New Year's Eve will be better

OK, so we're still in our PJs and have just decided to head out to New York this minute (well, this hour, more like). Back on the 2nd. WTH, let's do it!!!!

Not another review of the year...

But a fun one, made especially for parents, but completely legible by non-breeders as well... The Best and Worst of 2008.

The Babble editors have done a great job, everything from the past year is in there. Including my beloved Feist on Sesame Street (you read about it here first!).

I think someone might have invoked a Christmas curse upon us

At my mom's in Quebec City right now. For the second year in a row, LP brought back gastro from daycare just as we were beginning our Holiday vacation... Seriously, what are the odds? We still drove here to M's parents house on the 24th, as he was feeling better and we were really smug about not having caught it after 4 days. We were wrong, of course. First me on the 25th (I'm always the least affected one though, I may have a favorable genetic mutation or something), then M's mom, M and his aunt yesterday. My mom still wanted us to come over, even with the associated risks. Fingers crossed, so far, so good, thanks to limited contact, a lot of Lysol and compulsive hand washing... M is still under the weather, lying on the couch with a greenish color to him. Too weak to go home (nearly 3 hours away), especially since icing rain is falling and roads are hazardous, if not closed. In the meantime, we are OK enough to eat and drink mint tea and veg out, watching Mamma Mia (LP hilariously danced away) and my mom's favorite movie ever, Dr. Zhivago.

So much to our despair, a relatively bleak Christmas once again... But apart from feeling guilty about making other people sick, what can we do about it?

I heart Sarah Haskins

I can't get enough of her hilarious sarcasm. And it makes me realize that most of the time, the media just thinks we gals are absolutely dumb.

Her capsules are called Target Women, and they appear on CurrentTV's infoMania.

Here are a few gems:

Jewelry
Birth Control
Cleaning
Wedding Shows
Feeding your Family
Suffrage
Yogurt
Cars

Although it's been said, many times, many ways

Merry Christmas, to you.

Hopefully we'll be looking swell

These are LP's Holiday outfits:


And these are mine:




Everything is from H&M, except the beige jacket which is from Baby Zara.

I started buying pieces here and there back in May, so that it would make less of a dent in the budget. The picture does not do justice to these very pretty dresses: the satin hot pink one is really shiny, and the taffeta purple has a rich sheen and falls impeccably. And the belts are a great way to create an instant small waist!

LP's blue corduroy jacket has big yellow lettering on the back, and the back of his white shirt has cute, tame pirates on it. The pants are plaid, and so, for me, this is his London hipster look. His other look is country club preppy, with dark jeans, a light blue Oxford shirt, and his little linen jacket. I know, I'm a bit nuts when it comes to his clothes. I thought having a boy would cure me from liking fashion so much, but actually, it got worse. I now see him as an extension of my look or something. Victoria Beckham, please get out of my brain!!!!

The total for all these clothes is under $200. We're ready for parties!

Channelling Bridget

Weight: 131 pounds (v. good, seems finally past plateau)
Work-out: 40 min. on elliptical (excellent)
Calories burned: 350
Office Christmas lunch: 1
Alcohol units: 2 by 1 PM (bad, but part of aforementioned special occasion)
Calories consumed: 3245 already (v. bad lack of s.-control, ominous of Season just starting?)
Productivity: not at its highest
Songs I can't get out of my head: 1 (this one)
Minutes spent looking at online wedding po*n: 17 (better)
General mood: festive, joyous, hopeful, well-wishing
Kid I can't wait to pick up later, cover with kisses and tell that we won't leave each others sight for the next two weeks: 1
Looking forward to: cuddling with M when he comes back from own office Christmas party, baking cookies with LP on Monday

Phew! I'm not alone!

I like this site called Momversation, where several renown mommy bloggers discuss, rant and ramble about specific parenting issues. The ladies are cool and I can identify with them a lot. But you know, it might also be because as writers they have a tendency to over-analyze and ever-so-slightly err on the verge of neurosis, like someone I know (no, no, not me... Did you think I was referring to myself? Let's say I mean a "dear friend" of mine.)

