tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29964233719283799472024-03-13T18:35:36.319-04:00Bean to Baby & BeyondMy journey to delivery and life as a momSandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-49038741219000713902014-10-14T00:16:00.003-04:002014-10-14T00:16:57.948-04:00Thanksgiving in AutumnAutumn.<br />
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This might just be my favourite time of the year. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer but, there's something about Autumn that beats it by a hair. </div>
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Maybe it's the crisp breeze in the warm sun. </div>
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Or the colours. </div>
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Or quite possibly the cozy sweaters I can finally take out of the closet. </div>
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Either way, I find myself slowing down during this season. Breathing a little deeper and slower. </div>
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Thanksgiving is also one of the reasons I enjoy the Autumn months. It brings family and friends together in a way no other holiday does. And this Thanksgiving was truly one for the books. </div>
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This thanksgiving I'm thankfull for:</div>
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HEALTH. Because without it I wouldn't be able to enjoy the blessings God has given me over the year</div>
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PAUL. Without his love and support I would be lost in the hustle and bustle of life</div>
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PAULY and RILEY. Who each hold a piece of my heart. I live for them. And only hope that over the years I will have left them with loving memories to last their lifetime. </div>
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OPERTUNITY for the future. Over the last two years I have grown in an outstanding way. I am grateful for the knowledge and trust people have placed in me. </div>
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TOMORROW. As I close one door and open another I know my family and friends will be there to catch me if I stumble, and watch as I work towards a better future.</div>
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So right now I'm going to say good bye to the busy days of summer. </div>
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Good bye to the backyard BBQ's and drive-ins.</div>
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I'll see it all again next year. </div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-11211279617528339292013-09-25T07:30:00.000-04:002013-09-25T07:30:04.759-04:00It's The End of the Summer...Dear Blogosphere,<br />
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I know I have been absent for quite some time now. I'm sorry for that. </div>
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I have been a busy mom enjoying the summer with my family. I know you'll understand when I say that sitting in front of a computer ends up being the last thing I have time for, even though I do enjoy sharing with you all.</div>
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As I sit here and try to remember all the sensational events that came about this summer, my mind begins to wander. I start thinking about what I want to do before the days get shorter, nights longer, and the winter chill cripples my sense of outdoor adventure.</div>
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Carpe Diem. Not always easy to accomplish but in the process of trying, I've definitely become more self aware and appreciative (you can read my posts about it <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2996423371928379947#editor/target=post;postID=8019343945396081850;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=3;src=postname" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2996423371928379947#editor/target=post;postID=6275879582985063674;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=2;src=postname" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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So, when I'm tired and it seems like the day will never be done, I try to remember what the poet Horace writes in his famous ode:</div>
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<i>Ask not - we cannot know - what ends the gods have set.</i></div>
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<i>How much better to endure whatever comes, </i></div>
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<i>wether Jupiter grants us additional winters</i></div>
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<i>or wether this is our last.</i></div>
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<i>Be wise, and since life is brief,</i></div>
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<i>Seize the day! putting as little trust as possible in tomorrow.</i></div>
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So here's some of what my family and I did this summer... in no particular order:</div>
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-went to the drive-in</div>
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-saw our first <a href="http://www.partycinemas.com/index.html" target="_blank">"Movies in the Park"</a></div>
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-checked out the <a href="http://www.hcry.org/ab_history.html" target="_blank">Halton Radial Railway</a></div>
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-went swimming at the beach</div>
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-went apple picking</div>
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-visited the <a href="http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/" target="_blank">Science Centre</a></div>
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-ate lots of ice cream</div>
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-went for walks and bike rides</div>
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-had a great time at <a href="http://www.skyzonesports.com/" target="_blank">Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park</a></div>
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-celebrated birthdays</div>
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-watched the Canada Day fireworks</div>
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-cooled off in the splash pad</div>
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-visited the Acton Fall Fair</div>
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And although many of you have already seen pics of our fabulous adventures, here's a few more that I just can't keep to myself.</div>
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Thanks for sticking with me,</div>
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Sandra</div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-52288977862397129752013-05-07T21:41:00.000-04:002013-05-07T21:41:00.229-04:00Home ImprovementAwhile back I wrote about our bathroom reno. Since then we've done some more work to it and I thought it might be time for a quick update. <br />
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When I left you last we had a working toilet, a tub frame and some drywall on the walls. <br />
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We now have a fully dry walled bathroom. Complete with primer and paint. Wall and floor tiles are done (and I LOVE them). The tub is fully functional even though we don't have a shower curtain yet. Paul built our custom vanity. It's painted and there is a working sink. The pot lights are done and there's a light fixture over the vanity too! My built ins have shelves but still need doors.<br />
