There are five people in my immediate family. My parents, who imigrated here from Portugal with nothing but a small suitcase full of clothing and some pocket change, got married in 1972. My dad was able to find a place to live in Toronto after being in the army for several years and was thus able to sponsor my mother, who had no idea how cold it was going to be that fateful day in February. A year after they married, my sister was born. I was born in Hamilton five years later and my brother completed our family four years after that.

My dad has worked as a labourer his entire life. It's pretty cool to be able to say that my dad helped to build part of the Canadian National Railway. Afterwords, he worked in cement finishing for several years before opening up his own company in the same field. My mother found work as a seamstress but after moving to Hamilton, she ended up with a commercial cleaning company where she was overworked and underpaid. She also cleaned homes and apartments during the day. I didn't spend all that much time with her as a kid since she would be leaving for work just as I would be arriving home from school. I remember when I got older that I used to go to work with her after school and travel by bus to all of the office buildings she worked at. I would help her by emptying the waste baskets or vaccuuming. She would always treat me to a caramel sundae, a popsicle, an icee or some other goodie. It didn't matter what; I was easy to please. Now, she only works during the day.

We used to live in downtown Hamilton but looking back it wasn't the best area to grow up in. My grandparents bought that house and we moved to the Hamilton Mountain. I spent most of my life in that new house. I met my dear friend Kelly soon after moving in. Many fond memories were created in that place. But sadly, in 2004, my parents decided to sell our home of 21 years. While we were all excited to move into a bigger and better place, we still found it very hard to say farewell to a home and a neighbourhood that meant so much to us. Given that I have a difficult time dealing with change, it was very tough for me to accept the fact that I would never be able to take my future kids back to see the inside of the home where I grew up. Fortunately, I didn't have much time to focus on that. My bridal shower was booked for three weeks after our move in date and the wedding was only months away. My dad did so much in the short time period to ensure that the house would look presentable enough for our wedding guests.

My sister is married with an adorable 2 year-old boy. She moved away from Hamilton but is only about 15 minutes away from home. She is also a French teacher, just like me. What can I say? We both excelled at French and we just can't get enough. My brother is recently engaged to an incredibly smart woman. He works as an accountant and is dreading his qualification test tomorrow. He plans on getting married in 2008 and moving out to Brantford to be closer to his job. That will leave my mom and dad alone in a big, rather empty house. It's sad because I've always felt a sort of coldness in that house. And I'm sure my mom feels it, too. I mean, it's nice staying over. It's like a virtual bed and breakfast. And we are making many new memories in that house. But it never really feels like home. After moving 6 times in my life, I am certain that I don't want my little girl to experience the same sadness of leaving behind familiar places and people as I have. I want her to forever think of our new house as a home. I want her to be able to bring her future kids back to this place to feel the warmth and comfort I once felt growing up. I really do.

Start with the words SCRAMBLED EGGS and follow the directions carefully to discover a related phrase.
Hint #1: Write out all the letters each time you make a change. If you think you have made a mistake, you can go back and double check the changes.

1. Print the words SCRAMBLED EGGS.
2. Insert FOR between the two words.
3. Change the 2nd vowel from the right to a K.
4. Exchange the 3rd vowel from the right with the first consonant from the left.
5. Replace the 2nd G from the right with an A.
6. Place the B in front of the F.
7. Make the M an F.
8. Change the C to a T.
9. Exchange the 3rd and 6th letters.
10. Place the 2nd F in front of the G.
11. Insert an H in front of the last vowel from the right.
12. Place an O between the 6th and 7th letters.
13. Change the G to an A.
14. Replace the D with a W.
15. Change the L to a T.
16. Move the 7th consonant to the first position.
17. Move the K in front of the 2nd F.
18. Delete the 4th vowel from the right.
19. Move a T to the very end.


Hint #2: The new phrase contains three words.

Last week's Mental Madness puzzle required that you discover the keyword by filling in the missing letters of ten other words. Oddly enough, there were two possible answers. It's weird how that worked out. I picked a keyword that related to a current event - World Cup Soccer. The keyword I chose was SCOREBOARD. Yet, this week's winner found an alternative, which merits special acknowledgement. She determined that SKATEBOARD was also a solution to the puzzle. The K threw me off initially but I checked it out on Dictionary.com and discovered it to be a valid word.

So my congratulations goes to



Great job, Beth! You can email at redrose_46 at hotmail dot com to obtain your winner's banner.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to uncover the keyword by filling in the blanks in words 1 to 10 with the correct missing letters. Transfer those same letters into the correspondingly numbered blanks in the keyword. This message will self-destruct in 10 seconds...

It was very difficult to determine this week's Mental Madness winner. The reason is that I didn't think clearly enough about using a multi-answer puzzle. Participants had posted a few answers at a time instead of attempting all answers and it took me a while to figure out how to justify a winner. I will be adding rules in the future whereby you will be able to post only once. This week, I determined the winner by counting how many correct answers were given first by an individual.
Nikkie was the first to correctly answer #7.
Dawynel was first to answer #6, #8, and #10.
Utmommy was first to answer #1 and #3 (the correct answer being "chair".)
And Michelle, this week's winner, was first to correctly answer # 2, #4, #5 and #9.

So congratulations to


(And thank you for setting the record straight!)

If you email me at redrose_46 at hotmail dot com, I can forward you the code for your winner's banner.

Do you have a few minutes? Because this list could go on forever.

For my first list, I've chosen toys that can be categorized under dolls and stuffed animals.
1. Cabbage Patch Doll (I named him T.J.)
2. Curious George (This was my brother's but I had fun playing with it nonetheless.)

Okay, so that was a short list. Ready for the next category?

These toys can be categorized under machines.
1. Transformer (More than meets the eye, it's a robot in disguise.)
2. Tonka Trucks (The big ones that you could sit on.)
3. Colour Changers (Please be advised, you might want to wait a bit before sticking your tongue on these after they've been in the freezer.)

I promise, the lists do get longer.

The next category is sports and leisure.
1. Hula Hoop
2. The Jumbo Bubble maker (I don't quite recall the name but I do remember having a ball making bubbles.
3. The Ball in Circle thingy (This consisted of something that looked similar to an inverted wheel rim. The goal was to spin a ball in it as fast as you could.)
4. PogoBall (You know, that watchamacallit that looked like Saturn.)

Ready for the largest list of all? Pull up a chair and stay a while. I might go on forever...

