Tuesday 29 November 2011

Noah meets Santa

Noah met Santa today!

He was a very good boy. He patiently waited his turn, smiling at Mummy, Nana, Grandma and Auntie Georgia. When it was his turn, he took a good look at Santa up and down to size up whether this guy was okay. He seemed a little unsure as he sat on his lap, but did well. No tears! Sadly we didn't get a smile as Mummy was too far away to look at. In fact, he looks rather bored! But at least he was looking straight at the camera!


PS - Im glad I put him in the green socks.

Friday 25 November 2011

Some days

I am going to be brutally honest here. I feel like I need to be because I dont like pretending things are perfect and easy when sometimes they just arent. As much as I love being a stay at home mom, some days are hard.

Today was one of those days.

The day didnt start well. I had to change him 3 times within a half hour period of time. He spit up, then spit up again, then pooped through his clothes. All while trying to get ready to go out for coffee with my mother.

But worse then that was he decided not to nap today. At first I laughed at his stubborness. But by 3:00pm hed had a total sleep of 30 minutes over 8.5 hours. This was so not funny anymore. I could tell he was exhausted but he was just fighting it for all he was worth, screaming and throwing his head back in a fit. I tried everything... rocking, running, swinging, walking, singing... I even put him in his crib and let him cry for a while (which I normally would never do) but he got himself so worked up he started choking. So I picked him up, sat on the couch and cried with him. Then I called my mom.

Only moments before she showed up he fell asleep. I felt like a horrible mother, handing my child over to her and saying, 'Please just take him!' But I was done. I'd reached my limit. I felt like I was going to go insane. She stayed for half an hour and held him while I calmed myself down on the couch. Ten minutes later, he was awake and screaming all over again. Thankfully, my husband was on his way home and soon came to my rescue.

I love my son very much, more then I could possibly begin to explain. And I truly love being a mom! But it isnt easy. Far from it. And some days are just really hard.

Oh Christmas tree...

Its up! The tree is up! We were a little concerned about where it would go in our new place, but I think its in a perfectly cozy spot. Noah watched Daddy intently as he put on the lights, but he wasnt so interested in me putting up all the ornaments. Maybe next year...

On another note... Noah is now able to sit in his Bumbo and enjoy a whole new perspective. Thanks Mrs. Labelle!



Wednesday 23 November 2011

A Mothers Prayer


Saying this prayer this morning. After 5 days with a sick baby and little sleep last night, I need patience today.

A Mother's Prayer

Precious Heavenly Father,

Give me patience when little hands
tug at me with their many demands.

Give me gentle hugging arms
to help protect them from rebellions harm.

Give me wisdom from above
to teach these little ones of your love.

Give me a spirit...quiet and meek
let my words show kindness as I speak.

Give me the ability to teach from the heart
to help my children learn your Word from the start.

Give me the words you'd have me say
to teach my children how to pray.

Give me time, special moments to share
that they may know, "Mommy really does care".

Give me hands that work willingly
a steadfast example that I may be.

Give me courage to stand in your might
to teach my little ones to always do right.

Give me boldness to do all these and more
that I may not be ashamed when I stand at your door.

Thank you Father, In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Author Unknown

Monday 21 November 2011

The tale of the cursed onsie

One day Nana bought Noah a onsie. A wonderful onsie. A wintery onsie. It was green and had a cute little penguin on the front. It was so adorable that his mummy decided to put it on him the very next day.

Mummy and Daddy stared at him with such pride that first morning. He gazed at himself in the mirror smiling and smirking until he got bored of looking at himself. Mummy decided to take him downstairs to have her breakfast. But just as she poured her coffee, "BUUUUURP!" Noah spit up all over it. Back upstairs they went to take off the wonderful wintery onsie.

After the onsie went through the wash, mummy decided to put it on him again as he really hadnt had a chance to wear it. Before they were to head out for the day, Noah needed a little snack. While he was snacking, mummy heard a mighty rumble. This time, it wasnt coming from his mouth. Uh oh - Noahs onsie was soiled right through (as were mummies pants...) Back into the wash it went that wonderful wintery onsie.

A few days later, Daddy said to Mummy, "Lets try to put on his wonderful wintery onsie again! He hasnt had a chance to wear it and it is oh so adorable!"  So on the onsie went. This time, the onsie made it through part of the morning. Mummy was shocked and so happy that she took out the camera and snapped a few pictures. But alas... it was not meant to be. The wonderful wintery onsie was wet through and through and had to be thrown back into the wash.

Poor onsie... I guess it just wasnt meant to be.




** story based on actual events **

3 month old Noah

Noah is now over three months old. Wow, that went by fast! Here are a few Noah facts (mostly for my dear mother in law who lives far away and doesnt get to see her little munchkin as much as she'd like)

He generally wakes up twice a night to nurse. I know this doesn't necessarily qualify as 'sleeping through the night' but I think its awesome! Sure beats what I was getting before.

He weighs 13.5 pounds!

He has the cutest giggle. He thinks it's funny when you pull his shirt over his head. At first we thought it was just because he's ticklish, but the other day I hadn't even touched him yet and he started laughing.



