Ok, I that posted that Alex had taken his first steps.........Well, this last weekend he decided that he was going to walk and there was no stopping him!
We were all home very sick with colds/maybe strep throat/stomach flu stuff, and so I was able to get those first few awkward movements on video. Since this weekend, Alex walks everywhere. He only crawls when he wants to get somewhere fast, or if he;s really tired. He did this all, right on his 10 month birthday! It's quite scary; he's getting into everything very, very fast now. We desperately need to put all the latches on the cupboards, because he is now playing with all my baking supplies, the blender, and any food he can pull out of the cupboard!
So, here is the video of him walking. When i get a better one, I will post that as well. He's growing up so fast!
I should also mention that I am having a harder time adjusting to being back at work than Alex is. My new job is going ok, but I've been there a week, and already been in trouble twice :( Minor stuff really, but I didn't do it on purpose either. I also got ratted out, so I think someone there doesn't like me (I don't know how that could happen--I'm so likeable!).
Also, I am almost settled with my human rights complaint. A more appropriate offer is on the table, and we are working on it. I'm hoping to have this done by monday, so that I don't have to go to Vancouver on Tuesday!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Alex takes his first steps
Today marked the beginning of a new era........Alex started daycare, I go back to work tomorrow, and Alex took his first steps.
Yep, you read right. His first steps.
He was in the kitchen with Dan and took one step towards him. We thought we were imagining things, so we spent the next 30 minutes trying to get him to do it again. After a few falls, Alex took an independent step. Then, when we tried again, he took two, and after some more tries he took three independent steps all on his own. He got tired and wouldn't do it for us anymore, but I'm hoping that I'll get it on camera in the next few days. Once I do, you know it will be posted here.
I've had a pretty emotional day. My baby is growing up! I was watching some of the video we have of him at 4 months old....So precious! I still say becoming a parent is the best thing I ever did :)
Yep, you read right. His first steps.
He was in the kitchen with Dan and took one step towards him. We thought we were imagining things, so we spent the next 30 minutes trying to get him to do it again. After a few falls, Alex took an independent step. Then, when we tried again, he took two, and after some more tries he took three independent steps all on his own. He got tired and wouldn't do it for us anymore, but I'm hoping that I'll get it on camera in the next few days. Once I do, you know it will be posted here.
I've had a pretty emotional day. My baby is growing up! I was watching some of the video we have of him at 4 months old....So precious! I still say becoming a parent is the best thing I ever did :)
Sunday, March 16, 2008
An apology
I have to apologize......I know I promised videos and pictures, but we've had some issues on our end. First of all, iPhoto would not load on our computer, so we could not download the photos. It has taken Dan some time to figure out the problem, but he did find it, and we're downloading as I write. Second of all, I've been on a grand search for a daycare, since I knew I was going to have to be back to work soon. This has taken some time, since I wanted to go and check them all out before making a choice. Thirdly, i have been looking for work, since the offers my employer had for me were not that great. I have found a job about 10 minutes from home, which is casual to start off with, but permanent positions are coming up, so I'm hoping to get one of those.
As for the daycare, we found a daycare about 10 minutes away as well. It is a lady who has been running a daycare for 20 years, has 3 kids of her own and 3 grandkids. her one daughter helps with the daycare, and her other daughter will do night time babysitting if we need it. She charges $30/day, but she will take the kids on teddy bear picnics, go to the park down the street, take the little kids for a walk to pick the big kids up from school, go to the pumpkin patch at halloween, and she also decorates a float for the christmas parade every year, and the kids help with that as well. She will keep Alex until he is in school, and if we know we will have another kid on the way, she will save a spot in the daycare for us. She sounded great, the house was great, and Alex just loved being there. I won't even get into the other places I went, because they were aweful.
I go back to work on Tuesday, which was a bit earlier than I thought I would be going back (I don't have to be back until April 13th), but it's worth it to have work that is so close to home. I am actually looking forward to being back.....I may be crazy, but I do enjoy my job, and I have missed it to a certain extent. However, I won't be able to wait to go off again!
We are otherwise doing well on the home front. Alex has said his third word, which is Nana, and I'm sure all 3 of his grandmas will be happy about that. Our friends Ian, Colleen and Jack are moving this week to Edmonton, and so we are going to miss them. Alex really enjoyed spending time with Jack, I had a blast talking scrapbooking with Colleen (she's the one that got me hooked on Stampin Up), and Dan and Ian are old friends that enjoyed football every year.
Well, I'm gong to check on the photos, and hope to have some up tonight. If not, I will for sure do it tomorrow while Alex is in daycare!
