Spring Break 2025 - checking out UBC

Turns out the University of British Columbia feels a touch too large and metropolitan for our kid at this point in his life.  Will this change?  Maybe.  But we got to spend a few days in Vancouver, B.C., tour the college, nab some poutine, visit Granville Island to do some shopping, and pick up chocolates at an actual bonafide Lindt store. 

It should be noted we were originally going to make this a train trip.  Two (three?) days before our departure we were notified that the second part of our journey north was going to switch from train to bus in Seattle because of <insert whatever Amtrak's reason was here>.  Okay.  Not great but doable.  One day later, the second notification arrived that the first part of our return trip was also changing from train to bus.  Since driving isn't that much of a burden and having more than half our time spent on a bus sounded miserable, we ended up driving up ourselves.  This was definitely a good decision and I enjoyed our time together immensely. 

Of course there were pictures...

For the majority of our road trips through the years Hen and I camped and/or stayed in budget motels so a little luxury I was able to secure at the low cost of $13 (+ parking) thanks to some saved up credit card points was super lovely and appreciated. This is our room in the older of the two Fairmont hotels in downtown Vancouver. We did not have air conditioning in our unit (mon dieu!) and the pool was being prepped for a remodel, but we somehow scored a particular "level" of stay and so we were entitled to and took full advantage of the complimentary breakfast, midday snacks, and evening desserts offered.

The teenage boy is still sleeping so I played Solitaire.

UBC Beaty Biodiversity Museum

Henry found this humerus.

I do not recall what this is, a type of grass perhaps? But I like the looks of it.

Exciting museum times for this kid.

Dinosaurs! ROAR!

Turns out Canadians have some trouble with book bans, too.

Always happy to return to Granville Island.

A nice steak dinner out!

Yes, we did enjoy our trip to the Lindt chocolate shop.

Happy Father's Day

Some father-son photos to make you go, "Awwww...."

Music at the condo

Last night Darren was lamenting Henry's lack of interest in music. This morning, whilst showing his pops a new iPad game I purchased, the kid starts singing, "Come from the land of the ice and snow." For the uninitiated, that's Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song. We're taking this as a parenting win.

Happy Father's Day!

I could peruse old photos of papa and Hen for days and not tire of it. Here's hoping the old man and kid have a great Father's Day together. The weather is fantastic and the two left the house with a knife and spears. Adventure awaits!

He'll never be Alex P. Keaton

Today, my little one helped me hold the pen as I filled in the bubble to vote for the first woman President of the United States. After I completed the rest of the ballot and signed the form, he then walked with me up to the library in our neighborhood to drop it into the ballot box. What an amazing time for this kid to live in. At some point he'll realize how incredible it was that the first president he can remember was the first black man to be president and the one after that was the first woman to be president. How lucky am I to be this kid's mom? I originally held fears that he would grow up to become some horrible version of Alex P. Keaton but he is a wonderfully giving, compassionate person with a gentle heart. He'd never vote for Drumpf. #imwithher

Books for boys

This morning I overheard a mom at Hen's school ask our librarian a question about what kind of books to introduce to her son. It sounds like he's still in the zone of wanting to be read to rather than read by himself. It got me thinking about the amazing selection of boy books out there that we've discovered since Hen's reading picked up.

Superhero stories:
Captain Awesome to the Rescue by Stan Kirby
Melvin Beederman, Superhero: The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich by Greg Trine
Kung Pow Chicken: Let's Get Cracking by Cyndi Marko
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Mystery stories:
The Whodunit Detective Agency: The Diamond Mystery by Martin Widmark
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald Sobol
Jack Gets a Clue: The Case of the Beagle Burglar by Nancy Krulik
Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Space stories: 
Galaxy Zach: Hello, Nebulon by Ray O'Ryan
Star Wars Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown

Sci-fi stories:
The Notebook of Doom: Rise of the Balloon Goons by Troy Cummings
Looniverse: Stranger Things by David Lubar
Eerie Elementary: The School is Alive! by Jack Chabert

Silly stories:
Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
Geronimo Stilton
The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut: Bowling Alley Bandit by Laurie Keller
The Yeti Files: Meet the Bigfeet by Kevin Sherry
George Brown, Class Clown: Hey! Who Stole the Toilet? by Nancy Krulik

Sports stories:
Frankie's Magic Soccer Ball: Frankie vs. the Pirate Pillagers by Frank Lampard

Knights and dragons stories: 
Dragon Masters: Rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West
Dragon Slayers' Academy: The New Kid at School by Kate McMullan

Graphic novel stories:
Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner


And here are some of the titles we have on the shelves that Hen hasn't read yet but will soon…

Super Chicken Nugget Boy by Josh Lewis
The Kids of Einstein Elementary: The Last Dinosaur by Len Mlodinow & Matt Costello
Snoop Troop: It Came From Beneath the Playground by Kirk Scroggs
Astrosaurs: The Mind-Swap Menace by Steve Cole
Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald
Dr. Roach's Monstrous Stories: The Day the Mice Stood Still by Paul Harrison

First aid kit in my bag-purse

I love the little homemade first aid kit in my previously-known-as-my-diaper-bag purse. You would not believe how many small scraps, boo-boos, ouchies, and the like have been treated, and little hearts saved, thanks to the medical goodies I carry. I try to keep it well stocked and, thanks to the return of The Walking Dead, am even including water tablets should the zombie apocalypse occur and I find myself with my previously-known-as-my-diaper-bag purse and no drinking water. (It could happen.)

