December 17, 2014

Stuck in a rut.

I'm stuck in a mom rut. 

Every day feels so monotonous and boring: drag my butt out of bed, throw on a bra, and get Jack out of bed. Change his diaper. Breakfast. Clean up breakfast. Put on Bubble Guppies (thankfully we have 53 episodes PVR'd so I'm not stuck with season 1 on Netflix!), make myself presentable(ish). Sometimes we run downtown, just to get out of the house; sometimes we just lounge. Ryder comes at 11:30. Lunch, clean up lunch, change Jack's diaper, nap time. Find something for myself for lunch. Playtime (which can be anything from playdoh to crafts or board/card games). Snack time. Get Jack out of bed, change his diaper. More playtime (or movie time). Meltdowns. Clean up before Ryder gets picked up. Start supper. Eat supper. Clean up supper. Get Jack ready for bed. 

I'm starting to become very resentful of anyone who gets to leave the house (ahem, Carter). Even on the rare occasion I do get out with no kid(s), I feel a pulling responsibility to be at home. Then I look at Carter who spent 8 hours with his buddies today, is going on a 3 day trip with the young men, immediately followed by a week in Mexico with his brother, and I am so insanely jealous. Not even that he's going to Mexico for free, even though I am, but because if someone offered me a free trip to Mexico I don't think I would accept it. I wouldn't be able to leave without feeling guilty. 

Moms, help me out. How do I get unstuck?

December 12, 2014

{20 months} and everything in between.

woah.

it's been a minute since i posted.

more like two months. and before that it was two months too.

i don't have any valid excuses.

so, as a catch up post, here is jack at 20 (technically 20 and a half, or 18 adjusted) months.


he weighs 25 lb and is ~32" tall. 


and before you ask: no, he doesn't talk. but he has words


if he feels like it he will say: shoe, sock, snack, kitty, dog, dad, ball, moo, guppies, and okay. he signs please, thank you, and more.


he still loves balls. and cars. and playing mom's piano. 


he started going to nursery and it has been "meh" at best. i teach sunbeams, so carter drops him off. i guess he cries for like 10 minutes, then mostly plays with spurts of crying on the leader's lap. he does the lesson (he LOVES folding his arm for prayers) and snack well, then cries when the first kid gets picked up.


he loves playing outside and hates getting his diaper changed.


he loves his shoes and bubble guppies. 


he likes tolerates the 5 year old i babysit, but strongly dislikes when i have toddlers or (gasp!) babies here. [to you mamas with more than 1, how do you introduce babies to toddlers? i dread the day we have one of our own...]


his last two (eye/canine/fang) teeth have just started descending, which means he hasn't been sleeping/napping/eating/playing/doing anything well or happily. hopefully they come in quickly because i am DONE with teething (until his two year old molars make an appearance. sigh)




^ i couldn't pick a favourite of the above photo shoot, so these three all made the cut. he is so feisty (which is what the nurses in the NICU always called him!) and he knows exactly what he wants. i can't wait to see how excited he gets at christmas! yay!

October 10, 2014

life interrupted.

imagine that.

life gets in the way of recording life.

luckily for social media, i have everything i need at my fingertips. now to compile it into a blog post.

right around the labor day weekend, jack started acting funny. he got fussy and was cranky and started waking up every single night for a couple of hours. turns out he had a cold and ear infection, triggered by his canine teeth coming in. (update - a month and a bit later and we're still waiting for the damn teeth to come in).

the same day he was diagnosed with that i started babysitting ryder, a cute 5 year old who is here every week day from 1130-4, and every other friday from 8-4/5. he really is a good kid, super sweet, and he loves jack.. but he's 5. and it's a challenge for me. my imagination has crashed and burned. luckily he loves colouring and playdoh and "helping" me bake.

i also babysit 3 siblings (2, 4, and 6) on wednesdays (i've actually only had them once) from 10-4. between the 4 kids + jack my hands are full full full.

carter started school and he loooooves it. he's still trying to find a balance between being home and getting homework/studying done. but i think he's doing quite well. his favourite class is ethics, but he also loves gym. criminal law is a lot of work, and english has always been a hard subject for him, but he's gotten 80% or higher on every assignment and test he's had!

