Life with a Newborn

Life with a newborn is easier the second time around. I've heard mom's say this before but I didn't believe them. Sweatpea Sweetpea  is not much different than Monkey when he was as a newborn. Why do things seem so different? Having an easier labour definitely got us off to a better start but I think the major difference is our experience and our expectations.

When Monkey was born I felt like there was so much to learn. Feeling overwhelmed and tired was my norm for the first few months. The thought of leaving the house was daunting, but the thought of entertaining people in my own home was even scarier.

Now that we've almost reached the 2 week mark with Sweatpea Sweetpea I'm surprised by how many things I remember and how normal it feels. The fatigue, sore nipples and engorged breast. Explosive poops, projectile vomiting from overfeeding and evening fussing. These things are not fun, but when you snuggle your little one and recognize the gift you were given it is well worth it :)

Potty "Awareness"

Monkey has been taking off his diaper after relieving himself and we're tired of the constant cleanup. Cleaning poop off the wall is a definite thorn. So early last week Hubby went to our local library with a mission to find potty training books. He came back with an old and ratty book that was published in 1974. Apparently, it was the only potty training book left in the library. All the newer books were taken out already. When my MIL saw the book on our coffee table she informed us (with zeal) that this was the book she used to potty train Hubby...hmmmm...

Hubby starting reading Toilet Training in Less Than a Day and declared, between chuckles, that it is a "great book" and that it "makes so much sense". Basically, the premise is to load your child with lots of fluid (to keep the pee running) and then have a dedicated to potty awareness training session (around 3-4 hours).

I was skeptical but too busy being a milk machine to bother interfering in mission: potty train. On Thursday Hubby bought a pink BABYBJÖRN Potty Chair because he couldn't find any other colours and happily started the session with Monkey.

By 1000am there were multiple accidents (good thing he moved the area rug) and some resistance on Monkey's part but things were going surprisingly well. I'd say that Monkey is definitely on his way to being fully trained.

Book of the Week

Slow Death by Rubber Duck is about how toxic substances, commonly found in household items, are negatively affecting our health. I actually enjoyed reading this book. I say actually because so many books about the environment are "gloom and doom" depressing and paranoid. However, this book is insightful, provocative and even funny at times. Yes, some of the information is downright disturbing and makes me want to get rid of stuff in our house: plastic toys, tupperware, and teflon to name a few. But reading this book has been an eye opener for me, I even started checking the health hazard of some of the cosmetics we use at home through the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database and was shocked by what I saw. Luckily our Ivory bar soap is only a 3/10 health hazard but I can't say the same for our baby shampoo - yikes!

Birth Story

Warning: Graphic content... well more so than my usual posts :)

Everyone says that labour and delivery go quicker the second time around, but this was insanely fast! This labour and delivery was nothing like my first.

At 8:00 am I took the first dose of the labour cocktail. I tried taking the labour cocktail on Monday but nothing happened, so I wasn't convinced anything would happen this time around. I spent the morning vacuuming, dusting and tidying and finished off my regular Friday cleaning routine. I even managed to prep everything for dinner and go out and buy an Easter gift for my Grandmother.

By lunch I was feeling a bit nauseous. I attributed my upset stomach to the Castor oil I took in the morning (it's part of the labour cocktail). I took the second dose of the cocktail minus the Castor oil. I fed Monkey and forced myself to eat too. I ate toast, chocolate pudding and Sprite; it's all I could stomach. After I put Monkey down for his nap, I snuggled into bed to read a book. Unfortunately, I kept on getting interrupted by my angry intestines. Ugg...Castor oil...

Around 2:30 pm I was having mild irregular contractions. It was nothing new to me, I'd been having contractions like these for over a week. However, the trips to the washroom were becoming debilitating so I called hubby and asked him to come from work. Hubby was here at 3:00 pm and around 3:30 pm I was having contractions 3-5 minutes apart lasting a minute or longer. Active labour had finally started. I walked or rocked myself through the contractions. They were easy to cope through at this point. We called our Doula to let her know labour had started and we were coping well.

What happened over the next hour is hard to explain. I jumped in the shower to wash up, but things started to move fast. I managed to wash my hair, eat a mango Popsicle and talk to our Midwife on the phone between contractions. At that point (4:00 pm) I didn't things were that far along, but each contraction seemed surprisingly more intense than the last. I got out of the shower because I needed to use the toilet again. As I sat on the toilet the most intense contraction ripped through my body and I screamed. My mind was thinking "who is that crazy lady screaming?" and "we have to go to the hospital NOW!". Hubby helped me dress but the next contraction brought me to the floor. I crawled through it as he pressed on my lower back. When it was done we walked out the house and to the car (4:30pm). I looked at the car hesitantly thinking "can I handle a contraction sitting in there?" but then I got in - I had no choice!

