Monday, August 11, 2014

Busy Weekend And Blessed Sunday!

 

Happy Monday everyone! If I was to describe our weekend in one word, it would be “wow”! The weekend was FULL of fun things but pretty much every moment of the weekend we were in “go” mode!

The weekend stared out for me and Sam on Friday! We took a trip to get party ingredients, including a special baptism cake for this little guy! Sam was in good spirits all day which made it easy for me to get lots of party prep done! We were having Sam’s baptism on Sunday at our church and had invited everyone back to our place afterwards for a celebration lunch!

aug 10 2

I have had my share of BBQ hot dog and hamburgers this year and thought it would be nice to serve something different! We loved the meal that we prepared for our May Date and decided it would be a yummy treat for our guests!

aug 10 1

Saturday Ryan was off for a round of golf for part of a bachelor party. So Sam and I got the rest of our stuff prepared for Sunday! Little man has having a bad teething day! I feel so bad for him when he screams in pain! Breaks my heart!

Later that afternoon we loaded up and headed to a lake side home of fellow Canada Day Committee Member for a little party! The Canada Day festivities in our hometown is funded through fundraisers that are organized solely by a group of volunteers! To celebrate another successful year we got together for a fun afternoon by the water!

We kept saying “Happy Canada Day” as our cheers! I think the neighbours thought we were nuts! ha ha!

aug 10 6

aug 10 7

aug 10 8

aug 10 9

It was starting to get late for our little man so we had to head home just as they were heading out for a sunset tour on the pontoon!

aug 10 10

It was to bed early and up early to finish preparations for Sam’s big day! It was a special service to celebrate Sam being formally welcomed into the church. It was a very hot day so the kiddos could use the pool and everyone could have a BBQ lunch with all the trimmings. But more on that another day! 

aug 10 5

The beautiful canvas signed by the congregation!

Sam had an awesome nap that afternoon and when he woke up it was still really warm out! We all put on our swim suits and decided to have an nice evening swim!

aug 10 3

After Sam went back to bed for the night, Ry and I grabbed some leftovers for supper and had a fire in our outdoor fireplace! It was nice to sit, relax and reflect on the wonderful day that we just had!

aug 10 4

How was your weekend?

xo

Friday, August 8, 2014

Samuel–4 Months

 

Written August 3, 2013

IMG_0999

Stats:

On Wednesday, July 16 he weighed in at 15.5 lbs, 25” long and with a head circumference of 43.5 (which is an off the charts for head measurement). 

Wearing

There are two little outfits that are 0-3 months that Sam can wear but that’s only because they are are shorts and sleeveless! ha ha! Otherwise we are currently wearing 3-6 months mostly but a lot of them are getting too short and I am having trouble snapping the buttons. We have moved into some 6 month stuff. PJ’s in size 3-6 are just about at the end! Size 2 shoes.

We have been so lucky to barely had to buy anything for Sam so far! We have so many clothes that were gifted to us or passed to us from friends with little boys! Honestly, I know we won’t “have” to buy anything for him for his first year of his life. That doesn’t mean that if I am out and see something I don’t buy it. This Momma just can’t resist sometimes.

IMG_5283

Sleep:

Our little guy was such a good sleeper until he hit 3 months then something happened. I started to doubt my milk supply because for 2 weeks Sam was getting up 2 times a night! For the whole 3rd month of his life he was getting up at least once. I guess that was the “3 month growth spurt”. Thankfully he has started giving us all night sleeps again for the last few days.

He ALWAYS sleeps his side! It seems to be the most favourite sleeping position and he can turn that way himself!

Eating

Still excited about the fact that we have made it 4 months breastfeeding! I can’t help but be proud about the fact that I have supplied Sam’s food with my body for 4 months, not one supplement! I am beginning to research baby eating for when he starts food at 6 months. Looking for any tips!

Sam is starting to have longer times between feedings. He now eats every 3-4 hours instead of every 2-3 hours. The extra hour is a nice added break. There has been a couple of time this month were I have had evening meetings and Ryan has looked after the feeding with some freezer supply. When I get home I pump and replace the one he took. I have yet to increase my freezer supply…I really need to get on that!