This recent episode really hit close to home: it's titled "Should I have another child?" I posted about this a couple of times and just like I expected, it always stirs up some reactions (on this blog and in real life). I know it doesn't solve my dilemma, but it was nice to know that some other women do think about this too, and that I'm not selfish/lazy/overbearing for not being sure of wanting another, or for maybe questioning the general idea that families with one child are not really good.

And by the way, in the last few weeks, I was slowly warming up to the idea of having a second one and talking about it with M (not now though). That is, of course, until LP slammed us with the most acute form of terrible-two-related-"no"-phase that ever existed. I wish I was kidding when I say that he repeatedly woke up at night to scream "NO!NO!NO!NO!NOOOOOO!" to us in a state of semi-consciousness, even though all we were doing was trying to peacefully sleep. Ladies and gentlemen, lately you had somewhat foolishly gotten used to a very smooth ride, but we now kindly ask you to brace really tight!

Rudolph is a drunk!

I hate to break the news to you, but I'm afraid it's true.

I grew up with the translated versions of all the Christmas songs. This was something that was systematically done a few generations ago (before we realized that hey, we actually had a voice!), to simply take an existing English-language song and translate it into French, with the same melody and everything (and, let's face it, widely varying degrees of skill and success). It's only as a nostalgic grown-up interested in the classics that I discovered the original versions of these songs, through Bing and Frank and Ella.

So Winter Wonderland was "Au royaume du bonhomme hiver" (The Land of the Winter Man is the best I can do, although it's not entirely exact), Let it Snow! was "C'est l'hiver" (It's Winter), and Jingle Bells was "Vive le vent" (Hail to the Wind). You can't make that stuff up.

Some of the translations were more exact though: Sleigh Ride was "Promenade en traîneau," White Christmas was "Noël blanc", and Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer was "Le petit renne au nez rouge".

While recently comparing the versions, though, I realized that their respective meanings were usually completely different! Which is like hello! A whole new world is opening up! For example, in French, Let it Snow! is about a joyful wintry family stroll outside on a Sunday, not at all about this hopeful, playful romantic evening spent by the fire between two young and innocent lovers...

But of all the songs, it's poor Rudolph that gets the worst deal by far, and really has a bad rap. Here are the English lyrics to the song:

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

All of the other reindeers
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

Now in French:

On l'appellait Nez-Rouge (He was called Red-Nose)
Ha! Comme il était mignon (He was so cute)
Avec son p(e)tit nez rouge (With his little red nose)
Rouge comme un lumignon (Red like a... It's an old-fashioned word no one uses anymore. It means a small lamp or candle which light is very dull.)

Son p(e)tit nez faisait rire (His nose made (people) laugh)
Chacun s'en moquait beaucoup (Everyone -not just the reindeers!- teased him about it)
On allait jusqu'à dire (People would even say)
Qu'il aimait prendre un p(e)tit coup (That he liked to get drunk!!!)


Note that the name Rudolph is never mentioned in the song. I guess it was too foreign-sounding.

But the idea of Santa's reindeer as the staple drunk is so widespread here that "Opération Nez-Rouge" is actually the name of an organization which consists of volunteers driving people home for free after Holiday parties, in order to avoid drunk driving!

Things that simplify my life (and help me keep it together)

1. Exercising machines at home

Gyms and classes annoy me more than they motivate me, plus this saves precious time. I now have a nearly daily date with CNN's yummy Anderson Cooper.

2. Twice-monthly massages

It seems like a big indulgence, I know. But I get them at work. Every second Tuesday a massage therapist comes in and we are actually allowed (even encouraged) to indulge. It's a massage on a special chair, with clothes on, so it's really quick and to the point. I couldn't emphasize enough that this is the. best. perk. ever. I don't know how I managed before that. It makes such a big difference in my energy/relaxation level, it's really a key factor to my sanity.

3. An employer that lets me leave at 4

And doesn't mind if I work less hours than I'm supposed to in a week if I need to (and I do sometimes).

4. Online shopping

I can't understand why people don't do it all the time! Bonus points for cheap and unfussy shipping to Canada.

