The Forgotten Blog

This is what I'm thinking I should re-name this blog as...The Forgotten Blog. I swore up and down when I was pregnant I was going to keep track of new motherhood by writing it all down and yeah that didn't go too well did it. Ah if only I could go back and tell pregnant me a few things (like you will survive those first 3 months of no sleep and fussiness).

But now that I have a 5 and a half month old things are starting to improve...slowly. We're now into the wonderful teething phase and everything, EVERYTHING, is going into the mouth. Our favourite thing to chew on is either our hand, our Sofie the Giraffe toy, our Razberry soother or of course the best of all...Mommy's fingers. And man does that kid have some chompers in him and there isn't even teeth yet!



We also seem to have stumbled into the stage of "mommy can't be beyond arms reach or I may flip out". Usually not a problem until that dreaded bathroom break comes then its like "hrm do I hold it? If I run off while he's playing with his blanket will that give me enough time to go and then come back before he even notices?" Sometimes we have no idea mommy has even left and other times it's like our world has ended and there's mommy feeling guilty for having a full bladder. But sometimes when you gotta go, you gotta go. I already clean enough messes up I don't need another to deal with!

We will every once in awhile surprise mommy and spend time playing by ourselves. We're not too sure yet of our exersaucer or jolly jumper. It's funny because we like the toys in our exersaucer but we get frustrated when they can't come closer into our mouth.



And with the jolly jumper we like it when mommy or daddy make us bounce but haven't figured out the whole jumping thing just yet. We also have a bouncy chair that has become entertaining...more so for mommy and daddy as we can now shimmy our way out of it or if we get really squirmy we can almost roll out of it. Definitely keeps us on our toes!

Our favourite activity though has now become naked time. We are going through towels like crazy because of it. This also means that we are rolling around a lot more. For some reason we're not a fan of being on our tummy when we are in our diaper or clothed but when we're naked we still don't love it but are willing to put up with it for a few minutes longer. At least (knock on wood) we haven't figured out the rolling thing at night. I've heard stories of kids waking up in the night screaming because they've rolled onto their stomach and can't get back and the parents have to rescue them every few hours. I may not be getting much sleep but at least I'm getting more then that!



And sleep training. There's something they should prepare mothers more for! So Munchkin can actually do quite well putting himself to sleep after we go through our routine. It's the staying asleep through the night we had issues with. He thought that every 2 hours would be more then enough and the only thing that would help put him back to sleep was milk. Great for him...not so much for me. So we tried the whole sleep training thing...well sort of. I started doing modified versions of a bunch of them but none of them were working. Plus it didn't help that I couldn't stand listening to him cry longer then 5 mins. So after talking to a bunch of my friends and doing lots of research online I decided to give the Sleep EASY method a try. My girlfriend told me to do the routine and when he woke up 1-2 hours later don't check on him for 15 mins. I had always gone in after 5 mins so 15 seemed like a life time. Sure enough after 13 mins we had a little boy who had put himself back to sleep but of course a frazzled mom thinking she was the worse parent in the world for letting her kid cry that long. Well one week later and I can now say I think it was the best thing in the world for us. I can easily get a 4-6 hour stretch of sleep which makes for a much happier mommy (and baby)!



So what's next for us? Well we're hoping to try solids very very soon. I've been looking into how to make rice cereal and other foods so we'll see how Munchkin likes that. I'm hoping that maybe on Christmas he can have some potatoes and or yams with us at dinner. We're also looking forward to his first Christmas. I swore up and down that neither us nor Santa were going to spoil him and yet somehow there is already a couple of bags worth of things in our closet waiting to be put under the tree. But you only get one First Christmas and even though he may not remember it I'm sure the whole family will!

But we're definitely starting to show our emotions more. We have our fussy times but we also give big smiles, giggles and show excitement over just about anything. I think though one of my favourite faces after big smiles is our pouty face. How can you say no to this...

Travelling With Baby

So we did it. We survived our first trip away from home with Munchkin. We had to pack everything plus the kitchen sink but we did it! No seriously I could not get over how much stuff we needed to bring. Munchkin had a suitcase all his own plus a couple of bags full of stuff. Now granted he didn't go through all of the clothes I brought nor did we use his bath tray but everything else was a definite must to have brought. We even disassembled his swing to use for naps (thank goodness for that or else I wouldn't have gotten any sleep myself).

