Talk to you soon...take care!! TK

Fun Sunday

Carla, Dave and the boys were here last night - it was fun. They had fun in Barbados, but were very much looking forward to getting home again (I can relate to that ... 2 weeks of chasing the kids around and I'd be ready to let them run wild at home again too!). It was nice to get a chance to visit with them though :-) And they keep telling me that Ryder is so bad, so he must pull out his good behaviour when he's here because we just don't find him that bad! lol

Crib napping has been going well. I haven't tried his crib at night again though. Not sure if I'll try tonight, or if I'll give it a few more days and try having him fall asleep on his own in the crib for a nap to get him more used to falling asleep in there. We'll have to see. He hasn't attempted to climb out of the Amby again, but it could happen any time so I'd like to get him into the crib full-time soon. Last night he was curled right up in the Amby on his side, it was cute. When we went to bed he was back laying on his back, and I think he stayed that way the rest of the night.

We are full-fledged Albertans now ... I got our cars insured and new plates today. So I guess it's official. Now if only our health cards would arrive....not sure what's taking those so long.

That's the news today ... not too much. I'm pretty tired tonight, so hopefully Landon goes down well, without too much fuss. Last night he was a bit fussy, but I think that's because he was so excited to have chased Jackson and Ryder around. It was pretty cute to watch him crawling after them ... he worked so hard to keep up to them!

Until next time ... TK

Bad night ...

We had a bad night last night ... poor little stinker bug. He is getting a tooth up top, and it seems to be bothering him more than any other tooth that's come in. Add to that disturbed sleep, and aiaiaiai
The evening actually started off bad when I woke him early from his afternoon nap (vacuuming ... ooops!). So he had a short nap, and was a bit fussy during the evening. It worked out ok though as he went to sleep ~9:30, and I was excited to finally get to watch Capote. We heard Landon stir about 10:30 (as expected, he always stirs about 45 mins to 1 hour into his night, and several more times after that too!). We didn't think much of it, until about 15 minutes later (10:45) he started crying. We waited a couple of minutes to see if he'd calm down, but instead he wound himself right up. I went to check on him, and he had gotten himself half-way out of the Amby and was hanging there ... arms and head out, bum and legs in, screaming blue-bloody murder (I think the initial crying he was still pretty much asleep, but by the time I got there he was fully awake and very scared!). So I pulled him out of this predicament (it scared me a bit too actually ... thankfully he didn't fall all the way out!), and nursed him to calm down (he would not calm down at all otherwise). He was asleep so I put him in his crib - I thought this is as good a time as any to start the crib overnight, right? Wrong! He kind of woke up when I put him in there, but I thought I'd leave him to see what happened. He played for about 45 minutes (enough time for me to finish watching Capote ... heh heh), then started crying. I went in and he wound himself into hysterics again. Nursing again, he finally fell asleep about 12:20, I put him into his crib again. He woke up at 1:35 and was wound into hysterics even worse than before. He would not calm down at all ... I ended up bringing him into our bed, turning on the lights and with both John and I there he kind of calmed down. But when I took him back into his room he went bonkers again, so I ended up (you guessed it) nursing AGAIN!! My poor nipples are ready to fall off!! LOL When he finally fell asleep about 2:15, I put him back in his Amby and he then slept until shortly after 9 - thank goodness!!
BUT at 9:20, he was sitting up in his Amby, and he maybe would've been dumping himself out of there had I not walked into the room as soon as he sat up :-/

Soooooo .... now I definitely want to move him into his crib overnight. I can see that he was too scared and disoriented from the near-tumble out of the Amby and the disturbed sleep to be okay in the crib all night last night. He was sooooo scared at 1:30 ... poor kid, it was hard to watch him be like that. I've never seen him cry like that ever, not even with the ear infection :-( Turning on the light hurt his eyes I think, but we had to wake him up fully so that he could orient himself, holding him wouldn't do it and he wouldn't even calm down enough to nurse before that! *sigh*

the first nap in the crib went well today - I was scared there'd be some repurcussions of his 'scare' last night, but no. *shrug* He woke up and was happy to play and was happy when I went in there. So that's good. The next try overnight in the crib will be tomorrow night, as Carla and Dave will be here tonight and I'd like to avoid the overnight hysterics if possible :-/ So we'll put him in his Amby tonight, and hopefully he won't fall out (or stangle himself trying). Then tomorrow night we may just have to try the full transition again. I'm thinking it might go better when he goes in there first, not after a big scare.

John and I are busy planning our vacation to the Maritimes this summer. I can hardly wait!! Grandma and Grandpa are excited to have Landon for a week too I think :-) Even though it'll be busy spraying season ...

And we're just waiting for Carla, Dave and the boys to arrive for the day. They're just back from vacation in Barbados :-)

That's the news from here for today ... think good "Landon don't fall out of the Amby" thoughts for us tonight :-D Take care...TK

Dancing Landon :-)

Well, it looks like Landon's love of music is turning into a dancing phenomenon. The little stinker has started dancing. Right now that means he's bending his legs and giggling. It is hilarious to watch. He likes to dance to John's guitar playing, especially to Pride and Joy. And he was dancing when I was playing piano today, and he danced to some songs on the tv too. Just a-dancing around the house :-)

Plus Landon learned to open cupboard doors today. Specifically the doors under the sink. He stood up, grabbed the handles, and then you should've seen his eyes! LOL He was immediately going for the dish soap, so I had to put some cupboard 'locks' on there. I'm just waiting for him to discover that the drawers open. It may take him awhile longer though, as the 'knobs' are hard to grab - even I have trouble grabbing them at times. So we may get a bit longer of a reprieve there.

I let Landon 'explore' the tupperware drawer this afternoon. He found two plastic glasses, and they were very interesting. He sat on the floor tilting them up as if trying to drink from them, then he'd look inside like "where's the juice?". When that got boring he threw them around the floor and chased them until he got bored.

He did well crib-napping today. He kind of woke up both times I laid him down, he sighed, looked around, smacked his lips and went to sleep. Nice 1.5 hour naps. The first nap he was sitting up playing when I went to check on him. The second one he was just stirring when we went in there. But at least he's pretty used to waking up in his crib, and he's not protesting when I put him down in there. I've put him in the Amby for nighttime still though ... I'll have to try the crib soon I know, but he's been pretty good in the Amby the past couple of nights. Tonight he wasn't asleep when I put him down, so it was definitely Amby time. He was quiet in there, I heard him bounce about 15 minutes after I put him down and nothing since. I don't think he would've gotten himself to sleep in the crib yet. Maybe in a couple of days we'll try.

Now if I could just get him to stop biting ...

Until next time...TK

Cute dimples...

Just gotta love those dimples! LOL

Today would've been...

