Happy Birthday Robin!

Today I won 5th row tickets for us to see The Tragically Hip on Saturday.
Best birthday gift ever!
I rock! Thanks to Y108.

Bulking up for the Run

Mmmmm. Ribs. Abi's getting ready for the big Run - the Run for the Cure for breast cancer.
Robin is very proud of his daughter here. (Ed, I bet you are too!)

Running for the Cure!

On October 4th Robin and Abby will be running for the cure in memory of Abby's grandmother Marion. If you wish to sponsor them, please visit https://www.cibcrunforthecure.com/html/p.asp?t=3670889&l=1

Thank you for your support and we will be sure to post photos.
In the meantime, here are a couple from last year's Run for the Cure.

Babywearing Week

In honour of International BabyWearing Week, I wanted to share this slideshow of Abi and babywearing.

Confessions - Because being aware helps

I confess that I have struggled for many years with being an impulse shopper. I come by it naturally. [*cough*dad*mom*cough*cough*]
In my defense, I am also a good-deals shopper and I shop most often at second-hand shops - which sometimes makes it all the more difficult to curb my habits. "It's such a good deal!"... We'll "go broke saving money" as my dad always said. (Funny that he said that considering his spending habits.)
Witness my yarny-goodness the other weekend (photo slideshow below in the blog!) at the Knitters Fair. Oh, I got incredible deals, but I still bought a lot of yarn - all of which is going in my stash for unknown future use. But it was a good deal! And, I'll use it eventually! Yep - one day I knit all those shawls and socks and sweaters in my Ravelry queue. (I should add, I received a gift of money to spend how I wished.)
Today I had to go to (ugh) Walmart to pick up Robin's pre-ordered copy of the new Halo3 game. (I know what Robin's doing tonight...) While there I thought I should buy toothpaste (we're at the point of squeeze-the-last-inch-out). On my way over to that aisle, I happened to pass by the toys... and see the 50th Anniversary Smurfs set on for a mere $10. I was (still am, but inactive) a Smurfs collector. My dad always brought me new Smurfs from Germany when I was kid and of course I grew up watching the cartoons. I've never been an avid collector, but I have 100+ pieces including figurines, mushroom houses, and the windmill. I'm confident that Abi will receive the DVDs over the next few years - from my parents - and she'll inherit my collection.
Apparently, I missed the announcement last year that the Smurfs were ready to conquer the world again - according to Time. I missed the invasion. This was to be part of the 50th Anniversary come-back. I guess that's why a year later I'm finding the special edition stuffed toy, golden figurine, DVD, and original sketch replica on sale for only $10. (According to Amazon, it retailed for $30 US).
As you can see - a steal of a deal for a Smurf collector. But an unnecessary purchase ultimately... I mean, it's a future Yule gift. Maybe for me!

But it didn't stop there today. No, I still had to buy dog food at the pet store, which is right next to the Hand Me Downs store. I felt compelled to stop in for a moment - because you have to stop in frequently at second-hand shops to find what you want. Lo and behold - three beautiful Groovy Girls were waiting there for me for only $5 each. I swear these ones are being stored for the future. Particularly the one with a purse. However, now that I know how much Abi enjoys these dolls, and given that we will not be buying Bratz, Barbie or other similar dolls I feel very justified in picking up a small collection of Groovy Girls for her to play with - especially when they are second-hand and usually in brand new condition.

So you see, I have a shopping problem. I've been much better at controlling myself since marrying Robin - who is the furthest thing from a shopaholic I know. Security cameras at stores must think I'm hilarious - picking up an item, talking to myself as I debate if I need it, walking about the store as I pick up needed items, eventually (literally) saying "no!", putting it back... Today I said no to many things. Maybe I should be proud of what I didn't buy.

One last confession - I also stopped at McDonalds inside Walmart. *gasp* I've heard that McDs coffee is better than Timmies. I'm not a big fan of Tim's coffee - but it's convenient. Now I can say with certitude from my own experience, that McDonalds coffee is better than Tim Hortons coffee. But still not as good as a local Cafe with Fairly Traded coffee. And since I don't go to McD's - except for almost never - I don't imagine I'll be drinking much more of their coffee. Nevertheless, now I know.

End of the Week

It is hard to believe that Abi's first week of daycare is over. And there is another (and another...) yet to come.
She is loving it. Every day when I go to pick her up, she isn't ready to leave! She wants to stay and play more. She is also napping for 1-2 hours all by herself, as if this is what she always does. (I wish!) At night time she is still reluctant to go to bed, and she wants to sleep in every morning, but I'm hoping she'll get into a better sleep schedule soon.
J, the childcare provider, is wonderful. She plans all sorts of activities and outings for the kids. And the other kids love Abi. J's daughter was overheard telling people that Abi is her sister! lol Wishful thinking on her part. It's nice to see how well the older kids play with Abi and help to look out for her. Great modelling of behaviour.
I'm feeling like a grad student again - it's a good feeling. I'd still much prefer to be taking care of Abi myself, but I do need to finish this PhD... [all together now: YES! So you can move back to Winnipeg!!]

