tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1663625067517465782024-02-19T08:29:02.302-08:00The Adventures of...Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-9884367039148931652011-01-20T10:20:00.000-08:002011-01-20T10:36:08.336-08:00CoffeeI have an addiction. It's been ongoing for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I took 4 sugars and 2 milk and now I'm down to 1.5 sugars and a generous helping of milk, cream, eggnog, soy creamer, flavoured creamer or (on holiday mornings) Baileys. When I was pregnant with Ashton, I cut down my Timmy's to a medium at first. Then I couldn't stand the smell of coffee so I started drinking those French Vanillas and English Toffees from Tim Horton's. With Camryn, I loved coffee. I started drinking half-decaf.<br />Ashton spent much of his early life going through drive through with me. His first word? "Double Double". Sometimes, he would scream it at the girl at the window who gave me my coffee. Now, he easily recognizes the Tim Horton's logo. He will be going about his business playing with his toys while Jesse is watching a hockey game and as he turns to get something, he sees a Tim Horton's logo on the boards at the hockey game and stops to point and say, "double double!". He pretends to drink coffee out of reusable cups and says "mmm...double double". <br />I do make coffee at home all the time so I'm not one of those complete Timmy's junkies that go there every single day. Every time I have coffee, Ashton needs to come and smell it. He inhales deeply and says "mmmmm". If I accidentally leave an empty cup out, I almost always catch him drinking the last remaining drips. He turns to me and says, "yummy".<br />Camryn has a different view on coffee. Every time I have one at home, she cries. My morning routine is to get Ashton up and dressed and eat breakfast with him (where I have my coffee). Camryn is a big fan of sleeping so she usually sleeps till just after. If I have my coffee, she wakes up that instant in a rage. If I don't, she stays sleeping. I have tried many different tactics to test my theory that my daughter hates me drinking coffee:<br />1) Getting up at 6:30 or 7am (seeing as my kids sleep till 9 most of the time). Nope, she wakes up.<br />2) Sometimes Camryn gets up at 7 to nurse. She always goes back to sleep afterwards. Except if I put her back in her crib and go make coffee.<br />3) Waiting till after Camryn wakes up, nursing her, putting her in the swing or bouncer and making coffee. Nope.<br />4) On Jesse's days off, letting her hang out with him. WAHHHHHHH.<br />As I am typing this, I have a cup of coffee in front of me (hazelnut, brewed at home with some soy creamer). Camryn is in her swing. She is groaning, which is her warm-up.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-23603611417581052010-12-30T11:57:00.001-08:002010-12-30T15:22:21.893-08:00Potty trainingIn mid-December, Ashton started to show some interest in bodily functions. This child is an absolute ham. He cracks me up. We were at my parents' and we were going out somewhere. My mom said, "I'm just going to go to the bathroom first", which prompted Ashton to jump up from his toys and chase after her while yelling "PEE!! PEEEEE". He hung around outside the closed door to the bathroom the whole time she was in there while making "psssssssssssssssss" noises.<br />Prior to this, I hadn't thought a lot about potty training because he didn't seem to be ready. Also, he just turned two in November. I was waiting for signs of readiness and I got them.<br />A couple days after he chased my mom to the bathroom, we went to a birthday party for a friends' daughter. When we go to anyone else's house, Ashton tends to go exploring so I spend a lot of time keeping him out of trouble. He kept running down the hall and stopping dead in his tracks at the bathroom door, pointing at the toilet and exclaiming, "PEE!". Later, he found a stool that he decided to sit on. The stool actually converts in to a potty, which is cleaned out and no longer in use as my friends' daughter is older. When he made the discovery that the stool lifts up to reveal a hole, he was totally exstatic and sat on the hole while making pee noises and saying "PEE! PEE!".<br />Then a few days later, Jesse was giving him a bath. Ashton expressed the need to poop and so Jesse had to do some quick thinking and pop Ashton on the toilet. He went on the toilet, although was a little freaked out about it...but yay!<br />A few days before Christmas, Mom and I went for some last minute shopping while Jesse and the kids hung out at my parents'. I purchased a potty for Ashton at the consignment store that had all the bells and whistles. It speaks two languages, has a sensor that turns red when the child pees in it, has a flusher and a fake toilet paper roll (both sing songs and praise the child). At first I thought that the bells and whistles might be a distractant but as Ashton is often cautious about things, I opted for it. After playing with said potty at the checkout counter with mom, the saleslady and the customer behind us, we left and trotted down the street with potty in hand. I put it in my trunk before we continued to another store. As we closed the trunk and walked away, we could hear the muffled sounds of the potty singing praises from inside the trunk.<br />We put the potty in Camryn's room as we were going to wait until after Christmas to start the training. He accidentally stumbled upon it when we were in there and sat on it and said "Peepoo potty!". He figured out where the power button was. He made it speak French. He sat on it and danced. I was wondering if a talking one was such a good idea.<br />Yesterday, we moved it to the bathroom and put him on it. We have it turned off though and the back is against a wall so he can't turn it on. He hasn't peed on it yet but whenever he pees in his diaper, he yells "PEE!" and runs to the bathroom door and takes his pants off. We put him on the potty for a minute but we know he's just peed. He's super excited to pee in the potty though...he sits there for a few minutes at a time but nothing happens. He'll get it eventually.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-57121606945408354332010-12-10T11:58:00.000-08:002010-12-10T12:28:30.095-08:00Welcome little Camryn<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7CRRy8xuyPmbept42FOC6ad4A9IKZWZSlVGfeRhQhTMhEi6bvi9_1HElOI45B3q4rhDoUA5Ls9_EN-su1p-6BgOD32wjy_va1J0H3K9mhyphenhyphen38jKTY0JEuXDcolpwOzhP_fZaPczkQpGU/s1600/P1010647.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549152254943738626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7CRRy8xuyPmbept42FOC6ad4A9IKZWZSlVGfeRhQhTMhEi6bvi9_1HElOI45B3q4rhDoUA5Ls9_EN-su1p-6BgOD32wjy_va1J0H3K9mhyphenhyphen38jKTY0JEuXDcolpwOzhP_fZaPczkQpGU/s400/P1010647.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Camryn Riley was born on October 21st. She was little, weighing in at only 9lbs 1oz. This birth weight only seems small because Ashton was 10lbs 7oz.</div><br /><div>In the weeks leading up to her birth, I felt as if I had a whole medical team. I was seeing my doctor once a week, plus the obstetrician on a fairly regular basis due to the fact that I had Ashton by c-section only 23 months before Camryn's due date. I really wanted Camryn to be born naturally. I was advised that she seemed to be large and we could run in to the same problems as last time so I didn't get my hopes up. On the Monday (the 18th), it was my due date and I went to the obstetrician. We booked the c-section for the 26th and I was totally bummed out. Seeing as Ashton was 12 days overdue and was induced, I didn't have much hope. Two days later, I woke up minutes after Jesse left for work. I knew that things were happening. The contractions were brutal but short and further apart. I got Ashton up, changed him and we had some breakfast. I didn't want Jesse to come home yet because I wasn't sure how long this labour business would take this time and felt I could hold down the fort. I mostly laid around and Ashton played. Jesse took an hour break and came home for lunch and helped out a bunch. Ashton had his nap and the pain got worse and worse. Finally, even though the contractions were far apart, they were so insanely painful that I called Jesse home 30 minutes before he was off work as we had a 40 minute drive ahead of us. He came home, tossed the bags in the car and put Ashton in his carseat. We dropped him off at my parents and went to the hospital. I got a shot of morphine and went back to my parents. The morphine dulled the pain a little bit. It was amazing how different this was from last time. I was in back labour with Ashton but not with Camryn. They both hurt so badly but they were different kinds of pain. I lay around because when I moved it hurt. When the morphine wore off, I went back in and was 6 cm dilated and in labour. 4 hours later, Camryn was in my arms at 3:35 am.