Should have taken a picture...

Today I have been house cleaning and applying to job postings. Miss S has been a dream. She's followed me around, playing happily at my feet. I was sitting here, typing away, when I noticed that not only had it gotten very quiet, but I no longer heard the familiar bang of plastic on plastic. Afraid to look around and see what she had gotten into, I turned my head. To my surprise (and pleasure), my daughter was NOT getting into mischief. Quite the opposite actually. She was curled up with her blanket on the floor half asleep.

I promptly scooped her up... I should have taken a picture first, but went into mommy mode instead. Drats. Hopefully I can catch it on "film" next time.

She was so docile I was able to carry her to her room (as she nestled into my neck), change her diaper without a fight (as her eyes rolled in her head) and get her into bed.

What a doll. I "heart" her. :) Now if only the dog could adjust his attitude and be such a sweetheart. He is currently barricaded in the mud room for trying to attack my sweet little baby as she Swiffered the floor (which I did get on video via my blackberry). Funny how sweet they are after a good night's sleep.

Traveling with a Baby...Part 2

So, Miss S and I are home, safe and sound. Traveling with a one year old was much easier than I had hoped.
Our flight to Germany was a night flight. She slept most of the way. The only down side was the full flight meant that we were stuck in the middle of the plane with people all around us, so baby girl stretched out across my mom and I and slept while the two adults tried not to move and disturb her. She was passed out before take off and was great for the landing.
A note to TransAt though, when you say I can keep my stroller, please let me keep it. I had to hand it over when we got on the plane, thinking that I'd get it back when we exited. Nope. I had to go get it from baggage claim, and it wasn't even being monitored, it was just thrown on the ground in a pile with other "oversized" baggage. Annoying.

Getting around the Frankfurt airport is a PITA. The elevators are sporadic and the terminals are not all connected. For instance. To get from the terminal 2 to the train (to get to Dusseldorf), you have to go down stairs, up stairs, up another set of stairs, on a sky train, down stairs (a few times) and I think upstairs once more. Repeat to return. Doing this with 2 suitcases, 2 carry ons, a stroller and a baby is NUTS. Luckily we met a few helpful people that gave us a hand getting on/off the escalators and stairs, as well as on and off the train.

Our trip was great under the circumstances. The time change did a number on us for  the first few nights. By the time she was on a good sleep schedule...we were leaving the next day. She wasn't bad though, tired, but not really cranky. We went for a lot of walks, so the stroller got good use.

The flight back was a bit trickier. It was a mid-afternoon flight, which meant that she was awake for a lot of it. She was fine for take off, fell asleep soon after, like before we had reached our flying altitude. This time though we were at the front and were given a bassinet. She wouldn't sleep in the bassinet though, and we ended up sending it back after she tried to use it as a jungle gym. Eating on this flight was trickier. The tray came out of the arm rest, which was a TIGHT squeeze...and meant that she wanted it out...and in...and out...and in...fun for mommy.
It was also a LONG walk to the one washroom with a change table. Like to the back of the plane and half way up the opposite side. IF it had just been my mom and I at the front, I would have been able to cut across, but an elderly woman in a wheelchair was sitting with us, so for every bum change, we walked all the way around.

One thing I will say about Air Transat on the Canadian side is...they rock. Our stroller was taken at the gate, but when we exited the plane at Pearson, they had a complimentary rental stroller waiting for us, and our stroller was waiting at the Air Transat booth at baggage claim. That was awesome, especially since, after 11 hours in the Ergo or in arms, Miss S wanted to kick her feet and look around.

We are home now. Miss S slept in her own bed, better than she did all week, and had a fabulous nap. She's a little home body, just like her momma. At least now I don't have to be afraid of flying and traveling with her, she's a champ.

Flying with a Baby... Part 1

In a few hours Miss S, my mom and I will be flying across the ocean to Germany. Since having a baby, I have gotten somewhat better at packing... or so I thought.

My carry on is, of course, the diaper bag. My beloved Ju-Ju-Be is being left behind in favour of my larger bag, which I am all ready second guessing because at least my Pack-A-Be can be a back pack...wearing the Ergo and carrying a bag, and stroller, will not be fun. Oh wait. Scratch that. I can always put the diaper bag in the stroller if I am wearing Miss S. Crisis averted.

As I was saying, normally I would be packing a change of clothes for myself. Now, by the time I get clothes for the baby, snacks for the baby, entertainment for the baby...I barely have room for my Kobo. Not to mention the suitcase that is full of diapers, wipes, baby shampoo and more. I don't have my own shampoo packed because, when I stopped at WalMart to get diapers and travel shampoo, I was distracted by the umbrella strollers and toddler snacks and totally forgot to buy items for myself.

