Connor Care

I've received a few emails asking about what I have done about the day home situation so I thought I should write a quick post about it. My day home was permanently closed because the agency (right or wrong, everyone has a strong opinion) did not feel it would be safe for children until she had her problems with her ex sorted out. She is going to come to my house for the month of August as a nanny and then work on setting up her own private day home. She has been speaking to family services about the situation and wants to ensure that they are comfortable providing her with her license and has given them all the information. They feel that if there is no further problems since the last encounter than she should be able to open Sept. 1. Now if this was anyone else I would probably find a new day home but because she is one of the most open, honest people I know and I completely trust her with all of Connor's safety concerns I am willing to wait and put him in her private day home once it is started. I have been up every night for a week thinking this over and some people agree with me and others disagree but I would never, never, never do anything that I thought would put Connor in any sort of risky situation and I have to go with my gut feeling. I did not think it was possible to find someone that would love my child the way she does and that he would care about so deeply. I am so happy that she will remain in his life and remain his caretaker during the day because lets face it, if I have to work, he needs to be with someone that unconditionally loves him.

Gender confused rat???

Have any of you seen Toopy and Binoo??? Is Toopy male or female? This is a constant debate in our house as it is now Connor's favorite TV show and he gets quiet upset if the TV is on and it is not one of the many PVR recordings of Toopy and Binoo. He smiles, laughs and frowns at the episodes and it is impossible not to be mesmerized by him while he's watching! I don't see the appeal but obviously there is something to this gender confused rat and his odd little speech impaired friend that has all of these kids so enthralled! You know its bad when you have the theme song stuck in your head and you find yourself humming it at your desk at work. I would prefer it if Connor was still enjoying Handy Manny or Jake and the Neverland Pirates, but I guess I have to roll with the cartoons of his choosing instead of mine...

Day Homes vs. Daycares

Pre Connor I was an advocate of the day care system. I liked the organization of it, the regulations, multiple care providers, etc. Post Connor, my opinions were altered on care providers and I leaned toward the day home care due to the one-on-one attention and more intimate atmosphere. Today, I truly believe that the appropriate option is based on the child and the specific facility. Until yesterday, I was lucky enough to have Connor in the most amazing day home where the woman loved him unconditionally and understood his sleep issues and never made a big deal about them. I could not have been happier with the care. Due to problems with her ex-husband, my day home lady has been temporarily suspended until the agency can fully understand the situation and ensure that the children are safe. It feels like my life has come crashing down...yes, a little over dramatic...but this woman loves my child and I truly feel like she cares for him in a way that I could only hope to find in a care provider while I am at work. I'm looking into temporary care at day cares, and I think Connor will enjoy aspects of it now that he is older, but he is so sensitive that this truly scares me. The agency provided me with names of other day homes that can do back up care but that terrifies me because I don't know them and they did not come recommended by a friend. I'm sure everyone has this fear and perhaps, if I go and interview them, this fear would dissipate but right now I am anxiously awaiting the call to let me know how long they expect the suspension to last. Even with that I have mixed emotions because although I truly believe that she is the best person to be caring for my child how can I be sure that it will remain a safe environment if her ex has gone a little crazy??? I was up all night thinking about that. I don't think that the man would ever harm any of the children but I also don't want Connor exposed to any potentially ugly situations. And at the same time Connor loves our day home provider and she is amazing and I hate to keep him away. I guess this is a risk of the day home that I had never previously considered. The care can be there one day and gone the other whereas if you are at a daycare they can replace workers. If anyone reading this is in Calgary and knows of a day home or daycare that they truly love and may have a temporary space...I would love and appreciate the feedback.

Pinches and Kisses

You have to love toddlers and the fact that you don't know if they are going to pinch the kid next to them or kiss them! Watching parents react to their kids is almost equally amusing. You have parents that freak out over every bit of child contact and then you have parents that are totally laid back and are unconcerned as long as no one is hurt. Very rarely do parents fit in the middle spectrum. I think I'm somewhere in the middle but someone watching me could very well think otherwise. I'd like to be unconcerned but I always feel bad when I know that Connor's loving isn't appreciated by the other parents!

My day home was closed yesterday so I took Connor to a mom and tot coffee shop for some quality mom and toddler play time. We had a blast but I never knew what Connor was going to do next. Some kids he adores and others...he just pinches to keep them at bay! He's also got a really good overhand throw which he's testing out everywhere....and aim isn't great so I had to catch his hand a few times so he didn't nail a baby with a wooden toy! There was only one kid that I really had to keep him separated from. He doesn't like (I know this sounds mean) but dirty kids. The kids with snot all over their faces he is really opposed to coming anywhere near him and will continue to pinch and push until they leave. I was really struggling to keep the stern face on yesterday because honestly, as mean as it is the kid was gross, and Connor wanted him away. Of course I would catch him pinching and tell him we don't pinch and have a little chat and redirect him to a different area but I don't really know what else you can do at this age. Other kids he goes running up to he gives a huge hug and a big kiss while he has them pinned (so far, to his fathers delight, that has only happened with little girls!). I don't know how you other moms feel about contact but I would love to know your thoughts because what makes me uncomfortable is how the other parents feel about their kids being loved by another kid. Right now, I just try to accept that you have to let them play and be kids and every parent will react different so Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).

