article published

my first online article has just been published!

check it out at Type-A-Mom & please leave a comment if you like what you read :)

as sarah says

"you are on a roll!" says Sarah Albrect Escalante, who just found out they're having a little girl nubbin - congratulations Sarah & Marco!!

indeed, i am on a roll. evidenced by this email from Amy at Mommy Track'd:

"Jennifer,

What do you think about occasionally writing for our AROUND THE WATERCOOLER column. Would love to get the Canadian working mom perspective. We could include a link to your site in your bio and you could link back to the column from your site. I can pay you___/post.

Thoughts?

Amy"

did you notice? they can PAY me. its my first paid-lance writing gig. now i can retire!

yesterday shaun sent me this photo in an email. it brightened up my day considerably



notice the tongue? liam has discovered how to stick his tongue out & he does it all the time now. he also grabs his tongue, squeezes it really hard, then makes this "oh, that hurts" face. he's been obsessed with mouths lately. constantly sticking his fingers into mine or shauns. he's not nice about it though - as if this isn't intrusive enough - he really RAMS his fingers in, gouging the gums & bruising that soft spot under my tongue. he likes to feel my molars & then see how far down my throat he can shove his fingers. the other day, he moved on from the mouth to the nose, sticking his finger so far up my nose he scratched the membraine & made me bleed a little bit.

you can't see it on this picture but liam has a boo-boo on the side of his nose where he smashed his face against a shopping cart the past weekend. the next day, he tried to stand up in the kitched against the dishwasher & did a faceplant into the hard ceramic tile. he cut his inside upper lip open with his bottom teeth & bled all over his jumperoo.

as he gets more mobile he becomes more accident prone. i'm just waiting for the day i'm sitting at work & get a call from shaun that goes something like this ... "okay, don't panic but liam .... " with visions of my kid sister becky's face plant into the pavement dive, bloody faces & hospital visits with multiple stitches

tomorrow he turns 11 months. after that, its 1 year. where has the first year with my baby gone?

harrods

possible correction to my rainbows post, thanks Stephanie (good luck on that impending baby girl!)

"Harrods is in the UK..I don't *think* they have any US stores (but I could be wrong about that)...."

can one of my UK readers confirm? Neah i'm looking at you lady...

mommy matter

from Courtney H, Editor at Mommy Matter

"I paid a visit to your site and would LOVE to have you as an editor on Mommy Matter! I've set you up a editor's account on the site. You're more than welcome to post as often as you like on any topic that you feel will be of interest to our audience of women and parents, I just ask that you post...."

as well, Tales from Our Crib has been added to their prestigious "The Great Big Blog Directory" which you can access here:

The Great Big Blog Directory

this is our first official freelance work & boy are we excited. by we i mean ME & by free i mean free. still, i am excited!!

and looky loo! half way down the page, there i am - with the most convoluted messed up dirty looking profile of all (because i have no clue how to link in wordpress... can anyone leave a comment & teach me?)

Mommy Matter Editors

advertising

as you've probably noticed we've got ads running now - which means Eric, the lovely network guy, schooled my ass on how to configure ad tags so that they would work. we love Eric! he is all knowing, all powerful He-Man figure

so, i just checked my "accepted" ads section & here is who i've apparently accepted ads from, without having to physically do anything; tres cool:

QTips (which are awesome, i use them all the time for fixing my manicure mess-ups & i'm not just saying that, i knew about this "secret" way before the ads started running)

Six Flags (which is also awesome because i used to go there every summer with my family where we'd rent a big camper & get on each others nerves)

Febreeze (ad campaign for some reason aimed at women & gay.. women i understand, but gay? maybe i give off a vibe... not that there's anything wrong with that)

Direct TV (which is funny considering we don't have cable tv - at all - at our house, but don't get me wrong i'm not against cable!)

