Evelyn's First Birthday

December 19th was Evey's first birthday.  It was a day for me to remember what I went through exactly one year ago...  It was a day to rejoice in my daughter...  It was a day to share her with people who care for her...

I decided to forgo the big party that everyone else who has a one year seems to do.  Only family were invited for a little birthday cake and present opening celebration.  All in all, it went quite well.  I had decided a while ago that I didn't want to give her a sugar filled cake, so we went with a carrot cake.  My mom and I did a test cake earlier in the week to see if Evey would actually eat it (like that kid wouldn't eat anything that's put in front of her, but I digress.)

Here is Evelyn getting ready for her party:

Here's Evey with her 1 year old birthday cake:

Here she is, throughly enjoying her cake.  Once she finished hers, she went after mine.

And finally, enjoying a moment after the party with daddy.  

All in all, it was a great day.  One I will always remember, much like the day of Evey's birth.

time flies

I was looking back at my posts...  Just two months ago, Evey was learning to sit up.  Now she is on the verge of walking!!!!!!  It's crazy!  The learning curve is soooo steep!  Mine will never, ever be as steep as hers. 

One more picture for the road...

the new shoes payed off

It's been a week with the new shoes.  I didn't think things would happen this quickly.

Check out this video (sorry it's on it's side, can't figure out how to flip):

That's not even the best of it.  She can stand up on her own, without any help!  Jessie was AMAZED yesterday to see her baby sister standing up on her own two feet!!!  

Walking can't be that far away now...

I need to baby proof and get some baby gates... Oh God!

Baby's got some new shoes

It was time...

Time for some real shoes...

We have hard wood floors.  Evey is 11 months old and not crawling - she's trying like hell, but with the floors, it's impossible!  She slips all over the place.  So I took the plunge.

Now, in my defense, I've always been told that babies need good shoes.  So I went to a baby/toddler/kid shoe store.  I almost had a heart attack at the price.  But ALL the shoes were expensive!!!

These are the ones I chose.  I like them (1) they are not pink (2) I would wear them (3) they are super cute.

The good news is that Evey is WAY more mobile now.  Forget the crawling, she's pulling herself up on anything and everything.  She won't be a crawler, she'll be a walker.  My best guess is that she'll be walking in a month or two.

Now for the only downfall.  The price...  62$

I know I payed too much.  Next time I'll go to Globo - now that I know how to size her.

No comments from the peanut gallery, okay?

Will vacation ever be fun again?

Barry is on paternity leave.  We decided that before he starts his new job that we should try and get away for a few days.  Last time we went away, it was a disaster.  Evey was 6 months old, didn't want anyone but me and I was at wit's end by the end of the week.  Now that she's older, I figured it would be different.  She was different, more pleasant, but Barry still doesn't understand...  Any mom knows that a baby has a schedule.  Eating at this time, nap at this time, play at this time.  Most dads have NO idea about what the schedule is.  Most dads don't know how far they can push their child before the levy breaks.  Barry once again proved this.

I can hardly stand being in the car for 3 hours straight.  Imagine a 10 month old?  No kidding she's cranky, dumb ass!   Shopping for 4 hours...  I don't think so!  

Needless to say, the mini-vacation was not what I was looking for.  I, once again, would have preferred to stay home.  Besides, we didn't do much.  We went to Portsmouth, Maine.  Not too much to do there - be warned if you are in the area.  Cute stores, but not for a mom on a maternity leave budget.  It was nice to see the beach, I must say.  That was the highlight for me, I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was cold and windy.

I'm sick

Holy cow, am I sick...  Runny nose, cough, aching everything...

This completely sucks.  It was one thing to wallow in sickness before I was a mom.  I could lay around all day and take pity on myself.  I could stay on the sofa and watch tv, read, take a bath.

I can't do that any more.

I WAS able to take a bath yesterday.  That made me feel a little better for about 2 hours.  Then reality set in.

