Here’s an incredibly easy way to spread some good holiday cheer. There’s a great Toys for Tots Campaign at Vimo right now – in approximately 30 seconds, you can go and rate your doctor for their database. In return, for every review Vimo promises to donate one dollar to Toys for Tots throughout December, up to $100,000. Imagine being able to contribute to such a good cause with only 30 seconds out of your day? How often can you say that? Go review now and help send toys to needy kids!

I’m a little concerned that on the entire Toys R Us site, I didn’t find one single toy that really said “this would be an excellent gift for Breanna”. Who knew a second child would be so hard to shop for? I think the reason it’s so difficult is that we still had all of Hayley’s old toys. Breanna is perfectly happy playing with Hayley’s old kitchen and allt he toy food that came with it. she plays with the dolls we already have, the Little People stuff we have, blablabla ad nauseum. I keep thinking something musical, but what? My sister got her a xylophone, maybe we can get her a drum or something? Bah phooey. George said to get her an iPod so she can listen to music and dance all day. Hee.

PayPerPost is doing it again. Not only do they offer bloggers an honest way to make money by blogging, but now they present their very own reality tv show with Rockstartup.

Essentially, they show you all the behind the scenes action that goes on when you’re trying to create the next big thing online while still remembering to have fun. Thus far, they have two episodes filmed and available to watch right online. They’re currently approaching television networks to attempt to get the show aired on tv, but why wait? You don’t need to sit around waiting for an executive to give the show the green light because you can sit and watch it right now at home on your computer.

The show features everything – the joys, the pitfalls, the goofs, and the insanity of trying to create a kickass company. For those who are currently working with PayPerPost as it is, it’s an entertaining way to see what happens behind what would normally be closed doors. You can hear true story confessionals from some of the team, “sit in” on meetings, and get a taste of what it’s like to start up a buzz-creating company – you can even subscribe to it via iTunes. Go check it out!

Not only did Breanna have her check-up today, it was also the first time that she had ever been forward-facing in the car. Interestingly, it was also the first time that she drove for that long without crying at all. Even when she got tired, she just yawned and closed her eyes, then went to sleep. She thought it was amazing to be able to really see things, and she laughed most of the way to the hospital, especially when I would turn around and she was able to actually see me.

We only had to wait about 15 minutes, most of which was because we were early for our appointment. Hayley passed the time by going to the Second Cup in the hospital and getting a muffin with her grandfather. Meanwhile, I chatted with a mom of a 6-month-old who seemed overjoyed that I, like her, see nothing wrong with giving a baby some lightly seasoned food, making your own food instead of using jarred stuff (which Breanna never liked), and letting them try things that not everyone would give someone that age. I guess other people had been giving her a hard time. In between our chats, Breanna alternated between patting her baby on the legs, and running up and down the halls. She was very social, smiling and preening at everyone that stopped to ooh and ahh over her.

Then it was time for her appointment and the social pleasantries were instantly dropped. Part of the problem was that she had been so enthralled by the drive that she only fell asleep when we were exactly two blocks away from the hospital. Since she had woken up at 9 am, she hadn’t napped yet so by 1:30 she was tired and not interested in being prodded. She was very upset to have someone that she doesn’t know measuring her, listening to her heart, and sticking a light in her ears. Also, the doctor was a very lovely Muslim woman who was dressed in the typical headscarves; Breanna is not fond of people wearing anything on their heads, and actually doesn’t even like it when my hair is wrapped in a towel after my shower. Between the scarves and the doctor’s tools, Breanna was totally not impressed.

By the time we went to weigh her, she was somewhat ballistic and wasn’t interested in co-operating by sitting on the baby scale (why they keep those out in the hall I will never know, because it means that all these babies are always crying in full waiting rooms). We tried but quickly decided it would be much better to just go back in the room and weigh both of us, and then just me, subtracting to get her weight. She still wasn’t happy because then the doctor had to hold her while I adjusted the scale for my weight, but at least it was faster.