5. Dry shampoo

This one might seem a bit off, but it's gotta be one of the greatest time-savers ever. I first discovered it after LP had ear tube surgery and we couldn't wash his hair for two weeks. The pediatric nurse had suggested it, and I soon started to use it on myself.

See, I have long, unruly, frizzy hair, and I just hate, hate, how long it takes to dry and style it. I'm already waking up at an insanely early hour to work out, so I try to limit the hair wash-up routine to twice a week. But my hair still always looks OK (and even more than that most of the time), thanks to this unassuming little product. Spray it on (it's powdery white stuff), wait two minutes, brush, and voila, your hair looks fresh and new, even after a workout. It gives hair a great texture, it takes out the oil, the sweat, the smell, everything. The one I use is from Klorane, and it's $15 (not cheap), but trust me, it's so worth it!

6. A partner that helps out in the house

Great feeling when I come back to the living room after having put LP to bed to find that the kitchen is clean and that M is folding the laundry. I could just kiss him! And I do!

7. Having finally accepted that it's sometimes OK to take shortcuts in the kitchen

It took a while, but I definitely realized that elaborate dinners were just not cutting it anymore on weekdays. There are still shortcuts I won't do, but some are now part of our lives: mac-and-cheese from a box (but the organic, deluxe white cheddar stuff), instant mashed potatoes (but the good, all-natural stuff), pre-cooked basmati rice, pre-shredded cole slaw veggies, frozen pizza (but again, the better kind)... I know my mom might frown at this but at the same time, she understands that unlike her at the time, I have a full-time job. I'm still making good, healthy choices, but I'm just giving myself the chance to stress less about food. Simple is now my motto!

I should be used to it by now, but every year it's the same unpleasant surprise

This is the (crappy cellphone picture) view from my office window. The colors on that camera are really off, because it's generally more luminous and the snow is whiter, with an overall merry and pretty feel. That little whitish fuzzy thing you can see on tree branches? Ice, ice, baby. A pretty thick coat of it. Happens when what should be snow falls into just above freezing water drops that instantly bind on contact with anything.

Yep, we've officially entered into winter mode. I must say I prefer when we have snow for the Holidays, so in the grand scheme of things I don't mind.

What I do mind though is the shoveling, de-icing of the cars (no joke I had to knock -hard!- on my car with a broomstick for five minutes just to break enough ice so I could open the door and start the engine!), longer commutes, catastrophic traffic, trees bent over to the ground with the weight of the ice, and so on.

You are entirely allowed to call me a whiny grinch now. Because I must admit this morning the glistening ice on the branches kinda looked like the (ultra-stylized) set of a fairytale.

I thought kids were supposed to hate broccoli!

Can you tell his mouth is full?

LP is definitely a bit more of a pickier eater these days. All normal and expected, we've been told. Even the mini-foodies have this kind of phase around two. The odds are, since he's always been really good at trying and eating basically anything, he'll soon be back to it. He's still eating like a pig at daycare (they mention how much he eats every day), so I'm not too worried, and I never push too hard (I'll gently insist once or twice, then take the food away). I guess it's easier to let himself go when he's not at home, with all the other kids eating as well, and because the setting is free from the control/independence/emotional issues he just needs to go through with us as part of his normal development.

At home, I wouldn't say he's difficult, but lately the meals have been kind of hit-or-miss. I think he'd just prefer to snack all day ("Collation! Collation!", he always asks) and not go through the hassle of sitting still for fifteen minutes, eating with utensils, etc. Strangely, though, his love of broccoli remains strong. This week, I had leftover mac-and-cheese I wanted to give him for dinner, and lately he hasn't been crazy about it. Without really thinking about it, I told myself: let's add LOTS of broccoli to it, in order to make sure he eats it.

So I prepared and steamed some, and presented him with the plate. Then it dawned on me, how ridiculous this situation was, and I started laughing hysterically. In 99% of all households, the complete opposite would have happened, of course: in order to make sure the kids eat at least a little broccoli, a LOT of cheese sauce would have been needed!

