I Was Hacked!

Last week I suddenly couldn't log onto my email account. I tried the "I forgot my password" route, but since we have moved 9 times in 9 years, when they asked me what my postal code was, I got the answer wrong so many times I got locked out. After 2 days of trying, I decided I'd better email the customer service. At first I couldn't figure out why they weren't replying to my emails.... until I realized that the only email address I had put on the email was the one I was locked out of!

After a week, I finally answered all their verification questions correctly & they got me back in! I looked in my "sent" & "trash" folders to see if he had sent any fraudulent emails, but there were none there, so I couldn't figure out why he would have taken over my account. What was the draw? Why not just set up his own new account? I don't think my screen name is really cool enough that someone else would want it bad enough to steal it.

I went to the page to change my password to discover that the address on file was not mine. No, it wasn't a place I had lived previously (at least I don't remember ever residing in Florida). Some schmuck broke into my email account & had the audacity to fill in his own alternate email address, address, & phone number! And let me tell you, when I discovered he had put his phone number in there, I was sorely tempted to give him a ring & chew him out! As I picked up the phone I thought better of it though b/c I didn't want my phone number to come up on his caller ID & then have him calling ME all the time!

So I got that all sorted out & decided that since I have some emails in my folders pertaining to banks & other on-line things, I should start changing all my passwords just in case he was a total scum. Thankfully he doesn't seem to have gained access to anything other than my eBay account. I couldn't log onto that one either, so I contacted eBay & they said they had already blocked my account b/c I was sending out scam emails from it.

At this point I was steamed! Not that I use my eBay account all that often, but IT'S MINE!!! I understand now a little of the violation that people feel when they have their identity stolen. My experience was nothing near as bad, but I was pretty mad. It's not easy to go back & get everything put back in place & I'm sure there are certain thing I have overlooked that a good & proper thief wouldn't have. If he had gotten my bank info we could be hooped at this point. A week doesn't seem like a long time, but w/ everything being on the internet I think it's alot easier to take people's money now.

Perhaps I should feel a bit sorry for the guy. He probably wouldn't have dreamed of a life of crime before the economic downturn in the States. He probably just was looking for a little cash to pay the rent, or feed his family. Maybe I should have saved his address so I could send him a "Charitable Donation" (or so I could turn him over to the cops).

Laugh Out Loud Thursday

There is only one show that makes me laugh out loud every week. Here are a few highlights from tonight:

"I call this the bumper test."

"Ahhh, what is that on it?"
"Butter. New babies are slippery."

I have to admit, I wasn't ready for "The Office" when it first came out. I was sure it couldn't be near as good as the BBC version. Maybe I was wrong, or maybe it got better. I may never know since I didn't start watching 'til last season. I'm sorry, Dwight, Pam, Angela, Michael, Jim & all the rest. Perhaps I'll get the early seasons on DVD (hint, hint Pastor Chad!)

"Stinky Pete"

When Asher fills his pants, we call him a "Stinky Pete." I'm not sure how this started, but we've been calling him that for a loooong time. Sometimes if we suspect him, we'll ask if he's a "Stinky Pete" & he has recently started to say, "No I am not, I'm just a Pete."

Today he obviously was doing some dirty work & turns to me & says, "Don't change my pants, I'm pooping right now." So I explained to him that if he didn't want me to change his pants, he should go on the potty instead of in his pants & then he could have some candy. It cut no mustard w/ him, he didn't seem to see the logic in my statement.

He then told me he was going to sit in his rocking chair. I said that won't feel very good b/c I hadn't changed his pants yet. Without heeding my warning, he sat down & promptly said, "SHOOT, I have poop in my pants, I'm a Stinky Pete!"

Later, he told PC, "I don't want to poop on the potty, I don't want any candy." He certainly doesn't have my sweet tooth, or maybe he just has better things to do than sit on the potty all day.

Good Advice

"Sleep when your baby sleeps." It's written in every parentling handbook, everyone tells new mothers this & generally mothers take the advice. I figured it would be difficult w/ 2 kids b/c Asher would not sleep when Chancery did, or *gasp* might decide he no longer needs naps.

Who would have guessed that Chancery is the cause of my grief? She sleeps AWESOME at night. Usually 8-10 hours, nurse & then 2-4 more hours. I really can't complain about that. But napping is another story. She's really tired, but fights sleep like nobody's business. I've been trying to put her down for a nap for the past 2.5 hours, but she keeps waking up after about 10-15 minutes!

Asher, on the other hand, will go to sleep w/o any issues. It doesn't seem to bother him if Chancery is crying up a storm in the next room, we just put him in bed & off he drifts to dreamland. He actually has been taking LONGER naps since we moved here. 2-3 hours instead of 1.5. I just wish Chancery would get the memo that when it's naptime, it's better to just go to sleep. No one likes to wake up every 10 minutes! (trust me, I've been trying it).

