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! :)

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. 

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! 

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.

"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

{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.

DIS GIRL.

My BFF gets home from her mission on FRIDAY!

I'm so excited. I've missed her SOO much. I would've loved to have had her around this last year from hell, but, alas, the Lord had other plans for her... like serving in Korea!

Watch out for lots of duck face selfies comin' your way via Instagram startng FRIDAYYYY!

March goals!!

Obviously the first week of March has already come and gone, which is insane, but I'm making some goals for March anyway.

First, update on my February goals. We cloth diaper (almost) full time now! It took some tweaking and learning and a lot of leaks, not to mention a ton of laundry, but I feel like it's an A+! Plus I'm getting something like 15 more diapers at the end of this month, so that'll mean less laundry haha.

And my diabetes is WAY better. :) I used all 100 strips this month! Go me!

So, March. I want to keep up with the diabetes. I want to start a budget. And stick to it. And I want to work out. I want to sweat every day. And I want to start being on my phone less!

Now it's out in the open. Phew. Wish me luck.

{11 months}

my small baby is neither small nor a baby.

[jack posing with the 200+ blankets we've collected for the nicu. read about it here!]

jack is now 11 months actual age, 8.5 months adjusted age.

he weighs 19 lb 3 oz and is ~29" tall.

he is a fast crawler, cruises the furniture, and is almost ready to start standing, but gets scared and sits down quickly lol.

he's a curious little boy, always after something. especially his parents. there is no peace or quiet.

he just got his 5th tooth.

he says dada, but we're not saying it counts as a word because he doesn't look at carter and say it. and i swear i've heard him say mama, but same thing.

he eats everything we do. we've cut back formula from 30 oz a day to 16 oz a day. he gets a bottle at breakfast, afternoon, and bedtime. for breakfast he usually eats a muffin and fruit or a whole package of quaker oatmeal. lunch is a sandwich of some sort (grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, tuna) and a veggie (carrots with hummus are a fave), although today we had taquitos and he loved them. dinner is whatever we're eating - his faves are mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and rice.

[first time on the swings! he loved it!]

we've been cloth diapering for a month, and we're finally good at it! we do it full time now! :) the only time he'll wear disposables are probably in the car when we're traveling because that's just easier.

he loves the wiggles and elmo.

he can be bribed to give kisses too. and blows raspberries on us in the shower.

[kissin' his GF, lux]

speaking of, he LOVES water. baths, shower, swimming, drinking.

[carter texted me this when i was with the young women one night. so so sweet.]

February resolutions

Hi, my name is Nicole, and I hate New Year resolutions.

Instead, I do February resolutions!

This February I have 2.

#1 - Take care of myself. My diabetes, specifically. (Lecturers, be gone.) I need to do it for my husband, for my baby, for any future babies, and for myself. I spent $215 at the pharmacy on insulin and strips today, so I'd better use it well!!

#2 - Cloth diapers. I'm going to do another blog next week on how our first week goes, but it has begun! I'm so overwhelmed at the choices and decisions and trial and error, but I'm so excited to a.I) never buy diapers again, a.II) save money, b) make a better, healthier choice for I) Jack, and II) the world Jack is going to grow up in!

Just to give you a money saving example? After 30 months (or 7, 354 diaper changes), disposable diapers add up to about $2,349, with no resale value; cloth diapers add up to $775, with a resale value of $550. That right there is enough for me.

Turning the page..

It's time for a new page in the Peterson book!

Carter has been jumping back and forth between applying for either the Edmonton or Lethbridge City Police Force and going to school for a couple of months - actually since before Jack was born! - and finally decided he wants to go to school to up his chances of success in a police force. He (we, the whole family is going to school really) applied for the Criminal Justice - Policing program at the Lethbridge College (which is one of the best Criminal Justice programs like, ever!) just about 2 weeks ago, and this morning at about 5:30 he came into our room and announced that we had mail. Great. Leave it on the couch, I'm sleeping. "No, we got GOOD mail!" Sure enough, he's been accepted to begin in September 2014!

What does this mean?

It means we'll be moving "home" (since I've always referred to Southern Alberta as home, even after living in Edmonton for 2+ years) in August! Give or take a couple of weeks, depending on where we move to.

It means I may end up going back to work part time, and Jack may end up in some kind of daycare!

It means that I really REALLY need to stop shopping and start saving money.

It means that if I want to invest in cloth diapers, which I do, I need to do it NOW so when we're in school, living on a meager student's budget, we won't have to buy diapers!

It means we get to stay home for Christmas and not feel bad about not seeing any family!

It means no more 6+ hour trips to stay for 2 days, then turn around and come back home.

Southern Alberta to me is home. It's family. I could not be more excited about that aspect of it.

Cons? Lethbridge closes down at like 6pm! There's only one movie theater. I have mom friends up here. I love the ward we live in. I love my calling.

All in all, I think we're ready for a change. And this is a big change!

{10 months}

Jack is turning 1 in two months!! WHAT!? I can't believe a year ago we had just found out what we were having! Bah.

Anyways, Jack had a big month. He mastered the army crawl, sitting up, and now he's starting to stand. Scary business. He is learning how to clap and wave, and he gets 2 solid meals a day, a mix of purees and table food.

He's had scrambled eggs with cheese and peppers, taco bake, muffins, toast, chicken, cucumber, rice, PB&J sandwich, basically anything we eat we cut into small pieces for him.

It's a messy world we live in now.

The big news is that yesterday we went to the Glenrose Neonatal and Infant Follow-Up Clinic, which is a 2-hour clinic all babies who spend time in the NICU go to when they're around 6 months from their due date. Because he was 6 months adjusted at Christmas we postponed a little bit. They evaluated him from 7 months.

He is 18 lb 11 oz, 26" long. He is in the 50%ile for weight, 10%ile for height, and 85%ile in his overall ratios. Aka, he's short and fat.

 For his actual age (10 months) he is in the 10%ile for weight, and not even on the chart for height lol.

They also graded his overall gross motor skills. For 7 months he is above the 90%ile. For 10 months he is the 15%ile, so even if he was a term baby they wouldn't be worried about him!

This boy loves his mama, daddy, and Grandma Martin. And Uncle Max. And Tyler. He wasn't a fan of Grandpa Martin's beard.

He also loves his shape sorting box blocks, and the stacking rings. We blew bubbles yesterday and he was all "Meh".

He likes taking his socks off.

He doesn't like getting in his car seat.

Hopefully we have a walker in the next month!!