</div><br /><div>In comparing the two, Ashton was a c-section and she was not. Ashton's labour was 14 hours, hers was 4. I pushed for 3.5 hours with Ashton and 30 mins with Camryn. Ashton was back labour, she was not. For his birth I had morphine, laughing gas, an epidural and finally a spinal; with hers, I had morphine and fentanyl. His delivery itself was virtually painless, hers was painful. His recovery was painful, hers was less painful. I have had two completely different births. I think I'm good with that. Pretty sure I don't need a third at this point.</div><br /><div>My pregnancies were brutal. Hers was much worse. I went in to my second pregnancy in fairly good shape. I was doing ballet and being active a lot. I danced for part of my pregnancy but I started having back spasms that sent me off work and in to physiotherapy. They hurt a lot and I couldn't do a lot with Ashton so I felt really guilty for that. We got out of the house but I felt bad for not being able to run around with him. Funny because everything was immediately better once she was born.</div><br /><div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-33828829405059534492010-10-07T17:40:00.000-07:002010-10-07T18:22:53.989-07:00Real foodBlogging twice in one day? Practically unheard of.<br />I have had food on my mind lately. Not because I am pregnant, although the baby has dropped and my stomach holds so much more now. <br />When Ashton first started eating solids, he would pretty much eat anything. Yup, up until 16 or so months (around the time he weaned himself) everything was fair game. Salmon, chicken, pork, turkey, not so much beef though. Any sort of bread product. Any non-green vegetable which included mostly root veggies (potato, sweet potato, yam, turnip, carrot), cauliflower, all fruits (except green ones). Nowadays he hates salmon, sometimes will reject chicken (not always), hates turnips, carrots and white potatoes (but if you cook them as oven fries, they are fine), still hates all green fruits and veggies (ie: kiwis, broccoli). I feel that we are sort of stuck in a rut for meals.<br />Breakfast: Unsweetened applesauce of some sort. If this isn't part of it, there is mutiny. Often we also do pancakes. I like to make them, freeze them and pop them in the toaster in the morning. We've bought the Eggo ones for days that homemade isn't there. Sometimes I make muffins and we do muffins. We've tried other things. Sometimes if it isn't a pancake, we get a scream and smash. Eggs are a no-go (except at dinner...odd?). <br />Lunch: We used to do sandwiches...bread, cheese, deli meat. Fruit for dessert and some yogurt. And then I decided that deli meat is nasty. So I discovered pork roast (again, beef roast wouldn't fly). It's so easy because you just cook it for a couple hours and then take it out and slice it in to deli-meat thickness. And it's a huge hit. So we like to mix up the food groups. Always cheese though as he won't drink milk. Sometimes crackers, pita, naan bread for the grains. He loves peanuts and those Ritz peanut butter cracker things so I figured that peanut butter would be a good option. I made a "pizza" using naan bread spread with peanut butter with some sliced up banana on top. He loves banana and he loves naan bread so he'd love this right? Nope...he slammed it and screamed and looked appalled.<br />Dinner: We try to give him stuff we eat. Biggest hits are a hash brown casserole and oddly a beef taco rice casserole that is slightly spicy. If we have a chili or tomato based thing or any other pasta that isn't macaroni, he's like "forget it".Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-84216993480145258452010-10-07T11:05:00.000-07:002010-10-07T11:21:22.565-07:00Milestones and memoriesThis blog is becoming a place where I want to record ongoing memories and milestones of my children. I am finding it so odd that Ashton is growing so fast and I keep wondering "Will I remember this stage?" and I want to remember. Two nights ago, I was lying on the couch being pained by awful BH contractions and Ashton was standing at the coffee table with his dinosaur magazine. He was flipping through the pages and babbling to them and pointing to things and then nodding and turning to the next page, etc. He was so careful with the pages and just looked so grown up. He doesn't talk yet but he has words (Mom, Dad, yogurt, banana, bird, meow, moo, baaa, rawr, etc) but he sounded like he was talking with his magazine. I thought to myself, "Will I remember this moment when he was 22 months old and doing this?"<br />It is 11 days away from Camryn's due date and I have been thinking a lot to what Ashton was like as a baby. Ashton is still my baby but when she comes, I have been told that you realize that your firstborn is actually NOT a baby but a little boy in comparison to your second child. <br />One of my favourite memories of motherhood so far:<br />When Ashton was a couple months old and cranky, I would lie on the couch with my knees up and put him sitting so that his back was against my thighs and I would hold him steady and rock my knees back and forth and sing to him. I would sing Beatles songs like "In My Life" and "Blackbird" and he would stop crying as long as I kept rocking and singing. Before Ashton, I always thought that I would never sing to my kids. I'm musical, yeah but I don't sing. I pretend to sing a lot of the time at certain functions (when I was involved in Guiding for example). But here I am, a mom and I sing to my kid every day. I sang to him in the womb, I sing to him now. If he's grumpy now and I try and sing to him, he shakes his head "no" and screams at me and tries to swat me away. Singing is for happy occasions these days.<br /><br />Anyway, Jesse has been taking Ashton to sportball for a couple weeks and I decided to go watch last week. It is so fun to watch! I am astounded at what my little man can do. I watched him kick a football off a cone, chase a hula hoop, play with a parachute. This week, it's hockey.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-66270043219371623142010-08-28T10:35:00.000-07:002010-08-28T11:08:09.921-07:00Ashton's big boy bed!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkuvEbLal28xI1xBEHAcnXk5HEwSS4kDX74KHqo8GJC4T8965ACbY6sUrKo-YrTbYTiCB_rUtVfDQFOCUzOHerv4SrysjS2EZCA0nyZBysCq9hneNKh6CLCYktGhkpYTdig-oXFocSJg/s1600/P1010573.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510524078176942914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkuvEbLal28xI1xBEHAcnXk5HEwSS4kDX74KHqo8GJC4T8965ACbY6sUrKo-YrTbYTiCB_rUtVfDQFOCUzOHerv4SrysjS2EZCA0nyZBysCq9hneNKh6CLCYktGhkpYTdig-oXFocSJg/s400/P1010573.JPG" /></a><br /><div>We ordered Ashton a big boy bed. Not just because the baby is coming (although we felt it was beneficial to do it now so he's not perceiving her as stealing his crib) and not just because the kid is practically tearing off the bars to the crib. But we thought he was genuinely ready. We just thought it would be harder - and it might be once the novelty has worn off.<br />Let us first run down how Ashton sleeps. Once he gets to sleep, he's amazing but the going to bed part is something special. When we put Ashton to bed, he's immediately quiet for about 5 minutes or so and then the rumpus begins. On a good night, he just lays there for about 30 minutes sucking his thumb and gently tapping his feet on the wall. Most nights, he spends an hour chatting to himself, screaming happily and doing who-knows-what (what can a toddler confined to a crib really do?) So we were expecting to spend nights sitting by the door, putting him back in the bed every 2 minutes or less.<br />Two days ago (Thursday), the bed arrived. To be specific, a twin mattress and boxspring. It arrived during nap time and coincidentally, Ashton decided to not nap so the delivery guys were able to put it where I wanted it. To say he was excited as soon as he saw it would be an understatement. He was crawling all over it as I was making it. After it was made, he crawled right in and under the blankets. That night we went to prenatal classes, which we do in my hometown because that is where the baby is to be born. Ashton went to my parents. We stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home to get a bed rail. It was a late night so we put Ashton in his bed, where he sucked his thumb and tucked himself under the covers while I assembled the contraption. We took him out to install the bed rail and then tucked him in and said goodnight. Five minutes later, I made sure the monitor was still working (his room is not really in earshot of ours) and it wasn't so Jesse snuck in to fix it. Amazingly, Ashton was still in bed exactly where we left him. We both woke up at 2am to movement sounds. We were able to determine by his breathing that he was still asleep but just rolling over a bit. Normally I don't wake up to that but my mommy rader was on. After that, the alarm went off and he was still sleeping. Jesse and I showered and while the shower was on, he was definitely awake and still in the bed. Post shower, we checked on him and he was sleeping. When he woke up finally, an hour or two past usual time, he stayed in bed until I came in the room.