Do you know what happened to his meal in the end? He ate all the broccoli, asked for more, and left most of the noodles untouched.

Maybe Mother Nature is on a crazy drug binge

Yesterday, we picked our Christmas tree, and it was relatively pleasant outside, around 1 Celcius (39 Fahrenheit). Some snow was falling as we decorated it, and we shared this excellent (albeit very small) bottle of sparkling ice cider...

This morning, I noticed all the windows were covered with sparkly frost. I understood why when I checked the outside thermometer: -20 (-2)! Ouch! Complete thermal shock. This usually happens several times during the winter, but not in December and not like overnight! On the other hand, the sky is this crazy winter blue, and the sun is blinding. But I'm still not warmed from my 7 minutes spent out early this morning.

Forecast for tomorrow: rain and 9 (48).

Naming children according to a theme

I am the eldest of three girls. All throughout the pregnancy, I was supposed to be named Pascal(e), a name that can work for both genders in French. Up until a few weeks before I was born, my mother worked as a secretary for the Arts Department in Laval University. A couple of days before giving birth, she decided to pay a visit to her former coworkers. While she was in a University elevator and the doors were about to close, she saw a young woman hurrying in while saying: “Vite, vite, Marie-Ève!” And apparently, a little curly-haired 2 year-old blond angel appeared. That’s the story of my name.

Then, as the girls kept coming, my mom remembered that in the street where she grew up, there was a family with 9 children, including 8 girls whose names all started with Marie (I hope for his own sake that the only boy wasn’t named this way). She thought it was cool, she had already started, and so the three of us are Marie-something. Even today, people usually think it’s a peculiar and interesting anecdote, and it makes them smile. For me, growing up, it was just the reality. So I was kind of taken aback when, upon learning this the other day, a coworker couldn’t repress a snide expression on her face, like: “Oh, so you’re one of those families.”

I knew the kind of families she was referring to, but it’s funny, I had never viewed my mom’s little twist (which has more to do with a Catholic tradition than a hippie thing or an overflowing individuality and creativity) as part of a “theme”. I guess it could be, I don’t know. The originality factor is definitely not there, though, since in French Canada Marie-somethings are a dime a dozen.

You know what I’m talking about, right? Families which are all (unusually) named around a certain theme?

First, there's this: 17 siblings whose names all start with a J! Ok, nothing can beat that, but two siblings I vaguely knew in high school were named Soleil and Lune (and their parents were definitely hippies). An old boyfriend’s aunt was named Vania, and she had named her two daughters Vanessa and Vassilia. Identical twin girls from my hometown (who dressed alike until well into their teens) had somewhat matching names, like Alexandra and Cassandra. A candidate for the recent provincial elections in my office’s riding is named Moscou (yes, the French name for Russia’s capital -I can totally imagine his Lenin-worshiping Trotskyist parents). Well, Moscou has two kids, and their names are… Sidney and Milan. And although I’ve never met one, I’m sure there are families out there whose daughters are named like Jasmine, Ariel, Belle and Aurora… So, cool or cheesy?

In my humble opinion, too-original and unusual names are just not good, putting the parents’ ego before the child’s well-being... But what do I know?

Ethical fur for a winter wedding

I live in some kind of a winterland paradise, but I'm not a winter person. I'm sorry, I'm just not. However, there are a few peculiarities of Northern living that have a bit of a traditional and charming appeal to me. Like fur. Please don't scream. I know fur is unethical, and I'm obviously against animal cruelty, so I don't buy it, and I don't support it. But anyone who's familiar with harsh winters knows that it has a real function in these cases, that it's not merely a status symbol or a token of conservatism, but rather a, well, perfect way to keep yourself warm.

It has an important history around here, starting from the fact that it has been used by the Natives for centuries, and that for a very long time, it was the main reason people kept coming to this inhospitable land. The times have changed, and today even here people don't really wear much fur anymore (as opposed to say in Austria where I've been a few years ago and was surprised at how popular it still was). But even a generation ago, people wore it a lot, and it was just the way things were around here.

