The
Squamidian Report – Jan. 14 / 12
Issue #503
Including:
Baby News
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I’ve been reading Russ Brubacher’s book, MEMOIRS OF A 50’s COP. I must say, not only have I been enjoying the book, but I’ve gained a whole new level of respect for Russ. I have always viewed him very highly as someone to look up to, as someone truly worth looking up to, but now my respect for this man has climbed even higher. The job of being a police officer must at times be very frustrating, very demoralizing and difficult. Yet, at other times the personal satisfaction must be incredible.
I want to thank Russ for writing his book and making it available to us. It is not just an interesting piece of Kitchener history, but a very personal insight into a very interesting man. Again, thank you uncle Russell.
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Now back to normal stuff. Have you ever had to assemble one of those IKEA type pieces of furniture, you know, the things that come in a box containing dozens of flat chunks of ‘wood’. Notice the emphasis around the word ‘wood’. There is no real wood in this kind of disposable furniture. Particle board is as close as it gets. Then there are all the plastic parts in a little bag along with some screws and all sorts of strange fasteners, and the world famous set of instructions. Who, on this whole wide world are those instructions written for? No normal, logical, rational person, that’s for sure. Anyway, ‘The Wife’ had ordered a change table on line, and while I do know ‘what’ it is for changing, I don’t want to know anything more than that. However, once the thing arrived at our door, it fell upon my to do the assembling.
First step was to unpack everything and that means gaining access to the contents inside the heavy flat box. Between staples and tape and shrink wrap plastic it was more secure than the average bank vault. After cutting, pulling, prying and swearing the box was finally open. We carried all the pieces up to the living room, the sealed package was too heavy to bring in past the front hall. When we laid all the countless pieces out on the floor we noticed that the top, the only part that really mattered, was damaged. It had been dropped at some point and one corner was broken off. There was no way we could ever get the whole thing back into the box and even if we did, trying to send it back would be more trouble and cost than it was worth. In fact, we contacted the retailer and were informed that there was nothing they could or would do about it. We’d have to contact the manufacturer (I assume in China somewhere?) for any kind of replacement parts. The easiest solution was to simply glue the three-inch wide triangle that had been the corner back on, which we did. And that seems to have worked out fine, barely noticeable.
After a lot of head scratching and agitated conversations, the change table was together and ready for the changer to change the change-ee. Now, if you have given this any thought at all, you’d have to be wondering WHY we assembled the thing HERE, and not THERE, ‘THERE’ being where the mother, father and infant currently live. Good question… but there is a good answer and its not that we stupidly didn’t think the thing through. Ryan will be spending a lot of time over the next year away on tour. Lauren has almost a year off from her job as a provincial employee. They do not have any support group or family in the city, and access to their basement apartment is not at all infant friendly. Logical solution… they will be moving in with us for a while, where they will have all the support they need in the form of ‘The Wife’ who is more than willing to help with a new-born kid. As for me, I bought a great big box of ear plugs.
doug
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Baby News
This past week has been possibly the most amazing one of my life.
On Friday January 6th, Doug and I got a call from Ryan that he and Lauren were to meet the Obstetrician at the hospital on Saturday. Shortly after arriving there, they were told that it was time to induce labour for their baby girl due on the 12th as the latest ultrasound indicated the baby was under weight. Shortly thereafter the delivery process got underway with them told to go home until around 7:30pm when they would be checked to ensure that the induction was working.
Upon return, Lauren was admitted and induction continued through the night, all day Sunday and Monday with Ryan phoning to update us as the time ticked by. Ryan stayed by Lauren’s side throughout. ( Sleepless days & nights for both of them)
As I had a meeting in Vancouver on the Monday evening, I decided I would go down to the hospital in the afternoon to see how Lauren & Ryan were doing. After getting lost on the way to the hospital in New Westminster, I arrived at about 2:45pm. Ryan came out to the Labour & Delivery Waiting Room to greet me with the news that Lauren was pushing and the birth of the baby was imminent. I settled down for the wait.
Just before 4 o’clock, Ryan pushed through the waiting room door with a big grin on his face to ask if I wanted to meet the baby.
We rushed into the Birthing Room to see Lauren and my brand new grand daughter. Lauren was holding the baby in her arms with her Doctor and a nurse nearby. Our girl was born Monday January 9, 2012 at 3:34pm weighing 5lb 11oz with downy brown hair. She was very calm and quiet with wide eyes gazing at her Mom.
I spent about an hour with them and I even got to hold our little sweetie. It was miraculous! (We’ve uploaded some pictures, view them by clicking here!)
Lauren and baby were moved to the maternity ward later that evening and Ryan promised to call us in the morning. On Tuesday morning, Doug & I found out that neither parent had gotten any sleep. They were lucky to have their Dr. arrange for a private room and Ryan graduated from a chair to a cot for another sleepless night.