Someone asked the other day if I've tried her in the swing. Oh, I just laughed. That is the ONLY place she has slept AT ALL in the last 3-4 weeks. How I'm supposed to get anything done, I'll never know. It's pretty difficult to cook dinner w/ an overtired baby hanging on your chest b/c it's the only place she won't be screaming. Maybe we should just start eating after 8pm when she's in bed for the night. Or we could get pizza delivered every night......... Mmmm, that sounds like a good idea. What's the number for Pizza Hut?

Personalities

Have you ever met someone & decided that you liked them right away b/c they remind you of someone else that you like? Have you ever accidentally called that person by the other one's name b/c in your mind they are almost one & the same? I was thinking about that today since we have moved to a new place, all the people I meet are new & yet some seem to be more familiar to me. I was trying to figure out why & I discovered that some of them look like people I knew elsewhere & some act like people I knew before.

Then I thought about the flip-side. What if I meet someone new & decide I DON'T like them b/c they remind me of someone I wasn't crazy about? That could be dangerous. I realized that I need to be aware of something like that happening & make sure that I don't do the transference of feelings from one person to the next b/c even though people may look similar or act similarly, they are all individuals.

In one of the offices where I worked there was a girl who I did NOT like from day 1. We sat quite close to eachother & often had to help w/ the other person's job if they got too busy. I tried to ignore her as much as possible b/c she was really starting to grate on my nerves. After a few months I realized that she was a really hard worker & always tried to help others whenever she could. I decided that maybe she wasn't so bad afterall & discovered over time that, in fact, I really enjoyed working w/ her! She was quite funny, & I actually looked forward to the time when she would start her shift.

About 2 months after that she took another job & I have never heard from her since. I'm still regretting that b/c of my crummy attitude I missed MONTHS of what could have been a close friendship. I have been conscious ever since to give people a chance & not judge if I like them or not in the first few meetings. I think it's an important thing for us all to do. And now I'll get off my soapbox.

*Thanks to everyone who have left comments! It's been great to see some of the people who've been reading.

Curious

I've been a bit curious for awhile now as to who's been following my blog. Don't get me wrong, I'm HAPPY that there are 3 or 4 of you out there besides my parents (who I send every post to, so they are kind of forced into reading my blog), but I'm just curious as to who you are. Are you people that I know? Or just people who found me randomly & decided I write something interesting every now & then? I know a few of you (Katie, April, Jodi, Jennifer), but would like to know who else is out there. So if it's not too much trouble, leave a comment & say "hi!" Also, if you have a blog, leave a link so I can visit yours too.

Peep Show

One thing I have noticed as the mother of a new baby, is that people ALWAYS want to look at a baby. It doesn't matter if you are at Walmart w/ a misbehaving 2 year old & the baby is crying it's head off. People will still stop you in the isles to tell you how cute your baby is. It might be cute for them to see your baby crying for the 5 minutes they see her, but the next 1/2 hour of crying that you have to endure to get her calmed down again.

That's bad, but the thing that I find more amazing is that while I am trying to nurse, people are trying to get a look at Chancery. Usually all they can see are 2 little feet poking out of the blanket, but when she gets distracted from eating I usually have to pull the blanket back a little so I can get her back on course, and that's when it happens.....

I cannont tell you how many times I have noticed people staining their heads to see what's under that blanket. Well, I can assure them it's not a puppy under there, but PLEASE people. The blanket is there for a reason! I understand they just want to see the baby, but there are better times than when she's nursing to see her. Just be patient & she'll come out & burp for you. I'd rather not give a peep show.

I Need Some Clarification

Last night I was overjoyed to be able to watch "The Office" & "CSI." Two of my favourite shows. However, since I missed a few episodes, I am a little bit lost as to a few things that have happened & I'm hoping someone can explain things a bit.

On "The Office" why is Ryan back? What did he do that got him demoted back to the Scranton branch?

On "CSI,"well I am TOTALLY stunned that Warrick is dead. WHAT HAPPENED? I understand that Sarah is back probably just for the funeral, but I suppose this could be an entrance for her to come back, but what's the deal w/ Warrick?

Also, I caught a bit of "Bones" the other night & I missed the whole thing about Gormagon & Zack. What happened there? I totally didn't understand that he was in on the Gormagon thing.

So, hopefully there's someone who also watches who can explain things a bit to me!

Broken Legs

The other morning PC put a new pair of jeans on Asher & then came down for breakfast. Asher was lagging behind a bit, but then I heard him slowly coming down the stairs saying, "it doesn't work very well."

I asked him what didn't work, his reply was a desperate, "My legs aren't working very well right now!" I asked if his legs were tingly b/c he's just discovered the "fall asleep" sensation, but he said, "No! My LEGS don't work very well!" He slowly came into the kitchen & proceeded to point out that his legs weren't working b/c the bottom of his jeans kept getting under his feet. Every time he took a step he had to get the jeans out from under his feet. We pointed out to him that that's how Mummy & Daddy's jeans are too, but he insited that something be done, so PC sadly rolled up the cuffs. He might look funny, but at least his legs work better now!

She May Be A Plug Baby!