<br />Friday afternoon, he had a nap. He had been looking forward to this all day. The question, "Ashton, would you like a nap?" was answered with a very definite nod "yes". So he had a nap with his usual pre-nap babbling but he didn't leave his bed. I know this. I listened very closely. Again, he woke up and waited for someone to come in before he got out of bed. That night, we thought that he wouldn't stay in bed. We figured that the last night was a fluke because he was tired. He won't possibly stay in bed after napping so late, would he? He did...and again, stayed in bed. He was awake for a little bit before falling asleep and this morning, was up close to 8 and didn't leave his bed again until we came to get him. Then he slid himself backwards off the bed in his usual style, ready to start the day. This morning (Saturday), Ashton has been obsessively piling almost all of his belongings on the bed and climbing on. He has indicated to me on several occasions that he wanted a nap. As he normally naps close to 2pm, I said "Ashton, are you sure you want a nap? It's only 10" and he nodded yes. So I figured it was worth a try anyway. So I put his stuff away and put him in bed, where he lay comfortably with a thumb in his mouth. Then I left. Soonafter, I heard a noise..."doiiiiing doiiing", the familiar sound of a doorstop. A sound that indicates that a toddler not in bed. When I entered the room, all the stuffed toys and extra blankets from the shelf in his room were in bed. He was not. I said "Ashton, are you sure you want a nap?" and got the usual answer. So I cleaned up his bed and he climbed in and tucked himself in, thumb in mouth. I left again, heard some noise and realized that the light was on again. I entered the room and as soon as he saw me, he quickly removed all the toys that he had piled on his bed and climbed back in, assuming the thumb sucking position. Five minutes later, the light was on again. I said "Ashton, I don't think you want a nap. It's early for your nap and if you don't want to nap right now, that's fine...do you want a nap?". This time he answered me by running out of his room and in to the playroom. Let's hope we have success when it is actually nap time.</div><div> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-89391224209305107592010-08-24T23:28:00.000-07:002010-08-25T00:10:03.248-07:00The second time is scarier!!So I have been thinking a lot about birth this time around and how it will be different. I remember feeling fairly accomplished after birthing Ashton because despite the fact that he was a c-section, I laboured for a fairly long time (as far as I am concerned anyway). I remember so much pain and not being able to ease it. The epidural kind of sucked because it dulled the pain but the pressure was intense! Ashton was posterior so it was excruciating pain for the most part. My prior sense of accomplishment has been turned in to a sense of fear for this one. Over the last few days, I have talked to a lot of people about this. My mother with her 36 (?) hours of labour prior to a c-section, friends who have had one baby, friends who have had 2 babies, and Jesse. I feel a little better now. Last week was a fairly intense baby week. On Thursday, Jesse and I went to prenatal class. We are going again as a refresher and to sort of feel more focused on the baby since we're both so busy with Ashton and life and whatnot. On Friday, I went to the Doctor and found out that I am very likely to be able to have a V-bac. This IS what I want and here are a few reasons:<br />-If I am scheduled to have a C-section, I will feel less of a sense of accomplishment. I guarantee this...it's just the type of person I am and feeling accomplished is very important to me.<br />-If I am scheduled to have a C-section, they will not do it until 41.5 weeks, which will be roughly close to the date that they would induce me if they induced previous c-sections (which they don't). At this point, I will probably have one anyway (although my Doctor assured me that they will try to naturally get me to go in to labour first). And if I haven't had this baby by 41.5 weeks, I will probably have exploded.<br />-Recovery with Ashton AND my newborn. I have a wonderful man, wonderful family and friends but I'm going to have to be on my own at some point. My c-section recovery was ridiculously easy the last time but it is major surgery so I might not be that lucky again.<br />So V-bac it is, hopefully. I have been referred to an obstetrician so hopefully that will clear things up.<br /><br />Jesse and I have enrolled Ashton in a sports program for toddlers that will be running from September to December. Jesse will take him and we're really excited for this! We are both really hoping that it will be something nice for him for around when the baby comes. Ashton has shown a lot of interest in kicking and throwing balls (and just running around holding them). Jesse is completely thrilled about taking him to this. Working full time hasn't given him a huge chance to take Ashton to things like this too often.<br /><br />I absolutely adore my son. Yesterday, I walked in and saw him sitting beside the desk and he had almost completely covered himself in neon pink post-it notes. When he saw me, he passed me one and then assisted in passing them all to me to help me clean them up. He is very willing to clean up usually...we make it fun!<br />These last 2 days, he has woken up from his nap screaming. Usually he wakes up happy and I can prepare him a snack before I go in to get him because he just plays and chats to himself in the crib. These last 2 days, we snuggle for awhile when he wakes up screaming. When I ask him questions like "Are you hungry/thirsty?", he shakes his head no. He just cuddles me and then he's fine. Today, he cuddled for awhile on my chest and then pointed to his dresser. This indicated that he wanted his comb. So I brushed his hair and then he brushed his hair and he was happy. He also likes to use my hairbrush to brush my hair. We have lots of fun styling hair.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-53026582495418587902010-08-13T00:04:00.000-07:002010-08-13T00:20:49.831-07:00My new dance buddyAshton has 3 dance steps, named by his father. There is the "boogie shuffle", which in my head is called "The Maniac" because it reminds me of a certain scene in "Flashdance". There is the "boogie wiggle" and the "boogie dance" as well. He does them on demand, but is usually more willing to do them in the bathtub (when my child baths, he does not sit. He splashes and dances pretty much the entire time except for when we do the cleaning part). Anyone who enters the bathroom at this time is not dry when they exit.<br />Ashton doesn't watch TV. We have kept him away from it for the most part, more when he was a baby. We PVR most things because we can relax more and watch our shows undistracted and skip commercials after he goes to sleep. If it's on during the day, he will periodically glance at it but will not engage in watching it. I am happy with that. I was raised without TV for the most part and I don't think it's necessary. I don't think it's evil for a child either. I just think moderation is key. I think that some parents may use it for the convenience of it being a babysitter for young children for hours on end, which is extreme. I once babysat 2 children who asked me once when their parents' would be home but rather than "at 5-O-clock" or "In 2 hours", they only understood it as "In 4 TV shows". Anyway, I watched the last 1/2 hour of last nights' episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" today. Ashton sat beside me on the couch and played with maracas and semi-circular stacking balls while paying no attention to the TV. Then the dancing started. As the music came on, the maracas fell to the couch. Ashton stared. Then he started squealing and bouncing, screaming and clapping his hands. The dancing stopped and the judging began. Ashton looked back down to his toys and the TV was forgotten...until the next dance. So when he's older, will he come to watch musicals with me at the theatre? Will he come to the ballet performance of "The Nutcracker" at Christmas? Or is this just a case of an almost-2-year-old perking up to music and movement and a hopeful mother who is hoping that at least one of the males in the house will want to watch musicals with her one day? Time will tell.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-29804722962497250272010-08-09T23:37:00.000-07:002010-08-09T23:54:12.873-07:00NeglectI have been neglecting this blog. I can't believe it's been over a year! Between the death of macbook (a temporary death...but thankfully we have a new computer now), going back to work, getting pregnant, chasing a toddler...I really have no excuse so I will stop making them.