MOmMy bRaIn

lucky, lucky, lucky

2012-01-27T19:18:00.000-05:00

It's a snowy, rainy, overall yucky day here in eastern Canada... shocker I know.

I just got back from my spending four hours at my sisters house... punishment for her telling me to pick Jane up early because the "roads were bad" when, in fact, the roads were fine. So I called her and said "what are we having for supper? I'm coming over because Dan's out tonight for frisbee and I'm not entertaining this crazy two-year-old for the next four and a half hours and the roads are fine by the way..." We had ribs. Yum.

I'm feeling lucky today. Lucky to live in a warm, beautiful home. Lucky to have a job I love where I am surprised regularly by the support and understanding I get from my boss and colleagues. Lucky to have a sister with a slow cooker who can read a recipe fairly well (Nanc, I'm leaving out the part where you were asking about how to "cut the batter" when the recipe said to "cut in the butter"). Lucky to have a daughter who makes me laugh and love soooo hard. Lucky to have a husband I only want to kill half of the time. Lucky to have the will power to refrain from strangling the kitten who just jumped onto the couch leaving claw marks in my arm.

Some of you may know, but we just moved into a new house in the Fall. Since then, the number one question I get from people I haven't talked to in a while is "hows the new house?!?!?" And, honestly, I fake it. I tell them how much we love it, how great it is, how it's everything we wanted and needed and more and blah blah blah. Truthfully, I could give a damn about my house. Is it beautiful? Yes. It is our dream house? Yes. It is more than we imagined? Yes. Would I care if it was gone tomorrow? Nope. I'm thankful that, since having Jane, I've realized that all this "crap" we have... means nothing. If you don't have your health, if your child is sick, if your marriage sucks, if you don't have happiness, a house ain't gonna make you smile at the end of the day. So I appreciate the things I have but I can't really say that I'm peeing in my pants to talk about how great my new house is. I pee in my pants... but it's usually only if I sneeze, cough or laugh really hard. OH, and if I decide to randomly do jumping jacks, which thankfully I've learned to avoid. :p

Yesterday, I went to a restaurant for lunch to do some paperwork and planning. A nice restaurant. I had an $11 salad and bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And, while I was upstairs eating at this fabulous place, an armed robbery was going on downstairs in the mall. When I left the restaurant, the cop cars and ambulances (no one was hurt) were pulling up and I was half considering snooping at what was going on but wrote it off as a fight or heart attack or something (you know, nothing exciting... I know, I'm going to hell). When I got home last night, I saw the news about the armed robbery. Downstairs and six stores over. That's the closest I've ever been to a gun. That's lucky. I'm lucky to live in a country that the closest I've ever been to a truly dangerous weapon in thirty years is downstairs and six stores over...

This is your nonsense for a yucky Friday that I am so happy to have shared with my family and beautiful baby.

pregnancy update?

2012-01-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

I was planning on taking time on Thursdays to write about my "pregnancy update"... Thursdays is my transition day from week-to-week. So, as of today, I'm officially 14 weeks preggers. I think. I thought I was 15 weeks but my email update tells me 14 so who knows? I'm guessing the email is write and the crazy one with mommy brain is wrong.

Like I said. Supposed to write an update post but here's your pregnancy update. I'm tired. How does it feel to be 14 weeks pregnant - exhausting. I have energy up until 5:30pm, when I'm lucky. Sometimes it's 2:30pm and sometimes it's 8:30am. Then I'm basically counting down the hours until it's an acceptable time for me to call it a night, which is basically anytime after the clock hits 8pm.

I've dressed for the gym every morning this week. Instead of hitting the gym, I hit Tim Hortons for a coffee and head home to get dressed for work. Work I can do, happily. Going to the gym this week seems like committing to run a marathon in high heels and a full-fleece-onesie in July in the Amazon. Please tell me the Amazon isn't one of those places that has reverse seasons to us so that my exaggeration makes no sense. You know what I'm trying to say. Impossible.

I planned on finishing the last panel of curtains that I'm making myself (don't ask... I don't know why I get myself into these things) for the new baby's room. Whenever I get it all finished - ideally before July - I'll post a picture of the new nursery. Jane's room is looking pretty fancy too and I'll let you know some of the crazy but creative things I've done... I went on this used furniture, value village, kijiji, etc. kick over the summer where I was convinced I was going to become a furniture re-finisher for my side-career. Half the projects I had planned ended up going back to value village or meeting big mr. green truck who takes unwanted things to that big pile of stink.

Why is there nothing good on TV at 7pm? Why does TV only cater to the people who stay awake past 8pm? Why should I be subjected to an hour of Entertainment Tonight - US followed by Canada, where they basically talk about the exact same stories - only ET Canada talks about Ryan Gosling and Justin Beiber a little bit more that regular ET.

If I keep up, this post will be four pages long and I'll just keep ranted about the things that are making me grouchy right now. :p

Craving a bowl of dried fruit loops and a granny smith apple. Pregnancy is insane.

whats-in-the-news wednesday

2012-01-25T06:49:00.001-05:00

I've been sitting here for fifteen minutes trying to pick my brain for something to talk about today. This is the problem of suffering with mommy brain and trying to carry on a "conversation" that's supposed to be somewhat entertaining or educational on a regular basis.

Then I checked out the Globe and Mail parenting section for inspiration and thought the headlines could make for some funny commentary. So here it is - a review of the latest in parenting headlines...

"Obese children more likely to be bullies: study" - OK, I'm not saying that all obese children are bullies. But have these people ever seen a movie from the 80's?

"Don't take what your kids say so personally" - Do we really need to read an article on this? Were none of us hormonal teenagers who screeched "I HATE YOU" before the sound of our slamming door reverberated throughout the entire neighbourhood? Is reverberated a word? Is it the right word? I remember telling my mother on multiple occasions that I was going to call Kids Help Phone on her... only to have her respond "go for it. no ones going to believe you anyways". HA! I don't think Mom took anything personally. What's with parents these days?

"Unnatural selection: Is evolving reproductive technology ushering in a new age of eugenics?" - I don't know what that means.

"Don't wait too long to get pregnant, obstetric society tells women" - Is this new? Why do people persist on studying things that are already known. I heard of a recent study where the key finding was that the reason people dropped friends on Facebook was because they said something to offend them. Really? Lets study whether people believe the sky is blue on a sunny day! I wonder what the findings would say??? Who funds this crap? We don't have a cure for cancer but we're funding studies about Facebook friends???

"Is extreme exercise ok during pregnancy" - What crazy person wants to exercise extremely during pregnancy. Send me her email. I'll do a study. I bet the findings will be that she's freakin' nuts.

"High dose of caffeine is safe and effective for preemies, study finds" - Does this mean I should start drinking more coffee now? :p

"The weird and wonderful world of celebrity baby names" - Apple, Moses, Blue, Bronx, Kyd, Bear, Moraccan, Blanket... Sometimes I wonder if celebrities are so obsessed with being on the front page that they make these names up so that people talk about it for like three days straight (God, I thought the Beyonce crap would never end) but in reality they named their kids Bob and Mary.

"Dirty parenting secret: I bribe my kid with candy" - This is not a secret, this is a survival instinct. "Sometimes I pretend I have to use the bathroom so I can read a magazine by myself" - that's a dirty parenting secret.

"Dirty parenting secret: I drugged our kid for a flight" - No idea what this person is talking about. We gave Jane Benadryl once before a flight but she clearly indicated she was having an allergic reaction and should be treated immediately with antihistamines... :p

"HPV vaccine could deter safe sex, study finds" - When I was a teenager, safe sex meant doing it when your parents weren't home (sorry Dad, I love you).

"The best defense against bullying" - Ah, this I am interested in... being that the other day, at an indoor playground, this stupid little boy hit Jane in the face for no reason. So, we're headed back to the playground again this past weekend and Jane says to me "No one hit me". My response? "No baby, no one hit you. If anyone hits you, Mommy will beat them up". HA. Seriously. Usually I tell her "you tell mommy if someone hits you" but, you know what, in truth I want to tell her "you hit them harder, then you come tell mommy".

"I moved my kid to the class all her friends weren't in" - see above story on "Don't take what your kids say so personally" and reverse it. You kid probably does hate you.

"We're raising four kids in a two kid world" - Who's "we". I don't know anyone who has four kids.

Hmmm... that was kind of fun. Maybe I'll make this a regular thing. Thoughts? Funny or boring? I had fun and, being that I tend to be selfish and grumpy when I'm pregnant, I'm going to vote it a funny and do it again. :p

Happy Hump Day!

ptpta 2012 winter winners announced

2012-01-24T18:36:00.000-05:00

Regular nonsense below...

Those of you who have been following me for a while, know that I'm a big fan of making life easier. If there's any way for me to accomplish the same outcome be investing less time, I'm SOLD.

Enter PTPA. It's like the parents bible of easy-way-out when you need to purchase something for your family. Anything that's been selected as a PTPA Winner, has been tested by multiple moms (I should probably say Dads too but, lets face it, Dads aren't the same as moms) and determined to be WICKED GOOD.

When I browse the new winners lists, I often find solutions to problems I didn't even know I had... my husband loves this - he thinks is awesome (sarcasm) that I can find ways to spend money on things we "need" that we didn't even know existed. I'm fascinated by people who develop products based on the "there has to be a better way" theory... because, most of the time, when I discover these products (after I get over the "why are you such an idiot and didn't develop this yourself" phase), I realize that I have many times thought the same thing. For example, right now, if someone could create a product that would keep my annoying, but oh so cute, kitten from trying to lie across the keyboard despite me pushing him off the couch over and over, I would think this person was a genius. Maybe a "mouse attachment" (no pun intended) that sticks out from the side of my monitor, far enough away that the cat can still be next to me but isn't interfering with my typing or overall enjoyment of life. Now he's biting me because I'm elbowing him away from my hands.

SO, here's a link to the 2012 PTPA Winter Winners List... check it out to see if you can find something you NEED but didn't know you needed. Your husbands are going to love me.

Also, here's something FUN... for the next week, PTPA is running a CONGRATS-A-THON - what the heck does this mean?? Congratulate a new winner on Facebook (click here for details) and you will be entered to win the prize you're congratulating! WOOT WOOT, I love free stuff! Obviously, not all products are participating... For example, Chev is not about to give away a new Orlando because you posted a Facebook message, sorry, this ain't Oprah. But there's lots of fun companies participating so check it out.

Also, check out the blogaholics site - where myself and a bunch of other fabulous mommy and daddy bloggers post random stuff and reviews daily!

sex or no sex?

2012-01-24T07:01:00.000-05:00

Those of you who are moms, or even better, moms of more than one kid, OR EVEN BETTER, greater than 20 weeks pregnant are right now thinking NO SEX! :p ha ha ha.

But that's not what I'm talking about.

Here's what's up. In my province, up until right now apparently, when you went for your standard twenty week ultrasound, you would not be informed of the baby's sex whether it was obvious to the sonographer (that's a guess of what the person's called and being that it's underlined in squiggly red, probably not a good one) or not. In fact, with my first pregnancy, I had the blessing of knowing a doc who did ultrasounds who told me my babe's sex before this "standard" ultrasound so I was joking with the sonographer that she should just "nod if I was right or not" and not a gig. Like joking with the border control officers at the airport.

So, with this pregnancy, Dan and I were going to have our the sex be a surprise. Why not? I mean, with Jane, it was our first baby, I had lost my job, blah blah blah... I wanted to know. It gave me piece of mind to have tons of pink clothes organized by type and size. Plus, I will admit, when I found out my first was a girl, I was relieved. I know what to do with vaginas. I'll never forget my best friend calling me after finding out the sex of her first, screaming "what am I supposed to do with a PENIS???". Honestly. I don't know. When little girls run around naked, as they tend to like to (my first cat was named streeker after me), I think it's cute. When little boys run around naked, I'm uncomfortable. Truth.

Another reason for keeping the babe's sex a surprise... we didn't want to have to pay to find out. I'm not judging, if that's your thing, fill your boots. But the only way to find out the sex here would be to go to one of those 3D baby ultrasound places that take the creepy, alien-like photos of the baby in your belly. I know people are curious what's going on in there but it ain't my thing. Plus, it's expensive. I'm not paying $200 or more to find out my babe's sex and get pictures of he/she in my belly that, chances are, I probably will never look at again once the actual child is in my arms. I mean, when they are still in your belly, yeah, share it with the world, blow it up, throw it up over the fireplace. But, once the baby is born, my guess is those pics are getting "stored" until... I don't know. Is that something you'd take out and show your adult child? This was you in my belly. Weird.

I mean, there's definitely something attractive about imagining pushing the baby out and having someone announce "it's a ____"! And, honestly, being surprised and excited by the unknown of it all. But, fact is, even though I "knew" Jane was going to be a girl, it was still the most exciting and amazing moment of my life. I say "knew" because, here's a ground-breaker", ultrasound techs are not always right. Sometimes penises hide (ask a man who's been in cold water) and sometimes random bones look like penises.

So, now, I read an article in the local paper that says the hospital is now allowing patients to know the sex of their babies if it's determined during routine ultrasound. Seems they won't be going the extra mile to determine sex but if it's obvious, they'll let your family doc know and you can ask at your next appointment.

Uh oh.

I don't know why I'm even bothering to pretend this is causing me conflict. I'm asking. 100%. Crap. I have no will power. C'mon! I can't have someone else, who I see every four weeks, sitting there knowing the sex of the baby that's inside me. And, you just know, it's gonna slip anyways. He'll be all like "so how's he doing in there?" or "is she moving a lot?" and BAM, surprise is ruined anyways. So I might as well ask and know sooner rather than later. And, if for whatever reason, the little babe's sex can't be determined, then WOOHOO surprise here we come.

Fact is, the child's room is blue anyways. Well, 1/4 blue. I'll post pictures soon. Yes. I am completely ridiculous and did my nursery over Christmas - don't get me started on how superstitious this made me. I still have severe guilt and anxiety about it.

In all honesty, I am kind of excited to find out. ONLY because I have four hundred bags of Jane's old clothes that I'd like to know whether I should organize, clean or give to charity. It's taking up an insane amount of storage space in a house with no storage space.

I am completely without preference for this baby's sex. If it's a girl, it would be great - obviously convenient because we have everything we need, and I'd love another girl, AND it seems like everyone I know who's having a second baby is "doubling up". If it's a boy, that would be awesome too - I'd love to have a little boy, just as there's a special bond between mom and daughter, same is true for mom and son.

I'll keep ya posted. Fact is, if I find out, everyone does because I have no brain power and if I dared try to keep it a secret, I'd blurt it out within seconds anyways so what's the point!

thank you God and Tim Hortons...

2012-01-23T18:53:00.000-05:00

FYI - today's regular nonsense is below but I had to share this with my fellow Canadians eh...

So I've dropped Jane off at school, Dan off at work and I'm heading to the gym for a quick "stroll" on the treadmill before work.Well, I'm supposed to be heading to the gym. I'm dressed, sitting next to my gym bag in the car, but have been dreading it since I realized when I woke up that I "should go to the gym this morning"...

I head to Tim Hortons instead. I want my small double-double. I need my double-double. My treat of the day. My only fix that helps me survive the exhaustion of early pregnancy. I'm pretty sure the small dose of caffeine does nothing, physiologically, to increase my energy or boost my mood. But psychologically, my double-double is REQUIRED in order for me to put on a friendly face and function efficiently with the rest of the working world. Without it, I'm like a bad actor all day - faking energy and enthusiasm when inside I want to be curled up on the couch watching useless programming they tell us stay-at-home Moms enjoy.

Ok, back to my story. I order my small double-double and what happens? Those of you who are also loyal Timmies addicts will know the answer.

I GOT A BIGGER "SMALL" DOUBLE-DOUBLE.

In fact, I got a medium, small double-double!!! Make no sense? Well, it took me awhile to figure out the diagram below - literally, I couldn't figure out if they were increasing or decreasing their sizes for at least a minute of staring and computing. SIMPLIFIED - your previously small cupped coffee is now a medium coffee, and so on. So, now, I get what I really wanted - a larger coffee - without the guilt of ordering a larger coffee. It's like God has spoken to me and said "Jen, go for it. In fact, you deserve a little extra."

Thank you God and Tim Hortons.

How often do companies up and decide, "hey, we should give them more and not charge anything extra". Only in Canada my friends. Sorry to my American girls - I know there are select Timmies in the US - but you are truly missing out on Canada's best, and most cherished, asset.

This is the best Timmies commercial ever - I nearly cry everytime...double-double!

like a hangover without the fun of the night before...

2012-01-23T06:58:00.056-05:00

So, originally, I had thought I might do an update post to explain what's gone on in my life in the last year. I've scratched that idea because I'm pretty sure I can't remember what the heck has happened in the last twenty four hours, let alone twelve months...

What I will do is share with you the joys of my first trimester with baby deux and we'll start from there.

When I set out to get pregnant the first time 'round, I had realistic expectations. If you're interested in reading about my previous baby-making "business" (and it is business, not pleasure), read here. So, when we finally decided to give it a go with baby number two, as much as I didn't want to... I had expectations. MISTAKE.

I tried to tell myself, and everyone around me, that because we had such an "easy" time getting pregnant with Jane, that I fully expected it to take us longer this time - being that you can't get lucky twice in a row. But, in reality, I was hoping and expecting that it wouldn't take us long to get pregnant. That's almost the hardest part about making the decision to start trying... the expectations. Never fail, as soon as we say "lets do it" (literally and figuratively :p), we want to be pregnant instantaneously. This is obviously human nature otherwise Clear Blue wouldn't have a hope in hell with their "ovulation indicators" and such (and I'll fully admit, I bought a ton online when I was trying to get preggers the first time only to have them arrive two weeks after I found out I was pregnant...). So, despite what we tell ourselves, we hold out hope that conception will occur almost miraculously once we make the big decision. Then, to make matters "worse", what happens?

You find out that one of your friends is pregnant...

"YAY. I'm so happy for you (I hate you). Congratulations (screw you and your fertile eggs)! You must be so excited (you ungrateful, bragging....)!" :p

You know it was my goal when I set out to re-start the blog that I keep my posts short... I guess it's just not my style. I blabber uncontrollably and get off topic religiously... really? Since this post was supposed to be about my first trimester and I've yet to mention a thing about it yet. Right on track Jen. Spot on.

Here we go...

I went through three costco boxes of pregnancy tests in two months... that's 12 tests... apparently I don't believe in the accuracy of the first three tests. I took tests even when I knew, logically, that there was no way, pregnant or not, they could come back positive... just to see, just in case! :p

Then it happened. Month two. TMI alert. One night, I felt the "letdown" sensation like I used to when I breastfed. Of course, to avoid future heartbreak, I convinced myself that maybe it was just a sign of ovulation or something. Regardless, I took one of 8 tests that night... just in case. Negative. Waited a few days. Negative. Another day but first thing in the morning. Negative. Three more days. Negative.

Then something.
Me: "Is that a faint line?"
Dan: "No."
Me: "I think it is. Look hard. If you look at it close in the light, it's really faint but I can kind of see it..."
Dan: "You're crazy"
Two more tests a few days later confirmed (faintly) what I really wanted to believe... I was pregnant.

Then you have a few weeks of uninterrupted bliss before the hangover starts... with Jane, I never had morning sickness. I had insomnia. But no sickness. This time around? It's like having a hangover everyday without the fun of the night before. Exhausted - like can't hold your eyes open at any point in the day exhausted. Nausea of all ranges. Wanting to throw-up just because you're praying it will make you feel better. Wanting to throw yourself out a window to avoid the scent of a certain food. And, yet, you have cravings for ridiculous foods like calamari and ketchup chips.

I was only lucky enough to have had it only last a month or two. When I reached the 11-12 week mark it just kind of faded. I'm still zonkered half of the time. I go to sleep at 8:30pm on a "late" night. But the nausea has settled, or I've learned how to avoid it - by stuffing my face with crackers as if my body needs them like it needs oxygen.

But here I am. Through my first trimester. Doesn't pregnancy seem like the longest 10 months of your life? And, then, all of a sudden it's your due date and it seems like it flew by.

When I compare my two pregnancies, the biggest difference so far is ME. With my first pregnancy, I was obsessed with doing everything "right". I avoided caffeine of all types, ate nothing that might even potentially have some sort of bacteria in it, turned my head at the sight of alcohol... I even checked the temperature of a few of my baths, just in case, they were above 38 degrees. This time, we'll say I'm a little more relaxed... I've had a few too many drinks on several occasions, I eat whatever I want, I drink 2-3 coffee a day and live in the hot tub. LIE. But I've definitely had a few sips of vino, eaten some goat cheese I wasn't 100% sure was pasteurized, and I don't bathe next to a thermometer anymore. I'm hoping I can carry this more relaxed, easy-going attitude into life with two... unlikely, but a girl can dream.

For those with two or currently baking baby number two - is your second pregnancy any different for you?

I'm back...

2012-01-19T20:12:00.000-05:00

I hope you don't take that as a threat...

I've been wanting to write this post on and off for a year - ever since I bowed out last January. So, why now? I could say that, like my one-week-old gym membership, I finally had enough saying "I should do this" and, instead, I am following through on what I should be doing. What I want to be doing but am scared to start because I'm nervous I won't be able to follow through. Here's the good news. You have me, guaranteed, for at least the next 18 months. Is that enough of a commitment for you?

Why 18 months?

Those of you who haven't become friends of mine on Facebook, didn't see this message:

Get it?

If you are suffering from severe MOmMy bRaIn and are sitting in front of your screen thinking "she wants to know whether I think she should buy pink or blue booties?!?!?" here's the simplified version: I am about to get really fat for a really good reason. Again...

I. Am. Preggers.

Due July 26th, 2012, in case that is also not obvious. So, you've got six months of whining about being a fat-ass who has no control of her bodily functions and then GLORIOUS maternity leave. And, oh, as much as I truly love my job, I have to admit, I am looking forward to maternity leave. Thank GOD for Canadian maternity leave. And now I'm screwed because I've just convinced myself that by suggesting maternity leave is an enjoyable, relaxing, vacation, I've just set myself up for the child from hell. Fantabulous.

Regardless, why does all this mean I am starting the blog back up? Answer: I need you guys. I need the support, understanding - the empathy. Because here's a statement that will rock your world. Men. Don't. Get. It. I love my husband but when it comes to pregnancy, he also suffers from daddy-no-brain.

Example...
Scene: Sunday morning. I'm 11 weeks pregnant. Foraging through the pantry for my second breakfast.
Dan: "I saw a girl last night who's 18 weeks pregnant and you look WAY more pregnant than she does"
Me: Imagine a rabid wolf put into a cardboard box with a bunch of fluffy white bunnies fattened up on carrots... carnage.

Even my MALE doctor thought that was hilariously insane... Like entering a mine-field. Dancing. Wearing snow shoes. Even another male realized the stupidity of his statement. Maybe I've been blessed with a sweetheart who's less pregnancy-intelligent than the average joe. Regardless, you can give Dan partial thanks for my return. The other thanks goes to pure desire to be around y'all again. I miss the "me toos" and "wtfs" and, less, the "you're screwed dude" comments.

I am also hoping, praying and begging that having my blog back as a "project" will keep me from becoming the beached whale that my appetite is dictating I become. I made the mistake the other day of looking back at my weekly belly-bump pics from my first pregnancy. FAIL. At least at the beginning of your first pregnancy, you're delusional, completely unaware of the catastrophe that your body is about to become. I actually, truly envisioned a Giselle-esque barely-there-bump that would be barely noticeable. HA! Now I'm aware of the reality and it sucks. It's not being pregnant part that's the hardest... I mean, I'm not gonna lie, the last 6-8 weeks suck. There is nothing sexy about a 38 week pregnant woman, don't care what kind of "oh, it's natural and it's beautiful" crap you try to tell me... it ain't true. We waddle, our hips have expanded to twice their normal width, our boobs have given up trying to hold themselves up and decided to just become one with our bellies, oh, and if that's not enough, we leak gas from every part of our bodies without control and we pee a little bit when we laugh or sneeze. That, unbelievably, is 100% excusable and when you realize that your husband must unconditionally love your bitchy-gigantic-ass.

What sucks about the second pregnancy is knowing how much the after sucks. How much it sucks to have all this weight to lose and have no energy to try... in fact, the exhaustion is like the devil sitting on your shoulder telling you "eat another Oreo... what's the worst that could happen?" Here's the bright light: what I'm told from mothers of two or more is that you're so effin' busy with two kids that the weight falls off because you're constantly running your arse off and forgetting to eat. I can attest to this even with one Jane that there's been days I've gotten to 11am and thought "have I eaten yet today? And known, instantly, that if I have to ask, the answer is "no"?"... of course, then I eat a monster lunch to compensate! :p With that all said, people told me with my first pregnancy that breastfeeding would burn all my calories... apparently they didn't mean the 600 calories in a row of Oreos. Yes. I know how many calories are in a full row of Oreos... bite me. :p

Ok. I'm done. Have to save some complaining, whining and nonsense for the next 18 months. Hopefully you're glad to have me back.

If so, pass me along to some of your mommy friends. The more the merrier and a better chance of finding someone who's got the key to survival when we all reach that point of having no idea what to do... which, if I remember correctly from bambino numero uno, is how I felt daily.

Updated pictures of the family to come, in case that floats your boat. We've got plenty of time to catch up, trust me! xoxo.

Hello & Goodbye

2011-01-20T19:31:00.004-05:00

Although I am obviously no longer writing MOmMy bRaIn, I wanted to write a message for those dropping by for the first time.

Personally, when I visit a blog and see it hasn't been updated in days, let alone weeks or months, my level of interest drops as quickly as a twenty-year-old's pants (originally I had sixteen-year-old and then remembered I had a daughter and that, obviously, I should be setting the standard higher). :p

Anyways, back to my point... Although I don't update the blog anymore with my ramblings, there's still tons of crap (for lack of a better word) that I would have loved to have known or not known before having my first baby or while I was surviving the first year as a new Mom (survival is the KEY word).

This blog was my lifeline during that first year - my connection to the outside world and my saving grace on days when I had no freakin' idea what the hell I was doing (pretty much every day - Oh, and that's still the case, I've just gotten used to it now).

If I write any longer, I risk getting "addicted" AGAIN and attempting to re-ignite the blog AGAIN and failing miserably AGAIN because I just don't have the time (exactly like I don't have "time" for the gym :p).

For those of you looking to live through the ups and downs of a first-time Momma, my Archives are listed in the right sidebar - in case it ain't obvious, you might want to start with my first post (DUH!) which was in May of 2009.

If you're just looking for a taste - check out my personal favourites.

Looking back on the last 19 months, if I could give one piece of advice to new Moms or Moms-to-be, it would be:

Take all the crap people tell you with a grain of salt - this includes what the "experts" who write the books say - and follow your instincts. If your instincts suck, ask your Mom. If your Mom's instincts suck, blame her for your crappy instincts and laugh about it. In short, ignore everything that makes you feel like you're not good enough or not doing the "right" things because, by nature, as a Mom you're most definitely doing your best to do all the right things for YOU and YOUR BABY!

xoxoxo

PS - Obviously, I had to include some recent pics of my love bug and I. She is such a character - so much fun and so exhausting all at the same time!

Writer's Block

2010-10-13T18:23:00.000-04:00

This week I have writer's block... which is weird and technically shouldn't apply to a blog because it's basically just writing about my life and my nonsense. Regardless, I can't think of anything funny or important to say.

Our "road trip" was shockingly awesome... and we even got lost on the way to the resort and basically went three hours out of our way. Dan and I complained more that Jane. She was all "ba, ba, ba" when she saw a tour bus and "caw, caw, caw" when she saw a car... and Dan and I were all "my a** hurts", "this is effin' brutal", "oh my G** are we there yet?". tee hee hee. Jane was even an angel during the wedding, at one point during the reception, I was having a conversation for well over a half an hour while she played quietly with her food - making a complete mess but who cares about that, I got to have an adult conversation! On the way home, Jane slept the entire 3 hour drive. She hasn't had a three hour nap in 8 months! (Side note: yes, it took us 7 hours to get there on the way).

I've been working my way through my Christmas shopping - if you've not been following since last year then you don't realize that I'm a Christmas-a-holic and I usually have my shopping done and gifts wrapped by early November. :) This year Christmas is more fun than ever as Jane's personality is becoming pretty clear and it's easier to find gifts I think she will enjoy. I'm trying to stick to the "classics" or updated versions of classic toys - instruments, puzzles, pretend play stuff, etc.

Ok, if you want the God's honest truth - I'm sure I could find more nonsense to talk about but Dan just turned Glee on and YAY the new blond guy is back and I really like him.

Oh, on a side note, I had a dream about "Riggins" last night... Friday Night Lights. Taylor Kitsch. Thank you very much Mr. Sandman. :)

Random Nonsense

2010-10-07T19:45:00.002-04:00

It's amazing to see their little personalities bloom... obviously you have an influence on who they will become but some things are innate. I mean, I didn't teach my child to be such a character...