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I'm so excited to see it almost done. Here's what's left to do:<br />
- Possibly pick different paint (neither of us are thrilled with the current colour)<br />
- Install doors for the built-in<br />
- Find an awesome shower curtain<br />
- Find an awesome mirror<br />
- Trim<br />
- Add necessary accessories (toilet paper holder, towel rack etc.)<br />
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It's a short and tedious list but I can see the finish line :)<br />
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Pictures to follow...eventually. </div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-27097467357130801522013-02-26T23:14:00.000-05:002013-02-26T23:14:00.647-05:00On The Outside Looking InWhen Riley was born, Pauly was only 15 months old. A mere baby some would say. But at the time I didn't think "baby" was the best word to describe him. He'd always been fascinated by little children and when Riley showed up, his attitude never changed. He was never jealous or unkind towards her. It was exactly the opposite. He loved his little sister to bits and would want her to "play" with him even though she lacked the skills to do so.<div>
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As Riley got older and learned to sit, crawl and finally walk, their interactions became more involved. It sometimes resulted in tears because one had swiped a toy from the other but this was always quickly resolved. Pauly had learned (with constant reminders from mom and dad) that if he was going to take a toy, he had to give one back.</div>
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Fast forward to now. Pauly is just over 2.5 years old and Riley is 17 months old. </div>
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Pauly has learned to share even when he really doesn't want to.</div>
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Riley knows that if she takes without asking she will have to give it back - and she does!</div>
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They both have learned to say I'm sorry, please and thank you.</div>
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They feed off each other but also rely on each other.</div>
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When one is sleeping, the other wants to wake them up.</div>
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When one is hurt, the other offers a hug.</div>
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If one needs help, the other is there to lend a hand.</div>
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They talk to each other and laugh with each other.</div>
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It's amazing to watch. </div>
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I'm not sure if it's because they are so close in age or because they have great personalities.</div>
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Either way, I often find myself observing them. Listening in on their conversation.</div>
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It fills my heart with the kind of unconditional love that only a parent can feel.</div>
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A love that aches and makes your eyes water.</div>
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Sheer joy in that moment - and there are lots of them.</div>
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A friend once told me that there is no greater love in life than children.</div>
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He was right.</div>
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Thank you God for Blessing me.</div>
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For these once in a lifetime moments.</div>
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Thank you for making me a mom.</div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-88983794661807248622013-02-19T21:58:00.002-05:002013-02-19T22:00:25.174-05:00Distance Makes the Heart Grow FonderIt's been a while since I've tuned into myself and my thoughts. Since being back to work I find the days passing me by without a hint of slowing down. There's just not enough hours in the day to achieve all I would like (which truly is no surprise).<br />
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So as I make time for myself, I find my thoughts racing in every direction. Work, home and the never ending to do list. Each bringing emotions that are sometimes overwhelming.<br />
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The biggest hurdle in this chapter has been adjusting to my new job. This has definitely not been easy. Almost every part of it has been unchartered territory and I've never had such a big learning curve to overcome. The fact that I didn't receive proper training was also a contributor to that sinking feeling. To be brutally honest - there were days when I just wanted to crawl under my desk and wait for it all to be over.<br />
Sad, I know. It took a lot of self motivation and persistence to gain my confidence back. But the good news is... I did it. I've still got a lot to learn but I'm well on my way. The confusion that plagued me has turned into confidence and that's such a good feeling. <br />
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Home life has also done a 360. My nights include a 75 minute drive home, picking up the kids from daycare, feeding them and myself, 30 minutes of play and then we start the bedtime routine. Once the kiddies are snuggly tucked in I start the clean up process. Dishes, the table and chairs, toys all over the place. After that, I can pack my lunch for the next day and finally take a shower.<br />
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Then it all starts over again the next day. Monday to Friday.<br />
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But there is hope. And it comes in the form of a weekend. This two day "vacation" from work can sometimes be hard to navigate. I find myself looking for the balance between what needs to get done and what <i style="font-weight: bold;">really </i>needs to get done.<br />
There's always chores to do but my children need me more than I need to scrub the toilettes. But then again, how long is too long when pushing aside my domestic duties? So I've come up with a plan and started putting it into action. I get the kids to help.<br />
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Now, I know this is going to take a while before it really catches on, but I can see it taking shape. This past weekend I was in real need of vacuuming. The kids were not making this easy for me as they kept bringing out more toys as I was trying to clear a path for the vacuum. The solution was for me to "plow" through it all. And Pauly did not like this. I think maybe he was unsure if his toys were going to get sucked up and be lost forever. So I asked him nicely to move them all before the vacuum got too hungry. Eurika! He was helping me clean. Then when it came time to mop, I made exaggerated movements with sound effects. Yet agin he found this to look like fun so, I offered him the mop. And he used it!<br />
So for the last few days I've been trying to come up with chores for him. Small, non essential things that could possibly set up the basis for accomplishing helpful tasks. He is distracted easily, doesn't always listen and proclaims NO quite often. But sometimes I do get "Pauly do it."<br />
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Hurray! <br />