America's Vacation (i hope all you american readers can relate to this ad & that it helps you find nice vacations)

Nivea Visage (whats not to love about this brand? they were the first "brand" name facecream i ever bought back when i was 12 & then had taken away by my mom because i was too young to be using "product". she also wouldn't let me shave my legs until i was 16. come on mom. do you know how embarassing that was?? even though i didn't actually grown hair there until i was in my 20s, it still made me super uncool that i didn't shave my peach fuzz)

Microsoft (huh? i guess its because of my video game content here & there)

so far i have made... are you ready for it? $0.39 USD. yes!! we can afford our Punta Cana vacation & have money left over to pay my taxes. yippie

if stars fell from the sky & landed on rainbows

i'm convinced they would end up looking like the new 'must have' collection from MAC coming october 08 exclusively to Harrods (you lucky american girls!! i'll have to order mine on ebay i guess... way after they're not "new" anymore... le sigh)

http://www.kissandmakeup.tv/2008/07/manish_arora_an.html

last week of being 10 months

i can't believe this time next week liam is going to be 11 months old. thats SO OLD.
okay, lets get right into it.. here we go! the last 2 weeks of our life with liam...


practicing his uni-bomber look
OR
he made such a mess of his dinner that we had to strip him down to his diaper & then realized he was freezing so we put a too-small sweater on him because it was the only one laying around


practicing his stink eye - he's going to be a good "glarer" (something he got from me)


one of the first times liam has ever stood on his own, without holding anything at all. he got really scared & then fell down


um... what?


the most creepy photo in the history of the universe, my kid minus his face


our first trip to the museum of nature


hi duckies! hi!! why won't you say hi back?


first glance: cute kid touching feathers for the first time
second glance: cute kid touching disembodied, dead bird wing infested with who knows how many disgusting germs that a million other kids have touched


liam schooling his dad on how bears work.. see dad the bear stays behind the glass & then we point & laugh at it. haha, you're stuck behind the glass. loser.


quite possibly the cutest video in the world


and another just because - although its pretty boring

sites we love & happy birthday daddio

look!! isn't this great? we've made it on the "sites we love" page at MomLogic :) i'm still working with Eric, the lovely Network guy (his official title) to get my site all ready to go for MomLogic's advertisers ('please pick me!' and 'please pick me!' see a few blog posts ago for details) anyway Tales from Our Crib is half way down the page on the right. go team!



i promise to do some actual mommy-related blogging shortly. this week is liam's last week of being 10 months. *tear* *sniffle* i know i say this every month but my boy is getting so big! he even starts daycare part time soon. its going to just break my heart (& set me free at the same time, more on that later). we've got some really adorable video's at home ready to be uploaded & of course, tons of new pictures. just bear with me. i promise they'll be up by this weekend.

a litte story for you: it was my dad's birthday on the 21st, monday. i left my phone at work (my cell is my only phone - its been that way for years, it just makes sense for us to each have our own phones) so i didn't get to call my dad on his birthday. strike 1. i call him on the 22nd to say sorry & to see if he got our present. he answers & informs me that "no, he didn't". wait, what? i sent it out on the 17th, courrier style for lotsofextramoney to make sure it got their on time. strike 2. my poor dad thought i not only only forgot his birthday but didn't send him a present :( sad right? i know. i felt terrible. i say to mom 'you live at 12 --- crescent right?" and she gets all silent & i can hear her rolling her eyes through the telephone so i know i'm in deep doo-doo. she sighs and says "no, jenny, we live at 20. how many times do i have to tell you that?" strike 3. crap! so i dig through my overstuffed with receipts wallet & haul out my CanadaPost tracking slip, call the #, wait on line forever, get through, explain my story - all the while praying that no one has claimed the package... only to find out that yes, they have. it was delivered monday morning. okay. no big deal right? as long as the name on the package matches my dad's name. but it doesn't. because in a fit of "cuteness" (i always do stuff like this that burns me later!) i wrote on the package beside the "TO" column "Daddio Farrell" instead of "Bill Farrell" or "William Farrell". Right. Daddio. I. Am. An. Idiot.

