Baby J is ONE!

One week ago today my little lady baby turned one. She is one year old. How the fork did that happen?!? My sister also turned 29 (again) so October 18^th is a doubly special day. Is doubly even a word? It is today.

Sidenote: there is a dilemma to your kid and sister having the same birthday… Facebook. I updated my status with the prerequisite cheesy mama love post and made a mental note to write a second post later that day with all the cheesy love for my sister but then I got busy with work, rushed to get home to decorate the cake, made dinner, smothered baby J with love, did bedtime, cleaned up, passed out early… so basically life happened and I forgot. Not an excuse and I feel bad. I promise to make it up to her next year. On her third 29^th birthday.

For the big ONE birthday we obviously had to celebrate so we planned a party on the weekend with family and friends, and I also insisted on doing a smash cake. My friend and amazing photographer Kelly did me a favour and suggested we do it in the morning and not during the party. So smart. She also did me another huge favour and made the trip to our house TWICE (30+ minutes each way) to take the photos and then to attend the party.

It was an amazing party. I didn’t do all the decorating I wanted or make all the nibblies I had planned but it didn’t matter. Our house was filled with family and friends and I think everyone had a pretty great time, especially baby J who was loved on by everyone. I can’t wait to tell her about it one day.

The smash cake was the most stressful part for me. I ordered the onesie and the tutu, bought a little crown headband in Palm Springs back in February that of course I lost, had grand plans to make and decorate the cake thanks to Pinterest and sent my brother-in-law to wait for the party store to open because I forgot about balloons the night before. I baked the cake and chickened out on the decorating but thankfully my sister stepped up and it turned out beautifully. And then Kelly arrived to take pictures and when I saw them I literally caught my breath. I am in love with them.

As you can tell baby J hated having the cake all over her and wouldn’t even taste it. Not an icing fan.

That last one, that is my favourite picture of her ever and I want it on all of the things. And a massively huge more-than-words-can-actually-say THANK YOU to Kelly for one of the best gifts we could have ever dreamed of during baby J's first year of life. 

Happy Birthday little Lady, we love you to the moon and back.

Proof I'm Still Alive

So this is what it feels like to try and blog after months... I have no clue how to even start this post. But I guess I just did. I don.'the know why I stopped blogging although looking back it's obvious that I had nothing interesting to talk about except baby J's monthly stats. I guess I became one of those moms whose life became all about her kid. And it's hard for it not to when you're with your child 24/7 for a year... 

But last week that all changed. How you ask? Well...

1.       I went back to work. My maternity leave is officially over and I am back at work four days a week. I never thought I would come back less than full time but by the time she was 4 months old I was already dreaming of part-time hours. My ideal would be three days a but I need 32 hours a week to keep our benefits... because my hubby owns his own business it would be very expensive to get them. So four days it is and I'm grateful for even that. 

2.       Baby J started going to daycare four days a week. I alternate between this being easy and being super hard. It feels great when I drop her off and her teachers look genuinely happy to cuddle with her when we arrive, they hug and kiss on her like crazy. And the best part is that baby J smiles back. This is also one of the hardest parts - aren't those smiles supposed to be saved for me? 

3.       Daddy started doing daycare pickup and is on baby J duty until I get home (anywhere from 1 to 2 hours). Daddy got off really easy while mommy was at home on maternity leave so it's a big adjustment for him and it's going to take some practice but he needs to take on more responsibility. We're working on it. 

4.       We caught our first cold from daycare. And it kicked mommy's ass. Baby J got a cough and runny nose, and I got a fever, lost my voice, green phlegm, horrible cough... We're now on the mend although I'm told baby will have a runny nose until she starts kindergarten. Awesome. 

5.       And the biggest event of them all? My baby isn't a baby anymore. Baby J had her first birthday last week. We did all of the things: a smash cake, a party with family and friends on the weekend, and a little family party on her actual birthday. But that special occasion deserves its own post!

So that's life right now. Riveting isn't it?

I have missed this space and as of right now plan to spend a bit more time here (where else am I going to capture all our memories, a baby book? Haven't even written her name in it!) but no promises.

