In regards to Xavier, and in an effort to:

1. Create for him a special mommy-baby time – that will seem odd, considering I spend all day with him, but once you take out all the feeding, changing, naptime, stroller rides, etc… it’s easy to forget to take a special playing time with one’s child, because it seems we’re already always taking care of them.
2. Amuse him – he’s been whining more than usual in the last few days
3. Stimulate his interest – he seems a bit bored with his usual toys and with constantly being in the same room nowadays
4. Introduce some variety – I’m hoping this will be good for his world exploration, and help improve his development

… I’ve been trying to come up with a new-game-a-day. Mind, these can be extremely simple, but they’re a novelty, nonetheless, and thus have been welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm so far. So, armed not with a budget that allows endless toy-acquisition, but with my imagination and Gymboree’s “Le guide complet jeux” book – thanks again, auntie Karine! – I’ve been trying to entertain my son for at least one special-time period per day.

Thought I’d share some of what I tried so far :

The laundry basket

• Trapped him under a laundry basket (I did say they were free, simple games, didn’t I?).
• Put the laundry basket on one side, with balls in it.

He likes that basket enough that I’m keeping it in the living room for some days yet…

Bubbles
Found an old soap bubbles stick-thing I had from long ago. Babies love to try and catch the bubbles.

Tupperware concerto
I made some rattles-du-jour by putting uncooked rice or dry noodles in little plastic containers. Xavier has already shaken/gnawed/soaked with saliva all of his rattle toys, which fail to impress him anymore, but these… these are grown-up objects, and they’re new. Need to make sure the seal is strong enough for baby’s attentions, however, or you’ll have a risky mess to clean up.

Hidden corners
I “hide” toys around the living room for baby to find. Plastic blocs under a piece of furniture, a bunch of little toys on a clean towel in the cats’ daybed (which the cats hardly use anyway), rattles and toys hanging from the kitchen cabinet handles, a lower shelf of the kitchen island, little corners… Xavier likes to find stuff – and I like to choose what he finds.

Room switch
We’re often playing in the same room (our living room/dining room/kitchen space), but it’s refreshing to change the setting once in a while (basement, bedroom, etc.). I expect summer will open up a whole new amount of space.

Pyramids
Xavier has a set of coloured plastic blocks. I like to try to build the highest colour-coordinated pyramid, and he loves to… crash it.

———–
That’s it for now; I’ll try to mention other games as I invent and try them out. The important part is variety, and the interaction we gain with our child. Please feel free to drop in suggestions of your own.

Here we go, I’m 8 months! Time to archive my progress:

1. Locomotion
   Crawling : I crawl really well – always with the right foot only, though – and can pass over higher and higher obstacles (ex. mom’s knees). I sort of left behind my toys to concentrate on my new passion : exploring.
   Snoop : I love to snoop around the house, and find little corners.
   Climb : I started to climb. There aren’t many places for it around here, but I will find some, don’t worry about me. I’m getting good at getting on my knees when I’m climbing, and even stood up once.
   Standing up : I love to stand up on my wobbly legs when an adult is holding my hands or my arms. Like I said, I stood up once while climbing, too.
   
   Sitting up : Mom still keeps an eye on me when I’m sitting up by myself, but I’m getting more stable – except when my attention is called away by something. I’m also starting to lower down on my belly from a sitting position.
   Little mannerisms : I like to swing my head from side to side, and also fold and unfold repeatedly my wrist or fingers for fun. When I’m lying on my back, I often like to raise my butt by pushing on my heels.
2. Drinks
   I started drinking bottles at 5 months and have very gradually multiplied bottles since. I had my last official breast-feeding March 18, 2007, on mommy’s birthday. I drink concentrated Similac Advance, in Playtex nurser (bags) system with latex nipples.
   I drink water from a glass during my meals. On March 20, I started to understand how the baby cup works! w00t! I LOVE water, it makes me grin widely.
   
3. Food
   I still love cereal.
   I eat my vegetables strained, but also mashed. Mom started making some home purees, chunkier, and she puts meat in them. I still don’t like meat very much.
   I’m started to get used to fruit. I LOVE mashed bananas, I’d eat them at every meal. Mom sometimes tries other mashed fruits, she sometimes lets me eat with my hands little freeze-dried apple cubes she found at the store; it’s CRAZY! It makes me happy.
   Like I said, mom sometimes tries to let me eat with my hands, but I’m still a little young for this and I have a lot of learning to do.
   I got some baby cookies. Those things are so awesome! and good. I can bite the cookie and put a quarter of it in my mouth (but my parents don’t like that as much).
   