Tonight in the bathtub (we still do bath time together in the tub), I was having the time of my life. The fun of having kids is getting to be a kid again yourself... I forgot how much fun splashing and screaming at the top of your lungs could be! :p

We're going on a "road trip" this weekend. Four hours in the car with a 16 month old. Should be interesting. Will more likely be a six hour trip as I suspect we'll have to pull over a few times to let the monkey run and stretch her legs - sounds like I'm talking about a thoroughbred. :p I've picked up a few new books as Jane loves "reading" (i.e. pointing at all the pictures and flipping the pages so quickly I can't read the words) so that may work for like 30 minutes. I'm also hitting the grocery store for all the essential nutrition-out-the-window because I need things that keep my child occupied snacks - includes things like baked cheetos, marshmallows, etc. Obviously, these "cards" are only put on the table during desperate situations like when I'm tired and need a break. tee hee hee.

Hotels are such a pain in the behind when you have a toddler... mainly due to the eating situation. No fridges in a lot of hotel rooms nowadays, so where do you put your milk? And, of course, no microwaves! How long does it truly take to heat up a bottle with hot water? I have no idea cause I've never done it. :p Thankfully, we've rented a cottage that has a little eating area with fridge and microwave... I'm totally not a cottage type of girl. Cottages = camping to me. Tents = hmmmm, doesn't matter cause it ain't happening. However, the benefits of the cottage far out weigh the "risks" (beds that don't have duvets and have those nasty, floral, bacteria-infested quilt covers - YUCK) when travelling with a toddler - the kitchen, the fridge, the microwave, the separate bedrooms - so we don't have to watch tv in the dark, with no volume from 7pm onward, etc.

Ok, I've done enough blabbering nonsense for now - it's 8:40pm and it's time for me to go upstairs under the guise of reading my parenting book only to fall asleep 10 minutes in. Yes, I am THAT cool. Deal. You should all aspire to achieve my level of coolness. :p

Wow, this is the most random post ever. ha ha ha. I started off just planning on sharing that picture with y'all then I thought, well they don't care about just looking at pictures of Jane all day (you're crazy for that by the way :p) so I started writing about the weekend and then I ended up complaining about hotels. The woman's brain is fascinating - so many things going on all at the same time. We are truly spectacular creatures... :p Although, some nights when I'm lying awake thinking about a bazillion things all at once, I crave the simpler mind of our male counterparts. I'm pretty sure, in 7 years together, Dan's never been up "thinking about things" during the night. The thought is hilarious. And here I go again with another random topic...

Night.

Why I can't make mom friends

2010-10-07T17:51:00.001-04:00

This is priceless... I have to admit, as much as I'm the chick on the right, I've definitely had moments where I tried to be "Mrs. Perfect" on the left.... Dan would call these my "Monica moments".

This is so true however as far as the back-n-forth some Moms try to get you into - the competition. Totally wish the video wasn't so robotic because I think it would be even more hilarious if it were done with real people, real expressions and voices. I can just see my girlfriend Kristie in the roll of "chick on the right"... although I'm pretty sure she would have strangled Mrs. Perfect as would I.

Thanks to Lena over at Listen to Lena for passing this one along. Check out her blog right now for a chance to win a crazy expensive Britax stroller!

Enjoy.

Know These Sites?

2010-10-06T18:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Facebook and some good friends, some fabulous, $$ saving websites have been sent my way and I am officially addicted!

I'm sure there are bazillions more, so feel free to share (please! just don't tell my hubby :p).

The deal with these sites seems to be either one daily deal (posted the same time everyday with limited stock) or multiple daily deals (again, with limited stock)... so basically what I'm saying is, if you want to save $$, check the sites regularly. We're talking dedication people.

Most of these sites offer big discounts - 50%+ - off brandnames... things I look out for are shoes for Jane or unique toys. Now that she's walking, I like to buy her good, comfortable, made for walking, infant shoes... and just like most things, paying more for them makes me feel like they are better shoes and are best for her - so they end up costing me a fortune! All of these sites have baby items and have had Robeez, Pediped and so on for half price! YIPEE!

They also have great stuff for house and home, and also important, YOU! :)

Here's a few:
Totsy - Multiple deals daily - mostly kids/Mom related
Baby Half Off - one daily deal, kids related
Hautelook - multiple fabulous daily deals - kids, house, men, women, shoes, bags - a dream really!
BabySteals and KidSteals - my favourite is babysteals, they have the best stuff - and are now doing two daily steals (9am and 9pm MST) - you have to be quick, quick, quick.
Mother of a Daily Deal - I'm pretty sure they don't actually have "daily deals" but sometimes the deal is good - but the stock seems to be low, so whenever they offer the deal, if you can find out, hop on it cause the stock disappears QUICK.

The other thing I've learned is that signing up for "newsletters" and so on is worth the few extra emails you get in your inbox. I always used to avoid providing my emails to retailers but now, at my fav stores, I'm all over it. I haven't paid full price at Old Navy, Gap, etc. in a while. Also, you get alerts on the sales asap so you can make your way to the store before all the sizes are gone.

Signing up for services like RedFlagDeal's weekly newsletter is also awesome - gives you the best deals of the week. This is where I often find out about 50% off days at Gap and so on. Did you know that Old Navy and Gap (et. al.) are now offering online shopping in Canada - WHOPEE! A few weeks ago, they were having 30% off all baby stuff PLUS on LouLou I found a code for an extra 15% off all Gap, ON, etc. stuff.

Have some more deals-n-steals sites you want to share - or likely not with how quickly stock runs out :p - please do!

Terrible Twos?

2010-10-05T18:07:00.000-04:00

Is it at all possible that my 16 month old is going through the "terrible twos"?

There are things I will take responsibility for - like the fact that she won't go to sleep without a nummy - that's my fault, yes - but the drama, the rebellion, the defiance, where did this come from? Is it my fault?

Some days are fabulous. And, honestly, I thought Jane was getting "better" - i.e. she seems to respond to "No" more now vs. laughing at you. But some days I feel like I am disciplining (i.e. yelling at her and taking things away from her and making her screech) for hours at a time!

For instance, tonight, we were drawing on the white board together... and, of course, she started to try and draw on the entertainment unit. So, I started with the "no's" and that worked. But, then she started trying to put the marker in her mouth. By the third time, I took the marker away from her. She cried bloody murder. And, it's things, on and off, like this for hours on end! Another example - again, tonight - we were reading books and we had already read this book five times, backwards and frontwards and upside down, so I put that book down to grab another one. Well, didn't I basically get whacked in the face with the book as Miss Drama screamed at me, pushing the book in my face, demanding we read that book again. So, I said a firm "no", lifted her off me, and walked away. To me, this seems like the common sense approach to not spoiling her - she misbehaves and I do not give her what she wants, letting her know that the way she has behaved will not have good consequences, non? HELP!!

What the heck do I do? I hate that some days the few hours I get to spend with her in the evenings are bouts of screeching because she acts defiantly and I won't give her her way in between periods of fun. Seriously, what the heck do I do? Or am I doing the right things?

Am I doing something wrong? Sometimes I feel like I'm the worst Mom ever! I worry that I'm so worried about "spoiling her" that I'm over-disciplining her... as much as I don't want a spoiled brat, I hate that she's crying all the time - well, not all the time, but you know what I mean - tonight we had two-three breakdowns! Am I responding to the breakdowns properly? Honestly, I have no idea how to respond to them! I usually just try to distract her away from what's making her screech and that works. But should I just ignore her? Obviously I shouldn't comfort her, right? I don't know! AHHHHH!! This is serious rocket science. Being a parent is HARD, HARD, HARD. Having to worry about all the consequences of your actions - knowing that they will affect the little person you are helping develop is STRESSFUL!

I'm reading a book right now. It's been awhile since I resorted to reading a book by the "experts" but this book is from the same series I relied on during pregnancy, babyhood and now the toddler period - The Mother of All... series. And, it says all the things I am describing above (about the drama, defiance, independance, etc.) are "normal". Yeah, well they sure don't feel normal when I'm getting notes from daycare saying my daughter needs to work on her "listening ears". The over-protective Mom in me wants to rationalize it and say that Jane is just advanced and going through the terrible twos early. But, I'm really just worried that Dan and I aren't being effective in disciplining Jane or that we're not responding properly when she throws these tantrums. I haven't gotten far enough into the book to read what you should and should not do or suggested strategies for discipline. Maybe I'm doing the right things? AHHH! Maybe I should read further.

Any suggestions? Has anyone been through this or am I all on my own here?

Smart Shopping Ladies

2010-10-01T18:54:00.002-04:00

I"ve written about this before... and saved TONS - insane amounts of money by buying Jane's clothes for the next year at the end of this years season - does that makes sense? In other words, I buy summer clothes for next year at the end of summer this year.

It's not rocket science. I usually just guess sizing and, so far, it's worked out perfectly - for example, right now Jane is wearing either 18-24mth or size 2 pants because she's tall. But, otherwise, they are quite big on her cause she's also slim. So, I'm buying size 3 bottoms for her. They may be a little big, but, chances are, they'll be perfecto!

Here's what you need to know NOW - Old Navy is giving an additional 50% off their clearance items right now!!! Get out there now ladies! The key - don't just look in your kids size area because items are all mixed in together so it's worth searching a few racks to find some goodies. FYI, there was little to no boys stuff where I'm at, so may not be worth it if you're blessed with a little man (sorry).
Here's what I got:
5 Pairs of shorts
10 Pairs of capris/leggings
10 T-shirts/Tank tops
3 Dresses
So, 28 items and basically Jane's entire summer wardrobe next year.

And here's the even better news - I paid $89 in total, including tax. Which means that I paid less than $3 per item pre-tax! In truth, certain items were only 98 cents but I averaged it all up to make it easy!!!
Wanna know how much I saved? $416. That's how much it would have cost for all my items at regular price. I love sales. Sales make me so happy. I love to save money. Now, my hubby would say - "why are you wasting money on summer clothes right now" - but men aren't forward thinkers, they are now thinkers. Dan thinks
do we really need to spend $100 now on clothes for next year. He doesn't think, spending $100 now will save us over $400 next year. Thank God for me! :p ha ha ha. I can rationalize murder.

Get your behind down to Old Navy quick and do some smart shopping! Although I sound like an Old Navy advertisement, I am obviously not paid by Old Navy for marketing. However, if Old Navy would like to pay me, I am 4000% open to that :p ha ha ha.

Here's the monkey in something that wasn't on sale but was so cute I'm going to share anyways!

Book-Free Room

2010-09-28T07:15:00.000-04:00

Judge all you want but I created a "book-free" playroom in my basement. We, of course, we spend most of our time in the playroom upstairs which is packed full of books. But, sometimes, we just need a break.

So, last week - on Sunday - I wanted to watch football. I know, worst Mom in the world right? So, I brought some toys downstairs - including bringing the outdoor slide inside for the winter (I'm a genius, yes). Voila! I set up a chair and ottoman for myself and it was awesome. You know when you bring your kid to someone else's house who has kids and they are occupied for hours because of the new environment and new toys. This is what my basement is like now.

Jane loves to read, which, of course, I love. I love reading to her. And I love it when she comes to me, snuggles on my chest and brings a books with her - every two-three minutes. But, every now and then, I need to go to a place where she can play by herself - which I'm told is good for development and makes me feel less guilty - and I can relax, write on the blog, check facebook, or 30 mins of football, uninterrupted! :p So, we have a book-free zone. Really not so much "book-free" but if you want the PC term - an "independent play area". Whateves - I'm a good enough Mom to not feel guilty calling it what it is - a break room. She loves it and so do I. Highly recommended if you have the space.

The New Look

2010-09-27T08:16:00.003-04:00

Thought with my sort of hiatus combined with my sort of "come back", that it was time for a new look. Plus, I'm feeling like we're all a little more grown up now and, so, the blog's design should follow. Mostly, I was probably just bored after Jane went to bed last night and took it out on the blog.

Regardless, you're in the right place.

The Guessing Game

2010-09-26T07:15:00.002-04:00

There's nothing worse than when your babe is sick. And worse, when you know their not only sick but also in pain. You've given them the tylenol or the advil and, yet, you're still rocking, and shhhh-ing a crying, upset baby. Or, like me, giving up on the idea of a good night's sleep and settling into the guest room with Jane sleeping on my chest while I lie, uncomfortable and hot as h-e-double hockey sticks (that's h-e-l-l for those of you suffering from major MB)... but she sleeps and, eventually, sweaty and aching, I pass out as well.

No idea what was going on last night. As I said last week, Jane's just getting over hand, foot and mouth disease which was awesome fun. But after two nights of, literally, no sleep - and I mean no sleep, I don't mean that whole "she was up all night" like we used to say when they were young and woke up every 2-3 hours, she was literally awake all night, up every 10-15 minutes. ROCKIN. She started sleeping, no more fever, little rash disappearing, etc. Then, yesterday. Touch her skin. Fever. Come about 8-9 month, thermometers are no longer needed, you feel their skin, their burning hands, and you know - fever. Wicked. So begins the guessing game.

Even the doctors play this game. Last week when I brought Jane to the docs, as usual, I got the "virus" talk... mysterious rash, fever, boogers = virus apparently. "Just a respiratory virus Jen, continue with saline spray, advil/tylenol as needed, humidifier, etc.". Everytime I go there, it's some mysterious virus that has no treatment except saline spray, humidifier and several nights without sleep... so basically no treatment. It was MY FABULOUS DAYCARE GIRLS who accurately diagnosed Jane with hand, foot and mouth... they've seen it all.

But usually, I play the guessing game alone... to avoid the "virus talk" from my doc. Is it just me or do you also feel judged every time you bring your little one to the doc. If it's something serious, I feel judged because I let it go two days without coming in for an appt. AND WORSE, if I DARE go to a walk-in clinic because my doc was booked up for too long for me to leave it un-assessed. If it's a "virus", I feel judged because I brought her in AGAIN for something that has no treatment and is "obviously" a virus! :p *My doc is great, I'm not critisizing him, I think most of it is things I make up in my head because I'm a woman and I over analyze things*

So, yesterday, I played the guessing game, and - as usual - my go-to culprit was teething. Teething sucks. Jane's "fangs" are coming in. I couldn't remember that they were called canines and called them fangs and my bro-in-law told me I was too into the vampires crap! :p ha ha ha. I guess in the long run, it's great that Jane's teeth seem to come in in twos. But combining fever and pain = crappy sleep and that stinks for everybody. AND, it always seems that Jane's teething is always in line with her being sick. I'm curious if teething lowers you immune system protection? I don't know how - maybe because your body is working to bring the teeth in so doesn't have the energy to fight bugs? That's my theory and I know it's wrong and I don't care. :p

The guessing game stinks - because it can work out well - like in the case where you guess it's "just a virus", avoid the judgmental doctors trip, and proceed with the useless "treatments" - or it can work out crappily (made that word up) and you can end up in a state of guilt because you let your babe go on two or three days with laryngitis without constant pain reliever... like I did in June. :p

Here's my question for you - what the heck do you dress your babe in when he/she has a fever for bed? My doc said, after two nights of me doing the opposite, that you should leave them in whatever they usually sleep in. My thought was, with burning skin and a high fever, wouldn't they be hot? I can't remember how I feel when I have a fever...???

Craziness Update

2010-09-22T18:06:00.000-04:00

Thought about "you" (by you, I mean you guys - my other Mommas) today when I did something totally stupid and wanted to share... twice today I did stupid mommy brain things that made me feel so cool! :p One - I pulled into a parking spot. Got my change out to put in the meter. Walked up to the meter... for the spot that was next to the spot my car was parked in. Awesome. Two - Pulled into a different parking spot. Put money in the meter. There was already 108 minutes on the meter to begin with and I added money. Awesome.

In all fairness, it's because I'm exhausted. Jane's got hand, foot and mouth disease. Another awesome. It's a virus with fever, rash, sore throat, sores on hands, feet and mouth, and a bazillion other things that have resulted in (1) my child screeching randomly throughout the day (2) no sleep, literally, for either of us - no naps, no sleep, nothing - for two days and (3) a cold for momma. So, like I said, in my defense, I'm running on empty. Thankfully I am able to put on a good front for work and only pull out the MB moments when I'm outside of offices - as far as I know :p

Other updates - a few weeks back, I wanted to ask you about what the heck you do with a child who thinks "no" is funny and is a game? However, the last week or so, Jane seems to have come around, a little (knocking on wood), with the whole discipline situation... a little. She still tests us - purposely doing something she knows will result in a "no" to see if it works. I think she thinks it's a game. Like she'll climb up on the couch, stand up (oh me nerves) and jump (Dear Lord help me) and when I come stomping in to grab her, saying "Jane, NO!" she starts cracking up. When I take her in the other room to "no and distract" as my mom says, she immediately runs back to the couch and starts climbing up. So, people say "why don't you try not responding to her"... and I have tried that. However, when your 15 month old is standing on the edge of the couch, bouncing, not responding might not be the best action, disciplinary or not. :p "Yes, Doctor, just like I said, she broke her arm because I was trying to teach her 'no' by letting her do the wrong thing and not responding"... hello, child services.

Ok, well, perhaps just because I said I wasn't going to write anymore that lately I've started to feel the desire to write again... ha ha ha, a woman always wants what she can't have.

I may be around a little... who knows! :p No commitment though! tee hee hee

Here's a few update pics of my little monkey:

So cute, So true...

2010-09-10T05:18:00.003-04:00

There are a few I can really relate to... Thanks Lindsay.

No Desire...

2010-08-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

I could come up with a bazillion excuses for why I haven't been blogging lately... and I've probably got some good ones. But, fact is, I just don't have the desire. A year ago, I couldn't get enough. I would pre-write posts for weeks in advance because I just didn't have the time to keep up with all the writing I wanted to do. Today. Zip. I got nothing. I can't think of anything to inspire me (I don't mean I don't have inspiration, I guess motivation is the word not inspiration). I could absolutely write about squat but it would suck because I am not into it.

This struggle kind of makes me feel like when you're trying to lose weight... most of us go on for week talking about how we need to lose weight and need to exercise, but until we're completely motivated, it's just making us feel guilty and crappier because we know we need to lose weight and we're doing nothing. I know I need to just fess up and say "I'm probably not going to be blogging regularly anymore" but it makes me feel guilty!

But, truth is, if it ain't clear, I'm probably not going to be blogging regularly anymore. This blog has been awesome. I have met some fabulous friends from all over the world and, most importantly, survived the first year as a new Mom with my sanity. I thank everyone for following regularly and being so supportive and, even, to those who have been critical (although I thank you less :p ha ha ha, just kiddin).

I may still "pop in" every once in awhile to give an update on how everyone is doing. Or to ask for advice when I'm completely lost.

Good luck to all of you. Obviously, the blog will remain online and active as I know there are a few of you still using it as a resource to keep your own sanity! :)

Lots of love, xoxoxo
Jen
a.k.a. Mommy Brain

PS - Mommy brain still affects me every now and then. Got to the line up at the grocery store today without my wallet. Awesome.

My Life Update

2010-08-15T19:16:00.000-04:00

Alright Y'all - I owe you some serious nonsense. Life has been insanity lately - between work, being sick, traveling and, oh yeah, being a MOM, blogging has unfortunately taken a back burner. So, here's the last month or so in review...

What I'm wearing
Size 4 or 6! Believe it or not, and you know me, I am definitely NOT bragging, but I weigh less than I did pre-pregnancy now. And there's absolutely no reason for it. I just finished off a bag of sour patch kids and some "mini" chocolates. I think it's just pure busy-ness that's prevented me from gaining weight and allowed me to lose weight. At work, when things are ideal, I'm running my a** off. At home, I'm running my a** off. I still don't exercise. F. I suck at that. I keep thinking I want to take another running room course, and it might just work out in the next month or so.

What I'm watching
Currently... the Bachelor Pad. First time watching - no idea how long it's been on but I was hooked within 30 seconds. Priority numero uno is True Blood though. Dear God can Sookie just get over nasty Bill and get with the were or Eric. Seriously. I realize the two are a couple in real life but I'm over it. Next on my favs list for the summer - an unexpected CANADIAN hit - Rookie Blue. I'll admit, the first few episodes I watched cause nothing else was on... kind of lame, awkward acting, etc. Now. I am insanely obsessed. If you watch - holy MAC - that chemistry between Mcnally and Swarek. PHEW! Insanity. I just wish the entire show was them going back and forth. Other than those, I stick to TMZ which makes me pee my pants daily and that's about it. Looking forward to the return of all my favs in the fall - just hoping they don't can all the shows I got hooked on last year - I hate it when they do that. At least finish the freakin' show off by letting the two people get together in the end - basically every show I get hooked on has the couple who can't be together but secretly want each other storyline.

What I'm worrying about
Everything as usual. This is totally corn-bally but I love Jane so much that it is scary. Obviously, I enjoy every minute with her and I'm truly not the type of person to let worry overtake my life. But, at least daily, my mind wanders to "what if" or I have one of those horrible daydreams I've mentioned a bazillion times and it's just so freakin' stressful! ha ha ha. How do Moms do it? How am I going to let her leave the house on her own, go to school, go somewhere alone, leave for university... does it get easier? Even when I leave Jane with people I trust completely (my sister, daycare, my mom), I envision them leaving a gate open or her getting away from them and getting lost or getting taken or getting hurt. AHHHHH. Am I crazy? Like I said, my mind's not going like this all the time. But it probably is, I'm just not conscious of it. In all honestly, for the same reason I posted that horrible video the other day, I am thankful for the worry because it keeps me on my toes. Obviously there are times when we slip up - we forget to close the gate and find our babes halfway up the stairs (yeah, that was me, I'll admit it), we turn our backs for a second when we shouldn't, etc. But I'd rather be super aware than ignorant... that's just me.

What I'm waiting for
Nothing. I am being 2000% honest when I say that I am enjoying every minute of every day right now! Having kids changes your perspective - yeah, sometimes I still have my moment where I whine about stupid things but mostly, no. I am just happy to have a healthy family, to be happy, to have lots of time to spend with my daughter. That's it. I guess as far as stupid stuff goes - I'm waiting for the Backstreet Boys concert next week - WOOHOO. ha ha ha. Who doesn't want to relive their adolescence for a night?!?! C'mon! Get down! Get down! And move it all around! :p

What I'm dreading.
Having to clean the house tomorrow. Seriously considering hiring a cleaning lady to come in bi-weekly. It's just not worth it anymore. Keeping the house tidy is no biggie. But bathrooms and baseboards? I'd rather exercise and that's saying a lot! My only saving grace is my trusty Clorox wipes. I am loyal to Clorox until the end of days. They were my best friend when Jane was little and cleaning time consisted of the five seconds I was in the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. I am not loyal to much as far as products go - I'm loyal to the cheapest brand, I guess. But I stick with Clorox because I feel indebted to them. ha ha ha. Seriously. Isn't that sad! And because they last forever. I used to see them pre-baby and think, geez, $4 for stupid wipes... expensive. I can get two bottles of concentrated cleaner for that that will last me a year. Now, $4 is nothing. The canister lasts me at least a month and it's worth every extra penny. Sanity is priceless.

What I'm working on
A job change. I know, I just got a new job a few months ago. Well, life works in strange ways. A job came up with a company I had connected with back in the Spring and it is a great opportunity and definitely fits more easily with our lifestyle and our schedules. My current job was shifts, days/nights/weekends. I didn't think it would be so difficult but it really has been a coordination nightmare. Dan's been in and out of town for sports and work and it's just been a mess. I hate being anything but a great, easy, hard working employee. So, to be a pain in the a** because of scheduling, was hard on me. Regardless, I'm a firm "what's meant to be..." chick. So, I'm excited about this new opportunity.

What I need to do now
Go to bed. It's almost 11pm and I should have been asleep hours ago. Jane's got this new "schedule" (I put it in quotations in hopes that it's more of a phase than a schedule) where she wakes up at 5 or 5:30am. It's awesome. And, by awesome, I mean throw the pillow over your head and ask "WHY GOD WHY???" awesome. I don't know why 6am is so much easier or why that extra 30-60 minutes means the difference between acceptable and excruciating but that's the way it is. Everything gets screwed by that extra 30-60 mins.... I eat breakfast at 6am. I'm starving again at 8am. I'm ready to go back to bed by 9am. It's a mess.

Ok, I have to stop now. As requested, here are some pics from our recent trip. Believe it or not, we have like no photos from the wedding. I'm sure the prof pics will have a few of me walking down the aisle with Jane but by the time we got back to the reception, Jane was asleep and that was that! The pics of Jane and Lucy are pre-rehearsal dinner - matching dresses of course! They were hilarious playing together on the bed. Obviously, the beautiful bride is my bestest friend in the whole world and she was literally the most stunning thing I'd ever seen in my life!

Out of the Office :)

2010-08-05T05:58:00.002-04:00

On vacation until Tuesday... Have a great one! :)

Resume Update

2010-08-04T06:06:00.000-04:00

I've decided to update my resume - and I'm putting Mom as my most recent position. I'm 100% serious when I say that I don't see how employers don't line up to give new and experienced Moms a job. We can do ANYTHING. My life is a constant juggle that I make work. I'm an organizational genius. I can prioritize like no one's business. Multi-task is my middle name. Delegation is survival. Seriously. I'm considering listing it under the following title: CEO, CFO & President, The Ellenberger House.

You know what? I think, if you were lucky enough to come by another Mom when applying for a job, that would work in your favour.

However, when most of us head back to work - the questions we get are along the lines of "do you think you can handle the hours?", "aren't you going to be exhausted?"... etc. etc. Are you serious? Exhausted? The hours? Working outside the house is a breeze compared to my former full-time Mom position! :p Working an 8 or 9 hour day is nothing compared to working a 24/7 week on 4 hours of broken sleep. Like I said, we can do anything. Even on day when my previous night's sleep has been horrible because of a sick baby, or a teething baby, or just an "off baby, I survive with a smile on my face - why? - because we have to! When our babes were newbies and barely sleeping 3 hours straight at a time, we didn't wake up grouchy, complaining, and unable to perform our roles as Mommas - we woke up smiling, bouncing, playing and happily taken care of business for our sweetie pies. As opposed to others who may arrive at work on lack of sleep and whimper around, head hanging low, rubbing eyes, etc. (we've all seen it), we arrive to work (on no sleep) smiling and working at the same pace as always - efficiently. At least, I can generally say that for myself. The only time lack of sleep gets me down is when it results in being sick... at that point your body is commanding you to slow down.

On that note, gotta run to work! :)

Travel Tips?

2010-08-03T08:10:00.003-04:00

Anybody have any good traveling with a 14 month old tips for me? Aside from the obvious - drink on the way up/down and so on...

We're off to my best friend's wedding "back home" this weekend and I can't wait! I've been working on my packing list for almost three weeks now and it all seems to be coming together. You may think - three weeks? WTH? But that's how it works. If I were to just sit down and pound out a list right now, I'd forget a thousand things. But, if I start a list weeks in advance, as I'm using necessary things, I write them down... prevents me from having to rely on solely on the immediate power of my brain and allows me to rely on the fact that my brain works in spurts over time vs. on demand! :p ha ha ha.

Here are the things running through my head on a regular basis the last month:
Does my room have a fridge? A lot of hotels have done away with bar fridges. Where am I supposed to keep my milk?
Where will Jane sleep? Do I have to bring my pack-n-play? Does the hotel have "cribs"? Do I really want Jane sleeping in a hotel "crib" (no)? When she does sleep - what will we do? We can't turn on the tv/lights/etc... so we just lie there in the dark from 7pm onward?
What about snacks and mealtimes? I don't carry a high-chair around with me. Most restos have them so that's no biggie for bf/lunch/dinner but what about snack times? I'm not hitting up a resto or store everytime it's snack time. Have to hit up the grocery store on arrival and that leads back to the fridge question (thankfully, I've checked and our hotel does have fridges).
What about heating up the bottles? Most hotels don't have microwaves in the rooms!?!? I'll have to pre-heat in hot water!!! AHHHH! That should be "fun".
Jane's not going to fall asleep with us in the room! She's going to hop up, see us, and laugh. Awesome. Will have to make some fort around her pack-n-play so she can't see us... that should be interesting.
Schedule is thrown out the window I guess. Hoping that doesn't screw up my night's sleeps and the rest of my life when I get home! ha ha ha. On the positive side, it's really the girls at daycare who will have to deal with the consequences - sorry girls! :)
How do you keep a 14 month old occupied during a wedding ceremony?
I should to re-confirm my rental car and hotel and third time. Just to be sure. Imagine if I arrived and there was no car for me. Awesome.
We aren't bringing many toys... is Jane going to go insane? Hmmm, we'll probably be pretty busy running around and Lucy will be around, that's the best toy ever right there! :p
Do I even bother bringing my camera? I love taking pictures but seeing as Dan's not arriving until the weekend, managing Jane and a camera seems like exercise. Nah. Mom will probably have hers and that'll do.
HAH - haven't even mentioned the most exciting part of it all - 1.5 hours on a plane with Jane stuck in a seat with me. Dear Person sitting next to us... you should have paid more and gotten first class. Love, Me. Jane's pretty laid back but, then again, she's not recently be stuck in the same place for almost two hours. Definitely should be an interesting adventure. On the plus, I'm flying Porter and apparently they have free booze. So worst case, Mommy gets tanked and thinks it's funny that Jane is running up and down the aisle yelling at everyone as she passes... :p Here's a thought for you - when traveling alone, what do you do with your child when you have to get into your seat and put your bag under the seat in front of you? Huh. Most people don't think about that until you're on the plane faced with the delima. F. That stupid word again. Seriously? Dilemma. YAY. Only took two tries. Not such a big deal when babes are sturdy enough to sit themselves or stand but the first time I traveled with Jane she was 8 weeks... thankfully, I had my Dad to help me out! On that note. How do you get out your ID and boarding passes and then, WORSE, get them back in your wallet securely with a baby in your arms? Hmmm... Nevermind, I'll have the umbrella stroller. Phew. :p
Oh Man. The airplane is nothing compared to maneuvering security lines and everything. Crap. Didn't even think about that. And people are such dicks too. If I saw a Mom traveling with a baby by herself, I'd help her out or let her skip ahead of the line or something! Sometimes people surprise me though. We'll see. East coasters tend to be kind people - TEND being the key word there. Even "angels" can be a**holes on the wrong day.