Cowboys & Babies

Stampede is over half way done and I'm exhausted! Working in a male dominated industry I find it amusing that most lunches and functions I attend the guys, all in cowboy hats instead of suites, are showing me pictures of their kids on their IPhones. It's like now that I am a mom that is the only thing I think about (which really isn't far from the truth to be honest!). Prior to having a baby I may have found this annoying but now I truly don't. I love talking about what kids are doing and the things they get into as they get older. I really have developed a one track (baby) mind!

We have taken full advantage of stampede...we've used the crowds being downtown to take Connor to the zoo and calaway park. It has been fantastic! The lineups for the penguins last weekend were 15 mins and every time we have been to the zoo since the exhibit opened the line has been over 2 hours. (I love the penguins but couldn't imagine waiting for that long. The 15 minute wait was long enough with a toddler). It turns out that the calaway season tickets were a great idea. There are so many rides for little ones that we went from ride to ride with Connor...it was a blast! We have not attempted the Stampede grounds with Connor because the idea of getting through those crowds with him wanting to run just doesn't seem like a good idea. We did do one pancake breakfast which was great. I think next year I'll take a day off during stampede and attempt to bring him down to the grounds once for the super dog show. I did see lots of strollers and I'm sure others had fun with their kids on the grounds...I just don't think it would be right for Connor this year (and I have bad luck with crowds...when I was prego a drunk guy thought it would be funny to spit on me...).

Happy Stampeding!

Welcome Home Smiles

I just read one of the cutest blogs...Honest Toddler...life from the toddlers perspective! I love it and added it to my blog list for those that want to check it out. The blog entry I just read was the toddlers view of daddy coming home at night...I loved it because I'm lucky enough to be the person that gets to do pick up duty and my poor husband is in charge of drop off for the day home. There is nothing more amazing than that "you are here now!" look. It melts my heart. I had a stampede function last night and when I opened the back door (I went home early so I wouldn't miss bed time), I heard "Momma!!" and little fat feet slapping against the hardwood as he ran from one end of the house to the other in his mission to get to me. When he reached me he wrapped his little arms around my legs, patted me and wouldn't let me take my shoes off. That heart stopping smile beaming at me with the "it is about bloody time" look made my entire day melt away and made the idea of being "pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen" sound like heaven! LOL! That might not make anyone else happy since my cooking isn't exactly wonderful and I am huge pregnant!!!

Happy Friday and enjoy those wonderful little smiles! I CANNOT wait to get home and see Connor tonight. Since its Stampede we'll be doing anything not Stampede related for the weekend as it gives us a chance to get out and (hopefully) avoid large crowds. If Chris isn't stuck working all weekend we may go to the Zoo and/or Calloway Park.

All you need is love...and birthday parties!

I love that Beatles song! I woke up humming it...I don't know if it was on the alarm radio this morning or where I heard it but I just love it! I am a dreamer and definitely believe that "all you need is love"!! I had an amazing night with Connor last night (Chris had his first stampede work function...we'll be trading off days over the next two weeks to attend the different events). I picked Connor up from his day home and we went and played at Gymboree until they kicked us out! He was hilarious and was the highlight of my day. He was climbing and laughing and I swear he has changed again in the last week...he's getting so big!

I'm very tempted to do his second birthday party at Gymboree again (that's where I had his first birthday party and I highly recommend it). Chris thinks that I need to do something different and my other options include the zoo or having a petting zoo come to the house. Any suggestions??? I love birthdays and I think Connors will continue to get more extravagant every year. I want it to always be an incredibly special day for him because I remember every one of my birthday parties growing up. Not everyone agrees with me on my birthday excitement and prefer to have just a family get together...but I love big birthdays and seeing the excitement on a child's face that the day is just about them! I may be slightly extreme...but I love it!!! The nice thing about the zoo and Gymboree is I won't have to clean up after...or before ;-) I have 2 months to plan and I'm already getting excited and thinking of what to do for goodie bags!!

Dr. Seuss was a smart man

There is nothing that seems more apt for every strange life situations than Dr. Seuss quotes. The one that matches my mood today is...

“You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

 

There are so many moving parts to life and sometimes, with everything apparently great on the outside, there is turmoil within. I can't talk about some of the things I'm going through right now on this blog so I thought an insightful Dr. Seuss quote would be a good way to start to the week! I have yet to find a situation that I am unable to find an appropriate Dr. Seuss quote to go along with it!! He was a smart, eccentric, man...did you know he didn't actually have any children?