Monday 13 May 2013

This blog is moving!

 
 
Well folks, after much thought and consideration, I've decided to take the plunge and move my blog to something better! I now own my own domain and will continue doing all my blogging from there. All of my posts from here on blogger have already been moved to my new site. 
 
I'm liking the look of it already, but It may take a bit to set up and get use to, so please bear with me. I will continue to post to Facebook but there are options to follow on there as well! Sadly my Adventures in Mommyland title was already gone, so it'll now be called Moments in Mommyland.
 
I've really loved the way blogging has helped me to connect with other mommies out there and I hope this will help me to continue to do so. Thanks for all the support!
 
- Carolyn
 

Sunday 12 May 2013

The first 'I Love You'

I received a very special gift from my son over the last few days. Though it has been our tradition since he was born to say 'I love you' whenever he goes down for a sleep, the words were never spoken back.  At almost 21 months now his vocabulary has really taken off! Anything Momma or Dada say around him is generally now repeated back (we've got to watch ourselves!) and he has even begun stringing several words together. It's amazing to see the knowledge that he has absorbed about things we never realized he was paying attention to!

Thursday morning had been a little rough for me. I went to my 38 week prenatal appointment expecting to hear words of progress from the doctor only to be disappointed. Nothing was happening with my body to really signify that labor would be happening in the coming days or weeks. She couldn't even do the planned 'sweep' to try and help things a long. I left a little grumpy, only to then come across a parking ticket on the windshield of the car. Fantastic. That certainly wasn't helping my mood!
After some lunch it was time for Goobers nap, which he decided he didn't want. I go in to check on him almost an hour later and find one extremely messy diaper. Certainly explained why he wasn't sleeping! I begin taking it off and he instantly grabs his bum with both hands, covering them in the mess. Yuck! To make matters worse, he looks at his hands and starts saying 'chocolate' and as if in slow motion, I see his fingers move towards his mouth. I quickly grabbed his hands away and in turn, the poop ended up all over me. At this point I was exhausted and just feel like bursting into tears. But I managed to hold it together and clean the both of us up. He yawned and as I carried him to his bed to give the nap another go he looked right at me smiling and said, "Momma, a la loo. A la loo!" It took me a moment to register what he was saying, but once I did it immediately brought a huge grin to my face and happiness just welled up inside of me. I repeated back to him, "I love you too hunny" over and over as we snuggled for another minute til I laid him in his crib. As I pulled his bedroom door closed, I could still hear him saying it over and over, a la loo... a la loo... Five minutes later, he was fast asleep.

Isn't that timing wonderful? How many people can say they got their first I love yous from their child right around Mothers Day? After all, he is too young to really make me anything with his hands, or buy me flowers. But he found a way to tell me, even at such a young age. How wonderfully special!



Thursday 9 May 2013

Camping with two under two - is that just crazy?

Okay I know I have some friends out there who have done this, and up until a few weeks ago I would have called those friends insane.
But here is the thing. I really love camping! I grew up camping. And I'm not talking sleeping in a cabin with running water and electricity kind of camping. I mean real camping! My parents crammed four of us into a teeny tiny two person tent that leaked when it rained for many years and we had an absolute blast! Around the age of eleven we moved up in the world and bought a trailer. Nothing fancy like those RVs that come with TVs and satellite and pop out sides, but an enclosed space to shelter us from the rain and give us the luxury of being off the ground. The biggest thing for me was that it had it's own toilet and I no longer had to make that scary pitch black middle of the night run to the washrooms while scaring off bears and raccoons with my flashlight. Talk about spoiled!



Last year hubby and I did our first family camping trip with our almost one year old. We'd purchased a nice tent and all the other necessities we'd need to make it an annual thing. Our son was still on formula, in need of diaper changes and for the most part on a different diet then us. He was also in between crawling and walking, which means he was sitting in the dirt 24/7. This made things pretty challenging for me as I felt like I was always either making food/bottles, washing dishes or attempting to keep a rock out of my child's mouth. The dirt thing didn't really bother me, and trust me he ingested a ton of it. One thing I was not expecting though was how wonderfully he slept! He thought the tent was funny and slept a good 10-12 hours each night.

With a new baby due here any day, we assumed camping would be off the schedule for this year. The last thing I wanted to do was have my young baby crying at 3am in a dark tent and waking up all the neighbours around us. But with the possibility of us being able to go for a few days coming up I actually find myself really wanting to do it. And I don't think it would be as hard as I initially thought.



If we were to go, and it's still a big if... my parents have offered us the use of their trailer. This would make a world of difference! It means a proper bed for us, our toddler and a place to put our infants bassinet. It means easy access to a washroom (with a tub), a soft place for diaper changes (and storage) and a quiet safe place for naps and nursing. Noah is another year older and no longer requires different food or milk then us. He can also walk, run and enjoy exploring the nature around him. Baby Asher would be around two months and will hopefully be fully on breast milk and content being worn, pushed in a stroller or sitting in some kind of bouncy seat or pack n play. We'd also have help in the form of family members. That sounds do able right? The biggest hurdle would be the usual one with camping, and that's the packing before and unpacking after aspect. But is that really a reason to shy away from a fun family adventure? I don't know...

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Over it.


Okay, I've officially reached that point. That fun time where I am so over being pregnant!

It's not that I am in horrible pain or swelling up or anything like that. Thankfully, I am actually fairly comfortable despite my size. But I now feel as though this baby should come or else I'd just like to forget that I am pregnant all together.

It'd be nice if I could distract myself from the fact, but how is one suppose to do that when one has to pee every 20 minutes and can't walk for more then 15 minutes without looking progressively more and more like a penguin?

My son is getting seriously annoyed with my incapabilities now too. He can no longer sit front facing on my lap for a story, cause 'Bubba' is in the way. Lifting him up to the change table or the stairs makes me feel like my second child could slip right out, so I avoid doing that at all costs. And mommy just can't get low enough on the ground to play with him anymore as he'd like. I'm sorry goob! At least he still sees me as just mommy and not some pregnant lady.

And speaking of, that takes me to my newest annoyance. The conversation I have with everyone I run into each day at various activities. "So, how much longer? You look like you're ready to pop! You are looking great! What are you having?" Etc. etc. Even a small child at Target yesterday pointed to me and informed his mommy that there was a baby in my belly. I know these comments are far from offensive and are being said in well meaning, encouraging ways. And up until recently I quite happily engaged in the conversation and enjoyed it! But now I'm bored by it and to be honest, I don't really want to talk about it. It just reminds me that I'm still pregnant.

I guess I'm just being a hormonal grump right now, and I've already apologized to my husband for it. But it's just how I feel. I am very grateful to be carrying a healthy baby, don't get me wrong. But can he just come out now so we can enjoy him and get on with our lives?









Saturday 4 May 2013

Full Term (baby!)

Before I say anything else I've gotta say this. How awesome is the weather this weekend in the lower mainland!? It's currently sitting at around 25 degrees and we are all in shorts and t-shirts around here. We've been sipping smoothies, enjoying the fresh air and looking at the beautiful mountains off in the distance. I love our city!

My first born enjoying the great outdoors
Okay, back to pregnancy stuff. I am 37 weeks pregnant which means I am officially full term! The end is in sight! That being said, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that. It's odd, because everyone else seems more excited about that fact then I am. I'm very happy to be full term and I realise that means that baby could show up anytime now in the coming weeks, but at this present moment that doesn't make me overly anxious or eager.

I remember being at this point not quite two years ago and being so impatient about our first borns arrival. I felt like I was going crazy waiting for the contractions to start or for something to happen. I was frustrated with the state my body was in and I was nervous about what labour exactly was going
to be like.