the best part of the last month and a half (since i blogged) is that we moved! from an itty bitty house with no floor space to a huge house with a loft and open floor plan. and a dishwasher. love love love the dishwasher.

jack's room is weird, since it was formerly a craft room/office and has a countertop all the way around and no closet, but we're making it work. the former formal living room is now a playroom, complete with play kitchen and tool bench. it's awesome to just throw all the toys in there and close the doors, *voila* clean!

carter and i have the master bedroom with ensuite, and a giant closet. there's seriously too much room haha. the one wall looks so blank and empty, i need to print off a huge family picture to hang up on it.

mom and i are going to refinish and old dresser i got from elizabeth.. it's going to be quite the undertaking since neither of us have ever done it before. i plan on doing a whole series of before/during/after photos. watch for that ;)

oh, and i need mom friends. *sad face*

August 26, 2014

JACK & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

I guess I'll tell the story of what happened today *sad face*. 

We had a meltdown - and I do mean we. Dad is working out of town, which I always hate, but it also happens to be his last week of work before school starts ($$$) and that's stressing me out a bit. Jack is getting teeth and possibly has an earache or something (I dunno cause he won't TALK!). 

It all started at lunch. He ate half a 6" from Subway yesterday and did so good with it, so I decided to save it for lunch today! First bite, all good. Second bite? He grimaced, which I know means he's going to spit it out. Nope. He chewed.. and chewed.. and chewed.. then took it out of his mouth and threw it at me. 

*Deep breath*. 

Try again. Nope. Same thing. Chew, chew, chew.. Throw it at mom. Once in awhile he would swallow, but probably 80% was spit out or thrown at me. Which is annoying because he knows better, and I know he knows better. Fine, you don't want your sandwich? Give me 30 seconds to quickly rethink your meal plan.. Goldfish crackers! You LOVE goldfish crackers. 1.. 2.. good, he's eating them. 3.. Nope. Chew, chew, chew.. You get the picture. OKAY FINE! I'll just spoon feed you yogurt. Is that nummy? Oh good! Oh no.. As soon as the spoon came out of his mouth he spit. I could've strangled him (but I didn't! Because I LOVE my toddler!). Instead, I let out a little yell of frustration. 

Then he cried. And cried. And cried. 

And I cried. And cried. And cried. 

He did eventually eat the whole container of yogurt, and was put to bed with a bottle of formula (that I keep on hand in case of emergencies. This qualified, believe me). 

He got up from his nap and I thought, I'll give him a treat! We'll go for a walk (and I'll let him actually walk) to the park and have a "snack-nic" (which translates roughly to a picnic of snack foods). So, I packed the bag, got the stroller ready (because no mom with a toddler would go anywhere without a backup plan), got his shoes strapped on, and off we went. We had 4 blocks to go. Did I think he would make it the whole way? No. Hence the stroller. Did I think it would be two houses before our first meltdown? 

I imagine his brain was in hyperdrive

"Hey Mom! I'm walking! Look at me wal-- WHAT is THAT?! Is that a PINECONE? I NEED TO EAT IT! Mmmmmmm nope. Gross. *toss* Okay okay, we're walking.. We're walking.. Hey! I want to push the stroller! Good mama for letting me push the stroll-- HOLY COW! That was a CAR! Mama, did you see that CAR? Where did it go? I need to see where it went. Just let me go out here on the road.. NOOOOOOOOOOOO MAMAMAMAMAMAMAM NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *cry cry cry cry cry cry* Maybe if I thrash around violently she'll be forced to put me down.. Oh, you're gonna put your face that close to mine in a desperate attempt to reason with me? NOPE! *headbutt* Breathe. Okay. I'll calm down. Fine. I'll push the stroller. WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO HOLD YOUR HAND WHILE WE CROSS THE ROAD? HOW HUMILIATING. I'M GOING TO SCREAM AND THRASH AROUND AGAIN! DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO PUT ME IN THE STROLL-- Fine. I'll sit in the stroller. It's cooler in here anyway." 

