Never Will I Ever

Here it is! All the things I said I would never do....and then I had a baby....

 Never Will I Ever Breastfeed. I don't know why I said this. I think I was playing devil's advocate one day and said it just to start a debate...cuz I do that....anyway....I am a pro star at it and can now do it while walking around, eating without getting crumbs on Will, and late night jaunts to pee. Yep. That's right. Documented on the web...poor Will.

 Never Will I Ever Bed Share....We do it...and we love it. And as soon as I found as much supporting research for it as there was against it....I did it more. I never would have survived without it. And Will is perfectly capable of sleeping without me and anywhere. Honestly, it is more for me now as it is for him. I am weaning myself off of it.

 Never Will I Ever Cosleep....Of course we cosleep...how else am I supposed to wean myself? Never Will I Ever use cloth diapers....It took me months of research but I finally found some that I love. Über Cute! B And we use disposable on outings. Let's be reasonable!

 Never Will I Ever use a Sling...I tried....No matter what I did he hated it. Another thing that I should have researched more but there is a lot of trial and error too. Will is very observant and loves to see! So the sling was a no go. But the Beco? Loves it! And I use it ALL the time.  Gets to face mom, see and sleep:) I don't really know what kind of mom I expected myself to be. I have definitely surprised myself in some ways...but I'm loving it! And learning things about myself :)

That's what it is...one great big learning experience and learning what will work for me and Will.

2 Months!

I cannot believe that it has been two months with Will! Rob and I were discussing yesterday how we can't believe we went through life without him. It hasn't been easy but the past two months have been filled with love. I thought I would never forget the first couple months because of the sleep deprivation but it is all just a blur now lol.

Here is what's happening:

Will has a morning nap, an afternoon nap, and can sleep for 5 hours at night...then 2 hours...then 1.5 hours and then it is wake up time! (this is on a typical day that is...sleep is still negotiable)

My body is not used to getting 5 hours of consecutive sleep at night...so when he wakes up at 3am I have a really hard time going back to sleep...if I do at all. My body feels great and rested compared to the past few weeks!

He can lift his head and is sooooo close to sitting in the Bumbo chair.

We are getting smiles :) Especially me! He loves both of us but is very partial to me right now...geee, I wonder why? ;)

His feedings have FINALLY slowed down...and by slower I mean every 1.5 to 2.5 hours during the day. Much better than 45 min to 60 min. It has made me incredibly efficient though! You have no idea what I can accomplish in an hour now!

I stored all of his 0-3 month clothes...and cried...and cried...

I have discovered Cravings....ouch $$. Made the mistake of buying a couple REALLY cute rompers for Easter...that he wore....ONCE (betcha saw that coming). I have since discovered the Value Village in Stonebridge...WOW! Nice, clean, and tons of Baby Gap ;) Cravings can be for special occasions.

I have time to go for daily walks and workout. Some me time! I even figured out how to nurse in the carrier! Life saver!!

I have figured out that if Will is awake and I need to bathe...he will accept a bath...not a shower. He likes the sound of the running water when I fill the tub. The shower does not fool him ;)

I just want to give a shout out to my mama friends...the first couple months were not easy for me...I know now that they aren't for anyone. Definitely had light and dark days. Thank you for making me feel normal!! There is much more light now :)

Anyway...much to do and I have no idea how long this afternoon nap will last! That is just a sneak peak at my life right now.

What a Week?!

Last week felt like a whirlwind of activities!

First of all....

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY SAGELYNE!!!

I'm a horrible aunt and didn't get any pics of the celebrations but we made it to the Fun Factory for a "Glamour Party" and had a family birthday party at our house.

You are growing soooo much! It is crazy how much you have matured this year :) You are a great help with Will (I knew you would be ;) ). How can you not be great with babies when your number one career choice is to be a mom? (Although I have heard you start to mention "jail police" and teacher this year...cool!) You're gonna be a natural! You have also shown us how "in tune" with your emotions you are, and you are very good at expressing yourself. I know many adults that are unable to do this! (I'm not the best at it either). Keep it up! I'm so happy that you are expressing an interest in activities like art and choir. It's so cool being able to see the activities that you naturally gravitate towards. I can't wait to watch over the next few years and see who you will become. It will be fabulous for sure!!

To make up for lack of pics...remember these? We've had some fun you and I!!

I was also able to go on our bi-annual shopping trip to Humboldt's Cottage Boutique. This year we went after hours for a private shopping experience. Champagne, food, and clothes everywhere!! They are sooo good to us. Will was easy peasy that night and I got some great finds that I love:) I even got a couple things that I forced myself to try on...and ended up loving!

Last weekend my fav cousin Linda, Aunt Janice, and Linda's son Liam came out to visit us. I wish I lived in Calgary! I miss you all soooo much. Sometimes it is kinda lame being the only ones that live in Saskatchewan but it makes our time together that much more special. Linda may be back this summer!! Fingers crossed!! Did I mention that you're my favourite and I love you? I wish I could put words together so that people could understand lol. Thank you so much for helping on the weekend and reminding me that I just need to trust myself and my instincts. You're right! I have taken care of babies and children all my life! Even though it isn't quite the same...I still feel better remembering that I have done it and am doing it now :) Perhaps all those summers that you drove out to take care of me at my dad's rubbed off :)

A message for my Hayden :)

Happy 5th Birthday Hayden!!
We love your curiosity, and how affectionate, sweet, kind, and caring you are. You are so into everything right now...and everything is (or should be) yours. Secretly we think this is funny...but we won't tell you that ;) You are always there for a cuddle or a good play! We love hearing about what you are doing in Montessori. We know all there is to know about bones and muscles now. You are really going to show those other Kindergarteners next year.
Continue to be respectful, gentle, and kind to others. These are good qualities that will carry you far!
Robert and I are very proud of you and love you very much!!