Evelyn doesn't know any better.  She still wants me to play, change her, hold her, swing her...  I didn't have the energy to even pick her up.  Barry was a little help yesterday.  At least her gave her breakfast.  

Today is better.  I put some Vicks on last night and was able to breath through my nose last night so I was able to sleep.  I can't really take anything cause I'm still giving the boob. 

Know what?  I shouldn't complain.  I haven't been sick in almost two years.  I guess I was due.

Holy cow, she's nine months...

Evey's been out longer than she was in...  Funny to think of it that way.  She's nine months old now.  Thank God the eighth month is over, it was hell.  Nine seems to be looking up.  She is very squirmy, very independent and she can sit up on her own without me watching to see if she'll tip over.  That was quite a day when she realized that she can do that.

On the home front, renovations are making us all a little edgy.  We are in the process of changing over from oil to electricity.  We had to take the old water heaters out (they were heavy as hell), gyp and plaster the walls because the heaters were sunk into the walls.  We had the electrician over to run wire, then he'll have to come back to install the heaters.  This is not a cheap project.  We decided to go with convection heaters - they are more efficient and heat the whole room instead of just the floor (as baseboards do).  These heaters run anywhere from 220$-800$ depending on how fancy you want them to be.  In all we need 6 heaters, you can do the math.  Along with the cost of Mr. Electrician, it'll cost us a pretty penny.  On top of that, there are some OLD windows that DESPERATELY need to be changed.  So that's another 5000$.  I'm telling you, this cut in pay for the maternity leave is making me live from pay to pay.  I have never had to do that before.  I mean I've watched my money but it's to the point now where I won't buy groceries unless they are on sale!  January 15th can't come soon enough in the money department.  I'll feel like I'm RICH when I get that first pay cheque - well I won't be cause I'll have to play catch up...

On the daycare front, Evelyn's got a spot at a place that's about a 12 minute walk from the house.  The woman running the place said it may not be for the 5th of January, but definitely January.  Then she called back and said maybe December!  That would be good because then I can ease Baby E into it.  I'm trying not to think about the whole thing.  Kids do fine at the whole daycare thing, so I don't want to obsess about it now while I still have 3 and a half months left with her.  I'm sure I'll be obsessing about it in the weeks and days coming up to it.

Wow, this was a long one.  I guess I had a lot to get off my chest.  There's a lot more, but I'll save it for next time.  Evey is waking up from her nap, so I've got to get a move on. 

Evelyn's eighth month

Evey's 8th month has been difficult on me.  At the beginning on the month I was at the end of my rope with the breast feeding.  I went to the CLSC for support.  Didn't find it there.  Went home, tried looking for support there, didn't find it.  Well, maybe a little.  But not as much as I wanted. Evey won't take a bottle, she won't take formula.  I found out this week, she will drink from a cup, but she is not that successful at it just yet.  She is a booby girl through and through.  So I gave up trying other things for now.  I'll continue with the cup, but my milk is so valuable.  I can't have her pouring it down her bib.  My concern is that she won't be off the booby in time for me to go back to work.  What would I do then?  I guess I'll worry about it then!

Looking forward to going back to work

Many things need to happen before I go back to work.  But the biggest thing is that Evelyn needs to get INTO a daycare.  This is not easy in my area.  The wait at the public daycares near my house is two and a half years.  I found a private one not far from us and we are on the waiting list. This stresses me out.  I am a black and white person.  I need to know when and where and how.  I am not good at not knowing things.

Once she gets over the idea of being away from me (or is it me being away from her?), I like the idea of daycare.  She will learn how to act socially, she will learn what it's like to be in a group, she will learn to be independent...  I like the idea of being Susie again.  Right now, I just feel like a mom - no time for myself, always thinking about Evelyn.  I look forward to the challenge of work; I look forward to interacting with people my age.

There is guilt involved in going back to work.  I would like to refuse to feel guilty.  I would like...  Will that happen?  I don't know but I am going work hard at not feeling guilty.

Teeth

Evelyn has teeth!