37 weeks pregnancy with Noah
It's different this time around. If were to go into labour tonight that'd be fine, I'm not looking forward to it but I'm also not frightened. If it wasn't for another two weeks I feel like I'd be fine with that too. Maybe it's a second child thing? I'm not in a hurry to disrupt the nice little family balance we have going right now, but when it does happen I'm sure that'll be fine too. I guess you could say I am feeling pretty complacent about the whole thing.

I can say this though, I am definitely looking forward to kissing pregnancy goodbye for a few years. I think it's pretty common knowledge to those who know us that we don't plan to stop at just two children. We definitely want to have at least one more, possibly two, if God blesses us in that way. But my body needs a break. Two pregnancies within two years is really hard, and I'd just like to enjoy having my body back for a bit before I do this again. Right now we say we'd like to wait until this coming guy is close to two before we venture down this round again, but we'll see what happens. We tend to get baby fever pretty easily (and I am not just speaking for myself!)

37 weeks pregnant with #2- sorry for the crappy cell phone picture
So, a little week 37 pregnancy rundown.
Energy wise I feel pretty good. I am still taking 20 ml of Floradix a day and I am pretty sure that's why I feel as good as I do. I had full blood work done on Thursday and I am finally not anaemic. Yippee! It's borderline though, so I can't stop with the liquid iron. I have been napping daily for about 20 minutes while Noah does and that gives me a little extra zap to last through the day. Blood pressure and babies heart beat have been continually good at my checkups and my weight gain seems to have plateaued right around 18 pounds. This coming Thursday my doctor plans to check me for, shall we say, progress, and If I am dilated enough she will do a sweep. The only discomfort I am experiencing is the constant backaches and pelvic pressure. Nothing a warm soak in the tub every evening or a back massage from my hubby can't fix. I'm also pleased that I haven't puffed up at all. I was about 10 pounds heavier to start with in my previous pregnancy and I think that's really made a difference as to how I look and feel about myself. Hopefully it won't take me too long to get back into my comfy summer clothes!

Well, that's all I've got for now folks. Time for this momma to go back to the couch and put her feet up for a few minutes before heading out to a BBQ. To all my local people - enjoy this gorgeous weather! And to all those who aren't quite as fortunate at the moment, feel free to come visit ;)

Thursday 2 May 2013

What's for dinner? You tell me!

I have a problem.
It's 2pm and this is the third day in a row where I have no idea what to cook for dinner. And one can only serve soup and sandwhiches for so many meals right? I know, major wife fail! I'm sorry boys!

Can I blame this one on pregnancy? I am after all 37 weeks (as of tomorrow) pregnant and my brain just doesn't work as good as it use to. For some reason the energy to bake comes so easily to me and I've started stocking up on frozen treats in my freezer. But I'm a lost cause when it comes to preparing suppers in advance.

Fast food would be an easy options, but I took Noah to McDonald's yesterday for lunch and it messed up his system in a gross way. Don't ask. And to be honest, fast food isn't super appealing to my taste buds lately anyways (or the wallet.) Except Timbits - oh how I love timbits...

So, the way I see it, I have two options. Good ol tuna noodle casserole or pancakes and bacon. I know which my husband would vote for.

Pancakes and bacon it is!


Wednesday 1 May 2013

Bucking the trend - Childrens birthday parties

I look back on my childhood birthday parties with great fondness. Though I always hated that my birthday took place in the dead of winter, my parents allowed me to have as many of my friends as I wanted in our home to celebrate. In fact, my average birthday party consisted of about 20-25 kids. We didn't do anything fancy, just played a few fun games, ate the typical hot dogs and cake and opened a few gifts. And you know what? It was great! I never felt deprived or unloved in any way shape or form.

These are the moments I'll always remember...
Things seems to be different now. Not everyone is affected by this (may I take this opportunity to give those of you who aren't a huge pat on the back?) And maybe it was just me, but I felt an immense pressure once I started having children to have an elaborately themed birthday party. I think social media is to blame for a lot of this. I saw via facebook, pinterest and parenting magazines the kind of parties parents were apparently throwing for their children and I felt as though I had to do the same. I felt like if I didn't put such great effort into my child's party it somehow made me a bad mom.

...this...
When my sons first birthday was only a few months away I started to plan and stress over everything. I bought craft supplies and spent hours making hand made invitations. I colour coordinated plates, table cloths, utensils and décor. Planned out the menu and guest list. I seriously considered making little labels for every little food item on display, but then I got exhausted. Oh. and I really wanted to make one of those fancy banners to hang up somewhere but admitted defeat the week before. Have I mentioned how un-crafty I am? And really, I didn't nearly go to the lengths I have seen done, and that was just simply because we didn't want to spend any more money on it.
Did the party turn out great? Yes absolutely. But I think it would have been just as great had I not done all that but was still surrounded by our friends and family.

...and this
I've heard from other moms that school aged children parties have even gotten so crazy that 9 year olds are going for limo rides downtown to the spa and spending hundreds of dollars. Are you kidding me!? What's the limit? Where does it end? Is it because children's parties are now such a big deal that they have to be topped every year which is leading to this kind of excessiveness?

Well, I've decided that I am certainly not going to try and keep up with it. Nope, not happening in this house! I'm going against the new 'normal' and doing things how I was raised. Noahs 2nd party this year will consist of the basics. Food, friends and family, a few gifts and an already coordinated table wear set from the dollar store.

Ahhh, now doesn't that sound easy?








Tuesday 30 April 2013

Toddler Noah update

I've had a few blog posts about different things pertaining to Noah in the last month or two, and I was given great advice by lots of you mommas who have been through such situations. So once again, THANK YOU and I thought I'd update a bit on how he is doing.

Naps!
I was given so many different suggestions on this one and casually tried out a few. One thing is for sure, he is definitely not ready to give up his nap. The few times he didn't nap he was falling asleep around the house by 5:30pm (his stuffy chair, on the couch, behind his tool stand, etc.) So I went with the idea of pushing his nap back about an hour and so far that has been working awesome! He generally goes down now around 1:00pm with out any battle. Often he still doesn't fall asleep until closer to 1:30, but waking up around 3:00/3:30 seems to be perfect for him. He is generally falling asleep around 7:30/8:00pm for the night which is totally fine with us and has allowed us a bit more flexibility with our evening plans. He still wakes up in the mornings at the same time.



Potty Training
This was a no go. I was hesitant to try with the new baby coming soon anyways, so it wasn't a huge disappointment in my books. As good as he is about letting us know when he poops, and as much as he likes to sit on his toilet for fun, he was totally intimidated by doing so without his diaper on. Every time I tried it he began to cry and wanted to get off the potty ASAP. I took that as a clear sign that he just wasn't ready. No biggie, we'll try again a few months down the road.


Crib vs Toddler Bed
We've decided to keep Noah in his crib for another couple of months. We have a toddler bed for him in the garage a long with new bedding all ready to go, but decided to hold off. It's not that we don't think he could handle it. In fact, I'm pretty sure he could. It's more a decision hubby and I made for our own personal sanity. To be honest, we worried about the idea of Noah being woken up in the night from the baby crying and running to our room to 'join the party.' Then not only would we need to get the baby back to sleep, but also a toddler. Sleep is precious those first few months! We've got beautiful bassinet for baby Asher and my dad even made a more solid bottom for it so that we can use our angel care monitor in it. We are hoping to introduce the toddler bed around Noah's second birthday, which would be August.

