My sick child

The hardest part about having a very sick child at the hospital, is having to watch it as a parent and not being able to do very much.

My son has been admitted to the hospital and I am struggling to keep a calm, positive exterior for him, in order to keep him calm and positive. I didn't expect to be so much on the brink of tears if my child ever got sick enough to be hospitalized. But I am -- always -- on the verge of letting it all flow out.

It is so hard to see your child suffer and I now understand that movie with Denzel Washington -- that one in which he plays father who holds a hospital hostage because he can't get the live-saving transplant (I think) that his child needs.

Now, the hospital that we're at is excellent and they are definitely doing all they can to treat my son's condition. But I get that feeling of wanting to WHATEVER it takes to heal your child.

Anyway, it's back to the hospital for me. Smile, Emma, smile.

Tell me what your contractions felt like

I get this question a lot from first-time moms-to-be. What does a contraction feel like? I used to ask this question myself before I had my first child.

Tell me what a contraction felt like for you! It's different for everyone, so do share! And be sure to add what helped you get through the pain.

Here's what my contractions felt like:
In the beginning of labour (the first few hours), my contractions felt like menstrual cramps, starting out mild and progressing to pretty strong. In the later stages, the contractions felt like a very intense pressure, like a giant and very strong hand was wrapped around my torso and crushing my bones. Focusing on breathing the way I had learned in my prenatal classes was what got me through the 34 hours of labour. My husband wasn't much help, though he tried, offering me ice chips every five minutes or a back rub. He was quickly silenced by my 'look of death' (which I seemed to have perfected during labour) -- and ended up standing silent and nervous by the side of my bed for most of the labour until our son was born.

The magic of checkboxes

I was talking with a mom of two girls ages four and two today about motivating our oldest children (her four-year-old daughter and my five-year-old son) to want to go to their swimming lessons.

Both our kids expressed anxiety at going to their lessons. My son told me he didn't want to go and that he never wanted to swim again. Her daughter said pretty much the same thing. Until, we discovered, we presented them with the Progress Report that the community centre swimming pool provides. The report shows illustrations what every child will learn at each level with a corresponding checkbox next to each drawing.

As soon as my son saw the pictures that showed what he'll learn at level four (which is what I signed him up for), he was excited. He could put something concrete to "swimming lessons" -- it wasn't just a scary unknown thing, it was now learning to swim on his side, learning how to tread water, learning about pool safety. And looking back at the other illustrated levels in the report, he could see all the things he already knew how to do and feel proud and confident going into his lessons.

I think I might implement checkboxes at home for things like whining (a checkbox for every two hours of no whining for example -- my son has a real fondness for whining), or helping around the house. He loves to see how he's improving, and wants to see how far he's come.

Checkboxes, I tell you! They're the key!

I should probably apply checkboxes to my resolution to get in better shape... Except I have this nasty little virus called "rationalization," which often infects my best efforts to whip this body into shape. But that's a topic for another day.

What I love today

Who hasn't been driven crazy trying to keep their drying bottles and nipples from falling through the holes of a regular dish-drying rack? Keep everything all together with this stylish baby bottle and accessories drying rack called Splash by Skip Hop.

















Handysitt is a child seat that attaches to kitchen or restaurant chairs so that your child can sit up at the table. No need for a tray because the child can sit right up to the table (and be right in the middle of the action, which babies love!) with everyone else with the Handysitt. I like it because it looks modern, folds up for storage and taking out on the road, and works for kids (according to the manufacturer) ages 7 months to 4-1/2 years.






































How about these peel and stick chalk boards by Wallies? The vinyl chalkboard panels come in four different colours: gray, green, blue and grape. Apply it where you want it and then peel it off and stick it somewhere else if you want! They come in different shapes too. Very fun.

Hold the gifts!

I was discussing with a couple of moms today about the overabundance of toys our kids received for Christmas this year. And we all agreed that our children were overstimulated by all the toys and seemed to be less grateful for each gift they opened. It was the classic rip-open-the-gift-and-toss-it-aside-ready-for-next-one syndrome.

One mom had a great solution that I also put into play this year. She held back a few of the gifts for distribution at strategic times during the year. I did that this year, too, and will pull out that new Easy Bake Oven perhaps this spring.

Good idea!