You can imagine the rest of our afternoon.

5 - 
the number of times I buckled and unbuckled the stroller harness.
4 - 
the number of times I had to grab him from the road (he is FAST)
3 - 
the number of times I let him slide down the HUGE slide.
2 - 
the number of stranger's porch stairs he tried climbing.
1 - 
the number of times I'm going to attempt that trip to the park. 


{17 months}

It has been too too long and too far between posts updating all my many readers (wink wink, probably just me 30 years from now) on the most important aspect of my life.

JACK!

He is 17 months old. How? Where did the time go? I have no idea. I do know that he will be 2 in 7 short months, and he is starting nursery next month (thank the gracious heavens, I can't handle anymore "hall church"). 


Mister Jack is almost/not quite 30" tall. We took him into nursery last week and he held his own, but is visibly shorter than all the kids. Hopefully he got some of his uncles' genes and isn't doomed to be short forever.


He weighs 25 lb (according to my handy dandy method of weighing myself [yikes], then picking him up and doing it again). 

June 30 - Max and Dad ran the 5K. We supported from afar.

These stats put him around the 85%ile for weight (averaged between adjusted and actual age) and between 3 and 15%ile for height (told you he was short!).

Matchy matchy! <3

He is totally mobile. Don't even think about carrying him or trying to strap him into a stroller or shopping cart. Put that kid's shoes on and let. him. run. 

Shoes are a lost cause.

And run he does.

What a little stinker.

Unless Bubble Guppies is on. Don't know what that is? Here, I'll enlighten you. Bubble Guppies is my lifesaver. I can put on Netflix and have a shower and he doesn't even realize I'm gone. We can drive in the car for 3, 4, 5 hours and time flies.

We went camping with Grandpa Martin "and crew". Messy ensued. 

Another favourite activity of Jack's is eating. He. Eats. Everything. And anything. He doesn't hesitate to try new foods, but also doesn't hesitate to spit them out. Promptly. He takes after his mama and doesn't like cheese (unless we hide it on his sandwich). 


He still sleeps like a dream, from 7 or 8pm until 7 or 8am. He also takes a nap from around 11 or 12 until 2 or 3. I love nap time.

Jack and Mammy

Jackers has 8 front teeth, 4 molars, and I suspect we'll have a canine or two in the next couple of weeks. 

Stirling Days, waiting for the parade!

He is still choosing to not speak, although occasionally "daw" (dog) slips out. "Mama" and "Dad" are constants. "Ba" (ball) also is occasional, although less so than "daw". Sometimes things are too exciting to keep in.


He LOVES reading. Books books books. All the time. But now he brings them to us to read. It's so sweet.


When we say "prayer" he instantly folds his arms. Even if I say "sit down" he thinks it's prayer time and gets all geared up. It's so sweet.

Snuggling with the sleepy uncles. I love this picture.

As much as he loves Mama and Dad and Grandma, no one trumps Uncle Max. Seriously. It's hilarious and adorable.

The 5 of us went camping in Great Falls and spent an afternoon at the waterpark!
He is such a sweet boy. The older he gets the harder it is to remember where he started, 2 lb 9 oz, 14", laying in an isolette. 

July 16, 2014

Jack's Corner!


You guys,

I am so excited. I am opening a dayhome/child care center!

With Carter going back to school in September (Criminal Justice - Policing), I need to find some income. My options? Go back to work in my field (Medical Transcription), making more money, but spending money on putting Jack in daycare (and being miserable!! I need to be with my baby!), or work from home, making less money, but keeping Jack with me! So a dayhome it is!

I can't wait to get started.

About me? I am the oldest of 5 kids, the youngest is 8 years younger than me so I spent a lot of time helping out with him (and the other boys) while I was growing up. I baby sat for other families from the time I was probably 12, including a family that had two boys with special needs. I was also a nanny for a year after high school. I now have a 16 month old who is seriously my pride and joy. He challenges me every day (and has since he was born!), but watching him learn and grow is so rewarding! That is why I chose a dayhome.