I am fortunate to have a car seat waiting for me, otherwise I would also be lugging around a massive car seat. If we were flying direct, it would be no big deal. We are not. We have to take the train from the airport to the next city, hence the umbrella stroller purchase. Miss S will only tolerate being carried for so long, and if she wants to snack, I don't want to arrive with fruit and cereal in my hair (and in my bra).

All right. No more stalling. I have to finish getting ready. We leave for the airport in 2.5 hours... here's hoping baby girl sleeps for another 30 minutes so she can wake up and have a meal before we go.
And here's hoping that the airplane has those nifty little TVs in every seat, or at least USB ports so I can plug in the iPod for her and the Kobo for me.

Wish us luck.
S&S

Diaper Dance

While my husband is bathing our little miss, I am taking this opportunity to share a Friday Night Funny.


We got home late after a walk around the mall (which is why the baby is still awake at 7:40). We got home and threw some cheese ravioli and peas on for a quick dinner. I put a fresh diaper on baby girl, which, in itself is a chore. I had a comb, a singing card, a bunny and her pants to entertain her while I ripped off the velcro and fastened a new diaper on.


I was arranging my new candles on the mantel while my darling daughter played at my feet when I heard a familiar "RRRRIIIIIIP!"


My first thought was, Where on earth did she find velcro? Followed by her tossing her diaper at me.


FACEPALM. 


I didn't put her pants back on, figuring that we were eating and bathing anyways. I didn't use a snap diaper because, well, a velcro one was at the top of the pile. What this means is I gave my daughter a license to pee.


She promptly picked up her diaper and motored away. She rubbed her bare bottom on my white carpet, dragged it along the register, sat in the dog's bed and, her glorifying moment, shook her bum in the dog's face. 


Velcro is officially no good for diapers unless it is covered by pants. I am just thankful that it was a clean diaper instead of the loaded one I had just changed. 

5 Things I "Still" Do

While baby girl naps I thought I’d take a moment to make a few “confessions”...if you can call them that. This post comes after a visit at the doctor’s office where a nurse made a few comments that I found to be rather strange. Here we go.

1.Yes, I “still” breast feed. My daughter is only one year (almost 13 months...didn’t she JUST have a birthday?!?). The WHO recommends breast feeding to two years. It’s not just this nurse in particular, it’s a number of people. I usually just laugh it off, but the truth is people, yes, I still nurse, and no, I don’t know when WE (yes, my baby and I) will stop. I suppose when she is ready. 

It’s not like nursing is her primary source of nutrition at this stage, nor does it replace her meals, but it does soothe her, it does give us quiet time to bond, it does help her get to sleep (which is another confession), and, most importantly, it does benefit her.

Why do people take such an interest in “extended” breast feeding? I don’t mind being asked if I still breast feed, what I mind is when I am asked when I will stop because, “You can’t keep it up forever.” Thanks a heap, I thought I’d be breast feeding until she went away to university --insert eye roll here--.

On a completely different note, to those who say that breast feeding is weird, gross, that the mother “does it for herself”, clearly you have never breast fed. I would also like to say that thanks to sign language, my daughter has been able to “ask” for milk for quite a while, and, even as a newborn, she “asked” for (or demanded) milk when she cried (watch a Dunstan Baby Language video if you don’t believe me).

2. Yes, I “still” nurse to sleep. It cuts down on the time it takes to put her down. It prevents us from crying it out (CIO), which I do not like, it’s time to bond, it gives her a little something to top up her belly before bed. My daughter sleeps through the night (STTN). She sometimes does wake up in the middle of the night, but 95% of the time, can put herself back to sleep. I have also been out at bedtime and she has had no problem going to sleep when my husband puts her down. Again, why do people care how I put my baby to bed? She goes to sleep happy, that’s all that matters to me.

3.Yes, I “still” cloth diaper. This is more of an “lol” because our family doctor said, “Oh, I see you are still using the cloth diapers! Most families I see have them at 2 months, but have given up by 6 months!” It wasn’t a negative comment from him at all, but I have encountered a few people who have turned up their noses like, “ewww, gross”. News flash, dirty diapers are gross regardless, at least mine are pink.
By the way, I also use cloth wipes. ;)

4. Yes, I have let my baby have *gasp* “junk food”. Now, to be fair, it’s more my husband and her grandparents who have done this, but I too have let her have ice cream, french fries, gravy, even coffee (see my last post). However, I made my own baby food and did BLW, so the majority of what she eats is very healthy. Except cheese slices. I think she loves them more than the dog.

