MOmMy bRaIn Mondays

Here are last week's MOmMy bRaIn moments - nothing too outrageous this week, thank god.

Please share your own moments, no matter how embarrassing!

1. Last week I picked up the phone to change the channel on the TV.
   


2. Wanted to pick up some extra 3-6 month jumpers for Jane as the weather is getting cooler. Bought 'um, brought 'um home, cleaned 'um and realized they were 6-9 months. I don't think I even checked the size on them when I bought them. Just bought the first ones on the hanger...genius.
   


3. I left my chicken breast on the counter to thaw. All good, except we had just gotten it from the grocery store and you know what, I bet you'll be shocked - It was already thawed!!


4. I'm currently nursing a mildly burnt hand here as I picked up a pan off the BBQ yesterday without an oven mitt. Awesome.

Among these were several mid-conversation "crap, there's a word I want to use right now but I can't remember what it is...." moments and also several moments where I said something one way when I meant something entirely different (e.g. Went out to breakfast with my friend Kristie and Dan paid the bill. Of course, she protested to which I responded "You'll do the same for us..." instead of "You WOULD do the same for us" ha ha ha. Sounded like I was threatening her or something).

Jen :)

PS - I have potentially life-changing news here... my friend, Kristie, visited from Newfoundland this weekend and left her little one with Daddy for a night. She said that her Mommy Brain got better just within the 24 hours that she was out of the house - this is very promising!

PPS - Add me as a friend on Facebook if you haven't already (find the link in the right-hand sidebar) :)

Skinny Bitch

Literally. I told you in my Neglect post that I'd put a picture up of Molly post-hair cut and here it is. She's 8lbs of bone... a light-weight now compared to my 14 lb sweetie pie!

Jen :)

PS - I've updated the picture slideshow in my sidebar... some new pics of Janey-poo. :p

Movin' On Up...

I have a button now! YIPEE! For those of you who don't know what a button is, you can tune out now... ha ha ha. For those of you who do - feel free to add it to your own blog and I'll return the favour! :)

Find the code for my button in my sidebar, just above some of my favourite Mommy-Blogs! :)

UPDATE: The code has been fixed... this is why my blog is called Mommy Brain. :P

Jen

Bitter-Sweet

I expected that having a baby would add new challenges to being married. So, I am not surprised that there are moments when I'd like to kill my husband and, I'm positive, vice versa. I decided to write this post after a disagreement on the weekend about the difference in our lives right now, and by lives I mean having a life vs. not having one.

What am I bitter about? Well for starters, how about the fact that pregnancy turned my body into a never-ending project? I have to lose weight, my boobs leak, I have pimples all over my face, my hair is shedding like a dogs, I have a new vajajay courtesy of le doc du jour, I am in a constant state of sleep-deprivation, I sweat like a singing Whitney Houston, etc. Obviously my husband has none of these issues. Secondly, and most dramatic of all our differences is the "life" situation. When I refer to "life" - I mean outside the house activities - sports, time with friends, etc. I think it's important that our husbands maintain parts of their life - we want them out of the house sometimes! :) My issue is this... I would like a little empathy, not sympathy, for the fact that it is nearly impossible for me to have a life right now and, aside from that, my life is so completely changed that having a life isn't even desirable as I know as soon as I leave the house to have this "life", I'll just worry about the consequences of me being gone - Will Jane get hungry? Will she cry the entire time? What if something happens and I'm not there? Husbands have it pretty easy. They don't have to worry about these things when they go out, they just go! I wish it was understood that not only is our new job as a Mom physically exhausting but it's also mentally exhausting... my mind will never be at ease again. I wish our husbands could just be us for 24 hours... that's the only way they can get it. I don't want to go off and do stuff on my own. The "life" I want now is doing things with my family. When I'm not given the time to have this life because my husband's life interferes, it's not a pretty sight.

What am I sweet about? Mostly that my husband is very willing and capable when it comes to taking care of Jane. I've been comfortable leaving her alone with him for a few hours since day one. He's a great Dad and so in love with his "little bug" as he calls her. He's also very understanding about most of the things listed at the beginning of the "bitter" side of this post, which makes it easier on me. He's always trying to make me feel beautiful, even when my hair is a mess (pretty much every day), I stink from sweating buckets all day, and I feel like a cow. His compliments usually get brushed off, but he persists, and he knows I appreciate every one. He's also made an effort to help out more around the house - cleaning, cooking sometimes, and being my third arm when I need it (can you get me a glass of water? can you pass that wipe? can you open the window?).

I had to write this post after my Mom, sister, and girlfriend all claimed to have experienced the "life" arguments and frustrations with their husbands. I would have thought, pre-baby, that the difficulties that would arise in my marriage would be more baby-related... who's on diaper duty, who reads the books, etc. It's hard to understand how much your life will change after your sweetie arrives, until it's hitting you in the face or, should I say, hitting you somewhere else! :p My advice on dealing with this challenge - find a way to CALMLY explain it to your husband (this is my problem - I am rarely calm) and talk to your Mommy-girlfriends! They will "get it" and they will give you the empathy that you need.

