Biting Dilemma

Dominic has 8 teeth already. He's had them for a long time now since they all came within weeks of each other. Sounds like a nightmare but actually he was never too bad with teething. Some wakeful nights but I'm sure it could have been much worse!

The issue now is he bites me!  Luckily he hasn't bit me while I'm breastfeeding (although he tried nibbling a couple times he stopped after a couple days and I've gotten lucky). But he bites my arms and shoulder quite a bit when we're playing on the floor or he's sitting on my lap. Sometimes I feel like he thinks its like a love bite or something because he does it randomly. But other times when I'm trying to take him away from something he shouldn't be playing with he tries to bite me! I haven't seen him do it to anyone else but me, which is at least one good thing, but I still need to figure out a way to stop him from doing it. He's not quite a year yet, and although he understands a lot and seems to know when he's doing something he shouldn't, he doesn't seem to pick up on that when he's biting me.

I haven't heard too much about how to get him to stop biting. I have heard to bite him back, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it.. Any ideas fellow parents??

Back to Work Blues

No matter what I tried to do to mentally prepare for having to leave Dominic, it didn't work. It seems so unnatural and cruel to have to leave my son when he still feels like a baby (although he's far cry from the little man that came into this world almost a year ago!)

I found a really wonderful home daycare, that is very clean, and the woman running it is warm and nurturing and so amazing with Dominic. Which is of course what I want for the person taking care of my son.

But even with that, leaving him was the hardest thing I've had to do. Up until a week ago I had never left Domninic for 8 hours before! We did a couple of transition days the week before I went back to work. The first day he just went for 3 hours, and then we did a full day. He of course was a total angel and doesn't seem to have even a little bit of separation anxiety. I on the other hand cried the whole way there (although I tried to keep it quiet because I didn't want to upset Dominic) and then cried the whole way to work. Does the separation anxiety for mothers ever stop?

I held up pretty good while I was actually at work. Catching up with everyone and trying to catch up on work actually seemed a lot more normal than I expected it to. But there were moments... Like when the girl from my office that went off on mat leave not too long ago came in with her new baby boy and her daughter..  I went to say hi and saw the baby and all of a sudden burst into tears and had to walk away to recover! Then I pulled it together and managed more of a conversation but then had to walk away again! Luckily I work with some really great people that are like a family to me and they all were really understanding and sympathized with how I was feeling =)

The Weight of the Nation is so eye-opening...

To all parents out there, I highly recommend watching The Weight of the Nation. It's scary to think about how the world operates today and how much our children will have to overcome to maintain healthy lifestyles. I'm already stressing over how I can help ensure my son lives healthy.

Between screen time, advertising/fast food/sugary foods, and in general all the technological advancements that have made our lives more sedentary its hard for me to escape everything, let alone how hard its going to be for Dominic. Even 20 years ago things have so drastically changed and there's so much more out there now to encourage an unhealthy lifestyle, its hard to imagine the influence that will have on my son.

When I was younger we didn't have a TV in every room, a computer/laptops, ipads, cell phones. The normal thing to do even in winter was to play outside. Now its a completely different lifestyle. How do you encourage a child to stay away from the screens, the sugary snacks, fast food, etc and stay active?

Everybody is nicer to you when you have a baby... most of the time anyway!

I have been totally slacking on posting to my blog! Been completely overwhelmed with daycare shopping, car shopping and general day-to-day craziness with my wonderful baby!

I've noticed recently how having a smiling baby (fortunately Dominic is such a smiley happy kid, especially when we're out and about) really brings out the best in people. I've had so many experiences of people trying to help me out when I must look like I'm trying to perform a juggling act with Dominic in my arms, huge purse, and groceries or whatever else we might be up to. Dominic inevitably drops his soother or pulls stuff out of my purse and I've always had someone around trying to help. Whether it be opening doors, picking up items that Dominic has determined to be excess baggage, giving Dominic odds and ends to keep him or any number of small favours, it has really warmed my heart to be in this community.

