I Know Right!?

This is 16 month old Finley shielding herself from the paparazzi that is mommy and Aunt Kelly. I'm addicted to taking pics of her. It's kinda ridiculous.

Here she is on our evening walk.

In Fin's words she's wearing her EYES, and holding onto Rarrrr (bear) and baby.

Much to my delight Finley has a love of shoes...just like me.

Shoes are by Joe (Lawblaws Canada)

Socks (Gymboree)

Stroller is the Indy by Bumbleride (Thanks Grampy & Grandma Meg)

The Countdown Is On!

Our Finley Mae is turning ONE on Saturday April 10th!

Where has the year gone?

All I can think about is how fat I was this time last year, how I drank two litres of soy milk a day with a box of Shreddies. I wondered if my mother's instinct telling me I was carrying a daughter was wishful thinking or accurate. I wondered what our birth story would be, and if I would be terrified. I wanted a Natural birth and in a state where 76 percent of births are C sections I wondered how feasible my natural delivery would be. How would Steve and I get through it? Would our baby be okay? Would she look like me or Steve?

Now Steve and I have a little darling who plays peek a boo, runs a car across the floor making the bruuuum sound, points at the vacuum and tells her daddy rrrrvvvvuuuum, she signs (ASL) about 20 words and says DADDY clear as a bell. She is the light of our days. She is my greatest joy and Steve and I marvel daily on how spirited , bright, funny, smart and loving she is. Sometime we stop and look at each other and say: We made her.

And now we are planning a PARTAAAAAY! YIPEEE! I LOVE parties!

Yes, I'm still Alive!

I've been remiss in adding posts up here! Unfortunately, I had a great post all done up about the yoga retreat and it has vanished and the videos I was trying 75 million times to upload for the Monkey See Monkey Do post failed every time ... I'm left wondering what little bugs are affecting blogspot?

Further excuses as to why I've dropped off the face of the blogging earth:

1 . Finley is running everywhere so I'm chasing her. It has not left time for a blog post!

2. I had a BIG school project to finish and submit. Still gunning for an "A."

3. I flew with Finley to Ottawa to visit family for FEASTER
(we eat a lot at Easter hence the appropriate name change).

4. I had someones first birthday party invites to make and send out.

5. We finally had good weather so Steve and I had to rake the yard and get rid of the leaves and plant the garden! Yay for good weather and getting to go OUTSIDE. Man, this winter sucked.

Will be back home in NC soon and will repost the Yoga blog and many more fun tidbits from our week in O-town.

Peace Out Y'all!

Hat Thief

Wordless Wednesday - Scoobie Snacks

Sit Finley Sit -Good Girl!

Finley 4.5 Months

So, I just gotta do what I practiced with daddy and I'll be fine.

Oh Hey, I'm sitting.

Wait a Minute I'm SITTING!!!

Look ma NO hands!

Hey dad, I place one hand down for balance right?

I totally meant to do that - Hi Cecil.

A little "shout out" to say THANK YOU to Ashley & Bark for the cute Gymboree outfit.

It fits her so well.

I'll bring it to CR for Jane in January!

You Should Learn Some New Songs

On our car 16 hour ride to Ontario I entertained our 3.5 month old with my arsenal of songs. Sometimes, when I am playing with Fin, out of my mouth comes a new children's song, one that I hadn't thought of in years. Other times, I start a song and somewhere along the way I forget the words and wind up humming along to the tune, then pick it up again and lately, I just make some words up.

My repertoire is varied; Finley likes everything from the Dead and Dylan to Britney and Rhianna and as far as kids songs go I thought I knew quite a few. I have the nursery rhymes down and a handful of other great songs about sharing and peanut butter and jelly, little worms, skipping songs, the old lady who swallowed a spider, Bunny Fou Fou and teddy bears who picnic. It doesn't matter that I can't carry a tune Finley loves the sound of my voice and somehow my singing is both entertaining and soothing to her.