K, have to go. I know I'm the worst blogger in the world as far as frequency these days. If you're not back to work yet... welcome to bliss and hell. Bliss in that it's awesome to get back a little of your previous self. Hell in that you want to spend every second you have at home with your sweetie pie and then, when they hit the sheets, you're exhausted!

PLEASE WATCH

2010-07-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

Ladies, ladies, ladies... please watch this video and show it to your hubbies. I know we have all heard this before - don't throw water on a pan that's caught fire, but I know that would have still been my first instinct and I DEFINITELY wouldn't expect it to make things so much worse... scary as heck!

Shoes Please

2010-07-28T19:02:00.000-04:00

I'm serious - I have been looking for white dress shoes for Jane for like a month and a half now! I can't find them anywhere. We have a wedding to be in in a week - no shoes. Although it is a summer wedding, me thinks that barefoot is not church-appropriate, non? :p

I can find tons of black, patent leather shoes for infants but NO WHITE!!! What the heck?!?! What little girl wears a black dress and, therefore, would require black dress shoes? Perhaps, this is why I can't find any white ones. Here's dilema (how the heck do you spell delema? delimna? dilema? dilemma? ahhh there it is - no red line under that one). Mommy brain still in full swing as you can see - although I'm not 100% sure I knew how to spell that pre-baby either! :p Stupid me. Oh, as I was saying (great previous sentence eh? - I almost left it at that without talking about dilemma number two) - delimma number (seriously - I just spelled that wrong again!!! DILEMMA number two is that I don't want to spend $50 on stupid shoes Jane is only going to wear once before she outgrows them! GRRRRRR. Is there a white shoe shortage?

Help. I need options. Quick. My sister needs shoes too or both Jane and "Luce" (Lucy) are going barefoot and beautiful - which, of course, we would think was cute while everyone else would be wondering what kind of mother would send their child out without shoes.

On that note. Only other mother's get that. Sometimes, I hit up the grocery store with Jane and no shoes. Non-moms look at you like your the mother from hell (That mom is so lazy she couldn't even put shoes on her child! HORRIBLE!). Other moms get it. Shoes are a pain in the A** sometimes. First of all, by the time I get to the store, both shoes are off and have likely been thrown at my head while driving. Secondly, if we make it into the store with the shoes we, never fail, end up backtracking through Sobeys looking for the $50 shoe that got dropped on the floor between the meat dept and the frozen food aisle (basically the entirety of the store of course). Thankfully, usually, I end up finding said shoe at customer service as someone was nice enough to see a tiny shoe and think I might need it... thank God for other Moms! Only another Mom would see a baby shoe on the floor and realize what would have happened.

Similar to that "note" is the fact that sometimes, and by sometimes I mean almost daily, I go out in public without realizing that my child's face is full of food. Non-moms look at you with disgust - That mom doesn't even care enough to clean their child! HORRIBLE! Moms get it - not only is my child's face full of food but it's likely that my own face, teeth and hair haven't been cleaned either. This morning, for example, I dropped Dan and Jane off to "work" (obviously Jane was going to daycare). I took her out of the car seat and handed her to Dan, then went to kiss her goodbye and realized breakfast was all over her face. Awesome. So, I did what any self-respecting mother would do and washed her face with my thumb and spit... ha ha ha, special. At least until Dan said "enough hun, she looks fine" and cut me off. I've literally gone to the playground before with an entire container of yogurt on Jane's face without even noticing... and it's only for the fact that it's other Moms there that I don't even bother explaining myself because I know they get it... it's only when I get down there and realize that she's got lunch on her face and no shoes on that I feel the need to explain myself. ha ha ha.

Alrighty, time for TMZ and tea. :)

"Leash" Time

2010-07-23T05:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, that title makes this sound crude... but it's not.

Lately, now that Jane is walking as her primary "method of transportation", I've been having these horrible "daydreams" about her getting hit by a car. I know. It's graphic. It's brutal and it ROTS my mind. Obviously, I don't sit around "daydreaming" about this but, it seems, no matter what these days, I'll be lying in bed getting ready to fall asleep and no matter where my mind wanders, somehow, my "day-nightmare" ends up with my precious baby running out onto the road, or running away from me in a parking lot, or.... you get it. My stomach turns.

So, I'm off today to get a kiddie "leash"... I know they aren't leashes and a lot of people don't like that term but I've got a sense of humour, I'm not ashamed of my desire to have my baby within my reach at all times and I don't care what anyone will think when I'm walking through Walmart or down my own street with my sweet baby Jane hooked by my side.

I remember my neighbour had one for her son with a little teddy bear backpack thingy-me-jigger on it and he LOVED it. He used to carry it around with him when he wasn't even hooked into it.

Personally, between the bad drivers, the drivers on cell phones, the (WORSE, and I have no problem saying right now that I don't like you people AT ALL) people who TEXT WHILE DRIVING, and the people who are never paying attention no matter what they are doing, I want to make sure there is never a risk that Jane will dash away from me and into danger. I mean, we were just walking to the mailbox the other day (a five second trip that now takes 45 minutes but is so worth it to see how happy Jane is to be out and independent), and it was like she waited for the exact time the bus was driving by to make a dash for the road... she wasn't even any where near the edge of the sidewalk when I grabbed her but, regardless, my heart stopped!

Obviously, you can't protect them from everything. I mean, Jane's knees are totally skinned from our little jaunts to the mailbox but scratches, cuts, broken bones, colds, flus, etc. I can deal with. Other things, that shall remain nameless, I would obviously like to avoid - DUH - and will do everything I can to do so.

FYI... just looked up the PC term and it's a "child safety harness" not a "leash".

So, I'm off to Walmart this AM to pick up the cutest, tricked-out, backpack, teddy bear leash I can find.

I just realized to add to the list of bad drivers and such, the world is also filled with creepers. How many times have you heard "I turned my back for one second and she was gone"... heart. stopping. Looking forward to my "child safety harness", whatever, my leash, even more now. Actually kind of excited about the peace of mind it will bring me! :)

Here's pictures from last night's supper... apparently Jane's a big fan of lasagna and peekaboo. :p

Celebrity Rant

2010-07-21T19:51:00.001-04:00

Dear Tom Cruise,
I'm pretty certain I'm like the only person left in the world who doesn't think you're some crazy alien-loving weirdo... therefore, you should definitely send me some money. Thank you. PS - Wish you were taller or that someone hadn't pointed out to me just how short you are.

Dear Mel Gibson,
Seriously? You used to be so hot. Look up "money can't buy you happiness" in the dictionary and there you are... hmmm, then again, maybe you're happy, you're just psychotic.

Dear Lindsay Lohan,
Holy S***. If you were my daughter, I would have handcuffed you to a rehab bed and left you there... like 10 years ago.

Dear Taylor Lautner and Zac Efron,
How come 17 yr old boys didn't look like you when I was 17?

Dear Angelina Jolie,
I like you but you need to eat a sandwich. Workout plan? Oh, yeah, "chasing around 45 kids" or whatever you have... yeah, sure. Probably nothing to do with the fact that you are likely a vampire or some creepy crap and are still living off Billy Bob Thorton's blood. Eat something, you're not a good role model for you daughters when you weigh less than them!

Dear Justin Beiber,
I wish there were more reasons to dislike you but you're just so darn cute and I can't help but get your songs in my head.... baby, baby, baby ohhhhhhh.

Dear Taylor Swift,
I love that you are such a good role model for the little ladies (and, whateves, I admit that I love your crazy teenage songs). But do something questionable, at least once or you're going to end up like Britney in 5 years - shaving your head, stealing clothes from the homeless and pretending they are acceptable outside-the-house wear. The whole dating John Mayer thing was on the right track... Keep tryin.

Dear TV people,
What gives you the right to take the summers off? Every one else (teachers excluded, they deserve it and don't make a bazillion a year) has to work all year round... suck it up. I'm sick of watching So You Think You Can Dance and HGTV cause nothing else is on.

Dear Justin Timberlake,
When did we forget that you had a curly blond "fro" and sang songs like "Dirty Pop" and "Bye, Bye, Bye" (which I'm not saying I didn't like... 15 years ago!). And people say Tommie Boy is a brain washer... you've even convinced 50 cent you're not a fanny boy. You drive me crazy.

Dear Kim Kardashian,
Give me your body and your hair and, as long as I can keep my daughter and my husband, can I have your rich NFL boyfriends too? Thanks girlfriend!

Dear Jennifer Anniston,
Time to give up on the rom-coms honey. You either need to try to pitch a "Rachel on my own" TV series or just give up. Oh, and don't dare do another movie with douchebag Gerard Butler anymore... yucko.

Dear Bachelor/Bachelorette Casting People,
Enough with the douchebags already... perhaps a new screening process like ASKING people if they have girlfriends first?!?! OR, maybe (this is revolutionary I know) NOT casting chicks that are "aspiring actors/models". Point two - maybe, instead of sending people off to Hawaii, all expenses paid with helicopter ride after yacht ride, you could send people to Moncton, NB and see how long the romance lasts then... just an idea.

Dear Will Smith,
Time for another movie. Oh, and, whenever you're ready to propose, I'm ready. Cept that little Karate Kid of yours needs a lesson in being humble... 11 year olds shouldn't be acting like "playas" on the Today Show.

Dear Helen Fielding,
Time for a new Bridget Jones - either a new character or a new story - Bridget Jones has a baby or something. Not only because it's funny but because Renee Scally-wagger is probably dying to have something to eat by now.

Dear Sookie Stackhouse (From True Blood for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about),
Time to give Eric some loving. Bill's WAY over. Alcide will do for next season. Your welcome for the story idea.

The end. For now. :)

Car Seat Conflict

2010-07-19T07:07:00.002-04:00

I read a few months ago that the longer a babe stays rear-facing in the car seat, the better. Regardless, I've been so excited about putting Jane forward facing. She's always been a great traveler but I thought she'd enjoy it more if she was facing "the world" and able to see Mommy and Daddy and so on.

So, my mom was in town this weekend and we all wanted to go shopping. We thought - let's take one car (SUV). Despite my hesitation to take out my car seat (because it's in my car so sturdily and perfectly). Anyways, I do the gymnastics act that is "the removal of the car seat" and my sis and I started putting the seats in the SUV. HAH. Suckers. It didn't work. Don't know why (it was my mom's rental) but it was missing a latch... awesome. So, 20 mins later and about 500 calories, we put our car seats back in our own cars. Since mine was out, I thought now would be the perfect time to flip it around. So, I did. Sturdy as ever, I was quite proud.

Put Jane in and immediately noticed she's lying back a little more than she probably should. Gymnastics act number two. Car seat fixed (needed to move the base closer to the back of the seat) and she looks comfy. Driving along I noticed a few things - Jane loved forward facing (but really no different than rear-facing because she used to watch me in the mirror), and I hated it. As opposed to when she was rear-facing and I could see her in the mirror, now I had to turn around to see her - not the safest thing to do while driving. No fun at all.

After she hit the sack last night, I started thinking about the article I had read a few months back - about being safer to have them rear-facing as long as the weight limit allows (ours it 35 lbs). I know most of my gf's with babes over 12 months moved them to forward facing (I think the recommendations is over 12 months and over 20 lbs or something). Regardless, the worrier in me had to google it. And I found tons. This was the article I read though... click here. There were also a lot more articles from credible sources stating that it's five times safer to have baby facing the rear as, in the event of a crash, the force is spread all along baby's entire back, shoulders, neck and head vs., when forward facing, mostly on the neck and head.

Gymnastics act number three. This morning I was out switching around my car seat again to rear-facing. Obviously, I totally understand other moms following the usual 1+ yr, 20lbs guideline. But, seeing as Jane is content either way, I'm going to stick with this way for us. Being a mom turns you into a complete nut when it comes to worrying... since Jane was born my thought has always been "what if something DID happen and I hadn't done what was 'recommended'" - I would never forgive myself. Most of the time when things happen, everything is out of your control and no one is to blame, nothing to blame. But, I know myself, and knowing that something is safer (whether it be sleeping on their backs or rear-facing car seats), if something happened and I had ignored recommendations, I would end up in the mental hospital.

I'm happier about the third switch too because now I can see my little bug easily by just glancing in the rear-view mirror. :)

Okee dokes. Off to work.

PS - Pics from our trip to the lake this weekend - SO beautiful. We've been having the most amazing summer (which of course means everyone's complaining of the heat)! Jane hated the lake on the first go because the water was too cool for her but, maybe it was warmer on Saturday, because she was in love!!! Cracking up all over the place!

If I Had a Million Dollars...

2010-07-18T19:34:00.000-04:00

Not that I wouldn't be over the moon about a million bucks but it doesn't pack the same punch as it used to back in the 80's/90's does it? These days, a million bucks would be FAB but, unless you've got some sort of guaranteed get-rich investment opp, you're probably still going to have to work.

So, by "if I had a million dollars" I really mean, if I was loaded rich and didn't have to worry about money... :)

First on my list - no more work. Not because I don't like working or don't like my job but because I'd want to use some of my (oops, I mean "our" :p) money to start my own thing... no idea what it would be but those details are not important right now! :) Obviously getting Dan to give his "two weeks" is included with this.

Numba two - house hunting. Time for Jane to get a backyard.

Number three - car shopping, whoppeee! BMW X6 here I come!!

Number four - house keeper. DUH. I want to spend every free minute I have with my Jane. NOT cleaning and cooking! If we have any extra income even now I'm considering using it for Molly Maids every couple weeks. The tidying is no big deal - we keep on top of it. It's the freakin' cleaning - the bathrooms, the floorboards, etc. that takes so much stupid time! And, I used to love cooking, until I had to get home from work and do it... now, I would be content living off KD and Lean Cuisine (yuck) - that's a bit of a lie.

Number five - VACATION! Dan, Jane, Jen and close family and friends - HAWAII, two weeks (because I assume my family and friends will still have to work - unless I've won so much money that they can all retire as well).

Number six - Masseuse. Live-in. Daily for as long as I want/need. AHHHHHHHH.

Number seven - Hairstylist. I hate doing my hair. It's curly but I like it straight but I hate straightening it and, even worse, I hate straightening it when it's hot, rainy, humid, basically anything but freezing cold sunny day outside because it's a waste of time. If someone else did it it would be awesome because I love it when people play with my hair - almost as good as a massage for me.

Obviously I would donate a ton to charities.

Problem with the above plan... I don't buy lotto. The only time I buy lotto is when it's like $40M or more which just makes me laugh every time I do it. Apparently, anything under $30-$40M isn't enough for me?!?!? WTH! ha ha ha. A lot of people do this and it's obviously stupid but I keep doing it anyways. And, as soon as I buy the ticket, I start daydreaming about what I'm going to do with my money when I win.

People say "money can't buy happiness" and I agree. If you're a negative, grouchy, complaining, non-bright side type of person, money ain't gonna help that you suck. But, I do think money can buy you freedom... freedom to make your own decisions without regard for money (which is often one of the biggest limiting factors when making a lot of decisions).

With that said, do I consider myself to be the luckiest person in the world already - heck yeah! My life is great. Are there some things I would love to have or do? Heck yeah... but I don't sit around being grouchy about it. Life is awesome. There's always someone who has it MUCH worse. Remember that when you're whining about something stupid. I know it's hard and I whine all the time but I try to be appreciative for what I have vs. envious of what I don't have.

K, battery dying. Hoping to write more this week than I did last. Hmmm... maybe if I was rich I could get someone to write for me! ha ha ha :p Kind of defeats the purpose eh?

Genius Idea

2010-07-14T05:48:00.000-04:00

So, I'm making Jane's breakfast this morning and she just loves berries - of any kinds, actually fruit of any kind which is great. The strawberries that I bought are "wild" (not like party wild, like natural wild :p tee hee hee) so they are smaller than the unnaturally impossibly HUGE strawberries that are usually shipped in from the southern states. Now, my sweet baby, is a stuffer. She stuffs huge amounts of food into her mouth. So, when I saw the grape sized strawberries all I was thinking was, yeah, I can see what's going to happen here and with this stuffing issue, she's going to take the full strawberry, stuff it in her mouth and then deal with the consequences - I'm always worried she's going to choke on something.

Light. bulb. moment. GENIUS.

Oh my goodness, I could cut them up! Seriously. That was my genius moment. I looked at the strawberries for about a minute before I realize my obvious solution.

I may not have mommy brain moments as much anymore but the brain power is definitely not in full swing yet.

Coordination Nightmare

2010-07-10T21:15:00.001-04:00

This was my morning...

1:30am - Jane wakes up, won't go back to sleep. Worked 12-8pm last night so missed her anyways and didn't mind bringing her into bed with me! :) Had fabulous dream about Chris Noth (Mr. Big, SATC) that made me very happy.
7:00am - Woke up. Jane still sleeping. Stuck in bed as wouldn't leave her there for a second in fear of her attempting to get off the bed on her own (i.e. falling off).
7:20am - Jane wakes up. BOING. That's how Jane wakes up. No tossing and turning, no whining, no slow somber wake up. She BOINGS up, opens her eyes and laughs.
7:21am - Crap. Realize it's 7:21am and I have to work at 9am. Crap. Time to put 'er into gear.
7:30am - Wake up Dan so he can keep Janers occupied while I attempt to make myself presentable. It's about this time that I remember that Dan's taking Jane to a wedding this afternoon by himself and that I have to do a lot of "prep work" before I leave for work. Awesome.
7:32am - Downstairs, getting breakfast for Jane and cleaning up as I go. Oh yeah, I should probably eat myself. Crap, I have to pick out some wedding-friendly toys (e.g. books as they are the only non-noise-making toys in my house) and throw some snacks in a bag that will hopefully keep Jane occupied for a wedding ceremony... should I mention to Dan that this is very, very, very unlikely? Should I mention that it's likely that she'll be occupied for about 45 seconds on his lap before she wants to get down and walk and tells everyone that by squealing at the top of her lungs. Nah. He'll figure it out. I did tell him to sit at the back!
7:45am - CRAP. Books, snacks done. Need to put on my "war paint" (a.k.a. makeup) and brush my hair. No time for shower, good thing I thought of that last night. Still in my pj's. Have to pick out Jane's dress for wedding. Crap. Does she have dress shoes that still fit her? Dan makes it downstairs and isn't feeling so hot. Decides he better skip out on the wedding as between the whole "not so hot" thing and the Jane factor, a successful single-Dad wedding adventure is virtually impossible. PHEW as I forgot that I decided to leave the gift wrapping, card signing and direction finding until this morning in my last night laziness.
8:00am - Still in pj's but ready otherwise (although an outfit hasn't been pick out - minimal issue). Dan comes upstairs and says that he is going to go to the wedding because he feels bad. Jane getting cranky. Tell him that she probably wants her "baa-baa" and he heads back downstairs to get it ready.
8:05am - Jane's dress shoes barely fit. Like, it's a good thing she won't be out walking around because it's probably child abuse. Add that to my to do list for tomorrow - size 5 dress shoes for Jane, check! These'll do for today. Dan arrives with bottle and I disappear to go downstairs and wrap the gift. I can hear Jane freaking out from downstairs but I leave it, Dan is a more-than-capable daddy.
8:10am - Dan gives up and comes downstairs. Jane too grouchy, not taking bottle. Mommy gives it a try (which I kind of wanted to anyways because I'd be away from her all day - it's as if she and I planned it that way) and it works for me. Jane down for nap. PHEW.
8:20am - Dan decided to go for nap because he feels like crap. Wrapped the gift and found the info on where the wedding is/what time it is for Dan.
8:30am - Crap. It's 8:30. I gotta get going. Still in my freakin' pj's!
8:40am - Dressed and ready to go. Out the door.
8:41am - Back inside. Upstairs to ask Dan how the heck he plans on getting to the wedding when I'm about to drive away with our one-and-only car?!?! AHHHHH! Jane's asleep, he's in his pj's and I'm already on the verge of being late. We decide that we'll figure it out later. Even though, I know, that Saturday's are supposed to be insane at work and, thus, I'm obviously not allowed to take a break to drive home and be driven back to work and dropped off so my hubby can have the car. We'll figure it out later. Awesome. Genius.
11:00am - Start calling Dan from work. No answer. Call 45 times. No answer. She's got to have woken up by now and things are dead here at work so I can probably sneak away for 10 mins to pop home and pop back so Dan can have the car.
12:00pm - Calling Dan. No answer. WTH!!! Now I worry and then I get angry - I wish he'd answer the freakin' phone.
12:30pm - Dan answers. Jane apparently woke up right after I left. Then he got sick. Then they had a three hour nap snuggled together on the bed. Wedding is out - he feels like crap. Probably has what Jane and I suffered through for the last two weeks.

No one's fault obviously but super glad I ran around headless-chicken style all day for nuthin'! What a mess. Is having a baby the best thing I've ever done, could ever imagine, in my entire life? ABSOLUTELY! Does it sometimes make things that were once simple, challenging? ABSOLUTELY! Worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Exhausting? ABSOLUTELY!

Have a great weekend!

I Give Up

2010-07-07T18:36:00.000-04:00

Jane's got a rash. Started on Sunday on her feet and now it's all over her except her face. It's little red bumps every where - on her hands, bottoms of her feet, everything.

The doc said it is an allergic reaction to the antibiotics - so no more penicillins for Jane. I'm not 100% convinced. She finished the drugs on Saturday (he's aware of all of this) and then had a reaction start on Sunday afternoon? I'm no doc but that doesn't seem to make sense to me? Of course, being the googler that I am, I found some info on rashes following fever - so that's what we thought it was as Jane had that high fever for a few days when she was sick with Strep (which we now thing wasn't strep but was actually a virus - oh, dear lord, do doctors know anything?). But, I'm not 100% convinced on that either. I did some more googling today and saw some pictures of prickly heat rash... and it looks exactly like what Jane has. Now, I'm not saying that there aren't many rashes that look like this but when I looked up allergic rash - it looked more like inflamed blotches vs. tiny red bumps like Jane has.

Adding to my theory is that today was crazy hot and we went for a swim in the lake with cousin Lucy and the rash appeared to get a little worse - with a few red bumps showing up on her face.

So, here's my POA... baking soda cool water baths, keeping her in little to no clothing when it's warm, sleeping her in nothing but pj's (i.e. no sleep sac or blanket) with the fan on and window open, and giving her benadryl before bed. Now, this last one troubles me. The last two nights I have given her the benadryl pre-bed and the last two nights, come 1:30ish she won't go back to bed unless she's sleeping with me. I know benadryl can cause either drowsiness or excitability in infants. So, I was worried it was the benadryl that was keeping her up or waking her up, I guess. But, now, as I'm writing this, I'm remembering that the benadryl wears off after 4-6 hours which wouldn't make sense. It would make more sense that, maybe, she's waking up because she's itchy because the benadryl has worn off. I don't know. Holy MAC, does it ever end? The worry, the theories, the changes, etc. Jane was just sleeping through the night and now this nonsense and she's all shagged up again!!! She was just starting to get back to normal - no runny nose, no cough, no sick - and BAM a freakin' rash!!! WTH!!!

And, of course, in typical Mom style, I've been bringing her in the bed with me because she immediately falls back to sleep vs. crying for an hour in her crib. So now I'm worried that she's only waking up because she wants to sleep with me! Again, the worry never ends! :p I must admit, I don't hate having her sleep with me. Being back to work I miss the hours and hours we used to get together so getting some snuggle time at night is kind of awesome and super special. But I definitely don't sleep as well as I'm constantly worried (again, worry) that she will wake up in the middle of the night and fall off the bed. AHHHHH! My mind is fried. This is why mommy brain exists.

Oh, and to add to my worry, a guy I work with just told me his son has croup and that it's super contagious. Awesome. SO now I'm going to be WORRIED that because I've been within 4 ft of this dude, she's going to get croup too.

I need my own personal, expertly trained, never wrong, physician (that's not to say I don't love my current doc, he's great) who lives in my basement so I can consult them on demand. l

Oh, one more worry. Jane's basically had some type of drug in her system for what feels like a month now. I hate giving her anything. I only give her drugs when absolutely necessary (fever, rash, 2 hours straight of crying, etc.) and only during the night as, during the day, the distractions seem to keep other things at bay. But that worries me too - all the drugs. AHHHHH!

Hope you're having a better week!

Time Flies

2010-07-04T09:23:00.008-04:00

Got caught up looking at what seem like "old" pictures tonight... Reminiscing about an amazing year.

June 2009... this must be where "slept like a baby" comes from because that's basically all she did at this point. Sleep, eat, sleep, eat, poop, eat, sleep.... 8lbs, 8oz, 21 inches long

July 2009... first glimpses of that beautiful smile!

August 2009... am absolutely shocked at how much she's changed since these earlier days - look at the short, dark hair, and the light eyebrows! 12 lbs and 24 inches long.

September 2009... ahh, we discovered the Jolly Jumper and Jane was in love! A little personality started to emerge...

October 2009... love how you can see how "short" she is in that picture with me vs. how "tall" she is now - insane how quickly they grow! Halloween will be even more exciting this year! 15 lbs and 26 inches.

November 2009... Jane gets her first "taste" of the cold Canadian winter. Started sitting up mid-November which was a fun milestone to have under our belts... a little freedom for Mommy!

December 2009... Christmas is always special but even more so when it's your first! Check out how light her hair is getting! She's really starting to look less "baby-ish" in these pics.

January 2010 - Looking all grown up here - seems like a huge change between 6 and 7 months!

February 2010... There's my little monkey! She hasn't changed a whole lot since these pictures at 8 months... just about three times as much hair. She started crawling in February... life took on a whole 'nother dimension.

March 2010... Look her hair in the picture above in the green sweater and then a month later. It's a least an inch longer, right?

April 2010... another side of Jane came out - the curious, "troublemaker" side (obviously from Dan's side of the family :p). 19 lbs and 32 inches tall.

May 2010... weather warming up. Almost a year old now and looking so "mature". Had our first swim in the outdoor pool. Her hair has lightened so much since the first few months.

June 2010... Birthday time! A year went by in a flash. Sometimes I just stare at her and can't believe the I have a one year old "baby"!! 21 lbs and 32 inches tall - gained 13 lbs and almost a foot in height in a year. Her hair went from dark brown to light blond. Her eyes are still as blue as the sky so I'm not sure when/if that may change. She's definitely a Momma's girl and apparently has the same shyness I used to have - tucking into my neck and smiling cautiously when she meets new people. She purposely does things she knows she's not supposed - looking at me and smiling before she does it and laughing when I say "no". She's walking a lot more now. Still relying mostly on crawling for getting to and from but slowly starting to walk here and there. She has 11-12 teeth, with three molars and possibly more as dare I stick my finger in and get a bite! :p She eats everything - the girls at daycare can't figure out "where she puts it all" cause she's so tiny. Her favourite song is "The Wheels on the Bus" and she throws her arms up in the air and then drops them when I sing "the babies on the bus go up and down". Her favourite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" - she picks it up and runs at me smiling and says "Baaaaaaa" when she sees the black sheep. Peek-a-boo and tickles make her laugh hysterically. She's on 100% cow's milk now (and no, I don't mean me as in I'm a cow :p) no more bf-ing which was an easy peasy transition as we did it so slowly.

Pretty Please

2010-07-03T18:26:00.001-04:00

Dear Taste Buds,

Please come back to me. I miss the taste of food. I miss the taste of chocolate (which I continue to eat anyways, even though I can't taste it because I can remember how it tastes and that still gives me satisfaction).

Last night, I had yummy takeout for dinner and tasted none of it. Awesome waste of money. I had taste sensation when I ordered and BAM, bad karma or something, it vanished before the food arrived. BS.

I actually did a homemade nasal cleanse thing last night in hopes of getting my taste back so I could enjoy a bowl of frozen yougurt... found a "recipe" online and "rinsed" my nasal passages with a salt water solution as per those kettle looking things that Dr. Oz goes on about. Nodda (I know one of you corrected me on how to spell this but I can't remember how to so can you please let me know again :). I sprayed enough saline mist up my nose to dry out the Atlantic Ocean and nothin. I'm taking daytime and nighttime decongestant and nothin. Useless. On the plus, my throat no longer feels like someone is stabbing me every time I swallow! :) YIPEE for a positive side! :p

My nose is currently covered in vicks vaporub and, yet, I can't smell a thing.... which also kind of sucks because I'm pretty sure Jane's going to get diaper rash as I've twice now missed poops because my typical immediate reaction because I can smell it a mile away is disabled. I literally put my nose right to her bum yesterday, didn't smell a thing and had the common sense to take a peak anyways and the thing was loaded full. I guess that's kind of a positive and a negative! :p

Oh, I watched the cutest chick flick the other night... Letters to Juliet (letters from juliet?? something like that). It was typical rom-com, really no surprises, but super sweet and I really liked the male lead guy so that's really what makes a movie anyways! I know half of you think I'm crazy but I'm just about dying to see Eclipse... pretty sure it will be as all Twilight MOVIES go - lame-o acting, half-good CGI, but I really don't care. I turn into a 15 yr old girlie and I want to marry the vamp and have the werewolf as my boyfriend. Still haven't seen Sex in the City yet but I haven't heard great things... what's the deal?