Category: Games/Puzzles
1. Perfection
2. Head-to-Head Perfection
3. SuperPerfection
4. Rubix Cube
5. I.Q. 2000
6. Connect 4
7. 3D Puzzles
8. Mosaic Puzzles
9. Double-Sided Puzzles
10. Hungry, Hungry Hippo
11. Twister
12. Simon Says
13. Game of Life
14. Jenga
15. Mousetrap
16. Operation

M.T.B.A.
(More to be added.)

You know those newsletters you subscribe to on those parenting websites that they email you every week to let you know how your child may be developping at that particular stage? You know which ones I'm talking about, right? Yeah, well, they usually have a blurb on how to babyproof your home and how to keep your baby safe. I've come across a number of articles that give the percentages of babies who suffer injuries from certain things such as ingesting objects or harmful substances or falling from high places. Those were only legends to me. I thought I was good at keeping a pretty watchful eye but ever since Maddie has started walking, a goose has laid plenty an egg on her little forehead. She's a trooper, though and doesn't usually cry for long.

Yesterday, however, (I am having a hard time writing about it because I can't get the horrific visuals out of my head), yesterday I was changing her into her new outfit and getting ready to visit my family in Hamilton. I placed her on our bed as I usually do and once she was dressed, I proceeded to dress myself. I regretfully turned my back for one second to get my brasiere only to turn back in time to witness her leaping off the bed, perform a summersault in mid-air before hitting her head and landing with a sickening thud on our hardwood floor. Can we say, "Heart attack?" She started crying and I didn't want to move her cause I swore she must have hurt her neck the way she landed so awkwardly. But I needed a phone and as carefully as I could, I picked her up and rushed downstairs, dialed 911, called my husband and then my next door neighbour while my hair was dripping wet and I was dressed only in my underpants. Let me tell you, my life changed in that one instant.

Maddie cried like no tomorrow. It was hard to console her because I was directed to refrain from nursing her and to keep her as still as possible. Once everyone arrived, I began to realize that she was okay. Thank God she only suffered a small bump on her forehead. Her neck was fine but I guess I was more upset over the thought of it being potentially more serious than it was. The EMS attendants even told my husband that "The baby's okay. Your wife, however..." Yes, I was crying uncontrollably as I tried to lullaby my baby to sleep. I may have been overreacting but if you were to witness how she fell, you may have had a heart attack, too. Like I said, thank God she's alright. She must have had a guardian angel watching over her...

For today's puzzle, you need to add a word to the end of the first word and the beginning of the second word so that you have two compound words or phrases. The dashes tell you how many letters are in the Linkword.

Ex. PEANUT _ _ _ _ _ _ FLY Linkword = BUTTER (Peanut butter, butterfly)

1. ARM _ _ _ _ _ MAN
2. BLACK _ _ _ _ BOX
3. COTTON _ _ _ _ CHUCK
4. DRAW _ _ _ _ _ _ BEANS
5. EYE _ _ _ DOWN
6. FEATHER _ _ _ _ _ _ LIFT
7. GALL _ _ _ _ _ HENGE
8. GINGER _ _ _ _ _ BIN
9. HAMMER _ _ _ _ WAY
10. ICE _ _ _ CAR

Simply write the linkwords in the comments section. The first person to correctly answer the (most) questions wins:

1. a personally designed banner award to add to your sidebar
2. a special spot linked to your blog at the top of my sidebar


Good luck and have fun!

Our little girl has become our inspiration.


She's taking off


to great destinations.


She's precious cargo and must be handled with care.


She loves to dress up


and play in plein air.



She loves entertaining,


and having her fun,


and she especially loves going out with her mom.


She even takes time to smell all the flowers


before travelling to dreamland and sleeping for hours.

So there you have it. The first winner of our Mental Madness contest is:

Nikkie (Snickers) tagged me to do a list of Sevens!

7 things I want to do before I die:

* learn to swim
* win the lottery
* climb the Eiffel Tower
* pay off our mortgage
* publish a children's book
* put my wedding album together
* finish decorating the nursery

7 Things I can't do:

* cook
* get enough sleep
* accomplish most things on my daily to-do list
* keep the house clean
* see my family everyday
* figure out how they get the caramel in the Caramilk bar
* walk and chew gum at the same time

7 things that attracted me to my spouse:

* He's Italian.
* He's tall.
* He's handsome.
* He's a wonderful handyman.
* He has gorgeous eyes.
* He knows a lot of things that many people don't.
* He absolutely adores Hamilton.

7 Things I say often:

* "Greetings and salutations!"
* "Okely dokely!"
* "I'd love to go to the mall."
* "But I have to clean the house."
* "I'm tired."
* "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?"
* "Thanks for cooking dinner, honey."

7 Books I love:

* Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
* The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
* Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.
* Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
* Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seus
* A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
* Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

7 Movies I could watch over and over again

* Mary Poppins
* Dirty Dancing
* Rainman
* The Princess Bride
* Grosse Point Blank
* As Good as it Gets
* Johnny Stecchino

7 People who I'm going to tag!

* Bon
* Carrie
* Utmommy
* Txmommy
* Michelle
* Jennifer
* Sunny

The other day, Mama D began a game called "Say WHAT?" where you have to identify the 80's movie from which a piece of dialog has been taken. It was a fun challenge. It made me think of what I like most and since I love puzzles, namely word puzzles, why not host a game myself? I'm a big fan of Variety Puzzles by Penny Press. So I've decided to make up a game using brain teasers I've created that are similar to those in the Variety magazines. I challenge all readers to use their brain. The first person to correctly identify the (most) answers will receive:

1. a personally designed banner award to add to your sidebar
2. a special spot linked to your blog at the top of my sidebar
3. and a year's subscription to Variety Puzzles & Games

Okay, so #3 was just a rouse to get you excited. You won't win a free subscription. But if you'd like, I would be more than happy to mail you a page or two of incomplete puzzles from some of my old magazines. Really, I insist. I would be totally willing to part with them knowing that some fellow puzzle fanatic would give them the attention they so deserve.

And now for our first puzzle. Like to hear it? Here it goes:


Change one letter in each of the following words in order to form the name of a famous person.

Example: Bead Pint (Answer: Brad Pitt)

1. Owen Stefano
2. Tim Ranks
3. Saul Samon
4. Harry Bands
5. Joy Lens
6. Luv Typer
7. Plaude Money
8. Jone Justen
9. Silly Noel
10. Mill Gages

Yesterday afternoon, we came down to visit my family. The "we" includes my husband and our daughter. I was going to take Maddie on my own since the hubby has been very busy with work but he hasn't been to see my family in a while so happily he came, too. The drive wasn't too bad. Only an hour and fifteen minutes. Madeleine seemed to enjoy the ride and finally fell asleep halfway through the trip. I was so anxious to come down and felt we had already left later than I usually do so it was quite a surprise to arrive at my parents and no one was here. My dad had to work out of town and arrived a little later than usual. And my mom went to the mall to look for a jacket to wear at my dad's uncle's funeral. He had been ill for some time and was in a coma for a couple of weeks. And then I found out that my uncle, who had surgery to remove a tumor from his colon, has another much larger tumor that they were unable to remove because it is attached to his liver. Yikes.

