Halloween

Tomorrow (well, maybe today…depends how long it takes for me to write and post this entry!) is Alexys' first Halloween. It's her last "first" holiday. She's had her first Christmas, New Years, Valentine's, Easter, Thanksgiving, and now Halloween. All that's left is her first birthday. That's crazy to me! She'll be one in just over a month!

Anyways, here's your preview of Halloween. We carved her first pumpkin tonight and Alexys proved to be the fabulous eater she is…she LOVES (raw) pumpkin. What a nut job she is. She sat and gnawed on the pumpkin top while I cleaned out the whole pumpkin. Jordon and I could NOT stop laughing. She was seriously eating this pumpkin like she's never eaten anything before. She LOVED it.

I'm going to do something with the insides tomorrow…although I don't know what. I'll toast the seeds, but what do I do with the insides? I'm sure I'll come up with something online!

kortney elise xoxo

Alexys Playing Peekaboo

Do you need a good giggle for the day? This is bound to make you laugh out loud. Her laughter is so contagious...I know I'm biased as her mama, but really...if this doesn't make you grin, you should probably just go back to bed!

In Other News…

At what age did your darling baby give up morning naps?

I feel like 10.5 months is a little early to be giving up her morning nap – but it doesn't seem to be flying around here. She's not cranky really and has been doing fine without her morning nap. She's been taking a longer-ish afternoon nap instead.

Alexys is in her crib presently and has been for about 1/2 an hour. She had her bottle and I can hear her singing and talking. Definitely not sleeping. Not upset about it either. It's been like this for a few days now. I've been leaving her there for an hour or so as a rest/quiet time. That seems to be flying for now, but I doubt for long...

kortney elise xoxo

Interesting H1N1 Links

I wanted to share these 2 links, simply because I find them fascinating.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/24/CBS-Reveals-that-Swine-Flu-Cases-Seriously-Overestimated.aspx

http://swineflu.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/21/Special-Swine-Flu-Update.aspx

Are you getting the vaccine? Did you have swine flu?

I know 3 people who had confirmed swine flu with laboratory tests. All fully recovered. I know of one who was told he had swine flu, passed away, and only after he passed away did they discover it was regular seasonal flu and not swine flu.

It's unfortunate how much control the government has over our minds. Did you know that in Finland it is no longer even considered a serious disease there and is classified as regular flu? The Nordic countries seem to have a much better grasp on reality for these types of things, me thinks.

kortney elise xoxo

The Other Side

This weekend was the first opportunity I've ever had to be one of them. You know who I'm talking about – even if the profession is different for everyone. What? Have you ever feared someone? The respectful kind of fear, I mean (but not a God-fearing fear, much less than that). Have you ever let someone get a hold of your emotions with such a deep hold? Had an anonymous, ever-changing person make you cry over something simple and, probably in reality, meaningless? Has that same person once smiled at you and caused a chill to go through your body? How do you let someone you've never even MET have such a control over you? Maybe you get where I'm going with this. These people have probably changed the course of my life if I think about it. That's intense when you think of things that way.

This weekend I got to be one of them – and maybe, just maybe, a warm smile sent a chill through a random 10-year-old somewhere out there.

I was a skating judge this weekend.

I was the one on that side of the boards. The one with the furry coat and a blanket, carrying the clipboard. The one who decided who got the gold and who had to see themselves come last. The one who, quite literally, judged you for all you were worth on the ice.

And I LOVED every minute of it.

I've done every aspect of this sport now pretty much and I think I've found my niche. You know, where I fit comfortably. I have a new respect, a new opinion on judges, of course – and I don't know – it just fits. I love the technical aspect of the sport – that's part of the draw. As a coach, especially to recreational skaters, that side of the sport is hard to convey. It's hard to have a technical side to a program when a skater practices just once a week. As a skater, I often find myself unable to practice the technical side of things – my ability isn't there, even if my knowledge and heart are. As a judge, I don't have to worry – I can appreciate the technical side without trying to teach or learn it myself. I know what I'm looking for and reward accordingly.