We've had a busy weekend too! Yesterday Abi and I joined a friend and her son at the local Medieval Faire - once we awoke after quite the sleep-in. Then I was busy preparing to host a Mabon Celebration for kids here, which took up most of the evening and had me waking early (by my standards) at 7am (on a Sunday) to bake muffins and finish cleaning (after Abi tossed all her toys back on the floor Saturday night). The celebration started at 10am and took us past lunch. It was a lot of fun and we were joined by several other families. We celebrated this harvest season with a nature walk, baking corn bread (with help from the kids!), eating corn bread and pumkin-apple muffins, drinking apple cider, and making corn crafts with maize. All the kids had a wonderful time and we made new friends.

Sorry about the lack of photos recently. I've not had much opportunity to take any! There are some from the Medieval Festival that my friend will send to me.

I must get back to the family now - soak up the last couple hours of the weekend together. We hope yours has been enjoyable!

Day 3

I feel like a grad student again - and this is a good thing.
Sitting out on the deck, taking notes and reading - totally undisturbed...
It brought back many fond memories... of doing this daily... back in the day when I could.

Abi's still enjoying childcare and still napping and otherwise playing all day. All day play! When I pick her up, she's still wanting to stay and play more. She still doesn't want to wake in the morning. It's a struggle to get her ready in time for childcare. She's not going to bed early either - try as we might to get her to sleep. I'm hoping by the end of the week the long days of playing will catch up and she will start going to sleep earlier at night. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm adjusting to this more quickly than I expected. It's been a very productive two days. I'm not yet in full swing - but I'm getting there. I keep checking the clock - when can I pick up Abi? Not that she HAS to stay there all day, but I know I need to accustom myself to this schedule (schedules?? I am not a schedule-person!). So I find another task to keep busy with until about 4:45.

In short, things are going very well.

End of The Day

Mid-day I received this message by e-mail, just as I was changing my FB status to reflect how strange it feels to not watch Abi all/most of the day.

I just thought I would let you know your child is an angel. She has had an amazing first day and is currently napping. I have not seen a tear all day, not even at nap time.

Wow, Abi napping??? She's never gone to sleep for other babysitters. It takes me a good hour to get her to nap usually, if not longer!

Seriously, if this is to be the norm, it's FANTASTIC. Soon enough, I'm sure, I'll grow accustomed to having an entire work day to focus on my dissertation without interruption. Today it's very strange and difficult to stay focused when I keep waiting to be interrupted/needed by Abi. Even when Robin is watching her, at most I get 90-120 minutes uninterrupted - if I'm lucky. If I can hear her fussing for a long time I can't help but intercede in some way.
[...]
So, I went to pick her up at 5 and found her playing outside (supervised of course) on the slide. Do you think she cried to see me like usual? No. Didn't seem too impressed that I was there - especially when I suggested we go home (and leave the slide!)

Not only did she fall asleep no problem for a nap, but she napped for almost 2 hours. She never cried or whined once. It was suggested that I should "make more" of these babies. LOL.
[Except, what are the odds I'd actually birth another baby like Abi? Aren't I scheduled for her opposite? Yes, I'm scared of having another just for this reason!]

I am happy for Abi - she clearly enjoys her long days of play with others. Tomorrow she gets to see butterflies. [I'm jealous!] Me, I'll be reading/writing/transcribing/cleaning my office.

Divided

Abi didn't want to wake up this morning. 8am and 8:30 attempts were greeted with a clear "NO!" as Abi rolled over again and went back to sleep. By 9am I was starting to dress her in her sleep in preparation of having to get her out of bed to take her to daycare. By the time I was done dressing her, she was less cranky about the whole thing. I was afraid she'd subsequently cling to me once we arrived at daycare, but instead she reached for J, the daycare provider, who she's never met before, and that was it. She was gone from my arms and happily exploring the new surroundings (and so many new toys!) I had to leave her breakfast so that she could eat it later because, of course, she was far too busy to eat!
Soonafter, I waved goodbye and left. Abi was too busy playing to pay much attention.
This is clearly more traumatic for me than her...

Got into the car and had to focus on calming myself. I had the oh-so-brilliant idea to swing by the university, pick up my old student course evaluations (submitted for a job application), and finally read my evals from last term - you know, to distract myself. That is, to redirect my anxieties away from Abi's absence towards criticism (and praise - but let's be honest, it's the criticisms that stand out).

So far it seems to have worked. I just got home and I'm not freaking out. Trying to center - and I think in order to be productive I will need to clean my office so I can actually find things again. Being able to move within my office would also be helpful.
[Not having to listen to a neighbour's kid drive around in an electric jeep would also be great. Yes, those things bother me - get a bike (he has one) and get some exercise! What are we teaching kids if we let them drive around in mini jeeps? Jeeps that can't even get over the lip into the driveway I might add.]

Yarn Yarn Yarn

In response to recently having been told that I may be strange for loving yarn...
here are some yarn slideshows.