Jen :)

Dear Brain

Dear Brain,

I know there are no secrets between us, but we need to talk. Obviously I've done something to upset you as you are no longer consistently around when I need you. In fact, you seem to think it's entertaining to watch me struggle some days without your support. Perhaps you and my hubby are in cahoots together as he also finds this funny and enjoys reminding me that "this is how he feels all the time"... brainless? :p (sorry honey, couldn't help it).

There are days that you make a brief appearance and I am reminded that you do exist. It makes me miss you even more. For example... actually, I can't even remember the example I was going to use to illustrate my point so obviously today you have decided you're on hiatus again.

I wish I could fix whatever it is between us that has caused you to be so distant. It's been almost a year now since I got pregnant and you decided I was no longer worthy of your assistance. Why? Was it that suddenly you were over-worked with all the new worries and "need to knows" that came once I realized I was having a baby? Did you feel under-appreciated? Or were you angry that so much energy was being devoted to building my new little love-bug vs. in increasing your own capabilities?

Regardless of reason, despite my stubbornness, I am here to apologize... not knowing what I did wrong (which further proves that, without you, I am more like a man than I would like to admit). You have been with me when I needed you the most over the past three months, however, I'd like you back for good.

Love always,
Jen :)

PS - I've included a picture from the weekend I found out I was pregnant. Perhaps it'll remind you of what we used to look like together ;p

Weigh-in Wednesdays

So Week One is down for me, but luckily I've got a partner in crime now! Jill lives in Virginia with her sweet 7 week old boy name Jeremiah. We've connected through the blog but Jill is actually my husband's Grandma's boyfriend's Granddaughter... I think I've got that right! :) We decided this morning to avoid words like "diet" and, instead, title our adventure Operation Bringing Sexy Back (BSB for short) ha ha ha.

My week went OK. I am not running (surprise, surprise) but I'm walking daily with Jane for 30 minutes, trekking up the giant hill. I had a "cheat day" on Friday, and had a chocolate bar, it was so worth it. "They" always say that you shouldn't reward good eating with food, but screw them, chocolate makes me happy! :p I think I can eat a little better next week - a smaller snack after supper will be my goal. Eating is the toughest part for me as I find some days I am so tired that all I want to do is eat everything in the house... thankfully, knowing I'd have to post my weight again helped me avoid that temptation! As much as that 1 lb difference has made a huge difference in my figure, I didn't post my pics this week... don't want to make you all jealous (100% sarcasm)!

Here are my stats this week:
Last week's weight: 157 lbs
This week's weight: 156 lbs
Weight lost: 1 lb
Pounds to lose: 19 lbs

Now for my friend Jill. We have a lot in common - chocolate addicts, runners (ha ha ha, I still say I'm a runner, whatever), newly huge boobs, etc. I think we should adjust our goal weight to account for the extra 5lbs or so that the boobs add. :p I have an excuse for everything! Jill loves to exercise so she's going to run her baby-weight off and she is my hero for this as she will likely follow through with it. She's also much more ambitious than I as she's getting her butt into gear at 7 weeks while it took me almost 11. I've posted her pre-baby pictures and week one pictures.

Here are her stats for week one:
Jill's height: 5'91/2"
Jill's current weight: 218 lbs (size 16-18)
Jill's goal weight: 175-180 lbs (size 12)
Pounds to lose: 38 lbs


So we are off and running (well Jill is at least :p) and we are going to be HOT MOMMAS in no time!

If anyone wants to join us, at any time, contact me (link on homepage). I already feel more motivated knowing I have someone to go through this with. Even if you're still pregnant, feel free to email me once you decide you're ready to get rid of the extra lbs... it's going to take us a while to reach our goal so y'all have plenty of time to join us!

Jen :)

Braving the Bottle

I decided to write this post after talking with a new blog-friend, Stephanie, about introducing the bottle for the first time. Starting a bottle was stressful for me as I worried about doing it too early or not doing it "correctly". This seems to be a common fear...

I'll start off by saying every baby is different so, obviously, what works for me may result in hell for you... if you've had a different experience, leave a comment and let us know what else to expect! Also, not everyone needs to or wants to introduce the bottle at all... I know Moms who never did, which is great too. However, I wanted Jane to be comfortable with the bottle so that it was possible sometimes for me to have a little alone time.

For breastfed babies, "they" say to wait until 4-6 weeks to introduce the bottle to avoid "nipple confusion". We introduced the bottle to Jane when she was 4 weeks old. Jane's latch was solid from the get-go, however, I was still stressed to the max about screwing anything up as I was having a hard enough time with bf-ing as it was! If you've followed my blog for awhile, you'll remember that I struggled with bf-ing until Jane was about 6 weeks old (see these posts from June).