Baby J: 4 Months

Here I am again on the eve of my daughter's 5th month birthday and I haven't yet published her 4th month update. I do manage to feed and clothe her, I promise! I really don't know how life can fly by like this but I am already counting down the days when I have to leave her and go back to work... 7 more months and then my baby girl will be spending more of her days with someone else. 
I could really do with a lottery win right about now. Or I need to invent the next iPod. 

SLEEP: Not much new happening here but it's a routine (I use that term loosely) I can live with because Turtle sleeps through the night. Thank you baby, momma is soooo grateful!

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT: We continue to see Turtle learning new things all the time and her little face concentrates so hard, it's adorable. She is working on grasping objects and if she drops something, oh boy look out - baby gets so mad! But I think the best sound I have heard so far is her laugh - a deep belly laugh ending in a squeal - and so far we have only heard it when she is in mid-air. So my baby is a daredevil... pretty sure she gets that from her adrenaline junkie uncle and I hope it's a sign of things to come because I want my daughter to be fearless. I'm a wimp and I don't want that for her.

FAVOURITES: Can I just say that the jolly jumper is God's gift to moms?? I can get a solid 20-25 minutes of happy baby which is enough time to empty the dishwasher, load the dishwasher, change laundry loads AND make my hubby's lunches for the next two days. I LOVE IT!!! 

NOT SO FAVOURITES: 

• carseat = screaming
• tummy time = screaming
• putting lotion on after bathtime = screaming

At least I know when to know earplugs?

MY THOUGHTS: I literally love her more every single day. I am constantly in a mental battle where I want her to stop growing and stay small enough for me cuddle whenever I want, but then she reaches out to try and hold her bottle herself and I can't wait to see what she will learn next. 

Baby J: 3 Months

Turtle is going to be 4 months old tomorrow. This means, 1) I am the worst mom in the world because I can't even manage to post a couple paragraphs for a month, and 2) someone figured out how to speed up time. The logical part of me says to skip 3 months and just start fresh with 4 but the mom inside me feels way too guilty and I don't want my daughter to need therapy because I couldn't be bothered to talk about her spit bubbles (which she blows constantly btw). So here goes, let's give this memory a workout.

SLEEP: I really can't complain here because our little Turtle is sometimes sleeping through the night. The nights that she wakes up she has a bottle and goes right back down. We are working on her bedtime routine and start anywhere between 7 and 8pm, then it's bottle and bedtime. Just after she turned 3 (months) she really started to fight the swaddle so I got brave and tried a sleepsack. Some babies have a tough time transitioning but I'm not sure Turtle even realized the difference. So we're full on in a sleep sack now. I am also really digging our morning routine: daddy is a morning person so he is usually awake and gets baby, changes her diaper, feeds her and then plays with her until he has to get up and go. This means a bit more sleep for mommy and that means we all win.

Naps are a completely different story. Turtle still won't really nap and I think I need to give up the dream that she ever will. 

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT: My little baby is becoming a person! We have really started to see Turtle come into her personality and watching her discover everything is so amazing. I never thought I would be so excited to see someone grasp a toy in their hand. And she has found her voice! My mom got a motorized mobile for her crib and Turtle absolutely loves it, she lays underneath and 'talks' to the bugs as they 'fly' by. 

FAVORITES: Turtle completely flipped and now enjoys the mamaroo, plus I found the swing our friends have and she likes it too. She doesn't last a long time but she will actually chill for a good 15-20 minutes and we switch her between the two throughout the day. I do have to say though that her favourite is to be held facing out while you're standing. It's exhausting. She also loves the songs from our Mother Goose music class, specifically one called 'Roly Poly'. I sing it over and over with her in my lap and do the hand gestures and she is in heaven.

Daddy might be the biggest favorite. As soon as Turtle sees his face she breaks into a huge grin and gets so excited. They play and have conversations with each other and it's the most wonderful thing to see. She already has him wrapped tightly around finger.

NOT SO FAVORITES: Her car seat (an infant seat), entertaining herself (this just doesn't happen) and naps. 

MY THOUGHTS: I love being Turtle's mom. Yes I get tired and frustrated when she cries for the eighteenth time that day (we still have digestive issues but they are getting better) and look forward to her bedtime but every night I miss her. I sneak into her room and watch her sleep, tell her again how much I love her and marvel at how quickly she has grown in such a short time. She has changed so much recently and I am excited to see what 4 months brings us.