Fin's favorite lullaby is the ONLY lullaby I know all the words to. It's our song. Every time she is fussy and having a hard time going to sleep I sing: Ann Murray's Mocking Bird song from the album There's A Hippo in My Bathtub. It was my favorite album as a kid.

Our car ride version went something like this:

Michelle (singing)

Hush Little Baby Don't Say a Word Momma's Gonna buy you a Mocking bird.

Steve (Speaking)

No she's not!

Finley (screaming)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhieaaaaaaaaaiaaiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaahhhhh

Michelle

If that mocking won't sing. Momma's gonna buy diamond ring.

Steve

No she's not!

Michelle

If that diamond ring turns brass momma's gonna buy you a looking glass.

Steve

No she's not.

Finley (screaming)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhieaaaaaaaaaiaaiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaahhhhh

Michelle

If that looking glass is broke, Momma's gonna buy you a billy goat.

Steve

Well maybe that - that's cool - you can buy that.

Michelle

If that billy goat won't pull Momma's gonna buy you a cart and bull.

Steve

I like the goat better.

Michelle

If that cart and bull turn over, Momma's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.

Steve

You have to get rid of Cecil then.

Michelle

If that dog named Rover won't bark, Momma's gonna buy you a horse and cart.

Steve

You don't want a dog to bark. You might as well keep Cecil.

Michelle (Big Finish)

If that horse and cart fall down, You'll still be the sweetest little baby in tooooown.

Steve

Why don't you learn some new songs?

Or at the very least make up some other stuff to buy her and sing about.

She's HUNGRY.

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Does EVERYONE hand a fussy baby back to the mom and say:

She's Hungry.

Why?

It drives me nuts. She's NOT HUNGRY she is just fussy, her teeth are bothering her, maybe she's wet or getting close to nap time.

BUT SHE'S NOT HUNGRY.

A breast feeding mom DOES NOT FORGET TO FEED HER CHILD!

Finley 4 months

This Week's - Milestones

Finley 16 Weeks Old

Finley discovered the JOY of the exersaucer.

She smiles when she pulls up to standing.

She found her feet and her VOICE

She took a daytime nap independently!

The BEST development:

I did not have to BOUNCE Finley on the exercise ball ONCE!

We did not have a single COLICY HOUR in the past week!

We are LOVING the 4th month.

Vacuum TRUMPS Lullabyes

Our baby has been very fussy the past week.  It starts up at around 6pm and caries on until ten or eleven pm.  Why? We thought it was onions and she was gassy. So I eliminated onions from my diet (see ya in 8 months my oniony old friends).  Then we thought she might be constipated. No that is rare in a breast fed baby.  We asked around and were told:

 Sometimes babies just fuss. 

Hahah you have children this routine until they are 35.  

Yes, babies have their own temperament. 

They'll grow in and out of these phases. 

Wait until she starts teething - it's enough to make you want to leave home.

SUPER! These are the types of advice you are not told until the deal is signed sealed and delivered.  Before that you get told how wonderful babies are and how amazing the love and the faces of your child are. And they are. The tears are part of it - for both parent and child!

I read up on COLIC. Apparently babies born naturally - drug free- are NOT usually colicky. MY BABY DID NOT GET THIS MEMO!  I also read that colicky babies like movement and repetitive noise.  So for the first week I bounced up and down on my 19" exercise ball. She fell asleep and I worked my abs, we mowed the lawn (we have a push mower no motor), we played Hip Hop music and danced in the kitchen almost all day Sunday when she was colicky from 1pm to 10pm and we've been on countless walks. She likes to be in the front carrier for all of these wonderful activities. By yesterday momma was tired.  Dad Dad had just come off a string of days in charge in the E.D and he was tired. We traded her off all day and then...I looked around my house and saw dust bunnies the size of our dog and decided...THE CURE TO COLIC TONIGHT WILL BE THE VACUUM.