After that, I got her dressed except for her pants and calmed her down while the doctor went to locate a nurse to help her with the shots. I had just fed her and gotten her quiet when they came back ready to stick needles in her poor thighs. Still, I was surprised that she didn’t react that badly. She sat on my lap facing me in case she wanted to nurse (she didn’t, she wasn’t interested at all what with two strangers hovering over her and wiping her legs down with alcohol), and when they injected her, she looked up at me and cried but she stopped as soon as the bandages were on.

Overall, despite her unhappiness, everything went really well. She measured in at 29.5 inches, her head circumference was 18.7 inches, and her weight was about 24 pounds, possibly a few ounces more. She’s pretty steady on the 75th percentile for all three. The doctor was pleased to hear that she’s enthused about trying any type of food and assured me I didn’t need to worry that she doesn’t eat big meals. She also said that although it’s great that I’m still breastfeeding (she is too, with 17-month-old twins!) that I can go ahead and try milk if I want since she’s doing well with cheese and yogurt. She is also the first medical professional who has actually told me that there is nothing wrong with letting your baby sleep beside you at night in bed. I never felt that there was, but having a doctor tell me that was awesome. She said she works at a breastfeeding clinic and that not only do a lot of the mothers do it too, she also recommends it to mothers who have a hard time because of being overtired. Thus, she is now my new favorite person!

She was pleased as well with the milestones and Breanna’s development. She was impressed that Breanna has been walking since shortly after nine months (though she said she was glad her twins didn’t start that early, hee), and thought she was doing fine with other things. She agreed with me that there’s no concern about whether Breanna’s words are actual words, as long as we know what they mean and she uses them consistently (for instance, she doesn’t say hi, exactly, but she waves and says “haaa”, kind of like a little southern belle). Breanna also follows simple instructions like “get that” or “give that to Daddy” when she wants, and she points when she wants something, so that was all right in line with normal development.

I had a good giggle when I was asked about her hearing. There is definitely nothing wrong with Breanna’s ears. If she’s in the living room, even with music playing or the television on, she will come running if she hears me open either the fridge or the dryer. Every time, without fail. She can most definitely hear.

Knock on wood, the vaccinations didn’t seem to affect her, at least not yet. She had the MMR and a meningococcal vaccine as well. She was also supposed to get the chicken pox and Prevnar but I wasn’t sure about the chicken pox yet. I asked if we could think about that one so she said to come back at 15 months for the Prevnar and then I could have more time to decide on the other. Also, because Hayley never had the chicken pox vaccine and because I’ve never had the vaccine or actual chicken pox, it would be recommended that all three of us come in for it so I’ll be doing some research into that.

In any case, I didn’t give her any pain medication right away, watching to see how she would react. She was fine. She slept on the way home and other than some sleepy crankiness, she seemed perfectly okay. I did give her some Motrin before bed just in case, so that I can hopefully avoid having her react badly at midnight. Here’s hoping that all goes well tonight, although it can technically bring about side effects for up to 8 to 10 days. Whee!

At least, after all that, I now know that there’s a good reason my arms get tired on the clingy days; it’s because I’m carrying around a 24-pound baby!

Good news for those of you who are using PayPerPost, or perhaps trying to learn more about it to decide if it’s for you or not, they now have their own blogs that you can check out. Over there you can find posts, videos, tips, and a friendly community that will help you as much as possible. If you’re already a member, you can find the latest updates so that you’ll never be in the dark. If you’re still sitting on the fence, maybe the crazy videos will sway you.

I’ve been enjoying PayPerPost tremendously and the fact that they now have blogs is even better because I know I’ll never miss out on the right opportunity for me and my own blog. You should drop by and see what you’re missing.

Breanna has her one year check-up tomorrow at the doctor’s office. Obviously, it’s a little late but it couldn’t really be helped. I thought she could also see a nurse like most of the other appointments, but for some reason they only book you with a doctor for the one year. In order to get an appointment with our actual doctor, I would have needed to book it at least three months ahead of time. I called at the beginning of November and he wasn’t available at all and I couldn’t see my favorite nurse either.