Hard to believe, but if I were going back to work, today would've been my first day! Holy cow!! John took 8 weeks parental leave last May / June, so I would've been heading back now, with Landon only 10 months old. So today I am very thankful that I am able to stay at home with the little munchkin!! I cannot imagine getting up, getting Landon up, getting us both ready for work, dropping him off somewhere and then working all day long! aiaiaiai Only to come home to feed us, get us ready for bed, and go to bed again. This is much more relaxing, if not monotonous :-P

Big storms across the prairies. It's very windy here, and a bit of snow is / has fallen, so visibility is reduced. But nothing like Saskatoon I hear ... everyone must be having fun at the Crop Production Show! Dad's up there, so hopefully he's hunkered down somewhere safe and warm, with some beer, cards, and friends I'm sure! LOL

Landon has had a much better day today. Yesterday was crazy - he didn't have his first nap until after 1, 45 minutes only. Then the next one was about 30 minutes long at 5 pm. He woke up and was crying crying crying from that nap :-( Poor monkey. Last night he went to sleep fairly well at ~10 pm, up today at 9:10 am, so that was a good sleep. Still lots of moaning, groaning etc overnight.
I was reading in Ferber's book that this is quite normal, it is part of the transition from deeper to lighter sleep, and that some kids (even up to adolescence and into adulthood sometimes) take the transition a bit rougher. The most severe cases are night terrors ... let's hope Landon's doesn't progress to that. But in any case, the groaning, crying out, etc are just what he does during his transitions, and it actually doesn't disturb his sleep at all (or so Ferber claims). That means that it may not disappear when we get him transitioned to his crib ... But we're started down that path now, we'll see how it goes anyways.
He's napping in his crib right now -- his first nap was normal, 11:15 - 12:45, and this nap started a bit early but he went down ok. He was tired and ready for his nap, so I just went with it. Since it's a miserable windy day out, what else are we gonna do but snooze :-)

That's the news from windy cold Calgary. I hope all of my prairie friends are staying warm tonight ... take care!! TK

What I like, what I don't like...

What I really like about Calgary is that fact that motorists stop for pedestrians. Not just every now and again, but all the time. It is something that has definitely stood out for me since we moved here. I've had cars stop to allow me to cross when I've been jay-walking for crying out loud!! Cars will stop and wait for me to cross when in actuality they would've had time to clear the intersection before I even started to cross.
Why is this so notable? Because it is so different than Winnipeg, where every time a person crossed the street they took their life in their hands - even when they crossed with the light because it's pretty much guaranteed that some Winnipeger is running that red!! So among all of the other things that I love about Calgary and about Alberta, I love that people let me cross the street unchallenged and unharmed!

What I don't like. When your former phone / internet / tv company (I won't name names, but I'm sure you can guess) continues to screw up your bills, month after month, and then the customer service reps for that company's "Customer Care" service lines are rude and incompetent. Not all of the reps, just one of the 3 I had to deal with today -- but a 33% result is not very favourable in the customer service line of things. [rant warning - I can't resist! - to skip right to Landon crib-sleeping update, please scroll down :-) ]
So not only were we charged for not returning equipment that we did in fact return (I had to call about this substantial error last month), but then they charged us 'late payment fees' on the amount that they weren't supposed to charge us in the first place!! Even though that erroneous amount is credited on that same bill. I call, get rep #1 (competent) and this gets cleared up (hopefully - we'll see next month). Next I'm transferred to the other department (because one rep cannot deal with two different product lines ... nooooo ... that'd be too simple!). After being on hold ~15 - 20 mins, I get rude, incompetent ninny on the line. When I state that I'm calling because I'm being charged for service A when in fact I have service B, she says "Well, you got a credit for $$$$$" (see above amount that shouldn't have been charged in the first place). Yes I did, but that has nothing to do with service A or B, so can I get this corrected? She puts me BACK IN THE QUEUE!!!! I wait another 35 minutes to get another rep (this one is pleasant and competent ... service A charges are reversed, service B instituted, I'm told the correct amount to pay for this bill -- Thank you - that's all I asked for!!

Why is it that I had to sit on the phone for over an hour to correct that company's errors? Not only did I sit on the phone for an hour - but I was treated rudely on top of it (again, only 1 of 3 reps was rude and incompetent, but that's the part of the call that will stick with me the longest).

The end result - everyone please check your bills, make sure you're not being screwed and over-charged!!

[end rant]

Other than that....it's just a day.

Landon crib-sleeping update
Landon napped very well in the crib yesterday, for both naps. I nursed him down, and he slept for 2 hours, and 1.5 hours. Those must've been incredible naps, because he would not go to sleep last night!! He was almost asleep, and I thought I'd try the crib again as it had gone so well all day. Mistake. He woke up again (this was at ~10:15). Finally I put him in the Amby to go to sleep -- it was ~11:30 by the time he finally quit bouncing and squawking in there. He wasn't crying, but he just couldn't get to sleep. Little stinker!!

He slept until 9:40 this morning, and then wouldn't go down for a nap ... until 1:15!! Usually he's napping by 11:30 for sure, 12:00 at the latest!! He napped for 45 minutes (in his crib, I held him to sleep, but no nursing this time). Now he's been up since 2 and is happily playing. I will hopefully get him down for his second nap soon. And hopefully he won't be up so darned late tonight.

Not sure what it is ... yesterday afternoon he was very clingy and whiny too ... I hope he isn't getting sick. Usually the first indication of Landon not being well is messed up naps. But I don't know for sure this time, because it may be that he's just messed up with this whole crib deal. *shrug* I guess we'll figure it out sooner or later ... and just roll with it for now!!

That's the (rant) news for today ... will post more when I'm in better spirits!! LOL Take care...TK

crib sleeping update...

Well, Landon had both naps in his crib yesterday, although they were each only 45 minutes long. Last night we put him back in the Amby for overnight, as he'd gotten only half his usual day-time sleep (1.5 hours vs 3), and I didn't want him to lose any more sleep last night. He slept pretty well in the Amby - I did hear him grunting in the night, but he seems to have figured out how to turn over onto his side now, and he doesn't bounce the hammock anymore like he used to (new spring has much less give, so maybe it's too much work and/or less enjoyable?).
So this morning I put him in his crib for his nap, and it's actually been longer than 45 minutes! That's a first (even when he 'crib-napped' in the summer it wasn't longer than 45 minutes). So maybe that's a good sign. He woke up slightly when I put him in there (after falling asleep nursing, a habit we've gotten into over the holidays...), but I put his puppy-blanket on his face and he went to sleep. That seems to be a key trick - blanket over the face. Whenever I check on him at night he has the blanket over his face ... it's not covering any other part of his body, just his face! Worrisome, yes, but I guess if he's survived it this long ... *shrug* I do take it off of his face when I go in there, but he puts it right back on again!! LOL

So maybe the crib-napping is getting better, or maybe he was just so tired this morning that he stayed right konked out ... I don't know. But I'm just glad that he's having a good nap.

And I think I've fulfilled my e-bay craving for awhile ... Landon will be getting some new clothes in upcoming weeks :-) Mosty 12 - 18 month clothes, so some may not fit yet. But he'll grow into them all soon enough I'm sure. I charted his weight and height last week ... he's 75th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight ... just like he's been since he was born!

