Progress

Well, following that night of 'testing mommy', Theo and I sat down the next day and talked. Yes, he is a little under 4 years old and I know this may be pushing things. But we talked about how certain things make us feel. If I yell at Theo, or he calls me names, or he yells at me, when he wants to do something I don't want him to do...it was actually quite interesting to hear what he had to say. We ended in a pinky promise to not yell (both of us) and for him to listen to me. Amongst other things. This was good and will be continued.

Since then things have been much easier. I fully expect future difficulties...but this was a good start to communicating with Theo about different issues. I'm very proud of the little man!

Not Sure What To Call This...Again.

Today was a great day. Everything went well. Theo listened to pretty much everything I said during the day until the end - which is when the melt down occurred because he would not wash his hands before bed time. In the end he went on strike and I had to make him. I also yelled at him in a vain attempt to get him to cooperate - which was useless. I know I had to stand my ground and make him cooperate. But I felt bad. I felt like a failure and a bad mom. He's asleep now. I will have to talk to him about this tomorrow. I feel terrible and sad when he cries - even if he cries because he is mad.

Most days this kind of thing doesn't happen. I feel like I have a great relationship with Theo. He's a wonderful son. But tonight was hard to deal with.

Mommy, What's An Abominable Snow Man?

Today's bed time conversation went as follows.

T: Mommy, what's an abominable snow man? [I can't believe Theo said the word 'abominable'!!! Even it it was slightly mispronounced - but it was clear what he was saying.]
S: You mean a Yeti?
T: Yes,a big white man who lives in the snow! I saw a video at Barry's that had an abominable [saying it slowly to get it right this time] snow man - a Yeti on it. I wanted to borrow it.
S: Well, you're right, it's a big furry person that's supposed to live in the snow.
T: Does it like people?
S: If it exists I think it's probably afraid of people.
T: Why mommy?
S: Because people might put it in a cage and keep it there and look at it.
T: I'm not a bad person and I wouldn't put a Yeti in a cage ever never! I really want to see a Yeti! Really! I really really really want to meet a Yeti mommy!!! Mommy, please, can I?
S: I don't think anyone has ever met a Yeti.
T: I really really want to meet a Yeti, mommy please! Can I meet a Yeti?.....[this repeated a few of times]
S: Well, if I ever see a Yeti, I will make sure you get to see it too! Let's read the Lorax now!
T: Ok mommy.

...and then we read the Lorax until Theo fell asleep!

:)

Welcome to Plague Central!

We have had a bit of a rough week at our house. Last week Jamie began to feel sick. He seemed to be coming down with some sort of flu. Then on Thursday, just prior to being picked up from daycare, Theo started throwing up at daycare. This continued through the night and on into the next day. Theo didn't really recover fully until that Sunday. Jamie seemed to be getting better - ok, at least more stable - but then he got worse. And we couldn't figure out why until he went to the doctor's office earlier this week (on Monday I think). As it turns out he likely had a flu, followed by a strep infection and he now has tonsolitis. :(

And that's not even where it ended. On Tuesday night I went to the John Mayer concert here in Ottawa (more on this at another time - but it was great!). Jamie stayed home in bed and my friend Sacha came over to look after Theo while I was gone and Jamie was out of commission. When I got back I found out that Theo had been crying a lot. He woke up screaming shortly after I got. This continued throughout the night. I had a bad feeling that he had another ear infection. It was terrible, but I couldn't even help him as Theo wouldn't let me give him any pain medication. In fact, he wanted nothing at all. Not even a drink of water and would cover his mouth and try and hide in the blankets and scream at the top of his lungs at the mere mention of medicine. I still have no idea why! He usually doesn't mind the kids tylenol.

The next morning Theo was feeling better, but as it turns out his ears were hurting him. So off to the doctor he went. Jamie took him that morning and it turned out that I was right and that it was an ear infection.

So, both Jamie and Theo are now on medication and hopefully getting better. Theo doesn't seem to be in pain anymore. Jamie looks and sounds better, but doesn't feel much better yet. I hope that he stays home again tomorrow to rest. I worry about him. I don't think that I've ever seen him this sick for this long. :( And somehow I've managed to stay healthy throughout all of this! That's basically unheard of! I hope it stays this way!!!