One day before her 7th month birthday, the bottom two came out.  FINALLY!!!!  I have been waiting for so long for these teeth to make their appearance.  The drooling has been unbelievable. Now they are out!  We eased the pain with popsicle during our trip to the beach.  

It's the first 2 of 22 (I think).  Only 20 to go...

Back from the Beach

Well...  I never thought it would happen.  I didn't have a good time at the beach.  I didn't think that it was possible.  What more could a girl ask for:  sand, sun, warmth, water, waves.  The stitch in my side was my husband.  He didn't help me with the baby AT ALL!!!  NO ONE BIT!!!  I think he changed one diaper all week, and that was because I asked him to do it.  I was FURIOUS, but the in-laws were there, so out of politeness, I didn't lose it on him.  I couldn't WAIT to get back.  Evelyn didn't have one minute of peace from anyone.  There was someone in her face at all times.  A baby needs alone time, at least mine does.  The only peace we had all week was our morning walk, which wasn't all that relaxing because I was exhausted...  

Without saying anything to Barry, I am sure that he realized he wasn't helpful at all.  Sunday, he did so many things around the house that I normally do.  My mood has lifted.  I am no longer under a dark cloud (despite the clouds outside).   

Hopefully next year's beach vacation will be better.  Evey will be walking and won't be so dependant on me.  Hopefully daddy will pick up the slack...  Only time will tell.

Isn't she beautiful???

Finally, success!

They say that babies should begin eating solids at 6 months.  I began trying to give her "solids" on June 1st - 19 days before her 6 month birthday.  Why?  The doctor suggested it.  I was skeptical to say the least.  My attempts were not successful.  She hated it EVERY time I tried. For a whole month, she fought me, but I didn't press the issue. I don't want her to have issues later on.

Yesterday I tried again.  And she didn't hate it.  She started to grab for the spoon and I let her have it - with my hand firmly guiding it. To my surprise, she put the spoon in her mouth with the sweet potato on it - and she didn't gag!  So I tried some more on the spoon and she did the same thing!  She took in 5 mini-spoonfuls.  After that, she'd had enough.  

I tried again this morning after she nursed 3 times in 3 hours.  My nipples can only take so much daily abuse...  Again she guided the spoon into her mouth.  She ate a little more today, so perhaps we are over the solids hump.  I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch.

Even though she's a big mess, I still think she's pretty!

 

Susie needs...

(Thanks to Julie for this one...)

What do you need?  According to Google, this list is what I need.  Type your name and needs (ie.  Susie needs) and hit enter.  

I don't need most of these things.  Continue reading for what I really need...

According to Google, 

1.  Susie needs a hobby (I've got one...  Scrapbooking).

2.  Susie needs a Mustang (Need?  No.  Want?  For sure!)

3.  Susie needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law (hahahahahahaha).

4.  Susie needs a liver (I've got one, thanks.  And I don't eat liver).

5.  Susie needs to back off (I admit that sometimes I am in Barry's face.  But for the most part, I'm easy going).

6.  Susie needs a holiday (YES!  YES!  YES!!!!).

According to Susie,

1.  Susie needs time to herself.

2.  Susie needs to know what it means to relax.

3.  Susie needs a new haircut.

4.  Susie needs alone time with her husband.

5.  Susie needs new clothes.

6.  Susie needs to smell the ocean.

Time is flying by...

It's almost been six months since Evelyn's birth.  I can't believe it.  Pre-baby, six months seemed sooooo long.  Post-baby, time flies by.  

When she was born, I looked at the six month clothes she received as gifts and NEVER thought they would fit her.  Now she wears clothes for a week and they don't fit anymore!  I can't believe it...

Three weeks ago, she almost turned over.  She got stuck on her arm and couldn't get all the way over.  The following day, she got the bottom half of her body over, but the top was again stopped by her arm.  Today she turned over 4 times.  It was amazing!  Once she got over, she didn't know what to do.  She just threw her legs up and her arms back and started groaning. Every time I showed her what to do to flip back... Not sure it'll be effective, but I hope I'm helping.