Tantrums
So this is brand new. Noah has entered the fun and wonderful phase of tantrums! Over the past week or two he has started to drop to the ground and cry when he doesn't get his way. He doesn't pound his fists or kick his feet or anything like that; just drops and cries. Our system is to completely ignore the behaviour to show him that behaving like that won't get him his way. A few days ago he did some kind of bad behaviour that required him to apologise to me, which he does by giving momma or dada a hug and a kiss. He wouldn't do it and tried running to Matt for comfort. Instead, us parents joined forces and went and sat on the couch together and ignored him completely. Wow... did that make things interesting. Noah got so mad that daddy was on my side that he stood in one spot for 15 minutes and screamed and cried. We had never seen such a meltdown before from him. Once he had calmed down a bit I reminded him that he needed to apologise to me and he slowly walked over and gave me a hug. After that he wanted some snuggles from his dada and was a completely different child 5 minutes later.

 
He is generally a very happy and sweet boy! He loves to be around people, play with his blocks and cars, read and run around outside. I can't believe he will be two in only a few short months. Stop growing up so fast Noah! Oh how the time flies - we just love our little man.

Crazy nesting!

What a productive morning I've had! I didn't necessarily feel like cleaning when I woke up this morning, but after my coffee and breakfast I figured it was about time I swept and washed my kitchen floor. It wasn't easy to do with a belly my size but it had been bugging me for a while so I strapped Noah into his chair with a few books and got to it.
After that I thought, "Hmm, that looks so good the rest of the kitchen should match!" So I proceeded to wipe down the counters and the kitchen table. Then I noticed a few hand marks on the TV stand, so I wiped that down too. And the ottomon. And the piano. And a few other random peices of furniture. I only just dusted a day or so ago, but I saw a thin layer already forming again in various places so out came my dusting mitt and I proceeded to dust my entire house. The downstairs tile and bathroom was looking a little dingy too, so while Noah played with his toys in the den I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed it all. Then Noah and I went upstairs and folded and put away laundry. And tidied his room.

Yeah, I know. I'm a crazy woman. You'd think I'd be exhausted now but I'm actually not. As I sit here eating my lunch I could list off to you another half dozen things I'd like to do, but I'm a little scared that I will already regret all this activity later today. At least now if my energy suddenly disappears before the baby comes I'll know that my house has had a decent clean in the past month.

What makes this whole situation even more funny is that on Sunday I was in so much pain in my pelvic area that I could barely move without tears. Seriously. But by 8pm he moved a bit and the pressure changed and I could function again, praise The Lord!

By the way, can I just say how happy I am to use norwex products to clean my house? It gets the job done well without me having to worry about what I am inhaling or about Noah getting into some kind of chemicals. So awesome!

Anyways, that was my morning. Hope you are all having happy productive days as well!




Saturday 27 April 2013

How low can you go

Holy moly... this baby is so low now that I think he may just fall out.

I know I don't look my usual chipper self - but my energy is zero today!
So at Thursdays prenatal appointment my doctor asked me how I was feeling compared to last week. I told her I was actually feeling fantastic! I could breathe again, eat, the heartburn was at a minimum and I was sleeping more comfortably. She figured baby must have moved into a better position, since a lot of second babies don't actually drop till much closer to their delivery date. I laid down on the table and she began to measure my fundal height starting from the top. "Wow... where'd he go?" She said. Well, she confirmed our suspicions. Baby has dropped into my pelvis!

Thankfully I was still able to move fairly easily... that is until yesterday. My only guess is that sitting/bouncing on my yoga ball for a majority of the afternoon helped him move down more, because last night I seem to have dropped substantially lower. We went to Walmart to pick up a few of the last things we needed for the hospital bags (disposable newborn diapers for meconium poops, breast pads and what my husband calls 'industrial sized' panty liners) and walking was super difficult! I came home and got straight into the tub for a warm soak. When I got out and looked in the mirror I couldn't believe what my belly looked like. I could just see the outline of this baby hanging over my hip bones and my belly button was pointing downward. I don't remember ever having that with Noah!

I'm hoping this is a good sign that baby is getting good and ready earlier, but I'm trying not to tease myself. It could still be 5 weeks if they had to induce me. I'm eager for my 38 week appointment to find out if I'm dilated at all, cause based on how I'm feeling right now I don't see him staying in too much past my due date.

PS - A big congrats to our friends Jasmin and Kimbal on the arrival of their baby boy this morning! She had a successful vbac!!!

PPS - There are 4 of us girls due in the next 4 weeks now. I am super curious how it's all going to play out!!!

Friday 26 April 2013

Reality sinks in.

Whoa whoa whoa... Waaaait a minute. We're going to have two kids soon!?

I think reality hit last night. My mom was over and we were chatting about the upcoming delivery, what we still needed to pick up for my hospital bag and other newborn topics. I suddenly felt a little bit panicky. I'm 36 weeks pregnant now, which means that this baby will most likely be here in the next four weeks. In fact, he could even show up in a week from now! Not likely, but possible. Scary!

I thought that maybe I was suddenly getting nervous about the delivery. After all, labour is no Saturday afternoon picnic. But I don't think that's what really freaks me out. I think it more has to do with the shift of going from a one child family to two. My moms response? "We'll, there's no going back no hunny!" Gee, thanks momma.



I also suddenly starting thinking about Noah and how this little 20 month old will no longer be my only little boy. He will always be my baby, but things will be different. I started getting emotional just thinking about when I have to leave him for the hospital. I wish I could just take him with me, but I know that's ridiculous and that he wouldn't want to see me like that anyways. He doesn't even do well seeing me get my blood pressure checked at the doctors office! I do find myself worrying about who will watch him when we have to go to the hospital and how he'll respond to it. 90% of the time my mother babysits him, but she'll be with me at the hospital this time. I guess we'll be relying heavily on our cell phones to stay in touch and make it as easy as possible for both Noah and the sitter.



I hope once baby Asher comes I'm good at balancing my time between the two children and that they both feel loved and important. I'm sure I'll figure it out. Just like we moms do when we have our firsts and are trying to figure out how to sleep, eat and manage the household chores with a crying baby. I'll adjust. So grateful that Matt is able to use two weeks of his vacation time for the arrival - that'll be a huge help!

I think this is one of those situations where I just need to have faith that everything will be okay. Gods got a plan for our family and I trust that He knows best in every circumstance. But I certainly wouldn't turn down a few extra prayers going up for us in the coming weeks ;)


Wednesday 24 April 2013

Toddler nap battle - fight the fight or accept a change?

I'm not sure what to do anymore.

For a few weeks now Noah and I have had this nap battle going on. His night time routine is the same, with the exception of going to sleep now between 7:00-7:30pm (it was previously 6:30.) He wakes every morning between 6:00am and 7:00am and starts showing signs of tiredness around 11:30am. He has his lunch and into bed he goes by noon. Some days he falls straight asleep and stays that way for about two hours. The other few days a week he talks to himself for however long I leave him in there.

Usually by 2pm I call it a day (since that's when he'd usually wake up) and take him out, but then he turns into a huge grumpy mess by 4:00pm and can't keep his eyes open past dinner time. So I know he needs the sleep. Today for example, Matt and I have plans to go out for the evening and he will be at Nana & Papas, so he needed to sleep. I was in sleep training mode for two hours; going in, laying him back down and telling him he was tired and needed to go to sleep. Just before 2pm he finally gave in.