Update - Just found two benefits to being sick (1) no sense in eating because I can't taste anything - feel it's wasteful to eat my precious chocolate without the full satisfaction - I mean, I might as well eat paper towel at this point. (2) The constant coughing is becoming more of an ab workout than I've had in 16 months - my upper abs are hurting baby! Oh yeah, feel the burn! :p

Where the Heck are all the Swings?

2010-07-02T13:48:00.001-04:00

I literally had to drive two subdivisions over yesterday to find a freakin' playground that had a swing set! WTH?!?! There are at least four playgrounds in my subdivision alone and not one of them has a swing set... can somebody tell me why? Are swings considered dangerous? If the answer is yes than that is just ridiculous. What isn't dangerous at the playground if you're not paying attention - tons of places to climb and break arms, tons of places to give yourself a concussion by hitting your head on low hanging wooden beams, for goodness sake - the freakin' slide gets so hot when it's sunny out, it's literally a burn hazard (who the heck designs a playground with a dark green slide????).

Yesterday, in our "we're sick but we don't want to sit around" boredom, Jane and I set out on a quest to find a swing... and A swing is what we found. One swing (well, technically there were two but only one was one of those swings that you put your legs through that Jane could use). In all honesty, Jane liked the swing but it definitely wasn't worth the 10 minutes of driving around, searching. However, if there was one within walking distance, definitely would be a fav spot for us. When we were growing up, we spent our lives at the playground on the swings.... we even hung out there when we became teenagers and started getting into "trouble".

On that note, where the heck did all the see-saws go? And merry-go-rounds (sp?)? Who is the person "on top" who decides that these things are too dangerous for playgrounds. We all had see-saws and merry-go-rounds when we were growing up and I never heard of a serious, life threatening injury caused by a see-saw... broken bones, I'm sure, but life or death, no. What kid doesn't break a bone at one point or the other. It's like a right of passage. To teach you that you don't want to do stupid bone-breaking things again in the future... plus, when you're a kid, breaking a bone sucks but the attention and few days off school seem totally worth it. Somebody tell me how see-saws are dangerous please. You hold on, you go up 3 ft in the air and down. Inevitably some toolbox gets on with you and when you're up, the hop off and you slam down but the worst I ever got from that was a bruised toosh - nothing bad enough to warrant expulsion of the see-saw from playgrounds worldwide. If see-saws are injuring kids, perhaps it's not that see-saws are dangerous but that we're raising stupid kids?!?! I mean, if your kids falls off the see-saw or hops off, or whatever would cause a see-saw related injury, then perhaps you should have explained the whole - handles are for holding onto concept... Hmm, thinking about it, maybe kids were going under the see-saws and getting bonked in the head? Again, maybe more of a less-than-genius kid move vs. a dangerous see-saw move.

Perhaps we need to stop removing everything from everywhere that could possibly ever cause anyone injury if used incorrectly and start teaching our kids the meaning of "no", how to use things properly and the consequences of bad decisions... just a thought.

Super Sexy

2010-07-01T08:28:00.000-04:00

Currently, I sound like a mix between an 85 yr old smoker and Miley Cyrus... super sexy. I never get sick but apparently I am also going to have the "year from hell" as far as transitioning to daycare and getting every sickness known to man. Everyone keeps telling me NOW that the first year of daycare is hell because the kids are basically sick nonstop. Awesome! So looking forward to this!

I was up from 2am onward last night because I couldn't breathe through my nose and breathing through my mouth hurt my throat. NOW I feel ever worse for how sweet Jane must have felt the last week and the guilt has disappeared from feeling like I was giving her too much "drugs". Now I feel guilty that I didn't have her on a tylenol I.V. as it fully explains why, despite my constant trying, she had no interest in drinking the "clear fluids" as recommended by Dr. Mom and the real doc... it hurts like heck to drink!

Regardless, my little sweetie woke up at 5am and wouldn't go back to sleep. I brought her in bed with me and it took an hour but eventually we both fell back to sleep and woke up, over-heated and more-rested, at 8am. Thank God.

Today's a holiday here in Canada - Canada Day - YAY CANADA! Canada is the BEST place to live. I know the US rocks and other places too but I'm Canadian and I love it here. So, we're hoping to hit up our favourite spot - the wildlife park - with cousin Lucy. Of course, cousin Lucy is all screwed up right now too and we can't figure out why... maybe she's stressed from all the change (moving and such) or maybe (and I feel bad about this) she's getting strep throat. I mean, they were living with us the last two weeks - what are you going to do? I'm sure there are some crazy people out there who would try to avoid letting them share sippy cups and what not but why would you even bother? It's fighting a losing battle. Infants don't know to cover their mouths when they cough and wash their hands... if your babe is around a sick babe, they are getting sick. That's it. That's life. That's how they build a strong immune system.

Alright, we've got to make a trip to one of the few open spots today - the drug store - for some homo milk. Jane's on 100% homo (full fat) milk now which is so great and so easy. I'm still warming it so the next stage is to gradually get her comfortable with drinking cold milk. Then I'm going to work on getting her to feed it to herself. I know she could likely give herself her "bot" now as it is but I enjoy that time with her. Especially now being back at work. I love that snuggle time before bed/naptime when I feed her the "bot"... not ready to give it up yet! :)

Happy Canada Day!

The Sick Situation

2010-06-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

My first week working again was definitely challenging but not in the way I expected. I expected to be exhausted, worn out, overwhelmed, etc. Instead, it was just utter chaos! Of course, Jane's basically been sick since she started daycare which is awesome (sarcasm, duh) and I picked her up after work on Friday to find out she had a crazy fever, the "worst cough ever" and diarrhea. Awesome, again. So, I took her to the docs and FINALLY found out what was wrong - Strep Throat. Double awesome. Remember that snotty nose kid I complained about from day one? Yeah, shocker - he was just "getting over" a throat infection... fab.

So, she's been on antibiotics since Saturday and she's doing SO much better now. No more fever, no more miserable looking red eyes with a face that scream exhaustion. God lover her - she was chipper and smiley-faced through the entire ordeal. Of course, I was supposed to work Saturday and Dan was out of town so thankfully I was graciously let "off the hook" for Saturday. My sis and her hubby are getting settled in their new house this week so once they are "up and running" it will be easier to handle these sick situations as my sis is still off work with her little one, Lucy.

What makes me a little grouchy is that we saw a different doc two weeks ago when Jane first had the crazy-ass fever and she told me it was just a cold/virus and to keep doing what I was doing - of course, she didn't check Jane's mouth/throat like the doc on Friday did and VOILA - strep. Makes me grouchy. What are you going to do though? At some point, you kind of have to trust the docs as, last I checked, I'm not a practicing physician and cannot write myself scripts of antibiotics and so on.

So, life is insanely busy and crazy and chaotic. But fabulous too! :) It's definitely not as hard as I would have imagined being back at work. It's not until I get home and see my little monkey that I realize how much I missed her!

She's walking now. Not full-on walking (like no longer crawling) but walking here and there. She just lets go and takes off - it's the funniest thing - and she's getting good too! Of course, this means I had to go out and spend $50 on a new pair of shoes for her. Oh, how I would love to go out and spend money on a new pair of shoes for me!!! :)

K, absolutely have to go - daily showers are no longer a second thought now being back to work - you kind of have to look presentable and clean! :p ha ha ha.

Back to Work

2010-06-24T18:43:00.001-04:00

Seeing as I haven't written since Monday, it's got to be obvious that being back at work means less time (duh) for "me" things. And, technically, today was my first full day so I haven't even gotten into the groove yet! :) I will say, I'm enjoying being on the go and busier and such. I will also say that when I see Jane's beaming face at the end of the day, excited to see her Mommy, I realize how much I missed her during the day.

When I get home, I just don't leave her alone. I want her in my arms and I want to play with her. There's definitely no "fighting" over who "has" to do bedtime routine as I'm all too happy to get those few extra special minutes with my little monkey.

She's apparently doing awesome at daycare now. Dan's been dropping her off since Monday and the girls say she's happy as a lark now which makes me so happy. Still, I feel like it's such a long day for her to be away from us but, I guess, every other child going to daycare in the world is going through the same thing and we all went through the same thing and most of us turned out pretty good! :) Most being the key word. :p

What you may learn quickly though is that your babe has a slightly different personality at daycare vs. at home. For instance, at home, Jane isn't the best eater - she eats everything as far as variety, but isn't a big eater re: quantity. At daycare, however, apparently she is a "great" eater and we're sent home with this fabulous little white sheet of paper that says all the food she ate all day - and typically "all" is selected vs. "some" or "none". I love the "white sheets" - telling me what my girlie did all day (walks, reading, playing, etc.), when she napped, when she pooped (doesn't seem like it would be important, but it is - as a Mom you pay more attention to poop than you ever thought possible), etc.

Ok, this is all you get. I'm busy the next two days but will try my hardest to get back to more frequent posts once this "re-intro to the real world" week is over.

Murderous Molars

2010-06-21T18:44:00.002-04:00

I'm exhausted. Jane has three molars coming in and I want my child back (my pre-teething, super sweet, always happy, no trouble child). Instead, the last few nights I've gotten, probably, less than 3 straight hours sleep with 5 hours of waking up pretty much every 15 minutes because Jane's screeching in her crib. I don't want to curse it (but I'm apparently going to anyways), but she seemed to have an easier time going to sleep tonight so PRAY for me. Otherwise, I might as well just write off life and lie on the couch in a zombie-like state. :p ha ha ha. Turning on "professional Jen" was easier than expected today even though a few minutes prior to that, in a conversation with a girlfriend, I was trying to say "specific" and I said "parcific". :p Fabulous.

On a brighter note, Jane did much better at daycare today. The "gals" and I pretty much decided this week is hard core transition. No choice but to get her on board. And, maybe she over-heard us ;) but she did so much better. First of all, she took the bottle from one of the gals prior to her AM and PM naps (success) and she didn't cry all day. She did, however, wake up from her afternoon nap crying and they couldn't get her to go back to sleep but I'm pretty sure I know why. There are 8 kids in the infant room at daycare (well, there's supposed to be but on any day there is usually on 5-6 actually there). There are two sleeping rooms with 4 cribs each. So, I'm pretty sure Jane woke up and started yelling but only wanted her nummy so she could go back to sleep... but because they didn't want her to wake the other babes up, they may have taken her out of the crib and room and that wouldn't have gone over well. Even if I do that to Jane - take her out of the crib when she's still tired - I get a pretty good cry fit thrown at me!

So, I wanted to write to let you know that I will continue to write as much as I can. I have to admit, since that little "research" I did asking y'all what you liked best about the blog and you said you like my ramblings best, it has been a lot easier - vs. regular giveaway posts, etc.

Seriously. Pray for me for a good night's sleep. Otherwise, avoid me tomorrow! :p And, I pre-apologize to my city for the hideous state of appearence that will likely ensue if your prayers aren't answered.

Will It Ever End?

2010-06-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, will the teething ever end? Seriously. Jane's miserable. She's got a top and bottom molar coming in and, as a result, she's a child I've never met before - cranky, whiny, fussy... it's awesome. It's not really annoying or anything, it just makes me feel so bad for her. And I hate giving her drugs so I avoid doing it during the day and try to only give her something before bed if necessary. But, she's got this cold/flu thing going on too and had a fever again this morning so she's home again today. God love her, she's a mess! :p

Took her to the docs yesterday after the morning fever and apparently it's nothing serious - lots of clear fluids (water is best), saline nose spray (hell on earth), humidifier at bedtime, inclined crib mattress, etc. Basically everything I've been doing which sucks because I've been doing all of that for two weeks and she's not getting any better. Not to mention the actual docs appt was hell because Jane just had her vaccines so soon as the doc came near her with the ear thermometer, Jane freaked out and the remainder of the appt was a wrestling/screeching match that made me feel like the best mom ever. Don't even get me started on the nasal mist...

Thankfully, my sis is staying with us next week until her new house is finished so I'm less stressed about the whole daycare thing as she may be able to help out and keep an eye on Jane if she needs a little longer to transition (hah, Nanc, this is me letting you know you might have to do that, k? ha ha ha). Who knew it would take three weeks to transition to daycare?!?! And it's completely unrelated to actual daycare - but combine teething plus a cold AND daycare and it equals disaster.

Jane was miserable this morning but then, after I gave her a bottle, she started to smile and chipper up again. So, we thought, ok lets bring her in to daycare and tell them to call me if she has a meltdown and I'll come get her. But, as we drove Dan into work, I kept looking at her in the mirror and couldn't do it. It would be completely selfish - what's best for us vs. what's best for her. Plus the daycare gals would likely less-than-love me for dropping a cranky, sick, miserable child off and saying "see ya later". I brought her up to her crib as soon as we got home, she tucked her legs up under her little belly and passed out. So cute.

Hey! I forgot to share! I was trying on all my work clothes last week to see what I needed to buy - thinking basically all pants because none of them fit the last time I tried. HALLELUJAH! All of a sudden all my work clothes fits! WTH!! I have a whole new wardrobe! Contrary to what I thought, I need tons of tops and no pants! YIPEE!

Sick Day

2010-06-17T08:15:00.003-04:00

Jane woke up with a fever today of 38.8 (Celsius). So, we're headed to the docs at lunch time. Poor little thing. And, of course, I'm stressed out (aside from the fact that my baby is sick) because she was supposed to have two full days of daycare today and tomorrow so that she'd be totally ready to go on Monday as I'm starting back to work (yes, I got a job - yipee!). So, now, I'm a little stressed because daycare's been going well but she still won't take a bottle from the daycare gals which means she's her typical happy-go-lucky self until after her afternoon nap when she wakes up and gets upset for the last two hours. I was planning on not giving her her AM bottle at home this morning and going with her to daycare so that the gals could give it to her while I was there in hopes that me being there would make it work. I guess I'm not so much stressed right now but I will be on Monday thinking about her sobbing all afternoon because she wants a bottle... maybe she'll be fine. Maybe the doc will give her some antibiotics today and tomorrow she won't have a fever and we can give it a go tomorrow and POOF stress gone (well, partly gone - never fully goes away).

We're driving Dan to work this morning when I had this realization... (a little late) that - Geez, you better hope you work for an understanding company who "gets it" when your child is sick and you have to take the day off"... I mean what other alternative do you have? Most people don't have the luxury of an on-demand babysitter who can drop everything and be at your house at 8am on Thursday morning. Nor do most have the luxury of paying $10 an hour on top of daycare fees for said babysitter. Do the other Mommas have experience with this? Any suggestions? I mean, thankfully, I'm not at work today but, you know me, I like to have a "plan" for these types of situations so that, when they occur (which is inevitable) I don't stress and I know how to handle it. With all of that said, we obviously aren't the only parents in the world and obviously other people have had to call in sick because their child was sick before.

And my guess is, it's usually the Mom who stays home as, Jane's only a year old and she wants Mommy when she's not feeling well - can't imagine that gets any better with age and understanding. This is likely just another reason why it seems it's more difficult for women with children to find employment post-baby (not even touching the subject, there's WAY too much there).

Anyways - I'm off. Had tons of things to do today that I have to sneak in now between naps. I will say, I'm not too "disappointed" to have my little lady home with me today as I had thought yesterday was our "last day" together (obviously not ever but last day on maternity leave).

Lions and Tigers and Bears! OH MY!

2010-06-15T08:42:00.002-04:00

We went to the wildlife park on the weekend. What a blast! I probably enjoyed it more than Jane but she seemed to be quite happy herself. I wish there were more things like that where we live - zoos, aquariums, etc. That's the problem, sometimes, with living in smaller areas - none of the luxuries of "big city" life. With that said, that's also why I love it! :)

Jane was sick as a dog but happy as a lark (enough sayings for ya?) - upon arrival this gigantic peacock greeted us and she was sold. Combine that with some cheerios to keep her busy in the stroller for an hour and it was a great day! :)

Along the lines of the "big city" life... there's a lot of development going on in our area lately. New subdivisions, new highways, and so on. No surprise that we've been hearing rumours of coyotes in a few subdivisions around town. How are they supposed to know to go North? :p Their just pulling a Tu-can Sam and "following their nose" to a buffet of garbage-y-heaven. Coyote would scare the heck out of me, but not shock me. Bears on the other hand do both. If I went out on my patio one day and there was a bear there, I'm pretty sure I'd be calling out for Ashton Kutcher waiting for the PUNKED crew to show up (because I am, obviously, that big of a celebrity - DUH). That would be the "cool" thing to do. In reality, I'd probably SCREAM my head off, cry, pee my pants and lock myself and Jane in the house for the entire summer until I was pretty certain hibernation season had kicked in.

Well, that's ALMOST exactly what happened yesterday. And by almost I mean, I didn't see a bear at all but my neighbours did! ha ha ha. Holy Crap! WHAT? I live in the city. I live in a subdivision! Bears? WTH? Seriously? The odd masked rascal (raccoon for you slower folk) destroys our garbage pile but that's it. Raccoons I can handle. If they didn't reck and ravage your home, I'd want one for a pet - so cute! But bears?

So, I'm putting Jane in her car seat and my neighbour yells from her window "Jen, we saw a bear in Brenda's backyard this morning." What? Brenda lives next door. First of all, I'm strapping Jane in her car seat so I'm kind of stuck otherwise I'm pretty sure I would have ran back in the house. As fast as possible I hop in the car. Probably should have asked "when this morning" instead of freaking out but I was freaking out so... I mean we have a garbage pile the size of the pyramids this week from Jane's birthday. I completely expected to see a huge bear with pink icing all over it's muzzle coming at me at that point. Regardless, I forced Dan to drive up the street to see if we could see it because I was so excited! :p ha ha ha. I guess animal control picked it up down the street. On the radio they said is was a Momma bear and cub. AHHHHHHHH. All of a sudden the tone changes. I'm like "I get it, she's just trying to take care of her baby". What a sin. I hope they gave her a snack when they dropped her off in the middle of freakin' nowhere with a hungry child! Jeepers, can you imagine if you and your babes were hungry and someone picked you up and dropped you in the middle of nowhere with no snack in sight? HELL! :p Of course, when it comes to my child, I'm a Momma bear too so, yeah, I'm glad the other one is outta my subdivision. Still, I feel bad. We're totally taking over their territory and they are obviously completely lost. A little heart-broken actually. And still a little freaked out. I'm definitely watching my back out on the patio these days which just seems insane to me. The thought of a bear in my backyard seems as likely as running into Flipper in Jane's baby pool. Crazy.

Anyways, made for an exciting start to the week. Was super cute to see the kids walking home from school yesterday freaking each other out by calling out "BEAR!" every time they passed by a yard. And then hearing them fib about it to their pals that "I saw it and it was HUGE" - typical "fishing stories" (it was THIS big). :p

Dropped Jane off for her first FULL day of daycare today. I think she's starting to catch on that when we go there, Mommy leaves as today she kind of cried a bit when the girls took her away from me. But the gals know how to handle it - immediately taking her to the CD player to turn on some tunes - distraction is a Mom's best friend!

Update - Daycare

2010-06-14T14:45:00.000-04:00

Jane didn't end up going to daycare longer than a half-day last week. Between the cold, teething and transition, come Friday, I think she'd had enough and the girls called me at 11am to come and get her.

Today, on the other hand, went awesome. I planned to pick her up at 2ish, showed up and got to sit around for an hour talking to the daycare gal as all the 7 of the little 'uns were passed out. Nothin' happier than a Momma who knows her babe's comfortable enough to have a two hour nap! :) Then, when she woke up, she gave the daycare gal a snuggle, Mommy a snuggle and then took off to play some more as if I weren't even there! ha ha ha. Relief. Such relief.

Tomorrow we'll try the full day. Definitely feeling more confident about it after today vs. last week! YIPEE!!

Funny... but not really.

2010-06-14T10:55:00.000-04:00

You know what's weird? Jane's at daycare right now but I keep hearing her. I keep hearing her cry through the monitor. It's eerie. I think because, usually when I am by myself downstairs I have to keep my eye on the monitor because she's napping. So, it's strange because even if though the monitor is not on and Jane's not here, I hear her.

Have to admit, I'm missing her today. I think it'd be different if I was at work right now but seeing as I'm just cleaning and doing some work-related stuff, I miss her like crazy.

Obviously...

2010-06-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a shocker for ya... after Jane's first week of daycare, she's sick! WOW, big surprise right? :p I'm not one of those freakin' out cause my baby's sick type of Moms so no biggie - a cold now is one less later, building immunity is a good thing. On the other side of things, Jane's sick and teething. Awesome combo. I got a call from the daycare gals this morning at 11 saying it's probably best to come get her because she's been crying since I dropped her off. Course, I show up and she's sitting in the "kitchen" eating a snack, happy as a lark... well, maybe not happy (she looked exhausted, miserable and sick) but she wasn't upset by any means! :p

My sis warned me about the first few weeks of daycare and sickness. Friend of hers reported the worst colds in history the first month of daycare and then POOF, they are fine. Being exposed to all those new germs, it's no surprise. So, she's yet to stay the entire day but next week should be better. She's done two half days this week. Next week, we'll try a day until 3ish and then a full day. Fingers crossed.

I will say that when I got the message to come and get her today, God was with me that I didn't get a speeding ticket as I'm pretty sure I made a 15 minute trip, 5 minutes. What cop wouldn't understand my reasoning? ha ha ha.On the other side of things, for newer Moms, knowing she had been upset since I left didn't completely break my heart like I thought it would 6 months ago. Yes, it made me feel bad, but the thought of her crying a year ago broke my heart so much it hurt... now I know that despite the whole being upset thing, ultimately, she's fine and she will be fine.

It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend here so I'm looking forward to getting outside with my little munchkin. Happy weekend to y'all! :)

Did you know...

2010-06-09T18:16:00.002-04:00

Did you know that teething causes cold-like symptoms? I did not know this. Here I am thinking that Jane's been sick once a month for the last 4 months and not understanding why she's regularly getting this running nose (clear fluids only) with no other cold symptoms (cough, etc.). Her first cold was obvious - running nose, cough, red, watery eyes, etc. It was visible how miserable she was. Since then, what I thought were her "colds" have just been runny noses that seem to last for 5 days and nothing else. No looking miserable (excluding the constant boogers hanging out of her nose), no cough, nothing.

So, I'm down at the playground two weeks ago and a Grammy shows up with her 18 month old grand-daughter. I immediately give her the stay away from my child - she's sick warning to which she agrees is a good idea as they have a 6 week old at home. A few minutes later, Grammy asks me if Jane has a cough or any other symptoms, I say no. She asks about a fever - slightly the day before but nothing now. And she says "it's teething, not a cold" - what? Apparently (I've looked it up - research geek remember), cold-like symptoms (fever, runny nose, cough, etc.) may be symptoms of teething. Obviously, if your babe is not prone to any of these symptoms, it's worth getting him/her checked out by the doc, just to be safe. But, I'm learning quickly that the runny nose means a grouchy Jane who doesn't sleep well and needs the "tranquilizer dart" (a.k.a. a dose of advil) to get to sleep in the first place.

Daycare was great today. Jane had an AM nap there, which was a relief as shes not slept anywhere except for her crib since she was 4 months old... I was worried she would resist sleeping at daycare for the first little bit. I picked her up pretty much right after her nap - one of the daycare gals "retrieved" her from the crib room for me and I could tell right away that Jane was comfortable with her, which is great peace of mind. The gals seem to be pretty fab which is awesome and I love that they get lots of outside time in the playground as well. Tomorrow she stays until lunch so it will be a nice break for Mommy in the AM - much needed as I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick (my throat feels like it's burning and it hurts to talk, not that that stops me from talking my face off all day to whatever poor adult makes the mistake of saying hello to me :p).

Other than that, today sucked. Jane only had a 45 min nap at daycare after a crappy night's sleep last night, so I fully expected a nice 2-3 hour long break this afternoon... yeah. right. dream on. She didn't have a nap at all. I put her up in her crib at noon and she sat up there playing for a half hour, then I went upstairs to check on her as she was starting to get upset and then she started screeching. So, I took her out and laid down with her and she slept for 20 mins on my chest but then woke up, smiling and laughing at me. So we went downstairs and I thought, I'll try again in an hour. An hour later, put her up for a nap, left her there for 45 mins and same thing. So, I gave up. Then, at 3:30, I thought, maybe if I leave early to pick up Dan, she'll fall asleep in the car and I'll bring the flyers and just sit in the parking lot while she naps... Moms will do anything for their babes. She chatted and laughed the entire way to Dan's office, so we went shopping instead.

Usually Jane "hits the sheets" at 7ish after bath and so on. Tonight we went up at 6:30... she was looking exhausted and I am looking worse. She fell asleep upon impact but I've had to go up twice already (within 45 mins) because she's woken up screeching. Did you know that teething, specifically molars, suck big time? BIG. TIME. God love her though. I wish I could know how much pain she was in and find a way to take it away.

Let's pray, for us both, that due to lack of sleep last night and no naps today, that she'll sleep well tonight (although I fully expect the opposite)... what a mess! :p

Oh yeah, yesterday Jane had her one year vaccines... yeah. That sucked too. Two shots, one per arm and she's smarter this time. This time, when Dr. P swabbed her arm (pre-needle in view), she started losing it. She KNEW what was coming. Awesome. As usual, a few minutes post she was fine and dandy - especially after we left the exam room and went back out to where all the "fun" people were in the waiting room. Still, sucked. On a brighter note, she's tracking perfectly along the "curves" - 50th percentile for weight, 95th for height and head circumference. So she's tall and skinny - must get that from me! ha ha ha! :p

Birthday Breakdown

2010-06-08T10:56:00.000-04:00

I have no time anymore.

Here's the quick version of what I learned about birthday parties:

(1) If your child isn't walking, don't bother with an expensive birthday dress - Jane wore hers for 20 minutes and was getting super pissed that she couldn't crawl in it. I took pictures, let everyone see how pretty she was and then changed her.
(2) Plan party activities around naptime. If your party is scheduled from 2-4 and your child usually naps at 2, do the whole cake and gift thing right away to avoid potential break downs. Jane was due for a nap at 2pm and by the time we got around to cake time it was after 3pm and she was just on the cusp of starting to let everyone know that she was not happy she was still awake... thankfully, we caught her just in time and the giant birthday cake and icing was enough to distract her from a meltdown. By the time she got for a nap it was after 4pm.

(3) Assign someone "birthday photographer" who isn't Mommy or Daddy. Thankfully I have a fab bro-in-law who's into photography, so he was happy (or didn't complain) about being our photog for the day. With that said, you're so freakin' busy running around taking care of your child and all the guests, you don't end up in many pictures anyways. Take the time to get at least one family picture.
(4) Let the child eat cake. I'm annoying anal about Jane eating nutritious foods but I let her go at in on her birthday - did it kill her? No. Did it screw up her sleep? No. Did she get sick? No. Did it effect her in any way but to make her happy as heck? Nope. Did she have more sugar in two hours than she's had cumulatively in her entire life? Heck yeah.
(5) Don't go overboard on food and snacks if you're doing an afternoon event. I always do a 2-4 thing it seems and buy tons of candy, snacks, cakes, and we ordered pizza last going off on Saturday. We were left with tons of candy, snacks, cakes, and pizza. Have enough on hand to keep people occupied but it's likely at that time of day that guests are between meals and not so hungry that a good piece of cake wouldn't fill the void. Save the $$.

(6) My giant cupcake went over pretty well I think - was a lot easier (once I got the recipe down) to make than expected. If you go with the giant cupcake pan, here's my advice - only fill each side (top of cupcake and bottom) 2/3 full, and bake the bottom part of the cupcake for at least 15 minutes before putting the batter in the top part otherwise your bottom part stays raw in the centre and you have to throw it out - like I did.

K, that's all I got. I'm sure I'll think of fifty more things in the next few hours and will update in comments as I remember.

Daycare Day #2 went well. Jane stayed today for 2 hours by herself. I gave her a kiss and left, no big deal, no big farewell, just left. I was pretty proud of myself actually. ha ha ha. However, I did call Dan and ask him to swing by and peak in the window to check on her (Jane's daycare is in Dan's office building - spoiled much?). I don't know if he did or not but just the thought gave me peace of mind. Jane usually has a morning nap (pre-9 am ish) and I told the girls that she may or may not want a nap because of the excitement of all the kids... well, we all learned a lesson. A transition week is for everybody I guess, not just the babes. When I picked her up at 11am, they were playing outside in the playground and Jane was sitting there sobbing - very unusual sight for this Momma - apparently no nap = exhausted baby = sobbing baby. Jane's never been over-tired because I'm always home and I always just put her down when I think she needs a nap - even if she's not acting tired. Soon as she hit the car seat, her eyes were closed. Too cute. So, tomorrow the daycare gals said nap for Jane, tired or not and I agreed.