That's the news for mid-day Monday! Will post soon ... take care! TK

Little stinker...

Landon also loves to get John's headphones so that he can chew on them! He is chewing on everything these days, we are waiting for the appearance of another tooth or three that we are sure are just under the surface. So if the bootstrings aren't around to chew on, Landon likes to go for the headphones!! LOL And he looks supercute in this outfit that Grandma and Grandpa bought for him too.

And if this isn't the face of a little stinker, I don't know what is! LOL He was bouncing up and down on the edge of the couch here, with that gleam in his eye that gives me shivers, hoping that he won't walk for another 6 months, but knowing it'll be much sooner than that. And then I'll never have the chance to sit down!!

Those are the pics for today. TK

These are a few of my favourite things...

Landon has been impressing us repeatedly with his bids to stand on his own. He will let go of the couch for a few seconds at a time, and usually manages to keep his balance for 5 seconds or so, before either plunking down on his bum, or grabbing ahold of the couch again. But each day that interval gets longer, and his balance more solid, so we are waiting for the day when he lets go and doesn't need to grab on again. He likes to put his hands in the air too, when he's standing, like he's saying "Ta Da!!"

Another favourite passtime these days is sitting in the front hall, chewing on bootstrings. Now I can only imagine how these strings taste ... thinking of the places they've been ... ugh! But he doesn't seem to mind, in fact he will occupy himself for half an hour at times, just chewing on them! He hasn't gotten sick yet, so no harm no foul, right? ick

And our maistro does love the piano. John cranked the bench up to full height so that Landon could sit there and plunk away. This also occupies him for great stretches of time, in addition to amusing John and I to no end. Sometimes we put music up for him, but then he just wants to rip it down, so usually he's just playing his own tune ;-)

E-Bay has captured me!

Well, Ebay has its grip firmly planted around my wallet these days ... LOL I'm perusing for 12 - 18 month clothes for Landon. I can't help it - I love it! As terrible as that is!! But I've managed to hold off so far, just some sleepers (which he definitely needs ... his feet are going to burst through the bottom of the ones he has right now! The only one that truly fits is the one from Grandma for Christmas!!). I am checking out clothes though too, as he's growing out of what we've got. I don't need too much, as Aunty Liz keeps us pretty well clothed as well. But I want to get a few 'new' things for him too. What I like the best is being able to buy the brand name stuff for 'cheap' -- Baby Gap, Gymboree, The Children's Place, etc. *sigh* So I just keep on shopping!

Well, we're starting to try the transition to the crib...aiaiaii. Poor Landon, last night he was 'awake' for almost an hour ... just to get himself rolled over from his side to his back and then to get comfortable. He wasn't really awake, but awake enough that he yawned when I was in there, so that tells me he's not getting the most restful of sleep. He slept in until 10 am too, without a peep (so did John and I, we went to sleep about 2 after watching Landon moan and groan, and I don't think either of us moved until 10 am!!). So he 'slept' for 12 hours, but I don't know how much of that was solid sleep. He woke up at least once crying hard for about 3 or 4 minutes, then had the 1 hour shuffle-fest at 1 am. Poor monkey.
sooooooo ..... he didn't nurse to drowsiness like usual for this first nap (likely because he slept so late), so I put him in his crib. He was content for about 20 minutes, then he cried cried cried (likely when he got tired, and he was wondering where we were and why wasn't he in his bed). I went in and held him until he fell asleep, then put him in his crib. That was 5 minutes ago ... we'll see how it goes. The good thing is that it's a late nap, so if it lasts only 45 minutes that's good - we can almost sort of get back on 'schedule' for today then :-/

So please send us good 'transitioning to the crib' thoughts ... I hope this goes somewhat smoothly, but I fear it won't. I'm sure he'll love his newfound freedom (having very little room to move in the Amby), but I do think he'll be waking up in the night because of it as well ... it'll be disorienting. I'm thinking it'll be like us all of a sudden sleeping on a mattress the size of our living room - all that space may be disconcerting. But then again, maybe he'll adjust quite quickly and well, appreciating that he can roll around a bit. *shrug* Only time will tell

It's WINDY again here ... aiaiaiaiai I think the windows might get sucked right out of the house. My good Gawd. The sky is filled with dirt too - yuck! Welcome to Calgary -- no snow, but wind, wind, wind!!

Will chat soon ... update everyone on the crib transition! Take care...TK

Friday night update...

Not much news for this week ... it's been so nice and quiet :-) Landon has been good, except now he's moaning and groaning so much all night long. I don't think he's actually waking right up, but he sure is making noises, grunting, crying out, moaning. Last night I went in to see what was what, worried that perhaps he was feverish or something. It looked like he just wants to roll over. *shrug* So the big move from the Amby bed to crib is looming on the horizon I fear...I don't look forward to that move - I think the ability to bounce the Amby has been very calming for Landon all this time, and without that I'm not sure how well he'll get himself back to sleep at night. I guess we'll just have to try it - and let him cry for a few nights. It's not like he doesn't cry when he goes to bed now ... he does, usually for 10 - 20 minutes and I don't know why!! Maybe he doesn't like the Amby anymore and that's why he's crying :-/ I'm just afraid of having to get up with him in the night if he's in his crib ... But we won't know until we try I guess, and he is getting pretty big for the Amby. *sigh* My little baby is turning into a toddler, fast!

Other than that, life is quiet. I've been shopping ebay again ... heaven help us. It's fun, although I find I have less time to peruse than I used to when Landon was an itty-bitty baby asleep in the sling on me. I guess that's because when he's sleeping I'm trying to get other things done, and when he's awake I'm busy with him.

It's been fun though - I've been showing him how to play with all of his new toys from Christmas. He's starting to get the hang of pushing the dumptruck around (versus just playing with the tires) ... and I think he'll soon be pushing it around to help him be mobile on his feet. But the most fun he has by far is with the blocks from Uncle Greg, Aunty Yvonne, and Kyle. John or I will build them up, and he makes a beeline for the blocks to knock them all down. He can be across the room playing with something, I'll call out "Landon - look what mommy's made!" and he scampers across that floor and SMASH! All the blocks come down! LOL Priceless!! Then he'll sit amongst the blocks throwing them aside, raking through them, giggling and laughing. They are just the most exciting thing in his life this week, that's for sure!!

It's been windy, so Landon and I haven't gone out much. Maybe next week will be nicer. Who knows ... it is January after all!! LOL I'm going to sign us up for swimming lessons, they start the week after next, and a 'baby-and-me' aquasize class too, so I can try to work off some turkey (and nuts, and tarts, and cookies, and chocolates ... *sigh*). I'm looking forward to that.

So that's the 'not much news' post for today. Hope all is well wherever you are .... and I hope all our friends back in Winnipeg have managed to shovel their way out by now :-P Will post again soon...TK

Cute Landon baby!!