It's been suggested to me that perhaps he just doesn't need to nap anymore, but if that was the case wouldn't he be quite happy until bedtime? I wonder if it more has to do with his active brain and being over stimulated? The no napping does seem to happen more often on days where he has had a busy morning by being out at church, playing with friends, etc. If that is the case, how do I calm him down? We do the same routine for naps as we do for bed. Diaper change, stories, cuddles, etc. In a recent chat with my husband we did bring up the fact that his Fisher Price Aquarium that attached to his crib recently died. Could not having that music be enough to keep him from sleep? Or could it be that it's too bright in his room during the day with all this sunshine lately?

*Sigh* I really don't know. But I'm hoping we find a solution quick and get this settled before the new baby shows up. If any of you have been through this and have some suggestions I am all ears!

********************

PS - I've been considered not posting my blog entry links on facebook once I write them as I often wonder if people feel overly bombarded with my life. I really don't want to come across as annoying! I won't be offended if people don't want to read it, since the main reason I do it is for me. But then I've had people in the past tell me that they do want to read it but wouldn't know if I didn't post the link publicly. So please, if you like that I post it on facebook let me know. Otherwise I may just avoid doing that from now on and those interested can bookmark it or subscribe :)

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Cookie recipes!

I had a request for my sugar cookie and chocolate chip cookie recipe, so I figured I'd post it on here in case others wanted to enjoy them as well. They are tried and true and never fail - well, they fail at lasting very long in this house anyways...

Sugar Cookies

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp. milk

Sift flour with baking power and salt in separate bowl.
Cream butter in mixing bowl until soft. Beat in sugar, egg, vanilla and milk.
Add in flour mixture bit by bit until stiff (if you don't need all of it that's okay.)
Chill in fridge to help stiffen a bit more for 15-30 minutes.
Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes.
Bake at 350 until edges just start to brown, usually about 8 minutes. (or do like I do and take them out before any browning for extra soft cookies.)

Chocolate Chip cookies

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup margarine/butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Desired amount of chocolate chips/m&ms/Reece's pieces (I use about 1 cup)

Mix shortening and margarine together.
Add in sugars, eggs and vanilla.
In separate bowl mix together dry ingredients.
Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture.
Add 'chips'
Roll into small balls and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes (once again, I take mine out before any browning occurs - but you will need to leave them on the pan for a good 5 minutes to allow them to harden  up before moving them.)

Dropped?

My heartburn has all but disappeared. I am able to actually eat a full meal. I'm sleeping fairly comfortably every night now. And most importantly, I can breathe!
All around I am just way more comfortable then I was, except for the constant urge to pee. My husband even commented that I looked lower and my mom said I look different. So I'm thinking this baby has dropped.

What do you think?

One week ago...
Sorry I'm facing different directions...


Today (35+5)
I know dropping doesn't necessarily mean anything. I dropped with Noah at 37 weeks and still didn't have him until almost 42. But I am hoping that by dropping almost two weeks earlier this time around that it will at least help me dilate sooner or cause my water to break or something. Between 39-40 weeks would be an ideal time to meet this baby!


Sunday 21 April 2013

Glorious sleep!

I almost hesitate to write this out of fear that it will somehow jinx me... but I have actually slept really well for the past three nights! Before this stretch I was going on a good week straight of restless nights thanks to back pain, baby movement and the constant need to pee. The need to pee is still there, however it's not strong enough to wake me up from a deep sleep lately. I'm not sure what, if anything, has changed to allow me to sleep. But boy am I sure a happier woman!



I have noticed since about Thursday that baby Asher hasn't been so high into my ribcage. Before I was literally waking up most mornings with baby body parts almost as high as my breastbone. It made it very uncomfortable to breath! That has since stopped and my waddle has gotten worse. As of Thursday morning the doctor said he hadn't dropped and I am kind of thinking he is just going to slowly make his way lower. Even over the past 48 hours he seems to be getting lower. I took a picture (above) so that I can compare.

Speaking of sleep, Sundays and toddler naps just don't mix. Our church service goes from 9:30-11:00am followed by a half an hour break and then 'family' bible hour (aka Sunday School) for another hour. This means Noah can't nap until at least 1pm which really throws him off. A lot of the times on Sunday he won't nap at all. That was the case today and by 4pm we had one very cranky toddler. Thankfully due to my good sleep the night before, I had enough patience to handle it and even sympathise with the poor kid. We snuggled on the couch and watched some 'Go Diego' together before he went to bed at 5:30pm.


I had big plans this weekend to get some organising done around the house, but that didn't happen. Yesterday I was barely home and when I was, I was doing Fleetwood Cloth Diaper stuff. Matt accomplished lots on the garage though (he has been mudding, sanding and painting it) and installed the baby car seat into the van. At least he got some stuff done!

Well, tomorrow is Monday again already which takes us another week closer to babies arrival. I've been counting down on my whiteboard and I think it's around 35 days til due date. I think it may go fast. Hope you all had a great weekend and are looking forward to a good week ahead :)

Thursday 18 April 2013

A sneak peek

I am 35 weeks or, depending on how you calculate, heading into week 36 of pregnancy. Only two weeks until I am term and can officially be on the look out for labour! At the most, I am looking at another 6 weeks or so. I have started packing the baby/hospital bag, the infant car seat is going into the van this weekend and I am trying to get things organised around here in preparation for his arrival. Clothes are washed and other then a few random items we are pretty much set for Asher to come.

Latest photo from last weekend.
I am definitely feeling very pregnant now. I have now gained 18ish pounds and my skin is suddenly feeling very tight. New stretch marks are popping up at the bottom of my belly despite my best efforts of slathering creams and such all over it every day. Losing battle, whatever. I don't sleep much, but find taking daily warm baths and massages from my husband help to make me at least a little more comfortable. I'm still going to a prenatal massage therapist once a month and have my next appointment in a week. Cannot wait! I find it really does help, especially with sciatica. Oh, and I am giving up and going to my salon on Saturday morning to chop off my hair. I haven't cut it in about 9 months and I love the length it's at, but I honestly just do not have the time or energy for it anymore. With summer coming and what little of my free time I have left about to disappear I just cannot justify it anymore. When it's long like this I can't wash and wear. When its shoulder length I can shower, throw some gel in and the curls look nice on their own. So that's what I am going to do!

I am now into weekly doctors appointments! I know that means we are getting close, so it's exciting. The biggest thing we learned this morning is that Asher is still head down. Despite his hiccoughs being up high and his constant movement, she believes he is in that position to stay. Most likely what I have been feeling (and seeing) is him turning front to back and shifting side to side. At this point, any of those movements will feel massive to me. He may continue to do that for a while, but he is out of full flipping movement.
You know how he was measuring smaller then Noah? Yeah, that's out the window now. He is weighing and measuring in at the exact same as his brother at this week. However, when he decides to show up will have a big impact on his size at delivery. If he doesn't go two weeks over there is a good chance I will have a 7-8 pounder. Come on 39 weeks!
The coolest thing about my appointment this morning was that my doctor now has a hand held ultrasound machine, so I actually got to see our baby! She showed me his head (it looked scary big...), his butt and his back. Then she helped me to distinguish what parts of his body were which by guiding my hands around my belly. Super cool. She confirmed that what we've been watching sliding all over the place is his knees.
Other then that, his heart beat is in the 150s, my blood pressure is still perfect and I haven't been swelling at all, so all is well.

This update turned out to be longer then I meant, so I'll wrap it up now. Besides, my toddler seems to have decided to skip his nap again today so I guess I ought to let him out of his crib. Take care all!

Monday 15 April 2013

Trying something new

I think nesting has kicked in, because my brain has been in organisation and routine mode this past week. Some days I'm just too uncomfortable or tired to actually get into it, but today has been awesome so far!