Here are some of the tips that I have learned - basically common sense but mine got up and left in the 12th week of pregnancy, so maybe these will save you a headache:

• The first few times we tried the bottle, I fed Jane. I thought it would be too much change if suddenly she was not feeding from the nipple and that it was now coming from Daddy.
  
• Initially, I just used the bottles that came with my breastpump. I found these gave Jane a lot of gas. I switched to "Playtex Vent-air" and they work great. My sis uses "Dr. Browns" and she likes those a lot as well.
  
• Perhaps it was the bottle's fault (see point above) but, at first, I was giving Jane her bottles at the 9 o'clock feeding. I found that she would be so gas-y that she'd grunt the whole night after a bottle-feed This was before I switched the bottles but after a few night's of poor sleep, I never tried the nighttime bottle again... not worth the risk for me! :p
  
• Unless necessary, I only give Jane one bottle, every other day. I've heard it's easier for them to get milk out of the bottle and it's definitely a different "sucking"... so I don't want her to realize that she'd prefer the bottle and give up on my boob.
  
• If you are going to do the nighttime bottle for Daddy feeding, which may help the Moms out there who needs a few extra hours sleep (OK, what Mom doesn't need more sleep?), I'd recommend pumping the milk for that bottle the night before. The nurses here really stress the difference between daytime milk and nighttime milk - night milk is thicker so it keeps baby fuller longer so they sleep longer (in a dream world). So, it would probably be best to use nighttime milk for a nighttime feed to ensure you don't counteract the whole point of having hubby do the night-feed! :)
• I was unable to pump a bottle the night of for a nighttime feed because my milk was so thick after 8 o'clock-ish that the pump couldn't get it out of my boobs! The first night this happened I messaged my blog-friend Lara freaking out because I thought my milk had disappeared! When I put Jane on the boob, however, she came off with a face covered in milk so no worries (i.e. don't freak if this happens to you too)! ha ha ha.
• As far as "how much milk?"... I'm sure this is different for every baby. When Jane first took the bottle at 4 weeks, she drank about 2.5-3 oz, so I'd pump 4oz just to be safe. Now, at 11 weeks, I usually pump about 6 oz and if she's still hungry afterward, I give her the boob, but that's rarely happened.
  
• Last point, make sure you buy bottles with "slow flow" nipples. There is a difference (who knew?) and the slow flow is best for new babies. I am still using slow flow with Jane and I have NO IDEA when I'm supposed to move her up - I'm hoping she'll tell me, ha ha ha, which is hilarious because you'll probably hear about it as I'll be freaking out as to why she's so grouchy on the bottle in however many weeks until I realize that it's because she wants more milk, more quickly! :p
  

I hope this helps... these are definitely not anything I learned about or knew about before Jane arrived! :)

Jen :)

MOmMy bRaIn Mondays

Here are last weeks Mommy Brain moments:

1. Had a friend come and visit last week and we were discussing "Jon and Kate Plus 8", a show which I've never gotten into. Regardless, during our conversation I actually asked "how many kids do they have?". ha ha ha.


2. This one's from my sister - She walks every morning before baby Lucy wakes up. Anyways, like me, she plays "white noise" music for Lucy while she's sleeping (nature sounds). She woke up one morning last week, heard the pouring rain outside and went back to sleep. Her hubby comes in later and asks her why she never went for her walk. "It's pouring rain outside" she says, to which he responds "what are you talking about?"... it was a beautiful day out. She had heard the rain from Lucy's music and thought it was raining outside. At least I'm not going through this alone :p


3. I distinctly remember telling Dan Friday morning "don't forget to pick that up"... It's Monday and I still can't remember what he was supposed to get for me!


4. Chatting with a blog-friend, Stephanie, she mentioned the "BC Children's Hospital" to which I replied something about how we do things up here in Canada... BC is in Canada. Awesome. Seriously... does this get worse?

I'm no longer "losing it", I've lost it. Anybody got any good moments to share from this week?

Jen :)

PS - Had the worst dream last night that I can't get over... almost woke up Jane just to see she was there and look into her sweet little eyes. I guess that was a nightmare then, to clarify...

Tips-N-Tricks: Sleeping

One of my biggest worries with Jane, especially when she was a newborn, was that she'd spit up and accidentally breathe in fluid. It worried me especially at night because I'd feed her and then, once she was asleep, she'd lay in her cradle, completely flat on her back! It seemed insane to me. I can totally see why, back in the day, they put babies to sleep on their bellies. However, as everyone knows, now it's all about the back-sleeping to prevent SIDS.

We looked into buying a wedge to put under her while she slept so that she would be slightly elevated. I mean, we all know that you're more likely to get heartburn and (sorry I have to say it) throw up in your mouth if you lie down right after you eat something.

Here's what we did instead... it saved us money and gives me more peace of mind (I'm always going to worry so I'll never have full peace of mind). I folded up a blanket to about 2 inches thick and placed it under the head of her cradle mattress. I'm sure this would work in a crib as well, although you'd likely need to fold the blanket thicker to get some elevation.