Fur lasts a lifetime (case in point, my mom who's had two coats hanging in the closet for as long as I can remember), and it's not really something people tend to throw away. And while I'm genuinely sorry for all those animals, I have to admit that I think fur is an incredible, unrivaled material in terms of softness, texture, and smell (it's kind of an infinitely pleasant musk that never fades out). A very creative local up-and-coming designer called Mariouche understood this a few years ago, and has launched a very interesting and successful business entirely based on recycled fur. Her company is called Harricana and you can check out the beautiful things she makes, from revamped coats to accessories and luxurious blankets. Basically, she makes people bring in their grandmother's old-fashioned coat, shawl or hat, and she turns them into something modern, stylish and sentimental.

Recently, I've heard that she has just started to expand her line to include this one other piece of clothing you keep in your closet forever: the wedding dress. She got the idea last year when her brother got married and her future sister-in-law wanted her to sew a dress from the fabric of her mother's, future mother-in-law's and grandmother's gowns. I thought it was a beautiful outside-the-box idea, somehow honoring family traditions, making your dress very unique and personal, and using recycled materials.

Now, she makes gowns for all seasons, but since fur is her true specialty and passion, her real fun is mixing the two, and creating dresses with fur accents for winter weddings. Even if I don't like winter in general, I've always viewed winter weddings as incredibly magical. Maybe that's because so few people marry during this season (and for many practical (or rather impractical) reasons, we won't, so I understand). My parents got married in February, and my mom wore this white brocade dress with a white fur-trimmed cape, along with a little fluffy fur pillbox hat; I guess my fascination comes from seeing their pictures as a child. My mom doesn't have the dress anymore (and my parents' marriage has not survived either), but I still think the idea of reusing someone's dress (while making it your own), especially like in this case if you dare doing things differently and pulling off the winter wonderland wedding, is utterly fantastic. If the dress still existed, now that I know I wouldn't have had to wear it as is in its dated seventies style, I might have just been tempted to enlist Mariouche's help and completely turn the wedding around. Like maybe have it in March at Quebec City's breathtaking ice hotel or something...

The wedding "cathedral" at the Ice Hotel, from their website...

Happy Week

I just wanted to add a quick post to say that I'm having one of those weeks where you catch yourself smiling a lot. You know, when you just can't seem to shake that quiet happiness that kinda sits in your gut?

-M and I are in a good place right now. We're not one of these couples who always see eye to eye, and since we're both emotional and passionate about stuff let's say it's rarely boring, but the depth and strength of our bond is such a comforting and important constant in my life.

-LP is saying "je t'aime" (I love you), and he's just so fun these days, when he's not having nonsensical terrible-two tantrums, I mean. Watching him be wowed by the Holidays preparation is... is basically what life is all about, right? Lately, every day when we drive back from daycare, he asks me to not go home right away, because he wants to see the Christmas lights. So we drive around the illuminated neighborhood, him excited and expressive, me smiling, smiling, smiling. Last night, he asked me : "Ou MES amis? (Where MY friends?), and this simply filled my heart with bliss. His friends. He's 22 months old and wants to know where his friends are.

-Lately I've been having this good feeling that I've (and we've, as parents) pretty much gotten the hang of it all. Suddenly, it's not that difficult to manage it all, to do the working mommy/loving fiancee/domestic thing anymore. Things are falling into place, seem less hectic, are, dare I say it, easier (without being perfect, I must add). While he still needs us a lot, LP is definitely more independent, more stable, more fun to deal with. I know my job is far from over, but I recently realized I don't have this slight anxiety and tiring ever-present alertness towards catering to his needs anymore.

-While there are still no absolute guarantees on the professional front, in the past few days I've had several good news that made me more and more confident. My work has been praised (and the word has been widely spread) in at least two occasions, by both relatively affluent and unbiased people (meaning, not my immediate boss who's rooting for my staying here). Even if my job wasn't somewhat at stake, this is very rewarding. And even of the worst did happen, I have some interesting Plan Bs beginning to take shape in the background.