<br />Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-19522325861075952442012-10-30T19:15:00.000-04:002012-10-30T19:15:00.915-04:009 to 5I had an older friend who once told me that she and her husband had agreed to not have children if it wasn't possible for her to be a stay at home mom. They both came from large families so there were always plenty of nieces and nephews to love as their own. And this worked for them.<br />
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As for me, I don't think I could have made that decision. To chose between having or not having children based on who was caring for them during the day would have broken my heart. I would have loved it if I could stay home but I know Paul and I would be better able to provide for them if I went back to work. So Monday was my first day back.<br />
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Let's face it, even if you live on the bare necessities, it still costs a lot to keep food on the table and a roof over your head. Then toss in some children and it becomes a whole new ball game. Although daycare is't free, most families would agree that it still makes more financial sense for both parents to work. <br />
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Of course it's not all about money. There's the social aspect of it. Pauly loves playing with other kids and now has another little boy his own age to play with every day. Riley was a little more timid and very attached to me and has adapted surprisingly well over the last two weeks. She has definitely come out of her shell.<br />
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Then there's routine, which wasn't always the case while I was home. Snack time, lunch and naps were pretty much on schedule, but there were days where I had too much to catch up on so the outings and fun activities were almost non-existent. At daycare there's always a theme and corresponding activities, indoors and out. <br />
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So as the days go by I'm left reminiscing. No more afternoon naps (when I got a chance), no more lounging in PJ's on rainy days and no more walks in the park on sunny afternoons.<br />
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<br />Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-72860910576542823502012-10-06T23:48:00.001-04:002013-02-19T22:02:29.081-05:00EpilogueI wanted my next post to be about Riley's 1st birthday but since I haven't gotten around to downloading pictures off my camera, I'm going to share some great news I got early last week. NO...I'm not pregnant.<br />
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I thought October 9th would be my first day back at work. I was mentally preparing for it but as it turns out, that day will come later rather than sooner. Yay! And you may be wondering how I managed more time off but it really wasn't me. Not entirely anyways. I knew I had 3 weeks of vacation left once I went back to work. I was planning on taking some of it during Christmas but I was told this wasn't going to happen as all the available spots had been taken. That left me with two options.<br />
1. Keep my vacation for emergencies and take the payout if I didn't use it by the end of the year. Or,<br />
2. Tack it onto the end of my maternity leave.<br />
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As I've said before, sometimes money isn't worth more than time. Luckily I now get to have my cake and eat it too. An extra 3 week at home with my babies, and a full paycheck.<br />
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So <i>now</i> my official first day of work will be October 29th. I can hope and pray there will be another excuse for me to stay home longer but, I won't be holding my breath.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-30073551943108389012012-09-15T20:20:00.001-04:002012-09-15T20:20:00.287-04:00The Final ChapterAs Canadians, we are lucky to be able to spend the first year of our children's lives as a stay at home parent. Of course our unemployment benefits could always use some improvement but often, time is worth more than money. So as Riley's first birthday approaches, my time as a stay at home mom is coming to an end. And what a journey's it's been. <br />
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Over the last two years my life has changed so much. With two children you really learn to slow down and enjoy the moment. Even simple tasks like washing dishes may not get done all at once. With one child pulling at your legs and the other asking you to help build his train track, chores are no longer the priority. Somewhere along the road of life your focus shifts from doing things that make you happy to what "needs" to be done. Albeit not everything in life is miserable but when was the last time you pulled out a box of crayons and just scribbled? My kids love to get messy with crayons, paint, food and dirt and as long as they're safe doing it, why not?<br />
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So as my last few weeks of maternity leave are approaching, I'm sad to think that I won't be here for them all day, every day. I will have to take on the roll of a working mom like so many others have done. Daycare will be a new chapter for our family, and although I'm completely happy with the home daycare we chose, I have to admit that it makes me a little weepy. Mornings together will be short and the little time I have before putting my children to bed will be cherished. The days of working volentary overtime are over. No one can pay me enough to give that up.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-8281411173007293402012-09-09T22:09:00.002-04:002013-02-19T22:01:50.466-05:00Potty TrainingAbout 3 weeks after Pauly turned two I decided it was time for me to give potty training a try. I had read up on it a little and was quite confident that the little man was ready. I only had doubts about myself.<br />
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It would be a new experience for the both of us but I wanted to be sure I wouldn't set the little guy up for failure. I decided to ditch the pull ups (for now) and go straight for the briefs. So here's how it went:<br />
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DAY ONE - Put on his undies with an excited voice explaining he was a big boy now and we'd be ditching the diapers. I made sure to buy ones that had prints on them so he would want to wear them. Success! And he wore nothing else that day so he could actually see and feel what was going on. Then every 5-10 minutes I tried to convince him to sit on either the little potty, or on the big potty which had a child seat on it. He would happily come with me most of the time, and we did get a few "catches" but I spent the majority of the day cleaning up after him. Which was OK because I had placed towels over every rug in the house in anticipation. When it was nap time I wrestled with the idea of a diaper but decided against it. For me it was all or nothing. I just ended up placing a towel under him for easy clean up.<br />
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DAY TWO - Exactly like day one with a little tweak. I thought I'd add a treat every time Pauly got on the potty, in hopes that he'd start asking to go. So if we got to the potty without any hesitation, he got one Reese's Pieces for trying. If we got a pee in the potty, he got two Reese's Pieces. If we got a poo in the potty, he got three Reese's Pieces.<br />
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DAY THREE - Surprisingly there were only half as many accidents. I was still asking Pauly if he had to go every 20 minutes or so but it was sooooo much easier than the day before.<br />