So, i call mom back, explain the story, beg her to go over to 12 ---crescent & beg the people there to surrender my Dad's gift. meanwhile my dad is being very cool about it & asks him what i got him so i tell him 2 DVD's ("The Roast of William Shatner" and the new "Batman" cartoon which just hit theaters) + an Indiana Jones collectible toy, yes my dad collects toys. so what? he's cooler than your dad. he is excited, but sad he can't play with his gifts. I. Feel. Terrible.

the neighbors aren't home. they're on vacation. the house is locked up solid. mom left a note explaining what happened. so we realize there is nothing we can do right now, say goodbye & i spend the rest of the day feeling guilty.

later that night i'm on the phone with my mom (yes, again, since the birth of liam we have become very close) & i hear the distinct "bing bong" of their doorbell. then dad answering the door & a male voice saying "Happy Birthday Daddio!".. yep, the neighbor was back & brought over the present. after he leaves, mom puts me on speaker phone & dad opens his gift & he is so happy & laughs about the card (which is always something goofy & funny) & is excited to watch his DVD's & he loves, LOVES the Indiana J0nes toy & i just know that when i visit at christmas it will be on the shelf above his big tv, still in its box, with the rest of the star wars collectibles.

lesson learned: always post your mail to the right address & always ALWAYS write the REAL name of the recipient & not stupid funny stuff like Daddio.

first press

over at the fabulously girlie blog run by my blogging friend sarah, check it out!

http://thelemonspank.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/mom-tron-3000/

"its okay honey, don't cry"

is what a concerned mother said to her baby as her little offspring cowered in fear (trapped in her buggy, she couldn't even run away!) while an impossibly realistic dinosaur attempted to "sniff" her hand

give me a break mom, if i saw anything like this dinosaur at the LA Museum of Natural History i would RUN THE OTHER WAY BEFORE IT BIT MY FACE OFF

liam is at an age where he would probably scream in terror. he already falls to pieces when our dog barks at him, so there is no way he could ever handle this. anyone under, lets say, 5 would probably need a new pair of underwear after this encounter. even the bigger kids (& some parents) in this video look horrified (& the parents have to know that its fake. whats their excuse? yellow bellies i say!)

what do you think? scary or fun?

Extinct, my ASS! from The Original Joe Fisher on Vimeo.

its nice to be accepted

isn't it? don't you just love it when you get picked for something you really want by someone you really like? or at the very least, don't you love it when you don't get picked last? i do

this morning i got an email from the momlogic network coordinator guy Eric. i love Eric. not in a creepy way. this past week has been a bit of a whirlwind with back & forth emails with Eric trying to find where my submission to the network went, figuring our whether it got lost, finding it, then having it added to the pile of "submissions for review" (while i bit my fingernails & shifty eyed everyone around me, obsessively thinking 'please pick me' & 'please pick me') ... & they did! so, we have proof positive that i really can control minds with my thoughts. i should be on on Heros

seriously, this is very exciting news & it wouldn't have happened without all of you loyal readers who frequent my site. the ones that leave comments are especially wonderful because you inspire others to leave comments as well. thank you readers, we did it!

pull out your kleenex OR smile your face off

14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands - kudos to Matt for making our huge big world seem a bit more intimate & friendly (you're going to need sound for this)


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

ps. i said to pull out your kleenex because, for some reason, this video made me cry... its the curse of the mommy-cry-off!

regular everyday normal guy

i'm just a regular everyday normal guy
nothing special about me motha****** (nsfw!)
i'm just a regular everyday normal guy
when i go to the clubs i wait in line motha****** (nsfw!)
i'm just a regular everyday normal guy
i got 600 dollars in the bank motha****** (nsfw!)
i'm just a regular everyday normal guy
and my sexual performances are average!

just a taste of the hilarious video by JONLAJOIE from YouTube in which this regular everyday normal guy raps about being, well, completely & utterly average. its a refreshingly comical twist on the pumped up mainstream bling'd out music videos of the solid gold variation. those videos always make me feel like i need to lose 20 pounds, get a phat stack of an ass, shred my jeans, wear a triangle gold bikini top & wear more metal than bumblebee's knees.. where was i? oh right, they make me feel old, tired & washed-up. with JONLAJOIE i don't just feel good enough, i feel ABOVE average. compared to him, i'm better than a regular everyday normal girl. my 800 dollars in the bank proves it.

