I have posted on my other blog about trying to make some healthier choices and as far as I am concerned sushi is a big part of that lifestyle choice. Now I have decided that since Aidan also loves sushi (it is something he asks for several times a week) I would try to make it myself.

Something the websites don’t tell you it that making sushi is very time consuming. I am thinking that the next set that I make will be a big batch of rice so that I can maybe freeze some. I am not sure how that will work but I am willing to try. The first rolls that I made Aidan ate quickly but I didn’t think that they were photo worthy. The next set were and the pictures are below. I am keeoing to the vegetarian sushi and I can’t wait to try to make avocado rolls. The kappa maki and kappa maki with carrot shavings turned out well for my first try. I did have to wash my hands about a thousand times though, damn that sticky rice. :)

My lovely sushi. :)

Aidan trying to get “More Sushi.”

Aidan eating Mommy’s lovely sushi. Enjoy.

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Anthony and I got to sleep sometime after midnight only to be wakened by a horrific scream in the alley out back. The screaming kept on going followed by a man yelling and the woman still screaming bloody murder. (Well no those weren’t her exact words, but it really sounded bad.) There was also a dog (obviously big) barking loudly. The. Whole. Time.

Anthony decided to grab some pyjama pants and run outside to see what was happening. He didn’t take a phone, nor shoes, nor shirt, but went outside and yelled at the couple to see if everything was alright. Mom was up on the balcony and asking if she should call the police, and a bunch of people from the front of our complex came out back to see what was going on. I grabbed some clothes and went upstairs to get the phone that was working so I could call 911 if needed.

The view from the balcony was kind of strange. A number of people were outside in various states of dress, what turned out to be a police officer with a police dog, a couple of plain clothes police officers and unmarked cars, and a woman who was tracked to a garage alcove in the complex behind us after allegedly stealing something. The police officer with the dog was yelling at the bystanders to calm down “She did a thief,” or something to that ungrammatically correct effect. So we had in our alley a “police incident.” It was very loud and frightening (the woman sounded like she was being assaulted,) and a big burst of adrenalin for the second time that night.

I tell you waking up to a woman screaming like that is very very disturbing. I can only thank god that Aidan slept through the whole thing.

Getting back to sleep was difficult. Not only did we have the after effects of the adrenalin push, but it stayed noisy and confusing in the alley for quite a while. About ten minutes after Anthony got back inside (fully admitting that he really should have put on some shoes and brought a phone) it got quite loud outside again. The woman yelling “You have already told me my fucking rights. I don’t want to hear them again.” The police officer(s) obviously telling her again. The paramedics doing something or other but not using the siren. Again I say thank god Aidan didn’t wake up.

I suppose there are several pieces of good news in this scenario.

1. Anthony wasn’t hurt and now realizes that if you go out to help a screaming woman (he did stay far away and ask if she needed help) you first put on shoes and bring a phone.
2. Aidan didn’t wake up.
3. Anthony finished listening to his audiobook since he didn’t get back to sleep till after 3 am.
4. I realized once and for all that I do not want to be a police officer. (Not that I was actually thinking of changing careers.)
5. It gives my mom a good story to tell when she gets back home.
6. I got to use the word “allegedly” in a grammatically correct manner, I think. and
7. It makes one hell of a blog post.

(Cross posted at Left Coast Mama.)

Last night started out great. Mom and I went out to dinner and afterwards for a tea and it was lovely. We had a great time and a nice chat. It was really nice to just relax and talk and not worry about the time.

When we got home everyone was tired so we got ready for bed. Anthony and I changed Aidan (boy he hates being woken up and put on his back) so he doesn’t get absolutely soaked through by morning. It has been working, and really since diapers were not getting him through the night, it has been worth it. The previous two nights Aidan just went right back to sleep and didn’t wake until morning. Last night not so much. Yes he went back to sleep, but he decided to wake up (well I think a car woke him up in that critical 30-40 minutes after getting back to sleep) and he let us know in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want to be. Another weird fact is that he didn’t want to go back to bed. He would fall asleep on me but would not go back in to his crib with out screaming, that is until he had time with Daddy as well. Sometimes one parental unit is not enough. He went back down for the night after he had his cuddle with Daddy. If that had been all it wouldn’t be too bad, asleep by about midnight we could handle that. But that was not all . . .

(Cross posted at Left Coast Mama.)

The boy is developing an ear for music. Or, for singing and being sung to at least. It’s been quite neat to see develop over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, his favourite songs seem to be “typical” children’s songs … despite our ongoing efforts. His current favourite seems to be “Sing” from Sesame Street (you know, “Sing, sing a song, sing it loud, sing it strong!”). He also likes “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. He can get through most of the chorus to “My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)”. And, um, he’s been singing the hook to “Wild, Wild West”. As far as I can tell, the Wil Smith version. I’m not sure where he picked that up.

I think we’ve been pretty good at exposing him to a wide range of music. Both Gwen & I have reasonably varied musical tastes, and we’ve always played music around him. Certainly for dancing he seems to prefer The Black Eyed Peas. But for singing, it seems like he prefers the old standards.

We’ve bought (honest-to-goodness CDs!) several “parent-friendly” albums that he doesn’t seem to mind, but have yet to make a big impression on him. He like the music videos to “Mother Goose Rocks!“, and I’ve heard him singing the Eminen-stylized “Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”, and I think this album has the best chance of being adopted by him. We have the album “Ablum” by local group “Duplex“. Recently we received “For The Kids” and “For The Kids Too!”, compilation albums by Nettwerk in support of children’s charities with songs by Sarah McLaughlan, The Barenaked Ladies, Sarah Harmer, Six Pence None The Richer, Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida, and others.

Even moving away from children’s songs, he gets exposed to lots of stuff. Mostly brit pop and alternative rock, but every night he goes to sleep to a mix of classical music (thanks Apple). So I think we’ve set a pretty good table for him — it’ll be interested to see what he eats.

Yesterday, after putting him to bed and then going back in to “deal” with him an hour later he asked to be sung to. Heart warming for certain, but those who know me know that I might have an ear for music, and reasonable rhythm (seriously!), my vocal skills are just about sufficient to get raucous laughter if I ever got the nerve to do karaoke. Anyway, I’ve been singing to him regardless and hopefully it’s not a sign he’s tone deaf. We went through a a few of the standards and he sang along with a few. Miracles of miracles, I didn’t hear a peep out of him afterwards.

Anyone out there have suggestions for music that both he and us will appreciate?