No one could have told me that having a baby would be this amazing.  I don't want to rush her, but I can't wait until all the other cool things happen.  Teeth (I know that'll be a nightmare), crawling, walking, talking, swimming, skating...  It'll all be amazing!

I went to the movies!!!

One of the people I met at the CLSC suggested I go to the Movies for Mommies this week. Although I have swimming on Tuesday mornings and although I have heard negative things about the Movies with Mommies, I decided to give it a  try.  Boy, am I happy I did!

Indiana Jones was the movie.  It started around 10 am which is a great time for Evelyn.  She is amazing in the morning.  When the movie started, I wasn't sure she was going to like it.  She got kind of squirmy, but that was about it.  She needed to nurse and after she did, she fell right asleep.  I got to enjoy the entire movie uninterrupted!  

Up next week:  Sex and the City!!!  No swimming next Tuesday, I'll be with the "girls!"

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On another note, we are going camping on the St. Jean Baptiste weekend.  This requires that Evelyn has a passport.  I have heard horror stories about the number of pictures babies need to have taken before a good one is taken.  Well, thanks to my Bumbo chair an

d my little champion, it took a total of ONE attempt.  Yes, that's correct, ONE picture was taken!!!  I was in shock...  Plus it's cute!  Now all I have to do is get the guarantor to sign and the passport will be sent!  

p.s.  I love the Bumbo Chair.  It's awesome and Evelyn loves it!

Free time

When Evelyn was little, all I had was free time because she slept all day.  Now that she's five months old, she's awake almost all day and asleep all night.  She has two naps during the day, each an hour long.  This does not allow me to get much work done...

I am a garden girl.  I love to have my hands in dirt, planting flowers or vegetables or picking weeds.  This wonderful aspect of my life is on hold because my daughter doesn't like to be outside!  I have 4 yards of dirt in my driveway waiting to be put into the new gardens and I'm not sure when it's going to get done.  I have to dig up this plant and put it there and put these new plants here and the vegetables go there.  It's a puzzle I can't wait to finish.  

Let's hope it doesn't rain on my garden.

Swimming #2

Swimming is going well...  I'm really don't think that I'm losing any weight, but at least I am getting out of the house, right?  To see results, I would have to do this cardio-poussette class every day!  

My problem is that I have done team sports all my life - well since I was 12.  I am severely lacking a competitive aspect in my life right now and have been since I stopped playing rugby 7 years ago. This individual crap does nothing for me.  Yes, I can run and yes, I can lift weights. But where to fit that into my life without Evelyn?  (that's a whole other entry that will be coming soon...)

Here is a picture of the little monkey in her floating fish.  She does really enjoy it, and I enjoy watching her enjoy it.

Long live the nice weather (and newly mobile moms)!

I bought myself a cadeau.  I was hating the stroller that came with the car seat.  It's okay for the mall or to go shopping, but try and walk on the sidewalk.  It's like driving over the Champlain Bridge:  bump, bump, bump...  Great for a sleeping kid (not).

I discovered Craig's list.  It's awesome.  Every day I checked the baby/kids site.  After a week, one showed up.  It was a Bob Stroller, I'd never heard of the brand so I checked it out on the web.  It looked awesome, so I called the woman who was selling it.  I bought it on the spot.  I LOVE IT!!! It's amazing and I got it for half the price of a new one.  Long live used baby stuff!

I am now walking for at least an hour a day with baby and dog in tow.  It'll help for the last 15 pounds I have left to lose.  I may even jog (!?!) with it.  

This is Evelyn after the walk today.  Notice how uncomfortable she is...

Yeah, really uncomfortable...

A good night's sleep

For the past 6 night, count 'em 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Evelyn has slept through the night.  Straight through from 9:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.  For this I am very thankful.  I no longer wake up in a fright worrying that she is not breathing in her crib.  I wake up naturally, no alarms, and laze in bed until I hear her talk on the baby monitor.  When I walk into her room, she is quietly sucking on her fingers waiting for me.  When I say good morning she gives me the biggest smile of the day.  It's one of the best moments of my day.

