Speaking French

Alex has said a few French words (I think) since she started her French daycare, it's the cutest thing to hear. She was saying something last night while she was pointing at the monkey on her shirt. So I went online to find the French translation for the word monkey. Sure enough, she was saying monkey in French.
I'm finding it slightly difficult to keep up with the French since I don't speak or read the language. All of the communications from the daycare are in French, even her daily log is written in French. They are nice enough to translate it for me but I'm still having a hard time.
She also says Bonjour, that word I DO know. I know a few words, but I'd like to know the language to keep up with and help my daughter along. The only French course for adults in this area is not convenient for Alex and me.
I want my daughter to know as many languages as possible, my grandfather spoke five languages. But how will I keep up?

Fifteen hands to remove a sliver?

We went to visit family in Nova Scotia last week and Alex got a sliver in her ring finger. Both my uncle and I tried desperately to get it out but Alex would NOT let us. We tried periodically for two days. My uncle suggested that I take her to the local hospital but I thought that was absolutely crazy, I could never do that! What mother can't get a sliver out of her child's finger? I tried to call Telehealth in Ontario but the number was not available from NS. There is no such thing in NS, so I called the local hospital to get their advice.

The woman who answered the phone was very nice but, as usual, said she couldn't advise me what to do. She did say, however, that if it was her daughter she would bring her in to the emergency department. She said that a triage nurse may even try to get the sliver out for me.

I brought her to the hospital, the triage nurse called us in and Alex screamed even before the nurse looked at her hand. You can imagine the noise when she did look at her hand. The triage nurse asked if I wanted her to try to remove it and I said, "please."

After a few pricks with a needle, she didn't even come close to the sliver. Alex screamed her head off! The doctors heard her from the rear of the department and suggested that Alex may have to be sedated for them to remove it. NO WAY! The triage nurse asked another nurse for her help and the three of us battled my poor little girl and got the sliver out. There was no way I was going to agree to sedate my daughter just to remove a sliver!

I felt useless and horrible for using our healthcare system for a sliver but the nurses said (after seeing it first hand) that I would have needed 15 hands to remove it myself. They made me feel a lot better. Thank goodness for kind, skilled nurses.

Daycare

Well it's been a while but I think I can find time to blog again! I missed it, but I had my hands full! My little angel has grown in leaps and bounds. Where shall I begin?

Lets talk about daycare. Alex has been in daycare for a while now, I was grateful to find a "spot" for her. Infant spots are difficult to find and I took what I could get. At the time the daycare didn't seem too bad, I wasn't even bothered by the fact that it's inside a church. She started June 1st when she was almost 14 months.

I had to go back to work when she was 12 months and her dad (who works evenings) stayed home with her. I had to leave work early every day to relieve him. He found it difficult most days. He happened to meet a woman who's son is at this "church" daycare and she said she would ask if there's a spot available. We were both relieved that there was a spot.

When I first signed up at the daycare they gave me a welcome package. Included in that package was a letter from the Ontario ministry regarding a recent licensing inspection. According to the letter, the daycare had met most of its requirements to 100%, except for "health and medical." That had always concerned me and I wondered what it meant. I never got around to asking but I can now assume what it meant.

I understand that once children venture off into the public they are going to get sick. Whether it's to the park, grocery store or school. But Alex was sick practically the entire time she was at this daycare. I asked what their procedure is for sick children and the woman told me that as long as they can participate in the day-to-day activities it was O.K. to bring them!

Thankfully, I have enrolled Alex in another daycare, a French one. She starts tomorrow.

I apologize

if I offended any breastfeeding mothers when I wrote about breast milk vs. formula. When I wrote "breastfeeding advocates," I should have said extremists.
I am a breastfeeding advocate; if I could have I would have breastfed Alex until she was at least one. She can't get better than breast milk. Here's to all the mothers who can breastfeed as long as they want!

Alex's first word

For a couple of weeks now Alex has been saying, "mamamamama" while she cries. At first I wasn't certain that's what she was saying but I sure am now. My husband especially was uncertain but even he believes now after hearing her cry in bed the other morning.
It's only when she cries, as if she's calling out for me to help her. Sometimes it sounds like, "mom, mom, mom."
Next we have to teach her, "dadadadada," I worked very hard at teaching her mama. I can't believe my 4-month-old can talk AND has two teeth.