On a bit of a lighter note, my hubby and I went to the mall here in Hamilton to look for a gift for the christening we'll be attending on Sunday and I bumped into an old friend I haven't seen in a decade. She was the librarian at my high school and I volunteered my lunches to help her out. I enjoyed working with her so much that I even reorganized her filing system! (Yep, you guessed it. I didn't have much of a life back then.) Anyway, it was so nice to see her.

It's always so nice to come back to Hamilton to see my family and even moreso to see Madeleine interact with them. But sometimes, it's seeing an old friend with whom I've lost touch that makes the one-hour-long trip even more worth the while.

As a new mom, I often find it very discouraging when I read articles on parenting that are limited to one viewpoint or advocate a particular parenting style as the "right" one. It is easy to become bombarded with the latest research that claims our mothers and fathers reared their children incorrectly. While there has been much progress in understanding how babies grow, learn, eat and sleep, it seems to me that the tried and true methods of our predecessors are often placed on the backburner, or even disregarded completely. I have decided to begin a regular post entitled "Helping Hands" with the aim of compiling tips of the mothering trade. Readers are invited to share their opinions on the selected topic and impart some wisdom on motherhood and parenting. Let us begin the first volume with a topic that currently holds much interest for me.

Potty training.

My daughter is now 10 months old and I finally have a good idea of when she usually goes to the bathroom. She has started to walk with minimal assistance and has taken a keen interest in anything she can touch, which includes the toilet.

I've read stories of babies who have been toilet trained at a very early age. One such story talked about a woman who spent three months in India visiting with her family and discovered that diapers were not used. In fact, the grandmother was shocked to learn of our "fancy Western" ways. She insisted that her grandson experience the freedom and "if he pees, we'll wash it off the floor. If he poops, the dog will eat it." They could easily identify his elimination routine, used sound effects while he was on the "potty"(a virtual whole in the ground) and were very patient. The mother did her best to continue the potty training upon returning home but experienced difficulty seeing as we live in a completely different culture. Though there were more accidents, she stuck to it and at 13 months of age, her son was able to indicate when he needed to use the washroom. He is now 18 months old and is completely trained to go on his own. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

So my question is, what are some ways you've tried to train your child to use the potty? What type of potty should you buy or should you just stick with a regular toilet? Do you have any helpful tips? Use your helping hands and type them in the comments section. If you have a suggestion for our next topic, please feel free to let me know. I will be conducting a poll shortly on how early parents (plan to) start potty training. Keep your eyes peeled! And thanks for your help and advice!

I like to play. Therefore, I'm participating in the letter game.

Bon from The Mama gave me... (drumroll, please)

The letter R.

The first ten words that popped into my head are:

Roses: These are my favourite flowers. Like myself, they are delicate looking, smell lovely and have thorns to protect themselves.

Red: This is my favourite colour for roses. For me, it symbolizes passion.

Reading: I enjoy reading, especially other blogs. I just wish I could read faster. I've got much catching up to do.

Remembering: I'm very bad at this. It's only getting worse. Now, what was the next word I was thinking of?

Raffi: He is one of my favourite children's song writers/performers. Just this morning, I was dancing with Madeleine to his CD Singable Songs for the Very Young.

Rumba: Here's a dance I'd like to learn, along with the Viennese Waltz, Tango and Jive.

Re-organizing: My whole house is in dire need of it.

Running (around): Now that Maddy is very mobile, I am doing a lot of this.

Rachelle (RAh-ShEL): The name of a talented blogger from Teacher, Mom, Mad Woman whose My Life Monday corrected me on the pronunciation of her name.

Rocking chair: This is the last piece of furniture I really, REALLY want for the nursery. Maddie is WAY to heavy to rock in my arms while standing.

Pssst! Would you like to buy a letter? I got a whole bunch of 'em. Go ahead, ask Vanna for a letter.

Okay, so I haven't got off to a very good start. I missed out on the first two weeks. Plus, I'm a day late. I guess that just leaves room for improvement.

My parents named me Diana.

My mother was really fascinated by British royalty. She named my sister after Queen Elizabeth. Then she named me after Princess Diana. And if I didn't influence her on the choice of my brother's name, he would have been named after Prince Philip. His name is Dennis and didn't appreciate the Dennis the Menace nickname he'd been given as a child. He has me to thank for that!

I like my name. I just can't stand it when people call me Dianne, or Di. I only let a select few call me the latter, namely my husband. I think it suits me. Diana was the Roman goddess of the moon and of hunting. And though I'm not much of a hunter, I've always been fascinated by the moon. Plus, I think the term "Goddess" suits me... As a kid, I always liked the name Rosa. I think that may have something to do with my fascination with red roses.

Get this: Yesterday, my husband and I went to get tested for food sensitivity at Redpaw Data Services. My sister-in-law had recommended this test since she has been avoiding the foods her body cannot tolerate and she feels so much better now. It turns out that my body cannot tolerate several amounts of food, mainly those high in sugar, including fruit such as banana and strawberry, as well as honey, syrup, etc. and carbs (white potato, white rice). I also found out I should avoid red meat, pork, corn, and cow's milk products. Yowsers! That's a lot of food!

Anyway, I also mentioned to the homeopath that I recently had my gallbladder removed, a surgery which left me longing for some T.M.C.,  and he just nods his head and begins this very interesting hypothesis of his. He believes my body is lacking enzymes, which is really important in the digestive process. So he does this extra test only to discover that his hypothesis is correct. Of the 17 enzymes that the human body should have, my body has but one! ONE! That would explain the pains and discomfort I get from eating/drinking foods that are (a) hard to digest and (b) my body cannot tolerate at present. Then he tells me, contrary to what doctors have been telling me, that the gallbladder is a vital part of the body, that it isn't as useless as is commonly believed. Well thank you very much! Had I visited this clinic before surgery, I can certainly tell you I would have serously re-evaluated my decision. Not only would I have avoided the awful ordeal of being cut open and losing an organ, I also could avoid feeling the way I do right now. There is this constant dull pain in my lower right abdomen, I still can't eat the foods I thought I could eat and I just don't feel 100%. I know it takes a good while to recover from a surgery but I tell you, I just don't feel "right".

