No time to blog!

September was a BAD month for blogging - you know that, and I know that. I was just so absorbed with getting ready to go back to work, and planning E's first birthday, not to mention a fun-filled trip to Texas (which I have yet to blog about). I thought that September would be the off month for the blog, but now as we are quickly approaching the end of October ... I am thinking the final quarter of 2009 isn't looking good for the blog either.

I want to have this wonderful witty blog, that I am dedicated to, and that I have no problem keeping up with, even though I am working long hours, doing the daycare thing, making family dinners, doing extra-circular sports, and squeezing in a few episodes of my fave shows - I really really want the label, but these last few weeks have sucked the life out of my blogging ability... and the future is looking bleak too!

I wish I had a PA in the car (that is personal assistant)... you know, someone I could just talk out loud to and they would transcribe my thoughts onto the blog (kinda like Boyder and I use to do with each other for University group papers) . In the morning... I am so full of awesome blog thoughts, I mean really great stuff - stuff that would make you laugh out loud at your computer. I sometimes even talk to myself (between my country music performances), and I write the first paragraph right then, out loud in the car.

I think to myself, I will roll into work, organize my in bin, work efficiently all morning long, and then spend 10 or 15 minutes on my lunch just flushing out my blog topic of the day... and BAM - I'll have a post, while still having plenty of time to eat, pee, grab an afternoon coffee, and finish the day out with a smile.

But... nooooooooooooooooo!!! I never get the in bin organized, and while I might get Blogger open on my desktop at lunch, I never get a line written, let alone an entire post flushed out.

I still have ideas.... good ideas for the blog, and I think that with all of my draft posts that are sitting on my Blogger Dashboard, the day has to eventually come when I will finish them, and post them - and won't that be the best of your life as a faithful bloggy reader? You'll surely be in bloggy heaven, probably have to call in sick a day or two just to catch up on all of the posts that I am gonna post on that one magical day!

Right. As in ya right.

I don't blame you, if you go off to a far away land, and never come back... I have been neglectful of you, and trust me, your not the only thing that's feeling neglect in my life. This whole working Mom thing is quite the adjustment... and going from one day to the next is a challenge in itself... so I am going to try to work more on my planning skills first, before tackling how to blog efficiently and effectively without neglecting my family/working duties.

That was long drawn out way of saying... I'm not firing myself, I just reallocating the blog resources (ME) to another priority area for the short term (can you tell I have been writing government speak all. week. long.). However, from time to time (like tonight), I may get the notion to whip off a post... so if your still interested in the new terms of our agreement, check back at your leisure... but with (extremely) low expectations of there actually being something new here.

Don't threaten me with a wooden paddle!

The whole new cell phone/ipod law really, REALLY erks me. Perhaps its because I frequently listen to my ipod and drive... and on occasional (more times than not) text and drive, and talk on my phone and drive.

This new legislation in Ontario, is being put in place to ban all of that from happening... I feel as though the Ontario government is a big meanie parent, slapping their misbehaved children in the ass with a wooden paddle.

At 16 to 21 or even 25 years of age... perhaps the wooden paddle is necessary. New drivers, whether they be teens or new immigrants, they should be concentrating on one thing and one thing only, learning the rules of the road, etc. But at (almost) 30 years of age, and someone who has been driving for close to 15 years, I think I know when its safe to drive and talk, text and talk, and use my ipod or GPS. Wooden paddle is not necessary ... and frankly the threat of it, makes me want to do it even more - to see how in fact they are going 'to catch' me breaking the law.

I feel this law is a bit silly because you can't text and drive, but you can still eat a peanut butter and honey bagel, drip it on your good work pants, and then frantically serve all over the road looking for a napkin to wipe it up. $500 fine for one, $12 dry-cleaning bill for the other.

You can't change songs on your ipod, but you can search for one of 50 burned CDs on the backseat of your car, throw it in the CD player in the dash, and look for a song that way.

