Welcome Babies!

James's neighbourhood debut was a hit!



All the kids were so cute!  Aside from James and Eli (the babies), we also met Claude's new little black chihuahua dog (rat :P), Bella.

The sun was shining and there was so much smiling and energy.  I only wish I wasn't so allergic (to pollen) and tired to enjoy it.  Good thing there were very few expectations.  James happily sat, either in my or Jackie's lap, while others came to us.  



















Tim finds out what the plant is growing in his garden, Lily of the Valley, and smells it for the first time

There was a case of Mistaken identity: Daddy Sukh mistakes "Thing 1" with "Thing 2" because they switched their shirts! 

Who says you can't have cake in pie plate?  Well, my questionable baking was at at least made appetizing with pretty patterned icing (thanks, Jackie!). 

Eli's bonnet was is a family heirloom. 

We weren't quite sure if the Trump t-shirt was for real or not...

Two Month Follow-Up

James is now 8 lbs 6 oz!  The rate of growth is not as impressive as the 4 weeks before, but it's still an above average rate.

Though the diapers are still "bad" (green goo), I think James has been slightly happier and less cry-y... Anyway, the pediatrician has given the go ahead for part 2 of the food experiment: I go off the diet.  Yay!  Chocolate and cheese and bread and crackers!  Though I was probably a little over strict (soy oil turns out to be o.k. as it does not contain soy protein)

I thought being able to eat would me happy, but it was really after a one hour nap that things started looking / feeling a bit up.

Fingers crossed this all works.

Oh, crap. Green is not good.

There was a surprise in James's nappy Tuesday night: it (his poo) was green.

The handbooks have helpful pictures of what to expect (i.e. first black - meconium, then yellow and seedy normal poos for breastfed babies), but this was different.  Online sources mentioned there can be some variation towards green depending on the mother's diet so I chalked it up to more green veg than usual.  Next morning though, when Mom came, there was another green nappy.

Mom: This is so strange.  Why is it green and mucusy?
Me: I just figured it was because of all the veg I've been eating...

I called the Healthy Beginnings Hotline.  Then I called our pediatrician.

We managed to get an appointment with Dr. C (our pediatrician wasn't available) and she had a different take.  She suspects James has a dairy and/or soy allergy.  She said it was fairly common and he'll likely grow out of it, but in the meantime I'm to cut both from my diet.  

Poor James.  But, at least we caught it early...

Poor me?  No dairy or soy didn't seem that hard until I read the reference handout (McMaster Children's Hospital's "What to eat while breastfeeding when your baby has a cow's milk protein allergy") -- even MSG could contain soy!  But overall, if I cooked my own food, it would be doable.

Mom and Dad, however, were really frustrated -- cooking without soy sauce?!  They told me again I should just stop breastfeeding. What would James eat then?  I pointed out baby formulas are generally made from cow's milk and soy.

My "victory" was short lived.  I had my own health issues to tackle: Could my breast pain and itchiness be a yeast infection?  We went to the drop-in clinic.  I didn't want to take James since he might catch something in the waiting room, but if it was yeast, he should be checked out too.

The verdict: James is not infected.  Me?  Not likely either, but I now have a prescription if it gets worse.  Le sigh.

Itch Management?

Wash hair; rinse extra well; try not to scratch.

Put on some clothes.  Change clothes... into something softer.  Try not to scratch

Rub eyes.  Remember that rubbing is like scratching and put on glasses.

Hydrate: drink lots of water.

Wash hands.  Debate if lotion will lead to more itchiness.  Put on a thin layer.

Try not too move too much.

Take a shower.  Wonder if it's my soap. Lotion?

I Spy...

... Sharon and Mike walking their dog.

The thing Erik's asked about has finally happened - I bumped into Sharon and Mike walking their dog. They didn't look completely comfortable with me (maybe they didn't believe my running nose and red eyes were only due to allergies?), but did slow their pace to chat.  Mike had his camera too and showed me a dramatic shot: A historical house on our street torn down!  Wow, when did all this happen?  He told me it was up for sale and sold in a week, and it must have been demolished just that day.  Walking the dog really keeps people in connected. 
... Other green things.