<br />I am already 30 weeks pregnant with our little girl. I have been off work since May due to some back and pelvic problems. The time off with Ashton has been amazing but I wish I could do a lot of things with him that I can't do. I would love to put him in a backpack and go hiking and lots of other things like that. But life is about sacrifices. I felt guilty about not being able to do a lot of the things we did last summer but Jesse has reminded me that we still do a lot and I feel better now. I have so much support and help from him and I really consider myself lucky.<br />Right now it's late and I am tired. I will return to this :)Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-24331843037941573892009-08-29T22:21:00.000-07:002009-08-29T22:38:51.771-07:00Summertime...and the livin' is easyI haven't posted in forever! A and I have been filling our days with tons of activities. We do movies (they have a special day/time where you can bring the babes), playdates (he has a much busier social life than moi), swimming lessons, baby groups, coffee with friends (my friends this time) and stroller workouts. I am in a summer dance class so get out for ballet once a week, which is nice.<br />The green beans I posted about earlier ended up being an allergy. He was subsequently tested for major allergens and the tests were negative (yay!)<br />Ashton is 9 months old now. Where did the time go? Some summer pics (more to come)<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375625754193567986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6koHvrJc4oGwyZwzGHUA2WOW8uk1yOrJaGdNFiuOiUCfYCq0fZDx7ftXNw9gv3ysrMF7j2g1aiVPstpSJnMIJJOzOi0ZZ0_gOLr4RiR2WfKQrj0NMnP-RXB6-2Vp7WAbVsC2sN1nvfY/s400/P7150062.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375625777393633106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SQlM_PFQo0RSyn7owS6lp8mWdmsutAynsaTEeYhhsdIZkY82cxjQWiHPo3pLKBfwuphFCKwMpyh3-3F5_XtwnbLkKSNfyBSzmYE0z7_fjTvbi_Clhaka5469vdtaueqbvCeUN8j7hvU/s400/P7260121.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375625768085175714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN21fADoNNasn1XZjU_TgKI9BOYi521nidY6Q2KOU4S9_vXROOewTaj-l9Z8r5H6AhjZgHmrMxghQybMAUydiXF-Q-zbegit-21xEtt47WHx17YMBgGsctxICl0xwPhjwdEugmxHDUb9M/s400/P7220095.JPG" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOh3KyQdrcjoE-AqCiWOtA4bhrSPLnycHVKQ8G1QNmuNff7bVoUAmP3x97CLjv2gcjwHJ57lnqUDgJgxqQVmACfxF9FN6n5aFu5szm40_Wld6EVHNGNfiEdlbOJ5DIShmPn2cXVqgvY0/s1600-h/P8240170.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375625785499765154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOh3KyQdrcjoE-AqCiWOtA4bhrSPLnycHVKQ8G1QNmuNff7bVoUAmP3x97CLjv2gcjwHJ57lnqUDgJgxqQVmACfxF9FN6n5aFu5szm40_Wld6EVHNGNfiEdlbOJ5DIShmPn2cXVqgvY0/s400/P8240170.JPG" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-66429188518617606572009-06-11T10:18:00.001-07:002009-06-11T10:39:37.458-07:00Picnic!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9NXLJ7MTpoOM14kOtYm-KdFZJbWDuEMJ5_KZdSUYduzeeQu5y1H8QMZ2SppA5brTokfeKvIRS49FLr-FuaB23izNEx2DabGUd8wt-2mnEzm1KQ-kKWlnfDJK5V2fEYxEpVO_X18lAJk/s1600-h/ashtonbeer2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346125480452709730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9NXLJ7MTpoOM14kOtYm-KdFZJbWDuEMJ5_KZdSUYduzeeQu5y1H8QMZ2SppA5brTokfeKvIRS49FLr-FuaB23izNEx2DabGUd8wt-2mnEzm1KQ-kKWlnfDJK5V2fEYxEpVO_X18lAJk/s400/ashtonbeer2.jpg" border="0" /></a>It's picnic season! I have never been a big picnic person but the weather is gorgeous for it. Ashton is sitting completely by himself and is capable of doing this for an unlimited amount of time so I can slap on the sunscreen, give him some toys and picnic! I came along to the ball field when Jesse had practice, parked a blanket in the shade and laid out a variety of toys. All Ashton wanted was my cell phone (I have New York Times crosswords on it and am somewhat addicted). You give a kid a huge supply of toys and they want the phone!<br /><div>We also have a backpack for him so we are able to do some hiking. Mom and I went to the falls for a bit of a walk. I also decided that the backpack would be easier to haul up the big hill by my house the other day (as opposed to pushing the stroller). I was totally wrong but it was a good workout!</div><div>Ashton is eating more and more solid food. He loves his cereals (oatmeal and rice) but is now eating squash and banana. The banana is new and he's not quite there yet. He's become a pro at holding banana in his mouth and then spitting it out 5 mins later when he's cleaned out. The first time I gave him oatmeal, he blew it in my face. Thankfully he loves his oatmeal now...and hopefully he'll love his banana too! The green beans were temporarily discontinued because of his excema but I have been told to reintroduce them in a few weeks. The excema is gone now so I will reintroduce the beans in a few days. The boy is somewhat of an allergy risk, I've been told but thankfully public health seems to make recommendations based on the assumption that all babies can be at risk of developing food allergies.</div><div>I have been busy too! Solids, picnics and workouts! And dance! We had our dance recital this past weekend so lots of practice! I'm stoked on doing dance through the summer too but not until July. Being active has given me such a high. I do a stroller class once a week and afterwards, I go home and clean! It's amazing...the energy I get from that kind of thing. </div><div>Last week, I had Ashton down at my parent's because we had a doctor's checkup for him. It was really hot that day and he was cranky so we set up a pool. Ashton's mommy got to go in and cool off too!</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346125484156449282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36Zn4bEtRKY84aJciWCEgBZqeoYGr1Q1nJL7G2A37BDfk3NpgX2wy9xw95O0WcOoWLIVQuomVLvFytBNyf3oJY874igUwkULpyDVzBaUBreJbZoO1BY0dDE5NCGBcL65FDiQePor11Rk/s400/Ashtonpool4.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-50683697804617349692009-05-20T21:15:00.001-07:002009-05-20T21:34:36.208-07:00Food for thoughtAshton is six months now so we're introducing solids. We started the week before he turned six months, which was my birthday so we figured that was a day to remember. We started him on rice cereal. At first he was kind of indifferent to it and then after a few days he got really excited about it and would start kicking his feet in his high chair and the little hands would get going and he would open his mouth wide. This is him on day one:<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1y3iwv23ZmPCU8cqu1BopF7r0Ft3mAm0X_MhB0_OETBZaG9yO0bvZNsOZGzmA7zJe39gjDScTVB53Q1MmP1rveVNiSikioNJriGjCYI4OlO7uvJsi9HeNKHsTBQdPizwdGQo07iss50/s400/P5121374.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338127262135115602" /><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>When he got the hang of it, we started giving it to him twice a day. I am using commercial rice cereal because it's iron fortified but I am making my own other food. We're leaving several days between new foods and keeping a food journal. I bought some green beans the other day. Today I brought them with me to my parents and made them there as I went there to help with some stuff and I wanted to use the beans when they were fresh. So I steamed the beans and after they were steamed I tried some. They were delicious. Then I food-processed them and strained them. Mom has an applesauce strainer thing that is the best thing ever. I tasted them after they were strained and it was nasty, which was weird because they were tasty before they were processed...I think it was just the consistency. So mom took a video when I was feeding him and there are some pics of it below. He seemed to really love the beans and wanted more. It was pretty cool!<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 394px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc21N8ShVnXkaCh482zgfME_RpB66MFTNBhf-maUvNpoTMcfuvLMeAFRXkXMy0ZIJub70RtpoZ4CegfotO1uPlHatNtDVMepia0bYn2MggKnU58FRRYTFtqcMigTMiYk7wGyCb5mS13lI/s400/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338127281957581458" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 337px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BTZy74DNOt2rvrhwN8lWu-qCYDWfdv4cSTw9lyPW6WJuC-Vxq2C6jPv9SuMBilMD89wIE7vTjGJMq3E-EZ79E9-Sf5OnrU_zh61Ry-ks4V4IPBF06Ufs9wty3tiZjcAX3gw5bw05wW4/s400/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338127274547020322" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 386px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_8QSswRChlM93_FHCnRsKWCdLaGKvzWWOc8HrYQ20jR5JQhMtITTUo6RpWsrxlqhQaqZXR-NW-7V0wsPlLkn5N9m7AzqFRh1h9wbmRrtZAvmvjEd2Jb05DaJ2OvLmpHKNXz5Iflbp_o/s400/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338127266708743170" /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-22293336271076051722009-04-20T16:56:00.001-07:002009-04-20T17:01:32.781-07:00Skating picture<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFq_TVCLDNmgVOsysgyecLREMqaMPZptF2lqSmtVzVtBT4yIOZ9zii3W6PxoqwWpd3MXvZG_H6MeZyCk4fPRpYET_Wvm0fL4yHGTTYfrBurkoAXr7coVz7k2swOdYbJ-F3yeTOyaT-ewU/s1600-h/skating2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326927258819929490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFq_TVCLDNmgVOsysgyecLREMqaMPZptF2lqSmtVzVtBT4yIOZ9zii3W6PxoqwWpd3MXvZG_H6MeZyCk4fPRpYET_Wvm0fL4yHGTTYfrBurkoAXr7coVz7k2swOdYbJ-F3yeTOyaT-ewU/s400/skating2.jpg" border="0" /></a> We went skating again yesterday. This photo is from last weekend. He's funny because he cries when he is in the stroller and then stops as soon as we get on the ice. I think I am lucky to have a child that I can pretty much take anywhere.