Appearance

There are very few people who say that Sam looks like Ryan anymore (besides me). Most mention that they think he looks like me or my Dad. While I agree he has some features of my family, I think when he gets older and less “baby” looking, he’ll be looking like Ryan again.

There is no doubt that we have a beautiful brown eyed boy! I love that he has my eyes.

Little man has grown quite the hair this month! He never loss any of his hair after birth and the hair that he did have just keepings growing…straight up in the air! There is no curl and because the top of his hair is longer, it has become this perfect little mohawk! Every time I bathe him, I brush his hair down and it still sticks straight up! I’ve gotten to love it and don’t brush it down anymore! His hair is brown as well but sometimes looks like it has a reddish tinge.

IMG_5228

Likes

Sam still loves being warm! Even on the hottest days, it doesn’t bother him too much!

This month has been a little more difficult because of the growth spurt. After a couple of weeks, we had our content happy baby again.

He has started to drool a lot so he likes to chew on anything!

IMG_5314

I think we are beginning to like our baths and loves splashing in the pool.

IMG_5271

Loves to be talked to and talk or “sing” along with you!

The days of just lying around are over! Sam is becoming very curious and likes to sit up and look around.

My little snuggle bun still loves to be nice and close when he is sleepy or not feeling well.

Dislikes:

Growing!

IMG_5208

Getting his diaper changed or clothes changed.

Sleeping! This month we had a challenging sleeper. He has even started to hit and claw when he is fighting sleep.

Staying in his car seat too long. If we are driving he doesn’t mind but if we aren’t, we wants out!

Teeth. We are all not enjoying the teething process! ha ha!

Still not loving tummy time but he is getting so much better at it!

Milestones:

You’ve been so much stronger lately so on July 9 we put you in your excersaucer for the first time! You really liked it!

IMG_5151

First time standing up with support on July 11.

IMG_5185

It wasn’t a good thing but we took you to your first trip to the hospital on July 17. We had  your second the following day for an EEG. A piece of Mommy’s heart broke that day seeing you hooked up to wires.

IMG_5224

Got your passport picture taken on July 18! That was a fun and interesting challenge!

First full out giggle/laugh on July 27!

IMG_5307

On July 21, you really enjoyed your first time on the outdoor swing!

IMG_5261

First company golf tournament on July 25.

IMG_5300

Mommy:

IMG_5231

I am officially a Mommy in every shape and form! Ha ha! Sam is the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing on my mind when I go to bed. I still adore being with my little guy at all times.

I am starting to learn to “let go” a little bit this month and letting Ryan step in and do some of the things that I use to do. It is so hard to not jump in and do it my way! But we all need for me to step back and let their relationship grow.

This month was hard on my emotions. After our scare and visit to the children’s hospital I think I grew 100 new grey hairs.

I have gotten myself into a nice routine. Every morning I get up around 4 AM. Seems crazy but in those 2 hours I am able to work out, slowly drink coffee, shower, get ready for the day and just have “me” time. Because I give myself those two hours of “me” time, I feel like I can donate 100% the rest of my day to being a wife, mother and whatever else I need to be that day. I started my Turbofire schedule and have committed myself to following the whole 12 week schedule. I am weighing in and doing my measurements. While I am kicking my butt in the working out department, I am still not cutting calories yet because I don’t want to risk my milk supply! I don’t mind carrying around the extra weight if it means I can continue breastfeeding Sam.

Daddy:

IMG_5281

I have noticed that Ryan is much more comfortable in his role this month. He is less tentative about doing things with Sam. Ryan and Sam are getting their own routine started. They have their own games and things that they do just the two of them as father and son.

During Sam’s episodes this month, Ryan was my strength. He was direct, fully involved and never left our side. I know there are many women out there that do this parenting thing by themselves…my hats off to you.

