Bye bye bottles!

I am happy to say that Noah is OFFICIALLY completely done with bottles!

I originally had a goal of making those history by his first birthday, but felt a bit of guilt doing it since he loved them so much. They were a definite comfort thing for him and it just felt so wrong taking them away.

For the past few months I have been really working on getting him use to sippy cups and slowly eliminating his bottles. The first to go was his afternoon bottle, which he always got after waking up from his nap. He has come to like having water or majorly watered down orange juice between meals so that is what he now gets.

Then we took away his evening before bed bottle and gave him his milk with his supper. Last to go (just this week) was his morning bottle. He loves Cheerios with milk and I still give him a cup of milk to drink at the breakfast table.

He isn't getting quite as much milk in as he was, but I'm not concerned because he loves his dairy and eats tons of yogurt, cheese, etc.
He was obviously ready for the switch too because he hasn't even asked for them, which makes me feel a lot better about it.

I am so excited to throw out all our well used bottles and lids and buying all new ones for baby Asher! It's just fun getting new baby stuff isn't it?

Parenting, the second time around.

As my due date gets closer I have been thinking about what I want or plan to do differently the second time around. Not that I think I did a horrible job the last year and a half with my first child, but more so that I feel more prepared for what I am getting into and what to expect. I feel a lot more confident in how I do things and in the decisions that we make as parents. I don't feel as though I have to do things the way other people do things, I can do what we think is best for us and it's okay if that differs from a friend or family member. That makes me feel pretty empowered as a mom!

So what exactly do I plan to do different and what do I plan to do the same?

I plan to breastfeed again. I had a goal of 8 months last time, but sadly that didn't really pan out. Between gallstone issues (and surgery) as well as a dwindling milk supply, Noah was finished breastfeeding completely at 6 months. I really missed it when it was over, not just because formula cost a fortune but also because I really just enjoyed that snuggling with my little man. This time if I run into that issue I plan to try whatever I can (be it vitamins, supplements, recipes) to increase my supply and go until at least 8 months. I'm not interested in breastfeeding past a year, but it would be nice to skip the formula stage all together and go straight to whole milk.

Speaking of breastfeeding, I plan to build up a good supply of frozen breast milk in my freezer right from the start. I hope to purchase a hand pump so that I can pump and freeze one bottle per day to have on hand for nights out or for times when I may be sick or unavailable to feed. I did a bit of pumping last time, but nothing significant and my stash was minimal.

I want to try my hand at making my own baby food. From what I hear, it's really not all that difficult. Noah was not so into baby jar food and we ended up wasting a lot of opened jars. I wonder if I had tried making my own and if I had been able to toy with the consistency or flavors if he would have warmed up to it faster. If it doesn't work out it's not a huge deal, it's just something I'd like to try.

I want to baby wear so that I can enjoy snuggles with this baby as much as I did with my first. With my first I had all the time in the world to cuddle, but I know with two I am going to be much much busier. I hope that by baby wearing that I can feel close to this child (and he to me) while still caring for an active busy toddler and keeping my house tidy. I've got an ergo for outings and a moby wrap for around the house. Hopefully they will serve us well!

We plan to cloth diaper from the start. We didn't start with Noah until he was almost 9 months old. But this baby can wear the same diapers that Noah wears (though we will get a few more to add more to the circulation) and it will save us a lot of money on diapers. Plus, they look so darn cute on tiny babies!

We plan to sleep train again. I will whole heartily admit that it was the hardest thing I have ever done, and I have heard that for some babies it just doesn't work, but for us, it did! We did it at four months with Noah because he was showing clear signs of being ready for it. It took all of two days to completely change his sleeping habits. No more walking back and forth down the hall way rocking and rocking until my arms begun to fall off.

And speaking of sleep, we plan to have this baby in our room for 6 months or so just like we did with our first. It brought us great comfort to hear him breathing every night and to be able to check on him with a glance. It created a wonderful bonding experience as a family even though he was still in his own crib and never (sleeping) in our bed.

I'm sure there are many other differences or similarities, but these are just the ones that have been on my brain recently. And like I said, this is just what we feel is best for our family! All us mommas are just doing what we think is best for our little ones :)

Family Day!

Okay, so I know the new family day official holiday isn't until Monday, but the forecast is calling for showers that day so we decided to do something today instead. But now I'd say there is a chance it may not even rain Monday, because today was suppose to be sunny with zero chance of rain. And what happened? We ended up going for a walk in the rain. What can you do...

So despite the rain, we decided to get some fresh air and go for a walk at WhiteRock. It's one of my favourite places to go even when its cold out. We were joined by some friends of ours and it was little Everlys first time at the beach!

We left the stroller in the trunk (mostly because we have discovered a mold issue that we now have to deal with - fantastic) and let Noah run wild. He has recently decided that he isn't a fan of strollers or shopping carts and prefers to walk around and explore. He was quite enjoying himself until we reached the pier. He stopped almost immediately once we reached it and began to whine. At first we didn't know what the problem was, but quickly realised that he was nervous about all the little holes between the wooden boards.

We managed to coax him along bit by bit while laughing hysterically at him stepping so cautiously over every hole. The only way we could get him to go forward was to hold his hand or point out some distraction far ahead (such as a bird.) We never did reach the end before turning around. While heading back Noah was delighted to see a 'Choo Choo' in the distance heading our way. Now that was exciting!

Then, on the way back to the car, he discovered an older man feeding the seagulls a loaf of bread. At first he watched from a distance but very quickly dove right into the flock. The man was kind enough to give him some bread to throw, which Noah didn't understand how to do and he ended up being chased around a bit. Finally a brave seagull lurched forward and nabbed it right out of his hand. Funny, but it did make momma a little nervous.