I can't be sure if this has prevented any spit up incidents but, fact is, it isn't hurting and it makes me feel better! A little common sense goes a long way sometimes.

Jen :)

Mommy Money Saver #4

When shopping online, I will ALWAYS google "promotional codes" for the site I am purchasing from. For example, if shopping on amazon, I google "amazon promo codes" and up comes a list of several websites that provide lots of options for saving money. Typically, you can save $5-$10 off smaller purchases (like books, food, etc.) and up to $50 or $100 off larger purchases (from Sears, for example). Restaurants often have promotional codes as well, so don't just look for deals when buying products! Regularly we get free drinks and free appetizers through promo codes when we order from restaurants online (e.g. Swiss Chalet).

If you're willing to put in the effort this can save you some good money over time... you will likely have to try a few codes before you find one that works because you'll often find codes promoted that are already expired - stick with it!

Jen :)

Any Takers?

I thought about this after my "Weigh-in Wednesday" post last week... I know there are a lot of new Moms and, women in general, who are trying to lose weight.

Is anyone interested in joining me for the Weigh-in Wednesday updates? If you are looking for motivation, sharing your details with "the world" might do the trick! We'll be like a weight-loss team, super cool!! (please sense the sarcasm in that last sentence).

If you're interested, contact me (link on homepage) to let me know and I'll include your details and pictures (only if you want) with mine each week.

It would be great to have a bunch of us doing this together...

Jen :)

Neglect

If you hadn't read it before, you need to refer to the post I wrote during my pregnancy, Lady in Waiting. At least I could predict that my poor dog, Molly, would likely be neglected once Jane arrived... I wasn't in denial by any means.

Here she is in all her glory... can you tell which end is her face vs. her "you know what". Some days I can't. I finally got around to booking her in for grooming... thankfully, the groomer won't be in yet when we drop her off so we'll avoid the embarrassment and guilt that's sure to come once she looks into our poor pups eyes (if she can find them). ha ha ha.

In truth, Molly and Miko (the devil cat) adjusted really quickly to Jane. Molly is great with her, no jealously or aggression which isn't surprising. Miko ignores her and has become the cat I always dreamed of - independent and never around (only half joking, tee hee hee). :p Although, he risks his life and mine every time I start down the stairs as, never fail, he appears out of nowhere running by my feet in, what I'm sure is, an attempt to take me out!

I'm definitely going to put up a post-grooming picture of Molly for all to enjoy. She's basically going to have to be skinned to get all the mats out of her fur (I tried to brush her but eventually gave up)... at 8 whole pounds, she's going to look like a large rat with a fluffy head! :p It's truly a sin and, despite my humour, I do feel bad... I'm not heartless!

Jen :)

* Note - despite the obvious neglect of her hair-do, Molly is still spoiled rotten and gets lots of walks and snuggles. (I am aware there are some serious people out there who will take this post too literally and I'll probably have the freakin' SPCA knocking on my door tomorrow morning). :p

Weigh-in Wednesdays

Trying something new. In an attempt to motivate myself to get back into shape, I thought posting my status on a weekly basis, for all to see, might do the trick. My husband's been laughing at me for the last few weeks as every week I say "next week I'm going to start getting back into shape"... because no good weight loss program can start on a Tuesday! :p Excuses, excuses. Fact is, when you're ready, you're ready... sometimes it's a Friday night and you're just about to chow down a yummy chocolate bar and you say to yourself "ya know what, I'm not doing this anymore" and that's it! You're ready!

So, here are my details (yes, I'm about to commit the huge faux pas of sharing my weight with the world! - if you ask nicely I'll tell you my age too, ha ha ha):

Height: 5'8"
Current Weight:157 lbs, Size 8-10
Goal Weight: 137 lbs, size 4-6 (my pre-baby weight)
Pounds to lose: 20lbs

I've included a picture of my pre-baby body (taken on my honeymoon - about 6mths before pregnancy @ 137lbs) and pictures taken of me today. As usual, what pisses me off most about the pre-baby picture isn't that I'm much bigger now, it's that I was very likely insecure about my body when that picture was taken! Why do we do that to ourselves?!?! From now on, I'll use today's pictures as my starting point. There likely won't be a noticeable difference for a while, but eventually there BETTER be a difference! :)

As far as my plan of attack? No rocket science here. I'm going to eat healthier and start running again (again). :p Those of you who have been following me for a while likely remember that I claimed to start running again about 4 weeks ago... ha ha ha, I ran twice! Because I'm breastfeeding, I won't be cutting my calories much... I'll just be focusing on getting the most out of those calories. If I stick to a 2000 cal/day diet, that we give me room to get all the nutrients I need for my little sweetie plus for some treats here and there (I am not a no fun type of girl). I plan on running 3-4 times per week for 30 minutes which is going to suck at first but once I can actually run the full 30 mins, it will be more enjoyable. I'd like to say that I'm going to be "pumping iron" and doing 1000 crunches a day but, fact is, I hate crunches so I know I won't do them and I want to start with small, realistic goals. I know myself - If I say I'm going to workout 5-7 times/week, then I'll be off track by day one, feel like a failure and give up!