There still isn’t a day that Ryan and I talk so that he can check in with Sam. He is always asking how he was that day, how he slept and etc. Ryan was very proud the first time he did the bedtime routine (including a pumped bottle) and Sam ended up sleeping through the night for the first time in 2 weeks! It is harder for me to step back but Ryan can do it just as well as I can!

Other:

I knew that Sam was a big boy but on a recent play day with other babies his age, you could really see his size! He was especially so long compared to the other cuties!

IMG_0976

Mornings are beginning to become my favourite time of day! Every morning I get big smiles when I go get him in his crib!

IMG_5304

I can see my little man’s personality developing more and more! He is a little chatterbox and loves to be heard! Sometimes he is so silly and knows it! I’ve caught him laughing at random times!

I feel like we are at the point where Sam changes a little bit every day! Whether it be his looks, capabilities or personality! Every day is a new adventure! 

Letter:

My Dearest Sam,

I can’t believe you are already 4 months old! For some reason that seems so old! As I am writing this, you are sitting beside me talking to you animals and sucking on your thumb. I feel like you and I are totally in our groove right now. We are loving life together and you continue to grow and learn! I just love to watch you.

This last month was mostly fun but we had a scary moment! Let’s not have any more hospital visits ever again…k? (Ha!)

I have kind of gotten over the “sad Mommy” when I think about you getting bigger. For the most part I am excited to watch you develop and change every day! You may be only 4 months old but sometimes you can really make me laugh! You really do brighten my life.

Thank you for beginning to sleep through the night again! I promise a more rested Mommy makes a more fun and productive one during our day!

You are such an easy going little guy and I really do love just hanging out with you. I never have this huge need to get away from you for a break. I take some “me” time during your naps! You are my little buddy!

Thank you for being my boy!

I love you!

Love,

Mommy!

IMG_0993

IMG_0995

xo

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Weekend Together

 

Happy Tuesday! Although Quebec doesn’t normally celebrate the long weekend in August, our company does! I was so looking forward to having Ryan home for an extended time! Actually, I was looking forward to the weekend in general because we had no plans. All we had planned was that we were going to be together all weekend long! The rest just developed as the weekend passed by.

Friday started out by heading to the city of Ottawa to have a meet up with Mom’s that I have gotten to know because we all have baby’s born in April! It was neat to sit and chat with these ladies and compare stories!

aug 3 3

That evening Ryan and I had our typical “Movie Night In Beechgrove”! Chips and 21 Jump Street! It was a perfect evening and one of my most favourite of our family traditions!

aug 3 4

Saturday morning marked one year since I took my pregnancy test! It’s amazing that on that morning Sam was just a little poppy seed in my belly!

aug 3 7

To celebrate, I made pancakes for breakfast! I figured I should get practicing on my pancake shapes for the day when Sam eats with us! Mickey Mouse pancakes (yup, I’m dorky like that!).

aug 3 6

Sam is strong enough and usually awake now and so we usually put him at the table when we eat! He loves to watch and “talk” with us! Actually, lately he is a non-stop chatter box! I have no idea where he got that from…Winking smile 

aug 3 9

We got on our work clothes and started doing some work! Last year when we did the pool renovation, we said that we would fix up the gardens out there in 2014! Well, that was before we had a baby but we still needed to get the work done! Thankfully, Sam is very easy going and has allowed us to get the gardens all landscaped out in the pool area!

When we were dumping a load of weeds, Sam and I joined Ryan for the drive. Ryan was pretty excited because he foresees many trips on the side-by-side in years to come with his little buddy!

aug 3 2

aug 3

That late afternoon, we joined friends at the home of Luc and Lisa for a visit and supper! We got to sit in the beautiful sun, watch the kiddos play and enjoy a chicken fajita supper!

aug 3 8

The next morning we were up and headed to church for a nice service. We then headed to my parents for a quick BBQ hot dog lunch. The boys (Dad and Ryan) both ended up falling asleep on the couches so Mom, Sam and I headed to Quyon for Savour The Pontiac, a local event that has local artisans and businesses set up to display and sell their work. Our village library was also having a book sale and I got 4 books for Sam for $0.25!