Baby J: Two Months

Once again I'm so crazy late with Baby J's 2 month update but having a newborn and getting through Christmas (we just had our last family dinner on Tuesday!) was about all I managed to do. And if I had the opportunity to nap I took it. Now it's New Years Eve and I am 110% positive I won't make it to midnight. Let's just say I celebrated Australian style... 

SLEEP: I was told that if the sleeping thing is going well to not talk about it but I am using this blog as a place to record Turtle's life so I am going to chance it. 

Bedtime is a bit of a challenge... I am trying to start some sort of routine around 8:30 Turtle gets a bath, daddy gets her ready for bed (well he towels her off, lotions her up and puts on a clean diaper and then hands her to me to actually dress) then I take her upstairs, give her a bottle and try to put her to bed. Sometimes she goes down awake and sometimes she falls asleep while eating but after about 5 minutes she wakes up and I go in, calm her down, feed her a bit more if needed and then put her back down. Then it happens all over again... Usually twice. 

Once she is finally asleep she does pretty well, waking up between 2-3:00am and then again between 6-6:30am. I'll take it! 

During the day Turtle is quite the cat napper and her preferred spot is still on top of me. We have to be in the car or stroller for her to nap for any length of time. I keep reminding myself not to feel trapped and to instead enjoy it because she won't be this small and snuggly for long.

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT: There isn't a ton happening on the outside but I'm pretty sure her little mind and body are going through some major leaps. At least they are according to the Wonder Weeks app. Turtle is focusing on things more intently, she holds her head up like a champ and she is already trying to roll from her front to her back. My hubby says she was super close in her crib one night and although I'm excited for it, I don't want her to grow too fast! 

FAVORITES: Turtle still loves to sleep on mommy and she prefers to be held upright while you're swaying. 

NOT SO FAVORITES: Still not a fan of either the mamaroo or the vibrating chair we have. She did seem to like my friend's swing so trying to convince my hubby that we need to invest in yet another baby product. Oh and she HATES her bucket seat. With a passion. And wearing hats. It's a pity too base she looks adorable in them. 

MY THOUGHTS: I can't believe I am lucky enough to be this little girl's mom! Yes she cries and can be quite fussy at this point but she can also be so sweet and cuddly. She has been smiling since day one (and it's not gas) and she is so so cuddly! And when she looks into my eyes it feels amazing and also a by overwhelming, and I just hope she knows how much I love her. 

It's crazy that in just a couple weeks our little lady will be 3 months old. People tell you it goes too fast but you don't actually realize how fast until you wake up one morning and that tiny baby has grown an inch overnight. Amazing. 

Enjoy your New Years Eve everyone, wherever and however you are celebrating, and be safe!

Baby J’s First Visit with Santa!

I started planning Christmas events when our little turtle was still in my belly and a visit with Santa Claus was pretty high on the list. She won’t remember a thing but I will never forget it. Plus we have a pretty cute photo as a reminder…

In all honesty there wasn’t much build up and it was over pretty quick. We were going to the mall one evening so I dressed Baby J in the only Christmas outfit we had at the time (a present from her Great Granny) and told my hubby that if there wasn’t a big line we were doing it. I mentally crossed my fingers and toes while listening to (and ignoring) my hubby tell me that it was completely unnecessary as the baby is all of 6 weeks old. Imagine my shock that quickly turned into excitement when I saw there was no line.

There were a few tears and of course turtle refused to smile but I am so happy that we managed to get a good one. She looks so unimpressed. Santa was great, he was very gentle and completely unfazed when turtle’s faced scrunched up (she has the best angry face), he waited patiently while I calmed her down.

I wonder if there will be tears next year…?

Baby J: One Month!

In true Sarah fashion this post is exactly two weeks late but better late than never right? The days and weeks are flying by so fast and I want to be able to look back and remember the little things. Hopefully I will manage to post her two month update in a more timely fashion but if history says anything... well we shall see. 