He's rolling over from back to belly. He gets himself into the oddest positions, especially at night. He prefers to sleep and play on his side.

He fully holds his head up without support and can turn it from side to side without wobbling.



He has begun to pull himself up into a sitting position. Crazy right? This kids got insane stomach muscles. He pretty much refuses to lean against anyone or anything.

He's begun teething - and it sucks.

He is very laid back. He's been sick for several days now and instead of screaming and crying, he just cuddles up with Matt or I.

He loves to look in the mirror and smile.

He loves bath time. He kicks his legs up and down sending water splashing all over his face and us. Pretty sure we've got a water baby on our hands.



He can grab things and hold onto them. He can also put them into his mouth. He puts everything in his mouth these days.

He loves his family. Right now his two favorite people are his Grandpa and his Uncle Mike. We figure it's the mustaches...

My poor sick baby in his Bumbo

Saturday 19 November 2011

20 kids and counting...

Many of you have no doubt seen or heard of the Duggars. They are a Christian family in Arkansas who have their own TV show because of their very large family. So large in fact, that Michelle Duggar recently announced that she is pregnant with number 20 at the age of 45.


I decided to do a blog entry about them since Matt and I regularly watch the show and there seems to be alot of controversy surrounding them. I know alot of people have an opinion about them and I wanted to throw my two cents out there. Feel free to throw yours in here too.

As I said, Matt and I have been watching '19 kids and counting' pretty much as long as we've been married. Reason being, its hard to find a show on tv that makes you smile and doesnt have vulgar jokes or bad language. I also love that it shows Christians in a pretty good light. Now im not saying that all of us woman should be wearing skirts 24/7 or have kid after kid. But I certainly dont knock those who feel convicted to do so.

I read an interesting article the other day written by someone who was NOT a Christian, who couldnt understand why people found them so annoying. She talked about how people look up to celebrities and watch other reality shows without criticism, but when it comes to the Duggars they had nothing but bad things to say. What exactly is it that people find so repulsive about them? That they practice what they preach? That their children are well behaved and polite? That they are modest? Or maybe how they live debt free without any credit cards? (and yes... I realize they must be making good money now from their TV show... but if you read their books youll learn that they have lived this way from the start and it was certainly hard for many years.)



I think that must be whats going on. People dont understand why they are the way they are. For example... do people realize the reason why Michelle leaves how many children she has up to God? She was on birth control, but suffered the devastating loss of a child because of it. After that they wanted nothing to do with it.
Others laugh at the thought of 'courting' instead of dating as the Duggars do. I dont find that crazy at all. In fact, thats what my husband and I did. When we decided to enter into a relationship it was with the intention of getting married. We werent casual daters. We had a serious conversation before hand and It kept us from finding out a few months down the road that this wasnt going to work and having both of us get hurt. We were engaged 3 months later.

Michelle homeschooled all of her children and after reading their books, Matt and I decided that we would really like to homeschool our children for the first few years. Heres the verse she gave that we really hadnt given much thought to before.

"Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

We like the idea of us being the ones who teach our children - at least at first. Once they are a little older we hope to send them to christian school, if we can afford it. Alot of people think homeschooling or Christian schooling is sheltering children. And im sure many people think the Duggars are overly sheltered. I dont agree. There is enough perversion in the world today that all we need to do is step out our front door and we are exposed to it. Usually, you dont even need to go as far as the front door. Sin saturates our world today.

I am not writing this to convince you that the Duggars are perfect people. Far from it. But I just wanted to say that I am encouraged by them and how they live their life. I respect them. And I pray that I will be able to successfully raise a happy, healthy God fearing family like they have. 

Thursday 17 November 2011

The things that keep us from our sleep

I've had a few people asking me how the no swaddling thing is going so I thought I'd do an update.

We haven't gotten much sleep lately - but the first two nights without swaddling were pretty brutal. He woke up almost every hour and Matt and I got around 4 hours of sleep. After that it got a little better... He was only up every two hours. He now seems to be okay with the no swaddling thing. He no longer wakes himself up when he rubs his face. Last night he only woke up once from 815pm til 5am. It was awesome!

However, this week we have also entered a new phase. Noah is now rolling over from his back to belly and travelling. I put him to sleep on one side of the crib and when I wake up he's on the opposite side huddled up in the corner. yesterday I woke up to find him with his hands behind his head and his legs propped straight up on the side of the crib. I guess that was comfy? When he sleeps stationary he rolls himself onto his side. I know 'back is best' but I don't think there is much we can do when he is able to put himself in the position he wants. We have an angel care monitor so we aren't too worried. (Best monitor EVER by the way. Gives us so much peace of mind!) Anyways, it's very exciting that he has reached this new milestone, but he does wake up at times because he gets himself stuck in a position he doesn't like.

And the last thing that had been keeping us from our sleep is a growth spurt. I'd heard rumor of the 3 month growth spurt and it was certainly a doozy. Lots of fussiness, disturbed sleep and eating constantly! As I said, last night he slept good so I think were on the tail end of this now. He's now Into 3-6 month clothing, so I guess he really did grow.