About twenty-five years ago, the homeopath predicted that the gallstone pain his then future daughter-in-law was experiencing was due to enzyme deficiency, particularly Lipase. Twenty years later, after she had undergone surgery, she still felt the pain. Only after she had been taking digestive enzymes for a month did she finally begin to feel "normal". I find that very interesting but at the same time it makes me sick to think that I agreed to lose a part of my insides in order to feel "better" when a much simpler solution has been available for decades. And when you think about it, if the gallbladder wasn't important, then why were we born with it? Do you think there might be any chance of them giving me back my gallbladder?

Now that all is said and done, I'm going to do my best to avoid the 100+ foods that my body cannot tolerate. In addition, I'm going to try and implement the regime recommended to women by this homeopath. It includes daily intake of the following three items: 1. cranberry juice 2. omega 3, 6, 9 and 3. probiotics (especially useful in the prevention of yeast infection) which occurs in yogourt but which I cannot eat therefore I will be taking them in capsule form. Now, for me, that's a tall order. But I don't anticipate changing my diet and lifestyle overnight. It is a goal which I will set for myself and I think one month to make the proper adjustments will provide sufficient time. Wish me luck!

And if anyone ever tells you to get your gallbladder removed under the guise of providing you relief from digestive pain, you may want to think it over. Very carefully.

First off, let me apologize for my unexplained and unusually long absence. I have not been myself lately.

The reason? I've been slightly ill. Last week, I came down with some sort of a bug. Let's just say I've made many a trip to the bathroom... I was also experiencing severe stomach cramps which, though short in length, were quite excruciating and occured several times during the course of the day. I called the surgeon who believed it was unrelated to the surgery and directed me to take some painkillers. By the end of the third day, the cramps were accompanied by minor chest pain, followed by back pain that worsened greatly by the fourth day. This pain was oddly like the pain I experienced during those unforgetable pre-surgery gallstone attacks. So I called the hospital to speak to the surgeon on duty. He reassured me that since I didn't have a fever and I wasn't throwing up, that it was not an emergency. Again, painkillers was the only offered solution. The next morning, I woke up terribly nauseous and ended up throwing up. Seeing as my last meal(s) was water and crackers, it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. (I haven't thrown up in YEARS! I hate it so much that I'm pretty good at keeping it down, as gross as that may sound...) I had a communion party to attend and I really didn't want to miss it so I opted to stay home during the ceremony in order to recoup for the dinner party. I felt much better and was quite content to fill my belly with some good ol' Portuguese cooking! Since then, my trips to the bathroom have been cut back significantly but the nausea and slight fatigue still remain.

So I'd like to thank Mama D and Dawynel for expressing their concern for my well-being. I didn't think I would be missed so it was nice to read your comments. And I would like to reassure you and all my other readers that I will be back soon to catch up on all your blogs. I hope this post finds everyone healthy and happy.

Last month, I decided to poll my readers on books written by one of my all-time favourite childrens' authors Robert Munsch. I kept checking the results periodically, mainly because I haven't read many of his new books so I'm curious to see which ones are most popular before I add to my collection. To my surprise, there were only a total of 11 votes, seven of which were my own! (What can I say? I grew up reading Robert Munsch and I still can't pick a favourite!) To those four readers who voted: Thank you for your input. I appreciate it. I'm just guessing that Robert Munsch isn't as popular as I thought, being as he is a local writer perhaps. Anyway, for those of you who aren't familiar with his work, check it out. You'll be sure to get a good laugh. Especially if you get a chance to hear him read it. He has the best sound effects! Anyway, not surprisingly, "Love You Forever" was the favourite. It's a very sweet story that will be sure to make any sensitive parent shed a tear or two. It's very sentimental unlike his other stories, which are mostly humourous and very entertaining, inspired mostly by children he meets at the library during story time. The poll results are as follows:

Love You Forever -------- 5 votes
David's Father ---------- 1 vote
Good Families Don't ----- 1 vote
Murmel, Murmel, Murmel - 1 vote
The Paper Bag Princess --- 1 vote
Show and Tell ---------- 1 vote
Thomas' Snowsuit ------- 1 vote
Alligator Baby ---------- 0 votes
The Dark -------------- 0 votes
Mmm, Cookies! --------- 0 votes
Millicent and the Wind --- 0 votes
Mortimer -------------- 0 votes

Stay tuned for this month's poll.

Yesterday's surgery went well. Thankfully. It was my first surgery ever and I was somewhat excited to get the whole ordeal over and done with. And to be free from the pain. It turns out that I was more nervous after the operation than before. I woke up shivering so badly that the nurse had to cover my body with three hot blankets and my head with a warm towel. I was afraid to move and more afraid to look at my belly. My throat was sore from the breathing tube and my bottom was oddly numb. When they brought me to my room, I was hoping my husband would be there, but alas, no one bothered to call his cellphone. I remember dozing off several times but only for short periods. I'm guessing it was due to my nervousness or maybe it was because the nurses outside my room would constantly yap loudly about all the patients. They were even discussing concerns over my heart rate. Just the reassurance I needed! Instead of the Tylenol III I was told they were going to give me, they prescribed Percocet, which is apparently 10 times as strong. Soon after the first dose, I had to go to the bathroom, only to return green with nausea. The two incisions in the centre of my belly began to ooze and that nearly sent me hurling. But I resisted. I can't stand the thought of throwing up. Breathing deeply seemed to help, although it was hard to breathe abdominally. They kept me in the hospital for a couple of hours longer than expected to ensure that the primary effects of the anesthetic had worn off. If I had to lay down any longer in that uncomfortable bed, I would have most definitely hurled!

All the while, my mother-in-law was taking care of my daughter. I am very grateful she was able to take care of her. She also came over bright and early today to help out, seeing as I'm not supposed to do any heavy lifting for a few days. This afternoon, my mother came down from Hamilton to stay for a couple of days. She cancelled her jobs for the rest of the week (she's a cleaning lady) and brought plenty of food, including her delicious chicken soup. Having her here has been very therapeutic already. I've missed her so much. And there's nothing like some Tender Mothering Care...

Tomorrow is the day that I undergo my operation. I will be having my galbladder removed and then I can finally return to eating whatever I want and drinking coffee to my heart's content. I'm also looking forward to a couple of hours of deep, uninterrupted shuteye...

Here are some pictures of my little babe, eating and drinking to her heart's content.
(Okay, so she's not really drinking beer. She's still cute!)

Weird Bon from The Mama tagged me for this meme.