4. Sleep
   I still don’t sleep through the night; I checked with the other little boys, and it seems it’s not cool to sleep whole nights like the little baby girls do quickly. They’re so BORING! Better to party all night long! I drink more rarely at night now, but I wake up crying until mom or dad comes to tuck me back in.
   They tried to let me cry, but I’m no fool : when this happens, you just need to drink a little 4oz of milk, and they’ll think you’re not really ready, and you still need milk. My objective : 1 year minimum! Yeah!
   
5. Language
   I say “mam” and “memam”, stuff like that; “bababa” too. I tried “peppe…” a couple times, but it’s a little tougher to say. I’m starting to go “mmmm”! and “mmmiem miem” when I eat, to mimick mommy. In fact, I will often go “Mmmm!” even before her, at the start of the meal. I tried “benènn” once, but mom didn’t hear me right, I think. She doubts my communication abilities, but me, I knew I was eating bananas – I just wanted her to know how much I like them!
   One of my tricks, it’s to make sound while pulling on my lower lip repeatedly. It does a kind of “babblebabblebabble…” When I do it, adults imitate me. It’s fun to teach them a new trick!
   Also, I put the back of my hand on my lips and play Indian, sort of. “Wawawawa…”
6. Height/Weight/Health
   I’m 29″. I don’t have my weight right now, but I’m lean enough. I had a little cold, my first sickness. I got through it ok.
7. Gear
   I got too big for my winter garb, and got a new spring garnment. Red, again! I should get a new car seat soon, too, for the same reason.

That settles the archives… see ya soon!

Nothing ever makes me feel like I’m a kid again quite like sitting in the dentist’s chair, faced with the question “Are you flossing everyday?” (A feeling that comes to an abrupt halt at the end of the appointment when, bill in hand, I very much feel like an adult again.)

I was sitting there today, mentally preparing the answer that I wasn’t quite there yet, but was doing better than I used to, and that wasn’t so bad considering how many… when the hygienist, her little mirror pushed inside my mouth, noted “Well, this is much improved. Doing well on the flossing, are you?” Score!

I guess it really does make a difference. How about you? Are you flossing everyday?

My fellow Quebecers will know this already, but we just had elections yesterday in Québec for the new term.

Two or three times during the campaign, we’ve made note with friends or relatives of how it is a touchy subject to discuss. Yet it was an inescapable temptation to dance around the subject, and try to probe what people will be voting. (This is why I laughed when my sister just dropped the question plainly in a casual conversation on the phone – hi Karine! – “So what are you voting?”)

The subject is especially hot this year, reflected in the election results (though not in the participation, oddly enough). We now have the first minority government since 1878. This is due in good part to the rapid rise of a relatively new party – the ADQ – who had 5 seats in the last term, but are now the official opposition, with 41 seats (against 48 for the Liberals and 36 for the PQ). And this also means they have a decent chance for the next election, unless the other parties work really hard at it. So while it was the Liberals who were re-elected, it really feels like an ADQ victory.

I’m not ashamed of my choice. I voted ADQ, and it seems I wasn’t alone in thinking they could be a good change, a fresh voice. Hey, at least we’re trying something. (Can’t be that much worst.) We’re giving them a chance and we’ll see if they can deliver.
Election results on Radio-Canada (French)

I changed my hair colour. I bought a new eye-liner. I stored my winter coat. I pre-hired students to come clean the windows in June. I bought a new stroller for Xavier (Frank kept going to work with it in the car trunk). I noted two “cabanes à sucre” (maple syrup celebration) lunches on my calendar.

Ah. Spring. At last.

Moi avant (janvier) – Me before (January)

Moi depuis dimanche – Me since Sunday

Xavier’s been laughing when I say “tout doux” – very gentle – (it’s true, François, I didn’t invent it! Not my fault he won’t always do it…) so we tried filming it. It works a little, but that’s not why I put this video online. Let’s just say Xavier isn’t the one laughing in this one. Ouch!

PS. Debcon attendees will recognize the shirt I’m wearing. Yay, Debcon!