On Wednesday, Doug & I went down for the day. I was able to sit in on a new parent course as both Ryan and Lauren were tied up with feeding challenges and sleep depravation . The baby was getting good at eating from a cup. When I got back, Doug & Ryan left to run some errands while Lauren and I were busy with the baby. After lunch, I held the baby while Lauren had a much needed catnap.
On Thursday, the kids got to go to the course I had sat in on the day before in preparation for homecoming. Their doctor didn’t arrive until 8:30pm so they stayed another night.
Friday was homecoming day! The baby had to prove she could ready to go home by sitting in her carseat for 1/2hr at the hospital. All the newborn clothes that Lauren had taken to the hospital were big so our little Sweetie went home in the same sleeper her Dad had worn home from Grand River Hospital 31 years ago! Doug & I got to visit with the new family at their home there after.
Our life has been truly blessed.
PS: Our Baby remains unnamed at this time … stay tuned…
‘The Wife’
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
First and foremost Carole, Adam and I would like to congratulate Ryan and Lauren on the birth of their lovely new baby girl! I hope they pick a name for her sometime soon! LOL! So far we’ve heard no details but she looks like about a 5 pounder and a cute one at that!
(May I suggest “Blanket Princess Moon Elderberry Harley Brubacher” for her name?) LOL! Just kidding of course!
She’d be right up there with all the famous kids of the Hollywood Stars crowd! Of course congratulations are in order for the new grandparents as well, I’m sure Sue and Doug are very proud of their new granddaughter and we’ll be seeing loads of pictures of her as she grows up in the Brubacher family!
*
Well, Thursday was sunny and warm here in KW and I was celebrating my 63rd birthday with my lovely wife. We enjoyed the morning just sitting in the living room with a nice cup of tea and Bailey beside us on the couch. We talked about how quickly the 63 years I’ve been on this earth have passed and how incredibly fast our 39 years of marriage have gone by as well. (It’ll be 39 on January 19th)
It seems that I don’t feel any older than when I celebrated my 33rd birthday but of course that’s nothing to complain about! I guess I should be grateful for small favours! After our enjoyable morning of many trips down memory lane we decided we had some shopping to do. We spent the afternoon just driving to a few stores to look for a few items that Carole wanted to get for the house. We stopped and had a quick bite to eat but didn’t over do it because we had plans to go out for dinner with Adam later in the day. On the way home we happened to see a few motorcycles on the road and of course that’s a pretty unusual sight in Ontario in January! We’re usually buried up to our butts in snow by early December and it doesn’t let up until late March or early April most years. In fact this is only the second “Green” birthday I can remember in my 63 years. Carole commented that I should cap off the day with a ride on my motorcycle to celebrate my birthday in a fashion I won’t likely get to repeat anytime soon. I agreed and when we got home, I unplugged my battery tender and with one crank the Kawasaki fired right up. I let it warm up for a couple of minutes and figured I’d take a short ride up to the corner store to check our lottery tickets. I was about to ride away when Carole came out of the house with her camera. She took a few pictures of me on the bike for posterity and I was off! I went up and checked my tickets and found I had won a free ticket on one of my new RPS (Rock Paper Scissors) and also had an $8.00 win on the second one. I figured that was a good start to my 63rd year and a new lottery for 2012. From the store, I took a ride for about a half hour around the neighbourhood but decided not to venture too far from home because of the sand and salt that was on the roads in spots. Although we haven’t had very much winter weather here in KW our roads crews have been plow and sander happy when we did get a dusting of snow. Sandy roads are not conducive to safe riding on two wheels so I headed for home. At least I can always say I was able to ride my bike in January in Ontario and prove it with the pictures. It wasn’t even that cold on the bike, it was actually +7c and the sun was shining. I plugged the bike back in for the rest of the winter I’m sure and it’s resting quietly under it’s cover until likely April sometime. I bet Doug didn’t even get his bike out with all the rain they’ve been having. However, I’m sure he’ll be out on the roads with Big Blue long before I am come spring!
Well, that’s my exciting and different story for my birthday this year and I hope you are all enjoying the unusually nice weather we’ve been having this January! They say it’s coming to an end. It was supposed to be snowing as of this past Thursday but so far it’s just been raining off and on. At least Thursday was +7c and sunny for most of the day!
I hope we get a few more mild days before old man winter hits with a vengeance! I still have to put my winter floor mats in the Jeep, which means I have to find them in the garage somewhere before I can do that! LOL! I’m happy to think that this winter’s snow season will be a short one. Maybe Adam will get to try out his new TORO blower after all but I’m sure he wouldn’t be too disappointed if he didn’t! La Nina might just hold the snow off until April and then it’ll be too late for snow! Now that would be nice!
That’s it for this week folks!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now.. GREG
PS: Something To Think About>
Smiles are contagious, even over the phone!
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Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.