1. I can blow little bubbles using my tongue.
2. I don't like it when different foods that are on the same plate touch each other.
3. My family is Portuguese but I speak French, Italian and Spanish a lot better than I speak Portuguese.
4. I chew on my tongue while concentrating hard, like when I'm cutting out something for a craft.
5. I like to salsa dance by myself when no one is looking.
6. I hate writing and yet I've become addicted to blogging...

Let's see... Who can I tag now?

Dawnyel
Rachelle
Snickers

Wow, it's been a long time since I last left a post. I've been a little lazy, yes. But also lacking much sleep.

Last Wednesday, Madeleine came down with her first fever. She woke up at midnight, which is very unusual, and she felt very warm. I took her into our bed to nurse her back to sleep but each time I would take her back to her crib and lay her down, she would wake up and fuss some more.

The following night, it was worse. She was hotter than ever. I took her underarm temperature as best I could, considering her arms were flailing, and I got 101.8 Fahrenheit and 38.5 Celsius. We gave her some Tylenol but she was still feverish and very bothered. My husband and I decided to take her to the hospital where she had been born, only to be told at the triage desk that it was an adult only hospital. The nurse recommended that next time we should take her to SickKids, located right across the street, seeing as this hospital didn't have the proper equipment to measure a baby's blood pressure or temperature. The nurse also mentioned that going to the adult hospital would only delay treatment since they would have to transfer her if treatment was necessary. I offered to just go there at that point and not bother to register but she said since we were there, we needed to at least let the doctor look at her. Now that makes sense. My daughter could have been seriously ill but because we went to the wrong hospital, we risked delaying treatment. Try and figure that one out.

Anyhow, the doctor came to the conclusion that it wasn't anything to worry about and that we weren't giving her enough acetaminophen. I was somewhat confused when he gave me a ratio of 15 milligram of medicine per kilogram of weight, knowing that I needed to convert it to millilitres. But the nurse couldn't help me out with the conversion. Whatever.

Later that evening, the fever got progressively worse. The increased dosage of Tylenol helped but we were still concerned since she wasn't eating much of her food. She did compensate by nursing. All day long. She was constantly attached to me, day and night. And then when it was time for bed, she'd be so fussy that she would get very little shuteye. We decided, at 6am on my husband's birthday, to take her to SickKids. The fever subsided and she seemed to be in a better mood. The doctor used a catheter to get a urine sample, which I regret agreeing to (my poor baby!), they determined that the fever was not due to a urinary infection. She said that it could be Roseola and that after three days of a fever, Madeleine might break out into a rash. Sure enough, she did.

Aside from a slightly diminished appetite, she's been getting better. She hasn't had a fever in three days and her rash is looking better. She is taking longer naps during the day at the expense of a more restless sleep at night. I took her to the family doctor today to get a more definitive answer to what could have caused the fever only to be more confused. He said it could possibly be the measles. And he didn't want to rule out Strep. So he gave a prescription for antibiotics. I don't know why. But I'm not giving my daughter any antibiotics. I don't feel it is necessary. Why can't we get an answer from the professionals instead of resorting to diagnosing the problem ourselves?

I did! I did tee a toot!

My darling little Madeleine has finally cut a tooth. Well, not a whole tooth, but the beginning of a tooth. Well, not a tooth, but two teeth. They have cut through the surface of her lower gums and even though I'm not thrilled at the thought of breastfeeding, I'm still very excited. She has probably had teething discomfort from the age of about 3 months now, so that's almost 6 months of constant drooling and gnawing on anything she can get her hands on, including my you-know-what. Anyway, I'm happy that we're on with the show!

On a sidebar, Madeleine didn't have a poopy diaper since yesterday morning and that was very unusual. Today she was having severe pain and I could see her face go red as she pushed with all her might. I've never seen her in so much pain before and her cry, though not piercing, was heart wrenching. She had a number of bouts of pushing followed by pain and crying until she finally succeeded in expelling the nasty culprit. Who knew constipation could be so brutally agonizing?

Thankfully, she went to sleep without much ado. Now I get to tinker around on our new iMac! Woohoo!

Thirteen Things about Diana - Teacher Mom Thirteen exercises I plan on doing with my baby: 1. Squats while holding baby 2. Speed walking while pushing stroller 3. Swimming with baby 4. Downward facing dog with baby on the ground 5. Salsa dancing with baby 6. Push-ups with baby on the ground 7. Knee lifts while bouncing baby 8. Jogging behind soon-to-be-crawling baby 9. Forward bends while bathing baby 10. Child's Pose after holding baby 11. Running after soon-to-be-walking baby 12. Relaxing in Corpse Pose with exhausting baby 13. Meditating over beautiful baby Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Dawnyel 2.(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Mama D from The Tales of Mama D has infected me with The Indie Virus. It was created by someone named Chris Pearson at Pearsonified as a type of experiment. Pearsonified describes this experiment as having the following two goals:

To bring exposure to lesser known blogs (especially those outside of Technorati’s top 100)

To explore the metrics behind a viral linking campaign launched by the “little guys” (less popular blogs)

Now, I've chosen to infect the following people but I, by no means, wish to implicate that they are "little guys". First off, they're gals. Second, they are moms with big responsibilities so I would hardly refer to them as "little." So here's who I am infecting.

Snickers from Random Thoughts of a Tired Mom has The Indie Virus

Goslyn from Wishful Thinking has The Indie Virus

Dawnyel from Tales of a RubbaUndiesLuva has The Indie Virus

So, gals, go tag someone!

This afternoon, I received a phone call from a principal requesting a subsitute teacher for Monday. For an instant, I was happy to get back to work on a part-time basis. I figured a half a day each week would be easily manageable and would also provide a nice supplement to my EI benefits. But this request was for a long-term occasional position and I was not quite prepared for that. Sadly, I felt I must decline the invitation. There was absolutely no way I could tear myself away from my little girl for more than a few hours, let alone five consecutive work days. Part of the reason I wanted to supply teach until the end of my parental leave was to slowly ease back into teaching and gradually wean myself from my baby. It turns out that the principal was in a bit of a predicament and asked if I could at least supply teach on Monday so that she could have more time finding a subsitute willing to fill the long-term position. After speaking with my mother-in-law, who has kindly offered to babysit, I decided I would try a whole day's work.