5. Yes, I do baby signing with my daughter, and have since she was only a few months old. She signs “milk”, “more”,  “food/eat”, “dog” and “baby”...I am still trying to get her to sign “mom”. I am determined she will do “mom” before “dad”, and cannot believe she will sign “dog” to all the dogs she sees, but not “mama”.
I find it’s mixed reviews, most people are interested, a few roll their eyes, one even said I would be negatively impacting her speech. Whatever, I enjoy it, she enjoys it, and, we are communicating. Plus, the Baby Signing Time songs are so cute, here’s a cute little preview.

I can’t think of anything else at the moment, it must be the lack of caffeine coupled with my lack of lunch. The funny thing is, the majority of my mommy friends do one or more of these, but I find that breast feeding in particular is “taboo.” Why is feeding my child something I feel I should keep to myself? Strange isn’t it...

So, there you have it. Some of the things I do that apparently makes me a bit of a hippy. Oh, here’s another, baby girl has been wearing an amber teething necklace since she was...I don’t know, maybe 3 months old. I also use homeopathic teething remedies. For those who say they don’t work and are only placebos, please explain to me how you give a baby a placebo? Sorry, that’s snarky, but it’s the truth. I find that the necklace really does help, which is why we continue to use it. Plus, it looks super cute.

PS, this is my first time adding hyperlinks, so I hope they work, if not, you'll just have to google.

Coffee

I love coffee. I would love to be able to enjoy one, just one, uninterrupted cup a day. Summers used to be all about enjoying a cup of coffee in silence. Often in bed or sitting on the deck with no noise. 


And then I became a mother.


Don't get me wrong, because I wouldn't trade being a momma for a whole pot of coffee, but on days like today, when I have a killer headache, a barking dog and a baby who has recently started putting her fingers in her ears and screaming at the top of her lungs, I reminisce about the days when I'd just be getting up, making myself a cup of coffee and simply enjoying the morning sunshine. Now I am woken, enjoy the sunrise, feed the baby, change the baby (sometimes two times before breakfast), put the coffee on, get breakfast ready, make a coffee, get the baby ready for breakfast and give her food, feed the dog, get my own breakfast, zap my coffee, eat a few bites, clean everything up, zap my coffee...and eventually give up after half a cup.


Today I actually enjoyed most of the coffee, only it was full of blueberry muffin from the baby girl who has taken to sticking her dirty little fingers in my cup. I have tried to give her a little plastic mug of water, but there is no fooling her. She wants mine. The dog sits at my feet begging for coffee (thanks to my mother, who has got him hooked), the baby is practically taking me out to get her hands in the cup...Forget it. I'll try again at nap time, though, at this rate, I'll be napping then too.


Here's me, signing off, still thinking about my now cold and blueberry filled cup of coffee. 

Reminiscing

I look at my soon to be toddler and understand why so many women decide to have "2 under 2". I loved being pregnant. Not every moment of it, like when my morning oatmeal, the ONLY thing I like(d) for breakfast, made me vomit. I bawled my eyes out proclaiming, quite dramatically, "Now there's NOTHING for me to eat for breakfast!!!"
Not to worry, soft pretzels and yogurt quickly became a breakfast staple for the first trimester.
I also did not like the last 3 weeks of pregnancy. I was 9 days late. To anyone who has ever been pregnant, particularly anyone who has ever gone past their due date, that is a LIFETIME. I literally felt like "Eggo" was going to reside in my uterus and make me a hot, swollen, emotional mess for THE REST OF MY LIFE. Luckily, when Miss S decided to make an appearance, it was RIGHT NOW.
Labor for me was...unexpected. I was expecting to have a massive GUSH when my water broke, not a dribble, which made me unsure of whether it was amniotic fluid or urine...not to worry, it was the former.
I was not expecting to go from no contractions to INTENSE ones. lasting nearly a minute and happening every 7-10 minutes...then lasting 60-90 seconds and happening every 5-7, at which point I DEMANDED to go to the hospital because of an intense urge to push. Good thing I listened to my body and not the midwife, my mother and my husband, because I arrived at the hospital at 2am on July 13, a mere 8 1/2 hours after my water broke, and 6 hours after the midwife simply confirming water water had, indeed, broke, but was not concerned about baby coming just yet, fully dilated and effaced and ready to have a baby. 
It was the most amazing experience. Giving birth is unlike anything else. Yes, it hurts, but it's a pain that results in a beautiful little life that you love unconditionally. 
FYI ladies, just when you think that you cannot possibly do it any longer, your baby will come. I remember thinking, "That's it. I can't do this anymore, this baby is never coming out," and had another contraction and POOF (literally, head an shoulders came out just like that), I was reaching down to pull my baby onto my chest.
Here's a fun tidbit though, I didn't know if I had a boy or girl for a few minutes. No, there was no confusion, my husband just didn't tell me! He had to double check when he announced it was a girl, we were all sure it was boy. Even strangers on the street were stopping me to tell me that I was DEFINITELY having a boy. Even those online gender predictors said boy more often (though I think it was like 45/55). HA. Shows what they know.
I've gotten off topic though. My apologies. To get back to my original thought, I look at Miss S now and can totally relate to wanting another baby. I loved being pregnant, and newborns are SO CUTE. Is there anything sweeter than a newborn? Then I look at my house, which we JUST moved back into after 10 months of renovations...Nope, not ready to redo another room for a nursery. I look at my bank account, which hasn't had a paycheck since June 2010...Nope, not quite ready to take another year off. I look at my 1 year old, who is starting to become a little girl...Nope, not ready yet to take anymore time away from enjoying watching her grow up. 
Not to worry, I have enough new babies around to get my fix, and to remind me of how little sleep I got some nights before succumbing to co-sleeping and of those days when all she wanted to do was nurse, or be held, or be rocked... For now I'll chalk this mild case of Baby Fever up to the fact that my cousin, as well as several good friends, have recently added to their families, add in the fact that my sister is expecting in October and WHAM. My silly uterus thinks it should join in on the fun. Easy there killer, if we have another baby now, it will be one more year away from Wonderland, drive-in movies and all that other fun family stuff that our little one will FINALLY be ready for next year.