in case you didn't get the hint, this video contains language that is NSFW. so turn up the speakers & rock out with your .. nevermind. i'm too old to be talking that anyway.

found objects

found: liam's shoes in the bottom of my bag
where: at work, early monday morning
why its relevant: i know someone who will be looking for these today

finding balance & stinky toilets

its an age old saying "just when you think you have it all figured out - everything changes" ... we've heard it a million times before (or specifically 412,000 if you're going to Google it). its a saying i honestly believed would never apply to me or mine AK (after kids). just like i honestly believed that we would be the only parents on the face of the earth who would not be sleep deprived, or have trouble transitioning into parent-hood, or lose our self of self, of our sex life or the million other little things that you hear "is going to happen to you once you have kids" & i honestly - in my heart of hearts - believed that it was going to be different for us ... oh ignorant bliss, where have you gone?

since starting back up at work again in the beginning of July guess what happened? everything changed. when did i finally realize this? this weekend, saturday morning to be exact, when i was making liam breakfast in the kitchen. distracted, i hadn't noticed that he had gone quiet - a sign that bodes ill for all parents; who's with me? - when i did, i began searching for him. in the living room? nope. under the table? nope. in the computer room? nope. then i caught sight of him. in the bathroom. fingers in the toilet. smiling at me. in slow motion, as a i am running to grab him, he lifts his hand out of the toilet & sucks his fingers. okay, i think, at least the toilet is clean. right? wrong. i peer into the bowl to see a very yellow #1. oh. my. gosh. liam sucked pee water off his fingers. say it with me now: eeeewwwwwww.

then it hits me. where did all my free time go? when did i get so busy that i didn't have time to flush the toilet? how is it possible that i've let things slide so much that i haven't got around to baby proofing my toilet to protect my almost toddler from splashing, playing, possibly drowning, or drinking pee water??

afterward, as i wipe his face & his hands with a cloth i remember that urine is sterile & i laugh, thinking, it could've been worse. there could've been a #2 in there.

momlogic

readers i have some exciting news that might pan into nothingness... or not...

i haven't been published on the "interweb" as my Nana calls it since 2006 when a short story i wrote won first prize over on A Socialite's Life blog. at the time, my story received over 1,000 hits the first day it was published & over 10,000 after a month. since then, i haven't submitted anything to anyone, anywhere because - well - i've been too busy blogging & being pregnant & working & then being a mom & then working again.

well... i just took a step toward getting my message back out there by applying to be in the MomLogic network of bloggers.

i chose to apply to MomLogic because I'd already been approved by google to distribute ads on my site. i know.. tacky right? but still, generating extra income is the name of the game & i would rather do it through a website i genuniely love than one that i sort of hum-haw like.

what does this mean? there are going to be some big changes happening on babydoe "tales from the crib" ... we're moving to our own website soon which i'll be developing from home, we'll be adding other blogger sites to our network & finally, we will - at some point - be running advertising from affiliates.

i hope you stick with me through these big changes, as you've stuck with me since this blog first started in January 2007.

peace out lovelies!

hello handsome

um, liam you have something stuck to your butt. what is that??


stand up so we can better look see...


of course! a sandal!! why wouldn't that be there??


smile pretty boy, smile


now eat the bowl! work it... work it...


quick touch wood!


get that devil child look off your face.. you can't have the camera!


oh dad, you tell the best jokes


is our dinner almost ready? i love bbq chicken!


while i wait why not wrap myself up in this curtain? good times

sunday news

sometimes i run across interesting articles or websites & i always think "i should share these with my readers" but then liam gets into something or suddenly its time for errands running & i forget. well, not today readers! enjoy these great articles & links

- new study proves babies smile gives mom a high similar to drugs or alcohol

- how fast do babies from up? this fast (you'll need sound to enjoy)

- aldo shoes summer sale up to 70% off plus FREE shipping online

- what? woman need surgery after being stabbed by a stiletto??