I know I'm going to have nightmares this weekend. I usually do prior to returning to work such as in September or after the holidays in January. These nightmares usually consist of arriving at work late, not knowing where my class is located, being unprepared to teach a lesson or constantly going off topic. They usually take place in slow motion and I often end up getting lost in a maze of endless hallways. Which reminds of that movie "Labyrinth." I remember that I really enjoyed it as a kid. I think David Bowie played the antagonist... yes, he did. He was such a great singer, wasn't he? I mean, he is a great singer. Or is he retired? Because that sentence would then require the past tense. Or is that the imperfect tense? And why would they call it the imperfect tense? I should probably check out the etymological roots of the word imperfect. You never know when it might come in handy. Now, what was I talking about?

After one month, a total of 12 people voted on their diaper brand of preference. As you can see from the summary below, Pampers received the most votes, including my own. Generic Brands came in second and Huggies tied for third with other brands.

Huggies 8%

Pampers 50%

Generic Brand 33%

Cloth diapers 0%

Whichever are on sale 0%

Other 8%

Stay tuned for next month's poll...

For my first year of teaching, I was given the unique position of Primary Program Teacher. This allowed me the opportunity to teach several "fun" subjects such as Visual Arts, Music, Drama/Dance and Physical Education. I especially loved teaching the latter, mainly because I got a good workout warming up with my students as well as escorting them up and down three levels of stairs, but also because I got to wear comfortable gym clothes two days out of five. As a firm promoter of the "safety first" protocol, I would always teach my students about proper apparel as well as prevention of accidents by seeking out potential dangers, such as loose shoelaces. So it is with great dismay that I report the calamitous events of Tuesday past.

I went to my mother-in-law's house to take her to her doctor's appointment that afternoon. Before we left, Madeleine had dirtied her diaper and required a good bum bath. So my mother-in-law took her into the washroom to clean her up. As she was doing so, I noticed that I had left the car seat on the floor next to the bathroom door and thought for a split second that it could be a potential trip hazard. I quickly turned it sideways and pushed it tight against the wall, thinking nothing more of it. I returned to the kitchen to prepare Madeleine's formula only to freeze dead in my tracks as I heard a loud clatter followed by a thunderous bang. My father-in-law, also in the kitchen, jumped out of his chair. I waited for the crying. There was none. Horrific visions instantly entered my mind and I quickly ran to the next room. I was shaking. Was Madeleine alright? Yes, thank God! Was grandma alright? That remains to be seen.

It turns out she tripped over the car seat, which I had left on the floor in a high traffic area. Seeing the buffet table in front of her, she chose not to steady herself on it because she thought in those mere split-seconds that Madeleine might hit it. So she sacrificed her knee by falling directly on it and managing to keep my precious child scratch-free. After the initial shock, grandma carefully sat herself in a chair and rolled up her pant leg. She thought she crushed her knee. She felt instant swelling and immeasurable pain. Thankfully, she was able to walk on it. She went to the hospital later that week. X-rays confirmed that she did suffer a minor fraction but that her lower back pain may have been due to degenerative causes.

My mother-in-law now has to wear a brace in order to immobilize her knee. She is having an MRI done tomorrow. The bruising has spread. And I feel AWFUL. If only I had listened to my instincts and moved the car seat entirely out of the way... Then maybe my mother-in-law's leg wouldn't look like this:

Tomorrow is Sunday. It's supposed to be a day of rest. And after a night like last night I'm looking forward to rest. Madeleine woke up 6 times last night. SIX TIMES! She's never waken up that many times before. Never. I couldn't believe it. Each time I would pick her up, she'd fall back asleep only to wake up 2 minutes later. At one point, she was wailing so loudly I thought I would take her downstairs and change her diaper or try a bottle of formula or something. I wasn't sure what I should do. She'd never been this restless before. I did notice she put her entire fist in her mouth so I figured that this would finally be the day that her first tooth would appear. But I didn't feel anything. She continued to cry and I couldn't calm her down. She just kept on wailing. My husband quickly got out of bed to join us and we decided to try giving her some Tylenol. She grimaced at the taste but I think it sort of shocked her out of crying. She was still upset so after changing her diaper, I resorted to nursing her in our bed. Thankfully, she fell asleep and three hours later I put her back in her crib. Sure enough, she woke up about an hour or so later. Actually, I'm not sure how long it was. The time didn't matter at that point. I was just desperate to get some decent shuteye, as my husband was I'm sure. So I decided to let him get some sleep and I did my best to keep Madeleine entertained. She eventually went down for her morning nap and I couldn't have been any happier. I sluggishly pulled myself into bed where I slept like a baby until noon. I don't know when it was that my husband dragged himself out of bed to tend our fussing baby but I do recall relishing the warmth and spaciousness of our queen-sized bed.

I still feel like a could have used a few more hours. I should really be in bed right now. I keep hearing Madeleine stirring and sighing and letting out the occasional whimper. In fact, I hear her right now. That's my cue to end this post...

Please be advised that Toronto Teacher Mom Blog is undergoing some aesthetic changes. Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated.

I've been tinkering around in the template codes and I'm amazed at what I've figured out. I started by removing borders. Then I started editing the color codes. Then I deleted and added images. I moved things here and there. And I've done all of this several times. This is what I have so far. I like it but it still needs touchups. Editing HTML code is almost more addictive than blogging!

I hope all my readers enjoy the new look. Don't be surprised if it changes again. I just can't help myself!

You must check out this video clip. Especially if you could use a good giggle!

Enjoy!

Madeleine has been enjoying her jars of organic pureed fruits and veggies, as well as her organic barley, rice and oatmeal cereals. But lately, she has not shown much of an appetite for her favourite foods. I know it is because of her teething. It is just a bit worriesome sometimes when it appears that she is not eating as much as she used to. The other day I noticed her pincer grip. She has begun to pick up smaller objects with her forefinger and thumb and guide them precariously to her wide open mouth. I recall having read somewhere that when a baby has mastered the pincer grip, that it was an indication that you could feed them finger foods like Cheerios. I didn't have any O's on hand so I tried breaking some rice rusks into small pieces and placed them on her tray. Happily, she was able to pick them up and place them in her mouth. At least, some of the time. At other times, they simply bounced off her chin and settled into the seat of her high chair or on the floor. She's getting better at it, though. It is amazing to watch her grow into a more independent being and to watch her stuff her whole hand into her mouth to make sure the food gets in there. I love seeing her poke the rice cracker into her mouth, chomp down on it, and push it to the side of her mouth with either her tongue or her finger. I am captivated by her innocent exploration of the palate and by the satisfaction she gets from feeding herself. I never want to forget this feeling of pride as I watch my baby grow and experience her world. There is still an immeasurable amount of things for Madeleine to savour but I already miss bearing witness to her learning and comprehension. Can I relive these moments? Please?