First Steps

I interrupt your regularly scheduled program for an important baby update...One small step for baby means one giant step towards toddlerhood.

My baby has reached a number of milestones on days so easy to remember that I forget to write them down. She started crawling on April 29, the day Prince William and Kate Middleton got married. She pulled herself up just a few days later on May 1st. She started to cruise around furniture and take big steps while holding onto something on July 25, stood unassisted from the middle of the room on August 1st and took her first two steps on her own on August 2nd, which happens to be her grandpa’s birthday. 

I missed her first steps. I was at the end of the road talking to a neighbor and my baby took her first steps for her grandparents and dad. I almost cried, not because she is becoming a walker, but because I missed the first steps. Of course she refused to take any other steps yesterday. I had to wait until this morning. She looked at me, stood up and took one big step! She promptly fell on her little butt and clapped her hands.

How did she go from a stationary newborn to a cruiser? She’s starting to toddle, that means I have a toddler on my hands! 

The first year goes by so quickly, I see friends with their newborns and my heart aches a little. Newborns are so sweet and tiny. They are so precious and innocent. My midwife said something soon after I gave birth that sums it up, “If every world leader had to start each day holding a newborn, we’d have a much nicer world.” It’s so true, but then again, having a one year old, who comes barreling at you full force to give you a sloppy kiss, who claps and waves as you come up the driveway, who smiles and reaches up for you from their crib, well, I wouldn’t give that up for the world. 

Babies and Food

I have other posts about pregnancy, childbirth and life with a newborn, but, in this house, food is our new "go to" topic. It used to be poop. Don't deny it mommas, food and poop are obsessions when you have infants. If you had told 16 year old me that all I would ever think or talk about as a mother is food and baby poop, I would never have believed it and laughed in your face. I don't care who you are, if you have children, you spend a portion of everyday worrying about either what they are (or are not) eating, and what they are (or are not) expelling.
My little monkey loves to eat. Or she did. Turning one has apparently made her a much pickier eater. One day last week she would only eat blueberries and strawberries. Another day it was cheese. I tried a grilled cheese and cheese with pasta, both were epic fails. One day she loved edamame, the next she threw them at the dog.  Just when I think she has a new favourite and buy it in bulk, I'll open the new container and she'll spit it out, throw it at the dog, or, in the case of couscous, whip it across the dinning room. Have you ever tried to clean up couscous? I am still finding it in little nooks and crannies.
Another fun things about having a one year old is self feeding. We did baby led weaning, so she has been eating finger style foods for months, but she has now decided she should learn to use a spoon. This also means that she has learned that a spoon can be twice as effective for throwing food as her hand. It also means that even more food ends up in her hair, ears, eyes and nose. A girlfriend of mine, whose baby has yet to grow hair, commented that she didn't have to bathe her little one every night. Well ladies, when you have a baby with a full head of hair, bathing is a necessity, not an option, because by bath time, her hair is full of leftovers. It's only 10:30am and already I have rinsed her hair in the sink to rid it of leftover yogurt, eggs and cheese. Oh the joys.