As for the daycare, we found a daycare about 10 minutes away as well. It is a lady who has been running a daycare for 20 years, has 3 kids of her own and 3 grandkids. her one daughter helps with the daycare, and her other daughter will do night time babysitting if we need it. She charges $30/day, but she will take the kids on teddy bear picnics, go to the park down the street, take the little kids for a walk to pick the big kids up from school, go to the pumpkin patch at halloween, and she also decorates a float for the christmas parade every year, and the kids help with that as well. She will keep Alex until he is in school, and if we know we will have another kid on the way, she will save a spot in the daycare for us. She sounded great, the house was great, and Alex just loved being there. I won't even get into the other places I went, because they were aweful.
I go back to work on Tuesday, which was a bit earlier than I thought I would be going back (I don't have to be back until April 13th), but it's worth it to have work that is so close to home. I am actually looking forward to being back.....I may be crazy, but I do enjoy my job, and I have missed it to a certain extent. However, I won't be able to wait to go off again!
We are otherwise doing well on the home front. Alex has said his third word, which is Nana, and I'm sure all 3 of his grandmas will be happy about that. Our friends Ian, Colleen and Jack are moving this week to Edmonton, and so we are going to miss them. Alex really enjoyed spending time with Jack, I had a blast talking scrapbooking with Colleen (she's the one that got me hooked on Stampin Up), and Dan and Ian are old friends that enjoyed football every year.
Well, I'm gong to check on the photos, and hope to have some up tonight. If not, I will for sure do it tomorrow while Alex is in daycare!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The hearing
I know you all have been probably reading and waiting for how my hearing went. Well, I'll start by saying we're not done yet, and therefore I can not reveal too many things. Also, I will not be identifying my employer, nor talking about specifics in mediation, just because we're not allowed to, and because this is a public website, I could get in major shit if I did this and they found out.
So......................
On Monday we presented our side of the case. In this instance, the decision will be based mostly on credibility, since it is a he said/she said type of issue.So, it is my job as the complainant to prove that they actually did what I say they did. I made two very good points during my testimony which probably helped a lot. One being that is I was qualified to cover the position in the short term (short term being anywhere from days to months), then why wasn't I qualified to take over long term? Their argument was that I wasn't qualified for the position, and therefore I should not expect the job. The other point was that they tried to prove that I quit because if I couldn't have the manager's job, then I didn't want any job. I told them I quit because I could not work for someone who would discriminate against me. I wasn't asked why I quit anymore after that. They started to present their case right at the end of the day, and so we were going to continue on Tuesday. My lawyer said that we were doing good at this point.
The other thing I should mention is that they tried to have the entire hearing suspended because one of their witnesses could not be there due to knee surgery. Of course we said no, and the tribunal agreed.
On Tuesday, I got to the tribunal and was told that a settlement offer had been made. Again, i can't say how much, but it was a joke. So, the hearing was adjourned, and we went back into mediation mode. Now, for those of you who don't know, we've been trying to mediate this for over a year. My former employer has not made any effort to settle, or even to entertain the idea. All of a sudden, she wants to settle. So we make a modest offer, given the fact that I lost wages and will continue to lose wages should I not be able to fine full time work, plus damages. The number was no where near where it should of been, but we were trying to be reasonable. After 5 hours, my former employer had only been willing to double their original offer, which as you recall was a joke. They wanted to negotiate at $200 increments, meaning we would have been there all day. My lawyer said we were finished and that we'll take our chances at hearing.
There is risk with the hearing. If I win, it is a published decision that will forever haunt the employer, and they have to pay whatever money the tribunal decides is appropriate. If I lose, it is a published decision that future employers could see and assume that I am just a trouble maker. Also, If I lose, there will be the emotional and mental issues of basically being told that this all did not happen, and that I'm making it all up. Either way, one of us is going to have egg on our face. Having said that, I have been aware of that risk since day one, and am not afraid of going back to hearing mode. I feel we are doing well, and I don't know how well the other side will hold up in cross examination.
I also thought I would mention...For those unaware, this hearing is a legal proceeding. Before taking the stand, we are asked to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth and give understanding that lying is an offense and punishable under the law. So, this not some flimsy meeting, it's serious stuff.I frankly am tired of this whole thing...We could have had this settled a long time ago, but we're being dragged through this for what seems like forever. I'll be glad when we're done. Our next hearing date is April 1st (of all days). I'll let everyone know what happens, although it will simply be an either "I won" or "I lost" type of post. I will be required to sign a non-disclosure regarding the settlement and so I can not publish that info. Uggggghhhhhh.....One more month to wait!