What else do I keep in the bag? Here's the list…

• Neosporin
• iodine prep pads 
• 4 different sizes of band-aids (lots of 'em)
• cough drops
• pain relievers
• small gauze pads
• large non-stick pads
• scissors
• one healthy hoohoo*

*I purchased one individual packet when I saw these at Whole Foods because how awesome is a healthy hoohoo? I have yet to use it but I think it'd probably be really great to have during the aforementioned zombie apocalypse.

New saying from the wee one

Hen's a funny kid. Lately, he's taken to say "knew it!" whenever you point something out or try to explain something. For instance,

Me: The sun sets in the west.

Hen: Knew it!

I don't know why but this makes me chuckle. He was born, he didn't know anything, he hardly knew anything, and now we've reached the stage where he knows it already.

Book fourteen: Your Six-Year Old: Loving and Defiant by Louise Bates Ames

I'd quote the whole book here if I had enough time and space and it wasn't illegal to do so.

This book quite accurately describes exactly what Hen is like right now. Unfortunately, age six is when kids pull away from their primary caregiver, who up to this point has been the center of their lives, and start placing themselves in the center. During this time of transition, the child often finds it difficult to make a decision - they do but they don't, they can but they can't - this sort of thing. As if this wasn't already enough to drive you out of your parental mind, they are moody, aggressive, etc. Thank goodness, this type of behavior is generally reserved for their main caregivers. This at least means when  they are out of your care, they are most likely well-behaved.

Perhaps most appreciated is the list of techniques one can use to try and curb the disruptive, unpleasant behavior.

1. Praise - No matter how difficult it may be, try to find a particular aspect of the day and your child's behavior that you can praise.

2. Chances - If at first the child refuses or ignores a request, acknowledge that this is a difficult moment and that more than one chance might be needed in order to get things done. For instance, when a child tells you he won't do something, instead of becoming combative, try saying, "I guess you're going to need three chances on this one."

3. Counting - You give your child a simple request. They do nothing. You say, "And let's see if you can do that before I count to ten." I used this with great success.

4. Sidestep - Instead of meeting defiance head-on, change the subject or situation. Give as few commands as possible to avoid setting yourself up for a combative confrontation. If you need something done, make an indirect request.

5. Bargain - Don't overuse this one or you may appear weak. But break it out when needed. A good response for constant pestering is to offer a given reward for a completed daily task.

6. Give in - For those moments when you find yourself battling over something insignificant, you can say, "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter," and let him win one.

I will absolutely be checking out her next age book as Hen's birthday approaches so I know what to expect.

14 down plus 38 to go.

Lucky catch

Dear Bean,

I'm no expert at sports but if keeping your eyes closed is your modus operandi when dealing with balls flying at your face, this could explain why you've had past difficulty with catching them. Keep them eyes open, son.

Love,
Mama

Kitchen play with a preschooler

Hen and I spent nearly two hours in the kitchen this morning. I gave him access to all sorts of ingredients and a mini food processor and he got right to work.

Here is a list of his food combinations (some he named, some he did not):

1. "super duper duper good" - trail mix from Costco, including cashews, almonds, yogurt chips, cranberries, wild blueberries
2. salted cashews and granulated sugar
3. almonds and brown sugar
4. oats, coconut, brown sugar, almonds, dried cherries, gingersnaps, semi-sweet chocolate*
5. "super duper mix crunch" ladyfingers, graham crackers, stoned wheat thins, rice crackers, coconut, oats, semi-sweet chocolate, almonds, brown sugar
6. coconut and semi-sweet chocolate†
7. rice crackers, stoned wheat thins, freeze-dried peas
8. "super mix" - freeze-dried peas, stoned wheat thins, rice crackers, coconut, oats, semi-sweet chocolate, brown sugar
9. "mixy crunch" - carrots, graham crackers, rice crackers, coconut, oats, Cheerios, almonds, bran cereal, brown sugar

*My favorite. Yum!

†Hen's and Darr's favorite. 