My pretty new organizational board :)

Over the weekend Matt and I went out to staples and got me a nice big bulletin/white board for the kitchen. It really helps me to organise my thoughts, keep track of what I want to accomplish and help me stay on task. I love to check things off a list!
This morning I've already dusted, washed diapers, folded laundry, cleaned the kitchen and did a half an hour of focused learning time at the table with Noah. He really seemed to enjoy it! Its something I hope to stick with once the baby comes. It'll ensure that Noah is still getting concentrated mommy time and he so loves to learn! We did puzzles, colouring, animal flash cards and this little fine motors activity book. I was such a proud mommy because he successfully clipped in the buckle page. I could tell he was proud of himself too because he had a huge smile afterwards. Yay for learning! By the way, if anyone has some other suggestions for toddler learning activities I'd love to hear them :)

 
 
 


He is also getting to an age where he can actually participate in whatever chore I'm doing which is very helpful. Before it was a matter of how long I could distract him while I quickly rush to get something done. Today he sat on the bed and 'helped' me with laundry while we had a conversation about what clothes belonged to whom. It was so nice! I find myself cherishing those little moments with him right now, because soon enough it won't just be the two of us at home during the day. I'm sure I'll miss him!

There are still a few things I'd like to accomplish before this baby shows up. Every few months I like to clean out and reorganise my kitchen cupboards, so that's on my list to do. I'd also like to do a good bathroom cupboard clean up, organisation and hopefully install the childproof locks like we did in the kitchen. A clothing clean up would be good too. Put away all my winter maternity clothes and maybe pull out my regular spring/summer clothes in preparation for postpartum. Lots hope the weight comes off as easily as last time!

 Definitely going to need my husbands help with a lot of these tasks as bending is kind of difficult. Usually he's a fairly willing participant thankfully ;)

Hope you are enjoying this beautiful sunny day!



Sunday 14 April 2013

Anticipating a change?

I just don't know what's up with my son lately, but he is not sleeping well. This has been going on now for about a week. I know children go through many phases that include teething, growth spurts, mental development, etc. But I am having a difficult time understanding why my 20 month old is so out of his routine.

He only naps once a day on average for about 2 hours and usually he is very good about going straight to sleep. At night he sleeps from 7pm-7am and again, usually without issues. But this past week he has skipped several naps and fought many others. At night he is waking a lot between 1-5am, and last night he was actually up from a good three hours straight at this time. He wasn't crying or even upset, he was just wide awake in bed talking. I finally went into the room at 330am because I was awake anyways and just held him for 20 minutes. After a good snuggle and chat about all the people he loves he asked for his bed and then went straight to sleep. What gives?

The only two things I can figure is that he is either going through some major brain development right now and there is just too much information floating around his head for sleep. Or else, he is somehow sensing a change approaching in his world and is trying to make sense of it. In either circumstance I don't know if there is a whole lot we can do to help him. He is still a happy and content boy for the most part, except once the lack of sleep starts affecting him. I just feel bad because the poor child has had bags under his eyes for a week now...

So what do you think? Anyone else have their toddlers go through this before a new arrival? Or is this just a typical phase for a toddler?


Saturday 13 April 2013

Better days!

I'm feeling a little better! Still large, still uncomfortable, but not in as much pain. I've discovered that a daily bath and rotating between walking around and sitting is the best way to avoid too much pelvic pain.
I am also trying to lift Noah as little as possible. My doctor told me months ago I shouldn't really be lifting a 30 pound toddler but seriously, not easy to avoid! My mother has also been helping me out a lot by coming over or having me over so that I'm not on the go as much. Matt's been great too once he's home from work, encouraging me to sit down more and concentrate on getting more calories into me. Im officially up 18 pounds now! I haven't been doing anything different, so Im assuming that this sudden poundage is just baby Asher starting to chub it up. If he continues at this rate ill probably gain close to the same amount of weight as I did with Noah, around 25 pounds. Oh, and I'm gettin new stretch marks now. Yippee... Haha.

I'm so curious as to how big he will be! He still seems to have a lot of room in there to flip and move around, so either I'm super stretched out on the inside or else he's smaller. I'm pretty sure he's head down today, but as I said in my last blog, his position has been changing every 12 hours or so. Who knows how he'll be positioned by tonight! They say by 34 weeks most babies have settled into a permanent position. This one certainly hasn't!

Labor and delivery has been on my brain a lot the last few days. I'm not freaking out about it yet. I feel confident in the decisions I've made and am okay with whatever has to be done to keep baby and I safe. I've done it before and I can do it again. I have faith that everything will be okay no matter how things go. Honestly the thing that worries me most is making sure that Noah is okay and taken care of. We have several wonderful friends who have offered to be on duty and I plan to leave it in Matt's hands to give them directions while we are at the hospital. What more can I do?

Anyways, I better wrap this up. I think I'm rambling a bit. I've got a few ladies coming over to talk diapers this afternoon so I better get prepared. Thanks for all your help promoting my site and giveaway by the way! You guys are so awesome!!!

Thursday 11 April 2013

Rough 24 hours.

This post will consist of me airing out my frustrations. Please feel free to close this post and move on with your happy day. Honest! I don't mind! But this is my blog and this is how things are going at the moment for me.

The past 24 hours have been rather rough.
Noah skipped his nap yesterday and because of that we had a very unpleasant afternoon full of time outs and meltdowns. I had a dentist appointment in the evening so mom came over to put Noah down for a very early bedtime while Matt did some errands.

Last night I didn't sleep well. I was up about three times due to pain in my back, into my thighs and mostly around my pelvic bone. Getting up out of bed this morning was extremely painful and I could barely walk. Lifting my legs to put on pants and socks was excruciating.
 I broke down in tears by mid morning while talking to my husband on the phone because I just didn't know what to do. Do I go to the doctors? There's not a lot they can do for pelvic girdle pain. It usually cures upon delivery. Do I let Noah watch TV all day? I hated the thought of that!

My mom called shortly after and asked if I needed her to come help - answer to prayer! She came over and took Noah out for a walk while I soaked in a warm bath for an hour. That helped a lot, at least enough so that I could once again be mobile. Now the pain was mostly just isolated to my pelvic bone and felt like menstrual cramps.

We got Noah some lunch and then Nana took Noah upstairs to bed. Finally, I could just put my feet up and relax while he slept peacefully in his crib. I started an episode of Downton Abbey and pulled out some chocolates. But nope, Noah decided to go for round two of no nap and I had to go back into sleep training mode. Not an easy thing to do when one is in pain. I hung out in my bedroom and went back and forth to his room to calm him down every 5 or 10 minutes. By the time 1:45 came around he'd be doing this for over an hour and I was ready to give up. I decided to go sit with him in the rocker and talk to him about how tired he was and how much he needed his sleep. Within a minute of me holding him he had passed out in my arms. Unbelievable. I dropped him in his crib (yes, dropped, because my belly can't reach over the crib bar) and prayed he'd just roll over and stay asleep. Thankfully he did.

It is now after 2:00pm and this is usually the time that Noah would be waking up from his nap. But because he only fell asleep 15 minutes ago I guess our afternoon and evening will play out differently then normal. I don't even care.

I wish I had a doctors appointment this morning. This baby is all over the place in my belly. I'm pretty sure he has been breech, transverse and every other direction over the past 48 hours. I'm at the point now where if it means csection so be it. It's not my preference, but I just don't care how he comes out as long as he's safe at this point. And hey, a 38/39 week delivery wouldn't be so bad either. That'd mean baby Asher would be herein the next 4 weeks!