And now on to a funny Theo story. Theo was at daycare today. We sent his medicine along as he has to take it three times daily. Basically it is a syrup that is dispensed with a syringe using some sort of funny contraption to suck it out of the bottle. It's very weird. Anyway, Cheryl was trying to figure out how to do this when Theo told her to 'just read the letters' and that 'it will tell her what to do'. I.e. Just read the instructions and you'll figure it out Cheryl! LOL

Over and out for now.

Chinese New Year 2010

Today we went to the Lion dance that was taking place on Somerset between 1-3 pm. It was great fun! Here are a couple of pics of the event.






We had a great time following the Lion dance down Somerset Street as it visited a number of stores. What was interesting was that the lion would eat a head of lettuce at each location. I will have to look up the meaning of that some time! Also, Theo was totally thrilled about getting gifts at the parade. He received two red envelopes with quarters in them as well as a sort of light wand from the owner of Giant Tiger, who was accompanying the parade down the street with the Giant Tiger maskot.

Theo had a blast that day! :)

Biogas (Anaerobic Digestion) - You Learn Something New Every Day!

Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen and is widely used to treat wastewater. As part of an integrated waste management system, anaerobic digestion reduces the emission of landfill gas into the atmosphere. Anaerobic digestion is widely used as a renewable energy source because the process produces a methane and carbon dioxide rich biogas suitable for energy production helping replace fossil fuels. Also, the nutrient-rich digestate can be used as fertiliser. The digestion process begins with bacterial hydrolysis of the input materials in order to break down insoluble organic polymers such as carbohydrates and make them available for other bacteria. Acidogenic bacteria then convert the sugars and amino acids into carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, and organic acids. Acetogenic bacteria then convert these resulting organic acids into acetic acid, along with additional ammonia, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Methanogens, finally are able to convert these products to methane and carbon dioxide.

Previously, the technical expertise required to maintain anaerobic digesters coupled with high capital costs and low process efficiencies had limited the level of its industrial application as a waste treatment technology. Anaerobic digestion facilities have, however, been recognised by the United Nations Development Programme as one of the most useful decentralised sources of energy supply, as they are less capital intensive than large power plants.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion

Happy Valentine's Day!

So today is Valentine's day and it has been very relaxing so far. Theo was really happy about his valentine from Jamie and me! I made blueberry muffins and bacon for breakfast - at Theo's request. I had also cleaned up the living room and set up a fort for Theo as a surprize last night. He's been in there most of the morning!

Now were off to do some shopping and then go to the ice slides at Jacques-Cartier Park!

Unfortunately Jamie has been sick for the past three days so our Valentine's day plans for the evening didn't work out. We're going out instead on another day.

See ya!

Today's Quote

And that's what adulthood is: you wake from the nightmare and realize there's no bigger bed to climb into. ~ John Mayer

Yes, I quoted John Mayer after that horrendous Playboy interview. I still like the guy. I could have done without reading that article and his verbal emissions on masturbation and some of the idiotic race related 'musings' of his. I hate racism! I had to deal with a lot of that as a kid in Germany and some after we came to Canada. Not much of it in Canada. Using the 'N' word or the way he talked about women - not on!

But...and I can't believe there is a but myself. The guy has gone out of his way to apologize who knows how many times by now. It doesn't make things better or erase them. But I think it's time to move on now. I'm a bit sick of reading about this issue on Twitter. And everywhere else really. I actually don't like celebrity gossip. But when this stuff intersects with race issues...I will look at it. And it seems write about it. I still like his music and hope Mr. Mayer grows up and has learned something here. Preferably that racism is not ok and the rest - well, growing up is the key thing here!

I keep wondering myself why I'm writing about this. I had a talk with a friend of mine about this recently. I am in some ways bothered by the fact that I can continue to stomach listening to Mayer's music. I like it. And I like the lyrics and melodies. I like the statements made in those songs. But I can't stand what he said in that interview. My friend thinks that I have hope. That I hope the guy learns something from what has happened due to his idiocy. But I think hope is not really the right word here. In many ways I think that for me this is not just about some celebrity doing a bad thing. This is much larger for me. It reflects what at times is going on in society. What some people say behind closed doors. What some people really think. And in some ways the way I feel is that I want someone to finally bloody learn something! I want people to understand that words are weapons. That politics are part of life - that things outside of our sphere of...life...in other parts of the world matter. That they affect everyone and that people need to do something about these injustices. That people need to do the right thing. For bloody once!...so this is not really about Mayer or hope. It's about my frustration with the way humans...need to evolve. To grow. To think. To act. To take responsibility and do something about a wrong. But I also want to be clear that what I am talking about does not pertain to anything in regard to my friends and acquaintances. This is me talking about my view on what is at times happening 'out there'. This is my rant for today.