Corithomimus

Hen became an imaginary, previously undiscovered dinosaur after swimming tonight and this carried on into dinner. The Corithomimus is a fast and slow moving herbivore that can be both big and small. (It becomes small by making itself into a ball.) They have a brain that fills the whole head. It is nocturnal and not nocturnal. They usually live in packs but Corithomimus HenFinnasaur, a northwestern subspecies, lives by itself with a family of humans in a condo. Corithomimus means sharp teeth, the teeth are so strong they can go through carrots and Cheezies. Corithomimus eats the following: fennel, celery, carrots, basil, parsley, satsuma oranges, Cheezies, ginger snap cookies, flour tortillas, and heart-healthy biscuit cookies.

Head, meet floor

It started like this...

"Mama, come see this, mama." [Because one "mama" is not enough to get my attention when I'm already walking behind him into his room.] Something distracted me for a second - darn cat scratching the couch, I think - I look back into the living room and I hear a KATHUNK! followed by a gigantic wail of pain. [Note: Hen isn't a huge cryer after falls so I know he's hurt when he does cry.] I scoop him up and start the rocking, shushing, soothing process to get him to calm down a bit while simultaneously checking for any evidence of swelling and peppering him with questions. "What happened?" (Obviously he fell so this is ridiculous on my part.) "Did you hit your head?" (Again, I already know the answer to this since one side of his face is red from the impact. Why am I not asking pertinent questions?) "Did you hit the train table on the way down, honey?" (Ding, ding ding! Now we're getting somewhere.) He tells me no. That explains why I have yet to find any big knots forming. I deduce he slammed the side of his head into the floor. Ouch.

The rocking and soothing has worked too well and Hen has cried himself to sleep. Sleeping isn't necessarily a good thing but I remember the doctor saying that as long as you continue to check your kid (i.e., wake him/her up and check the kid's responses) it isn't necessarily a bad thing. I call his pediatrician and they can get him me in to see the doctor but not for another two hours. I let him catch a few ZZZs (roughly 20 minutes) and then wake him up. He is unusually lethargic and he tells me his head still hurts. I am not surprised, it sounded like a hard hit. He wants to lie still so I go to fold the laundry. A few minutes later, he follows me into the room and collapses onto the pile of clean clothing. Poor kid.

It isn't long after this when he sits up, looking somewhat drained of color, and informs me his stomach feels weird. Methinks he's going to puke. I deposit him in front of the toilet and inform him it is now an acceptable moment to do any vomiting. (An unacceptable moment would be on the pile of freshly laundered clothes.) He retches but nothing comes up. There are a few more minutes of rest and then he actually does puke. He pukes twice in about five minutes. I also notice that he's slowly blinking and rolling his eyes. This isn't particularly scary but it also isn't entirely normal. I call Hen's pediatrician's office and inform them that since he is now puking I'm not going to wait to see the doctor there. We pack up and head to the ER, which I vaguely remember hearing is now actually called the ED (for Emergency Department - is this change absolutely necessary?).

We arrive, register, head to the children's waiting area, Hen pukes in the wastebasket. We head to the room. Hen is observed. He's fine but his head still hurts. The doctor comes in and explains, after her examination and discussion with the attending, that Hen is borderline for taking him in for the CAT scan. He's puked, but not enough. We discuss the options, one of which is to go home and have me keep a close eye on him. I'm all for an option that doesn't have me wasting away in the ER, excuse me, ED of the hospital. Getting our discharge papers takes a bit of time. When Hen sits up to get his shoes on, he needs to puke again. He vomits twice more. The nurse gets the doctor, she talks to the attending. They are now concerned that Hen is still puking since it has been nearly three hours since the fall. The docs now want a scan to rule out a brain bleed. We prep for the CAT scan. He pukes outside the CAT scan room. (For anyone keeping score, Hen has puked in three different areas of the hospital.) The CAT scan is a breeze. Hen is very brave. I now need to find out how to order a print of the scan because how awesome would it be to frame? Hey, look! There's my brain! We return to the room and Hen brightens up a bit when he sees papa.

We wait for the results. The nurse gives Hen a pill to help with the vomiting. This upsets his stomach upset and he pukes once (or twice?) more. Then he starts to recover. The grayish tint to his face is replaced by the normal pink tone of a healthy person, he's more alert, playing with Play-doh [I make an excellent frog out of this stuff], and he manages to eat one popsicle and request a second. The news is good. There is no brain bleed. He does have a concussion, though. We are told to make sure he doesn't do anything that would likely cause another fall and hit to the old noggin'. And then we were discharged. Finally.

Lazy morning plans

14 books, toast with a great deal of butter on it (à la Mercy Watson), hot chocolate, apple slices, and sausages.

Timbers vs. D.C. United

We took Hen to the game last night! We stayed for the whole thing! He fell asleep on his own on the car ride home! Turns out all he really needs to help him wind down for a good night of restorative sleep is a stadium filled with people chanting loudly and throwing handmade confetti. Who knew?