The last 2 days he has been a much happier Noah. Matt can always tell what kind of day I'm having with him based on my opinion of having more children. On bad days I tell him I don't even want to think or talk about another child! On good days I want to nave another one right now!

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Long weekend

I love long weekends. I especially loved this past long weekend as I had been having such a difficult week with Noah. I was so looking forward to Matt being around for three whole days to help me out.

Friday was pretty low key - family time. Saturday we spent running around doing errands and attending a friends birthday party (Happy Birthday Tamara!) It was a black and white Masquerade theme. Fun!





Sunday morning we slept in since we got about 4 hours of sleep overnight and then headed out to Potters Christmas store in the afternoon with friends.





Oh, and we also began Christmas decorating :)
But not the tree... that doesnt go up until American Thanksgiving!


Saturday 12 November 2011

Saying GOODBYE to 'the swaddle'

We have had quite the journey with swaddling. Up until Noah was a month old, he refused to be swaddled. He cried and cried whenever we tried it with him. Plus, we were told its not always a good idea as it can hinder their natural reflexes. But we had an issue with him constantly rubbing his face during the night and waking himself up.

Suddenly, around 2 months old, he began to like being swaddled. If he was tired and fussing, he would calm down the moment we swaddled him. He also began sleeping much better at night. It was wonderful!

Now here we are at 3 months old and Noah is too strong for the swaddle. For the past week he has been breaking out of it and weve spent a majority of our night redoing it so that he (and we) could go back to sleep. He is a strong kicker and has also been rolling over onto his sides while he sleeps. Ive done alot of reading and its suggested that once they break free, its time to stop.

On the advice of a few friends, we went out and purchased a 'sleep sack' today. So far so good. He has slept for 3 naps now unswaddled. We will see how it goes tonight...

Noahs first Halloween

Sorry... I know this is majorly delayed. But life with a 3 month old is unpredictable! Usually I start a blog and keep saving it for days and days until I manage to complete and post it.

We went over to our friends place for Halloween this year. They were taking our little 'honourary' niece out  for the first time and we wanted to see her in action. She was the cutest little red riding hood ever! We had dinner at their place and then walked around the neighborhood trick or treating. We had plans to hang out in the backyard after in front of their firepit, but Noah was not in the mood. We sadly had to call it an early night. We are very much looking forward to dressing him up next year and having him trick or treat!







Monday 7 November 2011

I am more.

I had a bit of an emotional breakdown the other night. I hadnt gotten out of the house in a few days and was starting to feel like I didnt have a life anymore. I think this feeling had been building for a while actually.

Before I got married and had kids I was just Carolyn. Sure I was someones daughter... sister... friend... coworker even. But first a foremost, I was Carolyn.

Then I got married and became a wife. Naturally, I want to be the best wife I can be because my husband is an amazing man. I want to have a clean house, meals prepared and keep myself looking attractive because thats what a good wife does. But I still went off to work 5 days a week and was Carolyn for 8 hours a day.

Then I had my son, Noah. He is the most amazing little guy ever. I became mom. Its a very demanding title. I love it, but its certainly not easy.

Suddenly, being 'wife' and 'mum' is taking up all of my time and thoughts. I know that Carolyn is still in there, but sometimes I feel like shes been pushed down somewhere inside of me. I think it has to do with the fact that I really have no time for myself anymore. I am always concerned about making sure everyone else is happy and okay.

I hope im not coming across as selfish or ungrateful for my life - because I really do love my life. I have a very blessed life! But I need to make a conscience effort to do things that I want to do now and then, without feeling guilty about it.

You know you are a parent when...

I was just thinking today about all the strange and funny things us parents do that seem totally normal to us, but not to those without children.

1. Getting 5 hours of sleep in a row is something to brag about.

2. You analyze your childs poop. Colour, texture, frequency. It significant and you find yourself talking to other mums about it as though its a totally normal conversation topic.

3. Comparing labour stories. Talking about the amount of time it takes us to dilate and how long we pushed for. When you really think about it, its a pretty graphic conversation and were so casual about it.

4. You get puked on, peed on or pooped on and its funny. Or maybe thats just me?

5. You no longer grab your purse and run out the door. You have to make sure you have diapers, wipes, extra clothes, blankets, etc. along with the stroller, carseat and everything else your child may require while you arent at home. Oh and before that you have to feed and change your baby. This process adds a good extra 30 minutes to your leaving process.

6. You are so grateful for 30 minutes of 'you' time. Seriously, I never realized how selfish I was until I had a child. Matt and I cant believe how much free time we had before Noah came along. We were such time wasters!

7. You go on a date to get some time away from your children only to talk about said child the entire time.

8. Even though you have a baby monitor, you sometimes doubt its reliability and go check that your child is still breathing anyway.

9. You can look at your baby for a loooong time without getting bored. Okay, this one may not apply to just parents. I could stare at babies for a long time before too.

10. You are able to do everything one handed. Yep, I can actually take bread out of the bag, toast it, take a huge jar of peanut butter out of the cupboard and successful spread it onto my toast while holding my 3 month old. I am pretty proud of that.


Ah... nap time. Mummy loves nap time.