Why did I just write about this on a blog that Theo will eventually read at the earliest when he's a teenager. Well, because I think issues like this are something to learn from. I can't see that Theo will ever do something so stupid. Given our collective background. But I do still grapple with race issues. Mostly due to the way that I have been affected by this type of thing. As a kid in Germany I felt like I had a target on my forehead and every racist little idiot had the right to pick on me or others who looked like me and no one - or very few - would stand up for us. To this day I remember my friend Matthias Meise who always helped me out. He was a friend. I tried to find him over the past few years, but have not been able to. I couldn't even find his parents who used to live right around the corner from my parent's place. I hope he is well. Maybe I'll try to find him again some time...

In Göttingen I used to hang out at the Gänseliesel fountain in front of the old city hall. I used to sit in between all the punks and students that hung out there while waiting for the bus. There was a very good reason for this. The punks used to defend the proverbial 'us' against racists and skinheads (there is a difference). But did my grandmother ever have a heart attack when she saw me sitting there once! To her the punks looked dangerous, when that was the last thing they were!!!

And race issues have over the years had a great effect on my own (meaning my parents and siblings) family. My parents were a part of the first generation of mixed race marriages in Germany - which came with its own set of problems. Factor into that, that neither side (Arab or German) were excited (here is the understatement of the century) about my parents marrying...this should give you an idea of how much that generation had to deal with and the amount of 'way paving' they had to do. Some did this more gracefully than others, but it wasn't easy for anyone. It included the expanding of personal horizons in the extreme! It was hard for everyone and some of us came out of these dynamics better than others. But the world in general is a better place because that generation had the strength to act on how they felt. It did change the world. But never say it was easy!

I'm not really elaborating here on the specifics. Theo, ask me if you want to about what happened back then - when you read this. I'll tell you. It's important. Remembering and learning from the past is important. You're just calling me from downstairs so I better go.

This post may be edited further and I may add more also. Just ran out of time!

Over and out for now.

Quick update: last night I did manage to find Matthias after about 10 years of looking on and off. Very cool and nice to be in touch again!

A Milestone!

YAY! Theo did not wear a diaper overnight and did not have an accident! Here is to achieving big boy status!

Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, here is today's quote:

In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Theoisms Again!

Cheryl called me today to tell me about Theo's latest funny statement of the day. Theo had asked Katie if Stewart (her boyfriend) makes her brush her teeth every day. LOL!

Last week Theo was out walking with Cheryl, laughing to himself hysterically. And the laughter was interspursed with 'peanutbutter' ha, ha, haaaa! 'chocolate chips' ha, ha, ha, haaaa!!! When Cheryl asked her what he was doing he told her that he was having fun telling jokes to himself! Funny kid!

And finally (for today anyway), we reached a new milestone over the past two days! Theo told me yesterday that he wasn't a baby anymore and that he didn't want to wear diapers at night anymore. He's in our bed right now with just underwear on. Wish us luck. There could be a puddle in our future. But hopefully not. He hasn't had an accident in a long time! Which is great!

But I Won't Look Like Theo Anymore!

Today's post will be a short one. I was gone for Saturday (I left on Friday around lunch time and arrived back in Ottawa on Sunday morning a 3 am - more on this later) and as a result took today (Monday) off to stay home with Theo.

We've been having a really relaxing morning. It has been nice. But one of the conditions for just staying put a little longer (Theo wanted to watch a bit more Treehouse TV and play with his dinosaurs and not go out to run some errands yet) was that I would get to cut Theo's hair. This worried Theo. I could tell, because he said 'but I won't look like Theo anymore!' I assured him that he would look handsome and that he would definitely still look like himself. Which he does. On both counts!

Goodness he is cute! :)