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-80782766172228431272009-04-14T11:46:00.001-07:002009-04-14T11:58:13.702-07:00Ashton's first hockey practice?<div>I have so much more energy now that I've been more active. I try to walk every single day whether Ashton likes it or not. I have dance class once a week and now skating once a week. I feel awesome. Running up and down the stairs to do laundry 8000 times a week is getting easier too ;)</div>Jesse and I went skating on Sunday with a friend of ours and Ashton. Ashton has to wear a helmet when he's in his stroller, which makes sense but the helmet perches on his shoulders because it is so huge and then it falls over his face and he gets really mad. Jesse and I took turns with the stroller. I wore hockey skates for the first time ever and I am used to using figure skates so it was tough for me. I still did okay though, despite using rental skates which had short laces. I couldn't do them up all the way so my ankle was smarting when I was done. We are going to go every Sunday to public skating. I love to skate and Jesse is planning on going back to play ice hockey. We're trying to buy him skates and it's crazy because nowhere has them right now despite the fact that there is ice year round here. There are pictures of him but they were taken with someone else's phone so I will try to post them when I can.<div>After skating on Sunday, we went to my parents. It was my Oma's birthday (and Easter too) so my parents made an awesome feast with turkey and the works. Ashton got all dressed up in his little man clothes. At one point, he was helping me play the piano. <div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiMyzbYmk1TXzLxdIx6VBCvWMcj57mKYH7FNKz2Z3pPcHjlJfnSjYnBdQgIAx3WPfy4X1v0JzW17pEFjFWl-Q_PnQxkSABLFG9p35POzmjEtqCG2naDaVVOP4x3Yi7ZqBSShkV0sHMtE/s400/easter005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324621914069076018" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3w61_Lpk3Fqp1syFZeHAeTExWCHrMgf6HVDdR0uJv4LBMfA-9M-Id3sMZ3oPy877FOJUfWQ0uAHZDHUPMvXaxb8iC4SqCIiVbThv43rde9wMdiTPoMxDYL0yTtqoay1X1uyEQYoMW_E/s400/easter003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324621909614309714" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0HvMiBT-oJaOsvbF1GLBkSbp0_J0vf4c1b_1IgQ3YOwIs7ERS51t9ej9vXlH6A0qT6dQUkVr4v_rPmzcn8YMb9L04gk7NtgRG4nRpJU8kIYXFHGHq5cBul-kJjIAWk3PGd1L7h_zO8S0/s400/easter001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324621910487427938" /></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-24439929491026855012009-04-11T10:17:00.000-07:002009-04-11T10:34:18.685-07:00Where the Wild Things AreWhen I was pregnant, I was off work 4 months early. I was not specifically on bedrest but I wasn't supposed to do much. I have always loved the children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. I have some of the stuffed animals. I decided to incorporate my favourite book in to a nursery theme. Jesse and I went on ebay and bought a clock and a light switch cover for the nursery. I got fabric in forest colours to match for a quilt. I haven't finished said quilt yet but it's probably a little big anyway (I did make another quilt outside of the theme for when we go out). When you don't have a crib mattress yet (which I got when I was pregnant but after the quilt was started), you don't really think about the fact that the mattress fits in so tightly that you cannot just hand the quilt over the edge. Of course, it makes sense that the mattress fits in like that...but I didn't think of it. The other day, Angela got us a WTWTA floor puzzle, which is AWESOME. I have it displayed in the box in his room. Jesse and I went to the market and got these cool tent hangings that make me think of the book. Not pictured is a wooden wind chime from the same market that hangs in front of his window and kind of makes me think of a sea monster. I took pictures of the WTWTA theme nursery:<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ITFkMWPvaAECSs8DZN9tGuCSKTRZx0bCQ1JwdZYLm-9rmZojgWAbtC2xRolnSWNzQZxIP4iPaKwaaeET1-USjoq8nNBmpaAxW8B0NCRME4sZoyCd3b7xxRw4YsBl2bHPnOsuAJ_rNa8/s400/P4051351.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323487003866610194" /><div style="text-align: center;">The quilt so far (over halfway done)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZ4MIwUDEa377OIUvjiMoa96piGWLaFjANj9z7nEtzfUqKGhOlQcNjVkwmR8ecDYCTavPX3yDrWuHEHdJ_6B9pQ0Bz0IN5IAg6PomP30KjaMWKOKrZKNqErY5abGJNi0XS3N0PlZHMro/s400/P4051350.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323486997787134658" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-q9U8a217-F49bjGfQ9eVMw1PpZY66bdm6JxwKvS7J72Prtp9zpqIfFHllvKpB5Cast1SZN82V91jZ6TOHsnIBM7tye3-ekfYyChIm7jb3sStUJczhW3rpfrWNMhHXiaKo03KJTg7S1Y/s400/P4051349.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323486992826155378" /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLF3zVeKQbmEUeA8INnFxVTSNOubJ-jedVJy7UwJi-qAyIuZ7tGfWqOQjLYrdNvT3xeDYR120BJ0ERukedCtxEgZGGpLZxdXsWx2JsVWl__E5JjyoHhm-DMGzQlTeHS0Ji4Z1Q0Iuiq8/s400/P4051348.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323486987963400210" /><div style="text-align: center;">Ashton's reading corner with all his "Wild Things"</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-41720601556063449482009-04-05T14:32:00.000-07:002009-04-05T14:45:19.554-07:00Roly polyAs I was logging in to update my blog, Ashton rolled over from back to front! He's been rolling the other way since he was a month old but this was the first time going the other way! He's not quite sitting yet, but can sit really well for 20 seconds max before he topples. We have a Bumbo chair for him now, which he adores. The friend that we got it from said it was great because her daughter couldn't get out of it. Getting out of it was basically the first thing Ashton managed to do. He was trying to look at something behind him and arched his back and then scooted his bum out and got out of it backwards. He does seem to love the chair though.<div>I have been trying to get back in to shape since all I've done is walk since Ashton was born (and probably while I was pregnant too). Not like pushing a stroller up a hill is anything to sneeze at though. I joined a modern dance class. I danced for 15 years or close to that anyway but it's been a few years now. I mostly preferred modern and hip hop but I took some ballet (wasn't serious enough about it to do pointe or anything). So I went to class and love it. Three days later, my abs and calf muscles still are killing me, but it's a good pain. Jesse's back to playing hockey too and after playing two days in a row, he is also in pain. So it goes something like, "Jesse, can you lift this for me? I hurt!" and he'll reply "I hurt too". I'm glad that we're both getting back into shape.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-81274212292915600752009-03-01T10:24:00.000-08:002009-03-01T10:55:09.913-08:00Sitting!<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I cannot believe it is already March. February only had 28 days and I felt cheated. I had to remember to mail the rent cheque out early and almost forgot about the Baby Fair which was yesterday (the 28th) because I thought "No. The baby fair is the last day in February" which of course couldn't be the 28th. Because months have more days than twenty-eight. Except February.<br /><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I have thought about the routines with my little boy and realized that although babies apparently need routines, so do I. I do the same things every day. Wake up, get ready, Ashton wakes up, change him, feed him. Ashton gets to go in one of his thingles (swing, etc) while I eat and make coffee. I hang out with Ashton, Ashton gets tired within 3 or 4 minutes, Ashton takes a nap, I drink coffee. Every day is different after this. We go on walks, we go to baby groups, we go do something social. Sometimes we go see Grandma (aka Mom). Sometimes we do nothing at all and just play, sing and read at home until Jesse comes home and then we go out. For every couple really busy days, I need to veg at home for one. Today is one of those days.