Daycare Day#1

2010-06-07T10:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, don't think I'm going to let the birthday party experience go by unspoken of but my sis and fam are still here today so I don't have tons of time... It's a "must do" for tomorrow! :)

Today Jane started her transition week to daycare. Day one has Mommy and babe coming and staying together for two hours. Jane was totally fine. Immediately she started playing with the other kids and toys like "no big deal". The daycare gals said sometimes they have kids who have never even seen another child before and freak out immediately - so, if you plan on doing the daycare thing, plan on doing the playdate thing too in anticipation.

The hardest parts of today were:

(1) We arrived just as Jane was nodding off in the backseat - basically right on time with her typical morning nap - so I felt bad but as soon as she saw the "new" toys and kids, she got over it!
(2) Snotty-nosed kids... Yeah. They are there. And, unlike the trip to Walmart where you can avoid them like the plague, the snotty-nosed kids are all over your kid and what are you going to do about it? :p
(3) Last going off one of the little kids pulled on Jane's pony tail and that didn't go over too well when combined with the tiredness, but in typical Jane style, the drama ended after a minute or two.

Tomorrow Jane stays by herself for two hours (I think just two hours). The fabulous daycare gals said they'll put her down for a nap this time though so they can start to get her used to daycare life and, probably, to because they fear she'll be a holy terror child if they don't.

K, I'm off - tons of pictures and nonsense to follow (hopefully tomorrow) on the birthday party! :)

One Year Ago Today

2010-06-04T13:43:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, this was my post:

Currently swallowing my sorrows in a bowl of frozen yougurt... a large bowl. Docs appt this morning confirmed what I already believed, nothing is happening. The doc couldn't even do a good "sweep" because of the position of my cervix. I'm so disappointed. I wanted to cry when she checked me, I could tell right away that it wasn't "good" news.

So, the plan of "attack" is as follows - Sunday morning we'll be admitted to outpatient "cervical ripening" (sounds like a party). They'll start with Cervidil, prostaglandin gel, to dilate my cervix. I'll be monitored for an hour to make sure baby is OK, then they kick me out for six hours after which I come back to see where we're at. If there's no change, they'll double the dose and try again. What happens next depends on how my body responds. The Cervidil could stimulate labour or I may have to get Pitocin (oxytocin), to simulate contractions. It's really frustrating and disappointing to have to be induced. I feel like I've done everything "right" my whole pregnancy and now my body's failing me. Sorry to whine, but it's just one of those days! I know once Jane is here I will not give a hoot how the heck she got here. We have been very lucky so far, so I am thankful.

In the meantime, I'm praying that, by some miracle, my body decides to kick into gear before Sunday and I'll avoid induction altogether. Unlikely, but who knows! I had some extraordinarily good soup for lunch that my friend says is sure to stimulate labour (thanks Karalynn!)... you'll get full credit! :)

Despite all the crappity-crap above, I am SO excited about finally getting to meet our little girl in the next few days. I know it will all be worth it in the end.

Jen

Followed later that night (2am is still that night if you ask me, but technically the "next day") by this post:

It's almost 2am on Friday - what I would consider Thursday night as I've not been to sleep yet. At 10, Dan offered up the one natural inducer I thought might work in hopes of kicking this baby into gear...I think it may have worked!

I've been having painful (not unbearable) contractions for about an hour now, coming 2-3 mins apart and lasting about 1 minute. My back is aching, my mouth is dry, I'm a bit nauseous and I feel like I constantly have to pee.

Scared to get too excited as I don't want to get my hopes up but fingers crossed this is the real thing!

We'll be heading to the hospital soon. Hoping my next update includes pics of my sweet baby girl!

Jen :)

CRAZY. At that point, the thought of a one year old seemed insanely far away. Time flies. Will write more on Monday post-birthday party craziness. Family flying in tonight - cleaning, cooking and organizing to do.

Two Cakes Down...

2010-06-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

Two cakes down, only cupcakes to go... I'm getting in touch with my inner baking-diva today, preparing for Jane's birthday party on Saturday. My kitchen is a complete disaster... and not just from me baking, from Jane playing. She gets into the cupboards and keeps herself occupied while I bake. Obviously, I have the dangerous cupboards locked up but the worst she'll do in the remaining cupboards is get flour all over the place (yes, I will be eating my "the worst" words when this actually happens and I have to clean it up)... regardless, will make for that classic "face full of flour" picture that most of us have of ourselves when we were toddlers after doing the same thing.

I realize it's four days pre-party and you're probably thinking... hmmm, cake's not going to be too fresh Jen. Well, here's what I do that works for me. Instead of baking two cakes and 48 cupcakes all on Saturday - when I'll likely have a bazillion other things to do - I bake in advance and freeze, un-iced, until Saturday morning. Not only does this keep everything fresh but it makes it SUPER easy to cut and ice when it's cold (vs. room temperature or warm post-baking).

I'm curious as to how the cakes have turned out actually because both recipes are not ones I'm used to using. Actually, I never bake anything but cupcakes so the whole "cake" thing is intimidating.

Life just seems to be getting more and more insane. Although, next week, I will definitely have some more free time to, hopefully, "pound out" some great posts. As mentioned before, Jane starts her transition week to daycare next week so post-Monday, I'll have a few hours a day with "nothing" to do. I say "nothing" because I always have something to do - such is life for a Mom and a woman - but I'm pretty sure all the things I need to get done will be done in super-speedy time because I don't have a little rug-rat hanging off my leg... which, honestly, breaks my heart a little! :(

I'm still looking for work. There's an opportunity I am very excited about but waiting to hear back on... so fingers crossed for me as I'm pretty confident it would be a great experience! If it turns out that opportunity is not the right one for me, I've kind of got an interesting situation as Jane will be transitioned to daycare but not needing to go. I don't want to spend the time transitioning her and then not send her there ever because then she'd have to transition again once I find a job. Plus, it'll be one less "to-do" on us both once I start working if she's already comfortable with daycare. So, I'm thinking that, regardless, I will let her go to daycare 2-3 days a week so she stays comfortable with it. Sucks a little as we will still be paying full-time fees even though she's not staying full-time. Daycare for infants until 18 months is so hard to find here that you have to sign up during pregnancy and have to commit to full-time or they can find someone else to fill your spot in a second. I don't want to lose our spot at our daycare either because it's supposed to be great and it's in Dan's office building so if Jane ever got sick or hurt, he's right there which gives this Momma a heck of a lot of peace of mind.

K, must go - cake beeping at me. Happy Hump Day... did y'all see Glee last night. Hump day. Funny. Glee's been fab lately. Jane and I have taken to playing the "soundtracks" over and over while singing and dancing like we know how.

Busy Day

2010-06-01T06:31:00.001-04:00

Can't "chat" right now - busy day ahead!

Jane's got her 12 month vaccines today (even though her birthday isn't until Saturday), plus Dan's getting a physical cause he's "always tired" (which has almost gotten him murdered on several occasions :p) and I am hoping to get back on "the pill". I avoided the pill until now because it can affect your b-milk production but, at this point, my little ta-tas aren't required for much besides filling out half of my previously over-flowing nursing bras.

So, I have to drive Dan to work which takes up an hour of my morning - ah, the joys of one car. And, because Jane's starting daycare next week, I have to buy doubles to leave at the centre (for my darling US gals, yes, in Canada we spell it "centre"... we're special) - bottles, soothers, diapers, wipes, formula, etc. Next week should be an interesting week for posts as you'll get to see first hand the intro to daycare from Mommy's perspective.

K, gotta go - baby hanging off my leg because her fav toy that she's not allowed to play with is, of course, my laptop!

Happy Tuesday to ya!

A Day in the Life...

2010-05-31T05:17:00.000-04:00

Was thinking this morning as I took care of one of the hundreds of things I do during the day... perhaps I should share this. For the Moms-to-be (pregnant or not) - so you get an understanding of your life post-baby. The more experienced Mommas may enjoy reflecting back on the craziness that was the first years as well - although, I imagine that your lives are just as crazy now, just in a different way!

Here is a typical day in the life of this Mom:

5:50am - Hear Jane chatting through the monitor
6:00am - Crap, she's still chatting through the monitor... not going back to sleep. Becoming more of a Two-Second Whine by now (click here to read about the crying types).

Wake up, get dressed, wash my face, brush my teeth, deodorant, etc. Basically get the basics of "me" ready
This is dependent on the level of crying... if she's still chatting or whining, I take care of me first. If she's escalated to drama queen cry, I go get her first. It's not because I don't want her crying, it's because it's not enjoyable at all to wash your face while someone yells at you.

6:10am - Greet my sweet potato. She's all smiles, bouncing up and down every morning.

Pick her up, open the blinds and sit in the rocking chair where we have a good morning chat and snuggle a little before the wrestling starts.
Time to change her diaper. DING, DING, DING. I only wish there was a chance for a tag team effort on this one.
Button her PJs back up and head downstairs

6:30am - Hit the basement to let the dog out of her crate and let her out to pee.
6:35am - Make Jane's breakfast.

Usually she has blueberries for breakfast which is why I keep her in her PJs for breakfast - it took several stained outfits before I caught on to this trick.
Cut up some banana, pear, etc.
Some mornings I get ambitious and make multi-grain pancakes for her - of which 99% of ends up on the floor... really makes the effort feel worthwhile

6:50am - Make breakfast for myself.
6:55am - Eat breakfast with Jane.

Check email
Catch up on the news if I can

7:10am - Collect bottles to organize and clean for the day.

Clean up kitchen and livingroom while Jane plays
Taking breaks to play with Jane as she often ends up holding on to my leg while I slowly walk around the kitchen with her

8:00am - Water garden if it's going to be sunny.
8:10am - Make Dan's lunch
8:20am - Jane hanging off leg yelling at me. Time to make her AM bottle.

Upstairs to feed Jane her bottle and put her down for her AM nap - sometimes she'll actually go, sometimes she decides it's not nap time but usually this works
Grab monitor from bedroom

8:25am - Work time.

Check email
Job hunt
Write blog post
Usually have previous night's shows on in background while I do this. I, literally, cannot just sit and watch TV. Dan hates this. I have to be doing something else too - on the computer, cleaning, etc.

10:00am - Jane wakes up.

Change diaper. Wrestling match #1.
Get Jane dressed for the day. Wrestling match #2.

10:20am - Put some laundry on. I feel like I'm always doing laundry. If I'm not collecting it and putting it in the washer, I'm staring at 2 full baskets full of clothes ready to be folded that I usually leave sitting around until I need the baskets again to do more laundry.... I hate laundry.
10:30am - Get mommy ready.

Get shower if necessary. Daily showers not required for new Moms. :p I realize I could have done this while Jane was asleep but she likes playing in her playpen (which I leave up in our bathroom) so it's a treat for both of us - I leave her Wish Bear in the playpen and it's one of her favourites so she loves it!
Get myself dressed. Yes. I realize I already did this at 6am. However, the 6am dress was throwing on whatever I was wearing the day before so that I'm not doing everything up to this point in my nightie or, worse, naked.

10:45am - Snack for Jane. Fruit, veggies, cheerios - basically whatever she'll eat.
11:00am - Get ready for a walk and/or the playground if the weather's nice.

There are several girls in my neighbourhood who take in kids as a home daycare. So, at 10:30ish, they all hit the playground and it's awesome - there are tons of kids for Jane to play with and tons of adults for mommy to chat with!

12:00pm - Back home to make some lunch.

Make Jane's lunch - veggies and beans or tofu or chicken - again, whatever she'll eat. Sometimes it's just strawberries and a muffin!
Make my lunch - usually a whole wheat english muffin, with some cheese and a piece of fruit. YUM - super exciting eh?
Turn on the Today Show and see what's going on in the world... truthfully, at 12pm, that's the hour with Hoda and Kathy-Lee... so what's going on in the world is too half-drunk, half-crazy chicks gossiping and talking about wine.

12:45pm - Clean up the mess that was "lunch"... in other words, tell Molly (dog) to eat all the stuff Jane's thrown on the floor and dump most of her lunch into the garbage.
1:00pm - Playtime. Go outside if it's nice. If not, make a mess inside.

Includes, but not limited to, floor time, climbing the stairs over and over again, singing, dancing, bouncing, reading, playing piano, pressing buttons we're not supposed to, etc. Basically, me chasing Jane around while she is up to no good.

2:00pm - Make another bottle for Jane as she climbs my leg yelling at me.

Time for another nap
Upstairs to feed Jane bottle and put her down for her afternoon nap

2:10pm - "Playtime" for mommy.

Work on my projects - websites for friends, photography, etc.
This is usually when I remember that I put laundry in this morning
Take laundry out and hang on the line - Yes. I realize this takes five times as long as the dryer (in work and dry time) but (1) it's enviro friendly and cheaper and (2) it makes the clothes smell like heaven
Take care of any cleaning, errands, etc. that need to be done (appts, emails, etc.)

3:30pm - Jane wakes up.

Wrestling match a.k.a. diaper change.

3:40pm - Snack time for Jane. Same as all meals - whatever she'll eat.
4:00pm - Time for The FEUD! :p We turn on Family Feud and play for a little bit.

If it's nice out, we sometimes hit the playground again with the daycare gals.

4:30pm - Time to make supper.

Usually give Jane a bunch of mixing bowls, or let her into her cupboard (full of baking things that aren't dangerous) so she can play while I prepare dinner.
John Mayer usually goes on the iPod or, depending on the mood, we turn on our dance tunes (lately, the Glee Soundtracks) and dance, sing and cook.

5:10pm - Daddy's home.

Pick up Jane. Pick up water bottle. Spray dog with water while she continues to bark anyways because the garage door opened... although it's starting to work more now that I added the hydrochloric acid to it... ha ha ha, just kidding OBVIOUSLY! I'm sick, I know.

5:20pm - Supper time... kind of. Usually, I get Jane's supper ready (usually just cutting up our meal for her) first and then we eat.
5:45pm - AHHHHH, mommy's break time. Daddy's usually happily on duty for an hour or so during this time.

Check email. Fart around on the net. Watch Daddy and Jane play.
Make Jane's bottle for bedtime so the air bubbles will calm down and not make her gas-y at night.

6:45pm - Bed snack - if she'll eat it. Oatmeal or toast with a little butter.

Warm up bottle

7:00pm - Bedtime rountine.

Upstairs for bedtime.
Close blinds, turn on lamp, fill humidifier, collect nummies, and get the crib ready.
Strip down my filthy rotten child (wrestling match) and let her have some nuddie time while I get everything ready for bed.
If there's clothes to fold, this is usually when I do it. I leave the baskets in Jane's room so I can fold while we "chat" and play before bedtime... usually makes folding take twice as long as Jane always grabs my piles and unfolds everything, but it's worth it.
Fill the bath while I chase my child around preventing her from climbing into the bathtub on her own and face planting into the water and squishing her fingers in the toilet lid... which usually fails and there is usually at least one finger crush every few nights (I know, I need to get those clips that keep 'um closed, on my to-do list). Yesterday, she had the lid just up, fingers underneath and the stupid cat jumped right on the lid, squishing her fingers... F. Seriously? Obviously I didn't notice the fingers under the lid... stupid cat. Stupid mommy.
Lay pj's and sleepsack out
Bathtime - wash, play, etc. Usually when I wash my own face and brush my teeth - the art of multi-tasking. I've brought all of my bedtime needs into her bathroom so I can do this while she plays.
Quick massage post bathtime with lotion
Put on diaper (hmmm, what? Yes. Biggest wrestling match of the day as guess who's starting to get cranky now?)
Put on PJs and sleepsack while I sing "you are my sunshine" as it's the only way to prevent her from struggling through the entire thing because she's cranky and she wants her bottle

7:15pm - Bedtime bottle and bed.
7:30pm - freedom. FREEdom. FREEDOM!!! :p Night time is the only time, as a Mom, that you really, truly, get a break. You know, if you wanted, you have as many hours to do whatever you want as you like.

Check email. Work on projects. Try to convince Dan to watch TMZ instead of that annoying Jim Cramer on CNBC.
I definitely do not clean up after supper at this point. Either Dan does it before bed, or, if he has frisbee or something, I do it the next morning. The mess can wait!

9:30pm - Get ready for bed. Yes. I'm an early to bed girl. Always have been. I'm a morning person, what can I say. Plus, I never know what kind of night's sleep I'll get.

I always play a game of sudoku before bed. I don't know why. It's like my little brain challenge for the day. I try to beat my times and everything, I'm a total geek. I think it also gets my mind off all the to-dos and worries as well before bed.
Usually when I realize that I've left the clothes out on the line and pray that it doesn't rain over night.

9:45pm - Pass out cold and pray Jane has done the same.
4:00am - Usually up for a quick breastfeed with Jane.
4:05am - Back to bed. Ideally. This is, of course, hoping she's not teething and decides that she'd rather yell at me while jumping up and down in her crib for 30-45 minutes.
And, then, the day starts all over again. :)

In summary, days are packed. With that said, two notes... (1) I choose to make my "break times" busy. I like to be busy most of the time. I like to have things to do always. When I don't have something to do, I create something to do. (2) Even on the "worst" days... every day is the best. Just sayin'. :)

Sold On Second Hand

2010-05-28T05:26:00.002-04:00

I admit it. Prior to the past year or so, I was a second hand snob. I never would have considered buying anything used. I blame my mother. Who else can you blame? I mean, basically, she gets all the credit for the good and the bad! ha ha ha. :p As far as I know, we never bought anything used growing up - even our houses were brand new!

Anyways, I'm a changed woman. This year has changed me in SO many ways - not even mentioning the whole most beautiful daughter in the entire world factor. :p I went from spending without thinking to thinking before spending. Went from never having had to save a penny in my life to having to save every penny possible and, I found myself, quickly becoming a saving addict.

So, when Jane's birthday came upon us, I had two options. Of course, I had a budget. It's her first birthday, she doesn't need much. I wouldn't spend more than $100 on gifts. One. Hundred. Dollars. Crap. That gets you diddly-squat these days. EXCEPT second hand. YEEHAW! Kijiji here I come (kijiji is a Canadian craigslist - although we have craigslist as well but not so popular here on the east coast). In addition to kijiji, I have checked out a few garage sales and made some GREAT purchases.

To give you an idea of what you can do with your money when you buy second hand, here are the gifts I got for Jane for $100:

Fisher Price Little People sets - they are plastic people, I cleaned 'um off, their like new: $35
I got the farm set, the airplane, the zoo, the racetrack and the school bus - "little people", animals and such included. Even some came with batteries! ha ha ha. At Walmart, each of these sets is well over $30 each and I got them all for $35.

Radio Flyer Rock and Bounce Pony - $10 at garage sale, perfect condition, literally.
Jane is in love with this. It's like a big girl bouncer. And, being that I'm a rider myself, it makes me happy to have gotten her her first "pony"! :) Retails for over $100 here in Canada.

Little Tikes Outdoor Slide thingy-me-bobber - $5 at garage sale, perfect condition.
Ok, so obviously Jane has already been given some bday gifts (as if she knows). She loves this outdoor slide. She is all over it soon as she hits the patio! Bonus that we can put it in the pool and she can slide into the swimming pool. Retails for over $100 here in Canada.

Little Tikes Kitchen Set with shopping cart, food and other accessories - $50 on kijiji, perfect condition.
My blog-mommy friend Lindsay sold me on this when I saw a pic of her little guy Andrew (same age as Jane) lovin' his big sister's kitchen set. I bought this from the same girl who sold me the Little People sets and it was awesome - her things were in great condition. A few scratches and what not but no more "damage" than Jane will have caused within seconds anyways! Retails for almost $200 here in Canada.

So, if I haven't convinced you yet... give it shot. My recommendations is to demand pictures of the actual items and to not pick things up alone. You never know what kind of creepy people are out there. If I've ever have to pick something up alone, I ask the person beforehand to meet me out front because my husband will be in the car (complete lies) but at least that should scare off most of the crazies (I watch too much A&E to be one of those "it'll never happen to me" people).

Want to know what's even better? Dan and I have made well over $1000 off kijiji selling nonsense stuff we don't use anymore from our basement this year. Just this week, we cleaned out our storage closet and made $615 so far selling things we weren't using anymore! Guaranteed you have more than you think you do!

Happy hunting!

Blog Birthday

2010-05-27T05:56:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's post was a less than ideal celebration of a year's worth of "work" on the blog. I say "work" because it's not truly work. It takes a lot of work but I enjoy every minute (well 90% of the minutes) so would you call it a hobby? Hmmm... doesn't seem to give the time and effort the respect it deserves. Regardless, a year's worth of sharing my experiences, good and bad, with all you fabulous ladies has been fabulous.

Writing this blog has kept me sane throughout the last year. It's been like my little conversation with my girlfriends everyday - bragging about things I've done well, whining when things have gone wrong, fessing up when I've royally screwed things up, and laughing with you all when I've been just plain crazy! I have met so many wonderful women from all around the world because of MOmMy bRaIn and that's definitely made all of the effort worth it. There are many of you who have become great friends as we have bonded through sharing the steps and stages we go through as Mommas.

When I started the blog, I was nervous about it, shy about sharing my feelings and experiences, and absolutely not thinking anyone would be interested in hearing about it but my immediately family and friends. Two hundred followers, and 5000 hits per month later and I'm thinking that I'm not the only one out there who likes to feel like they're not alone! :) Thanks for all the support and encouragement over the past twelve months.

Obviously, things will slow down on the blog in the next little while (hopefully, fingers crossed). I'm really looking forward to getting back to work. As much as I have so cherished every minute with my sweet Jane, my career has always been a priority to me as well and I am excited about getting out of the house again, getting back a little more "me".

In honour of my blog "birthday", I thought I would re-share some of my favourite blog moments over the past year.

Here goes:

One of the posts I had the most fun writing was my "Top 10 to Make you Laugh" where I shared actual things my husband had said to me while pregnant that very nearly got him murdered (hormones + stupid comments = justifiable cause). Think "maybe it's because you're eating so much..." or "you're huge".

Two of the posts that cracked me up the most were my "Dear" body series - where I wrote letters to my boobs and brain discussing some of the issues I had with each at the time. Check out "Dear Boobs" and "Dear Brain" - they are short and funny. I swear I wrote both of them in the middle of the night in between feedings!

One of the posts I'm most proud of is "A Changed Perspective". I write almost everyday. That's hundreds of posts within the last year. Every once in awhile I write a post that I truly love. Every once in awhile I write a post that I think is great. This was one of them. Not saying you're going to love it. Just saying I did! :p

If you're up for a good laugh, check out my MOmMy bRaIn Mondays... thank goodness my MB moments have decreased so drastically that they aren't worth writing about anymore. Some of those were just bad!

I've learned so much this year. I think the biggest change has been in my confidence. I have always been a confident person but I am proud of myself for everything I've accomplished this year. As women, we rarely give ourselves much credit. But, I'm a great Mom. I've handled all the challenges of motherhood better than I ever could have expected and that makes me feel like I can do anything! :) I'm sure if you take the time to reflect, you'll realize the same about yourself.

My favourite part of this blog is that, in 20 years, Jane can look back and (if she wants to) read about all the details of her first years. It's like the ultimate baby book! And it's very likely I'll be re-reading these moments for years and years to come.

Thanks again for everything. I promise to do my best to continue to post regularly, even if it's just a quick update...

It's been awhile since I posted a video of my little monkey. Last week, I'm chopping watermelon up for her when I hear this echo-y voice... I'm like WTH?!?! I turn around and this is what I see - the NEXT American Idol! :p

Happy Birthday Blog #1

2010-05-26T06:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I kinda missed my blog birthday (it was on the weekend).

Regardless, because I have no time today, I thought I'd re-post my very first blog post... and, tomorrow, when time isn't crunched, I will reminisce a little more!

Here goes:

My 38 Weeks Preggers Update:

Hi Everyone,

Almost there! Here's your update for this week...as I'm saying this, in the corner of my eye, I'm seeing my right side do leaps and bounds as baby kicks the heck outta me! She's definitely NOT doing the whole "less movement because I have no room in here anymore" thing that everyone keeps warning me about.

Baby and I had an "interesting" visit to the docs this week (during my regular weekly appt) that resulted in me being hooked up to the fetal monitor for 30 mins...when they laid me on my back to check baby's heart rate it was quite low - around 104 bpm. So they had me lie on my side and re-took the heart rate a few mins later and it was on the low side of normal, around 120 bpm. SO, just to be careful my doc sent me up to the "early labour" room (which was slightly exciting) to get monitored to make sure all was well...I love my doctor for being super cautious and taking good care of me. Soon as the nurse hooked me up to the monitor, she started watching the heart rate and saying that it was "textbook" and everything looked fine...that baby may just have a lower baseline at this point and may be more sensitive to me lying on my back...which makes me feel justified for forcing myself to sleep on my side every night since my first trimester! I watched the monitor the whole time and her heart rate ranged between 115ish - 147ish - I could see it skyrocket when I felt her kicking and moving around in my belly, kind of cute! Majority of the time though it was in the mid-high 120s so I knew that everything was ok. Thankfully she actually kicked the docs hand a few times during my checkup so everybody was very calm about the whole thing and, as a result, I didn't get nervous or stressed. Honestly, I think I'm more nervous now, after the fact, and suddenly paying closer attention than usual to make sure she continues to move a lot. I figure if this is the only "hiccup" I have with this pregnancy, it's a blessing! Anyways...that was this week's "fun" ha ha ha. Can't imagine what next week could bring ;) Sooooo thankful everything was ok. Of course, Mom and Dan are now further convinced this is just another sign I'm going to have this baby before my due date...both now convinced it's happening next week! I hope they're right but I refuse to buy into it :)

As for everything else, as the babycentre.ca update says - "you may be feeling huge" - I'm not FEELING huge people, I am HUGE!! ha ha ha. Apparently I'm measuring right on and my weight is good, but seriously, I'm a giant person! Most days I'm really not uncomfortable. I found that, during my second trimester, a lot of my mom-friends were telling me how horrible the third trimester is and how you are sick of being pregnant, so uncomfortable and blah blah blah...I've felt like that on occasion because of a little discomfort, but honestly, it isn't that bad! Don't tell anyone I said this but I think sometimes, only sometimes, us women exaggerate to get a little extra sympathy, a few extra foot rubs, etc. ;) ha ha ha. I've been telling my pregnant girlfriends who are just in their first or second trimester that it's really not bad and they are appreciating the more positive view as, like I said, everyone seems to be telling them that's it's awful! On the other side of it though, I am completely ready and excited to meet this baby! YIPEE! It's so close...every day now I'm wondering if today's the day!?!?! I could have a sweet little baby this time next week!

We've officially got two weeks left now until my due date! Can't believe how quickly the time has gone by...I sat in the nursery today just thinking about how much time has passed since we found out we were pregnant in September and how far away it all seemed to be at that point. Now it's here!

If I am so blessed to have this baby next week...then considered yourselves notified that next week's update will be nothing except gushing... "i love this and i love that and she's so cute and she's so special and i love her so much and i can't believe how beautiful she is and did I mention how cute she was?...." ha ha ha.

Jen

My Life Update

2010-05-25T07:45:00.000-04:00

First of all, what a beautiful long weekend we had! Yesterday was easily 30 degrees out - not a cloud in the sky, it was awesome. We had Jane's pool out both days and yesterday I even hopped in, dress-schmess, to have some fun. Biggest complaint about the sun? Having to worry about sunscreen on Jane. I picked up Aveeno Baby SPF 55 which was the closest thing to "all natural" I could find at our local drug store and I'm sure it's fine (despite the $15 price tag). However, getting it on Jane 30 mins before "exposure" and making sure it's all over is an interesting challenge. I mean, how do you tell a 1 year old "no, you have to stay inside for 30 minutes now because your sunscreen has to dry"... even I didn't want to stay in yesterday for 30 minutes. I think I have to get her one of those SPF bathing suits. Her current bathing suit is more fashion than function. And, yesterday, not thinking, Dan and I were so excited about getting her in the pool that I applied the sunscreen and immediately plopped her down in the pool and watched this milky water float away from her skin as all the protection washed away. So, then, I worried the entire time she was swimming that she was burning to a crisp but, alas, she was fine. Noted for later though. Second complaint... Jane hates sunglasses. SHOCKER. I think we'd all hate sunglasses if they didn't strategically cover up the fact that I'm not wearing any makeup and look like I have two black eyes under here. I bought her those Baby Bandz to try and keep them on her and instead she just pulls on them so they are sideways on her face (resulting in a tantrum) or around her neck - choking hazard much? She's half-good at wearing a hat so that's been a fairly decent alternative, except that usually expires after 20-30 mins and then the hat goes in the pool.

FAB news - Jane finally slept through the entire night. She's been sick with a head cold so my expectation of her sleeping through the night right now was about as high as expecting someone to drop a million bucks on my doorstep. Regardless, Sunday morning I woke up... it was 6am. I didn't have to look at the clock. I knew that I had been asleep for a long time. I knew it was passed the usual 3-4am wake up. When I saw 6am, I was shocked. I searched my brain as hard as I could to try and remember if I she had woken up or not... I mean, sometimes I'm literally not conscious when I go in her room. But I hadn't. Shock. WOOHOO. Of course, I was not about to brag about it. No telling everyone. No posting on Facebook (Nancy :p). And, of course, after a full day of play, sun, exhaustion, I made mistake number one - I expected her to sleep through the night again. Ha ha ha. The Goddess of sleep bitch-slapped me last night. Jane woke up at midnight and didn't, literally, didn't fall back to sleep until after 4am. She's never done that to me ever. An hour or two, yes, but four hours... I even took her into bed with me, thinking, "ahhh, she's sick, maybe she just wants her Mommy" and it worked for about 3 minutes until she woke up, sat up straight and started laughing at the fan. Awesome.