Here are some cute pictures of Landon the past few days. He was giggling at whatever I was doing in the first picture - looking so adorable in orange. The red shirt is from New Years Eve evening -- he didn't quite make it to midnight, but he had fun playing hard until 11!
And the last picture is Landon wearing Granddad's glasses ... too cute!!

Visiting with Granddad and Grandma

Granddad and Grandma were here for New Years too ... Landon was loving getting spoiled by everyone!! Grandma brought him this adorable blazer, which Landon wore for New Years Eve as well. He's ready for Harvard now!!

Playing with Brian

our cousin Brian came for a visit over New Years ... Landon sure had fun playing with him too!!

Thanks Aunty Vonnie for this cute little shirt - he looks soooo cute in orange. The pants are a bit too big yet, but we'll be getting lots of wear out of this shirt I'm sure!!

First Sled Ride...

Landon went for his first ever sled ride on Dec 29 -- thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the sled for Christmas!! He wasn't too sure about the ride though -- he sat there, just like these pictures, for the entire time. Not really disliking it, but we're not too sure he liked it all that much either :-/ I'm sure it'll get to be more fun for him as he gets more used to it. Unfortunately all the snow has melted here now, so we'll have to wait for another snow storm before we can go sledding again :-(

Happy New Year!!

Well, we have all survived the ringing in of the New Year ... if just barely. We spent the evening at home with Grandpa and Grandma Keller and cousin Brian. We ate a beautiful dinner of lobster, scallops, oysters, and escargot-stuffed mushrooms - YUM. and we celebrated into the mid-morning - yup ... I think I made it to bed by 6 am, just after Grandma and Grandpa, and Brian and John came sometime after that!! That's the most partying I've done in MONTHS!! LOL Luckily I hadn't started drinking until after Landon went to sleep, so I was able to function relatively normally yesterday :-/

So now our house is quiet again. John is back to work and our company has gone on to complete their vacations (Grandpa and Grandma are skiing, Brian back to Winnipeg). It's peaceful, and a bit depressing ... you know that 'post-party' depression that hits in January ... the holidays are over, real life is starting back up again. *sigh* But it was a wonderful Christmas season, we were able to visit with so many friends and family!!

I will post some pics soon, but for now I'm going to relax and watch tv while Landon naps. I will post again soon though! Take care...TK

Please don't go!

Landon enjoyed everyone being here so much - he tried to keep grandpa from going by stealing his hat!! That didn't work, so Landon spent part of the afternoon looking out the front door - like he was saying "Hey, where'd you go? !?! Come BACK!"

Christmas Time!

Here's some pics from Xmas for everyone :-) Landon opened his first gift from Santa, and surprised mommy by actually being interested in the toy, not just the paper!! He really likes his dumptruck from his cousin Thomson too -- except he's much more interested in the wheels than the truck :-/ But it's fun to watch him spin those wheels!!
Mostly though, he enjoyed playing with everyone. He really liked 'the boys' ... his cousins Kyle and Mark. He would break out into the biggest smile whenever one of them would walk in the room!! It was fun.

Christmas was GREAT!!

What a wonderful Christmas time ... everything was absolutely wonderful! Everyone arrived on Saturday, left this morning :-( Landon sat looking out the front door this afternoon, like he was asking "hey, where'd everyone go?"
And were we spoiled -- Landon got Little People barn, truck and loading dock, a dumptruck and story book from his cousins, a sled from Grandma and Grandpa, blocks, clothes, shoes, "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornament ... aiaiai. He was one spoiled little monkey!! He enjoyed opening his gifts, well, the first few anyways. After a couple he was hungry, so we took a break for some breakfast. Then he opened a few more, and that was the end. Too much paper and stuff going on. So he had a nap, and we all opened our gifts. Everyone got beautiful things and it certainly made me reflect on how lucky we are to have loving family to spend Christmas with, and we are so fortunate to have the means to share lovely gifts.

And EAT! Man have we eaten well the past few days :-) John was waiting for that time when we would eat and then sit around like over-stuffed grizzly bears!! Well that definitely described the last few days! LOL It was all so good. I am very grateful for the help from my mom, sister and Aunt though - I don't think I am practiced enough to have done all of the cooking myself :-P

So it was absolutely wonderful ... what a great Christmas!! I have lots of pics - will post soon (I tried, but I think lots of people must be posting pics because I had trouble). Trish is coming to visit tomorrow, so I'll try doing some pics in a couple of days.

Oh yeah - and HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLA - you old bag! LOL Hope you're having a couple for me tonight :-)

Take care....TK

Landon's getting better :-)

I had a dr appt this morning (one of those waste your time ones, but you have to go and 'see' the doctor to become a patient, whether you need to see the dr or not!) - and he checked Landon's ears while I was there. The infection is clearing up, just a little bit pink he said, which is good. Landon has been his old self again, which is nice ... playing and having fun. He's got a bruise on his forehead where he fell on his head last night (poor monkey!), but that doesn't seem to have slowed him down any! LOL

My cold is still here, but I feel better today than yesterday. I think the humidifier in our room last night helped a lot.

I'm off to clean clean clean today (ugh). Everyone gets here Sat YAYAYAYAYAY

Later...TK

Landon's feeling better...

The little man is feeling a bit better today ... thank goodness! He got some good sleep last night, and his fever is gone. So the antibiotics must be doing their job :-)

I got my Xmas shopping done today ... phew! The mall wasn't too nuts, but I spent too much time there so the drive home doubled in time :-/ Ah well. Landon was the hit of the mall, so many people adoring him as he sat smiling in the stroller, clapping his hands :-) Too funny!!

Tonight he had a rougher night though -- he fell on his face in the dining room, so he has a big bruise on his forehead. Then a short while later he fell against a table and scraped the other side of his forehead. Poor bruiser! I gave him some extra cuddles before he went to bed :-)

So tomorrow is housecleaning - Friday is grocery shopping, then we'll get the sleeping quarters all ready and voila -- pandemonium shall begin Saturday afternoon :-) I can hardly wait!

Chat soon y'all! TK

and 5 teeth :-)

It's official ... I just felt the 5th tooth in Landon's mouth. We could see it last night, and it popped through either overnight or this morning :-)


Here's our stinker (before the ear infection). I'll try to get some more pics up soon.