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Yesterday morning, I was looking forward to my coffee. I put on the coffee and shortly after, noticed a puddle growing on the counter. I forgot to put in the filter thingle...you know...the one that has coffee in it? Guesstimated how much more water to put in the pot to replace the water on the counter. And when it came out in delicious dark brown coffee form, it was the best coffee ever. Sometimes the things you really work at are the best (I really worked at cleaning the mess I made...haha). Then we went to the Baby Fair with my friend and her baby. I entered Ashton in a photo contest where he gets his photo taken by a photographer and they send us a picture and everything (5x7) in the mail. It's only a 10 dollar donation, which is awesome AND you can order prints. It's cool because I've wanted to do portraits of Ashton but I wanted to wait for him to sit on his own first. Which brings me to my next point...<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>HE SITS! For the last couple weeks Ashton has been practicing sitting. I hold his hands or sometimes just prop him so he's resting between my legs and then leave him sitting there and read to him. Yesterday I let go of him and he stayed sitting for about 10 seconds before he started to topple. He did this a few times for short periods. One time he seemed like he might last a little longer but then Darcy walked by and he followed Darcy with his head and over he toppled (he loves to watch the cats, it's his new thing). This is a picture of him sitting with me holding him and one of him holding my finger:</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvAkzUb1c4aL3uymJd5PTPjIduN9lTADt0fLXOMM1SNvf4AW92nZIrBf4a-fIZNZqNTc7-8lVno7V4M5H8le5lrfJYEii1kdqZ1riQc8gexOzlefX250DF9ZMjM1tS4Y9T0l28YJr9xI/s400/P2271328.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308294261076322018" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESiEB_mNiPy0kSlPBYm9Y8PH7yC6MmT7-liMqryAQhPSJFznjr1yjaux8sIrq9xXh-Ml_6qiYTj7QPCXtWNwlhJAp_qali54nkHE7C4CNsuMvmvv3TvzqQfZuGlOqiCB7BZbe-5-Vmas/s400/P2271327.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308294254847058114" /><div><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-7472584487138207522009-02-27T08:34:00.000-08:002009-02-27T08:54:45.660-08:00Snow dayI cannot believe it snowed a foot here. I had been so happy that the big piles of snow that the plows had made along our walking route were gone at last because the stroller is not the best thing for snow (I love my stroller otherwise). I absolutely love the look of the snow here and how bright it looks with the ocean backdrop out of my living room window. I hate the driveway in it though. This snowfall wasn't bad because it's melted some and I didn't go out to my baby group yesterday so I only left the house to get some groceries with Jesse and Ashton. We didn't even get stuck at the base of my driveway coming home!<div>Yesterday I made tea with fennel, fresh ginger, cloves and lemon. I let it steep for a really long time because I like the flavours to be strong in my teas. It reminded me a little of chai. Normally I just use ginger and lemon but a friend of mine suggested fennel and when I went to make it, I thought some cloves might be nice.</div><div>On Monday night, Ashton was up 3 times in the night and all he wanted was food. This is odd for him as he normally sleeps through the night but he's been a little more demanding lately for food. Same thing on Tuesday night. Wednesday he was up twice. Last night was funny because he woke up an hour after going to bed (something to do with a laser pointer and a cat outside his bedroom...ooops) and then again as Jesse and I were going to sleep. But then after that he slept for 8 hours so it wasn't too bad. The first wake-up was entirely my fault.</div><div>As I write this, the snow falls again. Lets hope this doesn't last. Although if it does last, at least my kid looks cute in his snowsuit.</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-70369672339991566732009-02-24T11:28:00.000-08:002009-02-27T08:34:52.832-08:00Growth<div>We left Ashton on Friday night with our friend. It was the first time we had left him with anyone other than my parents and the third time we had ever left him to go anywhere. We went to a dinner function with work. I totally trust him in caring for Ashton, especially since he has a daughter not much older than him. Of course I keep my cell phone on vibrate and then when I see a missed call, I panic. Funny thing is that he was just calling to let me know that Ashton was in bed (about an hour after we left) and I was shocked. Ashton is stuck in a bedtime routine, or so I thought...it's possible that I am the one who needs to stick to this routine and this is why I always like to be home by 7pm every night. </div>On Saturday, we celebrated the life of the mother of a close friend who was also a dear friend and a beautiful person that I had known since I was in kindergarten. It was a beautiful service. We left Ashton with my parents for the service and then Jesse retrieved him for the reception. In an hour and a half, he consumed 10 oz of pumped breastmilk. He drank 5 and then when Jesse came, demanded the other 5. The following day, he fed 7 times in 7 hours. Last night, he actually woke up three times to feed. For the last 3 weeks he has slept 12+ hours a night and I had been talking about it. My little guy is growing so fast!<div>Funny that last night, we went to bed around 11. Ashton went down around 7ish, woke up at 10 to feed (before we had gone to bed), and then at 1:30 and 6. I was sitting in his room, feeding him and thinking "oooh, I'm so sleepy" and then thought of what those people with the babies who never sleep are going through. It makes me grateful for little Ashton and afraid to add baby #2 a couple years down the road. One can be lucky enough to have a well-behaved baby, but can anyone ever be lucky enough to have 2?</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-23150294095806350722009-02-20T11:09:00.000-08:002009-02-20T11:37:40.311-08:00Pregnancy<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Everyone seems to be pregnant right now and it makes me a little nostalgic. Not that I want to be pregnant right now. I have a three month old who is teething and growth-spurting and I don't want to add a new baby to the mix. Sooo I was thinking back to my pregnancy and realized that I would have been newly pregnant this time last year and didn't even know it yet. </div><div style="text-align: left;">So I am celebrating this by posting pictures. One is my belly at about 10 weeks and the other is Darcy in his favourite sleeping place at much further on than 10 weeks. I'd say closer to 25ish.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPtazPL_eVYZYFA-q9PTl1juMrXdQLGizyjnkAPIg3tG3n7pGOSVR0G9FHEOFvpCFyqmg9RiR_azrBoNDBfYg11oL2gzVNVMV4JzIAhjFkqSkk8phnYTc-8U_ZQh8UJIBVCRDjFmrNbo/s320/Photo+126.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304960766563768866" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLv9kHgctBnEhm9BCqaRDkHgAIPVJIG7uGqP9sLY0YM-B4X_Pqw1ymx0EqkWUhyphenhyphen9gkXKUAa3ZOJVvYdjzfred_9zCJUjsMXAtGOAd9w_4A9Orf7gqIW2OXwLDpIVaUSfIXhSYsgznEqE/s320/Photo+154.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304960766010230914" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>They say that once a woman goes through pregnancy and labour, she forgets everything and that is why she does it all over again. I think to how little I could move, hauling myself up the stairs, having to wear sandals in November in the rain because my feet were huge, bathroom excursions every 5 mins, countless nights playing Nintendo DS while my husband slept peacefully beside me, getting up between 1:30 and 3:30 am every morning because I couldn't sleep anymore, being so hot all the time, countless visits to ER, the pelvic pain, the stupid blood sugar testing, strangers asking if I was having twins or if I was "ready to pop" in August! and then the labour...ohh the labour. It's all so fresh in my mind yet at one point, I will probably do it all over again. The good parts? There were lots. The ultrasounds...7 weeks, 21 weeks, the 3d one at 29 weeks. Seeing the developing baby. The excitement, the growing belly, shopping for stuff, people offering to help me, just being pregnant. </div><div style="text-align: left;">I remember that I went to buy the crib, change table and dresser (it came as a set) and it was this huge box. I had my Sentra and there was no way this box was going to fit in the car. It must have been May or June and I was totally visibly pregnant (I got really big really fast). I got the store guy to wheel the box out for me and when we got to my car, he gave me a look. I said "I know it's not going to fit but just leave it and I will unpack the box and squeeze it in". At that point, Jesse's Pathfinder was dead in the driveway (still is...funny that). So I looked at the massive box and dug in. It was windy and I was chasing the instruction manual around the parking lot, as well as pieces of styrofoam. A really nice older couple came over and asked if I needed help. I told them I was okay and explained what I was doing. The lady went into the store and told her husband to stay and help me. He couldn't really do much but he held the box for me and stopped things from blowing away while I removed the stuff inside. He told me about when he had kids and talked about his grandkids too. It was nice to have the company because it took forever to get stuff in my car. His wife came out and talked for a little while, then I finished with packing and they left.