Friday 30 September 2011

So hungry!

I was never extra hungry while I was pregnant. In fact, for the first half of my pregnancy I wasn't hungry at all. But since I started breastfeeding I find myself starving! I need to snack all the time, and if I miss having a big meal my stomach hurts. I wake up In The middle of the night feeling as though I've been punched in the stomach. So after feeding, changing and putting Noah back to bed at 2am I have to go downstairs and rummage through the cupboards to find something to eat. At least breastfeeding burns lots of calories and Im not gaining weight from it. In fact, im still losing weight which is awesome! Easiest workout ever ;)

Thursday 29 September 2011

My smiley son :)

Noah did his first smile at 3 weeks for his Grand maman and he hasnt stopped since!


3 week smile

4 week smile


5 week smile


6 week smile


Tuesday 27 September 2011

I have a 6 week old!?

I can't believe Noah is already 6 weeks old. Time really does fly! As most of you know, I was on early Maternity leave due to sciatic pain. My days just dragged by at home by myself. Now I find my days and weeks go by so fast! It's crazy.

Noah had his 6 week checkup yesterday and he is doing great. He weighs exactly 12 pounds. My doctor kept saying, "I can't believe you had a baby that big!" When I commented that maybe my next one would be smaller, he laughed and said I was probably made to have big babies. Ah well. Noah is currently the size of a 2.5 month old and is at the top of the percentile chart in all categories. May I just add that he is not at all 'over weight' though. He's not even chubby. He is perfectly matched in height, weight and head size. The doctor predicts he is just going to be a tall kid. Guess we won't have to worry about him getting beat up on the playground one day! Noah does have a belly button infection that we have to clear up though; most likely due to the fact that his umbilical cord came off so early. We just have to clean it with rubbing alcohol for the next few days and it should clear up just fine. Two weeks from now we go back to see the doctor for him to get his 2 month shots (little bit dreading that! I hate it when he cries!)


Oh! Milestone! Noah has started sleeping better hours at night! For the past 5 days now he has been sleeping in 4-6 hour blocks at night. Two nights ago he only woke up ONCE to feed! It was amazing. I felt like a new woman haha. So now he sleeps an hour in the morning, 2.5-3 hours in the afternoon, and is the. Done for the day around 730. I actually feel like I have somewhat of a life again. So great.

This afternoon I've got a few friends coming over with their little ones for a visit. Very much looking forward to it! It's so nice to chat with other mums! P,us, these will probably be the kids Noah hangs out with as he gets older.

Monday 26 September 2011

I love my PVR.

When Matt and I moved into our new place we ended up getting a PVR with our new shaw plan. Were really glad we got one as it has totally revolutionized the way we watch tv. Gone are the days of having to watch a certain tv show at a certain time. Now we can tape a show, or series of a show and watch it whenever we want. Not only that, but we no longer have to sit and watch commercials. I especially have been enjoying the PVR as I can still watch shows I want even if the baby starts crying because I can press PAUSE. Love it.

It takes alot for me to want to watch a tv show regularly. But this fall season there have actually been a few decent ones that I plan to follow

Like...

New Girl
This is the one I was most looking forward to and it didnt dissapoint. Its starring Zooey Deschanel who I have always loved in films.The show is about a girl named Jess who just broke up with her boyfriend and moves in with three guys. Zooey is hilarious, quirky and adorable all at the same time. I hope this show sticks around and manages to stay funny.

Revenge
Starring Emily VanCamp, who I use to watch on a drama called Everwood way back in the day. The show centers around Emily Thorne, a girl whose father was wrongly accused of a crime by the uppity class of The Hamptons and thrown in prison when she was just a young child. Emily is now a young woman and moves back to the Hamptons to get revenge on all who were involved in destroying her dad.
It took me a while to understand what was going on while watching this show as there was so many flashbacks and things to pick up on. But I was sad when the episode was over and found myself wishing I already had it on dvd so that I could watch the next episode to find out what happens. Only problem with this show is that I am not sure how long it'll stick around. How long can they draw out revenge? The critics call this show a TV version of 'The Count of Monte Cristo.'

Parenthood
This show actually isnt new... but I just started watching the latest season. I like it so far for a few reasons. First of all, it follows several families and their struggles. Second, the actress Lauren Graham plays one of the parents and I love her. And third, one of the children on the show has aspergers and actually does a really decent job of portraying someone on the spectrum.

Monday 19 September 2011

Pregnancy, childbirth and our poor womanly bodies.

**WARNING** This blogpost contains blunt information on pregnancy and childbirth. People of the male gender may want to turn away.

I remember a year or so back when Matt and I were talking about trying for a baby and how excited I was about the prospect of being pregnanct and having a new addition to our family. We were even more excited when we managed to get pregnant right away, as we were told it takes an average of 6 months. But I was not prepared for what my body would be going through physically as I grew a human being inside me.

First of all - there was morning sickness. Nausea for 8 weeks straight. I seriously missed out on Christmas as I couldnt eat very much of anything over the holidays. But I managed to get through it with a smile on my face for the most part. Although I have to admit... gagging in a public bathroom in the middle of nowhere while driving to Kapuskasing for Christmas wasnt too much fun. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself that I managed to fly across the country and then drive 8-10 hours at the height of my morning sickness.