I am not counting my chickens before they hatch, I know it won't last.  But I will take advantage while I can.  Sleep...  Beautiful sleep...  How I love thee...

Lessons that weren't lessons...

Yesterday, Evelyn and I went to the indoor pool for what I thought would be her first swimming "lesson."  It turns out that it's a course for new moms to get back into shape (which isn't too bad considering).  Evelyn, by far, is the smallest and youngest kid in the class.  Most of the other kids are over a year old and walking.  The babies sit in this gigantic floating fish - there is a rope attached that moms need to keep attached to them at all times.  The teacher wrapped Evelyn in one of the 4 towels I brought so that she would stay warm.  You'd think that it would make them more cold, but she was a little oven! 

At first she was a bit of a winer...  But as soon as she saw I was having fun, she relaxed and just soaked everything in.  It was too cute to watch her sitting in her floating fish watching all the new things going on around her.  She lasted 35 minutes of 60.  Not bad, the teacher said, for a little baby.  

I guess the cool thing about this is that she's soaking up new things everyday.  It's awesome to see her learning something new every day!  Being a teacher, I thought I knew kids.  When I start teaching again, I'm going to be a new teacher.  Maybe a little more patient, maybe a little more understanding, maybe a little more sympathetic.  I now understand when people say that their kids teach them more than they could ever teach their kids.

Yea kids! 

Back to work

Today Evelyn is three months old.  It seems to me that I shouldn't be obsessing about returning to work yet, but for the last week or so I have.  I got a call from HR last week asking what my intentions are for the next school year.  I was very honest with HR telling them that I really wanted to be able to take the year off, but I'm not sure that I can do it financially.  HR gave me some numbers to call, namely the Quebec Parental Plan (QPP) and Employment Insurance.  

When I called the QPP, it was an outright no.  Monies must be collected within one year of the child's birth.  EI wasn't so cut and dry.  The woman I talked to couldn't find the answer and even admitted that she had never been asked that question before!  I find that super hard to believe.  Anyways, her final answer was that she had no definite answer but that if I wanted to wait until December 2008 and then apply, I was more than welcome.  That just didn't cut it with me...

So, here I am.  I am restarting work January 19th, 2009.  I'll be going back two weeks after school starts after the Christmas holiday.  Why two weeks?  In my brain, this is enough time for Evelyn to get accustomed to daycare.  My mom has said that she will take her once or twice a week and the rest of the week she'll be in daycare.  I'm sure that she'll be fine, it's me that will need the adjustment.  Why is this so hard?  I love my job!  I love teaching, I love the kids I work with...  I just love her more...

Stay tuned for more rants (I'm sure)...

Snow Storm

We survived another one...  How many is that this year?  5 or 6?  This one took the cake...

As you can see, the snow around the walk is way over my head in some spots.

In the back yard, there is a ramp that Evelyn could potentially build a snow fort in (if she could actually do such a thing).  It took three hours to clear the driveway, walk and deck.  

Will there be more on the way?  Only mother nature knows!

Going back to work...

Frustrating...

Evelyn is going to be three months on March 19th, and I'm already starting to think about going back to work.  I really didn't think I'd have a hard time going back to work - I really like my job and get a lot out of it.  But the idea of leaving her is really upsetting!

You'll probably laugh at me, but I finally called some daycare centers yesterday and the wait to get in is two and a half years!  I could have put my name on a list the minute I found out I was pregnant and it wouldn't have made a difference!  What the hell!!!  Now I have to start looking into either private daycare or having someone come into my home.  Oh my god!!!  What do I ask someone with whom I'm trusting my child's life?  

This is the problem.  I am scheduled to go back to work in January 2009.  Ideally, I would like to take the rest of next year off, only returning to work in September 2009.  This would make Evelyn 19 months old when she went off to daycare which sits a little better with me.  She'll be talking a little and could potentially be potty trained.  I'm not sure we can swing this financially and that's what's getting to me.  I need to find a way...