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One other thing that was funny was that I was so freaking huge. I worked till I was 6 or so months along and then had some issues and went on medical leave. Anyway, I work behind a desk all day and people come and talk to me about work related business all the time. Nobody really mentioned the fact that I was pregnant or huge and I was really grateful for that because when I would get up for breaks, everyone would talk to me about that. I once heard a couple people talking about how huge I was and I walked into them talking and got really upset. So when I was leaving, I mentioned to a couple people that I was going on mat leave soon and they were like "Oh, you're pregnant?". I guess me being behind a desk hid my big preggo belly. Funny!</div><div><br /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-86224374302063731452009-02-19T08:46:00.000-08:002009-02-19T08:58:33.846-08:00Three monthsAshton is three months old today!<div>Yesterday, we went to Eves Park and had a picnic with Jesse and my Mom. I had Ashton front-facing in a Snugli and as I was eating my beef chili wrap, Ashton was keenly following the wrap with his eyes. By the time lunch was over, Ashton was squeaking in protest. We walked for a little bit while Ashton scared away wildlife from his Snugli.</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSlEXcmQ0LiIT4MxfXfbK59uhiCpXZn3WZ-F1_DXVTxGbl6KA7vervCmFr-lt68_C4tcGWXKwPKSpUUs3T9EZ9dqgXH0XjeEjMgoFWfsbJKVC3EamLVoecFG2K6E9Mg-ufP3Ac-nmsgs/s200/P2181292.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304553420478784834" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqQchhI7UcVZht0S5SJzlsyqziArNGnqXJUlODqaAS4hMtUshi0HIoOqUkv6wKQGv2M_Fdu5pvj0fcreDTwtRC7RnJHnu5rU-mjwKm7IO-WpjN_hxu4nbTsj4r6dns6EI9tYBkFTY924/s200/P2181306.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304553460314558370" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOoeTTqVhk8i38XMfLXQ-IVH2eZ_ZQD7obQf-8-KO8QHl-83kqHE8O8J4_wgzEYR8f_utsx0FCPmFuc-lwT5u7ytWquxMWEmFqjdJsWTbRqNvDhmfB_96pZW7BdQkFYTLwyo-MlMMkjE/s200/P2181296.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304553445589901186" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Nn8S-10pS7TyH3NgrAtFSw2bIpTDv29JTIUZYjWrvmb_nBSHMYAmayrplp0IY_5pYzme7RdIYsp1IA1AYdq4cVADohcB1KercgpHE20eysWwGh9_sZPI04_nBjo8gl-EuybO0KPnFaE/s200/P2181295.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304553438280843554" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTCdXWcgUn7nxlfkpl5n06buMMJ3ikGMyuxobh84pKD0Kv9oq9mbU-DSiuDITgZ-v7frJYD6mfGmNcEnvuCUTRqvI9GWJeu3Vy0pNdfi05tIEg0ak_2k2o79VMoP4l_KQIEo6NvxL8YA/s200/P2181293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304553432382102290" /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-32089766433422971162009-02-04T17:44:00.001-08:002009-02-04T18:30:13.937-08:00The Ukee poopieYesterday, Jesse and I took Ashton to Ukee for the first time since Jesse's mom passed away six days before the birth of the little guy. We meant to get out sooner but the weather sucked. And when the weather sucks here, it sucks even more to get there. Jesse and I ate our usual lunch at <a href="http://www.breakersdeli.com/">Breakers</a> in Tofino. Their wraps are amazing. I had the turkey & bacon wrap, which uses real turkey (not the deli meat turkey, but the kind of turkey that my Grandmother might cook up for the holidays). Ashton polished off a full bottle before I even had a chance to finish lunch and then got antsy. We executed a diaper change in the car and drove to Ukee. We made a quick stop at the <a href="http://www.ukeebaby.ca/">Ukee baby</a> store as we were en route to the Wild Pacific trail where we were planning to walk with Ashton. While I was purchasing some awesome shoes that were on sale for 9 dollars, a bomb dropped and the noise reverberated through the store. The origin of the noise? The child in the carseat. Ashton looked completely shocked and Jesse said, "I think he pooped". We put him in the car and were surrounded by the most unholy stench. We drove to the house to change Ashton. He was extremely pleased with himself and smiled the entire time. When we got him out of the carseat, we saw a small stain on his pants. No big deal, just a small diaper leak. When we removed his pants, we saw it. It was all the way down to the ankles. As Jesse and I debated on how to remove the brown onesie (it was blue when I first put him in it) without messing up the babe, Ashton smiled more and more. Eventually we removed the onesie to find that it was all the way to his chest. When we removed the diaper, we found there was very little that was actually contained. Ashton made finger-paint like drawings on the change mat with his feet while Jesse rinsed the diaper in the toilet and put it in the wet-bag (wet-bags are awesome) and I attempted to clean him. Jesse says "What are we going to do with him?" and I said "I don't know. All I know is that he's going to pee soon". We decided to just put him in the sink, though Jesse would have preferred to take him outside and hose him off. Ashton was very happy with his bath in the sink and the subsequent rinses. He very joyously peed in the water as soon as we put him in. Am I ever glad I pack an abundance of baby washcloths, not to mention baby clothes. Anyway, he ate more when he was all changed and then threw up on himself and the floor. I said "Ashton...we cannot take you anywhere!" and he stuck his tongue out at me in response. We had a good night, had dinner with Neil and the cranky, tired (but will not nap) Ashton. I can't really complain...he slept a continuous 12 hours the night before. I took pictures:<div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1gUkky-QaxS-IRbG_qjE0abljzFSnbLcfD11b01rwHr897AGGrxXdlTc0kItKPIQBng7kfQGGoEyncI5wtZWj1KlGpJxpaIC-HpK94qGkDdkowsa2r5CN9y6wg26CyWaOKktRbeuJSs/s200/P2031262.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299131981013536322" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXfVprSASqtwjxbQeaYp1X9bD3PuxyjbOK_DaH1TgRwyJNgFVt-mAnlx5nVmLqMFJRl-aRKvR9qrQyWMN1NhHncBiivyiVaK707FLjv9jfvnIIlsdW2EwOXwwAQaHJlg-FfgozreXau8/s200/P2031264.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299131984303096178" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SOihmvlP1Ya0fyfXb78rQadnkZ8Vcd-e9BSv4ZE_qXVpltX_Ag7gaQOR9o8uNghyphenhyphenFTPn4Ky6aZ4oeebBGLZFm-eLibAdEg6fjrcTXcLdJ861T1qv-vU5Pz_3mAz0gLZjAIfr5sLiFFo/s200/P2031265.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299131986094072514" /></div><div>Ashton and I have been getting out way more. We have been going to this baby thing at the Health Unit where he hangs out and plays, we do songs and stuff and then ask questions and talk about baby things. Last week a friend of mine came with me. Her daughter is 6 months and weighs less than Ashton (he was double her birthweight when he was born though). It's fun having Ashton around other babies. He doesn't really respond much to them, but sometimes will smile.</div><div>Soon I hope to get back in to my music. I was thinking about going back to the band with my trombone and just doing violin on my own until I figure out where I can go to resume my lessons here. It would be cool if Ashton expressed an interest in music. I like to teach. Once I tried to teach Jesse how to play the piano. </div><div>Jesse: How is that key C when you just said this one was C?</div><div>Me: *Explains*</div><div>Jesse: I don't understand...THEY CAN'T BOTH BE C.</div><div>We haven't had any lessons since.</div><div><div><br /></div></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-14896908450412546842009-01-26T10:20:00.001-08:002009-01-26T10:32:45.809-08:00Getting out moreNow that I have recovered from the birth of my child, I have been getting out more when Jesse is at work. Ashton and I have been going to a group at public health that have 20 or so babies in it. We went for the first time last week and while the other babies played and interacted on the mat, Ashton lay snoring on my lap, oblivious to the noise around him. He was the youngest there and probably not the smallest. When we arrived, he was screaming away. It was rather cold outside so he was clothed in a MEC fleece onesie, jeans, his fleece-lined corduroy coat, a toque and his carseat bunting. He stopped crying immediately when the layers were removed. Funny that. They always say to dress your baby the way that you would dress yourself. I always have to remember that when the normal person is wearing shorts and a t-shirt, I am in jeans, a hoodie and thick socks.