Then came exhaustion. I was put on bedrest to get my energy levels up the week before our performance of Macbeth which I had been working on since fall. Horrible timing... but I guess I brought that one on myself really. What? 12 hour days arent a good idea for a pregnant woman?

Next comes the backaches, overly tight stomach, stretch marks and watching the scale climb higher and higher to numbers you have never reached before. "I weigh HOW much!?"

And then, the big day arrives, and you are in labour. Pain you could never have imagined, along with nausea, more exhaustion, and being naked in front of more people then you ever imagined.. After your little one arrives you cant believe that you just pushed that big baby out of your body. For the next 24 hours you deal with exessive blood loss, discomfort from stitches or whatever else may have happened to you during delivery. But at the same time you experience pure joy and happiness because you have finally met that person you have been growing for 9 months.

But its not over. You go home, continue to heal and try to adjust to the body you have been left with thanks to your darling child. I have been very lucky. I only gained 25 pounds in my pregnancy, and I lost 20 of them within the first few days of being home from the hospital. I then proceeded to lose the final 5 over the next few weeks. So my body should look like it did before right? WRONG! I have been left with this (as a friend so lovingly called it) the 'pregnancy fanny pack.' Yes, I have been told it will tighten up once I am past my 6 weeks postpartum and am able to get back to working out regularly. But in the meantime, it is very frustrating to try and find clothes to wear. I may have had a meltdown or two of crying,"I have nothing to wear!!!" My maternity clothes are too big and dont sit right on me, and my prepregnancy pants are about 2 inches too small around my middle. Oh, and shirts are too tight thanks to breastfeeding. *sigh* Not fun! I know, this will all improve in time, but its frustrating and it got me to thinking about how much our bodies go through for our children.

So,  is it all worth it you ask? Absolutely!! And I plan to go through it all again a few more times to add more members to our family. Its just crazy to think about. And it gives me so much more respect for other woman who have gone through this journey of childbirth. So to all you moms out there - you are superheros in my books!



Saturday 17 September 2011

Adjusting to mommy hood.

After one month, I think I am starting to adjust to mommy hood. Noah and I have somewhat of a schedule now, which I am very grateful for. In fact, if you try and mess with his schedule... You will get one unhappy child. He tends to have a short nap in the morning, and a nice 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Those are my opportunities to tidy up the house, figure out dinner or relax. When he's awake he loves stimulation. Either he's sitting on my lap, smiling and cooing away, or else he's on his playmat or in his swing. He's usually done for the day around 8pm and will wake up on average every 3 hours to eat. Im usually okay getting up in the night...except for the 11pm/12pm feeding. That one hurts no matter how much sleep I've had.

I love to be out of the house, and that has definitely been an adjustment. Everything is on his time. Going shopping is no longer get in the car, drive to the store, try on clothes, go home. Now it's feed and change baby before, pack diaper bag, load the stroller, car seat and baby into the car, drive to store, unload everything (everyone), change diaper again... You get the picture. Quite the process!

The other night we had good intentions of getting to bible study on time. But poor Noah had a gassy stomach and was over tired and hollered for a good half hour just when we were about to leave. We did make it! Just half an hour later then planned.

I am trying to enjoy every moment with Noah. I cant believe he's growing up so fast! He has now outgrown his newborn clothes and is in 0-3 months. He's smiling, cooing, and just beginning to laugh. Right now he is a major mamas boy too. He gets in moods where all he wants is for me to hold him. Sounds cute I know. It's nice to be so loved and wanted. But it's not so nice when you just want 15 minutes to yourself to do your hair.

Oh and another thing... I can't stand to hear him cry. And no, not in a "your driving me crazy" kind of way. In a "your sad and mummy wants to fix it" way. It's true what they say, that you can't even imagine how much you will love your children. It's unexplainable. I hate the idea of any harm coming to him and I would do whatever I could to stop it. I don't think of myself the same anymore. I'm am longer just Carolyn. I am MUMMY!

Friday 2 September 2011

Taking it easy...

I do not enjoy 'taking it easy!' I like to be out walking, socializing or at the very least cleaning up my house and making it spotless. Sure, it's fun to relax for a little while. Watch a movie... Take a nap... Have a bath... But I do not enjoy being stuck at home.

I was amazed at how good I felt 24 hours after giving birth. Maybe it was because my pregnancy was painful and exhausting, but I really did feel great once he was on the outside of me. Everyone was so surprised that I was going out for dinner, shopping and visiting with people the first week. Unfortunately, being a first time mum, I didn't realize that just because you feel good doesn't mean you should be doing lots. I paid for it the following week. I took a step back in my recovery and was told t it was because I've been on my feet far too much. So now were limiting my going out to once a day, and when I am at home my feet are up on the couch. I'm really lucky that Noah is such a good baby and doesn't require a whole lot other then to be fed, changed and cuddeled. It would be a whole lot rougher if he was one of those babies who required me to walk and bounce him all day long.

Its just no fun being invited to things and not being able to go. Or missing out on events because I can't walk for more then 20 minutes at a time. I cannot wait for the all clear from my doctor to go for a nice run on the track with my iPod. Or resuming my evening walks with the hubby. Even just cleaning my house would be great! I realize that my body just went through the brutal beating that is labour... But I'd really just like to move past that and get on with life here!!!