How can I leave this face???

Day 16 - Finally a smile

Little Evelyn has finally learned to smile!  It's gorgeous...  Plus, she's starting to coo.  

I could look at her all day...

Day 15 - She looks like me!!!

Since Evelyn was born, everyone has said that she looks like Barry.

Finally, in ONE picture, she looks like me.  Check it out!

Day 14 - Laughing at my kid 2

I promise this one was not deliberate.  I was forced to do this because I had to walk the dog on a very cold night with Evelyn in tow.

She is wearing MANY layers:  two pairs of pants, a onesie, a sweatshit, a wool sweater, her hood and a bonnet over the hood, socks and wool booties.  Plus, I put a hot water bottle over the top of her sleeping bag.  It may have been overkill, but it was cold outside.  The only thing that was cold on her was her little nose.

This picture has two names:  The Michelin Baby or Evelyn the Red-Nosed Baby.

Day 13 - Laughing at my kid

Is it wrong to do things to your kids that make you laugh?  

I didn't do it on purpose, promise!!!

This is what I call "Evelyn in her Pope Hat."

 

Day 12

SURPRISE MOMMY!!!

I can't believe that I made such a cute kid!  I guess Barry helped a little too...

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We actually went out on a "date" last night.  Yes, the baby came with us, but it was still fun.  We went to Boston Pizza and had the Cactus Nachos.  I highly recommend them; instead of being made of chips, they are made with potatoes.  Very good!!!  We were able to talk about stuff other than the kids.  It was really nice.  Hopefully the next date will be just us (but I'm not complaining).

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Barry is a big tool guy.  He likes power tools and is not afraid to use them.  He got himself a nail gun this weekend and was able to finish all the annoying little details that never get finished.  So far the bathroom is done, the basement is next.  He's very excited, me, not so much...

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Day 11

I am not very consistent with my Tiny Moments...  I guess with a newborn and two teenagers in the house, I can cut myself some slack.

Here is my picture for today.  You moms out there will recognize the "burp face."  Evelyn completely zones out when she is burped.  And she is totally quiet.  It's quite hilarious and also quite cute.

Speaking of burping, she "burped" up ALL her milk this morning.  I didn't think a little girl could hold that much milk!  Needless to say, she is sleeping it off now.  Ahhhh, babies.

Day 10 - Valentine's Day

Yes, Valentine's Day is overdone; I can do without it.  I know that many of my single friends have a very hard time with it.  I myself don't put much thought into it.  I would rather an out of the blue compliment or sweet thought...  That being said, I wish the focus was more on love for all those special people in your life (kids, parents, siblings, friends and even pets), rather than just on the significant other.  So this picture is for EVERYONE!  Under all this snow we have, there are bulbs waiting to bud.  Tulips are one of my favourites since the remind me of my grandad.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Day 9

I can't believe the amount of snow there is outside.  Here is Blue surveying the damage...  Little did he know that there was more to come!

Day 9

Day 7 is the reason I can't post my picture on Day 9.  I think Jessie took my camera to school, therefore I can't download my pics from yesterday.  Pesky kids!!!

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A little Evelyn update...

Today my little girl is 8 weeks old.  When she was born, I never thought she would fit into some of the outfits my family got her for Christmas.  She is growing so fast that she barely has time to fit into some of the clothing that she received!!!  I looked back at some of the pictures taken of her in her first 2 weeks here on Earth and she looks SO different.  Am I still going to see the little girl she is now when she heads off to high school in 12 years?  Is that the way it works? 

Next week - vaccinations.  Any suggestions?

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Day 8

Since the baby, Blue has kind of been getting the short end of the stick.  He is a dog that is used to three or four walks a day.  Now he gets two.  I do take him sometimes during the day if it's warm enough to take Evelyn with me, but those days are few and far between lately.

We play rope in the house.  He likes to win.  I let him win most of the time, but sometimes his superior jaw power is too much for me.