I know how much I love my child, and how difficult it would be for me to leave him day after day so I could go to work (heck, it's difficult for me to leave him for a couple of hours!!). I would need someone I trusted, who I believed could care for my child as well as I could without taking over the role of mother. If it was me looking for childcare, I would want someone with children. Someone who knows the ups and downs of child rearing, of being a mother, of its joys and challenges. Someone who you can see genuinely cares for her own child, as well as the ones in her care everyday.

That is what I want to bring to these young lives. I want to be a leader and friend, gentle but strong.

I just finished my CPR level C and First Aid certification, so you can be sure your children are in capable hands!

I am going to be "open" from 7 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, with the exception of stat holidays or the Monday following a stat holiday on the weekend.

I will be accepting full time (over 25 hours a week or 100 hours a month), part time (under 25 hours a week or 100 hours a month), after school care, and drop in.

Full time: $450/month, $500/month for newborns-1 year old (contract required)
Part time: $250/month, $300/month for newborns-1 year old (contract required)
Drop in/after school care: $7/hour, $10/hour for newborns-1 year old

I will be providing two snacks (morning and afternoon), and lunch.

Parents are required to provide diapers, wipes, an extra outfit, outdoor clothes, sunscreen, bug spray, a bottle or sippy cup, comforts such as a blanket or pacifier, baby food, and formula. I will not allow toys or books from home.

I am not licensed, going through an agency, or offering subsidy. I will provide a receipt for tax purposes at the end of the calendar year.

I am so looking forward to meeting and caring for your precious kids!! Please don't hesitate to message me on Facebook, or text or call me (403-360-7294) if you are interested or have any questions! :)

July 8, 2014

Cloth Diaper Reviews! *updated December 21/14*

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own.



WAHM - Basically I have no idea where or who made these diapers. They are both pockets with snaps, which basically means they're as good as whatever inserts I use. 11 pts

Bamboo Baby - This is an AIO (all-in-one) diaper, with a bamboo interior, and snaps. It is a great diaper, very absorbent for my heavy wetter. My only complaint is that the bamboo does get very rough when it line dries. 12 pts

AMP - This pocket diaper is starting to delaminate, so we've only used it once or twice. I found it fit similar to Applecheeks, but smaller. 12 pts

BumGenius - I believe these pocket diapers are Freetimes, which we're not huge fans of since Jack figured out how to undo velcro. The Canada diaper, I actually cut the pocket out and sewed the patch on to make it a festive diaper for July 1 (since I'm still waiting for my EBB CMG [definition below]). Again, how much I like BumGenius depends on the insert used. 7 pts

Imagine - These diapers are called fitteds. They are super absorbent, almost made out of a terry cloth material, but HAVE to be used with a cover or they leak like mad. They work awesome for naps! 13 pts

Imagine AIO - This diaper was provided to me by Snappy Nappies. It's similar to the Imagine fitteds, but has a "built-in" over, which gets an A+ for me!! 15 pts

Kawaii - "Meh" is my best term for these. I find they fit fairly loose, and they're super wide and bulky. 11 pts

Snappy Nappies - These are great cheap pocket diapers. I love that I can buy them locally. The 3 beside the Kawaiis are charcoal bamboo diapers with a double gusset, and when I use the charcoal insert with Snappy Nappies' "heavy wetter" insert (which is bamboo and Zorb) he can have a huge long nap! I ordered bamboo booster inserts from Alva as well, and they are AWESOME. I use them in all of our diapers for extra absorbency. 14 pts

Max and Meena (Mighty Nites) - Another Canadian WAHM, This is our newest diaper, and probably my favourite for night times. It's really trim, especially for how bulky it feels. This is a fitted hybrid, which is basically made for heavy wetters at night. Plus, this diaper fits really large around the waist, so it'll fit him forever! He wore it for 14 hours with no leaking at all. 13 pts

Kabumkiss - These are our other fitted hybrids that we use for night. They do absorb a ton, which (downfall) causes a really strong ammonia smell. These ones do have some leaking issues if he wears pants or if his shirt touches the inside of the diaper, so we just try hard to make sure that doesn't happen! 11 pts

Lil Bit Everything - This is a WAHM based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her diapers have great fit, Zorb inserts, and - best of all - totally custom! All 3 of these diapers, I emailed her the picture of what I wanted (or, in the case of the birth announcement diaper, what I wanted it to say and a sample of one that I liked), requested the colors of fabric, thread, and snaps, and received them less than a week later! She has great customer service. In fact, I have one more coming from her shortly! 14 pts

Maplebeans - This is a gorgeous Canadian WAHM fitted diaper that I refuse to put a cover on, obviously ;) The fit is awesome! 14 pts.