At first she managed to get me in with one of the other doctors for last Monday. It’s a team family clinic, so you can easily be switched from one doctor or nurse to another if the need arises, so it was no big deal. Unfortunately, both kids came down with the Plague cold that weekend and I canceled the appointment because there was no way I was taking two kids who were already leaking bodily fluids into a doctor’s office; they don’t have separate waiting rooms for well vs sick visits so I didn’t want them making anyone else sick and I also didn’t want them to get something worse from having weakened immune systems and being around other germs.

Of course, it doesn’t help that there has been a major outbreak of a gastro virus at several Montreal hospitals lately. Joy. If either of them touches anything, I may freak right out.

I’m not looking forward to the check-up. I do want to know how much she weighs and how she’s doing, and I look forward to sharing all the milestones she’s met and the things that she does. However, tomorrow is the MMR vaccination and I remember that one well. The after-effects are not fun. We’ll have the Infant Motrin lined up and waiting for her but it still sucks.

The other reason I’m not thrilled is because when we had to re-schedule, we got shoved in at 1:30 which is just a bad time*. She often goes down for a nap around 1:30 or 2 and I’m worried that she’ll be cranky and overtired. I’m hoping that she’ll get up early enough that she can take a short nap at least in the morning before we leave. Then maybe she’ll fall asleep in the car on the way home. You never realize how much effort it is to schedule things around your kid’s naps before they get here.

Either way, it will be good to have confirmation that – as we already know – she’s doing just fine. And hey, the bonus of the wonky time is that there won’t be any traffic on the way there and we should (hopefully) be done early enough to avoid traffic on the way home.

(*secretly, I’m also bummed that I’ll miss my soap opera but I can’t complain about it because it will help perpetuate the rumor that stay at home moms eat bonbons and watch soaps all day.)

No really. Santa really is a woman.

On Wednesday night I got an email through my contact form (up top there) and it was from a wonderful reader who has been reading my site since the days before Hayley was even born. She told me that she had gotten herself a very nice new camera and had a digital camera that would be neglected as a result, and would I be interested in giving it a good and loving home.

Once I re-read it eight times to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood, I told her that yes I would love to adopt a new-to-me camera.

On Friday evening, when I had finally assumed that the package would arrive on Monday (and probably while I would be gone to take Breanna to her one-year check-up, thus meaning I’d have to wait and pick it up at the post office on Tuesday), the doorbell rang at 7:30 pm and a surly mailman arrived at our door. He was probably just less than thrilled about stairs at the end of a long day but I didn’t care, I was ecstatic.

I am now the proud – and very happy – owner of a very sleek, shiny, Fuji Finepix A345 camera. I have occasionally referred to it as “my preciousssssssssssss” in a very Lord of the Rings way.

Obviously I still have some playing around to do to make the absolute most of it, but I’ve had fun shooting some random test images with it for now. I have the PDF of the user’s manual sitting on my desktop to look through again and of course, practice makes perfect! I’m hoping to get out for a little walk tomorrow if I can dodge the snow, and take some more then. If not, well I have plenty of photo ops what with my two lunatics.

The optical zoom is particularly nice. It’s great to zoom in on this pretty face.

A million thank yous again SueEllen – Christmas came early this year!

Normally bedtime is at 8 for the girls because by then Breanna is usually getting run down and Hayley wakes up early but never naps so it’s a good time.

Tonight Hayley got to stay up late though. Tonight CBS ran the original Rudolph the Reindeer special, followed by Frost the Snowman. I remember every year as a kid I looked forward to those, especially Rudolph. I was always just a little afraid of the “abominable” even though I knew he was good in the end; all those teeth and the creepy way his fur blew in the wind… But when the end would come I was always so happy to see that everyone was singing Christmas songs together and decorating the tree, with the abominable putting the star on top.

Hayley said she really liked Rudolph, and although she said Frosty was good too, I think she only thought it was okay because she got a little bored; I guess she prefers the reindeer to the snowman, just like me.

Right now she’s watching some other special called Frosty Returns, a special I never saw before but even though you could never get her to admit to it, she’s running out of steam. She’s lying on the couch, looking pretty tired, and when it’s over in five minutes I’ll get her (protesting, I’m sure) into the bathroom to brush her teeth and then shoo her into bed.