You can't talk and drive, but there is no law against reading a 100 page document while in morning traffic. You can't enter an address on your GPS while driving, but feel free to shuffle through 6 pages of print-out directions from Google Maps, while swerving all over the road.

You can't change songs on your ipod, send a text, or make a phone call, but feel free to drive around with a screaming infant in your backseat, while you intently try to shove a soother in his mouth from the front seat, or grab a bottle out his hand before he dumps it all over himself for the 60th time. Nope... no law against that.

Yes... to me this law is petty, when applied to experienced drivers. While new drivers these days, have been born with a cell-phone and ipods attached to their hip, perhaps they don't know better - but for myself, and someone twice my age ... I think personal judgment is still working fine, and can be applied without the threat of the wooden paddle.

Happy Turkey Day

My little turkey is what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving. I think back to last Thanksgiving and how we were just getting to know him, in the midst of sleepless nights, and long days, but through it all, there was a bond between us from the beginning, and it has really changed my life for the better! Sappy I know... but so true!

I am also thankful for my friends and family. My parents are celebrating 35 years of marriage today, and I just want to say Happy Anniversary to them... as 35 years is quite an accomplishment, and I am so proud of them.

To my Canadian friends, I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend, and to my American friends, your long weekend is coming soon, so hang in there.

~Happy Thanksgiving~

Working Mom of 1

So I can see that you have been eagerly checking this blog, to see if I survived the first week of being back to work... the first week of getting E to and from daycare, and the first week of what is going to be regular everyday life.

I did survive... but let me tell you, I was so glad to see the weekend, and I only worked 4 days this week because Monday was E's actual birthday and I was off. This next week is Thanksgiving on Monday, so I am off and then its another 4 day work week. I feel pretty lucky to be easing back into the work week with two short work weeks to start.

However... it sounds to me that life is going to get a bit more hectic than a new mom returning to work would actually like. Without going into too much detail, the department I work for is the lead on dealing with the H1N1 flu virus... and in order to provide the necessary communications support without burning out the entire team very quickly, we are going to be moving to rotational shift work in a few weeks... to cover off communication support 7 days a week, 15 hour days. Not exactly what I wanted to hear my first week back... but that's the reality.

Although I want to throw bricks at a wall thinking of how much I would rather be working my neat and tidy 8 to 4 schedule, 5 days a week... I do consider this a learning experience and a major bullet for my resume. I don't know how its going to work quite yet, but I do know that it will throw one hell of a wrench in my family life, not to mention my social life. It has an effect for both PC and I, and not to mention E.

Obviously this schedule won't last forever, hopefully H1N1 calms down, and we go back to our normal working hours ... but for now, this is the reality - and one I have to deal with.

Aside from that bomb... work itself was really good this week. I was busy everyday I was in the office, and I remember that I do have a brain that knows how to do work-related things, and not just make bottles, wash bottles, pick up cheerios, and change diapers. It is kinda rewarding to know that I can do both.

E's first week at daycare was really good. I heart our childcare provider, she is fantastic. E was smiling and happy, just like he's been at home... so to me I know he is well cared for when PC and I are working. I did manage to get the boy supper, and ourselves something to eat every night. I have come to see that meal planning on the weekends is going to make supper time less stressful during the week.

E been going to bed a bit earlier too... so although I am exhausted after putting him to bed, I do have an couple hours to get the house cleaned up, get ready for the next day, and maybe watch a show. I really don't know how people throw in a run, or hit the gym ... maybe I am too much of a newbie, but I have hard time feeling like I can do that right now. Hopefully if I get my rotational schedule mapped out better, I can figure out where to throw in the occasional workout, but for now, its taking a major backseat.

Yes... week 1 is done and over with, and week 2 is just around the corner, but in a way I am excited for it. This working mom of 1 is actually not the bad, but check back for the 'I quit' post in a few weeks, as I have a feeling my my optimistic approach will wear off soon!

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Boy!