Later we realized we had heard from Ryan’s parents who were camping. They had invited us to come up for a visit and supper! We had a great time visiting with them, feeding the chipmunks and eating a yummy BBQ steak supper!

aug 3 11

Monday morning we all had a lazy morning before getting to work on using up some left over mulch on the gardens around the house. It has been such a busy summer (as usual) but it was nice to clean up the landscaping around our home!

We had a yummy BBQ pizza supper and then friends Stacy and Ricky came over with their kiddos for a swim! Ryan had started a fire in our fireplace for the first time so that I could have a marshmallow! Ha ha! We had a nice visit with our friends and it was a nice way to end a fun weekend! 

aug 3 10

Usually Ryan and I go our separate ways when it comes to weekends. We are just so busy that at least one day we end up with our own plans. This weekend was an exception and we spent every single day together! While we didn’t have a ton of plans, things came about as the weekend passed. It ended up being a fun and family filled weekend!

How was your weekend?

xo 

Friday, August 1, 2014

My Unconventional Breastfeeding Essentials!

 

Happy Friday everyone! This week has flown by in a flurry of activity! Looking forward to a quieter weekend ahead!

Sometimes I get questions about breastfeeding and truthfully I feel like somewhat of an expert now. It wasn’t a smooth journey for me and I have researched and experimented with so many different things to help different problems! I know there are many “breastfeeding” essentials lists out there on the internet. They would contain things like nursing pillows, nursing bras/tanks, nipple cream and pumps. Sure, you need that stuff…but there are things that a lot of people might not consider! Here is my list of some of the things that have really helped me!

1. Sippy cup, or at least the adult version of it! I was always someone who had water with me but now I NEED this cup near me. After I am done nursing Sam, I am parched! It is like there is sand in my mouth.

2. Cheap tank taps!

I had bought a couple “nursing” tanks at Target. They have this nice little built in shelf which would be really great for extra support if you wore a size B cup!! When you are “well endowed” like myself, it doesn’t fit over your girls! Being that is not comfortable, I now find myself just wearing some stretchy tanks that I can pull down!

3. Oatmeal

This one is kind of weird but a long time ago I once read something that said, “a bowl of oatmeal a day will keep your milk supply high”. I guess it kind of stuck in my head because it is now my breakfast nearly every single day! It’s kind of a lazy girls guide to Oatmeal. Cereal bowl, 1/3 cup of oats, 2/3 cup of water and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds! Just like that, a warm breakfast! I’ve had to get creative with my creations as to not get sick of the same thing! These are my favourites:

Apple Cinnamon

IMG_5277

Peanut Butter and Banana

IMG_5273

Blueberry Maple Syrup

oatmeal 2

4. IPhone or Kindle!

Yup! I am that Mom! I get SO bored sometimes feeding Sam! At the start, it could take up to 45 minutes! I’m sorry, I love him but that is a lot of time to sit at start at the same spot on his head. If for some reason I am not feeding him infront of the TV (my favourite spot), I have some sort of electronic device in my hand!

I started out by reading a normal paper book while nursing but sometimes the heavy book was hard to keep up (and not falling on Sam’s head) with one hand! A lot of the time while I am feeding Sam I am surfacing social media, texting, responding to emails, banking, watching Netflix or even reading on my Kindle!

5. A pillow, of any kind! I use a nursing pillow while I am feeding Sam in his nursery! I am not going to cart that thing everywhere I go though! Holding a 16 pound baby up to feed for 15 minutes? Not fun! So I will either roll up a blanket or use a pillow of any kind to support Sam.

6. Booze.

Ok, ok… Don’t go all child-protective services on me! It is honestly for a good reason. At the beginning my milk wouldn’t come in and then when it did I had a really slow let down. You know what can cause that? Stress! Truthfully, I am a stressful person to begin with. I am very A-type. Lists, organization and always punctual. Adding a baby into my sweet little routine can make someone like me go bonkers.

One night I was SO fed up and it actually led me to a bottle of wine. I don’t even like wine at all unless its fruity stuff. But I poured myself a BIG glass (aka:half the bottle) in a beer mug,on ice and slugged it back. You what happens when you haven’t had anything to drink in 10 months? You are a lightweight! Let’s just say I was no longer stressed, about anything!