Hey want some more good news? Those damn ants found a new home and a new way into my house. Last night, I'm sitting in my livingroom and feel this tickle on my arm and YUCK ant. Look down and there's at least 5-6 of those buggers crawling around my feet. I can still feel them all over me. So, I made my little borax ant killer crap and set out outside. Finally, we found their home last night and I poured my mix all over the suckers. As opposed to my previous guilt about killing them, this time I said "hasta la vista baby" and I hope those creepers die for good. :p Anger much? I'm tired, obviously. Don't cross me when I'm tired. Worse? Tired and hungry. My husband practices evasive maneuvers when I'm tired and hungry.

A quick update on the breastfeeding. Jane's basically weaned herself off the boob during the day now. She just will not take it. I think this is common as it's easier for babes to get milk out of the bottle vs. the boob (which they often have to work hard at to get the "let down"). So, she gets bottles throughout the day - two formula, two half-formula, half-homo (full fat) milk). Is it ok to mix formula and homo milk? Cause I have and so far it's not seemed to hurt. Jane definitely didn't jump right on the homo milk train and still refuses a little when I give her those half-n-half bottles. But she's getting there. She still takes boob if she wakes at night. FYI for those ladies still suffering from engorgement. At this point, for me, not an issue. Because we have weaned so gradually, my boobs have slowly adjusted and I've yet to have any discomfort.

Jane officially starts daycare the week after her birthday (June 5th is her birthday). We take that week to "transition" - so day one we stay together for an hour or two, day two she stays alone for an hour or so, day three she stays alone for a few hours, etc. etc. By Friday, she is there all day. Honestly, for those of you who are "newer" Moms and are still thinking you'll never be able to leave your baby again and go back to work. You likely will. Some of you won't want to and won't do it and that's fine. But, trust me, when Jane was 6-7 months, I was still not ready but I am now. Of course, I feel mommy guilt in saying that. Obviously, I would love to spend every day of the rest of my life hanging out with Jane. But, I'm ready to get out of the house. There's a few girls on my street who have home daycares, so we meet them and the kids at the playground during the day. Jane plays with all the other babes and kids and doesn't even notice if I'm there or not... she loves it. This definitely gives me peace of mind for the transition. Although, I know it will still be hard. God help me if she cries when I leave. I think the key will be, making it as I do at home - when Mommy leaves, no big deal - kisses, waves, an "I'll be back" (not Arnold S style) and gone. No biggie. We'll see how that goes. I'm likely to sit outside the daycare for the entire two hours in case she hurts herself or I can hear her crying! :p tee hee hee. Not really. Maybe. Hopefully not.

Ok, gotta go. Jane napping. Mommy going to watch 24 finale.

Ant Beater

2010-05-21T05:59:00.000-04:00

I hate bugs. Hmmm. Let me be clear. I hate bugs in my house. Yes, I was one of those weird kids who had a bug farm...

Sidetrack. Two funny stories about my bug farms...

(1) I had gotten a "bug hotel" for my birthday or something (basically a "fancy" screened in bug holder). So, immediately, I captured my first bug hotel guest, named him and bonded. It was going to rain that day so, to protect my new friend, I put him in the BBQ. Long story short - my Dad cranked up the ol' BBQ for dinner and POOF, bug hotel and new best friend fried. My Dad has the worst memory but he'll never forget that story because I was totally traumatized... I mean, the poor bug. He didn't have a chance! :p

(2) My sister decided to hop on the bug farm train... she was totally not hard core though and only joined the club because she found this really cute fuzzy black and yellow caterpillar. She bragged and showed off that caterpillar like crazy. So, we're sitting in our shed and she's got her fancy caterpillar out crawling around. She has to pee. She basically warned me if I hurt her caterpillar, I would die. Over and over, before she ran to the house, she reinforced not to touch, pick up, step on, squish, etc. HER caterpillar. Running back into the shed from the bathroom, she steps on it. ha ha ha. Priceless.

Ok, back to the topic of the day... Ants. I hate ants. Oh, I hate them. Just when you kill one, another one appears. Then, I think, hmmmm, if I leave some ant carcasses around maybe their friends will find them, realize this is a bad news type of place and tell their friends and they'll all leave. I hate killing them. Every time I kill them I think of that sweety Anty from "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and my heart hurts a little. Regardless, I squish them every time.

Here's my problem. We've always got food on the floor. I have a 11 month old baby who LOVES to clear off her highchair with one swoop of her arm. It's ant heaven. So, how the heck do you get rid of them?

I did some research. Obviously, I was not going to use pesticide. Would kind of defeat the purpose of using all natural cleaners and such if I decided to spray pesticide all over my house, non? I found out some interesting things about ants. Apparently, there are hunter ants or some crap that go out looking for food or water and leave a trail for the other ants to follow. So, first of all you have to get rid of the trails. WTH? I used vinegar. Apparently vinegar (or a vinegar-water mix) is good for this. I thought, POOF, gone, done, finito (sp?). Not the case. Next day, anty and his friend are back. YUCK!

Then I went outside and found their home. Please be advised, the following paragraph contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers. :p So, I researched and found out that if you mix borax (my favourite laundry detergent ingredient and great household cleaner) with a bunch of sugar and leave it in a "dish" for the ants, they will bring the sweet borax back to the nest and it will kill them all. So, I got an old sour cream container, filled it with 1/2 sugar, 1/2 borax and put it next to the ant hill. An hour later, I decided to check and see if the ants had found my sweet treat yet and nothin'. Not one ant was near my trap. So, in typical "I have no time for this nonsense" style, I poured the mixture over what looked like the top of the next. POOF. I haven't seen an ant since. I know. I feel guilty just saying it. Perhaps, because I blocked off the top of the hole they just found somewhere else to go and didn't actually all die a horrible death?

Regardless, wanted to share these little tips as I know I can't be the only Mom out there with a crumb covered home.

Happy weekend! :)

Smooth-ease

2010-05-20T09:29:00.001-04:00

Finding nutritious and well-balanced meals and snacks for Jane is one of the hardest things I have to do during the week... especially considering she (1) will only eat finger foods (2) hates all vegetables besides sweet potato and peas and (3) never seems to be hungry.

My solution, this week, is smoothies. I got this idea from a playdate friend, Kathy-Ann, who is always full of great tips and who I'm always stealing recipes from. Previously, I had never considered making a smoothie for Jane but DUH, awesome idea! My first thought, similar to the homemade purees I was making, is that I could "hide" veggies in smoothies by masking their flavour with sweet fruits. And that's just what I've done.

Basically, the first batch of smoothies I made, I just threw in whatever frozen fruit I had in the freezer with some steamed carrots and homo milk. Then, I threw in some infant cereal... I remember hearing "don't mix infant cereal with milk and put it in a bottle" when I was first introducing solids to Jane. Don't ask me why not, I have no idea. Regardless, this gave me the idea that adding some infant cereal to the smoothie might be a great way to sneak it in and, also, to fill her up (in hopes of a good sleep - the ultimate goal of everything we do some days :p).

The results? Success. Jane loves smoothies. YIPEE. She's eating. Food. Nutritious food! YIPEE! And carrots - even better!

So, now I'm thinking about recipes!

Here's one I made yesterday that she loved (dragged her sippy around with her for a half hour):
1 Banana
2 Oranges, peeled (obviously)
1 cup frozen mango, thawed
1 cup steamed carrot
1/2 cup canned pineapple, in juice
1/2 cup infant cereal, dry
3/4 cup homo milk (or as much until you get a good consistency)

Blend it all up, and make sure it's not too thick. First, I tried giving it to Jane in a regular glass but that was a pain because I had to stand there feeding it to her and it would have taken forever. Then, I took one of her sippy cups, took out the "no spill" thingy-me-bobber and filled it up. Does the trick and the smoothie is thick enough that unless thrown (which it likely will be) it doesn't spill every where anyways. If you're lucky enough to have a dog, like me, you don't have to worry about spills - this is basically the only reason my dog is not on craigslist right now! :p

The recipe makes a ton - so I just saved the rest in a ziploc container in the fridge. I wouldn't use it past a day or two because I have no idea how long it's safe for - any ideas?

I know Kathy-Ann and, hopefully, some others probably have some pretty fab recipes - so please share by commenting! So far, I've only experimented by sneaking carrots into the smoothies but I'm sure there's lots more ideas I've yet to realize. :)

Weigh-in Wednesday

2010-05-19T08:47:00.000-04:00

It's over. Almost a year later, it's over. I never thought it would take me a year. I mean, I heard that old saying "it takes 9 months to put it on... blah blah blah" and I was like YEAH, HAH, 9 months to take it off my a**, I'll have it all gone in a few weeks. Arrogance is beautiful isn't it.

Regardless, I'm done. No more WIW posts. I'm over it and I'm sure y'all are tired of hearing me go on and on about a few pounds and how I need to exercise more and how I am addicted to chocolate and all things bad for me, and so on and so on. I will say that the three biggest weight lose busters for me this year were (1) being home all day without a car (most days), (2) exhaustion and (3) stress. Combine any of those and the result, for me, is a binge-fest where I contemplate the possibility of eating so much that my stomach explodes. Is this possible? I mean, yes, your stomach obviously has some heavy duty stretching power - but what if you just kept eating? Where does it all go? I wonder this about Jane sometimes because when you look at those stupid baby books, they say that baby's stomach is the size of a grape at this age, and then the size of a plum, and so on... well, if my baby's stomach is only the size of a plum, why is she drinking an 8oz bottle? :p I'm crazy, I realize. I'm pretty sure my life would make a fabulous reality tv series if, and only if, they could somehow manage to pull the thoughts directly from my brain with some super mind reader thingy-me-bobber. The things that go through my head are ridiculous sometimes.

Anyways, back to the weigh-in nonsense. I put on my old favourite, black dress pants (size 5) today to see how I was doing (pre-scale) and, well, they fit. Are they appropriate for work? No. More like appropriate for hitting up the clubs and there's no way I could sit down in them or I'm pretty sure the butt-seam would rip but, hey, there's like a bazillion girls wearing pants like this walking around thinking they look great, so why not me! :p ha ha ha. Hey, there's even guys (Jonas Brothers much?) wearing too-tight pants nowadays. Perhaps it's just my bodies way of telling me to be more trendy.

Here are the final side-by-side shots of week 1 and goal reached.

And for my hubby, a butt pic... :p

Ok, I have to go take a break now. My life is incredibly insane right now - I have no time (thus, neglecting the blog) and I need to force myself to take some time for me today.

xoxo

Are You Ready to be a Mother?

2010-05-17T06:17:00.002-04:00

I was sent this yesterday. Usually I don't even read these types of emails but, this morning, I was bored and I'm glad. This is so true. I've often felt it was strange that we need licenses to drive, hunt, etc. but any crazy can have a child?!?! What's with that?

If you're a responsible human being, you should put yourself through several of these tests to see if you are ready for parenting... trust me, these lessons are more true and relevant than anything in any book. For me, the following would have helped prepare me:1, 2, 3, 5, and especially 8.

ARE YOU READY FOR MOTHERHOOD?

Lesson 1:
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the newspaper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2:
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their.
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behaviour. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
My addition to this one is to get used to people doing the same to you - because very often parents who have kids older than yours (and forget the "early days") or parents who have kids younger than yours (and don't know what their in for) will do this to you as well.

Lesson 3:
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel.
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.
My addition? Have someone wake up with you each time and tell you "my baby has slept through the night since day one", bragging to you as they go back to sleep. That'll help you from hitting people in the future. ha ha ha. :p

Lesson 4:
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out.
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favourite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5:
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.
My addition... all morning? Fine when you're one maternity leave - but time allowed when you're back to work is much less, I'm sure. Try doing it in five minutes.
Second to that? Fill a diaper with a jar of baby food prunes. Try to put it on your dog or cat. This is what it's like to change a poopy diaper on a 10 month old plus. Trying to get a poopy diaper off a wiggling, flipping, moving baby is more impressive than cirque du soleil.

Lesson 6:
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7:
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.

Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8:
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
My addition: Take a jar of baby food, a flexible spoon and sling shot some food onto your ceilings and your walls. Leave it there for two-three hours (which is how long it would probably take you to get around to it with a baby). It will dry. It will be impossible to remove without stripping your paint. I still have dried prunes on my wall from 6 months ago.

Lesson 9:
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10:
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11:
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Hope you enjoyed! Mom's to be - if you find this scary... here's the truth of it. All of the above "challenges" and "annoyances" are wiped out within seconds by any of the following:
(1) One big smile
(2) A giggle
(3) A hug or kiss
(4) An "I love you Mommy"
etc.

Happy Monday!

Time for Milk?

2010-05-14T06:03:00.003-04:00

When is it time to transition from formula/breastmilk to cow's milk? I've read on babycentre.ca that after baby's first birthday, it's fine to start introducing Homo (full fat) milk and transition off the iron-rich formulas/breastmilk.

Right now, Jane usually has four feedings of milk per day. Two (breakfast, bedtime) are formula and two are breastmilk. Any nighttime feedings are breastmilk because I don't have the energy to go make a bottle at 3am. :p Even with only half-formula (and I'm using powdered Nestle Goodstart) it's not cheap (in all fairness, I'm used to spending $0 on baby milk). Typically, I go through one large can every three week-ish, and it costs about $30-ish CDN. Once I am working again, Jane will be on 100% formula... or cow's milk? This is my question. I was thinking, instead of switching the two breastmilk feedings to formula feedings, could I transition those from breastmilk to cow's milk? Then, I could move the formula feedings to cow's milk. This would be a whole lot cheaper - I think?

What's everyone's experience with this? What do you recommend if you've done it? Did you also switch to using only the sippy cup or are you using a bottle still? Or, are you using something else altogether? What brand are you using? HELP! :p

"Weaning" is going a lot easier than I expected. I thought it would be harder on me but I've been doing it so gradually that, both physically and emotionally, it's not been a challenge. My boobs are hilariously smaller than 6-8 months and I'm pretty sure they haven't kept up their end of the bargain (see here) and I'm going to need some serious help from Victoria's Secret once this is all said and done. I will say that the smaller tah-tahs are making me feel skinnier... bigger bosoms definitely don't work on me (although Dan would disagree).

Your tips-n-tricks, as always, are appreciated. Who needs "experts" and books when I have you guys!

Two things - did you see Oprah yesterday? Yes, I know, I'm one of those embarrassing "Twi-Moms"... every time I start to forget about my love for those novels, a new movie comes out and I get crazy again. Oprah is really speakin' my language this week - Tommy Boy's on Friday (I know he's crazy but I've loved him since I was 10 in Top Gun, you never forget your first love) and Will Smith next week! :)

Having a Date Night this weekend? Check out Date Night... Literally. Movie with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. Aside from several minutes of Marky Mark shirtless, there's a scene in that movie (involving a strip club) that almost made me lose control of my weak-post-baby-bladder. I have not laughed like that in a long time, uncontrollable. It may have been the glass of wine beforehand but, regardless, priceless.

Party Planning

2010-05-13T07:56:00.002-04:00

Y'all know, I'm a planner (technically an over-planner) and that I love projects. I probably spent two-three times more time planning my wedding than the average bridezilla. I love planning parties like that - decor, creative foods, coordinating everything. I'm a total geek.

As we began to near Jane's first birthday (yeah, for me, "near" meant 4 months in advance), I started researching ideas and thinking about planning her birthday party. It was then that I realized that I will get to do this every year! Every year I get to think of themes (or, when Jane's old enough, she'll pick the theme) and go all out with creativity and nonsense! This is awesome! And, in three or four years, I'll get to do it twice a year (assuming we have another baby sometime). YIPEE!

Some people (maybe most) are not into it. I get it. However, I have a little Martha Stewart in me (I wish that little bit was also just a little bit loaded rich like her too). I've already showed you pictures of the "cake" I plan to do for Janers. I also designed my own photo invites as well (combining my party planning geek with my computer geek). Part of the fun of planning for me is that, if you're good (and start early), you can save a ton of money! I started the whole bday planning process because I came across a huge sale at the grocery store on Disney Princess Party supplies (plates, cups, streamers, etc.) a few months back. Then, Easter hit and, just like last year with my baby shower, I waited until post-bunny to pick up a bunch of pink and pastel-coloured candy (M&Ms, etc.) that will perfectly coordinate with my Princess theme. Will anyone notice? Who cares! I will, and that's all that matters! It's like when you lose 5 lbs - does anyone else notice? Probably not. But you know and you walk taller and feel like a million bucks because of it. This is exactly how I feel about coordinated decor (I know, I'm SOOOOO cool). ha ha ha. Perhaps, I have a little more "Monica" (Friend's reference) in me than just the whole anal-cleaning thing.

My biggest challenge so far is who to invite? I was thinking just my family, a few close friends and that's it. It's hard - because it's a "party", I'd like to invite all our friends (with kids or not) just to hang out but I don't want to invite them and have them bring gifts. Not that I assume they would... but you know what I mean! Obviously, my family would bring gifts and we'd have Jane open them. So, I don't want two things to happen (1) people to feel like they should bring a gift or (2) people to not bring a gift and feel like an idiot when she's opening her gifts. Maybe I'll just write an extra note in those people's invites and say just that... don't bring a gift, don't feel stupid, just come if you want! :p ha ha ha.

The other thing I'm curious about is the "birthday dress"... I have the cutest birthday dress for Jane (will obviously post pictures once the day arrives). So, during the party she can wear that. BUT, during the cake eating time, there's no way in heck she's gonna wear the dress - if she already doesn't have it stained by that time I'll be in shock. So, I figure I'll just change her into the "Birthday Girl" T-shirt that I already got her and let her go mad.

As far as gifts for Jane, I'm trying to keep to a budget so I'm buying a lot of second-hand stuff. I'd rather get a bazillion second-hand things within my budget vs. getting only one brand new thing. I mean, she'll have it filthy rotten by the end of day anyways. So far, I've taken your advice and gotten a bunch of Fisher Price Little People sets. Any other suggestions? I want to get her things that she will enjoy now and in a few months. I feel like she's really bored of all her Christmas toys at this point.

Thanks for the tips in advance!

Weigh-in Wednesday

2010-05-12T05:12:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day. Ate pasta three times. Made cupcakes. Ate cupcakes. Ate several cupcakes. In one day. For several days. Promise to end this nonsense next week.

Updates

2010-05-11T09:08:00.000-04:00

Because I'm exhausted and about to have a nap while Jane's napping, I thought a quick post giving you updates on some of the products and such that I have recommended is in order...

Numero Uno... The Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent recipe. Still one of my favourite finds. I have gotten so many questions from you gals about this and a lot of questions about whether or not it's ok for HE washers. Honestly, I don't have a yes or no answer. I did a little research on it and it seems the key to HE washers is that the detergent needs to be low-sudsing (I made up that word). I will say that the recipe I use (find it below) is definitely low sudsing. Basically, when added to water, it dissolves and just turns the water a little cloudy. My recommendation, if you are interested in trying it out with your HE washer, is to try one tbsp of detergent first and see how it goes. It's definitely worth a shot - SUPER easy to make, super cheap and works great. I just made my second batch this week. I made my first batch in February, and had used 3/4 of it as of this week. It cost approx. $2.62 to make twice the recipe. So, using my trusty calculator (definitely not my brain), my laundry detergent cost me $1.96 ($2.62 x 3/4 used) over the past 14 weeks, assuming I do 4 loads of laundry per week, ha ha ha ha, OMG it cost me less than 4 cents per load of laundry. Is that right? That seems too good to be true. Yup, checked it. It's right. So, at this rate, for the entire year's laundry, it will cost me $7.28 for laundry detergent... let's be a little more generous with it and say $8. I used to spend more than $8 for a container of liquid Gain detergent that was 64 loads, which according to the 4 loads per week assumption, would have lasted me 16 weeks. I'm basically spending a third of what I used to spend. That's not even mentioning the fact that both of the main ingredients, washing soda and borax are environmentally safe products, packaged in cardboard (vs. plastic), not full of chemicals, dyes and perfumes, and I save myself the annoyance of having to buy separate detergent for myself and Jane. AND, both borax and washing soda have a bazillion other uses in the home - I sprinkle washing soda on the carpets 30 mins before I vacuum (it smells awesome and has baking soda so it deodorizes). I also use either (both are stain removers) with some warm water to soak any of Jane's stained clothes if I'm not doing laundry right away. Both are great household cleaners, stain removers, etc. Click here for some other uses for borax. Click here for some other uses for washing soda.

Here's the laundry detergent recipe again for the newbies:

1/2 bar of grated bar soap (Fels Naptha is best but we can't get it in Canada so I used Sunlight Laundry soap and it's fab)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm&Hammer Washing Soda
(all ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle, just look hard - up top or down low as, surprise surprise the cheap stuff doesn't get prime shelf space)
Grate the laundry soap using a cheese grater. I tried not doing this and just using the food processor and it didn't work as well. After it's grated, throw it in the food processor and make it into a finer powder. If you don't have a food processor, you can leave it as grated - no biggie!
Mix in the borax and washing soda and VOILA.
I had an old coffee grinds measuring spoon that I use to put two tbsp of detergent in with each load.

Second thing on my list (my list is in my head so this could be a short one :p)... homemade all purpose cleaner. I have made this recipe a bazillion times since the first try because I use it everywhere, all the time, and love it. It's super easy to make. SUPER cheap. And there appears that there's not extra germs floating around because I am used enviro-friendly, baby-friendly, natural cleaners (vs. chemically nasty crap) as we're not all getting sick all the time or getting food poisoning or anything! It definitely gives me peace of mind now that Jane's eating 100% finger foods to clean off her high chair with something I made and know every ingredient. Not to mention, like the laundry detergent, the ingredients in the cleaner have many other uses... the castile soap can be used for basically everything - I got the lavender scented and have used it all bubble bath, baby wash, shampoo for myself, etc. It's awesome. And don't even get me started on the bazillion fabulous uses of vinegar!

Another update - SkinFix Buttocks Paste. I wrote about this product back in February after I had been using it for a few weeks on Jane's mild-moderate diaper rash. Still in love. Still use it at every diaper change. I have learned since that you can find it at most Sobey's (Canada) and is rolling our to Superstores/Loblaws in the next few weeks. You can also get it online at well.ca (free shipping). I wanted to update as I had mentioned in my initial post that the jar would last me a long time and it did. I got it mid-January and I just ran out last week... so about 16 weeks, with at least 6 diaper changes a day - that's around 672 diaper changes baby! Seeing as I had gone through 1/5 of my Zincofax jar in a weekend, I think that's a pretty long lasting product (not bashing Zincofax, it works for some I know).

Pampers Dry Max Diapers - Mommies beware. Apparently some babies are having a bad reaction to the new Dry Max diapers (getting a burn on their bottoms). Personally, I still love them, only use them and have never had any issues (and Jane has sensitive skin). If you're using them without issue, I wouldn't worry. If you've yet to give them a try, don't buy a giant box - buy a smaller sample if you're interested. I'd be curious to know what the "burn" is. After reading this article, I see that parents are complaining of "diaper rashes and chemical burns"... well, to me, how do you know the difference? I wonder (and I'm not an expert) if, because of the nature of the diapers - dryer, thinner, more absorbent), if parents are changing babies less or not noticing when the diaper is wet because of those attributes... thus, baby is getting a diaper rash? Definitely interested to see where this goes. Like I said, love 'um and have had no issues myself. Anyone have a different experience?

K, gotta go - Jane's awake. Remember how I said I needed to have a nap? Yeah, this is why I love and sometimes hate blogging. Nap? HAH! Blogged for an hour instead! :p

The Art of "No"

2010-05-10T13:13:00.000-04:00

Since Jane's become mobile, we've been practicing our "nos"... and by practicing I mean that basically all day I chase after my little monkey saying "noooooooo", "Jane, no", and so on and she ignores me, laughs at me, or stops what she's doing only to do it again five seconds later.

Everything becomes a game. Yesterday, she started trying to turn the tv-audio-thingy-me-bobber off and on and pressing all the other buttons (no idea what these buttons do). So, I started with my "nos". "Jane, no". Jannnnneeeee, no", and "Jane, noooooooo" while pulling her hand away from the buttons. Yeah. Not so effective. Initially, she'd reach for a button, I'd say no, grab her hand and and she'd start cracking up laughing. After 3-4 times, she was laughing evilly even before she reached for the button. That's when strategy number two comes into play... distraction. Distraction is the key to parenting after your baby passes the six month mark. Once distraction is possible, life gets easier. Baby falls, baby cries, Mommy dances like a nutball, baby laughs, the end. Simple. Baby gets grouchy in the car seat ten minutes from home, Mommy sings a crazy song, baby laughs, the end. Distraction is your best friend.

Ok, I got side-tracked as usual. Back to "no". Dan, God love 'um, is sometimes less than fabulous as practicing his "nos" with Jane. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that he needs to start using it more. His response? "Jen, she's 11 months old, she has no idea what I'm saying". Seriously? Duh! That's why we're saying it nutball! I'm definitely the disciplinarian in the house which sucks because that means I'm always going to be the "bad guy". BOOOO. :p I'm sure I'll probably get a few "that's not right" or "it should be balanced" comments on that sentence but this is life - it's also not fair that I'm not loaded rich and don't have the metabolism of a 13 year old boy too. C'est la vie. :p Not helping my cause AT ALL was the fact that last week, Jane was chewing on the edge of our magazine table and Dan started saying "no" and Jane cried. ha ha ha. Definitely did not help.

Regardless, I'm holding firm on the "nos". One of my pet peeves is undisciplined kids... you know them. They come over to your house, run all over, grab things, break things, go places they are not allowed, and no one says anything... WHAT? The parents say nothing. WHAT? They ignore the misbehavior. WHAT? I know. Drives me mad. You're left disciplining another parent's children which is just uncomfortable and inappropriate. When I was growing up, we didn't do these things. Why? Because we knew my Mom would have killed us. Not literally, obviously. But, we would have gotten one "no" and, if we pushed it, that was it. Say bye, bye. We're going home. Fun's over.

I am going to try to get a video of my "no" games, if possible, this week. Because it really is hilarious and, let me just say, the hardest part is not cracking up laughing yourself. Most of the time I'm biting my lip as Jane laughs mid-way through my disciplinary "session" so she doesn't see me laugh. My parents tell a great story about heading to church one Sunday, my sister and I in the backseat fighting about something and I called her a "slut". I was probably ten. My Dad started laughing until my Mom hit him, asked me if I knew what a "slut" was (which I didn't) and proceed to tell me it wasn't a nice word. HAH. Can you imagine? I'd have a hard time keeping my composure as a parent during that scene.

Good luck with your "nos"... another fun part of parenting! :)

Be Right Back...

2010-05-10T06:38:00.002-04:00

Hey Gals,

As I mentioned last Thursday, we have family in town this weekend until Wednesday. Things have been crazier than usual.

I promise to write today, just give me a few hours - I'll likely have time during Jane's nap this afternoon! Bare with me, I'm still here, I'll "be right back"...

xoxo

Life is Crazy

2010-05-06T07:43:00.000-04:00

I'd be lying if I said that I hated being busy. I love it. I love having tons of things to do and, when I don't, I create things to do (like my crazy mommy projects).

So, added to my photography course, my TWO (yes, now two) wedding websites that I'm doing for friends, job hunting, and, oh yeah, that whole being a Mom thing :p, I have had company for almost three weekends straight. That is not a complaint by any means, we love the company we've had and are about to have... what I am complaining about is the cleaning. Oh, the cleaning. It's never ending. Just when I get the entire house cleaned (which takes 2-3 days because of the whole not wanting to neglect my child factor), I technically need to go back and re-clean the first rooms because they are already starting to get dusty and dingy again. Awesome. Oh, and let me give you a little tip, don't ever get dark hardwood floors! Especially not if you have a white cat and if you like your sanity. As soon as you vacuum them (the swiffer sweeper vac is a godsend), you turn around and there is another dust bunny or crumbs or something. Useless. Also, you inevitably buy dark wood furniture to match which proudly displays dust like Pamela Anderson does cleavage.

So, I have to go clean. My mother-in-law is coming tomorrow and, for my own pride, this place will need to be spic-n-span. Does anyone else feel like "mother-in-law" is a bad word? It's funny, maybe because on tv and such there are such bad depictions of mother-in-laws that whenever I say it, I feel like I'm insulting someone! :p I think we should create a new word that doesn't have such a negative association with it. I know a lot of "texters" and internet-savvy mommas say "MIL" or "M-I-L", which isn't bad but too close to MILF for me, which is just weird and, with my mommy brain, I risk typing MILF which will be even weirder!

Have a great Thursday! OH, I just realized there was a new Shemar Moore show last night (a.k.a. Criminal Minds)... now I'm even crabbier about having to clean while Jane naps. Hmmm. Maybe I can put it off for another hour. If I turn on music and dance with the mop, Jane will think we're playing and she won't even notice.

Weigh-in Wednesday

2010-05-05T07:11:00.000-04:00

God, for the sake of my sanity and not writing anymore of these stupid WIW posts, I'd like to say that it's over. I'd like to say that I'm there and I'm done, THE END! However, I'm neutral this week.