Ella Bella Bum - These are my all time favourite. They are SO trim, they fit under any pants. Plus, she's also Canadian! And you can order custom diapers (although they do run a lot pricier than I really like), which are called Custom Mini Groups. I have 3 coming soon! 13 pts

Poppyfields - Another Canadian fitted diaper that is so freaking cute!! Again, super absorbent. 13 pts

Applecheeks - Right up there with EBBs, I love the elastic fronts and backs, and the bamboo inserts are great. It's also a trim diaper. I need more ACs!! 13 pts

Best Bottoms - Snappy Nappies provided me with a Best Bottoms overnight system. It's a cover with microfiber inserts (which usually don't work for Jack at all), so I was pretty hesitant. But to my pleasant surprise, the MF inserts are great for playing around! And I used the overnight system (an extra overnight insert with the regular) for a nap and some play time after, and it worked for about 5 hours! Not quite a night time diaper for my little fire hoser, but great for a nap! 14 pts Update: I used the overnight system last night, and it worked! It's a Christmas miracle! Woo hoo! 

Inserts - For the most part, I use 2+2 inserts with a bamboo booster by Alva, or prefolds with a bamboo booster. Basically we've use every insert suggested, and only ever hated microfibers. Jack pees too fast, and microfiber didn't have time to absorb so he would leak.

CD-Safe Bum Cream - Snappy Nappies gave me a sample of Yum Bum Butter by Delish Naturals and we love it! It smells so good, and is good for more than just bum rash! Jack got a heat rash on his belly, so I put some Yum Bum Butter on and it cleared right up! It's all natural and doesn't cause build up on the diapers. Yay!

Criteria for "point" system is located here!


Mom Fails Confessions #2


From Facebook
Kyra confessed:  Sometimes when milo wakes up before his deemed "wake up time" I turn off the baby monitor and keep sleeping. I will never know how long he sits and talks/cries until he goes back sleep. Milo also lives off of cheese and fruit. He refuses to eat veggies or meat. He also loves ice coffee...

Rebecca said: I put Ian in his crib screaming because I can't handle it sometimes him being so grumpy. On the drive home from Raymond I gave him a little bit of tylenol because he was so upset crying from Raymond to Calgary almost non stop couldn't take it anymore.


From Babycenter.com March 2013
"I forgot a diaper after being at the waterpark.. So he went home in an extra swim diaper. And peed - everywhere!"

"When my son was a newborn and I was super sleep deprived I accidentally left the faucet in the bathroom sink on.. and it stopped draining. When I finally noticed the bathroom was flooded, every drawer in the vanity was full, and the basement was raining. My husband still hasn't let me live it down."

Dad fail! "I couldn't figure out why my kid was having such a hard time standing up! Finally I went to change his diaper, and both legs were through the same hole!"

"When little one was about four months my husband and I were leaving my parents house late at night to go home. We had just used the last diaper at their house but figured it didn't matter because we were going home anyways. We get into the car and realize it has no gas. We proceed to break down a couple blocks from my parents house. We get out our cell phones to call my parents to come pick the three of us up only to realize that both our phones are dead. So we get out of the car, put the baby in the stroller, and walk back to my parents house. When we get there we realize lo has decided it would be great time to explode her diaper. However, there were no more diapers to change her into at my parent's house. My dad luckily had a gas can and gave us gas to get us home. Lo had to wear a towel wrapped around her for the ride home. Talk about unprepared. I do, however, now always make sure there are enough diapers, gas in the car, and that my phone is charged before I go anywhere." *Duly noted*

"When mine was a newborn, I hadn't gotten the whole 'prepared diaper bag' thing down yet. So when she pooped at the docs office (I think her 1 month check up) I didn't have a spare.
When I took her with to my 6 week pp checkup, I was all prepared w extra diapers! Except during that visit, she peed THROUGH her sleeper. I had no spare clothes. Ugh.
Lessons learned!"