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DAY FOUR - There was only 2 or 3 accidents this day. I really couldn't believe how well this was going. And now Pauly was asking to use the potty. It just seemed to good to be true. <br />
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DAY FIVE - I figured Pauly was now ready for pants. So he was fully dressed 5 days into his training. I had to work a little quicker to get him to the potty on time but there was no doubt he was getting the hang of things. I decided it was time to go for a ride. So I took a 30 minute car ride to my mom's, hoping he would arrive without incident. Success again!<br />
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DAY SIX - Fully dressed and making great progress, Pauly seemed to be having no problem with peeing in the potty. But we had hit a bump in the road. His only struggle was having a bowel movement. He would only have one every 2 or 3 days, which made things a little difficult when the time finally arrived. I knew I had to act quickly because the last thing I wanted for him was to be in pain when he pooped.<br />
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So a couple days later, after seeking some advice, I started giving Pauly a small amount of stool softener. It worked wonders. In the begining he was still only going every other day but it was no longer difficult. As time went by, he got more comfortable with pooping and stopped holding it in.<br />
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Now (2 months later), Pauly is officially day time potty trained. I no longer have to use a stool softener and he is asking to go #1 and #2. Nap time is always dry and there aren't any wet pants after a car ride. Next up - night time training. Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-36259982787987246152012-08-22T15:45:00.002-04:002012-08-22T15:45:00.604-04:00Losing ITPregnancy is usually the time in your life where you look forward to seeing your belly get bigger. I can remember when I first found out I was pregnant with Pauly, the excitment and joy took over. And with that came the frequent checking to see if I was "showing" yet. As the weeks and months passed, my bump got bigger...and so did everything else.<br />
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Shopping for maternity clothes was fun. And as always, there were those few pieces that I loved wearing. Then at about 30 weeks things got a little complicated. My favourite pair of jeans started getting a little too snug around the hips and thighs. Shirts were now too short and I had to start buying bras in specialty shops. I really thought the clothes I bought at the beginning would get me through to the end. So, reluctantly I headed back out to buy enough clothes to last me 10 more weeks.<br />
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After Pauly was born I lost some weight. Then after about a month I gained some of it back. It was only a few pounds but of course I could only blame myself. I choose napping for an hour over preparing a meal. So I found myself eating caned and boxed food most of the time. Not to mention the shamefully frequent junk food binge. I think Pauly was about 4 months old when I decided I'd had enough. I <i>slowly</i> stared using the elliptical and started cutting out the junk food. It took a while before the first few pounds came off but I was headed in the right direction.<br />
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When Paul and I decided to have another baby, I kinda gave up on the elliptical. It all happened way sooner than we thought but before I knew it, my baby bump (and the weight) were back. I can proudly say that I didn't gain as much weight while pregnant with Riley. But since I had started out bigger, I was exactly where I'd left off when Riley was born.<br />
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There was a period of adjustment for me. Caring for two children was a lot different than just one. But after that, I was back into my old routine of quick fixes for food. As the new year came and went I tried to find ways to exercise but there was just no time or I was just too tired. It was a vicious circle; the extra weight was making me lazy but I had no energy to do anything about it.<br />
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Once the warm wether showed up I'd had enough (again!). Riley was finally sleeping through the night and I was feeling a little more like myself. I wanted out of this rut and had made up my mind to just get moving. The best time for me was after breakfast. The kids were happy and I had energy to waste. Instead of cleaning up the breakfast dishes and toys that had been tossed around the house that morning, I stuck the kids in the double stroller and started walking.<br />
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This wasn't an every day routine but I had to start somewhere. It felt good to get out but at the same time I knew it wasn't going to be enough. I found myself constantly thinking about my health, and life in general. It's not that I was unhappy, but I just wanted to get as much out of life that I could. This was when I adopted the <a href="http://www.beantobabyandbeyond.blogspot.ca/2012/06/maternity-leave-gone-boring.html">Carpe Diem philosophy</a>. <br />
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So I set some goals and reevaluated my eating and activity habits. I started looking for ways to cut fat and refined sugar from my diet. Then I came across an app that I can no longer live without. <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/learn_more">My Fitness Pal</a> has really helped me make better food choices and keep my portion sizes in check. It took some getting used to and I still have a long way to go but, I think I'm doing well. I still indulge in the sweet and savory every now and again but not like I used to. <br />
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It's been 5 weeks using My Fitness Pal, and 2 months since I started my "lifestyle change" and you're probably wondering exactly how well I'm doing. I'm very happy to announce (insert drum roll here) I've lost 10 lbs. A small step but at least I'm getting there, slowly and steadily. My ultimate goal is to be back to my prepregnancy weight by next summer or sooner. And now that I've put it to (cyber) paper, I'll hopefully stick with it.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-62758795829850636742012-08-01T23:25:00.001-04:002012-08-02T00:54:51.965-04:00Joyous July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This past month has really tested my newly adapted Carpe Diem philosophy. And in my opinion, I've kicked ass. There's always room for improvement but so far we've played in sandboxes, watched the train while enjoying watermelon (always an outside snack in my house!), traveled to Wasaga and Midland, gone fishing, swam in a pool <i>and</i> enjoyed the beach, and of course there's the classic play place, the park. What's next on the agenda? I'm thinking the Toronto zoo, the Streetcar Museum, and possibly Sandbanks Park.</div><br />