Well, my newborns diapers arrived today, so I think I'm going to go look and 'coo' over them a little bit to bring myself some joy and excitement. Lame, I know, but teeny tiny cloth diapers make me smile.

I sincerely hope you are all having a better day then me. Really! I do!
Until next time...

PS - is it the weekend yet!?


Tuesday 9 April 2013

Noah at 20 months

A lot of my other mommy blogger friends are so good about keeping track of where their children are at at different ages, but I've been terrible with that since Noah was around 6 months. But I want to be able to reflect back so I'm going to try a little harder from now on.

This month now will be 20 months old.

His favourite toys are:
- his tool bench
- his Little People farm
- his Cars set from Disneyland

Yes - that would be his Cars IN his farmhouse.

He loves:
- animals! At the moment his favourites are turtles and bears, but he knows all the major animal sounds from monkeys to lions to squirrels.
- planes, trains and automobiles. Yep, typical boy.
- babies! He loves to kiss, cuddle and basically smother them if we don't watch him.
- Pirates!
- to play pretend. He 'feeds' food to different stuffies and toys and will act like a dog crawling on the ground and drinking from a dish.
- to put on the LILO & Stitch soundtrack, wear his shell lei and dance around the kitchen
- bath time. He pretty much has one every day after his nap.



His favourite foods:
- cheese
- yogurt
- bananas
- tuna casserole
- chocolate!
- Cheerios



Communication:
- he has a rather extensive vocabulary and has recently dropped a lot of his 'signs' for the real words.
- if we don't understand what he's saying he will grab us by the hand, shirt or pants and drag us to what he wants.
- he will usually tells us when he's pooped and needs to be changed.

His favourite characters:
- Curious George
- Luigi and Lightning McQueen from Cars

Noah and his Auntie Angele watching planes

Schedule:
- awake between 6am-7am but very good about staying in his bed until 715.
 - naps every afternoon from about 12-2
- goes to bed around 7pm

So there you have it. That is our little goober at 20 months. He is growing up so fast!

Sunday 7 April 2013

Fleetwood Cloth Diapers Giveaway!!!


Fleetwood Cloth Diapers has been up and running now for 4 months! So in honor of this and as a thank you to all my wonderful clients and supporters, I have decided to do a little giveaway!
 
How would you like to win this super adorable retro apple large wetbag!?


What exactly is a wetbag? It's a water proof bag that locks in moisture and stink! Great for storing cloth diapers, wipes and wet or dirty clothes until laundry day! Even if you don't have babies, it's a wonderful item to have on hand for trips to the local swimming pool or the beach! Or, you can give it away as a gift!

So, how can you win? Simple!
1. Be sure to like our page, Fleetwood Cloth Diapers on Facebook.
2. Share THIS blog post on your wall for your friends to see. (See the little Facebook symbol at the bottom of the post? Click that and share.) By coming to this page and reading this post, they too will be able to LIKE my page, Fleetwood Cloth Diapers and share it with their friends!

**Be sure to go through the Widget below to confirm your likes and shares so that you get your entries counted! Giveaway starts tomorrow, Monday April 8th and will close at midnight on  Sunday the 21st**

If all goes well I hope to do this again in the future - so please let me know if you have any issues or questions about entering and I will do my best to answer them. Good luck and thanks for all the support!
 
Note: Giveaway open to all Canadian and American residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday 6 April 2013

A day all to ourselves

It was fairly last minute, but my mother offered a few days ago to watch our one year old so that hubby and I could have a day completely to ourselves to do whatever we wanted. She even offered to take him for the night so we could really get away, but it just wasn't in the budget at this time to spend money on a hotel. It was surprisingly difficult to come up with ideas of how to spend our childless Saturday, more so because at this stage in pregnancy I'm just not too comfortable walking any great distance or being far away from a washroom for more then 15 minutes. We brought up several times how nice it would have been to go for a nice long walk through our favourite Tynehead park, but I knew there was no way I could make it.

What did we do? We started out the morning with a Starbucks coffee date. We drank our free (much to hubbies happiness) drinks and had a nice long uninterrupted conversation. We originally planned to wander Chapters but found we were quite content to just talk - so nice! Then we broke the child free date rule and went to Once Upon a Child to find Noah some 'new' shoes. We justified it by saying that it's nearly impossible to shop together with a kid running around. That's fair right? From there it was off to Olive Garden for a long relaxing peaceful lunch. Again, uninterrupted conversation and unlimited time to talk about whatever we wanted. After lunch we drove around Langley, Aldergrove and Abbotsford to get a better idea of some neighbourhood's as we begin thinking about where we would like to buy a detached home. We even checked out a few show homes, which is totally something we did together all the time before having kids haha. We ended up back at my parents around 3:30pm to visit a bit before taking Noah home.

So what did we discover from this day of freedom? We learnt that we aren't very exciting people! To be honest, were kind of boring. Sure it was nice to have some quiet time to chat and remember what life was like as just a couple, but we found that we didn't need an entire day for that. A few hours out for dinner or coffee would be more then sufficient for Matt and I to catch up and reconnect, so maybe we just need to make more of an effort to do that.

Reflecting back, I totally thought that we had 'lost' a sense of ourselves as a couple by being busy parents, but it just wasn't so. Our life is so much more fun where we are! Kids get so excited about everything and in turn it makes us excited by seeing experiences through them. If anything, this day just made me even more excited to add another member to our family.
Sure, there are crappy days where time outs are had and the tears are flowing (both from child and momma) but those amazing joyous every day moments more then make up for them.








Potty training?

I think we are approaching that phase...

Noah is still pretty young, just over a year and a half old, but he is really starting to show signs of being ready. His bowel movements are on a predictable schedule and when he has to poop he stops what he's doing, goes somewhere separate from everybody else and does his thing. Lately after he's done (if he's not too distracted) he will actually pull me over to his changing station, point to it or grab his diaper caddy.

Yesterday he did something that really took Matt and I by surprise. He went over and grabbed his diaper caddy and carried it over to me. I figured he was telling me he pooped so I checked his bum - nothing there. One minute later he pooped. So this time he was actually anticipating that he was about to go - now that's really something! It means he's understanding his body signals which is awesome!

So here's my questions for those millions of moms who have gone before me...

1. Do you think he's too young? He won't even be two until the end of summer. I don't want to rush him!
2. If we did train him soon, do you think he'd regress with the new baby showing up shortly?
3. What was your potty training method?? What worked for you?

I don't want potty training to be a long drawn out process that takes months and months. I've heard that once kids get it, they 'get it' and I just need to be consistent with him. That's why I say if he's too young I'd rather just wait then have it fail.

Anyways, Suggestion time mommas :)


Thursday 4 April 2013

"You're getting close!" My doctor says.

There are no sweeter words to a pregnant woman's ears...


Had my week 33 prenatal check up this morning and all is going well! Baby Asher is measuring right on track, my blood pressure is excellent and his heart beat is nice and strong. I even gained 2 pounds which I'm actually really happy about! I went the last month or more without gaining a thing and was starting to get concerned but it seems now I'm getting back on track with a pound a week. Or maybe it's all that Easter candy...

A few days ago I had horrible Braxton hicks contractions. They started while I was in the bath and got so bad that I had to get out, breathe through them and lay on my left side until they stopped an hour or two later. It was a painful reminder of what I'm going to be going through again soon. Shortly after this incident I started to feel a lot of pressure right on my pelvic bone and my need to pee increased greatly. My doctor confirmed this morning that Asher has found the 'sweet spot' and is getting into position. No, he hasn't dropped, but his head is right where it should be so that's super encouraging!