1) My divine gifts from the Knitters Fair this weekend

2) My favourite Wellintgton Fibres wools

3) More favourite wools

Next time I'll show you what I do with my yarn. And then we can get back to the regularly scheduled Abi-ness.

Oh, this morning she said downstairs (ie, where Fenwick had just gone)

Late KNight Knit thoughts

Tomorrow is the big Knitters Fair and I'm trying to prepare myself with "a list" so I won't get too silly. I've never been to a Knitters Fair - where 80 plus vendors of yarn offer up temptations. One store is overwhelming (I'm talking stores such as Romni Wools and Shall We Knit, not Michaels), what will an entire fair be like???
So what's on my list? First and foremost - solid coloured sock yarn. I'm a sock-knitting fanatic. Easy, portable, relatively fast (well, considering the thin yarn and tiny needles), highly satisfying, cozy... need I go on?
After that, I have some yardage on a few different heavier weight yarns for a sweater or wrap - just some options. Given that I've managed to accumulate a small yarn stash over the past year (I recall when I lamented having absolutely no stash), I really should focus on using that up... Which is why I have a list. Because, there will be a LOT of yarn that I will want to fill my office with. And, thinking about it, and office filled with yarn isn't a bad idea. Sound-proofing for when I feel like screaming. Padding for when I throw my laptop. Soft things to throw if necessary. A bed if I fall asleep reading. Yarn to tie myself to my desk. Softness to squeeze and release stress.

Well now, how can I NOT buy oodles more yarn tomorrow?
I'm so glad I had this little chat with myself.

Now, to bed - to dream of alpaca and silk and unfinished socks. (Incidentally, I finished my first big-foot-man-sock today! I hope this man doesn't expect to receive socks all the time. Did I mention it's big?? And cabled?? That's love. And one Yule gift half done. I hope I don't have nightmares of the second sock. Great, why'd I have to go and think that!
Alpaca.
Silk.
Blankety-softness (as opposed to actually knitting the blanket, which would take forever - like Abi's fingering-weight ribbed pinwheel blanket...)

Child Care

After 18 months, Abi is soon to start child care so that I can finish my PhD and we can move home.

That's the short version.
The longer version would say more about being torn between child care and continuing to look after her myself, applying for child care subsidy, things about a village raising a child perhaps. But I'm not in the mood to write the long version. Perhaps because it is all rather nebulous still in my mind. I don't really want to think about it. I'm doing what needs to be done - so I can finish the PhD and we can move home.

Fortunately, our child care is home daycare and the childcare provider is wonderful. She came highly recommended by a friend and I was able to learn she had an opening early. She'd also met Abi once while this friend was babysitting - and who wouldn't want to provide childcare for Abi?? lol I DO I DO!!!

I'm nervous, but perhaps I'll focus on being curious about how this will all unfold as Abi starts spending her days with other kids elsewhere. I know she'll love all the activities and just being with other kids.

For myself, I'm looking forward to really diving into my work. So far I've actually only been able to tread water and swim a little. I have so much I want to write and have not had the opportunities I need to sit down and pull it all together uninterrupted.

Child care was supposed to start this week, but due to paper work stuff it didn't. I spent most of the week enjoying the summer with Abi - and we had great weather for it.

Words, Wrap, Diaper-free nights

Words just keep coming out of Abi's mouth! Words like Door and Apple and, today, Doll. Rather than try to blog every new word, I've added a Word List to the blog [if you read this on FB, you'll have to click the link to see the original post at Blogger]. There I will add the new words to the top of the list.

"Doll" started when we took a Groovy Girl doll with us to a meeting today. I had bought her a new one yesterday and when I was about to put it away, she became quite interested in it. I pulled out the other three for her to see. She's not one to play with stuffed toys much, but she does like to gather them up in her arms occasionally. I'll leave the dolls out for now to see if she wants to play with them. I'm hoping to get her a SewFunky Waldorf doll for Yule.She's been quite clingy lately. She loves the wrap and still prefers this carry (rather than a front-facing or back carry). See George lounging in the background - enjoying the baby-free time! He knows to expect Abi-hugs if he sleeps there, and yet it is still his favourite place. He knows the Abi-free places if he needs them.

I am also pleased to report that Abi has been sleeping through the night without peeing. This is especially good given that she's not wearing a diaper to bed. There is a large soaker pad underneath her in case she were to pee. She prefers, however, to get out of bed and use the potty in the room.
Have I mentioned how much I love my baby???
As soon as she starts telling me that she has to go (rather than me just reading her signals), we can go diaper-free all the time. It's my own fault for not emphasizing this earlier - getting her to sign for potty. It didn't seem necessary when she was taking herself to the potty. She never had to ask.

In addition to the new Groovy Girl, I bought (for a mere 99cents) Dr. Seuss' Sleep Book and it's my new favourite! Goodnight Moon and Guess How Much I Love You as well as I Love You, Goodnight (all of which I memorized months ago) are still favourites. I hate to give away my source, but the local Goodwill Store is my favourite place to shop for children's books. You can't go wrong with 99 cents books in mint condition! Nobody else would sell a Dr. Seuss book for that price.