Five hundred days ago, I was able to put on my new beige corduroy pants and actually do up the zipper and button. I did not have to suck in my gut nor did I fear tearing them at the seams if I sat down. When I found out I was pregnant, one thought that ran through my mind was, "Will I ever fit into these new clothes?" Granted, I did accidentally shrink a number of my dress shirts so I had many doubts that wearing them ever again would be little more than just a dream.

Before I headed out to run some errands this morning, I contemplated squeezing my rolls into those corduroy pants and measuring how far up I could zip them. To my astonishment and utter bewilderment, they fit. I mean, I could actually zip them and button them, and do so with ease. Mind you, they were a bit snug and my jelly belly did overhang slightly, but they fit! Hurrah! Finally, a pair of pre-pregnancy pants that doesn't cling to my cellulite like Saran wrap!

It boggles my mind that after the first month or two of rapid weight loss, I have not been able to shed a single one of those residual pregnancy pounds. My baby has just turned 8 months and over 50% of my weight gain still haunts me. But not today. Today I can wear my old pants that feel brand new. Today I can walk around and experience a hint of the slenderness I once enjoyed. It really made my day. I was walking around with an extra hop in my step and the occasional glance in the full-length mirror. I completed all of my errands, came back home and took out the six-pack of root beer I purchased to celebrate the blissful occasion. Then I was brought back to reality as I dropped a can directly on the tip of my big toe. I guess that was some sort of a sign signalling the need to refrain from ingesting sugary foods. Or maybe it wasn't...

I'm looking into some local Yoga classes.

I've missed you, Yoga. I'll be back soon!

We're off on a 4-day, 3-night adventure with baby Madeleine to a ski resort. This should be interesting. I hope there's some decent snow. I hope Madeleine is okay during the 2-hour drive. I hope I don't break my neck skiing. I hope I didn't forget to pack anything....

In the meantime, I hope all my readers enjoy their March Break. I look forward to reading up on all your blogs when I get back. Ta ta for now!

"Gimme a break!"

That was a recurring thought in my head during the early months of nursing. Give me a break. I was reading this post and kept nodding to myself, having experienced something similar. I could totally relate to having a baby hanging off your breast every hour of the day for those first four months. I didn't use a shield but I did pump and could only manage on average 2 oz. sometimes 4 per pump. But it was frustrating to have to pump on one side while the baby sucked on the other or pumping when I finally managed to put my baby down. I had set small goals for nursing.

During the first two painful weeks and after resorting to desperate measures [we tried to give her regular formula (we later found organic formula ) but she would have nothing of it], I aimed at 1 month of exclusive breastfeeding. That was quite a feat for me so I aimed at 3 months, then 6 months, as recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society. But to my dismay, my apparent "lack of milk" lead to serious concern from everyone around me. I was stressed beyond belief because I felt like everyone thought I wasn't seeing the potential harm I would do to my dear child if I didn't agree to supplement her breastfeeding.

While I understood that her weight gain wasn't substantial, I did agree with my doctor that 1 lb per month for a baby born at 6lbs was sufficient. I was also of the opinion that if everyone would just leave me alone and let me relax, I could get my milk to flow more easily. The issue was temporarily dropped. Until the concerns resurfaced and I felt like I was undergoing an intervention. At Maddie's 5 month checkup we found out her weight gain dropped slightly, which prompted the doctor to suggest introducing solids early.

Well, that was the final straw. I lost my battle along with my patience and much self-confidence. I apparently was wrong after all. I was devastated. I couldn't reach my third goal and felt like a failure. I was unable to give my daughter what I felt was best for her. But I do understand 5 months of exclusive breastfeeding is better than nothing. I'm happy I got that far. So we introduced solids a little early and now here we are.

Maddie is taking her morning nap and I can read blogs and write my own. I still nurse Maddie when she is fussy or needs to go to sleep. She's drinking about 3-4 bottles of formula a day and is ready to be introduced to meats. She's still quite energetic as she has always been only now she is just a bit chubbier. On one hand, it's almost sad having to put away her old clothes that no longer fit. On the other hand, it's almost a relief to near the end of a chapter on breastfeeding that I would rather forget.

For the past few days, I've been waking up feeling a bit ill. I will feel a dull but annoying burning sensation in my stomach as well as some minor heartburn. I know it's due to gallstones. I found out last December. Since the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I've experienced several major attacks that have rendered me useless. Yes, useless. I wouldn't be able to do a thing aside from curling up into a ball or pacing back and forth, hoping that the pain in my chest and in my back wouldn't last 4 hours. Apparently, gallstones are quite common in women who have been pregnant. When I went in for my ultrasound to determine the cause of my pain, the childless nurse made an interesting comment: Pregnancy seems to be rather unhealthy, doesn't it?

I thought about that for a moment, pondered about my own personal experience and made a mental list of arguments in favour of that theory.

#1. Much of your insides get squished together, causing discomfort, lack of breath/appetite, digestive problems, etc.

#2. Your hormones are sent on a roller coaster ride and you can't make heads or tails if you're coming or going.

#3. Your body retains water, your blood pressure rises and you risk cutting off circulation to your lower limbs if you sleep the wrong way.

#4. During labour, you get a huge needle jammed into your spine while trying to stay still amid excruciating contractions. Check that, I had two epidurals. The first one missed. We'll make that point #5.

#6. Your body tears, requiring stitches.

This list could go on but #6 is a strong enough point on its own.

So now I have to add to this list the incapacitating pain of gallstones. Unlike supermoms who go to work regardless of feeling like they've been hit by a Mack truck, I am quite content with doing nothing. I'd rather curl up under a blanket on the sofa in my pj's with my messy hair and just vegetate. I am certainly not looking forward to the return of my "monthly visitor", that's for sure.

I'm going under the knife, and the laparascope, in about two months time. Until then, I need to avoid raw veggies, corn, beans, fruit with the skin left on, coffee, spicy foods and fatty foods.

People keep asking me when I plan to have another kid. I think they should ask me again after my surgery!

Well, today is the day my darling, innocent daughter goes under the needle for the third time. It's one of the most difficult moments of my life as mom to bear witness to the pain caused by something that is supposed to be healthy for my little girl. I understand the negative ramifications of choosing not to have my daughter be immunized but there are times when I wonder if it would be best to take a chance by waiting until absolutely necessary (ie. when I have to enroll my daughter in school). As a teacher, I could not help but be a little shocked when parents would bring their kids to school to be enrolled without being fully immunized.
Now, however, I have a better understanding of the pros and cons of immunizing my tiny baby and can't help but cringe everytime I take her into the doctor's office to immunize her from illnesses that I've read about in history books.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Let's see... I need a calculator for this one... (It's amazing how much you forget when you stop teaching for a few months!) That was 1996. I was... 18 years old and in grade... 12. I believe I was just getting my first taste of French Teaching since I was enrolled in a co-operative education course. I was working part-time as a clerk in the meat/deli/seafood department of a grocery store. I wore large goofy-looking glasses with tinted transitional lenses and didn't realize how much bigger my nose looked just by wearing them. Hindsight, unlike my vision, is 20/20.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Recovering from writing a tonne of report cards and co-planning a French Carnavale. Oh, and counting down the days until March Break.