The liquid iron supplement that my doctor suggested to me has done wonders for my energy! It's expensive stuff and doesn't taste very good, but so worth it considering I feel 'normal' again! I haven't been sleeping well though and am up every night on average for an hour or two. I just can't get comfortable no matter how I lay down and then once I'm awake my brain is going crazy with thoughts. Pregnancy insomnia I guess. It really doesn't bother me too much though since I know my body is preparing for being up every night anyways.

My doctor and I even started talking about delivery today! We discussed the interventions that I am okay and not okay with (breaking my water is fine, but no pitocin unless absolutely necessary) and the idea of starting membrane sweeps at my 38 week appointment. Hoping for a week 39-40 baby this time around! My next appointment is in two weeks and then after that I will be seeing her weekly.

While I was at my appointment Noah did the traditional play time at the local McDonalds with Daddy. Afterwards we headed over to our friend and neighbours so the boys could play together and I could cuddle their adorable newborn baby girl. Noah didn't nap yesterday or sleep well last night, and half way through his story time upstairs he pointed to his crib and said, "Bed... bed..." So in he went and I haven't heard a peep from him since! Here's hoping he has a nice three hour nap ;)




Monday 1 April 2013

'Summer vacation'

This morning over breakfast Matt and I were talking about how the last couple of days have felt like summer vacation. He has had a four day weekend and it has been absolutely gorgeous outside the entire time! Yesterday it was 23+ here in Surrey. We have BBQed three times in the past four days and have spent tons of time sitting in the sunshine on our deck while Noah ran around. Oh, and we've been in shorts and tshirts. So nice!



I am completely a summer girl - just ask my husband. I complain about anything below 8 degrees really, so this weather has been right up my alley. I cannot wait until May when the weather starts to be like this every single day. Then me and the boys will be living in Nanas backyard all day long!



Noah received his Easter basket today. Matt and I have had a tradition since we married of hitting up a store the day after Easter and stocking up on clearance chocolate. Of all the holidays, Easter has the best candy and it is always at least half price. The cashier laughed as we came through the checkout with our huge bag of it and said we won't be able to get away with late Easter baskets for our kids forever. She said our children would wonder why 'the Easter bunny didn't come.' But we don't plan on teaching our kids that the Easter bunny came anyways, and any smart child would probably choose to wait a day extra to get more candy wouldn't they? I know I would! Needless to say, Noah was very happy with his basket and thoroughly enjoyed some choc choc this morning.



Tonight we are celebrating Easter at my parents with a turkey dinner. Seems odd to be having such a meal in this heat, but we'll take it! I know he'll be getting another Easter basket at their place too so we may have an overly sugared child tonight. Especially once Papa hypes him up by chasing him around the house. Oh well, what are grandparents for eh?

Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. We sure did!

Friday 29 March 2013

Finding choc choc & meeting the Easter bunny

We had an early start this morning. Noah was up by 630am and thanks to me and my recent pregnancy insomnia I decided to just get up and get going (and let daddy have a sleep in.) We planned to hit up a local community churches Easter celebrations later in the morning since we had no plans and thought it'd be fun.



Noah got to experience his first Easter egg hunt while there! I wasn't sure how well he'd understand, but within a minute of starting he knew exactly what to do. Find those bright coloured choc chocs and put them in his little bag!



After the hunt we enjoyed a pancake breakfast. Noah currently loves pancakes and oranges so the meal was a big hit with him. He even got to meet the Easter bunny! As soon as he saw him he got a huge smile on his face and started giggling like crazy. He gave him some high fives but wasn't too sure about standing alone with him. So dada jumped in for the picture.



He is now conked out upstairs for his nap and when he wakes up, we'll have a little reunion with his Nana & Papa who have been gone for two weeks. What an exciting day for a 1.5 year old!

Thursday 28 March 2013

When parenting takes over

We are right in the thick of it. That point in life where its all about raising kids, having babies, making the morgage and vehicle payments and simply trying to keep up enough energy to function. We have a great life and I am very thankful for what God has blessed us with. But there is one thing both my husband and I find frustrating. We miss each other!

I know its completely normal once children arrive to have this happen. It's not that we don't love or appreciate each other any less. In fact, I can honestly say I love and appreciate my husband more now then I did when we were first married! He does so much for us on a daily basis and I am incredibly grateful for that. But we just don't have the time for each other like we did before children.

We've tried weekly date nights, but finances, available sitters and pure exhaustion makes it easier to just stay home and fall into our regular evening routines. And here we are about to add another child into the mix, so I know it's only going to get harder. So what's the solution? We honestly don't know! How do others out there with young families make your marriage a top priority between work, play and various other activities? How do you find balance?

I know it will get easier as our children get older, but like I said, we are right now in the thick of things and will be for quite a few years yet. In the meantime, I want our marriage to be the best it can be! And I want to be sure that my husband feels as though he is my top priority. And I want to feel as though I am his! I want us to be the best example we can be of what a loving, God honoring marriage looks like for our children. 




Monday 25 March 2013

Homeschooling vs Private

Matt and I have discussed on and off for years what kind of education we want for our children. He grew up going to a public school, where as I attended a Christian school for all of but two years (I homeschooled for those other two.)
One thing we have already decided on for sure is that our kids will not be attending their local public school. We aren't at all judging those who choose to do so and I know there are some wonderful teachers in the public system, but it's just not what we want for our family. We don't like the politics involved nor the fact that any kind of Christian belief or celebration is being hindered more and more by our government.

Christian schooling is a wonderful option. I had nothing but positive experiences both attending and working at a private school and would love my children to be apart of that. There is a great sense of community and support in these schools that I haven't heard much about elsewhere. Their academic standings are also substantially higher then other schools which is a great help for kids looking towards post secondary. The problem? The cost... Ouchie. Anytime I look up tuition fees with my husband and we talk about it we think to ourselves, 'How can we ever afford that!?' Living in the Fraser Valley is already an expensive option for a family, so tacking on an extra 500+ a month to attend school is hard to comprehend. Yes, I understand it takes a sacrifice in other areas. But I honestly don't know how some people do it! At least not on one income...

So the other option is homeschooling. Matt and I always come back to the verse in the bible found in Proverbs 22:6 It says, "6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." As parents it is OUR responsibility to teach our children, not the governments. God has left that in our hands. So should we be taking it on ourselves to ensure that our children are taught in all ways of life how we see fit?
I love the idea of teaching our children at home, I really do. My biggest worry is that I won't do a good job or that ill go crazy with the kids all day. And every time I look up information on getting started I find the process so overwhelming. My mom homeschooled my youngest brother for many many years and said it was absolutely no big deal. So perhaps I am over thinking it.
But it'd be super helpful to sit down with someone who does it full time and have it explained to me - or else even with one of the marking teachers from Heritage Or Regent Christian online. If anyone knows of something like this please let me know!

Anyways, those are just my thoughts today. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences as well. Would love to hear them :)

Sunday 24 March 2013

Nap skipper

Noah skipped his afternoon nap again today.
He does this every now and then. It seems that if he misses that sleepy window (between 1130-1230) he won't settle and just gets another wind of energy. He usually can last just fine until around 4:00 or 4:30 but then things go down hill fast.

Sundays we are at church until about 12:30. It's a struggle keeping him happy and occupied for several hours, especially when hes tired and eventually gets bored of the upstairs nursery. When he was a bit younger he would fall asleep in the crib there and it would make things super easy, but he won't do that now. Sunday mornings are exhausting for both mommy and Noah...