I judged twelve events this weekend – all at the Preliminary level or under (Pre-Preliminary and Elementary, if you care to know). It's the beginning levels. A handful of double salchows, multiple (usual terrible) attempts of axels, and a lot of (f)lutzes. Most people in their right mind, even the avid skating fan, go crazy after watching a group or 2 of these skaters. Trust me. I, however, found myself disappointed when it was my turn for a "break." I wanted to be on every panel. I wanted to keep handing out marks. I wanted to keep watching. Keep ranking. There is just something appealing to the whole sport.

I learned much that I wish I knew as a skater:

• If you're a midpack type of skater (the kind that comes 4th or 5th usually) – skating 2nd is the absolute worst place to skate. You will do worse than if you'd skated last.
  
• Skating last is the best if you're the above type of skater. Judges run out of marks (this is all on the 6.0 system, take note) and eventually, especially if the group is large enough, you have skater who ends up getting 3rd or 4th place marks, instead of maybe 6th or 7th, if they'd skated earlier.
  
• Judges are not really scary.
  
• Judges make mistakes (even if I didn't this time 'round). Sometimes they sneeze or cough and miss a jump. Sometimes they even record the wrong number on the final sheet. These things happen.
  
• Just because a judge is smiling at you it doesn't mean they are going to place you well – usually it's probably just a kind thought, a boost of encouragement. I did this multiple times this weekend.
  
• If the whole group ends up on their butts for the majority of the skate, just go out and skate clean and simple with a smile – you'll win.
  
• A smile won't win it, but it sure can lose it.
  

If you're a skater, take those things to heart.

Anyways – I think I did fabulous as a judge this weekend – my ordinals (like ranking of each group of each skater) were always within 1-2 placements or correct. I was never off in left field by myself. Every ordinal I gave had a reason. I am looking forward to more competitions this year – I can hardly wait to judge my next competition. Having this experience this weekend makes knowing that my skating retirement in the near future is not a retirement from the skating world – I might even be too sad if I don't skate anymore, as long as I can judge. I am also really looking forward to learning CPC ("the new system") in November. It's a much different experience to judge under the new system versus the 6.0 system that the "non-competitive" skaters use. I am still a primary level judge and so only used the 6.0 system this weekend. Times are a changing. I can hardly wait.

Judge kortney elise xoxo

Really?

As you can tell I've ditched frequent blogging for finishing schoolwork. But sometimes I just have to share. This doctor speaks like a creepy pastor (think like televangelist type creepy) - really slow and concerning - but creepy. He used the following sentence:

The patient got up quickly and walked across the room to obtain a handkerchief.

Apparently this is key in typing a death report.

Or maybe it is important. In any case, "obtain a handkerchief" is a really funny phrase at 12:30 at night.

kortney elise xoxo

Gross

I think it's going to take a while for me to get used to my job without feeling the need to throw up. One of the accounts I typed today included the following:

"The rectal cyst was manually located and drained."

I wonder if there is a trick to learning NOT to visualize your dictations as you type them.

kortney else xoxo

Swine Flu

Well…it seems I just wrote a lengthy post about the swine flu (H1N1) and my feeling pertaining to the virus. And then I read it and realized you would probably all think I was ACTUALLY crazy, so I deleted it. The whole thing. And I'm starting over…and trying to sound not so crazy. So where do I stand? Well, the short version is…no, I will not be getting myself or my baby the vaccination for the H1N1 virus. You may believe this is risky. I believe that the shot is riskier. You yourself have to weigh the benefits. I have and this is my outcome. Other things I believe pertaining to this shot/flu:

• It will not kill you (yeah, I've heard people cite that as the reason for NOT having the shot and that is dumb).
  
• I do not get the yearly flu shot and never have. I have not gotten the flu since elementary school (except that time I thought I had the flu…but I was really actually pregnant instead).
  
• I might get the shot for myself IF I worked in a hospital. Might. And no, you cannot lose your job if you work in a situation where the shot is required and you refuse. Except maybe the military. I didn't check on that.
  