So as the summer continues I'm sure our tans will get darker, which I guess is why they call it sun<i>screen</i>, and not sunblock. But what's cuter than a 2 year old running naked through the house with a pale bum? Not much in my opinion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVPpP9xRrYGumcAssgzTL-Kvy2Lf4IOgWSPPtu5XRf-6YYvq-PaN1JSfega9PU9Ta2bUHQtARBPqRT94PpV-WmHfpfQ_EIY0rS60xsW_CVMJKKHlWPCBrlFDyKrSovs9MkY3p5K6PkDEM/s1600/iphone_0354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVPpP9xRrYGumcAssgzTL-Kvy2Lf4IOgWSPPtu5XRf-6YYvq-PaN1JSfega9PU9Ta2bUHQtARBPqRT94PpV-WmHfpfQ_EIY0rS60xsW_CVMJKKHlWPCBrlFDyKrSovs9MkY3p5K6PkDEM/s400/iphone_0354.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-14941016810112987742012-07-09T22:03:00.020-04:002012-07-09T22:16:42.084-04:00Car Seat Safety & Extended Rear FacingCar seats are one of those baby items that you absolutely can not do without. And like every parent, I wanted to keep my little ones as safe as possible. I quickly became passionate about car seat safety while researching for a replacement for Pauly's infant carrier. At the time I knew nothing about convertible car seats which led me to countless hours of on-line learning. I can't remember exactly when I stumbled upon extended rear facing but, I do remember wondering why I'd never heard of it before. I had been certain that Pauly's first birthday would mark the milestone where he would ride facing forward but I quickly decided against it. Here's why:<br />
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Keeping children rear facing passed the recommended 20lbs. <i>and</i> one year of age keeps them five times safer then when they are forward facing. FIVE TIMES SAFER! I couldn't believe it at first. Then I went digging even further and found that the American Academy of Pediratics published a <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/03/21/peds.2011-0213">new policy</a> in March of 2011 that recommends children be rear facing until the age of two or even longer, if they are still within the weight and height of the seat. I started wondering why it was only a recommendation and not part of the child seat laws. Then came the question of "what exactly are they testing for and how are they doing it?". I was a little surprised at what I found but you can read about Transport Canada's rear facing infant seat testing and research <a href="http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-childsafety-programs-testing-program-922.htm">here</a>.<br />
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Now, how exactly does a rear facing seat keep a child safer? Physics. <br />
Newton's first law of motion states that "An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force". This external force is what causes the occupants to be thrown towards the front of the vehicle in a head-on collision.<br />
When a child is rear facing, he will move towards the back of the seat and gently slide up. This keeps the child's head, neck and spine in a straight line and lets the chair absorb most of the force. <br />
In a forward facing seat, the child (or adult) is held in place by the safety belt but the head whips forward until it touches the chin then back again. As an adult you can endure this whiplash motion because the weight of your head is only 6% of your body mass. A child's head is 25% of it's body mass which means it will pull away from the body with a force 4 times greater than that of an adults. Science has shown that even though a childs' spinal <i>colum</i> can stretch up to 2 inches, the spinal <i>cord</i> will only stretch a 1/4 of an inch, causing it to snap. This violent movement could internally decapitate a child leaving them paralyzed.<br />
This video will help put things a little more into perspective. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/psmUWg7QrC8?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div><br />
If you'd still like to read more about car seat safety, <a href="http://www.parenting.com/gallery/car-seat-laws-requirements-installation?view=home&pnid=318441">here's</a> a great article I found on <a href="http://www.parenting.com/">parenting.com</a><br />
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So, armed with the above information, I set out to buy a car seat that would allow me to rear face as long as possible. My choice was a <a href="http://www.britax.ca/">Britax</a>. <br />
Since the 1970's they have been recognized as the top selling car seat in Europe, England and Australlia. Now in the USA, Britax has been the top rated car seat for safety, durability and reliability. Enough said...but I still had to know more. So if you would also like to know about Britax's integrated steel bars, SafeCell Technology, Versa Tether or other features that make this seat an awesome choice, you can read about it <a href="http://www.britaxusa.com/learning-center/360-degree-protection">here</a>.<br />
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Riley is now 9 months old, but most importantly, she is reaching the 22 lbs. limit of her infant carrier. That means it's time for me to start putting some extra money aside so I can buy my absolute fave Britax seat. The only question is, do I buy it in pink?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wchGOFkqgJEQD5sM0RXOwG9rbVFpdKzLmTAemaqVFEIaFpAeM1uLMUJmjQ4D5d6H07SJ4r-zvGyC47XJwPJzvAUtwpnIjLUjEADtvnOMr0B_XaK5jg8s-2sdOFCbqEJ-yaZISa4Bxz-h/s1600/rear_facing_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wchGOFkqgJEQD5sM0RXOwG9rbVFpdKzLmTAemaqVFEIaFpAeM1uLMUJmjQ4D5d6H07SJ4r-zvGyC47XJwPJzvAUtwpnIjLUjEADtvnOMr0B_XaK5jg8s-2sdOFCbqEJ-yaZISa4Bxz-h/s400/rear_facing_0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-79791502658771443052012-06-27T23:34:00.001-04:002012-06-27T23:54:29.024-04:00Boring to Busy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Life has been quite busy these last couple weeks. There have been a few noteworthy events and I've also been trying to catch up on a few loose ends.</div><br />
As I've stated before, I tend to procrastinate. So it won't be a surprise when I tell you I spent an hour on the phone with three different customer service reps for three different reasons. I'll have to admit that two of the three calls went fairly well, but the third left me scratching my head.<br />
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The first call was to Phillips. We bought a <a href="http://www.usa.philips.com/c/avent-carmenta-campaign/30720/cat/">Phillips Avent</a> monitor when Pauly was born and I loved it but, after 9 or 10 months of use the rechargeable battery wouldn't keep a charge for more than 3 hours. The low battery beeping would wake me in the middle of the night so I stopped using it. I wanted to purchase a replacement but every store I went to didn't sell one. They all advised me to contact Phillips to get it. I had every intention of doing it but after a week this task was left on the back burner. Then Riley was born and when she started sleeping in her own crib it was just easier to borrow my sisters. Here's where things get frustrating. No matter where I plugged in her monitor, there was always static. Apparently she never had a problem with it so I took it as a sign to get off my ass and get mine fixed. Competing with static when your trying to sleep or watch TV is nerve wracking. So I finally called Phillips and told them what I needed. They didn't have any batteries in stock but my monitor was still under warranty so they went and shipped me a whole new monitor! It's just as good as the last and now I can watch Grey's Anatomy without background noise :)<br />
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The second call was made to Bell. It was an easy fix to my bill but one that shouldn't have happened. We'll see how things go next month.<br />
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The third was a call to Apple. I've only had my phone for 2 months but for some reason my USB cable stopped working. They were going to replace it at no cost but it took them three attempts to get it right. The first part was the wall adapter that the cable plugs into. The second was a USB video cable. Then finally after a third phone call I got the regular USB. Now I don't have to share one cable between my iPhone and iPad. <br />