Okay, I'm really behind on my posts...for good reason :)

I'm going to start where I left off with some pics of Hayden's 5th Birthday on February 11th. We had sooo much fun celebrating all the birthdays on this date. We drove up to P.A. and went bowling, and then on some rides and THEN Robert went with Sagelyne and Hayden on the bumper cars. After we retired to Grandma and Grandpa's house for some pizza and ice cream cake.

Hayden was all about monsters this year. He asked for a monster on his birthday cake and a monster truck for his birthday present. Well, actually, he asked me for a monster truck or a fire breathing dragon...whichever I could find.

38 Weeks

How far along? 38 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I have vowed to never weigh myself again...I feel massive...

Stretch marks? None. Just have to make it through the next 2-4 weeks and then delivery. I feel like that is asking a lot.

Sleep: I have been sleeping well again!

Best moment this week: Long walks while soaking up some vitamin D!

Movement: We can feel "stuff" better and better all the time. I felt the top his head wiggling around and got freaked out when he "ducked" and my thumb slipped over the roundness of the top of his head. It was pretty cool :) I've also been pretty lop sided lately and can almost grasp baby bum poking out right underneath my ribs.

I'm also kind of scared that I am going to have the biggest baby of all time. That we'll be in the Guiness Book of World Records. My stomach is hard top to bottom and side to side. I'm praying that isn't all baby...hopefully it's some of the accessories that come with it!

Food cravings: Water and now...milk! Lots of both!

Labor Signs: Always have labour signs. It was entertaining last week, now it's just a tease.

Belly Button in or out? Even with the rest of my tummy...I'm quite rounded.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

What I miss: When people didn't assume that everything I say, eat, or do has something to do with pregnancy. I'm convinced (from some research articles and other reading) that the pressure that people put on pregnant women doesn't help and may prolong their labour and effect how they interpret and cope with pain...I know people are excited...and we are too! But I really didn't think it would start at 36 weeks. We are excited and like to talk about it...but not everything has to do with babies...we've been watching movies lately too ;)

This also played a great factor in me deciding to have a water birth at home. I'm not the type who really likes being the centre of attention, I put enough pressure on myself that I prefer to handle things by myself, and I get incredibly overwhelmed with outside environmental factors...especially when there is a hundred things going on at once and no one is filling me in. Maybe it's the controlling part of me shining through but it's what I need. I have to understand and respect what I need in order to make sure my baby is born unstressed and healthy. I really do feel that privacy is my best option in getting all this done the healthiest way possible...for both of us :) Luckily my body clearly agrees with what I need so far and has kept us healthy this whole time :) I'm surprised at all the people that have been incredibly supportive in helping me find the peace and relaxation that I need. Even the mom's that were informed they would be called right AFTER the baby is born lol. Let's not turn a home birth into a 24 hour+ event lol. Work with me people!

What I am looking forward to: Having a baby!

Weekly Wisdom: Practice, practice, practice! I was starting to get the days of being exciting and then a day of being nervous. I feel so much better now that we have been practicing our chosen coping techniques. Whatever they are...practice them! Nanny McPhee suggested applying some pain while practicing. She said to try ice cubes behind my ears, on my wrists, and in my hands for one to two minutes at a time...basically mimicking the duration of contractions and the rest period in between. Of course it doesn't hurt as bad, but if I can block out the burning, freezing sensation, it gives me confidence that I can handle something greater one breath and coping technique at a time. No matter how or where this baby enters the world...it's gonna hurt. So I'm glad that I'm making my worries work for me!

Milestones: Having some "nesting" freak outs. I went to Walmart and bought ALL of their 0-3 month sized pants because I thought we didn't have enough. We did.

Getting up at 7am on a Sunday because I HAD to do the laundry.

The Tree of Life

Alright, we have now seen 4/9 Best Picture movies. We watched The Tree of Life last night. We really did not know what to expect since the movie reviews either give it a 1/10 or a 10/10. Kind of like this year's Black Swan...which I strongly disliked...I felt like Black Swan was the pretentious person's teenage thriller movie. Boring...I mean really...was anything in that movie that surprising? or thrilling? We spent the whole movie waiting for something to happen. Have none of you seen crazy before? Or two girls kissing? I want to be entertained at the movies, show me something controversial...or at least a great story with all the required elements! Remember those from high school english?

Anyway, this movie was better! Brad Pitt can act in any role in any story and do a great job...so I'm going to focus on the story. It is about a man reflecting on his childhood and the conflict he faces with his father all while questioning the origins of life and the existence of faith. Easy enough. I enjoyed the 1.5 hours of the actual story and acting in this movie. Very well done!

Did I need the 45 minute random IMAX-esque scenes (although they were pretty to look at) to "assist me" in understanding the questioning of life, faith, and existence...not really. Maybe I'm just smarter than the rest...but I don't think so. Once again, pretentious and condescending. A director trying to make himself feel smarter than the rest of us by adding so called "symbolism and meaning" to an easy plot. But maybe he was feeling dumb and needed the ego boost. I hope he feels better now.

I would give it a 5/10. There is a reason not all movies have a random IMAX clip in them.

Now to see Hugo, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (which seems to have the same plot as Hugo from the trailer? Father's die...keys are left behind...), The Artist, The Descendants, and War Horse. Actually, I probably won't see War Horse...I can't handle the animal movies...it really just means that I'm guaranteed to cry.

Loved these two!

Robert saw this movie in the theatre when it was released and told me that it is one of his favourite movies! It was added to our on demand movies the other day so we rented it. It's soooo good!! It's pretty rare that Robert has anything to say about movies. If it got his vote, I knew it had to be a great one :)