• It is no different than the flu that strikes every year and has killed the same amount of people as the flu normally does…well, at this point, it's killed less. The media just doesn't generally advertise deaths by the flu. It's not very exciting. It's only exciting when it's given a "name."
  
• The media has blown this way out of proportion.
  
• The FDA has NOT approved this vaccine. It has not gone through the proper clinical trials that other vaccines, including the yearly flu vaccine, have gone through. The FDA's response to this is that because they produce an influenza vaccine every year, by the same process as H1N1 vaccine is being produced, and because that vaccine has only gotten safer every year, they conclude that you should be comfortable with the H1N1 vaccine. I am not actually comfortable with that, but thanks (see FDA website).
  

I have vaccinated Alexys (like her "regular" shots) and will continue to vaccinate her, but not according to this schedule, as suggested by the BC Health Authority. I have no problems with any of the shots prior to the 12 month ones, though, and so presently she is "up-to-date." On her 12 month birthday, Alexys will not receive the chicken pox vaccine or the measles vaccine. She will receive the mumps and rubella vaccine, but as 2 separate shots. She will receive the measles and chicken pox (if she has not gotten before kindergarten) vaccines when she older (I struggled with the Hep B vaccine for a long time, but did agree to give it to her in the end). Why? The same reason (well, one of…) I've decided not to get the H1N1 vaccine. What is it?

Thimerosal.

I do not believe that thimerosal alone causes autism. Not by any means. However. Hear me out. I believe there are 3 types of people: 1) Those who will never be autistic in any sense of the word, 2) Those who are susceptible to mild autism if certain "things" are presented to the system, and 3) Those who will be autistic with or without the "things" in the system. It's the middle ground the does worry me. Yes, I realize there are no definitive studies that thimerosal "causes" autism. I'm not saying that. However, there are lots of things that have no definitive cases that persist in our daily lives. Anyways. The fact that there is a risk and studies being done between the link between autism and thimerosal is enough for me. There IS a link between thimerosal and certain enzymes within the body – that's enough for me to stay away. It is also a highly allergic substance – a higher allergy rate than peanuts and dust combined (it won the 2000 award for Allergen of the Year). My question is, why the HECK is this substance even being used? Frick. Maybe I'd have less of a problem with this if it wasn't being used. Period. (Oh, and I know that you can get the vaccination without thimerosal as an active ingredient, but this shot will not be available until January in British Columbia).

Another reason that the H1N1 vaccination bothers me? Active ingredients in this vaccination include formaldehyde, squalene adjuvant, polysorbate 80, and aluminum. It was created by the company known as GlaxoSmithKline. I won't go into details, but I stay away from them as much as possible. I disagree with their practices and the way they do scientific testing. That and most of their websites provide dead links. Well, not dead, but you know the kind that you can't link directly? Like I couldn't link the ingredients to you – you have to dig for hours to find them and once you do, the link isn't "linkable". Convenient.

Other vaccination facts for you to look into:

• Dr. Bart Classen's epidemiological research into the links between vaccination and type I diabetes in children under 10, California's autism rate increase of over 1000%, and the MMR vaccine usage in Britain in the 90s.
  
• The 2000 (January) edition of the Journal of Adverse Drug Reactions stating that the MMR shot should not have been licensed.
  
• Dr. Shiv Chopra's untimely "firing" for blowing the whistle on the harm of vaccinations.
  
• WHO's recent report that vaccinations are not linked to the drop in childhood infectious diseases, but sanitation, hygiene, and diet standards (see the British Association for the Advancement of Science, as well). Anyone can pull out facts and numbers, but my favourite is that by 1945, the US medical authorities reported a 95% drop in deaths from the leading diseases (diphtheria, pertussis, scarlet fever, and measles) well before mass-immunizations began.
  
• Recent studies correlating SIDS and vaccinations (WHO website, also).
  
• Link between asthma and vaccinations – Archives of Disease in Childhood.
  
• Also check out the Biotechnology Information Institute website.
  