Yesterday though, I took advantage of someone's generosity. I was in the new Subway close to Dewitt Road and Hwy 8, submitting to a craving for a sub. The cashier (who Dominic was flirting with - he's going to be such a heart-breaker when he's older) asked if he was allowed to have cookies. I said yes before really thinking about it. I definitely do not give him chocolate chip cookies yet.. but the woman wrapped up a cookie and handed it to Dominic (free of charge) who was pretty excited over the crinkly paper. I left the store and let Dominic carry his cookie proudly to the car. I put him in his carseat where I proceeded to take the cookie off of him, removed the cookie, and ate it before I even reached my house. Oops.... I should probably feel more guilty about it...... but it was a really good cookie. No sense letting it go to waste right?

Stuffy Nose remedy that WORKS!!!!!!

And then on the seventh day........ [Insert religious figure here] the hydraSense Nasal Aspirator for infants and newborns was created!!! So after my last blog, my wonderful friends messaged me on Facebook and texted me to say that there IS a solution that works and doesn't require you to get boogers in your mouth.  My friend Melissa swore by this and said its the greatest thing since sliced bread (okay... those may not have been her exact words).
So I went out to Shoppers and checked it out (I believe you can get it at Walmart too, and probably for cheaper). I think at Shoppers it was on sale for $19 - but worth every penny.

The kit comes with the suction contraption (nasal aspirator.. if you want to get all technical about it), 5 saline drop doses (which last for more than one dose), and 5 filters (they say one use but seriously I'm cheap and the refills were $5 for the filters so I just rinsed mine with soapy water and let it dry). You put the filter in the suction contraption, then you put the saline drops in the nose, and then gently put the suction thing in the nostril and suck it out with your mouth (yes still sounds gross BUT the filter catches it and you don't get a wad of boogers in your mouth). Now Dominic still detests me going near his nose but he can breathe afterwards!! His cold has been lingering on and he's still stuffed up in the morning and by the night, so I've been using this and it is absolutely AMAZING! Thanks to my friends for messaging me about this!

Cold + Teething = Bad Nights.. Even with the Amber bracelet!

When it rains it pours!

Dominic is getting his top two middle teeth (of course at the same time). And of all times, its when he has his second cold. My poor boy is already uncomfortable, but then is also having trouble breathing through his nose because he's all stuffed up. Not sure which is bothering him more (I think its the cold personally). And to top it off I have the same cold as him! I think we may have caught it on our travels home from Florida unfortunately. 

Now I've heard all of these great home remedies for stuffy/runny noses. None of which I have found to be very useful. 

Remedy #1

The little snot sucker that looks like a little turkey baster doesn't seem to work at all. Every time I squeeze even slightly the top pops off (I'm sure they made the top come off for sanitary reasons so you can clean it once you've actually managed to suck out some snot - but when the top pops off it really makes the whole process ineffective). I think I'd rather buy a brand new one every time I use it instead of having one where the top comes off! Now I have heard of people sucking the snot out themselves (yes with their mouth) or blowing it out (there's instructions on how to do this online - essentially you cover one nostril and blow into their mouth). I have not tried these methods - so if anyone has please feel free to share!

Remedy #2

Humidifiers. While shopping for humidifiers I was told that warm humidifiers are not the way to go and they cause bacteria and all that and now they suggest the cold humidifiers. I got a really great one, and it even has lights that shine the moon and stars up on the ceiling at night so I use it also as a night light. I have not noticed it helping even a little bit. His colds seem to last just as long and doesn't seem to provide any relief. I was told not to use the Vicks vapour stuff that you can buy for the humidifiers until Dominic is 18 months.. there's something in their nose that burns ?? Don't quote me - I can't remember exactly what the girl at Babies R Us told me.. just remember her saying something about it burning.

Remedy #3

Eucalyptus Oil. Since Dominic is still kind of too young for this, and it one of the ingredients in the Vicks Vapour stuff, I just put a little bit in some boiling water in the kitchen when we were in the living room (its all one big space). While I found that helped me clear up a little bit - it didn't seem to do much for him. 