Owie - Ear Infection :-(

Well, Landon had a pretty rough day yesterday. Thankfully he did have an hour and a half nap in the afternoon, as he woke up at 5 pm with a fever of 104.1 :-( Yikes that's high ... sponge bath and Motrin, and one very worried mommy! John and I took him to a walk-in clinic (2 hour wait), where we learned he has an ear infection. No wonder he was sooooo grumpy! Antibiotics for Landon :-( We came home, in the hopes of getting some sleep ... heh heh Idiots! Landon cried cried cried until he physically couldn't cry anymore, then he whimpered. Poor kid. He finally konked out shortly after 1 am, only to wake up crying at 2. He did finally get to 'sleep' about 2:40, and slept pretty well until 9, which was a god-send! He woke up no grumpy - maybe not exactly happy, but not grumpy. Grandma gave us some advice to help his ear feel better (warm oil on cotton - wish we'd have known that last night!), and Landon seems to be feeling better. At least he played on his own for a bit this morning, and went down for his nap with very little fussing. Poor bugger - broke my heart seeing him cry so hard! He kept looking at me like "Don't you get it? This really HURTS!!! FIX IT!!!!!". :-(

But - we did get him weighed at the dr office. Which was interesting ... a balance beam scale, he was screaming blue-bloody-murder on that thing, let me tell you! But he weighs about 21 pounds (she couldn't be exact because he was kicking and screaming and flailing!), so he's been gaining weight healthily for the past 6 weeks (which we knew he was). And when the pain wasn't unbearable, he was a super-cute little monkey!!

So that's the news ... getting ready for Xmas has some nice new stress to it this week :-/ I'm not too concerned though - I'll go finish Xmas shopping tomorrow, the malls will be insane, but I'll survive it I think. Today and Thursday are house-cleaning (as much as I'll get done today), and then final preps Sat and we'll be good. Hopefully John can get some Xmas lights up tonight or tomorrow night too - we have to dig those out of a box in the basement, they haven't been out for a couple of years! :-/

Hope everyone is well ... I'll post again soon! Take care...

Fun Weekend!

Well, we made it through John's Xmas party - it was a lot of fun!! And Landon kept his sitter busy, but wasn't too bad. He really struggled to get to sleep, in the end I helped the sitter out by coming to the room to sing a song and get him down. But I think he would've fallen asleep without my help shortly anyways, as he was already calming down when I got there. He slept very well though, not waking us up until 9:30 am (thankfully, as both of our heads were a bit swollen...). He didn't make strange with the sitter at all, and had lots of fun exploring the hotel room. We were on the 8th floor, and he really enjoyed looking out the window at the lights and the traffic. I was so relieved that this hotel stay was better than the first (at 3 weeks old, he cried and cried until 5 am!). and the party was so fun - it was great to get out and meet some new people :-D Sunday - not so fun! LOL But we made it through

Now Landon isn't feeling so well today. He woke up lots last night, just whimpering and whining. I didn't have to go get him or anything, he would get himself to sleep again, but I heard him many many times. He would whine, bounce his bed, quiet for a few minutes, and do this again. Well into the night he was whimpering and bouncing, so I don't know how much sleep he got. He was crying at 8 am, so I got up with him - he was feverish and miserable. I gave him a bath, some Motrin, and he slept for about 30 minutes after breastfeeding only to wake up crying big alligator tears :-( He was doing better after that nap though, had some cereal and played for a bit - but mostly he just wants mommy and is not himself. I don't know if it's teething (he is droooooooling and cheeeewwwwing!), or if he caught John's cold. My throat is a bit scratchy, so maybe that's how Landon is feeling. *shrug* Poor little monkey - I guess I'll have to spend the day spoiling him. I'm just glad he wasn't sick this weekend in the hotel room, and hopefully he'll be over whatever ails him by this weekend when everyone arrives!

And we're only one week until Christmas! Holy moly!! I guess we'll have to do some decorating this week :-/ And I MUST get my shopping done. I was planning on going today, but with Landon's mood I may have to put that off for a day or two. Maybe I'll just try to get the house ready today....

That's the news from here. Hope everyone is ready for Christmas (or really close to it)! I'll post soon....TK

New tricks...

Landon has been very VERY busy this week, exploring all of the new things he can now get to (either by crawling or by pulling himself to standing). The computer room is a wealth of fun, since John's guitars and equipment are in here, as well as all of the computer cords and wires, and bookshelves, and garbage -- you name it, he's trying to get at it. Slowly but surely we are getting everything put up / away / behind obstacles so that we can be in here without having to hold onto Landon the entire time!
The main floor really is Landon's domain - and it's pretty well child-proofed. He's explored everything he can, even the carbon monoxide detector (didn't take him long to pull that thing off the wall!). His bedroom and our bedroom are pretty fun places too, although from our room he tends to do a bee-line right for the gate at the top of the stairs! Thank goodness John got those gates up - just in time! LOL

One of Landon's favourite passtimes right now is chasing things around. Balls work the best (obviously), but he'll improvise with just about anything. He swings his arms until the object flies out and goes somewhere, then he pounces after it like a cat pouncing on a mouse, and when he gets whatever it is he's just tossed, he starts the process over again. Keeps him quite occupied :-)

I'm getting excited for Christmas. My shopping is close to being done (just Grandma and Grandpa left), assuming all of my web/mail-orders arrive shortly!! I did alot more internet shopping this year -- it was so convenient given my limited 'outside the house' time with Landon. I did a test yesterday, shopping at the outlet mall, to see if he'd fall asleep in his stroller. Nope - he wants to sleep in his bed now :-/ I don't know if the elevator ride was scarier because he was tired, or if he couldn't fall asleep in his stroller because the elevator ride scared him too much - but there were some big tears while on that elevator!! In any case, he didn't fall asleep in his stroller, but konked out promptly when we got him in the car!! Poor sleepy guy! We'll see how he does in Red Deer on Sat night (John's Xmas party), when the sitter's in the room with him while he's 'sleeping', and when he has to share the room with mom and dad all night (we'll take ear-plugs to hopefully block out the bed-bouncing noises!!).

That's the scoop from here for now. I should get Landon some lunch so we can go buy a few groceries (to last us until next week, when I'll buy the big Xmas groceries!!). Hope all is well wherever you are, and that you're not too stressed getting ready for Christmas!! Take care...TK

New things to explore...

Lanodn has been having fun exploring all of these new things. He has decided he likes the new car seat (it fits him soooo much better!). But he's not too sure about those gates all over the place ... I don't know how long it'll take him to figure these things out ... heh heh. He's just like his dad, having to tinker and fiddle until he gets something figured out!! LOL

Newfound mobility causes troubles...?

Whoopsie!! Landon found himself in trouble last night, when he went head over teakettle over his piano. We heard some grunting and looked over to see his butt in the air! Too funny. Yes - we did help him get out of his predicament, eventually! But not before we got a couple of pictures and some video :-)

Playing with chairs

One of Landon's favourite passtimes ... playing with the office chairs!! At least it used to be until he figured out the crawling thing - we'll see if he still cares about chairs now that he can actually get places!

Our days have changed....

Well, with Landon's newfound mobility, the house has definitely changed :-) He's exploring all corners of the kitchen, dining room, and even eyeing up the great outdoors (I'm sure he's thinking "If only I could get through this window, what fun I could have exploring!"). We thought his exploring the tv set while Raise a Little Hell was playing was too cute an opportunity to pass up - as this pretty much describes Landon today! He had fun though, pulling lamps over and trying to rip the blinds down from the window, eating paper, and checking out his brand new car seat too. It's so fun to watch him crawling all over the place, he so curious and so excited to see all of these new things!