Guess what? It was!  She fell asleep in no time. She stayed asleep. My house is clean and we both woke up this morning with a smile.  

For Crying Out Loud!

Finley Mae has been crying more on then off for the past 5 hours.  

Is it gas? 

Usually when she gets worked up it is gas ... and it's usually a 45 minute fussy period in the evening.  I have figured out her hungry cry, her gassy cry, her tired cry and her I am wet cry ... but today, today the baby has me stumped. 

Advice Welcome.

My FIRST Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

to all my friends and my wonderful surrogate moms and to you mom.

Never mind the card Momma get me some BOOBIES I'm starving!

My four legged baby guarding the two legged baby in the vibrating chair. 

Why do they not make VIBRATING PAPA SAN chairs for adults? Half the reason I go get a pedicure is to sit in the vibrating massage chair.  I guess if I had a chair like this at home large enough to accommodate me I would do nothing else but sit in it.  I bet I could pitch this idea to Pier One Imports and make a killing. 

Finley asked her Daddy to help her pick out these Starburst Lillies and a card.

My sweet hubby made us steak, lobster tails, fresh perogies & salad.

Finley looking at a visibly tired me and wondering when the Boobie Buffet will open again...she wants the lobster!

HAPPY ONE MONTH BIRTHDAY BABY FINLEY MAE! 

You're the best gift of all. 

I LOVE You!

Whoaaa! A Way Over Due Post

Well the last of our company has just gone home this morning and for the first time it's just Fin, Cecil and I sitting in Steve's new GIANT lazyboy (the lazy boy I protested having in our house for years and have- since it's arrival- taken over as my breastfeeding station. Don't worry Steve you can sit in it every 4th night or something - we can negotiate!). I thought I would panic at the idea of spending the day home alone for the first time but I am actually looking forward to it. Steve and I have come to realize that we have spent only TWO nights home alone without guests since Fin's arrival and she is now one month old!

Right now I am waiting for Fin to wake up with a bear in her belly waving her head back and forth foraging my chest in her quest to eat some boobies. She ate at 10:30PM then at 5:25 AM - the child slept through the night which means I too slept through the night for the 1st time in four weeks. Steve woke up and asked if she was okay? Should the baby have slept through the night? I figure it's a bonus - not the norm. She ate every 2 hours for the past few days and has had gas and probably some growing pains. She's probably sleeping off her growth spurt my friend Nee said.

Since Finley arrived we have been getting the hang of managing the house and laundry (with help from Dad & Meg ). I put Fin in her vibrating chair or wear her in the sling while I run around with the vacuum or clean a bathroom. Finley does not mind the "daytime" sounds going on around her. Yesterday, after I fed her I popped her into her sling and we did groceries together - just the two of us. We made it to Walmart, bought the groceries and drove home - in an hour and a half total- while she slept. It was excellent. Walmart grocery section is not that bad at 8am!

We are cloth diapering - we have 23 diapers and I do a load every other day. The weather has been in the upper 80's so they dry quickly outside on the dry rack. Fin likes to poop the second I change her into a new clean diaper. The other day I went through four diapers in one hour!

HAHAHA - While hanging out having a feed in her Dad's lazy boy Finley let a ripper go in her pants loud enough to wake the dead. The sound scared the dog right off the chair! I was laughing so hard my boob popped out of Fin's mouth and was spraying milk, Finley was rooting trying to get back on while squeezing her eyes shut shielding them from spray, the dog was shaking while looking at us like we were the sole survivors of a natural disaster from his new position on a pillow across the room. I may have to register the dog for some counselling as he may be suffering some Post Traumatic Stress after this baby's behind bombing.

So Far So Good On Our 1st Fin & Mom Day

It's the first time:

 I gave Finley Mae a bath - alone.

The first time I took a shower while Fin was snoozing in her co-sleeper.

Our first outing in the stroller. We went to the Farmer's Market and bought some gorgeous spinach and red lettuce and Finley bought me a big bouquet of peonies with her allowance.