I certainly can attest to lessons learned. *sigh*. We don't go ANYWHERE without extra clothes, extra diapers (cloth and I leave disposables in the car, just in case), food (because a hungry baby is a miserable baby), and a sippy cup (because, believe me, there is nothing worse (or wetter) than being at the zoo in the 25C weather and realizing your left baby's cup in the car. 


June 16, 2014

Mom Fails Confession #1

I love my Jackers. I love my "job" as a stay at home mom, and I never want to have to leave him to go to work.

But I have my days. 

I have those days when I would love nothing more than to sell him to the circus and spend the day shopping.

Here is where I am going to document my mom fails. And I'm going to own up to them. Every one.



June 16, 2014
I let Jack toddle around a public store in bare feet because I have yet to find a pair of sturdy shoes that don't make his feet sweat. And I'm not even really looking.

I fed Jack breadstick crackers dipped in process cheese for lunch because he wouldn't eat anything else.

He is currently in his bed fussing because I can't deal with his crankiness. It's MY time out. We do this for at least an hour every day.

Retroconfession: Saturday we spent the day at the zoo in Calgary, a 3 hour drive from home. We left Raymond at 8:30am, and got home at 7pm. He didn't nap for more than 45 minutes. When we got home he was WIRED and was not going to sleep. I ended up giving him melatonin (~1 mg) at 10pm. And it worked.

Send me your confessions! 

June 15, 2014

Father's Day!

To Carter:

Jack is so lucky to have you.

Watching you love him makes it so easy to love you.

Happy 2nd Father's Day.

Enjoy your round of golf. :)

Love,

Nicole. and Jack.






Due Date-iversary.

Sweet, sweet toddling boy. You have come so far from where you were a year ago. 



Jack is now 14.5 months. 



He is starting to walk, which is both terrifying and exciting. 



He wears size 24 month/2T shirts and onesies, and size 18 month pants. Shorty.



We attempted to weigh and measure him at home, and got that he's about 22 lb, 29.5". 



He still sleeps 12+ hours a night, from about 7:30-7:30. He usually has two naps a day, from 9:30-12, and 3-5, but if we're out doing something he's okay with one nap.



He hasn't had formula in over a month. He loves water (which is what he gets for bed), and juice. He gets milk once a day as well. 



We're sticking strong with cloth diapers! 



He LOVES The Wiggles, living with Grandma Martin (and Uncle Max), and puppies.


And we LOVE LOVE LOVE
Jackers.

May 23, 2014

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long perfectly manicured fingernails. 
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking the kids to scout camp. I want to be therewith  a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. 
I want The Lord to know that I was really here and I really lived."
- Marjorie Pay Hinkley





April 1, 2014

{one!!!}

my sweet little boy is officially a toddler.

no more babying this kid.



he is 20 lb 11 oz. that is ten times his birth weight.

he is 28" tall. that is double his birth length (shorty).



he wears 12 and 18 month tops, and 9 and 12 month bottoms.

he is so close to walking its painful.



he knows when "dad!" gets home.



he is also very good at saying "ba ba ba ba ba" and that is it.

he has 6 teeth. very sharp teeth.



he loves his grandma martin.

his favorite foods are tacos (burrito and enchilada style) and mashed potatoes. he's also taken a liking to oranges and peaches.



in fact, we've yet to find a food he doesn't like.

he is a very quick crawler. one of his favorite games is "i'm gonna getya!"



he had his first bum rash this week. oops.

but we've been cloth diapering for 2 months now, and i think we love it. ;)



i KNOW we love this kid.

the last year has been hard. with moving at 6 months pregnant, having jack at barely 7 months, 10 weeks in the nicu, grandma being sick and passing away, my parents splitting up... jack turning 1 feels like a milestone, like we can finally put the year behind us and start over.

cheers, 2013 - you sucked.