But we had a wonderful time in Pender Harbour. We drove around looking at places my Mother In Law might like to purchase. We checked out galleries and little shops hidden throughout the town. But mostly we just stayed at the cottage and chilled out, caught up on some reading, played board games and napped. Definitely my kind of vacation right now! But the best part was probably the deer that would wander through the front yard each night around sunset. It was like they were staged! (Photos to come)

Oh and to add more fun, I'm traveling with Munchkin again this weekend. We're off to Kamloops with my parents to show him off to my Dad's family. Thank goodness I kept the list of things I needed to pack. Hope there's enough room in the 5th wheel for it all!

Catching Up

Okay so before I went on maternity leave I thought I would have tons of time to blog about our days and adventures. Ha ha what a new mother I am to think that. But munchkin is sleeping in his swing which means I finally have a little time for myself. We have come to learn that the swing seems to be our favourite place to be especially for naps. I can't believe that we'll actually sleep there for almost 5 hours if we let him!

We're also reaching some milestones that are really fun to watch. We're giving mommy and daddy big smiles.


We have found and love munching on our hands.


Our friends Jess and Lillian gave us a new toy which one part we can grab on our own (with a little help from Mommy)


We like to sit up on Mommy or Daddy's lap with help but we're still a little unsure about our Bumbo


We managed to beat the heat wave and found some great places to nap and hang out while keeping cool.




We went to Auntie and Uncle's engagement party where we were abandoned at the door way. (Just kidding, Mommy and Daddy were 2 feet away but this was the only place with shade.)


We enjoy snuggle time with Mommy.


We like to talk to the wooden lady at Grandma's house.


And we are now 2 months old...


And things were going fine until monkey gave us a funny look.



We've also had Grandma and Grandpa look after us while Mommy and Daddy went out with some friends and Daddy and G.J. got to take care of us while Mommy and Grandma went to a concert. The only part that Monkey didn't really care for this month was his shots. We had 3 shots (2 in one leg and 1 in the other). Monkey took it like a champ but Mommy sure didn't like it. But after a few tears and a good feed we were back to normal. Not looking forward to doing it again at 4 months but it has to be done!

And things look like they're just going to keep getting busy. We're planning a trip to Pender Harbour with G.J. and Uncle C. It's going to be our 2nd wedding anniversary so G.J might be looking after Monkey while we go out for dinner. We've been trying to plan a hot air balloon ride for 2 years now with some friends of ours but the weather hasn't been cooperating so maybe we'll get up this month (Grandma and Grandpa will look after Monkey). We're trying to get to Kamloops to visit the family and see our Great Aunt and Uncle. Plus Hubby starts school so busy busy busy! Hope not only Monkey gets some naps in but maybe Mommy too!

Busy Times For Our Little Guy

So I thought life would slow down a bit after baby came but apparently it decided to speed up. We've been visiting people, having people visit us, trips to the doctor and trips to show off at work places.

Today was our second doctors visit and thankfully everything is fine, healthy and normal (not that I was really worried). However there is apparently something magical that will happen when he turns 3 months. He should start sleeping through the night more, his skin will clear up, his head should be able to stay up and things like his goopy eye and cradle cap should clear up. It's still a few weeks away but I look forward to the little things like sleeping through the night and being able to play with his toys a little more. We're fascinated with the rattle that's on the dresser when we change our diaper but that seems to be the only toy right now we're really interested in. Now if we can just get interested in bath time, sleep time and tummy time. We're working on it!

Us at one month old!

One Month

Okay so I thought I would have more free time to catch up with this blog but sadly no. Aren't babies suppose to just sleep and sleep and sleep? Ha!

Our little monkey definitely keeps us on our toes and yes some days are longer and harder then others but I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. It's hard to believe a month ago I was pregnant and now my little man is sitting in his swing rocking away today.

So what's the first month been like. We'll Hubby and I have had to learn about lack of sleep, spit up, diaper explosions and water shows (any of you who have girls be grateful when you change their diapers). We've learned that not all babies like baths or to be naked. We've learned cuddles are good and a car ride can be your best friend. Sometimes you have to eat fast or with one hand or tag team eating. We've learned that sometimes it takes us a while to ease into our swing or bouncy chair but when we do it can be a wonderful thing. We've learned that our washing machine can be put into over drive and still survive and that our kitchen and bathroom can look like a mess but who cares. We've learned that our living room has now become a playroom with swings, play mats, bassinets and bouncy chairs.

We've also learned to treasure every coo, smile, tear, squirm, cuddle, kick, scream, yawn and burp as he is growing and changing so fast!

He's Here!

Just a quick post.

Our little monkey arrived June 19, 8lbs 1.6ozs and 20.5 inches long. Life's been flipped upside down for Hubby and me but we wouldn't have it any other way. We're taking tons of photos but the fun and challenging part has been uploading them with a baby in our hands. This one will have to do for now though.