Daddy's Little Helper

Landon was quite busy yesterday helping John put the CD's and videos away. He had so much fun, taking the tape out of a video, chewing on boxes, and of course, checking out the CD collection :-) And if that wasn't enough, he was certainly checking out this Jane Fonda video ... I don't know if he was admiring Jane's outfit or thinking that mommy should start working out !!

guess who's crawling...!

Landon started crawling today. And can he motor!! He's been on the brink for so long, and now that he figured it out there's no slowing him down!! He actually is on one knee and one foot, both hands. Now the 'real' child-proofing will begin. He's already explored beyond the living room now that he can really move, and is making his way into the kitchen. So everything will be put up and away right quickly here. And we'll have to be getting baby gates right away as well.

For learning to crawl, he's been pretty miserable all day. This morning he fell on the frame of his bed and bruised his cheek. Perhaps that's hurting him all day because he's just a fussing, crying, pain in the butt! We just put him down for a nap, hoping that he will wake up in a better mood. aiaiaiai Either his cheek is hurting, or maybe he's getting a tooth (although we can't see anything, and he hasn't been this fussy for any of his first 4), or maybe he has a bit of a tummy ache? We don't really know for sure...

I'm heading out tonight to see Carla and Tilly who are in town for the weekend at Kristi's. I'm very much looking forward to getting out for awhile. I'm actually planning to spend the night, and it'll be my first night away from Landon, so I have mixed emotions about it...I'll be up and speeding all the way home first thing tomorrow I'm sure :-)

That's the scoop from Calgary today. Hope all is well with everyone everywhere :-) TK

Pics of Landon...

Here are a couple new pics of Landon that you've been waiting for...
We've been having fun just hanging out. He enjoys playing with just about everything these days, and I'm sure he was trying to get into some sort of trouble that first picture. The second one he was being quite quiet ... watching Sesame Street :-) And this yet-to-be-unpacked box was a lot of fun as a drum too!! He must've sat there for about 5 minutes ... soooo cute!

Busy Landon

Landon is a busy bugger these days! He just may crawl soon, as he hasn't been bum-scootching that much and is instead making tentative motions on his hand and knees. When he wants to get something, he gets on his hands and knees but then sits back down. It's like he's afraid if he moves on his hands and knees he won't be able to sit down - and that's a relatively new trick so he doesn't want to give it up!! But he's taking a few 'steps', mostly just walking his hands out and back in while he's on his knees, so maybe he'll get his knees figured out too. When he does get right onto his belly, he usually ends up going backwards, which frustrates him as he gets further away from whatever he wants, so he hasn't been doing much of that lately. It is so amazing to watch him learning and figuring out all of these things!!

We got our piano tuned today. Landon was priceless. The tuner would play some keys, Landon would bang on his toy piano and laugh. The tuner would play a few more keys, and Landon would bang on his piano and laugh some more. When that got tiring, Landon laughed and giggled and squealed while the tuner did his thing - he loved that someone was 'playing' the piano, and must've thought it was just for his listening pleasure!

John got our new tv stand put up last night, so the living room looks alot better. Landon explored it a bit tonight, he likes the pull knobs on the doors. But the components aren't behind glass (yet...John's working on fixing that), so Landon doesn't get free reign yet.

And Landon discovered the drawers on his dresser tonight, having fun pulling the bottom drawer out every time I closed it. He even pulled the box of diaper-pail bags right out of the drawer - I couldn't believe it!! So I cleared everything out of that drawer that he shouldn't get (like a strap from his diaper bag, the diaper-pail bags, etc), so if he wants to play in there, I guess I'll just have to let him play in there!!

Landon's developing a trick that I do NOT like though -- biting while nursing. OUCH does not even describe it. I'm trying not to over-react and am hoping that this will stop soon. If not, there may be a weaning on the horizon!!

That's the news from here today. Hope all is well with everyone!! Take care....TK

Standing up!

Landon succeeded in pulling himself up to standing, all by himself, today. He has been 'practising', using our legs and hands to get to standing for awhile now, but today he did it all by himself (with help from the crib). I was putting clothes away, turned around and he was standing there all proud. So proud that he squealed and reached for me, only to swing his face into the crib and dangle there by the one hand that hadn't let go :-) But no tears, just frustration because he fell over! I scooped him up and we did a celebratory dance, and he was very very proud to have stood up. I'm sure he'll be busy practising that skill over the next weeks, and he'll be able to show off quite suitably for everyone at Christmas :-D

We bought our tree today. Artificial ... at least for the first few years with kids ... heh heh. But it's pretty nice I think ... fake trees look better now than when I was a kid I think (although when I was a kid, that tree was magical!). So maybe John and I will put it up on the weekend.

Landon and I went for a nice walk today. We were gone for just about 2 hours, it was very nice out and it felt so good to stretch my legs. Landon just gawked at everything - it's been awhile since he's had a nice long walk. Now that he stays awake a bit longer it's easier to get something done during the day. Before he was only awake for ~2 hours, and by the time I fed him and changed him he was starting to get sleepy again! Now he's up for about 3 hours in the afternoon, giving us some time. But he wouldn't fall asleep in the stroller - those days may be gone. He was sooooo tired, but he just wouldn't close his eyes. He pretty much fell asleep on my shoulder as soon as I took him out of the stroller, but not in the stroller :-/

I'm hoping to get some Christmas shopping done over the next couple of days. I'm planning a trip to Toys-R-Us (heaven help us!!), and then I will focus on the adult shopping later in the week. Aiaiaiai ... I'm used to having most of my shopping done by now, but I've put it off due to the move (why move a pile of Christmas presents?). As long as I don't leave it until the 24th I guess...heh heh

That's the scoop from the Keller household today. Hope all is well with everyone out there. Nikki, keep posting so that I know when you don't post that you've had Eastynn!! I was starting to wonder already as it had been a few days...

Take care...until next time. TK

Dinnertime just got messier...

The days of 'clean' feeding have come to an end. Tonight we started Landon on some 'table food'. By table food, I mean we gave him some of our baked potato, which he gobbled up (and spilled everywhere) like a pro. So we gave him banana, and for the first time, Cheerios. He gobbled (and spilled everywhere) everything, and loved every minute of it. So dinnertime will now be messier, I'll have to think about feeding Landon more of what we eat, and it'll be longer. I think he was in the high chair for about 45 minutes!! LOL But he really enjoyed having the chance to feed himself, so we'll just go with it. I still spoon fed him veggies and cereal, to make sure he got his dinner, but he loved shoveling the extras in, two-fisting all the way!! LOL

We had a quiet Saturday at home, which was nice. Landon has been such an angel these days, I'm waiting for some teething pains, or a cold or something to set in here. We've been getting far too much sleep! I even had a nice 1.5 hour nap this afternoon. Aiaiai. I guess we might as well enjoy it while it lasts, before we know it it'll be Christmas and there'll be very little napping for a few weeks.