- know a teen who deserves an extra special birthday present? give her the St. Lucia Teen Island Vacation Package. eye rolling optional

- knox & vivienne, possibly the most famous twins ever

- how much can you save? a ton.. take it from me, we sent away for our coupons & they arrived two days later

- amanda peet calls non-vaccinating parents "parasites"

sickie

liam was acting funny when he woke up from his nap when i got home from work today. he refused a lot of his dinner. he had weird coloring & just seemed off ... then he was sick. sooo sick. just throwing up lots & lots. the last time was at 7, its now 8:41.. i keep checking on him thinking he's done it again but he's sleeping peacefully. i feel so bad for him. he couldn't even keep his bottle down, he got sick all down the front of my dress when i was giving him his bottle before bed.

i really hope he stays okay tonight so we can still go to uncle kens 80th birthday party in MTL tomorrow. crossing my fingers... poor baby boy...

piccies

daddy showing liam the camera, wonder whats in his mouth??


daddy taking the camera away... its broccoli!!


run in with our dog diesel (liam needs to stay away while the dog is eating)


mr. crawly-pants

my boys

are enjoying their time at home together. shaun is making an amazing SAHD.. i'm ashamed to admit, much much better than i ever thought he would. liam has started clapping his hands this week, not on command, but when he sees something he really likes (like the horsey baby einstein puppet)... shaun has been taking lots of pictures which i'll update this weekend when i have a chance. work has been very very busy, i was placed on a large, time sensitive project the day i came back which has been a bit stressful since a lot has changed in the year i've been gone... so i find myself wasting a lot of time trying to find documents; or make things work (like printers, phones, VPN access)... but it is so good to be back. i am loving dressing up every day, talking to grown ups, working & writing again - & i love, love knowing that while i'm at work liam is getting the best care he can by being with his dad (instead of in daycare). its a joy to be able to visit them at lunch & i find that, this time around, since being a mommy, i don't bring my work home with me.. well, i do in the sense that i work at night after liam goes to bed, but i don't bring it home in my head. i'm able to leave it at work where it belongs. having liam every night to come home to is a great way to unwind & keeps me grounded on what is really important. he is the best stress reliever!

2 new teeth

liam woke up this morning with 2 new teeth flanking the 2 existing bottom ones. that means mr. liam, 10 months old, has 8 teeth. doesn't that seem like a lot of teeth for a baby under a year?? but, the teeth are coming in pretty handy because he's figured out that if he rolls food to the front of his mouth he can use them to chew. news flash right? well, it IS big news for him. he's delighted to be able to shove more food into his mouth & i'm pretty happy that we're completely off purees & are able to give him harder food. gone are the days of the mushy brown plum & over-ripe apricot. yay! no more stinky fruit!

my sister bex reserved the date of her wedding. its april 24, 2009 in Punta Cana. its very exciting knowing that we're going to the Dominican Republic in ... 9 months. wow, only 9 months!!

arg as i'm typing this liam is resisting his afternoon nap. we've been trying for almost 25 minutes to get him to sleep. he just keeps standing up in his crib & crying. we go in, lay him back down, he stands back up. we lay him down, he stands back up. i know its just a phase but its trying.. he's obviously very tired, yawning, cranky, but just can't settle. all he wants to do is practice his new skills of standing up, crawling around, trying to walk & trying to talk ... i miss my immobile baby.

10 months

this picture is being posted to show you, my readers, that this table is for standing. standing... its not for...


crawling under. ooops, guess who got stuck??


was it mean of mommy to get a photo instead of helping? i did help... but had to get this photo first :)


mister liam standing & drinking ... multi-tasking like a pro!


my new favorite picture, watching daddy play with the dog


awww cutie pie i love him


here is mister mister pushing his "walker" around. notice kiki the monkey getting a ride up front? cute fun for sure