Daily report

I've been awake for just over two hours this morning and so far I've:

1. fixed French toast for breakfast 
2. washed dishes 
3. unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher 
4. made the beds 
5. cleaned the litter box 
6. shopped the online yarn sale at Happy Knits (got yarn for three Christmas projects - woot!) 
7. scheduled an appointment for the dog at Wiggles and Wags 
8. packed the bag for swimming class
9. got dressed (me and the kid)
10. completed basic grooming (hair combing, teeth brushing, etc. for me and the kid)
11. took the dog on a short walk
12. fed and watered the animals

All of this was accomplished with regular interruptions from a very happy-to-see-his-mama boy who wants to play helicopter, construct things with LEGOs, and read books. Later today we are hosting the park play date for Hen's preschool, meeting up with friends for food cart fun and fountain mayhem, and, wait, I just heard the buzzer for the washing machine and need to go turn things around. Laundry is a never-ending chore.

CORRECTION: Park play date for Hen's preschool is on Wednesday, not Tuesday. Glad I figured that out before sitting at the park too long. Luckily, Hen and I brought a beach ball and were able to keep ourselves entertained for about half an hour. Off to swimming class!

So, this happened

Let me set the scene. I am sitting on the couch watching Doctor Who on my laptop. Henry is asleep in our bed. Christie is out.

I notice Henry paddling by. One assumes on the way to the bathroom. I follow. No reason to really. He can manage fine.

He's not in the bathroom. He is in his bedroom. Standing next to his bed. Facing the outside wall as if he was at the toilet. He is urinating on the floor.

My first thought will, I trust, resonate with every parent. My first thought was: well, let's not wake him.

An unfinished post from the days when an infant was in our midst

Things I forgot to remind Darren to do:
take out the garbage
install car seat base in Mini

Things Darren forgot to do:
take out the garbage
install car seat base in Mini

This got me thinking and while normally I would put a filter on this or not write about it at all yesterday was such an ass-sucking day that I'm going to air some grievances and deal with any possible fallout later.

You see, many may have this vision of the SAHM (that's "stay-at-home mom" for the uninitiated) as a woman who gets to do fun things with a cute and happy baby all day long. A baby who slips easily and peacefully into naps a few times during the day without too much fuss or bother. A baby who wakes from said naps with a smile and a "let me sit quietly and entertain myself while you eat bon bons and watch Oprah" attitude. Forget about laundry and household chores. Those are completed by magic.

This is not how it works.

There are good days with baby, don't get me wrong. And on those days I will happily drive downtown in traffic to pick up my husband from work. Sometimes we'll stop in the Pearl and buy a little something for the youngster in the back we brought into this world. A little thank you gift from mom and pops for being such a tremendously cute and good baby.

But there are also challenging days with baby. And on those days nothing makes baby happy. Not magical boobs, which in the early days could solve pretty much every problem and always could steer baby from a state of wakefulness to sleep. (Ah, the sweet sleep of a newborn.) Not getting on the floor to play with baby, which may work for a minute or two before baby figures out the underlying problem has not been dealt with and reverts to unhappy baby mode. Not wearing baby in the sling. Not placing baby in the exersaucer. Not surrounding baby with toys. Not dancing with baby. Not walking with baby in stroller, an act which can start out okay but turn ugly when you are ten blocks from home and unhappy baby has decided he no longer cares to stroller around the neighborhood.

On these days, my poor husband comes home to bitchy wife who wants nothing more than to be separated from unhappy baby. A short-tempered, angry wife who shoves unhappy baby at him with a quick "You deal with this." An unhappy wife who wants to disappear into a steaming hot bath for an hour but will settle for five minutes as long as she doesn't have to hear the unhappy baby crying through the walls. An unhappy wife ... [ed. who apparently can't gather her thoughts enough to finish the post]

Cool thing about being a SAHMama #47,182

Sending fun emails to Darr about our day...

emergency clothing telegram via email
From: Christie
To: Darr@companyname.com


Hi. Stop. Assisted son in getting dressed. Stop. Doesn't look right. Stop. Am including picture for your viewing pleasure. Stop. Requesting immediate parental clothing backup. Stop. By immediate I mean when you get off work. Stop. Goodbye. Stop.

It's what's for dinner

From the condo that brought you Vegetable Lunch, I present...

FRUIT DINNER, yo!

Comprised of apple, peach, pear, watermelon, banana (not pictured as was consumed by Bean too quickly to capture), and a fruit smoothie, made with local berries picked by Hen and I and this one farmer Hen's grandpa buys fruit from, including strawberries, raspberries, and marionberries with a splash or Columbia Gorge organic orange juice and honey and a touch of Greek yogurt. What he can't finish tonight will become tomorrow's fruit salad. Woot!