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When I was about 8 months pregnant with Riley I was having my usual dental check up. My Hygenist noticed something peculiar and asked me to come back ASAP after the baby was born so she could take some x-rays. I did and the culpurate was two impacted wisdom teeth (I only had two btw). Since I wasn't in any discomfort and there were no cavities, we both agreed to wait a while before proceeding. So about a month ago I had my consult and two weeks after that I went in for the surgery. I was a little nervous since I'd never been under general anesthesia but it went surprisingly well. I think the worst part of it was getting the IV. When I woke up I wasn't in any pain. I wasn't groggy, sleepy or quezzy in any way. I was sent home with antibiotics and Tylenol #3. I took the Tylenol for the rest of that day since I wasn't able to nurse for 8 hours following. The next day my face was swollen but the pain was minimal. I resorted to ibuprofen twice a day for two days then didn't need anything after that. As of now my jaw is a little tender but I'm able to eat and drink normally without pain.<br />
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The second event that deserves recognition is the fact that Riley has started crawling. She was exactly 9 months old when it happened. Unlike her brother, she started on her hands and knees but you can tell she just wants to get up and walk. In the last five days she's learned to move around on her hands and feet which is amusing to watch.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zsUe3YfycrM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>And finally...Pauly turned 2! On his actual birthday we took him to Chuck e Cheese but this past weekend we celebrated with family and friends and it was a blast. We started off at the splash pad and then made our way back home for lunch, presents and cake. There wasn't a rain cloud in the sky and it wasn't too hot. Just perfect.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAJD1-uIF0qe7wyil9IzHsBRK6DT-qpStoxCkjpq9gr-v_D0ppcvxJroTTFNU4uBsNl4L2gGX3LjdDGwXS7NvzL3-gQNbOpda82ZBP2AI_Ex8G7e12-p8aPByfBvCmcYDxbDUhLL17sz9/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAJD1-uIF0qe7wyil9IzHsBRK6DT-qpStoxCkjpq9gr-v_D0ppcvxJroTTFNU4uBsNl4L2gGX3LjdDGwXS7NvzL3-gQNbOpda82ZBP2AI_Ex8G7e12-p8aPByfBvCmcYDxbDUhLL17sz9/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0034.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun at Chuck E Cheese</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0LbuT_ad9fFHqUqKwkhLlfPssJLI5UBYePG4aH0tfW0x11POZjm0xxzkHDkUGnTEkvviHo-w0OCQzrOxHSrvOH1rBqewlYUu4z9HFX0No3fFGmsw3K-VHqI2-Ana7xHTLc7jsFYtaD8Y/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0LbuT_ad9fFHqUqKwkhLlfPssJLI5UBYePG4aH0tfW0x11POZjm0xxzkHDkUGnTEkvviHo-w0OCQzrOxHSrvOH1rBqewlYUu4z9HFX0No3fFGmsw3K-VHqI2-Ana7xHTLc7jsFYtaD8Y/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0008.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenIY0idCVDiIG0YlveUIfwRFVPmoBgD82hKOvea5nNsn3-e3pDmnOTLcvVBw4c4-0hLJUENhLG3n8SjPfL8yV3j1KmjSe1a9FLQvHCj_5-zarCO3Czv5TQN76zzlzNLSkIBKL1Rch5e2u/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenIY0idCVDiIG0YlveUIfwRFVPmoBgD82hKOvea5nNsn3-e3pDmnOTLcvVBw4c4-0hLJUENhLG3n8SjPfL8yV3j1KmjSe1a9FLQvHCj_5-zarCO3Czv5TQN76zzlzNLSkIBKL1Rch5e2u/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0025.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="266" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPkzPVjj4gjFJnN5EASPgh2r94Bbt13R4r96DOhCSikoUHZ_d8TunJm3BtUzN-XLVwYRSdVPU9_gwrCwnWzFRRd6ruGEmGdHtjFgSgzrFno4UzYYERb2le0WudzkVH_q1dOJzQ5tLG5Q-/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPkzPVjj4gjFJnN5EASPgh2r94Bbt13R4r96DOhCSikoUHZ_d8TunJm3BtUzN-XLVwYRSdVPU9_gwrCwnWzFRRd6ruGEmGdHtjFgSgzrFno4UzYYERb2le0WudzkVH_q1dOJzQ5tLG5Q-/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0016.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0zO1684a-sDQQW6cPUMclTZuekVmrBWXTgwXbxLCPbvzjKbis6k7_HBdFuI5RCtVFEtPnfF-UGehvCACJoCo-f9B4wfnscaP6E0l6gXEroxsK9yZVnwmfmGVZT_cmMqfInaW6HtbBTGN/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0zO1684a-sDQQW6cPUMclTZuekVmrBWXTgwXbxLCPbvzjKbis6k7_HBdFuI5RCtVFEtPnfF-UGehvCACJoCo-f9B4wfnscaP6E0l6gXEroxsK9yZVnwmfmGVZT_cmMqfInaW6HtbBTGN/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0012.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T17Top5gzzqJkdU4nvEiiqcZ0vfmMO9G1r1XRgIwOebLsUXdfeKzx4SmZRQ8IqypSjtIZHkcp8fmEa_hCyvkmwQy5-Z-0_NFGgC1bbWnk8ztTf-tJ3U9b6TrxYmtwkPgnc_XJ-x33Gyl/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T17Top5gzzqJkdU4nvEiiqcZ0vfmMO9G1r1XRgIwOebLsUXdfeKzx4SmZRQ8IqypSjtIZHkcp8fmEa_hCyvkmwQy5-Z-0_NFGgC1bbWnk8ztTf-tJ3U9b6TrxYmtwkPgnc_XJ-x33Gyl/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0028.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULZSk3Iv3il-Xz7KmSkaQeorIz7lJOiV8_Qk2NFNIVVW8W01JtXfmGtCeNcECWLOCCCtoUsjP2SpWszVnQf84RrEjbXd_pANUFKszhGgBlf7uDAHjMZHgIG6vuBrQgqOTFNP0f7Z9stit/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULZSk3Iv3il-Xz7KmSkaQeorIz7lJOiV8_Qk2NFNIVVW8W01JtXfmGtCeNcECWLOCCCtoUsjP2SpWszVnQf84RrEjbXd_pANUFKszhGgBlf7uDAHjMZHgIG6vuBrQgqOTFNP0f7Z9stit/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0040.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riley getting ready to party </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE8jRulYlAhWCA8uAZS_4EeW6gzhwQiLr0GL33MNnghI1NnUh8oVE4LQBvzCUGwz6U0M5vdCOoSIUyHHlbYwRgOlP8UCEsPgwZkvbCvRRxBF439NwLhE43xQ9xNMd1kRHFitc7Vgpo259/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE8jRulYlAhWCA8uAZS_4EeW6gzhwQiLr0GL33MNnghI1NnUh8oVE4LQBvzCUGwz6U0M5vdCOoSIUyHHlbYwRgOlP8UCEsPgwZkvbCvRRxBF439NwLhE43xQ9xNMd1kRHFitc7Vgpo259/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0042.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Splash pad fun </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXcdDKK0bgxrcLFEuaWnB12vayEsngaHSi1tJsuhl8SZ-d2zvEy8RmNBpOZ2nLHfv09KqhmHu9ARb62hSEaK51afqpTx_D1vcR1DRd_-Sehwmprs-nrgwL4tnhgE_BIWk_OwFMnecob8P/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXcdDKK0bgxrcLFEuaWnB12vayEsngaHSi1tJsuhl8SZ-d2zvEy8RmNBpOZ2nLHfv09KqhmHu9ARb62hSEaK51afqpTx_D1vcR1DRd_-Sehwmprs-nrgwL4tnhgE_BIWk_OwFMnecob8P/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0114.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MGDPpzyqyFSe10MV8VRJIaixkRbp_3asbc9Cr1jwvo5wcD8ZTX_0PXje4za_uR3w196m8AIrlT9bbuKLx73LNWPIoyWxO7oZ5hnE6wW_VOU7V49e1Mhuk1HzJC5bAJcgwo364TpWt3xc/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MGDPpzyqyFSe10MV8VRJIaixkRbp_3asbc9Cr1jwvo5wcD8ZTX_0PXje4za_uR3w196m8AIrlT9bbuKLx73LNWPIoyWxO7oZ5hnE6wW_VOU7V49e1Mhuk1HzJC5bAJcgwo364TpWt3xc/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0117.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheygYS6W0rM0McME3Pe4ba1q7O7kWJ4U4XllNFIVWXqWLnHI7n-mYo5u27mQqj8VxapjKIwaJ-kXh0AkshuyCKuCU2H8WCtoE8-hbuTNIFCBBnigQrQmnSbTw9Ijv1qpcICesHDWM1MwRJ/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheygYS6W0rM0McME3Pe4ba1q7O7kWJ4U4XllNFIVWXqWLnHI7n-mYo5u27mQqj8VxapjKIwaJ-kXh0AkshuyCKuCU2H8WCtoE8-hbuTNIFCBBnigQrQmnSbTw9Ijv1qpcICesHDWM1MwRJ/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0041.jpg" width="266" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdvaM5H1m1b2T9oKYm2a1V4o5cV6IcmTvPc7aBCr66Fssw_FPrNMWd7-6ofaSN7KSfnwgTo_zSHsxQE6qoqadgB43TRZVhw246MilBe-AjRDGsBR5xMqQ2VuOdV3ov4-AhlTWW4zYMZVW/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdvaM5H1m1b2T9oKYm2a1V4o5cV6IcmTvPc7aBCr66Fssw_FPrNMWd7-6ofaSN7KSfnwgTo_zSHsxQE6qoqadgB43TRZVhw246MilBe-AjRDGsBR5xMqQ2VuOdV3ov4-AhlTWW4zYMZVW/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0047.