Day 7 - The Reason

This photo is the reason I don't post every day.  Jessie is a computer hog!!!

She is not a big studier; she would rather play kiddie games on the internet.

Day 6

Evelyn pulled another all nighter last night...  That is she slept through the night - from 11:00 p.m. to 6:45 a.m.  Why is it she's up all night with me and then sleeps through when her dad has duty?  That frustrates the HELL out of me...

Here are the two loves of my life sharing some down time in the living room.  It's taken a while for Blue to get comfortable with Evelyn, but I think everything is good now.

Day 5 - Family Dinner/Mom's Birthday

We had a family dinner tonight in honour of my mom's 60th birthday.  Barry cooked prime rib, potato, onion soup and turnip.  It was awesome.  We bought my mom a photo printer so that she could print the pictures she takes with her new digital camera.

This is a picture of my mom and dad.

Day 4

Today was a dog day...

Lorrie is here and therefore Maggie is here.  Maggie is neurotic (just so you know).  It took about 5 shots to get 1 shot of Maggie with the hat.  She kept pulling it off and trying to eat it. Blue, on the other hand, can sit through anything.  It took him 1 shot.  He is the perfect dog. Maggie is perfect in a backwards kind of way.

I love them both!!!

xoxoxo

Day 3

You know what?  Having a newborn is not that exciting.  I am bored out of my skull.  Anyone else have the same feelings when your kid was really young?

Please say yes, and tell me how I can have a more exciting life.  I need some hints!

p.s.  This is my day 3 picture.  It's my fire.  It is the only source of heat in our house.  Needless to say I don't stray too far from the living room.  Anyways, it's pretty.

Day 2

My dog's name is Blue.  My sister bought Evelyn Blue doggie slippers.  Isn't that amazing?

pictures for 30 days

Picture 1 is of my baby girl with her new giraffe rattle.  She is very content in her car seat and sits quietly for up to 30 minutes a couple of times a day.

Isn't she cute?

more weirdness...

Following my last post...

I woke up last night thinking that I needed to swaddle the dog in a blanket.  Then I actually thought that I don't have a blanket that big!

Then, after I found myself standing up next to the bed, I realized how stupid this all was.

I crawled back into bed sheepishly...

Please let this craziness stop!!!

p.s.  Both dog and kid are fine, I think I'm sleep deprived...

Weirdness at night

It happens pretty often... 

I wake up and I think that the baby is in the bed.  And the baby isn't in the bed!!!  It's so vivid that I have to get up and check that she's in her crib.  

It was happening more often when Evelyn first came home.  I guess I was dreaming that I was feeding her, then I went to burp her.  I then woke up and thought that my pillow was her.  It has stopped for 2 weeks then last night, it was back...

I know it's crazy, but has anyone else had this experience?  It feels so real...

New Show Alert!!!

Barry and I came across a new show by complete accident last week.  I think we were watching hockey and the game finished so we began to look for something else to watch.  We came across a show called "The Reaper."  It's about a 21 year old guy (Sam) whose parents sold his soul to the devil. On his 21st birthday, Sam is visited by the devil and he explains that Sam will now be his bounty hunter.  Sam has to find souls who have escaped from hell and then banish them back there.  The main characters are HILARIOUS!!!  Sam has a best friend who is the funniest guy on tv right now.  I highly suggest you check it out.

www.cwtv.com/shows/reaper

Dangerous Chemicals

My sister works for the health department in Ottawa.  She is very aware of health and wellness issues.  After I had Evelyn, she directed me to a website that lists ingredients in beauty products. If you haven't noticed, no beauty products list the ingredients...  Why not, I have no idea.  But this website is very interesting because it lists safe products and "unsafe" products. Now, as an adult, I have a pretty strong immune system.  I can fight off things.  Babies immune systems are not yet fully developed.  I was interested in looking at the wipes, shampoo and soap listings for babies.