So that's the news ... not too much I guess. Just exciting that Landon is starting to feed himself. And he loves Cheerios. Fun fun Fun!! And the weather is supposed to warm up for a few days ... around zero tomorrow so we're hoping to go for a nice walk and check out the neighbourhood :-) Until next time...TK

Calling all Potential Babysitters!!

John's Xmas party is on Dec 16, and so we're looking for a wanna-be babysitter. The party is in Red Deer, so it'd be an overnight stint. If you are interested, please let us know....

Pictures....

Now is that a happy face or what!!?? Landon has been having a lot of fun in his Jumperoo these days. He'll be jumping along and then lock his knees so he stops dead, but he keeps bopping his head like he's jumping -- it is hilarious to watch!! The great thing about this picture is that he's showing off his teeth too, you can even glimpse the two on the top :-)

And the second pic is one of my faves from back in Winnipeg -- Landon was just getting to love standing up and looking out the front window. Yup, he's standing there all by himself! Just watching the world go by. He was telling us all about it, as he loves to babble incessantly these days! This picture is from Nov 10 ... just before we packed up and moved out!

YAY - High Speed again!

We finally got our high speed up and running again yesterday! Very nice indeed. Now I will spend 2 days getting caught up on all of the emails / jokes that I didn't read on slow-speed! Then I'll maybe be caught up, and I can spend some time on ebay to buy clothes for this little monkey that is out-growing all of his 6 - 9 month stuff :-)

Today I took Landon out for his first big shopping adventure in Calgary. He even got to ride in the cart while I bought groceries - and he LOVED it. He was bouncing and squealing up and down every aisle, and was absolutely enthralled with the signs hanging above each aisle (the ones that tell you what's in that aisle). He'd watch them even as we walked under them, causing him to tilt sideways from putting his head back so far! What a cute little bugger! I was just glad he enjoyed it as the days of leaving him behind with dad while I grocery shop are now over...

It's finally warming up here (hence the reason Landon and I ventured out for groceries). I do miss Winnipeg street cleaning, that I can say for sure!! While there's enough traffic close to our house to clear the snow off the street, there is enough to make it very slippery. But the main streets are pretty clear after a nice day, so I guess I'll survive! LOL

Well, that's the scoop. Back to catching up on emails and online shopping :-) I'll post a couple of pics as well, since I've been getting harassed for some (rightly so, it's been awhile!!). Take care, until next time...TK

John's first day...

John's first day of his new job, and things went well. He enjoyed it, everyone was super nice, which is great. He's even looking forward to going back to work tomorrow :-) All of this despite the ridiculously cold weather (40 below with the wind chill ... feels more like Winnipeg every day!), and the resulting long drive to work this morning!! But things should get more temperate by the end of this week, thank goodness!!

Landon's doing well. I think he missed his dad today :-) But he's just as cute as ever. He's started to sit up from laying down, but he won't do it with us watching so we're not sure of his methods. All we know is that he's laying down, and when we look back he's sitting up. But if he sees us looking at him he whines for us to sit him up :-/
And he must be an Albertan at heart ... I fed him beef today for the first time, and he ate it like a pro!! So much for all of the chicken and turkey we've been trying :-) Beef it is, and will be! LOL
The 2-napping schedule is still going well (knock on wood, again). He's been going to sleep shortly after 10, sleeping soundly until 9 am. We are still having to wake him up at 9, so we're thinking he may even start going to bed a bit earlier? But he's having 2 good naps during the day, so maybe not. We'll see. It's just nice to put him down and then have a bit of time before we go to sleep, instead of waiting for him to go to bed so that we can!

So that's the bit o' news from here for this cold, windy Monday. Brrrrr! High Speed comes on Wednesday, which I'm looking forward to. And the nice weather will be good too, so I can get my Christmas shopping started (and hopefully finished) soon! Take care ... until next time! TK

Snow Snow and more Snow!!

Where oh where did all of this snow come from? I thought we left this behind, but I guess we brought it with us!!
Things are going well with us. Landon has been sleeping very well (knock on wood), having dropped that 3rd nap for the past 2 days. Let's hope that that continues, as we like his going to sleep at 10:30 much better :-) And he still sleeps until 9 am, which is good for me. Especially since I'll have to be the one to get him up from now on. Usually John gets up and gets Landon up, starts coffee, etc, and I roll out of bed about 9:30. But tomorrow that changes, with John going to work (ACK!). I think I'll survive getting up at 9 am, and I hope John survives getting up at 7 ... aiaiaiaiai. I'll miss John throughout the day, but I'm betting Landon will miss him even more!

I just wanted to post something quick. I'm off to shovel the driveway, again (that's the only real exercise I'm getting these days....). Landon is down for a nap, so it's a chance to get some fresh, albeit cold, air. Will post again soon. And don't fret, Wed is High-Speed connection day, so you'll get some pictures shortly after that!! :-D Until then...TK

First full week in Calgary...

Well, we've spent our first week in Calgary, and we've still got boxes to unpack LOL But it's starting to feel a bit more like home now. We've done some driving around, lots of shopping (a Calgary must), and are settling in a bit more.

Landon's doing well. We think that he's ready to drop his 3rd nap, so we've been working through that in the evenings. He didn't have a 3rd nap at all tonight, and went to bed a bit earlier. Now we'll just see if he stays sleeping for the night, or wakes up thinking he's just finally had that 3rd nap. *sigh* Time will tell...

John starts his new job on Monday. We drove by the office today, and did the 'commute' home during rush hour. The trip will be no longer than the drive in Winnipeg, so that's good. The sheer number of cars on the road will be significantly higher though ...

So that's the news from here for today. Will try posting again soon. Oh yeah, and for everyone back in Winnipeg -- the weather here has been crappy!! LOL We got some snow (only 3 inches, and it's really light so it's easier to shovel), and it's COLD!! Monday it's supposed to get down to 30 below ... if this keeps up we may be heading back to Manitoba!! LOL

Take care everyone .... TK

We're HERE!!

Yup - we made it. And all of our stuff did too, which is great news!! So we're doing the unpacking, sorting through, wondering-where-all-of-this-stuff-came-from type of activities.

We got to Calgary Friday afternoon, and spent the first night in a nice, big, empty house. Then our stuff arrived on Saturday and our big roomy house quickly became a crowded, box-filled, paper-overloaded cave. We've been sorting through boxes ever since, and are hoping to get through them all by New Years or so....

About the house: it's quite nice, although it's taking some getting used to to be living in a box on a street of boxes next to 100 more streets of boxes. There's definitely less 'space' here than in Winnipeg, and I'm missing my treed yard and open space front and back (at least we have open space in the back here). We do have lots of room for our junk (er...stuff), and I love the bonus room concept (over the garage). And our great room is nice ... kitchen, nook, and living room all together -- especially the gas fireplace which I think I'll get lots of use out of. Our yard is smallish, and just grass right now, but I have a few winter months to figure out what I want to do with it.
The shopping here is CRAZY!! Consumeristic Calgarians!!!! We have the biggest Superstore I've even seen about 5 minute walk away. That same area is big-box extravaganza with Michaels, Future Shop, Staples, etc. And a short drive away is another shopping haven with Home Despot, Can Tire, Sobey's, and a few million-store mini-malls. Calgarians must do little else besides shopping if this area is any indication.