Fin slept and I set to work restoring order to my house which makes me happy, cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, and mopping floors. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?

And now at 2:30PM I am having some lunch...this means for certain Finley will wake up and scream for her lunch too...she only likes to eat when I do. Who wants to dine alone? Not Finley!

More to come and pictures too. This is a window into our new life. I love it.

40 Things We Share

Fingers & Toes

Grandma Linda & Steve collecting Finley's prints.

Our midwife said she has never seen such big feet on a baby in all her deliveries. Steve says Fin is going to be a good swimmer. 

Baby Blessing & Bead Ceremony

This is me at my shower for Baby P! 

Bead Ceremony

Everyone invited to the shower was asked to bring a bead and a blessing in the form of motherly advice and wishes for mother and baby.  The beads were thread together into a necklace that I could have as a focal point and symbol of my support network during birth and into motherhood. 

I had recently seen this ceremony roll out at another shower I had attended.  It was an amazing heartfelt emotional sharing of women - honoring their great roles in the sisterhood of women and motherhood. I immediately knew I wanted something like this for our shower.  Although no one at my shower had seen this ceremony before it was relaxed and rolled out beautifully. It brought our room together and it included those too far to travel to the shower to become present in the room by sending in their words and beads becoming as much a part of the shower and memory as though they were there in person.

Below is a picture of my gorgeous seester Sue reading the most beautiful words written by my Auntie Ann.  We were all a puddle as Ann's first words and set of beads were honoring my mother.  My seester and I have always thought of our mom as a tiny white cabbage butterfly ever since she passed away. When ever we see one we say hey look mom is here! Ann chose a white butterfly bead with a white pearl on either side to represent Sue & I.   Ann's bead for herself was a natural stone.  She spoke of representing earth and nature and the adventures Steve and I will share in the outdoors with our wee Baby P.  She reminded us that it is not what money can buy but time shared as a family in the simplest form that is truly what matters.

I received two HEIRLOOM beads. 

First my Uncle Neil sent along a seashell he had gotten at the Granby Zoo when he was 12!  He had kept it all these years and now it has a home on my necklace.  My Aunt Dianne passed along a beautiful blue glass bead that had belonged to my Great-Great Grandmother Louisa. She had had this bead tucked into her jewelry box just waiting for the right time to bring it out.

  How cool is that?

This bead represents "I Love you to the Moon and Back" a line from the book Guess How Much I Love You - my cousin Jen's favorite book to read to her son Wyatt. She said - Just wait - there is no greater love than the love you will have for your child. It's unfathomable until it happens.

Voila my boobs...I mean beads!

As you can see Baby P and I were blessed with so many wonderful beads. Bumpy ones to represent the bumps along the road, a Betsey Johnson bead so baby will have style and friends who give them Betsey just like mommy, wings to show baby P how to soar on her/his own, a multi faceted bead to represent all sides of parenting, heart shaped beads to represent my friends beautiful children and for love.  

Advice: community helps raise a child,  reminders that a mother's "me" time makes for a more grounded mother - not to forget to take some, sleep when the baby sleeps, laugh a lot- you need a sense of humour to parent, be patient and lead by example.

Beads arrived from:  My cousin Chris and his girlfriend Angie sent from Vancouver, beads and blessings from Steve's cousins Laurie and Kelly and Aunts Cindy and Judy mailed in from Windsor, London and Chatham Ontario.

3 Birds in 6 Months Flew into Our House ... A Wive's Tale or Truth?

The bird is in the left corner of the window behind the bamboo.

This spring I had the back door propped open while I hauled a couple of new wicker chairs and a club chair into the house from the back of a rented  pick up truck parked in the drive way.  I was so excited about the furniture's arrival I began running around inside the house snapping photographs of our new house WITH furniture to send home to my aunts.  