So I am not saying that I still have a glass of wine every time I am stressed and need to feed Sam. But that one time I did! I needed to relax in order to do the job of feeding my son!

Truthfully, it is all about what works for you! You find your own little tips and tricks as you go and experiment. These are just a few of the things that have helped me! Smile 

Happy Friday!

xo

My Unconventional Breastfeeding Essentials!

 

Happy Friday everyone! This week has flown by in a flurry of activity! Looking forward to a quieter weekend ahead!

Sometimes I get questions about breastfeeding and truthfully I feel like somewhat of an expert now. It wasn’t a smooth journey for me and I have researched and experimented with so many different things to help different problems! I know there are many “breastfeeding” essentials lists out there on the internet. They would contain things like nursing pillows, nursing bras/tanks, nipple cream and pumps. Sure, you need that stuff…but there are things that a lot of people might not consider! Here is my list of some of the things that have really helped me!

1. Sippy cup, or at least the adult version of it! I was always someone who had water with me but now I NEED this cup near me. After I am done nursing Sam, I am parched! It is like there is sand in my mouth.

2. Cheap tank taps!

I had bought a couple “nursing” tanks at Target. They have this nice little built in shelf which would be really great for extra support if you wore a size B cup!! When you are “well endowed” like myself, it doesn’t fit over your girls! Being that is not comfortable, I now find myself just wearing some stretchy tanks that I can pull down!

3. Oatmeal

This one is kind of weird but a long time ago I once read something that said, “a bowl of oatmeal a day will keep your milk supply high”. I guess it kind of stuck in my head because it is now my breakfast nearly every single day! It’s kind of a lazy girls guide to Oatmeal. Cereal bowl, 1/3 cup of oats, 2/3 cup of water and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds! Just like that, a warm breakfast! I’ve had to get creative with my creations as to not get sick of the same thing! These are my favourites:

Apple Cinnamon

IMG_5277

Peanut Butter and Banana

IMG_5273

Blueberry Maple Syrup

oatmeal 2

4. IPhone or Kindle!

Yup! I am that Mom! I get SO bored sometimes feeding Sam! At the start, it could take up to 45 minutes! I’m sorry, I love him but that is a lot of time to sit at start at the same spot on his head. If for some reason I am not feeding him infront of the TV (my favourite spot), I have some sort of electronic device in my hand!

I started out by reading a normal paper book while nursing but sometimes the heavy book was hard to keep up (and not falling on Sam’s head) with one hand! A lot of the time while I am feeding Sam I am surfacing social media, texting, responding to emails, banking, watching Netflix or even reading on my Kindle!

5. A pillow, of any kind! I use a nursing pillow while I am feeding Sam in his nursery! I am not going to cart that thing everywhere I go though! Holding a 16 pound baby up to feed for 15 minutes? Not fun! So I will either roll up a blanket or use a pillow of any kind to support Sam.

6. Booze.

Ok, ok… Don’t go all child-protective services on me! It is honestly for a good reason. At the beginning my milk wouldn’t come in and then when it did I had a really slow let down. You know what can cause that? Stress! Truthfully, I am a stressful person to begin with. I am very A-type. Lists, organization and always punctual. Adding a baby into my sweet little routine can make someone like me go bonkers.

One night I was SO fed up and it actually led me to a bottle of wine. I don’t even like wine at all unless its fruity stuff. But I poured myself a BIG glass (aka:half the bottle) in a beer mug,on ice and slugged it back. You what happens when you haven’t had anything to drink in 10 months? You are a lightweight! Let’s just say I was no longer stressed, about anything!

So I am not saying that I still have a glass of wine every time I am stressed and need to feed Sam. But that one time I did! I needed to relax in order to do the job of feeding my son!

Truthfully, it is all about what works for you! You find your own little tips and tricks as you go and experiment. These are just a few of the things that have helped me! Smile 

Happy Friday!

xo