Oh, Canada!

       Megan has been in discussion with Revenue Canada to figure out what her status will be once we move back home in August. The system in Canada allows for mothers to take a full year of maternity leave at 55% of their pay, compliments of the government. Well, we all pay into the fund that allows this, so its not really the government’s money, but you get the idea. A lot of employers will actually top up that amount to 80 – 100%, but non-profits do not fit in that category. In any case, we have appreciated the paid time off, but were unclear how things would change once we move. If this were the US, you can be sure we would be S.O.L. as soon as we crossed the border, but not the semi-socialist state to the north! No, we will be paid by the government for the full 50 weeks of maternity, even if we are living in RI.
        So, we face two options. 1) We give up the free money and then pay another grand a month to put Riley in daycare while Megan feverishly looks for a job as soon as we move, or 2) we collect the loonies being sent by the Canadian government and Megan can stay home with Riley for her first year while she takes her time looking for a job and we find a house to buy. Hmmmmm, tough choice. Let’s just say that this was an easy decision and Megan is excited to be around for the little milestones of the first year while getting paid to do it.

Happy Riley!

Where's my daddy?

As an annual rite to spring I decided to switch from the "woodsman" look to the "Don Johnson" faux beard. I did this with no thought for the fact that Riley has never seen me without a beard and may or may not understand the difference. I was trying to feed her tonight but she kept looking at me with big eyes and crying rather than actually eating. When Megan could get her attention, she would start eating again and she spent most of her feeding staring the other direction while I tried to assure her that I wasn’t a stranger who had been brought in to feed her. I guess I will have to do the night feedings entirely in the dark or use this as an excuse to sleep for the next couple of nights.

Rock 'em to sleep

Ange and Jay, friends of our here in Halifax, got us a CD of lullaby songs for Riley as a baby gift, but these are not ordinary “Mary had a little lamb”, type lullabys. Actually, they are Bob Marley songs, slowed down a bit and played on the glockenspiel. Riley has really taken to the CD so we decided to look up the company and find out what other music they had. The company is Rockabye Baby and covers a wide rang of artists, including Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Ramones and others. After a lengthy discussion, two rounds of rock, paper, scissors and a race around the block, we finally settled on Metallica covers, played in the manner mentioned above. Since there are no power chords on the glockenspiel, it takes some getting used to, but the songs are surprisingly tolerable for kid’s music. It’s not twinkle twinkle little star over and over again, it’s Enter Sandman and Unforgiven followed by No Woman, No Cry and Buffalo Soldier. Even if it is on the glockenspiel with the occasional harpsichord riff, it doesn’t drill in your head and threaten to exit in a violent way. And for that, we are happy.

We grow `em big

Riley’s doctor’s appointment today confirmed what we had thought – she’s freakin’ huge. In a mere 8 weeks she has put on about 5 pounds and has gone from being a small baby to the 90th percentile in both height and weight. We may have prematurely registered her for the traveling circus and WNBA, but we’ll see. Maybe if we are lucky she will someday be making the top salary in WBNA, a whopping $23,000.
In related news, Riley got her first bought of immunizations this morning and has not stopped screaming since 4 hours after her appointment. She can be comforted for about ten minutes at a time, but it’s small relief from the non-stop heaving cry. Megan and I will be enjoying our dinner with ear plugs and sign language this evening.

p.s. I do NOT approve of what she is wearing in the above photo, just for the record.

Weekend fun

Riley got a chance to enjoy the weekend with Grandpa Steve, Grandma Marie and Great Grandma Sal. After having dinner here on Friday night, we spent Saturday down in Luenenburg, on the South Shore, before having a nice Italian dinner in downtown Halifax. Sunday we spent the morning walking around in the nice weather before everyone had to head to the airport. It was great to have 4 generations under one roof! 

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

      After a brutal couple of days and some therapeutic fun with Photoshop, Riley did a 180 last night. Despite being fussy for most of the day and evening, she went down fairly easily at 10:00 and did not start screaming again 5 minutes later. Both Megan and I jumped in bed expecting to sleep for less than an hour before having to feed the beast. Oddly, both of us woke up around 2:30 for no other reason than our bodies aren’t used to sleeping that long. In fact, I actually got up to check on Riley and make sure she hadn’t been kidnapped. She was, indeed, still in the crib, but the possibility remains that someone switched her in the middle of the night with a child that actually sleeps. She did stir not too long after that, and after an easy feeding where she actually swallowed her food, she drifted off again. She didn’t even cry when I bonked her head off several of the bugs on her mobile over the crib. Riley next woke at 6:30, getting through the whole night with only one feeding! We don’t expect this to be the norm, but even a night where Megan doesn’t have to get up and I’m only up once is a wonderful thing.
      The added sleep is particularly good because Grandpa Steve, Grandma Marie (“Grandparent” precursor subject to change, so I am told) and Great Grandma Sal arrive today for the weekend. It will be nice for them not to be greeted by two zombies thrusting a screaming child into their arms.