Getting Close Now!

We're in the home stretch now! I'm 39 weeks and both Hubby and I feel like we're ready for baby any day now. Baby on the other hand has other thoughts as the doctor is predicting that it's going to be late.

But the best part...I'm officially on maternity leave now. I'm really happy about this because my sleep schedule is horrible and it's nice to not have to wake up at 5:45am and trudge off to work. Plus around 2:00 I would get really tired and my production levels were definitely feeling it. But this doesn't mean I've been lazing around the house the whole time. I've been busy getting the nursery ready and my bags packed and now I definitely feel a little more comfortable that the baby could actually come and I'll be ready.

Our biggest project though has been the nursery. We bought a 3 bedroom townhouse so that we could have that extra room to eventually turn into a nursery. It started out as a storage room but I'll let the photos show the progress we've made in it!


Looking from the door


Looking from the window


Our fun angled wall


And the first colour goes on!






Next the green. It's starting to look good now!






Next came the furniture, vinyl lettering and the chair railing. Hubby was not a fan of putting up the chair railing on the angled wall.





And...the final product!








Now the only thing missing is the baby!

Quietness

Yes it's been kinda quiet on this blog and around our place as Hubby and I have not really had the energy to get a lot of things done. However that changed with the long weekend. We started it off by having a couple nice quiet evenings at home alone. I haven't been sleeping very well lately as my hips get sore and tend to wake me up in the night every few hours so we decided that Saturday we'd just have a night at home watching a movie and taking it easy. I can't even remember the last time we did that on a Saturday night. We didn't even care that it was a movie we had both seen before (Master and Commander) it was just nice to know that we didn't have to be anywhere or do anything.

However we made up for it on Monday. We were told by my father in law (FIL) back in October that if we pick out a light for the dining room area then he would get it for us as a housewarming gift. Well he tells us this and then 4 days later we found out we were having a baby so guess what took a back seat. It's been awhile since we've thought about going shopping for a light fixture so we trudged out Monday to go shopping. I was surprised that it didn't take as long as I thought to find something we both liked and now this beauty is hanging in our livingroom.

However I will say that poor Hubby had a "fun" time trying to set it up. The instructions that come with it are horrible and trying to adjust the height of it was not as easy as we originally though. Some brute force and ignorance was used to get it up but it does look beautiful!

After that we had to run around and get a few more things for the baby. I keep telling this kid I can't believe all the stuff it's going to have before it's even born! This time though it was the glider and ottoman. I had phone around that morning to find out if the store had any in stock and they said they had 2 but two hours later when we got there they suddenly only had one left. It's not like they were on sale but I was really happy that we didn't have to come back or go to another store to get the glider. We ended up with this one which is very very comfortable.


However getting into the car proved to be a bit fun. When I called I asked if it would fit into a 4 door sedan type car and they said "it should". Well thank goodness our back seat is big enough with me moving my chair forward because it just...JUST fit back there! The glider was much easier to set up then the lamp was thankfully. Just goes to show you what a good set of instructions can do! Next we're hoping to tackle some painting as we only have one wall painted in the living room and the rest of the place is patched and ready to go. As it stands it's only the nursery that is completely done.

And finally I can't believe I'm down to my last 4 days of work. It seems like just yesterday I was telling people I'm pregnant and now our little monkey will be joining us soon! I started to get worried that maybe I'll be bored while on maternity leave but after sitting down this weekend and writing out the list of things I still need to do and get I'm more hoping I have time before our little one arrives!

Ah Computers

So I had some photos I was going to put into my gallery and show off but it seems like my computer this morning wants to be stubborn and not upload them. Not impressed!

Well I know I've been in hiding for a few days now but I've been so tired lately that I can't seem to get myself off the couch unless I absolutely have to. I can't count the number of times now I've fallen asleep while watching TV (manly when the hockey game was on). I knew my energy levels would go down again in the 3rd trimester but I didn't think it was going to be like this. However I'm guessing me not getting a great nights sleep doesn't help matters. There is only one position you can really sleep on when pregnant and that is your side which is usually fine. However now that I've got all this extra weight my hips are not loving me much any more. I guess this is training me for what's to come with feedings but really do we women need to be trained in this? Shouldn't we be storing sleep instead since we know we won't see it again for years? Oh well, 2.5 more weeks of work and then it's maternity leave. Can't believe it's coming so fast.

So on Sunday it was Mother's Day and I was fortunate to spend time with both my mom and mother in law (MIL). My mom and I have a tradition now where we go and pick up my grandma and take her out to some nurseries so we can pick up some of our first plants of the season. For me I pretty much pick up all my plants at this time since I'm usually confined to container gardening. I do have a larger area to plant this year but with our little monkey coming soon I figured 3 containers might be more then enough for me to handle. So I made sure I didn't go too crazy.