So today he yawned all the way home and through his quick lunch before we put him down around 1:30pm. He whined and fussed in his crib for an hour before we finally gave up and brought him down. He was a happy child, running around and laughing. We started making an early dinner around 4:45 and he began to completely fall apart. Matt and I couldn't help but laugh when he had a complete meltdown simply because he couldn't get a cracker into his mouth on a spoon. He wasn't angry, he just started crying his eyes out with his head thrown back. Poor goober...
I don't get it. Most children will just pass out on their parents or the floor or wherever when they get tired enough. But not Noah! He just gets more hyper or more emotional!

At 5:45 we carried him upstairs, read him a few stories and put him down for the night. So early I know but he passed out pretty quick, and really it's only an hour earlier then he usually goes down.
And now, Dada and Mama finally get a break. Ahh...

Thursday 21 March 2013

A sunny Thursday

Not much to report over here. It's another beautiful spring day here in the lower mainland and Noah is suppose to be upstairs napping. However, he has decided that it's much more fun to play in his crib and throw his blankets and stuffies across the room. Certainly doesn't bother me any!



Had a quick prenatal check up this morning and baby Asher still seems to be doing well. Head down, measuring right on track and a heart beat of 145. We talked a little about my last delivery and I mentioned how I have a goal of pushing this guy out in 20 minutes. My doctor smiled and told me that if I could push out a posterior 9 pound baby in 40 minutes (Noah) then if all goes well I should be able to have this guy out in three pushes. How fantastic would that be!? Matt says I shouldn't get my hopes up but oh how nice that sounds! I also secretly hope baby comes earlier then my due date. Not much earlier, because I know he needs time to be just right. But anything after 39 weeks would be greatly appreciated!

My family has been on vacation for about a week now and I'm starting to miss my momma. We are use to talking/seeing each other every single day so It's hard when shes away for a long time. Even Noah has noticed her absence and has woken up a few mornings now asking about Nana. We've been having lots of skype visits with Grandmaman though which are enjoyable too! And we are looking forward to seeing her in a few months when she comes to visit!

Well, its been well over an hour now and the little guy is still chatting away in his crib. Perhaps it's time to check on him again. Hope everyones having a wonderful day :)

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Double bump!

I just had to share this picture because it makes me smile.


That is my friend Candice and I. We've been close friends since childhood.
My due date is May 25th. Hers is May 30.
And guess what. We are BOTH having boys!
How much fun is THAT going to be?
Any bets on who will deliver first? My money is on her...

Monday 18 March 2013

Fresh air & sunshine!

The weather has been gorgeous here in the lower mainland for the past couple of days. After the miserably wet week we had before that it was great for Noah to play outside and get some fresh air.

Saturday we went to our complex park and the slide was actually dry for once! Noah spent quite a while climbing up (on his own - my poor heart) and sliding down. So full of smiles!



This morning I let him roam around on the deck as I was feeling a little sore. He happily entertained himself out there for a good 30 minutes by dancing, pushing things around, riding on his 'choo choo' and practising stepping in and out of the house.



You may have noticed that I am trying to take more pictures. I have seriously been slacking in this department while I have been pregnant, but I need to get back into the habit of using it with the new baby coming. It'd help if I wasn't such a clean freak and could just leave it out somewhere instead of constantly putting it back in the closet in its case.
It would also help if my toddler didn't move at the speed of light and would simply STOP for a minute and look at me so I can get a picture of his adorable face. *sigh* Ah well, I am doing the best that I can.

PS - Matt and I were talking last night about the idea of going in and getting another 3D ultrasound done of face shots. It's so so tempting! It's the perfect time to get them done and I am just so eager to see this baby boy!!!

Saturday 16 March 2013

Into week 31



Friday marked the start of week 31 (or 30 +1) depending on how you count. So confusing to me still.
I'm tired and I have started to waddle. I'm finding it hard to be on my feet for too long without getting uncomfortable from the weight of the baby and carting Noah around has become almost impossible. Usually I can make him go up the stairs himself, but sometimes he likes to be stubborn and makes me carry him (usually around nap time.) Even lifting him up to put him on the change table is a challenge.
I'll go ahead and say it - I'm ready to no longer be pregnant! I miss going out for walks and pushing Noah in the stroller up a hill without pelvis pain. I miss having energy and being able to fit into regular clothes. I miss not peeing every 15 minutes haha.

The last few weeks I have been dealing with the added annoyance of third trimester vomiting. We are pretty sure it is tied to my prenatal supplements so after trying another brand and still having the nausea my doctor has pulled me off of them. This morning we went out to Costco and loaded up on iron rich and other super healthy foods for me to add to my diet. I'll go for another blood test in the next week or so and see how bad the anaemia is and make sure I'm getting enough.

Baby Asher is still head down, which is great news! My doctor said that if he is still head down at 34 weeks we should be good to go and can forget about worries of a csection. Yay! He is sending me for an ultrasound to double check that as well as to get a better view of Ashers kidneys. I think he is getting to be pretty big. Last night I watched what was either a knee or a foot moving all across my belly, sticking out here and there. He is favouring the left side of my body which doesn't surprise me because it's where Noah spent most of his time. It's probably pretty stretched out and roomy! If I try to sleep on my left (which is apparently the best position to sleep in) Asher will kick and punch me until I flip over to my right. Guess the kid knows what he likes already.

Well, I'm off to go put my feet up and enjoy what little is left of Noahs nap. I've got to cherish these last few weeks with one child. Pretty soon nap time will be filled with a second child! How exciting!





Wednesday 13 March 2013

SAHM confession - It can be lonely!

I have a confession to make... Being a stay at home mom can be very lonely.

This has been on my brain the last 48 hours and I debated blogging about it, because being a stay at home mom is a wonderful blessing and I don't want to give off the wrong impression. I know many are not lucky enough to be able to stay home so I don't want to seem ungrateful for the circumstance that I am lucky to be in. But it's the truth. And after reading several articles that have been circulating lately about what a mom should or shouldn't do I feel compelled to elaborate on my thoughts.

I am a social person. I always have been. I love to be around and chat with people about anything and everything. Before I had kids I worked full time in various jobs that still allowed me to be around people a majority of the time. On long draining days I dreamt of being able to stay at home when I had kids and how much 'easier' it would be to do so. But suddenly you become a mom and it's just you and kids 24/7 and a long list of things that need to be done around the house. Again, not such a horrible thing, but it's not always easy either.

Often during the day I find myself watching the clock for when my husband will get home. Yes, sometimes it's because I am desperate for a break and a little bit of 'me' time. But it's also just the fact that in a few hours I will have another adult to converse with. Or even simply to sit next to! Someone who doesn't require me to wipe their nose, change their bottom or entertain them. Plus, when it's my husband it's someone who loves me very much and who I dislike being away from.

I have things that I do to keep myself distracted or from getting too lonely. Play groups, phone calls, church activities and home schedules that I follow. All help combat that feeling of having no one to talk to but your toddler. Yes, even facebook helps to get in bit of 'social time.' And It's not like I am sitting around with nothing to do all day! Trust me, it's quite the opposite! That is where part of the battle comes in! I find myself thinking, "hmm, I should invite so and so over for tea." But then I either convince myself they'd be too busy for me anyways or else I think about the state my house is in and drop the idea. But there are still some weeks or days where it gets hard. And I know I am not the only one who feels this way.

Every moment of our day is dedicated to our families. It's our calling and we are happy to do it. Most of the time I love it! But I just had to throw it out there in case others aren't aware or in case mothers with grown up children have forgotten (because I am sure they felt this way then too!)

It can be lonely.