What a difference a year can make... last year at this time, I was just meeting my sweet bundle of joy... and wondering how I would cope with being a new Mom. Now E is a year old, and I am wondering how I am going to cope with being a working Mom of a 1 year old boy.

This past year has honestly been one of the best year's of my life. It's amazing how much love you can feel for someone you've only known for a year, but this is certainly the case for me. E is growing up more and more as the days pass, but in the last couple of months, he has clearly shown he is getting more independent.

He no longer likes to be fed... if he had it his way, it would be finger foods all. the. time. He shows he's full or just tired of sitting in his high chair by grabbing a cluster of food and dramatically throwing in on the floor... followed by a devilish grin and a giggle. Its times like this you want to scream at him, but you can't because you are too busy laughing.

E is not walking just yet, but is confidently standing up and walking around the coffee table. He will make a walker out of anything that moves... and he's getting quicker by the minute.

It seems his new passion is hockey... or at least we think so, as he loves to cart his mini hockey stick around the house. Whether he is climbing stairs, getting his bum changed, or eating a snack ... he always has that hockey stick in his hand, which puts a smile on PC's face! He is also learning to love the game of tag... and loves to be chased around the house. He is getting very sneaky too... acting like he is playing quietly and then you look over and he is gone and half way up the stairs. When you catch him, he shrieks and giggles with excitement as we rip him off the stairs and can't wait for you to set him down so he can do it all over again!

E's verbal sounds are becoming more distinct in the last few weeks... he loves to babble but he is starting to make words, beyond Mum-mum and Dad-dad. I think NO might be the first word... which means we could be in for long year of NO-NO-NO!

It's been a while since we have been at the doctor, but I suspect that E weighs around 20 to 22 pounds. I am no longer worried about weight... he eats well, and is developing well in all areas, so that is enough for me. We are seeing the neuphrologist next week to discuss the option regarding his defunct right kidney... and will go from there, but I am confident that everything will work out just fine.

With E turning one.... we had our last month -by-month photo shoot. I think it was a fitting way to end my maternity leave as these monthly photo adventures have been so much fun! Given that my boy was sick and the fact that we had taken so many pics at his birthday party, we scaled back this photo shoot a bit, but did end up with some good pics.

Prior to E's birthday, I was trying to think of a birthday tradition to do with him each year on his special day. I decided our tradition would be to release a balloon into the sky as a way of saying thank you for everything over the past year, and to say hello to everyone up above who is watching over him.

We did this... and E loved it, and now we will do it every year on October 5th... as a part of his birthday celebration.

Without further ado... here are the results of our last monthly photo shoot.

Happy 1st Birthday E... Mommy and Daddy love you very much and have had 'THE BEST' year with you.

XOXO

E's First Birthday Festivities

This past weekend we hosted E's first birthday festivities on Saturday. It was fun filled day ... and Little E did so great! He absolutely loves people, so naturally he loved having all of his friends over to celebrate the special occasion.

The day flew by... but there was lots of excitement. We had snacks, and present-opening, and of course cake! By the end of it all, E was a tired little boy... but he loved all of his gifts, and is in toy heaven now as he doesn't know what to play with first!

I can't say too much more about the party, but of course I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking!

E's Grandpa Coleman is a crafty man... sketched and carved this photo of E onto a pumpkin!

Here is the cake... made for E by Artistic Cake Design in Ottawa.

The candle is lit... and the birthday boy is ready to make a wish!

Mommy helps blow out the candle, and its an all Goldfish cracker smile!

Now... for the good stuff. This cake thing is pretty good!

Icing... where have you been all my life?

Present opening... we should do this birthday thing more often.

Take it out of the package - PLEASE!

Look at all my loot... I'm not sure why I got all this stuff, but I LIKE IT!

Me with my two favourite people... Mommy and Daddy!

Guess what?

A year ago tonight, I was in labour. It would be another eventful 24 hours before E was actually born, but ... it was an exciting night for all involved! Read my labour story here... and stay tuned for 1st birthday party pics.