I tried to worked through the contractions by "blowing bubbles", panting, waving my arms, grabbing hubby's neck and occasionally screaming. Heavy rock was on the radio and my hands were tingling because I was hyperventilating. All of a sudden I told hubby "Oh *#$ I'm pushing!". He took it all in stride and said "you're doing great... don't push". He parked the car at the hospital and got out. I told him to forget about the ticket and the luggage. I walked (waddled) as fast as I could to the maternity floor. With each contraction my body was pushing. On the maternity floor a nurse told me to stop and work through the contraction. "Yeah right! Do you want me having a baby on the floor!" I thought as I waddled past her.

Once we got into the room (4:47 pm) I told our Midwife I was pushing. I was so happy to see her! She calmly got me on the bed and the next thing she said "yep your fully (dilated) you can push". It was too intense and I wanted relief. I asked for medication. I didn't really want it and I knew I wasn't going to get it but it was so intense. Pushing made things feel more in control and less frantic. So did the back massage the Doula was giving me. I could feel the baby's head crown.
"It hurts!" I said.
"That's the baby's head" replied our Midwife.
"I know" I moaned. I just had to say that it hurt. Labour is funny that way. Our Doula told me not too worry that I can become "real big" to let this baby out. It felt good to have her say it to me. After 16 minutes of pushing our beautiful baby girl was born (March 19, 5:03pm) weighing 7 lbs 11oz.

What a relief! No tearing, no drugs. I felt great! We celebrated with bubbly grape juice and cake - thanks to our wonderful Doula! I showered, breastfed and we left to go home 3.5 hours after our baby girl was born.

Still Pregnant

Yesterday, I tried so many things to get these mild irregular (sometimes regular) contractions to go into active labour.  We went for a brisk walk to the park. Monkey enjoyed the swing and I went down the slide.

There were times where I felt quite hopeful, but as you have probably guessed by now - yes I'm still pregnant!

This morning I made a to-do list: buy stamps, pick up the car seat adapter for our stroller, get wood chip bedding for rabbit nest boxes, go to a thrift store, and eat a chocolate chip cookie. Clearly I need to have this baby soon!

Being Overdue - 41 Weeks + 2 days

I was 11 days overdue with Monkey but for some reason I'm finding it much more difficult to be overdue with this baby. I think it's because I've been mentally preparing myself for the arrival of this one since 32 weeks when we had our threatened preterm labour scare. Really, I'm not surprised that I'm overdue. My mom was overdue with all three of her pregnancies but she never was induced. I'm really hoping that I won't be induced.

Yesterday I took a labour inducing cocktail (yuck!) and I last night I was getting a lot of mild contractions. I thought I was on my way into active labour. But alas! I woke up this morning well rested, still pregnant... and quite cranky :S

I'm starting to do what I imagine many overdue Mamas do these days...Google frantically to find that "miraculous" thing that will get this baby out! I've scanned the list of items and I'm coming up with a game plan for tomorrow if nothing starts tonight. Watch out baby, you're not staying in there forever!

Note the laissez-faire style at 41 weeks :)

Book Review - Simplicity Parenting

Last night I finished reading Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. Paynes explains in his book that we are raising our children in a society of "too much". Too much stuff, too many scheduled activities, and too much access to adult information are causing children too much stress and are pushing them towards behavioral extremes. This book cautions against hyper parenting and argues that children need to explore and experience the world at their own pace and in simple ways. He argues that as parents we need to honour childhood and protect it. He explains that we can do this by simplifying or using the "power of less" in children's environments, daily rhythms, schedules and access to the adult world.

I saw a lot of the common sense behind Payne's suggestions. Monkey is only 2 years old but I found that I could already apply many of his suggestions. His suggestions are very practical. For instance, he provides a helpful 10 point checklist of toys without "staying power" in the home because he believes that reducing the amount of toys in a child's environment allows them to be more creative and less overwhelmed. To counter his checklist he offers suggestions for toys and books that you should keep. Payne even takes the unpopular stance that children under the age of 7 or 8 should have no access to TV or computer. There are so many different topics covered in this book I imagine all parents will glean something positive from it. I definitely recommend this book for parents, even of little ones, and I would place it on my top ten list of parenting books :)

Clipping Coupons

Do you clip coupons for grocery shopping? I thought clipping coupons was a scam to make you buy stuff that you really didn't need in the first place. However, a little while ago, on a cold wintry day, I wrapped myself in my favorite Peruvian blanket and did some much needed web-surfing. Somehow I came across smartcanucks.ca, a website that celebrates Canadians that like to be frugal and save money. Curiously, I scanned through the coupons forum and was surprised (actually shocked) to find that there were coupons out there for products that I do occasionally buy. But to prove to myself that I wasn't going to fall for the scam of buying the product simply because I had a little coupon, I would wait until the product went on sale and then spring on the opportunity to land a wicked deal! Like the time I bought shaving gel for $0.59 - boo-yah!