My original purpose for venturing out after dinner was to take photos of the green things outside.  The twisted green shoots (#4) remain a mystery, but seem to be growing buds - actual blooms will likely help with the identification. 

# 3 indeed looks like rhubarb. 

While this new thing (um... #8?) has started growing in the cage next to the rhubarb.  It looks a bit like a herb, so I'm tempted stick some leaves into my mouth just to see... but then again maybe not. 

... no trickery, all skill!

Return back indoors to find Coconut practicing his amazing balancing act.  No strings.  No other supports.  That lamb has staggering core strength. 

This is your Lana on drugs.

"Just say NO!" ~ Janet, re: manual statements, which require much, much work

Was at work again last Saturday. Got another batch of statements done, some manual (which is where we go and build/change the statement because the system generated one is lacking). Then I caught Iron Man. Having few expectations, I thought it was all right. I was fairly entertained... but it could be because I was also watching Travis eat his popcorn, and thinking about Simon's eating method (note: not the same). The trailer for Dark Knight, definitely caught my eye.

Next day, went on a mini-mission with Chris: find jeans. Oh, the styles we saw! The Bay had a reasonable selection and it became a matter of pulling things off the shelves that were the right size, a likable colour, and having him try them on. It became a whole different challenge when we reached Urban Outfitters (one of my favourites - at least to look). The jeans there have names, such as Mahattan and Detroit (remind anyone of naming nail polish colours?), and were wildly different from each other. Chris humoured me and tried a couple pairs. That's when it became apparent: Back pockets that were so low they hung mid-thigh, low-cut waists that made kneeling challenging, and "suggestive" fading / shading are current themes. These were then paired with long, either outlandishly wide pant legs or extremely skinny ones. We left empty handed, but we did have a good laugh. Or at least I did.

(Left: Baby Winston looking slightly distressed. / Right: Possible cause of distress.)
It is again my allergy season. And as usual, I stubbornly avoided taking antihistamines. I finally broke down mid-week when Lidia stopped staying "Bless you". She knew my sneezes would be followed by a string of atleast another 5, and thus decided to economise and wait until I was truly done. So I take the pink pill. Before long, I noticed something was different: I was even more dopey and dizzy than expected... Realisation: these were the pills I brought back from New York! (Had I violated another law?) Good thing I wasn't operating any heavy equipment... just things with numbers on them. And I still managed to arrived safely, walking with Na, Steph, and Rem, to Micah's "Housewarming of Destiny". And once there, to not embarass myself too much (I hope).

It was the Mathies, and Feasters, and Micah's new and old co-workers at Micah's new place, a basement suite all to her herself. The grand tour revealed a bedroom with a nook, a kitchen / dining area with chairs (only one of which did not allow for fancy sitting), and shelves and shelves of books. We wondered about the differences between sherbet and sorbet, and listened to opera (and other) records at different speeds. Mark and Jen arrived with their baby Winston. Micah brought our her Polaroid camera and created for us some instant nostalgia. We didn't "shake it", instead holding the edges gently watching the picture develop. The faded colours made the captured scene feel like years and years ago. A black and white cat from upstairs also came down to visit. His long tail brushed across my legs, as I stood, but he did not let me pet him. Na and I head out together after I had knocked something over, brain still feeling like mush. Looking in from one of the windows I made faces at the people still inside. This is why Lana shouldn't take drugs. (Right: Blue chair and Beth.)

"Once you wear a bow tie, you can't go back." ~ Boss Michael

People nibbled the assembly line cucumber sandwiches (white bread with the crusts cut off) and drank cups and cups of English Breakfast and Earl Grey tea. What really caught people's attention though, at our "Pseudo-British-Tea Coffee Club" (in honour of Victoria Day), were the McVitie Penguin biscuits. I wouldn't have thought them to be British, but they sure were tasty (and totally covered in chocolate). Wendy and I had dressed up for the occassion. She in Bobby helmet and me in an "old lady hat". Andrew (the only other person who dressed up) gave a demo on how to tie a bowtie to a rapt audience.

(Left: "I don't know but don't try to fix its bow tie.")

The caffeine from all that tea hasn't been able to counter the post drugs / allergy reactions. I am so very glad it is the weekend - and a long one at that. At some point I will sleep this off.