So here we go! I'd love to hear your own stories and advice on losing the pounds - even if you have favourite snacks or meals that you'd like to share. Please comment!

Jen :)

*Note: Hopefully it's understood that everything is relative. I realize that I am by no means "fat" or in need of serious weight loss. However, we all have a weight that we feel our best at and for me that is between 135-140lbs. I hope not to offend anyone with my personal challenge.

Five Funnies

If it's not obvious, I like lists...

I wanted to share with you five things Jane consistently does that make me crack up! If these don't make you giggle a little then it's obviously an "eye of the beholder" thing... like when you think your dog is cute but everyone else knows different... :p

1. She burps as loud as Dan, or louder! The funniest thing about it is that she gets this look on her face afterward of complete innocence, like she's about to blame it on someone else.
   


2. When she poops she gets this look of concentration on her face like she's trying to find out the square root of pi... I consistently ask her if I can get her a magazine to read, ha ha ha. And despite what you may think, baby's fart LOUDLY and their poop does stink! Anytime we're out and she poops or farts, I'm SURE everyone around me thinks I've just let one go. Although, again with the "eye of the beholder" thing - you don't mind the smell of your own baby's poop... probably something like men wanting to smell their own farts. :p
   


3. Sometimes, when she falls sleep on my boob, she startles herself awake when her lips smack as she "falls off" the boob. She gives me this look like "what the heck are you doing Mom" because she obviously doesn't realize she scared herself awake. So cute.
   


4. Every once in awhile when she wakes up from a long nap, she basically starts whining while her eyes are still closed and then breaks into a full cry - she's hungry. I crack up at her diva behaviour - apparently I'm supposed to know she's about to wake up and that she'll be hungry and OBVIOUSLY I should be waiting, boob in hand. :p She's too funny - I can't imagine what she'll be like when she's 14! :p
   


5. She hates the taste of Ovol, the anti-gas stuff. It's hilarious when she tastes it as she reacts like I would to sucking on a lemon. First, she tries to avoid swallowing it and starts spitting it out all over her face. Then, she makes the "sour lemon" face. Finally, she does the post-lemon shiver and shake - when you body shivers a little and you shake your head back and forth with a disgusted look on your face. It's priceless. I'd take a picture but I'm too busy trying to keep it in her mouth! :p
   

Hope you at least smiled at the fact that these are the things making me laugh these days - how life changes!

Jen :)

PS - If you like this blog, take a minute to vote for MOmMy bRaIn as one of your favourite baby blogs by clicking the icon below! :)

MOmMy bRaIn Mondays

Decided to summarize the previous week's Mommy Brain moments each Monday - scarily, I'm positive that I will be able to provide several examples each week! :p

1. Went to Costco with Jane. I was there right at open time because I needed to time it so that Jane wouldn't get hungry while we were out. It was a nice day out so I got out, put Jane (in the car seat) in the cart and stood outside the door with the other impatient shoppers. I then realized that I didn't have my Costco card. I didn't freak because I knew I could get a temporary card, so I stood my ground... until I realized I didn't have a debit card or cash. I casually strolled back to the car, put Jane back in and took off as fast as possible as I could feel the eyes of every other waiting shopper staring at me and thinking "what the hell is that lady doing?". Awesome.
   
   
2. The reason I went to Costco was to get something for Dan. I bought a new winter jacket, a new lounging outfit, a few books, and checked out. After I paid and started out of the store I realized I had forgotten to get what I came for... genius.
   
   
3. I asked the lady at Walmart where I could find shoe laces... her response? "The shoe department"... seriously?


4. Dan and I were watching this "Man vs. Wild" show.. and buddy (his name is Bear, go figure) says something about the "southern hemisphere". Here's the conversation that occurred afterward:

Me: "Oh, that's cool"
Dan: "Yeah, but that's only in the southern hemisphere"
Me: "Oh yeah, and we're in the northern hemisphere right?" (note the question mark)
Dan: "Ahhhh, yeah, you didn't know that?"
Me: "Yes, I did - we're in the northern hemisphere cause we're above the equator?" (note, again, the question mark)
Dan: "Hun, you should know this" (picture Nick Lachey's face as he looked at Jessica Simpson when she said she didn't want any wings because she doesn't eat buffalo). Priceless.

I'm sure there were many more mini-Mommy Brain moments but I just decided to do this post on Thursday and, being a Mommy Brain, I can't remember the stupid stuff I did from Monday-Thursday! :) I'll keep better track for next week!

Jen :)

PS - Share your weekly MB moments as well! Leave a comment!