I also made the mistake of trying to put on my old work clothes again and boooooo... if you can't figure out what that means then you're new. Everyone I say that too says "ah, your body changes". Yeah. Tell me something I don't know. My body definitely does not look like it did 2 years ago. With that said, it doesn't look that bad either! :p

On a brighter note, my sister and family (with my little niece Lucy) are moving to my city! YIPEE! It's so exciting. Jane and Lucy are two weeks apart, they are basically like twins. It's going to be so fabulous to have them grow up together! We're so excited. They were in town this weekend house shopping (which is one of my favourite things to do) and we just loved having them around - maybe Dan less than me, just because it seems every time he and my bro-in-law get together, they drink too much and don't feel so hot the next day.

I need to start working out. I was running for a few weeks there and then Jane started sleeping even worse than usual, and BAM, VOILA, hasta la vista baby! My fabulous, properly fitting, new running sneakers have become play toys for Jane over the past few weeks. I need to start working out. I know. I've been saying that for 11 months now. I hate working out. Healthy eating I can do. Working out I can do also but I don't want to do.

Anyways, life is insane these days and, along with mommy guilt, I'm feeling bloggy guilt... I feel like I've been completely neglecting the blog and half-a**ing it lately. I wish I could say that it's over and that I'm going to be back 110%, but that's just not realistic. And, I hate to say it, but it may not be getting any better... once I get a job, it's going to be even more difficult. However, I will continue writing because I love it. Whether I'll be able to write daily, I'm not sure I can keep up with it. Some days it's just all too much!! :p

I promise to do my best to write as much as possible. I'm hoping that by fessing up and coming clean about not having the time, you will be willing to give me a little slack in the daily posts department. As a result, I hope to provide you with more entertaining, better quality posts when I actually do get the time to write.

Whatcha think? I just don't want to lose all my blog "friends" now that I have you... it may sound crazy but y'all have been a good "friend" to me over the past 12 months! :)

Baby Proofing, Baby!

2010-05-04T06:47:00.001-04:00

Prior to Jane's arrival, I remember Dan going around the house pointing out things that "had to go". I, literally, was looking at him like he had three heads... WHAT? What are you talking about? Why do we have to get rid of that shelving unit, it looks perfect right there and, yeah, it's a little dangerous but we have to teach our kid "no" right? I don't know if I was in denial about the fact that having a baby would turn my well-put-together home into a giant play pen or if I honestly didn't think it would be a danger (like an 11 month old would know that wasn't a ladder). Fast forward 12 months later... I, personally, dismantled the shelving unit and put it away. I, personally, got rid of the quaint little sitting area in the kitchen/dining room to make room for pink and purple foam flooring and toys galore. I, personally, screwed our hallway tables into the studs. I think I'm more anal about this stuff than Dan now! :p

But, there were a lot of things I never even thought of that, when I learned of them, I realized how dangerous our homes can be for our babes, without us even knowing it. You can practice your "nos" all you want but, fact is, when I take Jane to the playground, I cannot take my eye off her for a fraction of a second because what does she do? She puts pebbles in her mouth. Literally, just when I think she's "getting it", she grabs a pebble and starts towards her mouth. So, don't for one second think, that because your little one is starting to learn and starting to seem like he/she is "grown up", that they realize what is food and what isn't.

Here are some of the obvious baby proofing to dos:

First of all, I'm assuming y'all know the basics like not putting cribs near a window, and keeping your blind cords tied up, covering outlets and so on.
Cabinet doors and drawers - Here's what I did. I put locks on the dangerous cabinets/drawers (cleaning supplies, garbage, anything with sharp things, etc.) but I didn't lock them all. I left some of them (with tuperware and so on) open so that (1) Jane can learn "no" and (2) I can get a break when I'm cooking. I mean, I don't usually let her just sit and play in the cupboard (unless it's a designated play cupboard) but I'll take out a bunch of tuperware and give it to her to play with.
Climbing - anything baby can climb on - book shelves, entertainment units, etc. - make sure they are mounted to the wall or put away. My Mom told me a story about myself when I was just over 2. Apparently, they had put the gingerbread house on top of the china cabinet (which is like 4 feet tall). I saw it and proceeded to turn over a garbage pail and strategically pull out drawers to use as steps so that I could reach the peppermint patty fence... when my Mom finally found me, I was just reaching for that yummy piece of chocolate. Thankfully, it turned out ok (and my Mom did give me the chocolate in the end) but it could have not been so great.
Windows - if you have low to the floor windows make sure that they are locked and open them from the top if you need to. I also fell out a window when I was little... thankfully, it was only 3-4 feet off the ground but, hey, I'm just saying. * To be clear, my Mom was not negligent, she was a single Mom (for a little while) and I was very likely a trouble maker!
Gates - OMG, please, please do not ever leave an area without a gate because you think "well, she's always in my sight". Jane is so quick. I could turn my back for a second and she'd be gone. If you can't afford gates (they are super expensive) or you can't make it work, use a piece of furniture, like a cushioned ottoman or something to block the danger zone (yes, a Top Gun reference).
Appliance cords - This is my biggest fear (I don't know why) but keeping appliance cords (especially in the kitchen) out of reach (which basically means, no where in sight). Most importantly, your coffee perk, kettle, and other items that get boiling hot. A cord hanging over the countertop is like a gold mine to a baby. It would be the first thing Jane would go for in a room full of toys, for sure.
Bathtub water - You're supposed to turn your water heater temperature down when you have a baby... this, I did not do. Why? Because I like washing my bottles in SUPER hot water. What I will say, however, is that I will never put Jane into a bath without having checked the water 50 times (I swear, I'm anal). I know there are rubber duckies and such with temp gages but I find even if the water is luke warm, those things scream "HOT" which is a little too strict for me. What you need to know is that testing the water with your fingers/hands is useless and they are not as sensitive as your other skin. I run the water over my wrist/forearm to test and this works perfectly.
Bathrooms - keep bathroom doors closed or buy toilet locks and such. Jane loves the bathroom so we keep the doors closed all the time.
Hot drinks - Oh please do not do this... even when your baby is a immobile newborn, please, please please do not drink tea or coffee or whatever when they are with you. Do not have it on a table. Do not have it near you. It is just about the worse thing you can imagine, waiting to happen. Don't take even one sip thinking, oh she's asleep. Jane's been asleep on my chest before and I went to get a sip of water from a bottle and her hand flew up and knocked the water bottle out of mine... not worth it.

Things I didn't think of myself:

Doorstops - on the hinge of our doors, we have little stoppers that prevent the doors from opening to wide... and they are covered (to protect the wood) in tiny, round, white, plastic thingies - basically the perfect choking hazard. I never would have noticed this! They are gone... in a ziploc bag until we sell the house.
Faucet guard for tub and anti-slip mat for tub - I thought we would be fine without these items. No way. Jane slipped while sitting in the tub the other day and ended up on her back... thankfully, the water wasn't high enough for her to go under. I was sitting next to the tub watching her and I didn't have a quick enough reaction time that she wouldn't have gotten a good breath of water.

There are obviously tons more - here's a link to a great list of essentials!

Baby proofing is a never-ending process. I am constantly moving things and checking the floors as Jane discovers more and more. Don't think because it's done, that it's done. Every day Jane finds something new to get herself into. Get down on the floor yourself and crawl around. Look for things that would be attractive to your baby... it's scary how much is down at that level!

Along with baby proofing, I recommend an infant cpr course. Dan and I took one when I was pregnant and it definitely gives me piece of mind that I know the correct things to do if Jane were to choke or worse...

Lots of love,

The Single Life

2010-05-03T06:14:00.033-04:00

One of my best girlfriends just called looking for advice as she has a first date tomorrow night. First of all, I did a little happy dance inside... I'm cool enough to call for date advice? Personally, me thinks this is not the case. Regardless, I'm pretty sure she didn't really call for advice but more called because she knows I LOVE to hear about the single life.

Remember the single life? Not having to worry about anything or anyone but yourself. Spending the entirety of a Sunday in your jogging pants watching old movies like Overboard on TBS three times in a row. The excitement of meeting someone new and not knowing if it was going to go anywhere. And so on. Obviously, they are cons to the single life too but we all remember those too (sitting home on a Saturday night because it's raining and there's no one to go out with so you're watching romantic comedies and eating too much ice cream). Also, my "mommy guilt" is forcing me to say that I, obviously, would not change or wish for a second that my life were any different... because mommy guilt makes me feel like in saying that sometimes I miss "the single life", I'm suggesting that I am not happy with my current life which means I'm unhappy with my baby which is absolutely, 200%, out of this world INSANITY and, of course, untrue. Oh, mommy guilt.

Anyways, I love hearing about the single life... the excitement of meeting someone new and over analyzing everything, creating a "strategy" for moving forward and so on. It's even more fun now that I have Dan as gives my girlfriends and I the best insight into male behavior... basically, they don't think too much. Women often over-think and men don't think hard about anything, unless they are picking their fantasy football team. It's almost like men and women were created as opposites as some kind of sick joke... like the world is just someone's fish tank and they are on the outside watching us and laughing at us trying to get along and live happy lives together. Some days, I totally get the lesbian thing... I've often said to my best girlfriends that I would marry them as long as we didn't have to have sex. :p I mean, how great would it be some days to have a wife?!?! Seriously!! How nice would it be to have someone else who knew the importance of putting the dishes away, doing the laundry, getting things done on time, etc. I would love to have a wife.

Again, I got off track... the single life. I think this is why books like Twilight and all the chick-lit out there are so popular with us Moms and married gals. I call it "girly-porn". We don't need all the sex and stuff (not that that's not fun too). What we want to hear about is the excitement of the unknown and usually the standard happy ending. It's fun to escape reality once in awhile... and better to do that through a movie or a book, thank by actually "escaping" reality! :p

I currently have a stack of chick-lit ready for me to dive into but I have too many projects to take the time right now. My favourite of all time? Bridget Jones's Diary. I read this after I watched the movie and it's soooo worth it. I used to read it on my way to school when I was in university. I'd be sitting on the bus cracking up laughing... out loud. Yeah, so I'm pretty sure the other people on the bus thought I was crazy but I couldn't help it. Hilarious book. Emily Giffin writes a good series of books too and I'm pretty sure they are making a movie of one of them, "Something Borrowed", right now which should be fun and, of course, likely to star Kate Hudson and Matthew (uh oh, I lost my shirt again) McConaughey (I looked up how to spell that) or a similar Rom-Com team. Doesn't really matter though because I'll watch it happily and brainlessly regardless.

Here's Jane reading the "classics" -

Bridget Jones, Shopaholic and So on.

Okee dokes. Mommy guilt requires me (again) to emphasize that as much as, on rare occasions, I allow myself to reminisce of the single life, I do not wish to be single and without my Jane... I know, I'm crazy that I feel I have to say this but that's mommy guilt, that's how I think now. Any time I think about wishing I could spend a Sunday on the couch doing nothing, guilt immediately fills my body because of what I think that may be suggesting when obviously I would never trade my situation for a bazillion bazillion dollars. Crazy.

Ask Me Anything Answers

2010-04-30T06:51:00.001-04:00

Did anyone notice I didn't post anything yesterday? I was hoping you didn't but it's unlikely that's the case. You ever have one of those days where you don't want to go to work? That was yesterday for me. And, fortunately for me, I can call "the boss" and say "hey, I'm taking the day off" and, so, I did. I know that sucks and that lately I've sucked more than usual and I have no excuse. Well, I have some excuses but I don't think you need to hear 'um.

So, as promised, you asked and I'm going to answer. Actually, there were a few questions about my exact location. I try to do my best to not disclose this specific info as there are some serious creepers out there and the thought of them knowing where I live is even creepier. Sorry! :)

In the order I received them...

Q: Are you & Dan planning to have another baby? (As if this isn't the first time you've been asked this :))
Have you considered any PT work positions instead of going back into career girl?

A: I am looking forward to having another baby and Dan and I will hopefully be having another babe in the future. However, it will likely be at least two to three years from now as, once I find a job, I would like to show them my worth and give them my all for a few years before I take off on maternity leave... I think that's only fair. As far as going back to work PT... I have definitely considered it. If I could find a job I would love, that would provide a good income, I would definitely do it. But, unfortunately, I'm not "rich" and I need a good income so my hubby and I can live comfortably.

Q: What do you think is ideal spacing between siblings?

A: Good question. I have heard pros and cons for both and I totally think it depends on your family and the make-up of your family. For having kids several years apart, I have heard that it's not so great because the kids don't like to play together. On the other hand, I've heard (specifically with girls but I know it works both ways) that older kids are super helpful as they look at their new sibling as a "doll" and all the want to do is help. Because of the way I grew up, I always kind of assumed I'd have kids relatively close together (my sis and I are 18 months apart) - I think we often try to replicate our own childhoods (if they were good ones). However, life just don't work that way... plans change. See the question above for more on that! :)

Q: What does your husband do for a living that has afforded you to be a SAHM and what kind of job are you currently looking for?

A: My husband is loaded rich and owns several large companies. HAH. I'm so lying. I assume this question must be from one of my American friends and here is the answer... In Canada we get a year of maternity leave. So, I am not a SAHM, I am on maternity leave. My husband's family is all American (as is he) and they all wanted to move to Canada when I told them we get a year maternity leave. It's pretty great, I'm not going to lie... I have so much respect for you gals who have to go back to work so soon.

Q: As an American, I am quite jealous that Canadians have free healthcare -- is the quality of your healthcare system just as great?

A: To be clear, I've never experienced the American healthcare system. With that said, I love the healthcare system in Canada. Yes, it's not perfect - there are long wait times and so on. But it's fabulous that I know my family will be taken care of to the best possible standard no matter what, no cost. And, it's my understanding that many of the issues we have in our healthcare system are widespread, regardless of whether your country has free healthcare or not. When I saw the documentary Michael Moore did on the healthcare system in the U.S. (and I don't know much about it, I am not critisizing, trust me) - specifically, when I saw families losing their homes because they couldn't afford their healthcare bills, that was heartbreaking. That is not something we worry about here in Canada and that's wonderful.

Q: How did you and your hubbs meet?

A: I'll try to shorten this as I could likely get carried away. I worked at a bar during university. Dan used to come in for lunch with his colleagues and I loved him. I barely spoke to him cause I'm a wuss but I used to call him "Clark Kent" because he wore glasses and was kind of "geeky" looking but super hot at the same time. :p Anyways, like I said, never talked to him except to ask if he wanted more Coke or Ketchup. A few months later, my roomie dragged me to her work Christmas party (I'm not a super party gal) and he showed up with his roomie. He sat at the table near me and I FORCED myself to talk to him... pretending he looked familiar and trying to find out how we recognized each other (meanwhile I'm thinking "it's CLARK KENT"). We talked all night and I got his ICQ (yes, remember ICQ) contact from his roomie (cause I was too wussy to ask him myself) and we talked all Christmas (he went to Cali and I went to Toronto for x-mas). When we got back we went on a date and that was that. We both knew right away - we said the "l" word within a month of our first date (insert your "ahhhhhh"s here). :p

Q: What do you believe?? Every once in awhile you mention God, but then you also say "OMG" and stuff like that; what do you believe about God, and how do you think that will affect how you raise your daughter?

A: This is a tough question that I prefer not to go into too much detail about... I try my hardest to avoid the "risky" subjects - politics, religion, etc. as I want to keep MOmMy bRaIn light and I don't want to offend anybody. With that said, I absolutely believe in God and will raise my daughter to have faith as it has given me strength and peace of mind throughout my life.

Q: How did you meet your lucky man? :) How did you know he was the one? Do you feel in love at first sight?

A: I answered the first part of this question above. How did I know he was the one? Mostly because he was the first guy I dated who I could really be myself with. Other than that, we were best friends and we still are. Even when we're having those "I hate you" days, we can still laugh and we always get over it. Marriage is not perfect and mine is no different - it is WAY harder than I would have ever believed growing up. It's hard work. A good family friend gave me advice when I got engaged - she said two things (1) Be each other's best friend and (2) Getting out is not an option, especially when you have kids... you have to work for it. This was the best advice I've been given on marriage to date.

Q: Since this is anonymous and won't be seen by others :) I just wanted to tell you that it's 'nada,' not 'nodda.' The first few times I just ignored it, but you seem to use the phrase a lot so I thought I'd let you know! :)

A: Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Thanks for letting me know... honestly, you could probably find 1000 spelling/grammar errors in each of my posts. I still spell "definitely" wrong almost every time I type it and I always want to say "as per ugge" as in "per usual" but I never know how to spell ugge, usge, ?!?!? Maybe you can tell me?? :)

Q: Tim Riggins or Coach Taylor?

A: Hardest question I was asked. For those of you who haven't watched Friday Night Lights... Season Four starts on NBC on May 7th and, honestly, if you don't watch it, I don't want to be friends anymore because I know you'll love it and anyone who passes on something that will make them happy is crazy, and thus, shouldn't be my friend! ha ha ha, joking. But, seriously, it's awesome. Eff. I still can't answer this question. Tim Riggins is obviously the obvious choice but I love how Coach Taylor is such a MAN. This question needs more detail - are we talking a one night stand or long term relationship? Like, if I choose Riggins do I only get him for a one night stand (as per the show) or do I get him permanently? I assume that part of the question is that if I choose Riggins I am assuming I only get one night with him vs. choosing Coach who I would mostly likely marry and have football babies with... hmm. I may change my mind a thousand times over this but I'm choosing Coach Taylor. I like a man who will fight with me about putting out the garbage (cause he feels it's his duty)... that's hot. Ahhhh, Tim Riggins though. Ok, Coach Taylor. Tim Riggins. Coach Taylor. Tim Riggins. Definitely Riggins if I can have him for life... I mean he was a pretty good "Dad" to that kid next door of the older chick he was sleeping with. :p

Q: Which online photography course are you doing? Would you recommend it? What type of camera do you use?

A: I'm doing a four-week, camera specific course right now on betterphoto.com. It was great. There is so much to learn about photography and your camera, that I think it will take me years to figure it all out. But this course was definitely a great start and I am definitely a better photographer than I was four weeks ago! I use a Canon Rebel EOS XSi and I love it.

Q: I noticed once that you are a fellow Canuck... what part of Canada do you live in? And do you like it there?

A: I live in Eastern Canada and I love it here. I've lived in a few provinces and definitely (spelled that right the first time FYI) have found my home here. YAY Canada! Such a fabulous place to live.

Q: What's your biggest pet peeve?

A: Hmmm. Probably my biggest pet peeve is when people try to make it seem like their life is perfect... when people are fake and try to hard. That drives me nuts. I notice it more as a Mom now because I am aware of when other Moms are putting on a "show" to make it seem like they are a super Mom and have it all under control, when we all know that none of us has it under control all the time! These would be the same people who put on make-up, push-up bras and do their hair before going to the gym. :p You're crazy! :p ha ha ha.

K, that's all I got... I consolidated a few questions as they were similar or the same.

This was fun - a lot less personal questions than I expected... I didn't know what to expect opening up myself to anonymous questions! :) Thanks again for participating!

If you ever have any other questions, let me know - I'll answer. :)

Happy weekend - yipee!

Weigh-in Wednesday

2010-04-28T05:38:00.004-04:00

Holy Mac - this is almost over, thank GOD! But I'm sick of writing about weight and crap so I'm totally going off in a different direction this morning... :)

Last night, a 1 am, I was awake (gee, I wonder why? Baby yelling at me through the monitor maybe??), lying here getting grouchy that I was awake and that I knew Jane wasn't hungry but what other of the five hundred things that could have woken her up was bothering her. Anyways... I was very close to dashing downstairs to get my laptop so I could give you a glimpse into the thoughts of a Mom, middle of the night, tired, grouchy, confused, etc. Then, after lying her and thinking about what I would write (which included a lot of "effin's" and so on), I decided it best not to do that. Why? Mostly because of Mommy Guilt (which I talked about on Monday). I feel like if I complained (using a lot of "effin's") about my middle of the night wake-ups, I'd be complaining about Jane and there's way too much guilt in that. Not to mention, you'd probably think I was some anger-issued, grouchy Mother which I am not at all. Even though in my head I'm saying "why the eff are you effin' up again?", externally I'm saying "shhhhhh, it's ok, Mommy's here". :)

When she woke up at 12:30am, I though "here we go" in for another fab night of 5 wake ups and no sleep. She stayed awake for an hour and a half. Can someone explain this to me? She couldn't have been hungry. It could have been teething. It could have been gas. I don't think she was too hot or too cold but I turned up the heat anyways. She's not sick. I didn't respond to her right away... I let her "cry it out" for 30 mins and she was just getting more worked up. So, I went in and gave her the soother. As I was walking out, she was standing back up in her crib starting to yell again. That wasn't going to work. But I gave her another 30 mins. After 30 mins of getting more worked up, I visited again, took her in my arms and rocked her a little thinking if I got her calmed down again, I could put her down and she'd get herself back to sleep. Gave her the soother. Put her in the crib. Stands up and yells. Awesome. Left the room, 5 mins of yelling later I said "eff this", went back gave her the soother again and another one in her hands to play with (I don't know why this works but it does, it's like having it in her hands keeps her from standing up again and she just pops one out and puts the other in over and over again)... and it usually distracts her enough that sometimes she'll fall asleep. Five minutes later, silence. Hallelujah! Back to sleep assuming she'd be up in another hour and HALLELUJAH, she slept until 5:30am. I just "fed" her (i.e. she nibbled for five seconds and then fell asleep again) and now I'm hopeful she'll sleep until 7am. I know she doesn't need to be fed at 5:30 (especially when she's not really eating just wanting the comfort) but it gets me an extra hour and a half and, otherwise, I fear I'd be re-doing the whole 1am experience.

Ok, so that's a lot of detail and, maybe, a lot of "effin's". I realize the "effin's" have to stop too because it's not going to be a heck of a lot better when Jane hits daycare saying "I want some "effin" juice please"... tee hee hee. In my defense, I don't use it a lot... just when I'm super sleep deprived and grouchy. I think my problem may be inconsistency? I don't know. On the nights when I've slept well the previous night,
I am willing to let her "cry it out" more (like last night) but too a limit... in other words, I'm willing to let her go for 30-45 mins before I say "eff this" and go for the soother. But on the nights after a hellish night, I will often respond right away, giving her anything she wants (boob, soother, etc.) so that I can go back to sleep right away. There's no consistency. The other "thing" may be the naps. Jane still has two naps a day... about an hour to an hour and a half each. I definitely think cutting down on the length of the naps by waking her after an hour or whatever would help the nighttime situation... and I will do that - once I'm back to work. Until then baby, I NEED my breaks! It's worth the wake ups to get those few hours during the day when I can do some things for me... especially with all these projects lately. When I go back to work, I can let the daycare deal with the no breaks situations (ha ha suckers) and hopefully I can slide in and take advantage of more sleep throughout the night! :p A girl's gotta dream.

In the meantime, all these projects are making me skinny. I'm too busy for after dinner snacks! Another pound gone which means only one left to go, which basically means if I have another pee this morning before I eat breakfast, I could possibly be at goal! ha ha ha, I'm sick! I haven't got the b*** to try on my old work clothes again yet in fear that the disappointment that I'm basically there and those pretty clothes still do not fit will send me into a chocolate eating spiral, but I may give it a shot later today (during one of my breaks). I'll keep ya posted.

Expect next week to be your last WIW post... yipee! God, I never expected it to take so long. I wanted to be one of the girls who, 2 months post baby, everyone was saying how incredible it was how quickly I lost the weight! :p ha ha ha. Hilarious how much your priorities change once the baby actually arrives... caring about that kind of crap goes out the window.

Here are my stats:
Starting WIW weight: 157lbs
Current weight: 138 lbs
Pounds lost: 19lbs (which coincidentally is how much Jane weighs and seems insane that I lost that much weight)
Pounds to lose: 1lb (a good pee) :p

The latest pics are from my photoshoot with Jane on the weekend. I'm definitely learning from my photo course and also self-teaching some things in photo editing that I'm enjoying. Quickly becoming an addict! :) This last picture is of Jane doing her new favourite thing - hugs. She's so sweet - she'll hug everything, get right down and snuggle with it, even me! I love it... too cute!

Two more days for "ask me anything" and one more for our $50 Moody Mamas Maternity Gift Card giveaway! :) I haven't gotten tons of questions yet which is kind of funny as it suggests that I'm so open on this blog that y'all feel that you know everything about me! That kind of makes me happy! :)

Forgive Me

2010-04-27T08:01:00.002-04:00

You officially have reason to get grouchy with me this morning as I have NO TIME to blog this morning - I have about a bazillion projects I'm working on including my photography course, editing photos from a "shoot" this weekend, building a wedding website for a friend, cleaning (my sis and bro-in-law are visiting this weekend) and so on.

I don't know why I take on so much? Ah, yes I do - because I love it! I love to be busy, I love projects and I love the types of things I'm doing... so it's all self-inflicted.

As if it weren't bad enough that I'm not writing about anything fun today, here's more for you to do (if you're bored):

Enter my giveaways - who doesn't want free stuff? It's easy to enter, you basically just have to comment. I know, I know... some of you don't love the giveaways so....

If you don't love the giveaways, take the time to "ask me anything" (click the link in case it ain't obvious) as I'll be answering anything on Friday! :p Fun questions welcome!

Mommy Guilt

2010-04-26T07:45:00.003-04:00

Watching Ellen last week gave me the inspiration for today's post... J-Lo (yes, she drives me crazy too) was on. Ellen asked her what the hardest thing was about being a Mom. Her answer? "The guilt". So true.

One thing that no one prepares you for and no book tells you about is the guilt. And, although the guilt decreases a little (or so it seems) as time goes on, it never goes away.

It's starts off as guilt for putting your baby down. Literally. I used to feel guilty, when Jane was asleep (when she was "brand new") putting her down in her swing or cradle. She slept so much better in my arms that I felt I was being selfish by putting her down so I could do something for me. That ends and then you start leaving the house. Then you feel guilty for leaving them so you burn it around the grocery store like there's a rocket in your a** to return home and find them completely content. Then you feel guilt when they are playing on the floor and you aren't playing with them (because you're doing one of the 100 other things that needs to be - cleaning, showering, etc.). So, you immediately lie on the floor and give up on the dirty dishes. Then you have to go back to work. I don't know this guilt yet, but I'm told it ain't pretty.

Guilt is just one of the new emotions (is guilt an emotion?) that accompanies the worry, stress, fear, and complete JOY that comes with being a mommy. So far, what I've learned, is that the only thing that "cures" the guilt is to go ahead an do what you were going to do and see that, in the end, your baby is fine! ha ha ha. I think sometimes, as Moms, we feel like our babies won't be happy unless we're there with them. I'll never forget the first time I left the house for longer than an hour (it was four). I almost cried when I left, seriously (nowadays I do a little happy dance when I get a break like that... and I feel so guilty saying that that I feel like I should delete it but I am resisting temptation and moving on). I expected, that when I was gone, Jane would realize it and cry the entire time. So, the entire time I was gone I was thinking about my sweet darling stressed, upset, missing her mommy. When I returned home, she was asleep. I asked Dan how she'd been and his response was "fine". No crying. No fits. No missing. I was almost upset that she didn't even notice I was gone. But, in the end, it was the thumbs up that I was unconsciously looking for. Now, do I feel guilt when I leave the house? Yep. A little. Not going to lie. But I do it anyways. As soon as I'm in the car, I've forgotten about the guilt (or else the music blasting in my ears prevents me from focusing on it :p) and I'm back to "old Jenny" again, just for a little while.

I wouldn't say "the guilt" is the hardest part of being a Mom - more than likely the worry, or no sleep or not having a clue what's wrong when somethings wrong crap. But, for J-Lo who probably has a baby whisperer on staff, nannies, etc. I can understand how this would be her biggest challenge... and, frankly, I find it funny how we're all the same, even though we aren't. Who knew I had more in common with J-Lo than my name and the fact that I'm world famous for my insanely fabulous booty. tee hee hee.

Happy Monday!

PS - Didn't get that giveaway post up last night (completely forgot) - it's below! :) And don't forget to submit your Ask Me Anything questions. I'll be answering any and every thing this Friday!

Cloo For You Giveaway

2010-04-26T06:57:00.006-04:00

If you're "newer" to MOmMy bRaIn, then you probably haven't fully realized the extent of my Etsy addiction... my introduction to Etsy? After my newborn photoshoot, I asked our photographer, Kerianne, where she got all the beautiful hats that she used in her photos. One word. Etsy.

I wasn't home for 10 minutes before (1) I was addicted and (2) I had purchased two beautiful hats from Cloo Gifts... two different shades of pink, duh! :p

Since then, I have bought at least 8 hats from Ching (the creator/seller). They are all beautiful, so well made (her winter hat lasted all winter and I packed it up for use on the next rugrat - if it's a girl, obviously). I got SO many compliments on it too... most people asking if I made it myself and talking about how talented I am as a Mommy! :p ha ha ha, of course, I mentioned Ching and Etsy and, hopefully, spread the addiction a little myself!

Recently, I bought a few gorgeous hats with ears from Ching for a few girlfriends who are pregnant and Ching was fabulous and sent along a few hats for me to giveaway on MOmMy bRaIn! Honestly, this is my new favourite shower gift. They are so unique, look good on every baby and are pretty gender neutral! You know you're not going to be stuck in that "crap, I got her another hooded towel, or another set of blue jammies. Not that Moms don't love that, and trust me, the duplicates are fab. But, it's nice to get something you wouldn't have gotten for yourself - non?