After an afternoon at the nursery it was off to Ladner to meet up with MIL and brother in law (BIL). BIL had heard about a Greek restaurant that was good called Taverna Gorgona and we headed down to see if we could get a table. Well it turns out that Mother's Day is their busiest day of the year. Thank goodness the patio was open and it was a warm night or else I don't think we would have gotten a table. It was worth the wait as the food was amazing. I highly recommend the saganaki and the shrimp slovaki!

Oh and the best part of my day. I picked up Hubby on our way to dinner and was surprised with a bouquet of flowers for "Happy Almost A Mother Mother's Day". It was one of the sweetest and nicest gifts I have ever received. I only hope that this Father's Day I can return the favour when I give him a little monkey.

Spinning

Okay so life's been a little busy over the last few days. First there was the annual scrapbooking weekend that I attend with my mom. It's held by Precious Memories in Langley and is always such a great event to attend. You may not get a lot of work done but man do you get a lot of tips, techniques and the best part...FREE PRODUCT! I was hoping to have some pictures of the loot I walked away with but I've been so tired lately that the scrapbooking stuff hasn't even made it upstairs yet let alone gotten photographed. The weekend is a blast though. It's from Friday to Sunday and you get to participate in 5 classes where you learn new card and page layout techniques plus there are a bunch of make and takes where you learn about new products coming out in the market. And the prizes! Well this year my mom was the big winner between the two of us. She won a Slice design card (Mix and Mingle), plus guessed the closest number to the items in the gum ball machine and got a whole shopping bag full of brads, eyelets, ribbon and other accessories. That's on top of the door prizes, table prizes, game prizes, goodie bag and class supplies we get. And they feed you to boot! This was our fourth year in a row and if Hubby is okay looking after the little one next year I think we'll be back again!

Oh and in baby related news...we think baby has flipped! I saw the doctor on Monday and after she pushed my stomach around like she was kneading dough she thought she felt a head down and feet up. It would explain all the harder kicks I've been feeling. Some even send almost a vibration (like when you hit your funny bone) up me. It always makes me laugh for some reason. Also she predicts that baby will be around 7lb 11oz which would be amazing. We were a little worried because Hubby's family has a history of larger babies where mine doesn't. One of his cousin's was around 13lbs and held a record for being the largest baby born in the hospital. Don't think I want to be breaking any records like that if I can help it so let's hope the doctor is right and this little one stays little!

More Stuff!

Yay so baby received more gifts this week. We've not got a car seat (an absolute must)! We...after some discussion back and forth...decided on the Graco Snugride 35.


I liked that it has one of the highest weight limits and height limits out of the car seats on the market plus it was a little lighter then others and had great reviews. The only reason we wavered on it was because the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP car seat had the best side impact protection but after hearing some of the reviews it seems like:
a) babies didn't find it all that comfortable
b) mom's found it heavy to carry
c) kids grew out of it quicker then the Graco
After much back and forth we decided that the Graco was just as safe and having a seat that would last baby longer seemed like a good idea. We didn't really want to be looking for a new seat 4-6 months down the road. Now we just have to figure out how to install it in the car!

And I don't have any pics yet (waiting until the room is done) but we have furniture in the nursery now! The crib and change table are set up but we're still working on the configuration as they are a little bigger then we expected and suddenly that room seems very small. I'm sure it will all work though and it will look great! I'll be so happy though when it's all done and our little one is here.

Stuff...Never Ending Stuff!

So it was a really busy weekend for Hubby and I. It seemed like almost everything we did was baby related and man did this kid get spoiled (again) but he/she is worth it. It started with a cloth diaper swap meet in Saturday which was very informative. Cloth diapers are something I've been looking into for the last few months but when I first became pregnant I never thought I would be doing it. In fact I had one friend ask me if we were going to cloth diaper right after I told her I was pregnant and I swear I had the deer in the head lights look and promptly answered no. But after doing a lot of research into it and finding out the Hubby was just as much on board as I was we decided to go for it. So we've now started our collection with 4 diapers yay! Obviously we're going to need more but it's nice to have a start and each of the diapers are all different types so we're hoping if we get a nice range we'll be able to figure out what we like best and go from there.

Secondly I attended my first kids swap meet. Can I just say that these are amazing! It's like a flea market but for kids items and are there ever some good deals out there. Clothes starting at a $1, shoes and accessories for $.50 and the toys and gear! My goodness some people have some brand new looking items and I think the highest price I saw was $30 for a great looking play table or high chair. Most of the stuff was not gender neutral and things like toys I was not planning on getting until after our little one comes so we'll definitely have to go back.