Status Saturdays

Days since last shower: *2
Exercise: 30 min walk
Frozen Yougurts per day: 2
Weight Lost: 23 lbs - miraculous seeing as all I ate was chocolate on vacation
Weight to lose: 15 lbs to pre-preggers, 20 lbs to pre-considering pregnancy! :p
Hours of sleep per night: 6ish (cumulative)
Addictions: Peanut butter, Pita bread, Granny Smith Apples, True Blood, Will & Grace reruns

* I get a bath every night with Jane, but that doesn't really count :p

Vote For MOmMy bRaIn!!

I`ve been nominated for Best Parenting Blog on BlogNet... If you like my blog, vote for me!

You`ll have to create an account to do so, but it`s really easy and you won`t get spam! Once you create an account, go to the BlogNet Awards, search for Mommy Brain, and vote for me by clicking the stars!

http://blognetawards.com/mommy-brain

I`m so excited! What a nice surprise! :)

Jen :)

PS - Thanks to whoever nominated me!
PPS - Today`s post below :)

To Pee or Not to Pee

That is the question... actually not so much a question as a challenge! :p

The topic of this post came to me as I lay on the couch, sweet baby Jane asleep on my chest, dying to pee and unable/unwilling to move! ha ha ha. The number of times this has happened to me since Jane was born, I cannot count.

In fact, my sister let me know I am not suffering alone while we were on vacation. She told me the funniest story of her own experience being trapped with a full bladder... Similar to my usual situation, Nancy was lying the couch with Lucy sleeping on her chest when, of course, it suddenly struck her that it was time to go! She told me that the combination of being unable to move in fear of waking Lucy and the urgent need to pee actually resulted in her having the following thoughts...

"What if I just peed on the couch? Rob (her husband) would be so pissed and, for sure, everyone would find out. What would his parents say when we had to buy a new couch because I peed on it? Maybe a new couch wouldn't be so bad... maybe I could blame it on Lucy... nah, I'll just wait!"

I died as I knew how she felt. The biggest adjustment to being a new Mom is realizing that your life is no longer your own. You become a completely selfless person as your life revolves around keeping your babe happy and healthy... a side effect of this is that you lose control over even the most mundane activities that would once have never even required a second thought. I mean, pre-baby, who of you ever had to think "I wonder if I can go pee right now"? ha ha ha. Similar concerns would be - can I have a shower today? Will I get to eat lunch today?

Obviously, these things get easier as Jane gets older. Once she passed the 3-4 week mark, I no longer had to worry about getting most everything done, except the peeing... the being able to pee is still an issue! ha ha ha.

To those Moms-to-be, start building up the storage in your bladder now (actually, I'm not so far post-pregnancy that I don't realize this is impossible)! tee hee hee.

Jen :)

Our Vacation

What a production! Thankfully, my trip was over a week long otherwise the three days preparation (packing, planning, packing things I forgot, etc.) wouldn't have seemed worth it. Miraculously I didn't forget anything, however, it's likely due to the fact that I started a packing list two weeks prior to taking off! :p

We did have a great trip - Jane got to meet a bunch of family for the first time, including my Dad. She also got to meet her cousin Lucy, my sister's baby girl, who's just two weeks younger than Jane!

Most of our trip consisted of relaxing activities - multiple daily walks, Jane helping me read Breaking Dawn (I am crushed that the Twilight books are not never-ending), eating too much chocolate (me not her, duh) and getting passed around by family members (her not me :p). This last one resulted in my first "I'm a Mom" moment! There were a few instances where I'd hand Jane over to someone and she'd immediately start fussing, no matter what they tried. As soon as she was back in my arms, she was content again. As much as I felt bad about it, I have to admit, it made me happy! She's a Momma's girl! Obviously, it's not "ideal" as eventually she'll have to adjust to "strangers" (like when she's 14 :p) but, right now, I'm quite content having her all to myself!

Having my sister and Lucy there was great. It's so funny to see what huge differences there are between babies so close in age. It definitely confirms the whole "every baby is different" theory. Sweet Lucy has a sensitive digestive system and gets quite gas-y... Nancy has been avoiding any possible gas-producing food. I, on the other hand, haven't really paid attention to that kind of thing - I mean I'm not packing down the beans, but not avoiding a whole lot either, and Jane has been fine (knocking on wood now). One night, Nancy was really gas-y herself from too many turkey sammies and was stressed big time because she didn't want Lucy to be up all night from her gas-y breastmilk. So, we fed Lucy my breastmilk! I had pumped some backup milk for the fridge so I gave it to Nancy. Lucy had a great night's sleep! ha ha ha. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Nancy's now transitioning Lucy to formula... she's had quite a few struggles with breastfeeding aside from the gas and it's just not working for her or Lucy.