SLEEP: we were totally spoiled for the first two weeks because Baby J would be in bed from 10pm to 5 - 6am, waking up twice throughout the night. A dream sleeper for new parents. Turns out she was just breaking us in slowly. Now the longest she goes is 3 hours and she won't sleep past 6am in her crib. Thankfully my hubby takes her until 6:45 so I can get a bit more sleep. The morning is spent doing a whole lot of nothing as the babe sleeps on and off. On top of me. Every time I put her down in her bassinet or crib she wakes up within 10-15 minutes. So I cuddle her. She won't be this small for long and while I sit there watching Netflix for the third hour straight and dreading the question my husband will ask when he gets home (what did you do today?) I remind myself that she is literally growing every day and to enjoy it while I can. 

We don't really have any sort of routine yet but I am hoping to develop one over the next month or so. I know two months is still young and will obviously be flexible but it would be nice to have a general idea how the day is going to go. The only sure thing right now is that my hubby finishes work between 2 - 3pm and takes over for an hour or two while I sneak upstairs for a nap. He has only woken me up once so far when he couldn't get her to stop crying.

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT: At one month I think most of the development is happening inside Baby J's little body. The most noticeable thing right now is that she opens her eyes and has brief awake periods. I also feel like she is actually looking into my eyes now when I am feeding her. I imagine that she is thinking "so this is the person whose voice I have been listening to for all those months"... or I'm just exhausted and imagining crazy things. That's more likely. 

Oh and she has totally been smiling since birth! People say it's gas but it happens every time she falls asleep. What can she be dreaming about??

Baby J can hold her head up pretty well and the doctors noted how strong her legs are. I have nothing to compare it to so I'll have to take their word for it. 

FAVORITES: There aren't too many of these yet but Baby J loves to sleep on Mommy. She also loves to have her arms free and her hands up by her ears while she sleeps. 

NOT SO FAVORITES: She is not a fan of her mamaroo... that was money well spent. We are hoping she grows to love it but I'm not holding my breath. 

MY THOUGHTS: I am so excited for more of Baby J's personality to come out as she gets older. The other day she reached in my direction with one arm (total fluke, she was flailing around like a baby deer) and I am now so excited for her to reach for me. And to hear her giggle. I absolutely adore our cuddle sessions and can't even imagine that my little turtle is going to grown into an actual person.  Not sure if that came out the way I meant but hopefully you know what I mean. 

I missed my nap today. 

I am so in love with my baby girl and I still have to pinch myself to believe I'm her Mom. I can't wait to see what the next month will bring. 

Happy 1 month birthday Turtle, Xxo

I'm a Mom!

Welcome to the world baby girl!

Photo courtesy of The Writing Mom

Birth date:    October 18th

Time:             5:53pm

Weight:         7lbs 3oz

I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since our little turtle joined our family! I am so incredibly late announcing her birth to my little blog world - not to mention her one month update - but I have been spending my days getting to know my daughter. And trying to keep her alive ;) Baby J arrived safely by c-section, an event I will try and document before it becomes even more hazy. 

It's hard to put into words how I'm feeling. I am smitten, totally in love, completely obsessed, terrified, exhausted, scared, proud, excited, nervous, anxious and that doesn't even begin to cover it. Everything is different and every morning I wake up and have no clue how the day will go. Sometimes she sleeps the day away and I get nervous that she won't sleep at all that night, and other times she sleeps in 10-15 increments until I finally lay her down in her crib and she passes out for a solid 3 hours. Three hours is the longest she will go right now and I am counting down the days until she (fingers crossed) sleeps for a good 5-6 hours. I sincerely hope that is in our not too distant future.

In her second week Baby J became quite fussy and I'm pretty sure she has a touch of colic. We are learning her cues but apparently they will constantly change so it's a gigantic learning curve; all we have to do is look at her little face and the crying gets a little bit easier to bear. And yes I realize we are only 6 weeks in and I know I have horrible sleepless nights ahead of me but I am trying to take it one step at a time. We have noticed a change in the last week and fingers crossed we're on the right track. 

My hubby has stepped right up to the plate and is rocking this daddy thing. From day one he was changing diapers (he had no choice initially due to the c-section but he continues to do so, even dirty ones!) and he loves quality time with his little sweetie. When he gets home from work he takes over and I try to nap but sometimes end up scrolling through my Facebook feed. And watching the two of them together is amazing, it really does make you fall in love with him all over again. 