-I've just learned this morning our office has decided that during the Holidays, instead of having a few people scattered here and there basically browsing the Net during a few open days, we will simply be closed for two weeks. Yes, it means no paycheck but as I've said before, I'm paid more than a regular employee exactly to make up for such situations. I was only planning to come to work for three days anyway so it does not make a huge difference in terms of money, but it does make a big difference in terms of quality of life. This now means I'll be off from December 19 to January 5. It's like whooa, I haven't had this much Holiday time off since I was a student! It will be simply be fantastic. I'll really get to take it easy, have lots of quality family time, and not feel like I'm missing out on anything work-wise (ahhh, precious peace of mind). Expect as many Sound of Music/Mary Poppins/Singing in the Rain watching sessions as I can possibly fit.

So we may not be celebrating Thanksgiving, but I'm thankful for this. I'm really thankful for all of this.

Recipe Wednesday!

1- Homemade Bread

I used to bake my own bread all the time, but I had not done it since I went back to work a year ago. I swear I'm no slave to my kitchen, I simply found an incredibly easy recipe for which the wow factor is a hundred times greater than the work involved!!! For me, that's the secret to a lot of things in life! I baked a loaf this weekend and it reminded me of how fun and rewarding it is.

This bread does not taste like machine-made bread at all (which can be OK, but I usually dislike the texture and the slightly chemical yeasty taste -due to the fact that you add a lot of yeast to make the bread rise faster-), but more like the bread you would find at an artisan bakery. I mean, don't expect results to rival those of the exquisite Boulangerie Poilane in Paris, but it's still pretty remarkable. And you'll see, as Nigella Lawson says in How to be a Domestic Goddess, the satisfaction you will find in having baked your own bread is immense!

It takes about 15 minutes of handling, tops, but you do have to plan it logistically, since it has to be prepared a day ahead. It only takes four ingredients, it's very economical, and the secret of the recipe is using a tiny amount of yeast but letting time do its magic with the rising.

No-Knead Bread (I first saw this on Martha's show (where else?), but it originally appeared in the New York Times).

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups warm water

Mix the first three ingredients with a whisk (so they will be sifted at the same time). Add the water until well combined. I usually do this with my stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, but you can do it in a bowl with a wooden spoon. The dough will be wet and sticky.

Transfer the dough to a greased large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave it on the countertop until the next day, ideally between 12 and 18 hours.

When you're ready, place a dish towel on the countertop and sprinkle some flour on it. With floured hands, grab the dough and quickly shape it into a ball, then transfer it to a corner of the towel. Cover it with the other side of the towel, and let rise for about two hours.

Place a large, heavy pot with a lid (it has to be able to withstand the heat, I've had an incident involving exploding Pyrex last year) in the oven, then preheat it to 450-500 degrees. When the oven has reached the right temperature, carefully remove the pot from the oven, then transfer the dough into it. Bake, covered, for 30-40 minutes, then uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes.

I've never experimented much with the recipe but my mom has, and she's had great results with mixing grains (whole wheat, wheat bran, oats, cornmeal, rye, etc.), changing the bread's shape, and adding nuts, fruits and spices to the dough.

2- Nut Stuffing for Turkey

My first ever reader request! You can buy roasted chesnuts, but if they're fresh, you can also do it yourself (on an open fire, ha-ha). Seriously, I've also boiled them for about 20 minutes with the skin on and everything, and it's fine. Let them cool and the skin will peel off pretty easily.

1/2 cup very finely sliced onion
1/2 cup very finely sliced celery
3-4 cloves of minced garlic
5 cups breadcrumbs
3/4 cups (or 1 1/2 sticks) melted butter
About 2 pounds of peeled chestnuts
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup pecans
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh parsley
Salt, pepper
About 1/2-3/4 cup of chicken broth

Sautee the onion, garlic and celery with some olive oil, under medium heat. You want them to become translucent and soft, not to color and crisp. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the broth together. Put in an ovenproof pan, then cover with foil and place in the fridge until the turkey is cooking. Place in the oven alongside the turkey, while adding a little bit of the broth to moisten just beforehand. Don't worry about temperatures, it should bake fine in about an hour in there. If your turkey is at a higher setting, take it out before that, and if the temperature is quite low, put it a little ahead, that's all! If it looks too dry, add a little more broth during the baking.