We've also got sitting in our garage right now this:

Shermag Chanderic Regency - Deluxe Convertible Crib - Espresso

Shermag Chanderic Regency - Changing Combo - Espresso

We're just waiting for the chair railing to get done and then these babies are getting moved into the nursery. I can't wait to see it all come together.

And finally I have to show off some of the items my mom has been working on. She retired about 3-4 years ago and took up quilting and knitting since then and gave us these to "start us off"


This is going to be part of our little monkey's coming home outfit.


This is a smaller blanket so it's the perfect size for the car set or stroller.


This is the larger crib sized blanket. I love that it's not overly heavy as our little monkey is coming just at the start of summer.

And finally here's little monkey...okay and me. I'm almost 30 weeks here (29 weeks 6 days) and sporting quite the bump now.

A Man Experiences Child Birth

I saw this clip after someone posted it on a forum I belong to. A doctor in the UK thought it would be great to try and stimulate contractions to know just exactly what pregnant women go through when they are in labour. His own wife had twins and he was there the whole time in the birthing room but he never really understood what she was really going through. In this experiment they have muscle simulators that contract the muscles causing a contraction like feeling. It's a very interesting study and I'm happy that he was willing to try it. Makes you wonder if more men should try it.

A Man Experiences Child Birth

Oh and it was a very very successful shopping trip to the States. I think this kid now has more outfits then I do. Now if we can just get the nursery in order.

Shopping Time

So this weekend was suppose to be all about baby. We were suppose to go out shopping and pick up all the necessities that we need. Just the little things like a crib, change table (or dress in our case) and some supplies to finish off the nursery. In the end we wound up with molding. Not much considering we had all weekend but at least it's something.

Also since the nursery isn't finished I don't have any shots of it but I can say that I bought this and can't wait to see it on the wall.


We're going with a monkey theme after all and I can't wait to see how it all comes together. At least we've narrowed down a crib though. We've decided on the Shermag Regency Convertible Crib at Babies R Us.


We're also going to get the matching dresser and make a change table out of it instead of buying a change table. We're hoping this set will last and grow with the kid until they get older (heck until they move out if possible!).

Also this Easter weekend we have no excuses because we're heading down the states to the outlet malls for some shopping and there is no excuse for not picking up something for the baby. Some of the favourites I've seen online are:

Hooded towel


Aren't the feet on this adorable


Can't stop at just a monkey room. And who can resist such a cute little monkey on the bottom of their little monkey.

Looks like I'd better make sure there's room on the credit card!

Lost and Found

So I've been thinking about my next scrapbooking project. I love scrapbooking but it always takes me a few years to finish an album. The last few I've done have all been trips. There was my trip to Europe with Contiki which turned into a 2 volume scrapbook. Then came my field school trip to Italy which also turned into a 2 volume scrapbook. Plus there is my graduation book which hasn't even made it to the ceremonies yet as I've been working on pictures from my grade 12 year. Plus there's a scrapbook full of miscellaneous trips such as Vegas and Puerto Vallarta.

But now I'm stuck. Do I finish my graduation book? Do I start a baby book and add photos later? Do I start on my wedding album (which will easily turn into a 2-3 volume book). Do I do my honeymoon. Plus there's the trips...Ireland and Scotland, Friday Harbour, Vegas (again). Then I remembered I hadn't seen my pictures from Switzerland in awhile and I got a little worried.

I went to Switzerland by myself after my field school in Italy ended. My rule with traveling (especially in Europe) is that I like to try and get to some place new. Since I had already been to Italy once I wanted to add another country onto my travels. Switzerland was right next door and it was a country I felt comfortable traveling alone in. I had quite a few people think I was nutty to do this but after my first trip to Europe where I technically traveled alone, even though I was on a bus with 39 other people, I felt excited to be going off on my own.

Switzerland is really and truly an amazing place though. I never felt more safe and the landscape is just beautiful there.





I think my favourite photo though is this one.

What you have to do is picture the Matterhorn over my shoulder. This is one of the highest points people can get to in Switzerland. I am up just over 12,000 feet here and trust me you feel it. Walking up the steps to the view point you can feel your lungs working overtime. It was a shame it was so foggy when I was up there. Oh and of course the next day it was clear as ever at the top.

I am so happy to have found these photos again as I was really starting to wonder if I had lost them for good. I had so much fun in the mountains and small towns of Switzerland that I can't wait to go back. Hrm looks like I might have figured out what I want to scrapbook next.