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttRxY4wDuBLU5dRZpvoKThjxdWw5msU-DSqm9E7uVq3fNHZWXGx6_pmCXIIrWYbvDtGA0bzeIB8QxjhZ7CJOOAQJo0I7-WoG6qGAlvdadgupRBOpAGKASQGZ7h4oAbNnmL4hhrg7RICv4/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttRxY4wDuBLU5dRZpvoKThjxdWw5msU-DSqm9E7uVq3fNHZWXGx6_pmCXIIrWYbvDtGA0bzeIB8QxjhZ7CJOOAQJo0I7-WoG6qGAlvdadgupRBOpAGKASQGZ7h4oAbNnmL4hhrg7RICv4/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0118.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0HtkamoxinapNgphyasjMkFTJUBzMbadjRIS1ktFWaN-qLNCQzxzLbr_iZUHnCaknqx8jGs4wpA5c_zVPO2bwk_hslcJLDmyM_J4ROH0XP91h5ZkOrZwkhBe134Cl2VEdIpE1Ivhd_yj/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0HtkamoxinapNgphyasjMkFTJUBzMbadjRIS1ktFWaN-qLNCQzxzLbr_iZUHnCaknqx8jGs4wpA5c_zVPO2bwk_hslcJLDmyM_J4ROH0XP91h5ZkOrZwkhBe134Cl2VEdIpE1Ivhd_yj/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0063.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa__emb6B74iQvDPBPevm7a8W0JcZJDKmFDT6HSWLkpa0FwuqQdXTvuGUlhJFUCktH6RFl1q1Q97M8YNuAkV6iKQdPJ5J_fJWofO6NgYNOWphyz3hPYemxRyi7OXwvxU0heIL2Sl8zlai/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa__emb6B74iQvDPBPevm7a8W0JcZJDKmFDT6HSWLkpa0FwuqQdXTvuGUlhJFUCktH6RFl1q1Q97M8YNuAkV6iKQdPJ5J_fJWofO6NgYNOWphyz3hPYemxRyi7OXwvxU0heIL2Sl8zlai/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0068.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgYLJkDPXytuWqxtBXaJ0LeJvuAXmk61m4T9HPurxC3NKuflm9uQAowZRnATelbNPeaAoJuLk20e4Ikavb-u2uS1XipKcElwv-AFttWYcMyXwpOW3OYvRlr-K8_fwX-KfEAzSbbOnnjZy/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgYLJkDPXytuWqxtBXaJ0LeJvuAXmk61m4T9HPurxC3NKuflm9uQAowZRnATelbNPeaAoJuLk20e4Ikavb-u2uS1XipKcElwv-AFttWYcMyXwpOW3OYvRlr-K8_fwX-KfEAzSbbOnnjZy/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0132.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURkp4AolMM5SH1BEP0_grOZ-hNNY0zDyOnhsYNyTFRil_O92Y9lfYN_8mZVvh9mr2-_Cdujcinw-YR4jLiz-Mcusc-GVrR2nwFoV0FK4v_4uPUc-AgSHAC33dzi0O3zY1RogKCZcCTqEY/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURkp4AolMM5SH1BEP0_grOZ-hNNY0zDyOnhsYNyTFRil_O92Y9lfYN_8mZVvh9mr2-_Cdujcinw-YR4jLiz-Mcusc-GVrR2nwFoV0FK4v_4uPUc-AgSHAC33dzi0O3zY1RogKCZcCTqEY/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0080.jpg" width="266" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPFDXWGcgtwDKs9-YhrhDxFqlU37xf23-GwusyU97cnUsqQmiPi4k8D74RUbG1FTZxsbQ0kY0ntl-T_cCF0isNRQJROiA-0n_yGaS1d1Pl_V09wYeMQiyJnO3PaIx9HKgIOTNCVuli6TJ/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPFDXWGcgtwDKs9-YhrhDxFqlU37xf23-GwusyU97cnUsqQmiPi4k8D74RUbG1FTZxsbQ0kY0ntl-T_cCF0isNRQJROiA-0n_yGaS1d1Pl_V09wYeMQiyJnO3PaIx9HKgIOTNCVuli6TJ/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0073.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7D8eBMr5JwX_VQEQUZLdJzcFFti7Ofs1EbCF26WbTmM-WnGq1bJaeR00sDFnjwDUrJKpxx6FWSMysIVeEOtJEs0Mg3PoyThePvKCGY3X09DVOCDoWbroYJcz5_iDUMXy1rvpA9dCWp0LJ/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7D8eBMr5JwX_VQEQUZLdJzcFFti7Ofs1EbCF26WbTmM-WnGq1bJaeR00sDFnjwDUrJKpxx6FWSMysIVeEOtJEs0Mg3PoyThePvKCGY3X09DVOCDoWbroYJcz5_iDUMXy1rvpA9dCWp0LJ/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0082.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvM34qY2cnY2RVxjUr9wMvBkCSFWWjw27T4jGfaiONaAOZk7Wu4IWLXa8gw4-4WreWYcZsMfB5fSqJwPWKs8tRzmnw8cK9HPab9p2PiVu0nem0fl2a-sSmIpFSVizkgJ_-u2wJ1F8SB_N/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvM34qY2cnY2RVxjUr9wMvBkCSFWWjw27T4jGfaiONaAOZk7Wu4IWLXa8gw4-4WreWYcZsMfB5fSqJwPWKs8tRzmnw8cK9HPab9p2PiVu0nem0fl2a-sSmIpFSVizkgJ_-u2wJ1F8SB_N/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0085.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1Zu6rpoOCRkSi1ofn15X6dzAgBXvmJ8D5q5lgyzX_vOcR2cM3_wvdy4D3mlzkKUgLCF0I9FJ2HZBJvQG-KTVJzdXpyMfU6Bu0eWYuDPRHJYHjjwFVldqpE5lxwQ0ay6jL5D8z-SzCTQK/s1600/paulys_2nd_birthday_0145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1Zu6rpoOCRkSi1ofn15X6dzAgBXvmJ8D5q5lgyzX_vOcR2cM3_wvdy4D3mlzkKUgLCF0I9FJ2HZBJvQG-KTVJzdXpyMfU6Bu0eWYuDPRHJYHjjwFVldqpE5lxwQ0ay6jL5D8z-SzCTQK/s400/paulys_2nd_birthday_0145.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-80193439453960818502012-06-05T01:00:00.003-04:002012-06-05T02:03:03.552-04:00Maternity Leave Gone BoringFor the last two weeks I've been wanting to blog but, I've got nothing. Don't get me wrong, I'm very busy with the usual day to day chores. It's everything else that's non-existent. Or <i>almost</i> non-existent. <br />
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Now that the summer weather has appeared I feel like I should be doing more. Specifically, outdoor stuff. What kind of "stuff" is where I'm stuck. Sure the daily walks, trips to the park and such things are wonderful but I'm craving more. Every so often an event comes along (the opening of the splah pad for instance) and my excitement perks up, I get there, have a great time, the kids have a blast and it's over. Then I'm left with that hole to fill. <br />
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Cabin fever? Boredom? Whatever it is I think the solution is Carpe Diem, which is easier said than done. Epically when you've got a boy who's almost 2 and an 8 month old who is trying so hard to be mobile. <br />
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Then there's the infinite to do list. And it's conjoined twin, procrastination. Instead of inventing smart phones (don't get me wrong I <i>love</i> my iPhone), why can't someone invent smart laundry rooms. Ones where all you need to do is toss your dirty laundry in them and that's it. The sorting, loading and folding will all be done for you? Or how about a lawn and garden that chews up weeds the second they begin to germinate? And I could really use a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Jetsons_characters#Rosey">Rosie</a> around the house. Or at the very least...an <a href="http://store.irobot.com/home/index.jsp?camp=Google+-+K70&gclid=CLzsvY-1trACFYcBQAodFihl8g&008=&004=1008633487&005=102500256&006=6655307707&007=SearchMobile&002=1442293">iRobot</a>. But I really can't see myself paying $200+ for that fancy thing.<br />
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So onwards and upwards. Carpe Diem. Seize every oppertunity that you can. Leave the housework and daily chores for rainy days. And if you happen to stop by my place this summer, forgive me for the dust, dirty dishes, and weeds growing around every corner. It's because I've chosen to enjoy the finer things in life.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-38379331113178600582012-05-17T10:31:00.002-04:002012-05-17T10:34:05.884-04:00Baby Led WeaningIt's been about a month since starting Riley on baby led weaning and I've concluded that it's not for us. Or mainly it's not for her. Mostly the decision was based on the fact that she just wasn't interested in feeding herself 100% of the time. Example; she loves bananas but she will only devour them from a spoon. Give her a chunk of it and she will squish it and throw it away. Example #2; sweet potatoes. She'll eat a few pieces on her own but 2 or 3oz. in puréed form. This list could go on and on. But on the flip side, she does like chewing her food too. She loves bread, chicken noodle soup, pasta and Cheerios. Since she likes the best of both I've decided to compromise. So as of now, Riley is eating large fruit and veggies in puréed form and small fruits and veggies in whole form. I let her feed herself if she seems interested but so far her interest is short lived.<br />