Nesting 4 months in?

During the past few weeks I've had bursts of energy like never before. When I was in my eighth month of pregnancy tonnes of women told me that I was going to get a burst of energy and start "nesting." I did a bit of organizing baby's things but I sure didn't have a whole lot of energy to speak of.
In recent days I have been un-cluttering my house and it's coming along quite nicely. It's taken me a while but I'm getting there. Cleaning, spring cleaning and organizing combined, it truly is amazing. It's very rewarding to see our house in order but I'm not finished yet.
Alex has been tolerant of my recent obsession; she comes with me from room to room, playing with her toys and watching mommy tidy up. We take breaks in between and do a bit of dancing or a bit of rolling.
I have to put my nesting on hold because Alex and I are heading to Toronto for a few days to see family. I'm looking forward to the break.

Useless things

There have been some useless purchases we have made since I was pregnant, for us anyways:
A sleep positioner that is supposed to prevent baby from rolling over while sleeping. As a newborn, Alex couldn't roll over, I'm not sure about other babies but she couldn't. She can certainly roll over now but they say that when a baby CAN roll over there's no real need to worry about it because they can roll themselves back and hold up their head. We never used it.
Her up-to-22 lb. infant car seat was sort of a waste of money, a 3-in-1 car seat is a better option. Although the infant car seat has been handy to take Alex in and out of the car and to carry her around, or to put it on her stroller.
A sleep sac in the summer, but I will probably make better use of it in the winter. Scratch mittens we never used, a nostril sucker that even Alex's doctor said is useless, I tried to use it when she was sick but it didn't work.
We registered for bumper pads at the beginning, until all the healthcare professionals we discussed them with told us we should not use them. Bumper pads have been suspected of causing SIDS because they prevent the air from flowing through the crib. Needless to say we quickly removed them from our registry. We recently purchased an airflow pad made by Jolly Jumper that wraps around her crib simply to keep her arms and legs from getting stuck between the bars.
Just some advice for new moms, pregnant women or anyone who is thinking of starting a family.

We'll be brushing soon

We woke up this morning and Alex was quite playful as we lied in bed. She grabbed my hand and stuck it in her mouth. To my surprise, I felt something sharp on her bottom gum! My husband was still sleeping as I yelled, "Oh my God!" He thought something was wrong, I yelled again, "She has a tooth!"
Alex had been slightly cranky for the past couple days , mostly through the night. I attributed it to gas because she tooted up a storm. The past couple of weeks I had wondered if she was teething due to all the drool and desire to bite things. During our last visit to Toronto my aunt thought she might be teething too. My husband was convinced she was teething. But I thought nothing of it because she wasn't overly cranky, she didn't have a fever or any other signs of teeth coming in.
All day today I kept wanting to look at her first tooth but Alex wouldn't let me. So, with clean hands, I felt it as often as I could. I wish I could get a picture. My little girl is growing up!

First solid meal

Today Alex is 4 months old. After talking to her pediatrician we decided to offer her rice cereal on her 4-month birthday. She had been watching us eat and mimicking us with her little mouth. Apparently that is one of the signs baby is ready to eat solids, they are also supposed to have doubled their birth-weight and be able to sit up with assistance. She has accomplished all of the above.
At first she was frustrated because she was hungry and her hunger wasn't being satisfied quick enough. So I offered her a bottle of breast milk and continued with the cereal. She made a mess but I think she enjoyed it. Her doctor said solid foods could cause constipation, here's hoping her bowels keep moving or we're in for a long night.

Breast milk vs. formula

Alex recently started to drink formula, shortly after her dehydration. Prior to that she refused everything but breast milk. I'm relieved that she took the formula.
I persevered and got her to start drinking formula with a cup. She happily takes it from a bottle ever since. It's a good thing because I know for a fact that she wasn't getting enough from my breast.
I somehow feel guilty at times because of all the hype about breastfeeding and how it's the best option for baby. I always wanted to breastfeed her for as long as possible, hopefully until she was at least one. Although Alex still gets all the milk I have, we do supplement with formula a couple times a day.
On the bright side, I worry much less; I don't worry about wasted /spilled breast milk, I don't worry about Alex getting enough to eat, I don't worry about her weight gain, I don't worry about her getting dehydrated.