Maternity leave is already flying by and I have to say, we are so incredibly lucky to get a full year in Canada. I am nowhere near able to leave her and be able to focus on a job so I give major props to those mamas who aren't as lucky as us and have to go back earlier. That is strength people. I'm lucky if I manage to take a shower.

My goal now is to use this space to document my journey through parenthood. And food. I have to get better at cooking while I'm home... Instead of soap operas I am recording cooking shows. Rachel Ray is my current favourite - any others I should check out??

Stay tuned for my sweet babe's 1 month update - I have never known people to get more excited about a person opening their eyes for longer than 30 seconds!

Bumpdate: 36 Weeks

Wow 36 weeks! So exciting! We are approximately 3 weeks away from meeting Baby P! I can’t believe we’re so close!

And I’m not exactly ready (insert bug-eyed emoji here)… I need to get the nursery finished (it looks like a tornado hit) and I need to pack my hospital bag. Oh and install the car seat. Get a video monitor and stroller. Get a haircut.

Anything else I need to do??

 

How far along: 36 weeks

Size of Baby: a large cantaloupe / 6lbs

Gender: Baby P is all girl (at least that’s what the last 3 ultrasounds have told us, fingers crossed!)

Symptoms: My hips have started to hurt a lot. My hubby was apparently paying more attention in our prenatal class because he informed me that this is about the time my hips start to move to make room for her head to drop. As if my waddle wasn’t bad enough.

Stretch marks: I found a new one last night L

Sleep: I can still sleep pretty good for the most part but the sore hips and constant bathroom trips mean I am not quite as rested as I could be.

Husband: picked her coming home outfit. It has adorable white and purple socks. He did oh so good.

Belly Button: in and pretty sure staying there.

Movement: Most movement I have ever felt!  But still soooo shy. Every time I put a hand to my belly she stops so there is no chance whatsoever that my husband is going to feel her.

Cravings: I have a new one – McCain Deep n’ Delicious Marble Cake. Yes I am talking about that 90’s deliciousness that stoners would buy from 7-11 when they got the munchies on Friday night. While grocery shopping one day we ended up in front of them and I had to have one. Then a second one when that was gone. And yes I totally have a third in my freezer. I will say that I am very restrained and only have one piece a day. No clue how I am managing that but I am so yay me.

Maternity Clothes: I am officially over my clothes.

Best part of the week:

1)      I met up with another momma-to-be I met at prenatal class on Monday (turns out our hubbies graduated high school together and we are both having girls about 3 weeks apart) and we went for a long walk with Milo and then lunch on one of my favourite patios. We got along right away and it feels great to have a new friend going through the same thing as me at the same time.

2)      Taking Monday and Friday off this week and next!

Worst part of the week: coming back to work on Tuesday. I am done. But I officially have only 4 days left before I am off on maternity leave. For a year. With a brand new baby. Whaaat?

Missing most: alcohol. I’m sorry this never changes but I would really love to hang out in the sun and have a few beers or ciders or glasses of wine. Let loose and be silly. Drink a couple margaritas and get the happy tequila feeling.  

Looking forward to: meeting our baby girl – SO SOON!

Happy Hump Day!

Bumpdate: 34 Weeks

Our sweet baby girl at 34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks

Size of Baby: according to the ultrasound we had yesterday Baby P is a whopping 5lb 9oz! 

She’s huge. And she’s just going to keep on growing. And my non-existent hips are supposed to open enough to let her out, not to mention the other parts that will be destroyed pushing out a watermelon.

I. Am. TERRIFIED.

Gender: I am still so excited to meet our sweet baby girl!

Symptoms: I can sleep all day every day and every night. This is likely because I found out Monday that my iron levels plummeted back in July and follow-up was recommended for iron deficiency. No follow-up was done however and – this is my favourite part – my nutritional counselor is the one who went back through my results and discovered it. So now I’m on iron supplements and hope I can get some energy back for a few weeks before a newborn exhausts me!

Stretch marks: Not horrific but happening.

Sleep: no problems! Ok I lie – I pee like 4 times a night. So annoying.

Husband: swears up and down that her hiccups were actually his own heartbeat he was feeling. I officially give up.

Belly Button: Still an inny!