I don't use a lot of coupons, maybe only a couple each week. I try to keep them organized in a recipe box which is a bit of a challenge. But anyways, this post isn't only about my coupon ventures. I want to hear about yours. Do you clip? Why or why not? Any favorite places to get coupons? And if you don't have any clipping experiences yet, here are some Canadian coupons sites to check out:

Websavers

Save.ca

Weekly Menu

Well, I'm in early labour but I have been for a while now. Since I will have a baby very soon (hopefully), Hubby chose our menu this week. I'm posting this a day early just in case something exciting happens tonight but if not I can be assured that walking the long aisles of Superstore has made more than one woman go into active labour :)

Saturday: Beef Stroganoff, egg noddles and broccoli.
Sunday: Homemade frozen meal.
Monday: Hot Honeyed Spare Ribs with mashed potatoes and sliced veggies.
Tuesday: Perogies and sausage with canned corn.
Wednesday: Mushroom pork chops, rice and asparagus.
Thursday: Homemade Hawaiian pizza.
Friday: Salmon chowder with homemade bread.

Rabbits - An Update

After the loss of our first two rabbit litters in mid-January (more here) we finally mustered the courage to try breeding them again. Spring is obviously in the air because the breeding was so quick you would have missed it if you sneezed. If all goes well we'll have baby Champagne D'Argents a day or two after Easter!

Hubby spent last weekend improving our rabbit hutches and making nesting boxes for the females. I can't believe how big the females are; they must weigh at least 10 lbs now!

Odette - One of our does.

Picture taken Fall 2009.

Making Granola

It's amazing how many convenience food items are really quite simple to make from scratch at home. Some of them can be labourious, like making a huge batch of refried beans, but not difficult, and some of them are easy-peasy with help of a small appliance, like homemade bread with a bread machine. In general the homemade items are cheaper and healthier than the store bought alternatives. I do buy convenience items when I don't have the time or energy to make it from scratch - that's what they're there for! But I like to challenge myself to not depend on them too much.

What kind of things do you make from scratch?

Lately I've stopped buying granola and making it at home. It's so much tastier and really easy. Here is one of my favorite recipes from Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite:

Granola
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix:
2 cups rolled oats (not quick oats!)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt

In a small microwave proof bowl add:
3 1/2 Tbsp. butter
5-6 Tbsp. honey
Zest of one orange

Melt butter mixture in microwave and mix together. Pour over dry ingredients. Spread mixture over a large baking pan and place in oven for 15-20 minutes. Stir mixture every 5 minutes for even baking. Take out of oven and let cool completely. Add 1/2 cup cranberries. Store in airtight container.

Books of the Week

The last week has been a little busy but we've still found time to head to our local public library and pick up a few books.

Monkey has been enjoying Hooray for Fish! It's simple, rhymes and has colorful pictures - check, check and check!

I've been looking at a bunch of different books around the topic of "new baby" for Monkey. So far, my favorite book is What Baby Needs from the Sears Children Library. It's my favorite because of the way it positively portrays breastfeeding, baby wearing and co-sleeping. The book is more appropriate for older children (4+) but Monkey still enjoys looking at the pictures.

I also recently joined a Mommy Book Club and the book for March is The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. It's an autobiography of a girl raised by a very unique and dysfunctional family. It's one of those books makes you feel frustrated and upset while you read it and yet enlightened all at the same time. If you've read Escape by Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer you'll know what I mean.

I'm also reading Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids. I'm only at chapter two but I like the premise of the book. Here's a quote "Too much stuff leads to too little time and too little depth in the way kids see and explore their worlds".

What are you reading?

Weekly Menu

This week I'm hoping to go into labour so I picked dinners that Hubby, or whoever will be here, will find easy to make. A few of them are new to me but they seem simple enough.

Saturday: Chicken spaghetti and sliced veggies.
Sunday: Dinner with family.
Monday: Potato and leek soup with homemade bread.
Tuesday: Spaghetti with Meat-sauce and salad.
Wednesday: Smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.
Thursday: Beef fajitas with the fixing!
Friday: Baked lemon pasta and sliced veggies.

Small Successes

"It's important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

I can't believe it's already Thursday! Where did the last few days go? I'm happy the days are going along nicely especially during these last few days (hopefully) of pregnancy. Here are my small successes since last Thursday:

1) Today I found Hubby a pair of new snow boots for $9.00! Somehow he ripped one of his old snow boots in half while putting it on (?), so I've been on the constant lookout of a new pair. I didn't think that finding snow boots for a reasonable price at this time of the year would be so difficult, but it is! Stores are either sold out of boots and are selling sandals or they are still selling boots for full price ($100+). Got to love to dark, dusty corners of Walmart for finding what you need :)

2) I washed the floors! A slow task since I insist on doing it the old fashion way (on my hands and knees). Apparently this is good for getting your baby into a good position for labour.

3) I finished packing my hospital bag. It's well stocked with mints, chocolate and Gatorade. Maybe I can convince Angel to spare me a few Korean candies too... Oh yes, I did throw in a few pairs of underwear too :)

39 Weeks Pregnant

Here is the pregnancy picture I promised...a while ago. Hubby took it yesterday. I'm 39 weeks pregnant and feeling good... although big. Hopefully labour will start soon.