On a photography roll I headed out the front door snapping photos all around the exterior until I came to the back of the house only to discover I had left the back door propped open.  Duh. Oh well no harm I thought - it's not bug season quite yet. 

Looking through my lens framing another shot I see something dart past the kitchen window - ON THE INSIDE.  What the hell was that?

I head for the kitchen with Cecil our three pound Yorkie on my heels, closing the back door behind me.  There in the kitchen are not one but two birds!  One male and one female. The female flies toward the side kitchen window while the male takes off through the dining room toward the front of the house.  Cecil is losing his mind barking at the bird in the kitchen window, who is by now completely terrified and repeatedly slamming itself against the glass looking for an exit.  I take off in search of the male bird.  I find it perched on our computer monitor in the office.  I close the two glass doors to the office keeping it contained while I head back to try to save the female.

Since we had just recently moved in I had a few rather large boxes left unpacked standing in the corner of the room off the back entrance - I placed Cecil up on this box knowing he can't get down so I can try to catch the kitchen bird. (I then totally forgot Cecil on top of the box)  But first - I have to take the bird's  picture!

Eventually I throw a towel over each of the birds releasing out the back door to freedom.  I then have to retrace the bird's steps and clean up the guano left behind. I now under stand the saying "scare the shit out of me" as it pertains to birds.

I retold this story to my aunts who both told me "It's good luck to have a bird fly into your home - especially if it leaves a dropping!"    Okay I'll take the luck.

Last night the weather was dipping to the freezing point  so I decided I had better bring in my plants from the front porch.  I was worried that if we did get frost the plants would suffer.  In came all the tropicals in terracotta pots and then I decided I would bring in my hanging Boston Ferns.  I unhook the first one, turn on my heel to step just inside the front door, when something comes flying so quickly out of the fern and into the darkness of the house.  Ah!  What the hell was that? A bat?A giant bug? Too small for a bird. I place the fern on the door mat and turn around to get the other one.  This time I tap the base of the pot making a little noise and giving it a push - out comes another flying object - it graces my head and I scream. It's so fast and so small I have no idea what it was!

I decide I am not taking in the Boston Ferns and put the other one back outside.  Of course I have to tell Steve this story as we proceed to walk all around the house turning on lights and shaking curtains trying to startle whatever it was back out.  Nothing.  We found nothing.

A good hour later Steve heads off to the main floor powder room when I hear him call me.  Hey hon, I found your bat slash bug!  Come see.  

There on the chair rail in the powder room is a tiny fluffy black bird.  It's so pretty with spots on it's head and a long pointed beak like a humming bird.  Once again the dog is removed from the scene,  a towel is thrown, and the bird is released back outside.   This little bird was a winter wren who like to make nests in grass like areas...hence the Boston Fern.  Of course we had to consult our bird book ... we are nerds.

So this whole  "if a bird in flies in through a home's open door or window good luck wives tale" has me curious.  I decided to look into it a little further.  This is what I found out on Yahoo Answers:

It's a very old piece of folklore dating back to ancient times.

The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all represent the soul as a bird.  In paintings of death the bird is seen flying from the body. The reverse is also true, the appearance of a bird brings new life. The most common modern folklore reflecting this is the  popular image of the stork delivering the baby to the house!

So if this happened with one bird I might pass it off as coincidental ... but ... we have had THREE!

TAG: 

3 Birds = 3 Babies (in our family!)

Steve & I are  due April 10, 2009

Steve's sister Dawn due May 3, 2009

Steve's sister Jen due June 13, 2009.

This Ship has a baby on board...NOW WHAT?

Wow.

Our lives have been changed for 16 weeks now.

Settling nicely into the second trimester and finally unable to hide my newly and ever expanding pot-belly we (Steve, baby and I) are adjusting to the idea of having a little person around.

I figured I would set this blog up to share with our friends, family and anyone else who wants to come along for our journey as we morph from a hedonistic career and travel oriented duo into ...dare I say it..? Parents.