If you/your pregnant friend knows the sex, I highly recommend the hat with earflaps... Jane has four. They are so gorgeous and you can pretty much get ching to make one for you in any colour or size.

Chings hat range from $10-$13 which is INSANE as I've paid as much for a hat from the grocery store that I saw fifteen other kids wearing on my way out.

Here are the details of our Cloo For You Giveaway:

Ching sent TWO gorgeous "little bear" hats (that's what I call 'um) but they are technically hats with ears and ear flaps... one nutmeg and one off-white. Both are gender neutral and could be used for a sweet boy or girl!

How do you get 'um?

Check out Cloo Gifts on Etsy and comment about what other item you would love to have for your little one or pregnant friend.

That's it.

Next Monday, I will select two winners - it'll be first come, first serve on colours so be sure to check back to see if you're a winner!

Don't forget - we also have a $50 gift card to Moody Mamas up for grabs until Thursday (for US ladies only).

A Mute Button

2010-04-23T07:37:00.004-04:00

Last night was another hellish night of no sleep. I kind of anticipated it as Jane, who usually hits the "pillow" passed out, took an hour and a half to fall asleep. I gave her motrin, thinking it was teething and nodda. I gave her Cocyntal, thinking maybe it was gas and nodda. Eventually, she fell asleep. I hate nights like that. It's only happened twice so far but it sucks.

I mean, after the babes go to bed for the night, that's basically the only time during the day that us Moms can really take a deep breath and relax. During daily naps, we're running around trying to get everything done and counting down the minutes until they wake again. At night, after they are asleep, it's all about us. We know, if we wanted to, we could have hours of uninterrupted me time.

Obviously, I'm not saying that I love it when Jane goes to sleep because I get a break - I love spending time with my little monkey. Often, when she goes for naps during the day, I'm counting down the minutes until she wakes up because I want to hang out with her, I miss her. But, at night, it's a little bit of freedom every day.

Last night, I needed a mute button. I needed to hit pause on my life and just sleep. During the third wake-up of the night (each of which lasted at least an hour), not only was I lying there listening to Jane yell at me through the monitor but my stupid cat was howling outside my door and the dumb dog was yelping downstairs in her crate. Had I had the energy to chase the cat and go downstairs to get the dog, I'm fairly certain I'd be up on animal abuse charges this morning... seriously.

Instead I posted a very nice, half-serious, Facebook status saying the following:

Free to a good home - one paranoid schizophrenic (yes I looked up how to spell that) dog and one cat who doesn't shut up.

After I gave it some thought, I re-considered my status (not as you may have expected) and re-posted the following:

Free to a good home, trailor, tent, hut, cardboard box...

And I offered only the dog as the cat ain't too bad sometimes. I mean, half the time he's a cat and he's off sleeping in some nook that you'd never find and half the time he's following you around YELLING at you (not meowing or purring, yelling). Friends can back me up on this... he is part Siamese and he doesn't meow. He yells.

On a positive note, it's not even 9am and Jane is down for a nap so I'm hoping, once I finish this post, that there was a new Vampire Diaries (yes, I am that cool) on last night for me to indulge in. And, if you want to go a step further (which I always do), Oprah is having Danoka Fanning (ha ha ha, in the re-read I realize I spelt this wrong but too funny so I'm leaving it as Danoka) on today with some super secret Eclipse (Twilight) trailor or something later on. My little dose of the fantasy world today where a mute button is not necessary as everything is perfect - except for the whole drinking blood, eternal life crap. Details, details! :p

I was supposed to have a playdate this morning (sorry Steph) which I abruptly canceled after last night's festivities... half because I'm exhausted, half because who knows what kind of terror Jane will be on today and the other half (there's three halves right?) because I washed my hair yesterday with the intention of straightening it and never got around to it... so I'm looking very 80's right now with insanely huge, wavy, frizzy hair that isn't acceptable for the gym, let alone leaving the house for a social outing. I could do it, yes. But why. I'd rather watch Vampire Diaries! :p In case you don't believe me, here's photography proof, taken by the webcam:

Have a great weekend! FYI... I snuck a giveaway in between Wednesday and Thursday's posts this week for a $50 gift card to Moody Mamas Maternity. If you're interested, be sure to check it out in the sidebar.

Also, I ordered a few knit baby hats from Ching on Etsy (Cloo Gifts) again for some baby showers and she was fabulous enough to send a few extras for a giveaway! Starting on Sunday - I've got three gorgeous hats to give away, so check it out!

Ask Me Anything

2010-04-22T06:56:00.001-04:00

I was thinking... a few weeks ago I asked you a bunch of questions and got to know you a little better. SO, maybe you wanted to ask me a few questions and get to know me a little better? Or maybe I'm thinking I'm way cooler than I actually am and you just want me to zip my mouth and keep typing... :p I mean, most of you know about my life as a Mom and, if you've followed for a while, you know quite a bit about the type of person I am... but, perhaps, you're curious about something about my life or about my blog or anything!

If you're interested, enter your question below...

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://jenelle77.wufoo.com/forms/q7x3p3/" title="Ask Me Anything!" rel="nofollow"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fill out my Wufoo form!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gtIf you can't see the SUBMIT button (I know with the previous form it didn't appear for some of you), just leave a comment on this post. I thought the form would be easier as I know sometimes leaving a comment feels like a big pain in the butt!

Sorry today's post isn't more interesting but two things (1) I think it might be fun answer some of your questions and (2) I had to drop off the car for a tire change this morning so I have NO TIME! Life happens and it's been an insanely busy week!

xoxoxo

BIG Happy Birthday to my bestest best Emily - I loves you SOOOO much!

Moody Mamas $50 Gift Card Giveaway

2010-04-21T18:43:00.004-04:00

Here's an opportunity for the Mamas-to-be to win $50 worth of fabulous maternity clothes...

The Moody Mamas spring line of fab and stylish maternity clothes hits the virtual racks this week at Target - you don't want to miss it! With a devout following of Hollywood hot mommies like Heidi Klum and Jessica Alba, Moody Mamas has created a fabulous, colorful spring capsule collection for expectant moms who want to look sexy and chic this season. Each piece is inspired by the runway and boast such soft fabrics you'll feel like you're wearing your best lounge-outfit all day. Prices range from $39.99 to $49.99 so check out Target asap so you don't miss out on getting the right size (sizes go up to plus size). To shop the collection, click for Target here.

Want the chance to win a $50 Gift Card for Moody Mamas?

Here's the details:

(1) Visit the spring collection at Target and leave comments on your 3 favorite pieces.

** Contest is open to US Ladies only **

That's all folks - the winner will be announced next Wednesday night!

Weigh-in Wednesday

2010-04-21T05:25:00.010-04:00

Another half-pound gone this week, so only 2 lbs to go which basically makes me feel like I'm there. With fear in my heart, I set out on the weekend to try on some of my pre-baby summer clothes (which I couldn't even get up over my thighs last year). Happily, I shall not have to hit the stores this year as my favourite size 6 shorts from Old Navy fit as good as ever... not too tight, not too lose (as if too lose would bother me! :p).

I hate shorts. Not because they show off the legs, just because I'm pretty confident that no one, except for celebrities who wear them with high heels and weight 100 lbs, look great in them. I always preferred to wear casual skirts or dresses in the summer than shorts.
But, fact is, seeing as I'll be chasing around a 1 year old this summer, unlikely I'll be comfortable flashing the world my voo every time I have to bend down or sit on the floor.

Hey, did you hear about this new "trend" for female celebs? IMAGINE - they are deciding to go "au natural" in magazines. No touch-ups, no air brushing, etc. What do you mean, you are going to promote looking like real people and not putting a "perfect" image out there for girls to try hopelessly to attain? Cool. I'm on board and giving these chicks more credit than I am joking about above as they are definitely sending a message and the "pressure" just might work a little. First to get "naked", Jessica Simpson on Marie Claire... and she went all the way - not only no air brushing, no makeup and no hair styling! Can I just say that I love this girl? I know most people thing she's dumb and all that crap but I like her. Did anyone else watch "The Newlyweds" when she was married to Nick?
Dan and I loved that show, they were hilarious and, despite the mansion and crazy cars, just like any other couple... and now that I have severe mommy brain, Jessica Simpson looks like Einstein next to me some days. I think she's the poster child to how parents can screw up their kids - her father was a pagent Mom, if you ask me (not classifying all pagent- Moms as "pagent-Moms", you know what I mean though). Anyways, check out these pics - she looks freakin' gorgeous. Did you see her on Oprah recently? Of course you did, you're Moms. Talking about her "weight" issues and how the paparazzi blow up that she's so over weight and such when she's a size 6. Now, with that said, she does look slightly bigger than what we got used to seeing her when she was dancing around washing a car in a bikini during the Dukes of Hazard days. However, s'no different than someone throwing my wedding pictures in my face now and saying "how come you don't look like that anymore". I'd kill 'um!

Britney's also come out and posted the pre-touch up photos from a Candies shoots for all to see. Don't know if that's because she's trying to promote good body image or if she's just gone off the rails again. Regardless, the girl has also been up and down in weight a little more than your average toothpick celeb (e.g. she didn't do a Shape magazine cover 4 weeks post-baby claiming it was just good eating and "chasing around the kids" that gave her her six-pack back) and I can appreciate that. She looks freakin' great in both untouched and retouched photos but you can definitely see that they shaved off her thighs to make her look less muscular. Her waist has been slimmed down as well. God, if I re-touched all my photos like that, weigh-in wednesdays might never have existed! :p

It makes me so happy to see the trend kicking off. Imagine if it blows up and magazines start realizing that I don't want to see some 100 lb 15 year old girl trying to sell me a wedding dress or bathing suit. I'd much rather see a normal person wearing it so I can, somewhat, imagine what I may look in it. A girl can only dream! And mostly I dream because I have a daughter and I hope the world isn't full of over-processed, "perfect" images of women as she grows up. I mean back in the day Marilyn Monroe was IT and she was no Gisele Bundchen. Glamour mag posted this photo of a model in an issue last year (without drawing to the fact that she was "plus-sized" - in model terms)... they just used the photo and it BLEW UP. Apparently, they got such a great response from their readers they decided to do it more often - hey, it's a start! Fact is, ladies, we're the consumers, we're the voice, we are basically the CEOs of these companies... if we demand it, they'll give it to us.

As usual, I started writing this post without an idea of what to say or talk about... I mean, these weigh-in wednesdays have been ongoing for ages now and I'm sure you're getting as sick of hearing my excuses and whining as I am of doing it. Hoping these pics and, somewhat, "real" women help you have one of those days where you feel like HOT STUFF, cause you are!

Here are my stats:
Starting weight: 157 lbs
Current weight: 139 lbs
Pounds lost: 18 lbs
Pounds to lose: 2 lbs

Lots of love beautiful girls,

Finger Food Fun

2010-04-20T09:43:00.003-04:00

We started giving Jane finger foods (cheerios and such) when she was around 7 months old... starting with a little toast, over-cooked veggies, cooked fruit (like apples), mushed banana and so on (you get the picture).

Since then, Jane started going through this independence stage about two months ago - not wanting to eat anything from the spoon, unless she's holding the spoon herself... I have numerous food groups on my ceiling because of this.

As a result, I've been focusing a lot of attention on finding a wide variety of finger foods to fill her belly... at first, I will admit, it was challenging. However, with a little help from Wholesome Baby Foods and some common sense, it seems to be working out ok so far.

I thought I'd share a few of my favourite finger foods and by my favourite, I mean Jane's! :) I'm not going to list out the obvious foods, but some things I never thought of initially or that I've found good tricks for - everyone knows how to cut up carrot!

Fruits:

Blueberries - WARNING: if you do not have a full-body bib, designate blueberry eating clothes as they stain everything. We use frozen wild blueberries which are juicier than fresh, so that makes a difference too. The frozen are sweeter and smaller as sometimes the fresh can be as big as a grape.
Watermelon - seedless. I cut it up into 1cm x 1cm blocks.
Avocado - is this a fruit? Again cut up into a little bigger than 1x1cm blocks as avocado is so mushy when it's ripe.
Pear - Jane loves super ripe Danjou pears. They are super soft and sweet.
Apples - I'll peel an apple, chop it up and throw it in the microwave for 30 seconds and this makes it soft enough for toothless chewing.

Veggies:

Sweet potato - I buy fresh sweet potato and the packaged sweet potato fries too - sometimes I'm just too lazy to make my own. I don't bake the packaged ones, I throw a few on a plate and in the microwave for 1 minute and this makes them hot and soft. Cut 'um up and voila, she loves them.
Frozen sweet peas - I hated peas. YUCK. Then my sis introduced me to President's Choice frozen sweet peas (Canadian only). They come in a white bag in the freezer aisles and they are Jane's absolute favourite snack. I just throw 'um under some hot water to thaw them out.

Proteins and Carbs:

Tofu - I buy firm tofu from Costco. I chop it up into bite size pieces and toss it in graham cracker crumbs because they are a little sweet or wheat germ... something to give her a little traction so she can pick it up easily. You don't have to warm/cook tofu, it's fine as is. Tofu (and edamame - below) are great alternatives to chicken/beef if you're too lazy too cook - and a lot cheaper too!
Cheesestrings - quick and easy, avoids having to chop up cheese - I just peel it into four sections and break it apart. She loves cheese.
Macaroni and Cheese - I over-cook some whole wheat macaroni, toss it with a little butter and some parmesan cheese. Always a hit.
Beans - I love beans... not like mushy beans or baked beans or anything like that. Just plain beans - in quesadillas, salsas, soups, etc. So I always have leftover from my recipes. I rinse 'um (usually black beans) and Jane loves 'um. They really have very little flavour but are full of protein and fibre.
Eggs - what I didnt' know about eggs was that once babies reach 9-12 months, you can introduce eggs but eggs YOLKS only (the yellow part for those who are having "one of those days"). It's the egg whites that have the vlutalutenens (I just made up that word) that babies are allergic too. ha ha ha. The best way to avoid egg whites it to hard boil your eggs and pop the yolk out, cut it up and voila, that's all.
Edamame (a.k.a. soy beans) - both a veggie and a protein, you can usually get them frozen and shelled. They are a good size (a little larger than peas) and with a little salt, I love 'um and so does Jane.

Some other tips that have worked for me is tossing veggies (like sweet potato) in a little brown sugar - it adds a little sweetness and sometimes that's all it takes for them to shovel in the veggies. Also, just make variations (less oil, less sugar, less cheese, less spice) of the same things you're eating - like grilled cheese sammies, quesadillas, chicken dishes, etc. Whenever I'm cooking dinner, I always modify a small portion of what I'm cooking so Jane can eat it as well - this saves me having to cook two separate meals at lunch and dinner.

Through friends and my own research I've found several recipes for muffins and other things (e.g. black bean brownies) that are made with fruit and veggies (as alternatives to butter and eggs). I shared the recipe for the Cauliflower Banana Chip Muffins I made a few weeks ago. This week, I tried out Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffins (thanks for sharing Lindsay) and they are just as good (actually better because I put more chocolate chips in them :p).

If you click the link above, you'll get the original recipe, here's what I used instead and they turned out fab:

Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffins for Baby and Momma

3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded zucchini (1 large)
1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and flax. Combine the egg, applesauce, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Makes 12 muffins.

I love these and so does Jane - you can't taste the zucchini at all - if you I would have pretended I didn't make them and would definitely not be sharing the recipe! They make a great snack for both of us!

If you haven't discovered cheerios, you are missing out. Most Moms know this "trick" but a 1/2 cup of cheerios can give you an hour of freedom. They are also perfect for keeping kids busy while in their strollers or out on the go. Cheerios are a Moms best friend, I bring them every where.

Ok, that's all I got today - to be honest, I completely forgot about the blog this morning as I was working on my photography assignment! I'm losing it! :p

Winner posted for our Clorox Green Works Giveaway in sidebar! :)

The Lowdown

2010-04-19T07:38:00.008-04:00

Is lowdown a word? It's not coming up red on my screen... more importantly, I'm not sure I'm using it correctly as I'm about to give an update on what's going on in my house. I think that's "the lowdown" or is it the "downlow"? Hmmm, downlow comes up red and sounds gangsta. I'll stick with lowdown. FYI... the above paragraph basically summarize the thoughts that go on in my head every minute of the day. I question everything I say and do these days because my MOmMy bRaIn does not seem to be clearing up. Although, from job interview experience, it does seem to be temporarily disguised at least for short intervals. :p

Here goes...

I'm still jobless. Am I stressed about it? Heck yeah. I haven't been applying for jobs all over the place but, fact is, that's because there aren't that may jobs to apply for! (If the following sounds arrogant, I apologize, I don't mean it to sound that way - you know me). I'm pretty confident in myself. I am also pretty confident that I can be great at whatever I do and I can pretty much learn to do anything. I'm smart, I'm ambitious, I'm a go-getter, I'm creative, I'm a great communicator... Obviously I have some "weaknesses" (chocolate for one :p) but so far my biggest challenge in finding a job seems to be that I'm either over-qualified or under-qualified for every job that is out there and there are so many people looking for jobs right now that employers don't have to take a chance on someone who's not the perfect fit... cause they can probably find someone else who is perfect. I've yet to find the perfect job. I've found jobs I would love to do and am confident I could do well, however, my resume doesn't "say" that I have the skills to do the job, even though I feel I do. As if job hunting wasn't complicated enough, add in my beautiful 10 month old. If and when I get interviews, I have to find someone to take care of Jane which is made difficult by the fact that we don't have a lot of options (thankfully friends have been able to step up so far). Aside from the immediate issues of babysitting, Jane was registered for daycare in May... daycare definitely puts time pressure on as if it wasn't already on anyways. Thankfully, I've been able to push our daycare back until June but now I worry what will happen if I get a job mid-May! This is why it's ideal NOT to lose your job while pregnant or on maternity leave... most people don't have to worry about this stuff. They have a set "return to work" date and can coordinate accordingly. I hate that I'm sounding like a whiner right now because I know, compared to a lot of others, I am very lucky. We are not in a life-or-death situation, not financially in ruins, etc. I know I am very lucky.

Janers is doing fabulously. She is such a happy child, always laughing, always smiling. We took a chance and went out to dinner last night (for the first time in months) and she was awesome. Last time we took her out, she was too small for the highchair so we had to take turns holding her and walking around - not your ideal enjoyable dinner situation. This time I pre-packed every one of her favourite finger foods, put her in the high chair and she was as happy as a lark. She had everyone in the restaurant wrapped around her finger... was so nice to get out and now I'm confident about doing it again, whereas after our previous experience, I was avoiding it like the plague.

She's been pulling herself up on everything for the last four weeks or so. Always wanting to stand and getting a lot sturdier on her legs which is just so cute. My favourite thing right now is that, when we're playing together on the floor, every once in a while she'll scurry over to me (I'm lying down), stand up against me and snuggle into me. It's like the happiest moment of my life every time she does it! To those Moms out there with young babes, it's hard not getting any affection back when you're giving so much... it's so worth it when it starts coming back to you, so worth it. I don't know if she's anywhere near walking yet. She still seems very cautious about it all, which, I'll admit, I kind of love. The stress level automatically increases when they start crawling, then they start standing up and it goes up again, then walking... oh my! My Mom is visiting this week and says that she can see why Jane's not taking steps as of yet - apparently her legs are insanely long. You don't notice these things when you're the parent, it's just normal to you. My Mom says her legs are so long that it's throwing off her "center of balance". What that means to me? Peace of mind. Most parents are trying to promote the physical milestones - racing to get their kids crawling and walking. I'm not trying to stunt it but I'm not forcing it at all... I love it when Jane reaches milestones but I must say life was sometimes easier when I could set Jane down and not worry that when I turned my back she'd be crawling up the stairs!

The other benefit of having my Mom here is that she was able to shed some light on Jane's waking during the night this morning... obviously I didn't wake my Mother when Jane woke, but a Mother is always a Mother and my Mom can probably hear a baby waking through several layers of concrete, let alone a measly wall. She said it sounds like she's got a little discomfort, like teething or something. Which is kind of what I thought. Jane's got five teeth through now with at least two more sitting at the gums (how do you say that? Every time I type "gums" it says it's not word but gum doesn't sound right). I've always thought that her waking was teething but you feel like an idiot blaming it all on teething, especially for three months straight. I don't know. That's the hardest part... going into her room at 3am thinking "what the heck is wrong". You never know. Is it teething? Is it that she is only crying to get a reaction out of me? Is it that she's hungry? Is she cold? Is she hot? Does she have gas? Is she constipated? Is she sick? Does she have a feaver? Should I leave her for a bit? Should I go in and give her her soother and see if that works? Is she only spitting out her soother so I respond?... it never ends.

It's snowing here today. No, I'm not kidding. It's freakin' mid-April, we were wearing shorts two weeks ago and it's snowing now. The tulips are covered in snow. Fab.

I've been taking a photography course which I'm loving. Ever since Jane arrived I've become obsessed with photography (thus, the four hundred pictures I post on facebook everyday). I'm going to start taking pictures for friends of their babes and so on and really looking forward to that. It's nice to have that to keep me busy aside from being a Mom (as if that's not busy enough). :p

I'm sure there's a bazillion other things that I should update you on but I can't remember them and I've only got 20 mins before Jane wakes up (actually, before I wake Jane up). I know, what I have referred to as the sin of parenting, waking a sleeping child. However, we're going to try halving the length of Jane's two naps (which are usually about an hour and a half each) during the day to see if that helps sleeping through the night. I'm on the fence about this one and I so enjoy my "breaks" during the day, however, ~~if I ever find a job~~ when I find a job, it will be nice to get a full nights sleep and let someone else worry about getting a break! :p

Happy Monday!

Oh, FYI... just got some feedback with a little curiosity of whether the blog will end when I get a job - here's my answer. No. I will do my best to keep up with daily posts, although, I cannot guarantee it. However, I love this blog. I love writing and I love meeting and sharing mommyhood with all of you. It will never end (insert scary villain laugh here). :p

Feedback Feedback

2010-04-16T08:06:00.004-04:00

Hey y'all - sorry for the late post, I hate being late! It's one of my biggest pet peeves. When Jane was born, I made a point to get ready for everything as early as possible so I could avoid being late for things... obviously, sometimes you can't help it (e.g. when she'd poop all over her outfit as we were walking out the door) but 90% of the time is good enough! :p

It's been a week since I posted my request for feedback on the blog from everyone - thanks for taking the time, I know it wasn't likely as fun as reading my usual ramblings but it was super helpful to me! If you haven't done it, it's not too late - there's not cut off on telling me what you think!

I'm going to be 100% honest, I'm exhausted and I'm going to rush through this post like a kid on Christmas morning as I've been awake since 3:30am (not because of Jane, because I'm becoming a stupid insomniac), she's now gone for a nap and I am going to attempt to do the same myself. Thus, there will be no proof reading, no editing, nodda... you get what comes off my fingers, straight up.

The first few questions (about you) were really just me being nosey... wanted to see who's checkin' out the blog cause, aside from those of you who have become friends, I have no idea! If you want to be my friend - email me, add me on facebook, etc. I have currently reach my in-person friend quota (if someone is voted off the island, I'll accept applications :p) but my virtual friend quota is limitless as I already spend all my free time on the computer! :p Finding out where you came from was interesting - a lot from TopMommyBlogs.com which just pisses me off as they keep refreshing their voting which means everyone's votes drop to zero and I've gotten sick of asking everyone to vote for me, so I kinda gave up - which I now see sucks as I've met a lot of great Moms that way. :(

The important "stuff" was finding out what you like and what you don't like...

I'm super flattered that most of you selected "My Life Posts" or "Advice Posts" as your favs... most of the time I feel like I'm blabbering and talking nonsense, so it makes me feel great to know that you, somehow, enjoy this. Perhaps, to you, it's like watching TMZ, it makes you feel good to know there's someone out there crazier than you! :) It's also ideal that these are your favs as they also are the posts that take the least time/effort. Most days it takes me an hour or so to write up each post - it's not so much the writing as it's the editing, adding watermarked photos, links, etc. that takes the time. Giveaway/review posts always take a lot longer as I have to try and remember what I liked best about the product - a task that is made difficult by my lack of consistent brain power these days.

Most of you selected "Giveaway/review Posts" as your least favourite, which also makes me happy... First of all, I will say that I never intended on doing a weekly giveaway. I did my first giveaways in December as a Christmas special and all of a sudden, it was product city and everyone was contact me about doing reviews. I turn down about 5 companies a day for reviews because (1) their products are totally irrelevant (ummm, I'm not reviewing books for teenagers seeing as my daughter is 10 months old and the thought scares me), (2) I don't think the product is useful and/or (3) they won't do a giveaway - I'm not a review blog, I don't want to be. If you won't offer my readers something for free too, I'm not interested.

These results made me so happy that I requested your feedback as, honestly, I thought you guys would be pissed if I didn't do any giveaways! Ah, the many pitfalls of poor communication. Last week I didn't have a giveaway product and I was worried everyone would be disappointed... it's too much pressure. So, here's my thoughts... I'm going to continue keeping giveaways to a minimum - if I have a product to share, my review/giveaway post will be up on Sunday. That way it won't take away from my regular weekly posts about tips-n-tricks and, mostly, nonsense!

Ok, glad we got that off our chests! :p

Lastly, guest posts. Some of you were nay some yay... kind of 50-50. I rarely do these anyways but, if I do, I'll make sure they are relevant. Some said you'd like to hear from my sister - well, folks, some people like to write and to some it's a chore. I've asked her before and, literally, didn't hear back about it. I will ask again, she's got some great stories to share. I'm also WAY over due for a Dissecting Daddy post and promise to do a Daddy-interview asap!

Alrighty, I have to go as Jane's finally asleep and my laptop battery has 4 mins left!

If there's anything I missed, hit me a note...

Actually, I have some ideas related to dissecting daddy posts - can y'all send me any questions you'd like me to ask my hubby about being a daddy? Something, perhaps, you'd like to ask your own hubby but (1) don't want to or (2) can't get more than a "okay" or "yeah, that's fine" out of him... comment, let me know!

xoxo

Before & After

2010-04-15T06:51:00.000-04:00

After seeing some pictures of myself that I didn't so much enjoy, I decided to do something about it... of course, this was after I threw a "I hate Jen" pity party and ate enormous amounts of chocolate which instantly made me feel better and then worse because then, not only did I not like my hair and face, but now I was "fat" too.

I wish every women could walk outside their own body for one day. I wish every women could see themselves the way other people see them for one day. I think we would definitely see ourselves differently after ward. We are so critical of ourselves when we look in the mirror or see ourselves in pictures. For example, take this picture of Jane and I. This was the day that I threw the pity party. I hated the way I looked in these pictures. I went through them all and criticized the messiness of my hair, the chubbiness of my arms, the fatness of my face, everything (I'm being 100% honest here people so don't bother commenting to refute my points as, to me, they are completely true - that's assuming you'd want to make me feel better of course). This was the only picture of myself from that day that I posted on Facebook and I got comments like this "must be hard being so beautiful" and "gorgeous" (from girlfriends of course). I was like WTF - I pay you guys too much cause I look like a**. But this is exactly my point, to others we look completely different than we do to ourselves... of course it helps when these people love you but you get my point.

After these pictures I did what any girl would do to redeem some of her confidence and I choose one thing about myself that I hated to blame my self-hate on... this month it was my hair. I haven't had my hair cut since Jane was 3 months old (that's 7 months for the math "experts" out there). It was long, drab, lifeless, volume-less (which says a lot as my hair is insanely thick), boring, dull, messy, crappy... you get the point. I immediately called my fabulous hair guy to book an appt.

Not only was my hour and a half long hair appt fabulous because I got a great cut and eliminated my reason for my current self-hate but it was also an awesome break for me. I mean, I take "breaks" all the time... to run, to hit the grocery store, etc. Does any of that sound like a break to you? Yeah, that's what I thought. It was awesome to sit, relax, make fun of celebrities and forget about all of the things I had to do when I got home.

I'm sure most Moms do things like this for themselves and, technically, my running would have to be my favourite "me-time" right now. But my hair appt was completely selfish, all about me, and it was AWESOME! :p I may just get my hair cut monthly 'cause it was so great for my spirit (ok, I hate this word because it makes me sound like some birkenstock-wearing-yoga-loving-natural-healer person - not that there's anything wrong with that but it just ain't me).

SO here's my recommendation for all the Moms out there, if you're not already doing it... take a couple hours each month to do something totally SELFISH! I don't mean exercise, I don't mean shopping (unless it's shopping for you ONLY and not because your hubby needs new undies), I mean something completely for you - a massage, hair appt, belly dancing class (this is my friend Steph's "thang"), etc.

I will admit, for the first time in 7 or 8 months I felt a little guilty leaving... perhaps because I knew I was being completely selfish or the fact that Jane chased me across the room towards the door and then stood herself up on the gate, peaking through the holes at me LEAVING. Regardless, I smiled, kissed her on the forehead and took off! :)

Post hair-cut, I'm back to my old self again... content with my appearance (as if anyone is ever completely satisfied - I bet even Gisele hates something, (like her elbows or something completely stupid that normal people don't even think about cause we have too much other crap to be grouchy about) and happy overall.

Here's the before and after - just to be clear, the "after" hair is prettied up and my typical day-to-day style will be much less cool.