So......................
On Monday we presented our side of the case. In this instance, the decision will be based mostly on credibility, since it is a he said/she said type of issue.So, it is my job as the complainant to prove that they actually did what I say they did. I made two very good points during my testimony which probably helped a lot. One being that is I was qualified to cover the position in the short term (short term being anywhere from days to months), then why wasn't I qualified to take over long term? Their argument was that I wasn't qualified for the position, and therefore I should not expect the job. The other point was that they tried to prove that I quit because if I couldn't have the manager's job, then I didn't want any job. I told them I quit because I could not work for someone who would discriminate against me. I wasn't asked why I quit anymore after that. They started to present their case right at the end of the day, and so we were going to continue on Tuesday. My lawyer said that we were doing good at this point.
The other thing I should mention is that they tried to have the entire hearing suspended because one of their witnesses could not be there due to knee surgery. Of course we said no, and the tribunal agreed.
On Tuesday, I got to the tribunal and was told that a settlement offer had been made. Again, i can't say how much, but it was a joke. So, the hearing was adjourned, and we went back into mediation mode. Now, for those of you who don't know, we've been trying to mediate this for over a year. My former employer has not made any effort to settle, or even to entertain the idea. All of a sudden, she wants to settle. So we make a modest offer, given the fact that I lost wages and will continue to lose wages should I not be able to fine full time work, plus damages. The number was no where near where it should of been, but we were trying to be reasonable. After 5 hours, my former employer had only been willing to double their original offer, which as you recall was a joke. They wanted to negotiate at $200 increments, meaning we would have been there all day. My lawyer said we were finished and that we'll take our chances at hearing.
There is risk with the hearing. If I win, it is a published decision that will forever haunt the employer, and they have to pay whatever money the tribunal decides is appropriate. If I lose, it is a published decision that future employers could see and assume that I am just a trouble maker. Also, If I lose, there will be the emotional and mental issues of basically being told that this all did not happen, and that I'm making it all up. Either way, one of us is going to have egg on our face. Having said that, I have been aware of that risk since day one, and am not afraid of going back to hearing mode. I feel we are doing well, and I don't know how well the other side will hold up in cross examination.
I also thought I would mention...For those unaware, this hearing is a legal proceeding. Before taking the stand, we are asked to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth and give understanding that lying is an offense and punishable under the law. So, this not some flimsy meeting, it's serious stuff.I frankly am tired of this whole thing...We could have had this settled a long time ago, but we're being dragged through this for what seems like forever. I'll be glad when we're done. Our next hearing date is April 1st (of all days). I'll let everyone know what happens, although it will simply be an either "I won" or "I lost" type of post. I will be required to sign a non-disclosure regarding the settlement and so I can not publish that info. Uggggghhhhhh.....One more month to wait!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Doing better...
Alex is doing much better since yesterday. He hasn't thrown up once (lucky me) but he still has diarrhea about once a day. He has A LOT more energy, and is constantly moving. He is even going for naps late, since he has so much energy! Today he should have gone for a nap at 9:30, but it is now 10:45 and there is no end in sight! I'm going to try and put him down again once I'm done here.
Also, for those who don't know, my big human rights hearing is tomorrow. I'm starting to get nervous..I'm not a big fan of confrontation, and this is a big confrontation! I think I am more upset over the fact that I have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to get ready for this thing....Only because we need to stop in Langley on our way to Vancouver to drop Alex off at my mom's. I think I am mass cleaning today just to relieve some stress. Oh, I guess I should mention that this is my "coffee break" from cleaning. Laundry is at an all time high because Alex has been going through so many clothes (me too) this last week, and I find that keeping myself busy keeps me from thinking about tomorrow. I started doing this when I was pregnant. I couldn't drink to relieve stress, so I cleaned. Works good for both me and the house!
I will post again after my hearing...Of course I'll let you all know how it goes!
Also, for those who don't know, my big human rights hearing is tomorrow. I'm starting to get nervous..I'm not a big fan of confrontation, and this is a big confrontation! I think I am more upset over the fact that I have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to get ready for this thing....Only because we need to stop in Langley on our way to Vancouver to drop Alex off at my mom's. I think I am mass cleaning today just to relieve some stress. Oh, I guess I should mention that this is my "coffee break" from cleaning. Laundry is at an all time high because Alex has been going through so many clothes (me too) this last week, and I find that keeping myself busy keeps me from thinking about tomorrow. I started doing this when I was pregnant. I couldn't drink to relieve stress, so I cleaned. Works good for both me and the house!
I will post again after my hearing...Of course I'll let you all know how it goes!
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