On Sunday, Jane and Lucy were christened. Holy crap a church service is long when you're sitting there with a babe in your arms (which are about to give out and fall off their so tired) and, literally, cremating from the heat! It was fabulous to have her christened in Newfoundland, my home, with lots of family and friends around. She was so great, didn't make a peep the entire time - actually part of me was hoping she'd scream a little bit so I could take a break and go outside for some fresh, cooler air! :p

In the end, it's great to be home. We were lucky as our friends had set up our house in Newfoundland for us with all the baby essentials. But, it's definitely easier being back to the "schedule" we're used to.

Jen :)

PS - My "bestest" bud Kristie introduced me to the neatest baby essential - we call it a Nummy-clip. You can get them at Walmart - it basically clips the soother onto baby's clothes so when they spit it out, it doesn't hit the floor and that means no more nasty, unknown, floor goop in my mouth as I my fool-proof method of cleaning off the suckie is to stick it in my own mouth! :p

Jane on the Plane :)

I had two completely different experiences when it comes to flying with a baby.

On our way to Newfoundland, things weren't exactly stress-less... when I arrived at the airport, Jane was just waking up from her morning nap and, thus, starving! I "threw" her in the snugli and quickly checked everything in while I frantically bounced and shhh'd to keep her calm. I finally made it to the security line and they had to send me back to the check in counter because the lady forgot to give me a boarding pass for Jane! THANKS A LOT! So, with whimpering, hungry child, I trudged back to get the boarding pass. Once I got to security again, I was instructed to take Jane out of her snugli... awesome. Why the heck did I not see that coming?!?! Do you know how hard it is to get a baby out of a snugli, standing up, when she is hungry and upset!?!?! My heart was breaking, I was rushing and sweating buckets by this point. To make things worse, the only liquid I had besides the bottle was my trusty bottle of purell which they immediately took from me because it wasn't in a ziploc bag... can you tell me how the ziploc bag protects us from terrorist attacks please?

I had pumped a bottle for the trip so I wouldn't have to haul my boob out in the middle of the airport/plane but by the time I got to the gate, Jane was pretty upset with me and I ended up finding a quiet corner to quickly satisfy her hunger (seeing as the bottle would have cost me an extra 5 seconds in time). :p

Once my Dad arrived from Toronto to meet up with me, all was calm. Jane was back to her cheerful, sweet self. On the plane, she fussed more than I would have expected as she's a pretty good traveler. I'm convinced this is because I probably was still stressed from the pre-flight festivities. In fact, the entire day afterward, she was on and off the boob, barely slept and fussed more than usual. Myself, I had probably sweated off 10 lbs (which I made up for by eating a chocolate bar and several jujubes) and my left arm was numb and aching from holding her the entire flight.

On the way back, I had learned from my mistakes... despite the fact that we arrived late and had to rush through check-in and security, it went a thousand times better. I put Jane in a sling instead of her snugli and, thankfully, they were ok with me leaving her in the sling going through security (WOOHOO). She slept the entire flight, except for the take-off and landing, when I had to tickle her feet to keep her awake so that she would feed (which is supposed to help them adjust to the pressure change).

So, here is my advice for flying -

1. Arrive early, early, early. Had I given myself enough time on the way, I could have fed Jane immediately once we arrived to the airport and avoided the whole boob-out, crying baby, sweaty mom situation.
   
2. Check all your nonsense - car seat, stroller, etc. This is just extra hassle, especially if you're by yourself. All I had was Jane (in a sling) and her diaper bag.
   
3. Put the baby in a sling. Like I said, they made me take her out of the snugli which is a huge pain in the a** but they were fine with leaving her in the sling and she was happy as a lark.
   
4. Feed on the way up and the way down - most people know this. I can't say that it works because I have not, nor would I, try NOT doing it. ha ha ha - I'm not stupid.
   
5. Fly with someone else your first time if possible. It's hard juggling the baby, bottle, sucky, sling, diaper bag, etc. on your own. Although, I will say, that there are always helpful people around. In fact, my Dad ended up taking care of me and another new mom who was flying alone. :)

I'm sure you've all got great first flight stories and advice - please share, comment!

Jen :)

PS - If there are a ton of spelling/grammar mistakes in this post, sorry. Jane woke up 2 mins ago in her swing and I don't have time to re-read! Such is the life of a Momma!! :p

PPS - Add me as a friend on Facebook (on right hand side) to see pictures from our vacation and Jane's christening!

Home Sweet Home!

Finally back from vacation... literally have only a few minutes to write as I want to unpack and re-adjust to life at home!

Had a great vacation - relaxing (mostly) and great to see my family. Jane was fabulous, as always (of course I would say that), and did great on the plane rides, which was a relief.

I'm currently scarfing down pizza - if you aren't a mom yet, you WILL learn to scarf your food as it always works out that baby wakes mid-meal hungry and screaming. She's sleeping in the swing right now, really minimal chance of her waking, yet I am so accustomed to scarfing now that you don't dare stand between me and a meal... dangerous territory. :p

Have about a hundred thousand thank you cards to get done from Christening presents that I am forcing myself to do immediately before I forget what people gave us and am required to write the generic "thanks for the sweet gift" message.