When Asher was a baby he would never take a bottle or a plug. Not for lack of trying. I think we may have purchased every type of bottle nipple & plug on the market at the time, but to no avail. So when Chancery was born I had little hope of her taking a bottle or plug. We tried when she was a little younger than Asher had been & we actually did manage to get her to take a Soothie!


However, we had to hold it in the whole time b/c she couldn't keep it in. The only advantage there was to her taking it, was that PC had something to offer her to hold her off eating for awhile.


The last few weeks though she wouldn't even take the Soothie anymore, so I went through the box of plugs & tried them all again. This time she has chosen the Mam plug. She actually can keep this one in on her own, but she tends to only keep it in for about 5 minutes. I can understand now why some people think it's better to let babies suck their fingers. They tend to be able to find them back again on their own.

I'm curious though, what about babies that need to be swaddled (like mine)? I suppose they are destined to be plug babies. I'm just getting tired of running up the stairs every 5 minutes to stick it back in, but I suppose it's better than having to pick her up & nurse her every time.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

The other day PC, Asher & I were sitting together on the couch. Asher turned to PC & said, "Hear that? Do you hear that sound, Daddy?" PC said, "What sound, Buddy?" To which Asher replied, "Mummy's scratching my back & it's making that sound." Such an observant little boy, you can't get anything past him.

We were in the truck listening to the news a few days later & one of the stories was about a girl who had gone up on the stage at a bar & stripped naked, but they couldn't prosecute her b/c the bar used to be a strip club & the land still had the license for that kind of establishment. From the back seat we hear, "The girl got up on the bar &....." Apparently he missed the end of that news clip. Good thing, or we'd be explaining what stripping means, & I'm not sure he's mature enough for "the talk" yet.

At the bank yesterday we were trying to get Asher to say hi to the lady who was helping us, but he wouldn't talk to her. She was trying everything to draw him out to no avail. Finally she asked him what his name was..... still no answer. She said, "Are you Jack?" His forceful reply was, "I'm NOT Jack, I'm ASHER!" Then he kept repeating this phrase just in case she forgot or was confused. She then said we didn't need to open the RESP for him b/c he was going to get a full ride scholarship b/c he was a genius. What can I say? The kid has good genes!

Baby, I Can't Wait!

Chancery, I really really can't wait until you are four months old. Interacting more, Doing more, hopefully sleeping more, & if not? Well, that's the age when I can let you cry yourself to sleep & rather than being in & out of your room every 3-5 minutes for the next 4 hours, I can put you down, say goodnight & have some sanity left over.....

Only 2 months & 1 week to go!


Edited to add: Change that from 4 hours to 6.5 hours..... I eagerly await the day!

Magical Medicine

Last night Asher had no desire to eat dinner. He kept closing his eyes & saying, "I'm sleeping right now." Finally we'd had enough & PC decided to call his bluff. He said, "Ok, do you want to go to bed?" Asher's answer was "yes," so off they went. PC never thought Asher would stay in bed very long, so there was no changing of the pants, no jammies, just plunk in bed. It was 6pm.

At 9 o'clock Asher finally woke up coughing. PC changed his pants, put jammies on & offered a drink of water b/c Asher was complaining of a sore throat. I also suggested some medicine of some sort b/c I just had the same cold/illness & it's a pretty miserable thing. Asher was yunking & complaining until PC gave him the children's Tylenol. Then he declaired, "NOW I feel better!" If only it worked that fast for us all.

(He promptly went back to sleep & slept until 6:30 this morning)

Lessons Learned

This isn't the first house that we have bought, but apparently the home inspector we hired for our first house was a little bit better than this one, & perhaps we paid a little bit better attention to things ourselves as well. Of course the first time around we were living in the same town so we could take our time to look around the house & check things out for ourselves. This time we were in a bit of a time crunch & we weren't around for the inspection.

The first things we noticed a day or two into it, was that while in the contract we had said we wanted the window treatments, the ones we received were not the same ones that had been on the windows when we viewed the house. Not too big a deal, except that in one of the washrooms, she simply draped some fabric around the window & there is nothing to cover the window.

Next we noticed that under the kitchen sink things were getting a bit wet. The hot tap had a continuous slow leak that apparently had been like that for quite awhile b/c the shelf is cracked & there is an abundance of mould in the corners. I suppose that might not have been to easy to spot b/c you had to run the water for quite awhile to find where the leak was coming from.

A few days later I noticed that the kleenex under the washroom sink were all damp. Basically every time the water goes down the drain, instead of it all going down the drain, it goes under the sink. This would have been obvious had he run the tap AT ALL, but of course, since we weren't here, we have no idea what he actually charged us for in his inspection.....

Do you think we can get a refund?

Remember to Speak Clearly

The other day Asher said to me, "Jesus is ONLY for the cross." I was trying to figure out where he came up w/ that piece of knowledge, when I remebered the song we often sing to him when we want him to stand up so we can pull his jeans/PJ bottoms up. "Stand up, stand up, for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross."

Apparently we don't enunciate well enough, b/c he seems to think it's "Stand up, stand up for Jesus, he's only for the cross!"