For all of that shopping....one surprise to us is that Calgary doesn't have a curb-side recycling program (!!). We were shocked that a city this size hasn't put more emphasis on recycling. So we'll have to load up our recycling and find the closest recycling depot I guess *shrug*.

On the most important topic: Landon has been wonderful. He's adjusting well to his new surroundings, even the boxes. The first day we arrived he sat in the empty living room squealing and kicking and playing - I think he loved the big space just for him! He's getting used to his room, and has been sleeping well. And TEETH! Landon got a new tooth last week, and his 4th tooth popped through today! That's 3 teeth in 3 weeks ... he's had a busy mouth, that's for sure!!
And he's been eating like a little piggy too. He's starting to get more proteins ... thanks to Karen for suggesting the sweet potatoe and chicken food. So it seems that he'll make the adjustment fairly easily.

We're on dial-up for another week until our internet and tv get hooked up. So please, no big emails for a few days. I'll try to post again, but it'll be next week before we put any pictures up :-(

That's the news for today ... hope all is well with everyone. Will post soon ... until then!! TK

Move Update

I can hardly believe that tomorrow afternoon we will have possession of our new house!! Holy COW!! This week has flown by!

Monday we were packed up, which went well from my perspective. Tuesday the movers put everything into the truck, then John and I cleaned out our old home. That was very sad, it was so VERY hard to close that door one last time :-( I won't dwell on that though ...
We stayed at Uncle Neville and Mary's those 2 nights, and they were wonderful hosts. It was so nice to get a good visit in before we left. We took off early Wed am, and made it to Grandma and Grandpa's for mid-afternoon. We've had a nice visit the last day or so. And tomorrow morning we will head for Alberta. YeeHaw!! We won't have internet for awhile (have to get it ordered when we get there, so it depends on how long installation will be). So this post may have to suffice for awhile.

About Landon: he has a cold (started Tues) :-( Poor little stinker. He's still in a good mood, but he's just harder to put down at night (I'm getting used to that though ... heh heh). He went to sleep so well at Mary and Neville's on Monday night, but struggled a bit more on Tuesday night. Last night was really rough, as he couldn't breath through his nose at all. But we finally got him to sleep and we all slept until 10 am :-) I think John was quite happy for a sleep in, as he's been doing so much running around as we got ready to leave!
Aaand ... Landon popped his 3rd tooth through yesterday :-) It's on the top, so now he can really chomp down!! And I think the 4th tooth will be coming through shortly as well ... he has another white line on the top gum :-) Busy little teether.

So tomorrow's the big day. I don't know when we'll get online again, but I'll try to post an update ASAP. To all our friends and relates in Winnipeg - we miss you already!! Will post soon .. take care! Until then...TK

Last post from this ol' house...

And just a quick one at that...busy busy!!
The packers will be here by 8:30 am ... I hope we're ready for them. I've got 'us' almost packed, should be done by the time they get here. The biggest pain in the butt is all the things they won't take -- anything liquid, cream -> like lotions, shampoos, cleaners, etc. So I'm trying to get those sorted through tonight. But I can see that I'll just be reviewing the pile they leave behind as "can't packs" after the fact because there's so much you don't think of. Liquid hand soap, Febreze, etc.

Anyways, I'm feeling a bit stressed, so I will get back to it. I can hear that Landon hasn't fallen asleep quite yet, so I'll tend to him and keep on packing!!

I will try to post from the farm, so there will be nothing until Wed or Thursday. Until then...TK

Getting ready....

Well, the slingshot has been pulled back pretty far, and it's about to be shot -> meaning we'll be flying off in all different directions at crazy speeds for the next few days at least. And I'm not really looking forward to it. I am looking forward to finally getting to Calgary and having our stuff arrive safe, sound and on-time, and starting the 'settling in' process. After the business of the past couple of weeks, aiaiai. It has come up so quickly, but I'm glad for that. It means that this process hasn't been dragged out more than necessary ;-)

So, tomorrow we get our stuff packed for the next week. I think we're ready. Clothes are washed, Landon's food is bought. We're staying with Mary and Neville Monday and Tuesday nights (it'll be nice to get a visit in there before we go too!). And Wed we hit the road.

It's been a long week ... of many good-byes. So many times the tears in my eyes saying good-bye to people who have become such good friends. I will miss you all so much!

Ok, before I cry too much....

Landon's been pretty good this week (knock on wood). He's been sleeping a bit better, and going to sleep better. I'm thinking that he must've been 'teething' again last week, which is what caused our troubles. John and I looked a couple of nights ago, and a tooth is just ready to pop through on the top. It hasn't come through yet, but it's getting pretty close! It may just make it through before we leave Winnipeg.

So, just a quick note. I'll try to post one last time tomorrow, and maybe from the farm. Don't know when the next chance will be after that ... we will order our internet service when we get to Calgary. Until next time..........................................

Final Doctor visit...

We went to the doctor today ... the last time Landon will see his doctor here in Winnipeg :-( He's doing well though ... 19 pounds, 10 ounces, 28 1/2" long. He got a flu shot too (which he wasn't particularly pleased about, but he doesn't seem to be reacting negatively now). Doctor says we must get him eating proteins, so we're going to try turkey and vegetables tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. If that doesn't work, we'll go for the egg yolks next :-/
Landon's eating lots of veggies and fruits though. We keep on trying new things, especially for fruits. But his favourite is pears, followed by sweet potatoes (esp sweet potatoes with apples!), and creamed corn. He tolerates his greens (beans and peas), as well as carrots, so we have quite a variety to feed him now. He's not so fond of peaches. We gave him his first Yum Yum cracker tonight too. He really enjoyed that, gobbled up the entire cracker like he'd been eating them for weeks! Mostly I think he liked being able to chew chew chew as I'm sure some more teeth have to be on the way.

Other than that, not much doing here. I have a cold and am feeling miserable. Landon is still a monkey in trying to go to sleep at night :-/ Last night he did get to sleep on his own (it took some tears), which is a good sign, so we're hoping this will continue (and get better at it too). I did hear him bouncing his bed ~6:30 am, for quite awhile, but he didn't squawk or anything *shrug* And he woke up on his own @9:30 am -> our earliest wake up in quite awhile! He likely would've gone back to sleep if we'd left him in there, but John scooped him right up. Unfortunately his naps this afternoon were shot as we were at the dr office for over 2 hours! But hey - it's unlikely he'd fall asleep like a dream tonight anyways, given our track record!!

Going out to my last Tremendon game tomorrow night :-( We're down to a whole week of lasts ... the last Tuesday in this house, the last game, the last doctor's appointment ... the list goes on. It makes me sad, and I'll actually be glad when this week of lasts is done, because it's hard to do.

So, until next time ... TK