Movement: She moves a lot which is awesome… usually. A foot in my ribs in slightly annoying when I’m in a meeting but I can usually get her to shift if I lightly nudge the area. The ultrasound showed she is head down and bum up so at least I don’t have to add breech to my pregnancy issues (I swear, my body just does not like pregnancy! But it’s so worth it :)

Cravings: Soup?! Broccoli cheddar is on the menu tonight.

Maternity Clothes: still living in maternity leggings. I am not a fan of maternity jeans so good thing I have 4 pairs of leggings…

Best part of the week: seeing our babe on the ultrasound yesterday. Even if she is ginormous… I may have to start calling her Baby P(iggy).

Worst part of the week: having to balance work and my appointments, I feel like I’m always rushing somewhere and I feel like l’m not giving my all at work because so much is going on. At least the end is in sight!

Missing most: I really need wine right. And tequila. But mostly wine.

Looking forward to: our prenatal class tonight! We are hoping to meet some other couples in our area who will be new parents at the same time… and possibly new friends?

Happy Hump Day!

Bumpdate: 33 Weeks

The last couple weeks have flown by with way too much going on but thankfully ended with a relaxing few days at the cabin where I read and took lots of naps. And snacked. And stared at the lake. Chatted with my hubby. Walked with our pup. Saw salmon spawning in the river (SO. COOL.). Daydreamed out loud about how different next summer will be.

It was glorious. The perfect babymoon.

And now we about 6 weeks away from meeting our sweet little one, Baby P.

Wow. I want time to slow down at the same time that I want it to speed up. I can’t wait to hold our baby in my arms but I also want to cherish these last few weeks of life as we currently know it that will change forever. I have a feeling though that these next few weeks will pass by too quickly but when we are finally about to meet her will be complaining that it has taken forever.

Taking advantage of my sister’s wedding photographer for a bump shot 

(but this photo credit goes to my sister G)

How far along: 33 weeks

Size of Baby: honeydew melon / 19", 4.5 lbs

Gender: Baby P is a little girl 

Symptoms: still able to nap at the drop of a hat (and wish I had the opportunity to do it more!) and also noticed this past week that standing up, walking or even sitting up for extended periods of time is super uncomfortable. Especially long car rides – the 4.5 car ride home from the cabin on Monday was not fun, it felt like she was digging a heel into my ribcage for most of it.

Stretch marks: It’s officially happening L

I am now using Hempz lotion and it has the BEST smell. Not sure how it is with stretch marks but it’s natural, feels amazing and did I mention how good it smells??

Sleep: no problems!

Husband: still has not felt any baby kicks or movement. This actually makes me really sad because he is missing out on this amazing bonding with our baby girl L

Belly Button: pretty sure it’s not going to pop.

Movement: I am feeling a lot more movement now, especially after I eat fresh fruit and drink chocolate milk. She almost seems to stretch diagonally from my left pelvic bone to up under my right rib cage. I sometimes think I can feel her bum right below my rib cage but really I have no clue.

Cravings: I finally got my DP 10!!! I am doing pretty good at spreading it out too! Oh and I drove past a McDonald’s a few days ago and needed to have fries with McChicken sauce. And let me tell you they tasted damn good.

Maternity Clothes: maternity leggings and tops, I live in these.  I will say that my “maternity pajama pants” from Old Navy aren’t really impressing me… they cut across my bump at an uncomfortable spot, too short to pull up over the bump but too long to rest just below it. I don’t love them.

Best part of the week: finding out I get another ultrasound next week!  I wasn’t sure I was going to get another one at all so I am pretty excited to see our little babe on screen again.

Worst part of the week: it was hard to come back to work after a 5 day weekend. I feel mentally checked out already and just want to be at home getting my baby’s nursery ready and getting the list of projects I done before she comes. And nap, I also really want to nap.

Missing most: hmmm this one is tough this week. I’m kind of over missing wine (probably because the end is in sight), I am still sleeping really well (knock on wood that continues), my wedding and engagement rings still fit… my shoes too! I think I’m at that point where I am just loving on my bump and waiting for our sweet babe to arrive. But I’ll let you know how I feel next week ;)

Looking forward to: doing a bunch of organization in the baby’s room this weekend! I want to finally get the change table put together and packed, drawers organized, shelves put in… I want to do it all! I have three days at home and at least need to make a good dent in it.

Wish me luck!