Remedy #4

Salinex or saline solution. Now this does seem to provide minimal relief and help clearing up Dominic's nose. But its a struggle fest to try to get near his nose. Typically what I've done is while he's breastfeeding before bed or in the middle of the night when his eyes are closed I take the opportunity to put some of the salinex in his nose using the dropper. I'm sure you can imagine the shocked face and sputtering when Dominic is all nice and relaxed eating and gets something squirted in his nose - BUT its effective. What can I say?? Desperate times! And at least he goes right back to eating and calms back down so it seems to work the best. 

Remedy #5

Suck it up buttercup and ride it out. By far the most effective. And if you're confused because this doesn't seem like much of a remedy or a solution... well you're right. It isn't. It's just the way it is! There's not much you can do for a little one when they have a cold. Just try to make them as comfortable as possible. There are boogie wipes that have saline in them and make wiping their nose a little less awful. Of course its still kind of cold and Dominic still hates when I have to wipe his nose, but he likes it when I use the boogie wipes marginally more than Kleenex. So far really the best solution I've found is using a warm cloth to wipe him down. He doesn't mind that nearly as much, but when you're out boogie wipes are definitely the way to go!

If anybody else has any other remedies or suggestions please feel free to share!

Florida trip was a success!

Dominic and I made it to Florida and back in one piece! Overall it was a great trip and a nice break, and Dominic seemed to have a wonderful time! As everyone knows I was completely terrified of the plane ride. My parents were generous enough to pay for a car to take me to the airport - which was well worth it! Especially since I was travelling alone with Dominic not having to worry about parking or getting a shuttle with park and fly was a huge relief. And the fact that my car is less than dependable, it took away a lot of stress of my car even making it to the airport.  We were flying with Southwest - which to my horror when I was checking in, they don't do assigned seating. I called my Mom and told her about my confusion. They board by groups A, B and C. Each group boards and its first come first serve with seating. I was in the B group but at least I got to board first with the baby. While waiting in line with the other families I got to talking to them. There was a woman with a 7 month old and a 3 year old that was travelling alone so I felt better! 

While boarding the plane I realized I had to pick a seat and I could potentially be putting the person I chose through hell depending on how Dominic was. I voiced this concern to the woman with 2 kids that was behind me and a woman that was sitting with her daughter spoke up and said she didn't mind. And luckily they were at the front of the plane so I thanked her profusely and sat down. While we were taking off I breastfed Dominic and for the way down I gave him a bottle (which takes him longer). He only whined a little bit when he was tired and he finally fell asleep. The woman I was sitting next to was a total dream and even helped me keep Dominic amused when he was awake. He wasn't a fan of the change table in the bathroom airplane but we got through it. And when I got out of the bathroom one of the women I met in line was waiting and asked if I wanted her to hold Dominic while I went to the bathroom. I almost cried with happiness since I was planning on having to hold it until we landed! Dominic was such a champ and nothing seemed to phase him even the landing that was a little bumpy. I had flight attendants and everyone around us stopping me to tell me how good they thought he was. 

The whole trip he did amazing and looooved the beach and playing in the sand (we managed to keep his hands out of his mouth except for once!). And he just put his feet in the water since it was too chilly to go all the way in. He absolutely loved it. The plane ride home wasn't as wonderful as the way down there. Dominic was great in the airport prior to the flight but I knew he was due for a nap and to eat. He pooped before we boarded and I thought that was perfect - better than on the plane. Buuuut he decided to poop again mid flight anyway! We had more success in the bathroom this time. He fell asleep before we even took off after he started to cry. Unfortunately he only slept for 20 mins and then after that it took a bit to keep him occupied and after about an hour he was whining. Which I guess is better than full out crying but I still felt he was bothering the other passengers. One of the mothers sitting across the aisle from me gave me a couple of her toys that seemed to keep him more interested than the new ones I had bought him for the flight. Once we were off the flight, I went to go change his diaper again - and he of course waited to pee until his diaper was off which was wonderful ! By the time we got to the baggage claim everyone was already gone, and since our driver was absolutely amazing - she had come to find us since it was the same driver that drove us to the airport and she knew what I looked like and knew I would need help!  All in all it was a great experience - although tiring, and it was well worth the trip. Having my parents around full time to help me out was priceless and they even took him a couple of times so I could just lie on the beach for a couple of hours! Can't wait to travel more with Dominic!