Much to my surprise, many of the old favourites are not all that safe.  As a general rule, there are not all that many wipes that are safe to use.  This caused me to look into alternatives to wipes.  I figured I could just use water and a face cloth, but this didn't take away the germs. After much research on the internet, I found a recipe to make wipes.  It's super simple and cheap.  In an air tight container, put two cups of boiling water, 1 tablespoon of baby soap, 1 tablespoon of baby moisturizer, 1 tablespoon of baby oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.  If you like you can add essential oil to make it smell nice.  Lay the face cloths in the solution and let them soak overnight.  I have been using this for the last week and Evelyn has not had a bad reaction to it.  It cleans well and is easy to make.  I make a new batch every two days.  

Check out the website.  It's an eye opener...

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Schedules

Being an organized person, I started to keep a journal of baby Evelyn's day.  What time she naps, how many diapers she goes through, when she feeds and the like.  I figured it would be easier to write it down than to try and remember it all.  It's been great and I have realized that she is on a "schedule."

Although the "schedule" is still plus or minus an hour or two, I can tell when she should be awake and asleep.

Last night I put her down around 11:30pm.  When I heard her cry, I figured it was about 2:30am. When I checked my watch, it was 1:15am.  This was not good, it was too early.  She was awake on and off for 3 hours.  She'd nap for 30 minutes and then start crying again.  I'd just fall asleep and she's call for me.  

I had come to terms that I have to wake up once in the middle of the night and once in the early morning (around 6:00am), but this business of staying awake all night is not good on my spirit.  I can't take it...  

I know I have it easy.  Other moms have kids that don't sleep at all.  I just needed to vent...

Let's hope that tonight is better.

The best time of the day

This will be a short post cause I'm typing with one hand...

The best part of the day is when Evelyn is relaxing in my arms and she's just looking up at me with her big, blue (for now), eyes.  I just think she's so beautiful.

(Adding to the bestness would be to have Blue sitting on the couch with us, cuddling up.)

Life doesn't get any better!!!

Walking the dog

Since the baby, I have been unable to walk Blue.  This is heart-breaking to me.  He is MY dog, he is a momma's boy.  Because of the cesarian, I have to be careful not to do too much.  I followed the doctor's advice for two weeks, that's all I could handle...

This week has been very mild - temperatures on the plus side.  This means that there is a lot less snow and ice on the sidewalks and streets.  I took this opportunity to get the baby in the stroller and get the dog on the leash.  Although it was a little challenging to get Blue to walk on the proper side of the street, it was wonderful.  He was a bit scared of the stroller at the beginning, but as the walk progressed, he got used to it.  He didn't pull at all and stayed next to the stroller the whole time, like a protective older brother.  Usually he is the leader on walks and walks a few steps ahead of me (I know I shouldn't let him do that, but I do...), but this time, he knew that he had to be a good boy.

Even though I know this weather is a bad thing (global warming), I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.  It is allowing me to do the one thing I love doing, walking my dog!

I'm glad the holidays are over...

Between giving birth, Christmas and New Year's, I'm glad the holidays are over.  For the past 3 weeks, there has been someone in my house other than my direct family every single day. Ordinarily that wouldn't bother me, it's usually like that around here anyways.  The fact is that I'm trying to get to know a newborn and with 6 other people around and it's not easy.

My sister came in from Ottawa the day after Evelyn was born.  She stayed with us every day for almost 2 weeks.  For that I am blessed.  She was my saving grace.  The day we came home, she was making chili for the family in my kitchen.  When Stew opened the front door and I smelled onions cooking, I thought I would cry I was so happy.  She helped by cooking and cleaning and taking the baby when I just couldn't.  I can never repay her...  I just love her so much and appreciate her more than she knows.  The thing is that she would do it all over again.  I'm not sure I can repay her the favour when she has kids.  I guess it will depend when they get around to it.  If it's possible, then I will do my best to be there for her as much as she was for me.

So now it's back to normal.  It's now the actual Life of 6 starting...  Am I ready?  I don't have a choice.  All I know is that when I look at Evelyn, I can't believe she was in me.  It's amazing... 

But I'm still glad the holidays are over!