Anyways. I don't have time to link everything, nor do I feel like arguing. I don't think that the vaccination will kill you and chances are good it won't even harm you. Your chances are still good that you will get the flu if you get it. All I'm saying is do your research, weigh your own benefits and risks, and once you make your decision, stick to it. I know that every argument can be linked on the internet, especially, to go either way. I also believe the internet is more monitored than you or I know.

kortney elise xoxo

Not Me

Oh Not Me Monday…it's been a while. Interested in how this works? Head over to MckMama's blog to find out how it works!! It's a blog carnival and she started it all.

It's not me who's writing this post really fast, simply so I can enter the draw on MckMama's blog. I don't do things like that. Nope.

It's not me who should be doing schoolwork, but is determined to win a prize for writing this post. Not me.

It's not me who took a Tylenol 3 last night, just so I could sleep (and it worked!).

It's not me who may or may not update this post later on with what I really wanna say.

*grin*
kortney elise xoxo

Love It!!!

g





Recently we've been loving babywearing (we meaning Alexys and I). I wore her a little bit when she was younger, but didn't really get into the hang of it. We have a great sling (thanks Auntie Anne) and carrying Alexys doesn't even bother my shoulders that much. I've carried her at the Zoo, the pumpkin patch, the cornmaze, the seawall, and the grocery store (except I don't take pictures of that) recently. Alexys loves it and I love it. Greatest invention ever.

kortney elise xoxo

10 Months

at 10 months, Alexys May, you…

stand up on anything you can find
cruise along furniture just one step here and there
crawl anywhere and everywhere
love playing in the cupboards
say...
mama (grandma)
dada
mum-mum
…in context all the time
you have said…
wawa (water)
bubba (bubble)
aunkiki (auntie jackie)
animal (I swear it…clear as day!)
eat anything you can find…except mandarin orange chunks
have 6 teeth fully cut
take at least one nap a day
nurse one or two times a day…and during the night
drink your big girl milk out of a sippy cup once a day
have two or three bottles of formula everyday
bright blue eyes
soft white blonde hair
no more curls
will walk holding on to someone's fingers...
but only if they give you BOTH fingers
wear size 5 (!!!) shoes…if we can find ones thick enough for your fat feet
wake up 1-2 times a night
cuddle in mama’s bed every morning after daddy leaves
know how to jump on the couch
wearing 12-18 month clothes
weigh 21 1/2 pounds
pull headbands and hats off your head
ride in a big girl carseat backwards
love being worn
love seeing animals
puffs are your favourite kind of food
eat a pickle every other day
have the most natural sense of rhythm for a baby
throw temper tantrums when mama says no

…you are the most beautiful little girl I’ve ever met Alexys May. I can’t believe you’re 10 months old today. I absolutely adore watching you grow sweetheart.

Bad Blogger Repeat...and a Sleep Update

I've been a bad blogger lately…even though I think about blogging all the time. I have much to blog about, it seems, and so little time. Oh well. Keep checking back. There will be lots of new updates coming. I can feel it in my bones.

For now? I thought I'd give a sleep update since it's been a while. And maybe take some suggestions. Let's see. First, the important break down of our schedule!

8am: Wakeup. If she wakes up before this, she gets a snuggle, nursed, and put back in her crib. Sometimes she cries about it. Sometimes she just plays. Other times she goes back to sleep.
Between 9:30 and 11am: It depends on the day truly, but she goes down for a nap between this time. We're working right now on transitioning nap time from my bed into her own. Needless to say, Alexys spends half of her naptime pouting/crying/yelling in her crib, but it's working. She goes down for anywhere between 1 hour to 2.5 hours.
Between 2 and 5pm: It just depends on our day, but she has another afternoon nap. Lately it hasn't been at home, and tends to happen in the car (oops, bad mama), but it'll also be in her crib when we're home. This nap also varies in length from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours. I don't know what it depends on. It just changes daily.
8pm: Bedtime. Sometimes she likes to go down beforehand, but we don't let this happen. If she goes down BEFORE eight, she gets up at 6. Not logical, but it happens that way. Who knows why. She goes down in her crib no problem now for bedtime – she rarely cries about it anymore…and if she does it's just for a minute or two. It's nice knowing that if she cries longer than that, it's generally because there is something wrong.
12:30: Up (this is where your suggestions are gonna come in handy…just wait!).
4-6am: Up somewhere in there (see above brackets).