I'm sure I have tons to write about in the next few days on our vacation, however, due to the early flight, I've been awake since 3:45am and think that any posts written pre-nap will include a lot of expletives, grammar/spelling errors, and general nonsense. :p

Jen :) xo

PS - I read ALL of the comments on the posts that were put up while I was away... it would literally take me days to respond but, regardless, I wanted to acknowledge them. As usual, they made me laugh and, most importantly, made me realize I'm not alone!! THANKS!!!

What I Miss About Pre-Baby Life

The top ten things I miss about pre-baby life:

1. Not worrying so much. I worry about everything with Jane. I constantly am envisioning things that could happen that would hurt her and it's so scary!
2. Being skinny and not having to do crunches, I hate crunches.
3. Having time - more time for me, time for Dan, etc.
4. Having more flexibility - everything's got to be planned now, no more "popping out".
   
5. Sleeping. Just being able to go to sleep without worrying how much sleep I may/may not get.
6. Not being so friggin' hot all the time! I'm constantly sweating and overheated.
   
7. Not having to worry about my boobs leaking through my clothes...
   
8. TMI alert - having control over my nether regions... Moms will know what I'm talking about.
9. Having Dan sleep in the bed with me... I do miss him :)
   

Ok - I can't think of ten things... and the guilt I have about thinking up these 9 is insane. Maybe that's number 10 - I miss not feeling guilty about anything that could perhaps be misinterpreted as me complaining about Jane. TAH DAH! :p

Jen :)

What I Love About Being a Mommy

The top ten things I love about being a Mommy:

1. How much love I feel for my "little ladybug"... it's an amazing feeling to fall so much in love with you child.
2. Having to be completely unselfish. I think, like most people, we are generally selfish beings. That goes out the window immediately once your little one is placed on your chest. All of your thoughts and energy are focused on taking care of your baby.
   
3. Getting the most happiness from smaller things - smiles, poops, snuggles, etc.
4. Not having a giant belly anymore.
5. The new bond between my husband and I. As much as we want to kill each other sometimes, from tiredness mostly, being parents has brought us much closer.
   
6. The giant tah-tahs - actually I think that's Dan's favourite part about me being a Mom.
   
7. Not working, enough said, it rocks!
   
8. I'm rich... cause I have no time to spend any money.
9. How much I have to look forward to - smiles, first words, first steps, first teeth, everything!
   
10. Just being a Mom - being the one Jane wants when she cries, being able to nurture her, just taking care of her!

Anybody want to add their favourite things?!?! Comments!

Jen :)

Mommy Money Savers #3

Chicken breasts are probably the most expensive item on my grocery list... and also the most common item in my recipes. But most of the chicken breasts you buy are well over the 3oz-sized protein serving that is recommended for each meal.

I save money by halving each single chicken breast. I then put each piece of the breast in a ziploc bag and pound it out with the bottom of a heavy pan... not only does this make the breast larger but it also tenderizes the meat which is great.

This saves me tons of dough and, not surprisingly, my hubby and I are still full after dinner!

Jen :)

You CAN Handle the Truth #5

You will fight with your hubby and you will nag him... I don't know if it's the tiredness, the slight bitterness that your life has changed so much and his hasn't been as affected, the frustration that occurs when you do things differently, or, more than likely, a combination of everything!

It was a priority for Dan and I not to fight and not to nag or criticize each other for doing things differently... but, fact is, once baby comes, everything changes. The first six weeks are hard. You're both tired, you're scared, you're nervous, you're worried, you're adjusting, and you're just trying to do your best.

I think the key for us has been talking about it - explaining why we're nagging, why we're angry, etc. We usually do this after a "break time" so we each have time to cool down and realize where we were wrong cause our fights are usually the result of both of us doing something stupid... one person starting stupid and the other reacting stupidly! ha ha ha.

Tips-n-Tricks: Swaddling

When Jane was born, the first thing the nurses did was swaddle her up tight and hand her to me. For two days in the hospital, Dan and I tried to figure out this swaddling thing... never getting it as secure and tidy as the nurses could do it.

Thankfully, we had registered for a SwaddleMe blanket. This is a blessing! A lot of people say "my baby doesn't like to be swaddled"... which may be the case. However, I think mostly, people are swaddling at the wrong time. Jane hates having her arms swaddled but if we leave her arms out, she wakes herself up because her arms are constantly moving! What works for me is to wait until she's in that drowsy state, just before she falls asleep. If I swaddle her then and then put her back on the boob for a minute or give her a sucky, she immediately falls asleep and stays asleep much longer than when I wasn't swaddling her.

The SwaddleMe blanket takes the guess work out... I find it safer too because it's secured around baby with velcro so there's little chance, unlike with a blanket, that Jane will get it lose and it will somehow get up around her face. We've got three now as they work great, during the day, to quickly swaddle Jane if she gets fussy. ;)

Jen :)