<div>We go for walks with the stroller every day. That thing is a good workout, especially up hills. Yesterday, we walked to the mall and back for about an hour and a half. Sometimes we walk to work to meet Jesse when he's off. Sometimes if I am really ambitious and drive Jesse to work at quarter to six, I walk towards work and he walks towards home and we meet somewhere in the middle.</div><div>Saturday was immunization day for Ashton. I was really upset and very much not looking forward to going. Of course, I realize that these vaccinations are very important but my main fears involved looking into my boy's eyes and seeing him in pain. I ended up breastfeeding him the whole time, which is said to help. After every shot, he pulled off and yelped. The last one was awful...his face turned red and he just screamed. It wasn't as bad as I had expected though. Afterwards, we went for a walk. When we got home, he got really really cranky and screamed inconsolably. Eventually he fell asleep and crashed for the afternoon and evening. That night, he slept for 10 hours straight (though he probably sucked his fist for the first 2 or so).</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-53882938756263137552009-01-17T07:44:00.000-08:002009-01-17T08:27:47.207-08:00So the cloth diapers are working really well. Turned out he probably would have fit them earlier but I was putting them on too loosely, which is why he was leaking. I love them and the cleaning of them and scraping them off in the toilet isn't even that gross (I get really squeamish around poo normally). It's become routine. Jesse reminds me that he'll be on solids in a couple months. It's true what people say about how things gross you out less when you have a kid. We have been using disposables at night because he sleeps for 8 hours in a stretch and have been finding that the cloth doesn't really hold up as well at night because he is a pretty heavy wetter. When he's a bit bigger, I might double stuff the diaper but right now, he's so little and the diaper is on the absolute smallest size. But it's fine, what we're doing totally works for me right now. Each to their own and whatever one can handle. I have never done so much laundry in my life. I don't know what I would do without a washing machine. If I don't write about something else, I will need to change the name of this blog to something involving diapers and baby poo. I am just totally excited about these diapers is all...they are so high tech.<div>My mom and I went to the baby fair in September and I entered every draw possible. I just won my 2nd prize from that last night, which is a sp</div><div>a package. I'm pretty excited about this because now that I have Ashton, I wander around the house in yoga pants and hoodie. I pretty much don't wear makeup and my hair is typically in a ponytail since he loves to get this big fistful of hair and pull on it. The first prize that I won from the baby fair is a pair of <a href="http://babylegs.net/">Baby Legs</a>, which I love. It is hard to find time for yourself when you have a baby but over the last few weeks, I have really adapted to his schedule. We've been doing bedtime at the same time, which gives Jesse and I time to wind down and maybe even watch a movie. Then Jesse gets up at 5 and Ashton gets me up at 7. His morning nap is huge so everything I need to do, I can do when he's sleeping</div><div>. Usually afternoon is his awake time and we read stories and play in his gym or bouncer or whatever. Then it's cranky time and this is usually the best time to go grocery shopping or for a stroller ride. I'm excited for the snow to be melting off the sidewalks so we can go for more walks.</div><div>I cannot believe all the 2008 babies! 3 of my friends had babies in 08 and I even had a new cousin born about 3 months before Ashton. A couple days ago, Mom and I went for lunch with 2 of my aunts and my cousin. It was so cute to see the boys together. They were smiling at each other and it was very cute.</div><div>A picture of my boy from Christmas morning. Totally slept through the entire thing (mostly).</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxV6TI_3zAq-j33a1-GGqU-I7TOjQhkeQ3D98QMaumlhj36zw7kMVin6JU9yHbBYFFN7PPJB8AAOa-o5HSg2xj8f5H17a29CTBzmsD0OfPsM_Oa6sOX22_8MAIEWfECap5S5EV4ch6J4/s200/PC251240.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292298843079281474" /></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166362506751746578.post-883166540737321332009-01-09T15:57:00.000-08:002009-01-09T16:34:56.702-08:00I am enjoying motherhood so much! Baby Ashton is smiling now and just seems so happy all the time (except for when we are trying to put him to bed). His new thing is to roll over from tummy to back, which is really exciting. He loves being in his little gym, except when he tries to eat the crinkle<img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_Wr6EH5uDJcd_3J8UKakxM3z2EeHFWfrlJxUcK1KZvJ9ZBkk0FmQJs_dW4IpR-6QVWhXo4k0Pu_u_ARhDeDrawsaXnM1kAZ9gvHm0-Qgacc8hmdEl6SBLy6hR3pycL25SDJL7ktpQhA/s200/P1081249.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289449274812859522" /> leaves and the leaves don't produce milk. Then he gets ornery. Yesterday I took this picture of him in his carseat because he had been smiling in his carseat (which he almost never does). And I was singing to him and looking at him and suddenly it dawned on me that my 7-week-old baby boy had grown. When you spend every minute with someone, you don't notice their growth as much as you would if you were away from them for awhile. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I was assessing my plan for being an environmentally friendly mother. I have spent upwards of $300 on cloth diapers. He doesn't fit them yet (skinny little legs) but we're getting close. Going to try them again tomorrow. The <a href="http://www.jamtots.com/Baby-Kangas-One-Size-Pouch-Diaper-C502.aspx">ones I've got</a> are genius because they are one size and you can adjust them as your baby grows. Not proud to say he's in disposables at the moment. I could have/should have gotten newborn cloth ones but was a little overwhelmed as a new mom with the whole diaper thing. Of course, now I'm an old pro. Other parents have said things to me about cloth diapers like "They are so bad for the environment because you have to wash them" but I think they are trying to justify the fact that they don't use them. Not everyone needs to use cloth, though they are definitely the greener choice in my opinion. Yes, you have to wash cloth diapers after disposing of the waste in the toilet, which does use a lot of water. But you can save energy by line drying them. The cloth is the better of two evils as disposables contain chemicals and the production alone is polluting. Not to mention the fact that they go into the landfills. <a href="http://www.nurturenappies.com.au/store/WsAncillary.asp?ID=17#what">This says it all.</a> I got on this rant when thinking about all the waste that baby stuff produces. Today I was thinking even about bottles with liners. They say that the liners make the baby less gassy but it just seems like such a waste to me. I am breastfeeding anyway so the bottles I use are the medela ones that fit on my pump. I'm not saying that I am Ms. Environment. I just think that making a difference is a good thing. Yes, I use disposable wipes at times (sometimes I use cloths, depending). Right now, I am using disposable diapers (not for long, I'm thinking he's almost into the cloth now). But I think that even if someone uses cloth diapers sometimes, it's something! There are people who only do it at home during the day and that is definitely a start! You can get liners these days for cloth diapers for when you go out and don't want to deal with a huge mess. You just throw the liners down the toilet. End rant.</div><div>On a completely different subject, we have our lovely weather. It has been rather snowy and nasty, which involves more rocks and debris on the highways. Anyway, the other day I heard a ping sound indicative of a rock hitting the windshield. I didn't see anything though so I figured it was nothing. Two days ago, we noticed a 4 inch crack coming up from the bottom of the windshield. I researched it with ICBC and found out that I was covered and would have to pay my deductible to replace the windshield. Yesterday, Jesse turned on the defrost and the little crack became massive, all the way across the window. The car is currently having a new windshield installed, which is costing $200. Did you know that the black part at the bottom of the windshield is the weakest part? I found that out when I took the car in. Auto glass shops make a killing at this time of year.</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484600593365009452noreply@blogger.com0