Yep. I said it. Up in 8pm – she rarely cries anymore. We've found success with my own version of "Cry It Out." Not 100 percent, but partial. We were getting so frustrated with Alexys' going to bed techniques that we gave up one night and just let her cry. The first night was only 20 minutes, then 15, and then the next night not at all. It was time for her, that's all. Am I mad that I didn't try this out sooner? Nope! I did try it out partially earlier and I couldn't do it. Alexys wasn't ready for that. But now we're both ready. Bedtime is a breeze now. Jordon or I (or even Jord's mom succeeded!) put her to bed. She's got a routine that varies just a bit each night and it works. She doesn't have to be nursed before bed to go bed. She can take a bottle or me or both. She knows bedtime is bedtime.

As for naptime, we're working on it. She's a little more stubborn about naptime. We started CIO at naptime just yesterday. For the first nap. Yesterday she cried for 50 minutes before falling asleep. Today was 45. We'll see how tomorrow goes. She only napped for about 45 minutes both days, but I know that'll either get longer in the next few weeks or just blend into one day time nap. I'm pretty sure that's where it's headed. Anyways. Before yesterday, naptime was going well – 2 two hour naps a day – they were just occurring in my bed. Not happening anymore. I can't do anything while she's there because I'm so worried she's going to fall outta bed.

Now here's where your input comes in. Listen read first.

Alexys wakes up twice or so a night. She will now take a bottle at night. My original plan (suggested by my friend who has two babes who sleep through the night without soothers or CIO) was to switch her to bottles at night and then to water after that. My friend's kids just stopped waking up for water. Here's the catch. Alexys WILL take the bottle at night, but she stays up for a good hour or so after that. If I nurse her she's instantly out. And not ON the boob. She nurses, is awake, and goes in her crib, and then falls asleep pretty fast.

We're not fully weaned yet and still have a December goal for that…but I want to really get a hold on the cutting the middle of the night nursing sessions out. There will be four days in January that I'll be leaving her for a skating competition and well…those are gonna be a rough couple of nights if we're not good at night by then.

Suggestions? Oh and I can't do the CIO thing in the middle of the night. She cries for way longer than I choose to acknowledge. Jord works and can't sleep with her crying (small house remember) and I just don't have the patience.

kortney elise xoxo

(PS: I'm truly glad we waited on the CIO thing. It would not have worked if we'd done it even 2 months ago. I'm glad it works now).

Pictures are worth 1000 words...

I'm tired and too lazy to type anything, so here are some pictures from the weekend. Wahoo - my best friend is now officially Mrs. Hardychuk!

DONE

The wedding is done and all went well - phew! Pictures to come...but we all looked beautiful. Jacquelyn was so stunning she could actually be a wedding dress model I think!

Anyways, gift opening at 2 and then I'm doing schoolwork for the rest of the night! Eek.

kortney elise xoxo

Where art thou?

Dear Kortney,

Where have you been?

-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Don't worry. I'm still here - just busy!!! I haven't forgotten you dear blog readers, I've just been here, there, and everywhere. My mother-in-law has stayed with us since Thursday night so I've been doing things with her and focusing on schoolwork as much as I can. Jacquelyn's wedding is this weekend so my spare moments have been spent (not) writing a speech, making a slideshow, listening to (not) bridezilla's many phone calls, running errands, getting my nails done, getting my hair done...you know, the usual matron of honor business!!

I'm off to the Rehersal tonight, am decorating for her tomorrow, and then wedding Saturday, followed by gift opening Sunday. Jordon is taking Monday off work so that we can all go to the Aquarium together, and then on Tuesday my mother-in-law leaves. Phew. I'm tired just typing that.

Anyways, I'll be back next week.
kortney elise xoxo