On our way back we made a pit stop with our friends to grab some McDonalds where Noah ate several fries and even more ketchup. Then he conked out in the car and had a nice 2.5 hour nap. Ahhh fresh air does wonders for nap time!

All in all, a pretty good 'family day' I would say. Hope all of you who get the day off on Monday enjoy your holiday too!

Ultrasound results

Went in for my normal prenatal checkup this morning, assuming everything was totally fine because I didn't receive a phone call from the doctor saying they needed to see me.

Blood pressure was perfect, measuring perfect and his little heartbeat is fast and strong at 163 (we had another good laugh about people saying that means girl when everything clearly shows boy for us!) Ive gained a total of 10 pounds so far which means I can easily gain another 15 without concern. My thyroid was significantly lower then it should be so my synthroid dosage is being upped for the remainder of my pregnancy. Probably explains why I have been feeling so exhausted and overwhelmed this past week.

My doctor didn't have my ultrasound results as they had been sent to my family physician, but said she would have them faxed over and if there were an issue I'd get a call. As I was leaving and making my next appointment at reception, they received the fax and I was told I needed to go back in to talk them through. Ugh, that's a little worrisome I thought. They handed me my chart and told me to wait for my doctor to come back out.
So of course, I had to read it over and get what I could from that paper. I saw the words 'anterior placenta' written down and then something in the comments about kidneys. Everything else was checked off as normal.

I handed the chart to my doctor and the first thing she said was, 'Oh... I don't think this is an issue.' Basically, one of Asher's kidneys is showing a slight enlargement that can suggest renal pelvis dilation. Sometimes it can be a soft marker for a genetic disorder, but because I have none of the other symptoms they don't believe that is the case. If anything, it may mean that one of his kidneys has a harder time flushing out waste. My doctor believes that the reason for the enlargement is the fact that he is just a big boy (measuring in the 90th percentile, just like Noah did). It's also apparently a common thing to see in boys and will often correct itself before birth. However, just to be on the safe side, Asher will be having an ultrasound one week after he is born to make sure antibiotics aren't needed to flush out his system. So nothing major, but enough to make a mother worry a little bit. So prayers for this to correct itself or to turn out to just be a size issue would be greatly appreciated :)

The anterior placenta took me by surprise but is also said not to be a big deal, because thankfully it is not blocking my cervix. If it was it would mean automatic csection for me. So as long as it doesn't move, which we aren't anticipating, it should be fine. Asher is still comfy in his breech position but my doctor said we won't worry about that for another 9 weeks or so. She is very pro baby flipping methods so we will do whatever we can (within safety reasoning) to avoid a section.

It made me feel fairly calm that my doctor was so confident in my results and really isn't worried about any of those issues. But of course, being the hormonal pregnant woman I am I can't just totally forget about it either. So instead I am telling myself that for one, this ultrasound after birth is a GOOD thing because it means we will stay on top of any potential problems and be able to have them fixed. And two, my doctor is fully aware of any and everything going on with me and able to treat me to the best of her ability.
I am thankful for a medical system that is able to keep an eye on all these kind of things and treat me however necessary, without any cost to me financially. That is a blessing for sure!

Baby wearing?

I know I did a post that brought this up a while ago and I ended up with great advice for all you mommas out there. Thanks to your suggestions I ended up acquiring an ergo carrier for a fantastic price and I am super excited to use it with our second baby boy!

However, I still wonder if its something that will be better for outings like the mall or going on walks. What about for just around the house? I am constantly on the move with my first child and really don't anticipate that changing in the near future.

What I'm wondering is if I should be looking to purchase a moby wrap or one other kind of wrap so that I can baby wear around the house? I like the idea of keeping him close to me while I'm going from floor to floor (we own a townhouse) as opposed to sticking him in a bouncer or pack n play when I need hands free.

Suggestions? Advice? Anyone have experience using these? I don't want to spend unnecessary money.

Thanks in advance :)

Mind blown.

My 1.5 year old just played with his mega block for 50 minutes straight. Some of the time with me, some of the time without me.

Once he had had enough, he proceeded to put them all back in the bag.

This is the same kid who I usually can't get to sit still for more then 2 minutes at a time.

Mind blown.

Ps - if you are wondering what I did with that precious time, the answer is absolutely nothing. It was awesome :)

Week 25

I am into week 25 with my second pregnancy!

As the third trimester starts to approach I am beginning to remember why being pregnant isn't always fun haha. I remember when we first decided that we were going to go for number two. All we were focused on was getting pregnant and having another child. You somehow forget about the nausea, the backaches, the hormonal ups and downs and everything else that goes with it. You just think about the excitement.
Last night I told Matt that he really ought to carry the next child. For real, I wish he could haha. I told him to gather up those moments in his brain so that when I start contemplating number three he can convince me to put it off a little longer and give myself a break. His response? "Yeah right..." This coming from the guy who at 6 months post-partum told me he wanted to go for number 2 already. Seriously, my husband would want five if I agreed to it haha.

Don't get me wrong, I am getting super excited to meet this little guy and I know 15 weeks isn't really all that far away. There are just moments in the day where I think to myself how not easy it is to be pregnant. Like this morning for example when my stomach decided it didn't like its breakfast and sent it right back up. Blah.

I wish I was one of those people who always look and feel fantastic when they are pregnant, but I'm just not. But I do know people like that!

But to end this on an 'upper' I am feeling pretty good today and I've got lots to do! Had a pretty decent sleep last night and just enjoyed my cup of coffee. The diapers are in the wash already and Noah is pretty happy! So I'd say that's a good start to the week.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! And an extra big congrats to our friends in Kap who just welcomed their third child!!!