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Mars Bar
2. Chocolate Chip / White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies
3. Ketchup / Salt & Vinegar Chips
4. Donuts
5. Berries

Five songs to which I know all the lyrics:
1. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
2. There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly
3. Frere Jacques
4. O Canada (in English and French)
5. Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay off our mortgage.
2. Invest.
3. Visit the Seven Wonders of the world.
4. Correct my vision so I wouldn't have to rely on glasses.
5. Teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.

Five bad / annoying habits:
1. Procrastinating.
2. Chewing on my tongue while concentrating hard.
3. Making popping noises with chewing gum.
4. Correcting people's grammatical errors
5. Picking at my pimples.

Five things I like doing:
1. Yoga
2. Salsa dancing
3. Puzzles
4. Singing to / Playing with Madeleine
5. Working on the computer (especially creating my own teacher resources)

Five things I would never buy, wear, or get new again:
1. Bikini (thank you stretch marks!)
2. Blonde highlights
3. Half my wardrobe
4. Any Ford vehicle
5. A new house. I'm sick of moving.

Five favorite toys:
1. Jacks
2. Hula hoop
3. Cabbage Patch doll
4. Perfection / SuperPerfection / Head-to-head Perfection
5. Rubix Cube

Here's the deal: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot:
1. Desperate Housewife
2. My Blog Is About Nothing
3. The Mama
4. The Tales of Mama D
5. Toronto Teacher Mom Blog

Then select five people to tag: (This is all I've got so far)
1. Wishful Thinking
2. Ramblings of a Tired Teacher

It's Friday. Finally! Why am I so excited? We're heading to Hamilton to stay with my parents for the weekend. We haven't done that since New Year's so I'm really looking forward to it. Not only does it feel like staying at a Bed & Breakfast, but, on a more serious note, my family gets to spend some quality time with our little girl who refuses to stop growing. It's hard enough for me (having born witness to all of the subtle changes Madeleine is going through on a daily basis) to accept the fact that my little baby is not so little anymore. I can only imagine how hard it is for my family to go for so long without being able to share in the joys of watching her develop. I'm pretty good with taking pictures often and sharing them with my friends and family online but they never truly capture the miracle of Maddie.

And do you know what else? This will be the first weekend since we've moved into our new home where we can finally just sit back and relax. We've been busy entertaining guests weekly since the beginning of February. I'm not complaining, especially since my husband does most of the cooking. (I'm still tuning my skills in that department.) Plus, it's a great reason to see people I haven't had the luxury of seeing in a while so it's been all good. Just last weekend I got to play with my goddaughter for the first time since New Year's. I got to see her mother pregnant again and I got to spend time with my childhood friend of 22 years. The weekend before that, I had my brother and his fiancee over as well as a friend who I haven't seen since September. That's 5 months! Way too long! And before that, my sister's family and my parents came for dinner. I also discovered I like playing hostess.

Anyway, as much as it is difficult being away from close friends and family, I'm really happy that I started blogging. I've been reading some very entertaining blogs such as this and this and this, and in doing so I've already received some helpful tips, words of wisdom and more importantly, I've made some worthwhile connections with people I have something in common with.

Wait a minute... I just received another email notification... Later!

What do you do when your baby goes pooh
And it rides all the way up her back?
Do you shrug, do you sigh, or ask yourself, "Why?"
Or succumb to a nervous attack?

~ By Diana M.

Here's Maddie in her troll doll days.

That hair could have poked an eye out!

When our little girl was a newborn, heads turned everywhere we went. Her hair was quite the spectacle, mainly because she had so much of it. But I think it could also have been due to the fact that for a long time she looked like a troll doll!

North York, ON - On February 24, 2006, witnesses revealed that Toronto Teacher Mom Blog's Diana M. is addicted to blogging. Sources confirm that the subject in question has spent several of the past 24 hours surfing various blog sites as well as editing and re-editing her own site. When confronted on the matter, Mrs. M. declined to respond, her eyes glued to the computer screen. Experts believe she is currently experiencing denial. Anyone with useful information on how to help Mrs. M. free herself of this addiction is asked to record their comments here.

I've decided to become a supply teacher for the remainder of my maternity leave. I think it will be a good thing. Aside from having a little extra income, it will probably ease my transition into working full-time. Plus, I'll get to know certain areas of Toronto a bit better and make some new connections. I love my daughter so much it will be very hard to leave her for very long, but once a week might be manageable. We'll see how Madeleine adjusts...

So everyone has probably heard by now that organic food is the healthier choice, especially during a time where many foods are genetically altered or have come into contact with some type of chemical. My husband and I have chosen to raise our daughter on organic food as much as possible. While we have found a good selection of solid baby food, we were quite surprised to find that not one store in Toronto carried an organic baby formula. We actually had to order online from an American website that shipped cases to us over the border. When we called around to stores that carried organic food, such as the Big Carrot or Whole Foods in downtown Toronto, we found out that they don't carry such a product since the labels weren't bilingual. It's a wonder that they haven't opened up the organic baby formula market to Canada, even moreso that no one has decided to manufacture any here in Canada. What are they waiting for?

About a month ago, I bought "Sign with your Baby" Complete Learning Kit by Joseph Garcia. It says that you can start to teach your baby signs as early as 6 months and that as early as 7 months your baby could be using those signs. I was so excited about this, being a French teacher and all. I've even studied other languages (Italian and Spanish) and so I'm a strong supporter of teaching languages to kids as early as possible. I was even thinking of eventually going back to work and incorporating sign language into my lessons. Anyhow, it's been about a month and I don't think my daughter has caught on to the three signs I've chosen to start with. I'm curious to hear from any moms or dads that have tried teaching signs to their kids. How long did it take initially? Do you still use them even though your child can now speak? Or are you as curious as I am about how your baby could learn to manipulate his/her hands to communicate precise words?

I'm curious to know which diapers are most popular. I currently buy Pampers and am pondering trying another brand. I've also tried Huggies but still prefer Pampers.