This recipe is REALLY good, crumbly and crisp at the same time. The different nuts provide wonderful textures and tastes, and the cranberries add just the right touch of sweet/tartness. My first inspiration was that I wanted to incorporate chestnuts, which I had come to love while living in Europe, and which are traditionally served with turkey in France. My second inspiration was that I quite disliked bread cubes in stuffing, which seem to always be either soggy or too dry: I wanted to try the breadcrumbs instead, which seemed just a bit more interesting and more refined. I added the other nuts after reading another recipe for stuffed pork roast. And finally, I thought it could be good to throw a few traditional stuffing ingredients in the mix, like celery, which you can taste while not risking to bite into a soggy, fibrous chunk!

Enjoy!

Please don't call Social Services...

I know I’m a good parent, and I would literally give my son my life in a heartbeat, but I’ve had several moments of questionable judgment since having him… I thought maybe writing about them would make me feel slightly less bad. Or prove everyone how much of a terrible person I am. You’ll be the judge.

-I’ve knocked him over several times. In addition, I’ve opened the fridge door on him, I’ve stepped on his foot with my stiletto heel at least twice, I’ve closed a drawer on his little fingers… You all know he’s clumsy, but I’m friggin’ clumsier and he’s a sneaky, fast little dude.

-Once, while at the CLINIC (of all places), I slammed a big, heavy door on his hand. He had just started walking and I was so proud to hold him by the hand instead of carrying him that I just didn’t verify that everything was clear before closing that damn door. Gosh it looked like it hurt. Gosh the doctor did not look impressed.

-When he was about 4-5 months old and wasn’t really grasping objects much or at least easily, I once put him on the countertop in his pod seat, while I was preparing something to cook. I can’t remember what it was but there was a rather large knife there. First fault: I left him for 5 seconds to go grab a clean rag in our linen closet. Second and most important fault: When I came back he was happily holding, you’ve guessed it, the very sharp knife. This is pretty much how I learned that he could grasp things now.

-He’s been out of his high chair for a long time now, and has been eating in his little booster seat on a dining room chair since he was maybe 15 months old. We figured it was secure since the booster is strapped to the chair in two places, AND is also strapped to him. Well on Saturday morning as I was buttering a toast for him and M was reading the paper, he pushed himself away from the table and made the chair fall over to the floor! He was OK, but still knocked his head a little and what a shock!

-And the worst of the worst… In October when we went back to my hometown, he spilled grape juice all over himself and my stepmom and I immediately took him to the laundry room to take care of this small catastrophe. I admit that I only vaguely watched him while we were at the sink rinsing his clothes and deciding on how to treat the stains. I swear I only stopped looking at him for about a half-minute… And when I did I only had a millisecond to run over and take the OPEN jug of bleach out of his hands. He had managed to twist off the cap, and I still shiver when I think about it and wonder if he had planned to pour it on himself (he was only wearing a diaper) or, gulp, drink it.

A wind of professional change...

This was not unexpected, but at the end of last week we learned that the project I've been working on for the last year will be transferred to Singapore. For now everyone on the team is moved to the other project being developed here, so I'm holding on to my job.

But as a consultant there is definitely uncertainty, with my contract ending on January 31st, and three technical writers here vying for the same post... I must say I've been somewhat reassured about the prospect of my contract being renewed -before the meeting I honestly didn't know if I needed to update my resume -like now- or not. Everyone wants me to stay, I was told, and there is a lot of work to be done here, at least in the mid-term.

Morale has been very low in the past two weeks (since we pretty much suspected this was going to happen), and regardless of what the future holds, there's a certain mourning we have to go through. It feels weird, like giving away our baby, and I'm surprised about feeling that protective of my work... We've been a great team, the personal and professional synergy is high, and it will be a little hard suddenly integrating to the people on the other side of the building.

Well, although I wish this didn't happen right before the Holidays, what are we gonna do. New project, new challenges! Que sera, sera...