It’s nice, though, to see traditions you enjoyed being passed on to your kids.

Anyone reading my blog for awhile has heard me practically write poetry about a Quebec delicacy, poutine. When I was pregnant with Breanna I made my own for “snacks” and ate about triple my weight in poutine during that first trimester when it was one of the few things that didn’t make me want to hurl.

Tonight, since we all still felt a little less than enthused about anything, George suggested poutine for supper. Easy, fast, and tasty. Plus it’s not exactly nutritious so that makes it fun too. Unfortunately, our grocery store was out of cheese curds which is really important for making it, but mozzarella cheese sticks that we buy for the kids can work in a pinch so that’s what we did. And because I’m a huge dork I thought I’d bring you all into my kitchen for the prep work.

Step one: Bake some fries. Any fries. Crinkle cut work well but I prefer the straight cut.

Step two: Open a can or two of poutine sauce. Yes, you can actually buy it here. If you can’t find it, BBQ chicken sauce works quite well too. Just avoid brown gravy because… no.

Step three: While everything is heating, chop up a bunch of cheese sticks into tiny pieces.

Step four: Make a mountain of fries on your plate.

Step five: Dump a good load of cheese pieces all over the fries.

Step six: Drown the cheese and fries in the heated sauce.

The sauce HAS to be hot because it needs to melt the cheese so that by the time you start to eat it, it’s basically a big gooey mess on top of the fries. I like to cover mine liberally in black pepper. Goes well with beer, even the Heineken that I had tonight.

It looks disgusting, but I swear to you, it is so damn good.

First and most important things first: Today Montrealers remember that 17 years ago Marc Lepine killed 14 women at Ecole Polytechnique for no other reason than they were women and he hated that they were in his Engineering courses where women “didn’t” belong.

***

Last night, when Hayley FINALLY fell asleep (and it was an ordeal and a half, what with repeatedly getting up to ask me how Saint Nicholas would get in and wasn’t I going to bed so he could come, blablabla), I set up the loot in both kids’ shoes. I really love this tradition.

In Breanna’s we put two cute pairs of socks with the little grippy treads on the bottom, a soft stuffed cow, two lollipops, and an Aero chocolate bar; obviously she won’t get to actually eat the last two, but she can have a small taste of each before they’re passed over. In fact, the chocolate bar will be eaten by ME as soon as this entry is done, other than one small square that I’ll save for her.

In Hayley’s shoes, we squeezed in two pairs of socks (specifically chosen because they look like George’s socks so that she would actually consent to wearing them), a Disney Princess lip gloss, Princess hair elastics, and also the two lollipops and Aero bar. She also had a dinosaur coloring set with markers that didn’t fit.

This morning, apparently Hayley woke George up at 4:30 because she was so excited. I feel fortunate that I missed out on it. He managed to convince her to watch some Treehouse in the living room for a few more hours and to give her credit, although I know she looked at the shoes she never touched them and didn’t take anything out of them which is pretty good.

Once she was sent off to get me up (and Breanna by default), they both checked out their gifts.

You can see the set on Flickr – there are only six but they’re cute.

And that was pretty much the highlight of an other wise dreary day. Well that, and two funny anecdotes:

An exchange between myself and Hayley:

Hayley: Look Mommy! There are Christmas lights outside!
Sherry: Out front? But there are no buildings out there.
Hayley: No look hard Mommy! They’re red! And now they’re green.
Sherry: … Red and … green? (looking) Hayley! That’s the traffic light!
Hayley: Oh!

And Breanna’s contribution to the humour of the day:

What with having this obnoxious cold, Breanna has seen me blow my nose a lot (as well as Hayley and now George). As mentioned, she HATES the bulb. I guess she’s trying to solve that problem because she pointed at the box of kleenex and grunted “ah. ah. ah.” at me (which is becoming increasingly common, translating to “I want, I want, I want”). I took one out and handed it to her, to see what she would do, since she currently had a very leaky nose anyway.

She took it, looked at it, and wadded it up carefully.

Then she stuck it to the side of her head and blew her nose all over herself.

But you know, at least the idea is there!