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All in all, Riley is doing fairly well with this whole solid food thing. There are days where she doesn't want much more than milk but, I think that has more to do with teething than anything else. Overall I'm happy that she has a pallet for a variety of foods. What I've found is that she really loves eating mixed meals. Blueberries go down OK but they're a lot better mixed with apples and pears. So for now, the journey continues and hopefully the results keep getting better.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-79895362262810754172012-04-19T23:11:00.002-04:002012-04-19T23:11:42.444-04:00The Journey to Solid FoodWhen Riley was born, she latched right away and was breast fed without incident until just before she was 2 months old. At this time she started getting fussy at the breast, latching poorly which led to painful nipples and within a couple of days I developed cracks. I had tried everything I knew to do and decided that if I wanted to continue breastfeeding I was going to need some help. So I made an appointment to see Jill, the lactation consultant at <a href="http://www.haltonhealthcare.com/programs_mdh_obstetrics.php">Milton District Hospital</a>. She told me Riley and I likely had <a href="http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/thrush">thrush</a> and would need to be treated with Nystatin drops and Dr. Jack Newman's <a href="http://www.pregnancy.org/article/all-purpose-nipple-ointment-apno">APNO</a>. <br />
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Now if you've never had to deal with thrush, you might think of it as an infection. Just take your meds and the problem goes away in 7 to 10 days. Not so. The problem is, yeast can easily reoccur and can get out of hand quite quickly if you're not careful. You need to keep things sterile, cool and dry. Here's what I had to do:<br />
1) Pump milk to relieve engorgement and bottle feed Riley. Those first couple of days were really painful and I had to forgo breastfeeding in order for my nipples to heal enough so they wouldn't crack when Riley latched on. <br />
2) Every time Riley had a bottle, it had to be sterilized before she used it again. Along with the bottles, the breast pump, soothers and any toys she happened to put in her mouth had to be kept sterile on a daily basis.<br />
3) If my breast pads got wet, I had to change them ASAP. Keeping things dry is key to keeping the yeast in check. I also had to be careful with bibs and clothing. If it was drooled on, it had to be changed.<br />
So after 4 weeks of this I was so happy to have a baby who was latching properly and gaining enough weight. There were times when I wanted to give up but my weekly appointments with Jill gave me the encouragement and strength to keep going. I can happily say Riley was exclusivly breastfed for six months and we both enjoyed it. I was lucky that my bout with thrush was a mild one and I sympathize with mothers who have to deal with recurring symptoms.<br />
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Now at six months old Riley has started eating solid foods. It was a milestone I had been anticipating because, while I was pregnant with her I discovered <a href="http://www.babyledweaning.com/" target="_blank">Baby Led Weaning</a>. This is introducing foods in pieces big enough for her to grab and eat herself. It is advised that babies be at least 6 months of age and have lost the tongue thrust reflex. To test this reflex, Riley's first solid food was puréed sweet potato. She didn't do too well which completely burst my bubble. It took her just over a week to master swallowing puréed food. A few days after that I reinflated my bubble and jumped into baby led weaning. <br />
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I cut butternut squash into fries and steamed them. It started off well but after a few pieces, Riley didn't seem interested. I wondered if it was the squash she disliked or the fact that she had to feed herself. So I went into the fridge and cut up some pear. She did a little better and ate about four pieces. Since then she's had peas, actual fries, Cheerios and carrots. I'm still not sure if she's digging this baby led weaning thing. I went back to puréeing some food and it's hit or miss so I've decided on no more mush. It may be the fact that she doesn't want to be on a feeding schedule. I did breast feed on demand so maybe she'll eat solids when she wants and not necessarily at specific mealtimes. Although the theory behind baby led weaning is that baby will eat when she's hungry and until she's full, I'm really going to have to pay attention to her hunger cues and keep a variety of foods available to her. My next attempt will be rutabaga...keep your fingers crossed.<br />
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As promised, here's a couple pics of Riley's first tooth. And I must add that as of today, she has cut her second tooth! <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFRQKaa4rLmfU1V7cu4wbXZpbtH3Em5hiBwmq4u5bQZorcbhEiOkJ8BxO4Y3P8IYQKjRloC0UQ5bFwjzYLwXITOXgOjC8AljNYwM1UnYlskxT4CvbpdtlhksKVLci0kzAj4XoqhdQ8YZF/s1600/first_tooth_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFRQKaa4rLmfU1V7cu4wbXZpbtH3Em5hiBwmq4u5bQZorcbhEiOkJ8BxO4Y3P8IYQKjRloC0UQ5bFwjzYLwXITOXgOjC8AljNYwM1UnYlskxT4CvbpdtlhksKVLci0kzAj4XoqhdQ8YZF/s640/first_tooth_0006.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">about a week after I noticed the tooth.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0QszRwwuZNuELScVnCsZA0YuFWkC3m6EVbIqYVdtSCK1zxYeJXpTcCDz1iH8F-46OqbXk7vZxKXtVheybWb3rt655dC3-M1-O9SpMVHm0-xhd7sWylEM9zoj7Tw36ThnUtiyXvvqf598/s1600/first_tooth_0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0QszRwwuZNuELScVnCsZA0YuFWkC3m6EVbIqYVdtSCK1zxYeJXpTcCDz1iH8F-46OqbXk7vZxKXtVheybWb3rt655dC3-M1-O9SpMVHm0-xhd7sWylEM9zoj7Tw36ThnUtiyXvvqf598/s640/first_tooth_0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a couple of days ago</td></tr>
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</div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-55671820508435836692012-04-02T22:49:00.000-04:002012-04-02T22:49:48.508-04:00MilestonesAs a new mom, you're always anticipating and noting those milestones in your baby's development. The first smile, the first time they roll over, the first time you get a full nights sleep (if ever). <br />
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Once baby #2 comes along (or 3 or 4 or 5), those milestones seem to creep up too quickly. As an infant, Pauly was never the sort to put things in his mouth but he drooled <i>all</i> the time. People were always telling me "he must be teething". So I anticipated a tooth sooner rather than later but 5 months came and went. Then month 6, 7 & 8. I know it's "normal" for a baby to be toothless on their first birthday but as a first time mom, the information passed down to you from moms who have been there and done that is always lingering. So when everyone's telling you "he'll have a tooth any day now", you start to prepare for it. And in my case, I became a little disappointed with every month that passed by. Pauly was almost 11 months when that first bottom tooth popped up. Better late than never I suppose.<br />
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Then comes baby #2. Even when I was pregnant, things were so different. My morning sickness was worse and lasted longer. I didn't gain as much weight and once active labour started, the home water birth I planned was only a mere 4 hours long. Could this have meant Riley was going to be the complete polar opposite of her brother? I'm sure if I had consulted the Magic 8 Ball the answer would have been "all signs point to yes". Riley is now 6 months old and I have to agree with the signs...she is almost nothing like her brother.<br />
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Riley is not too clingy. She's never made strange with people she doesn't see on a regular basis. She loves her baths and tummy time. Sometimes she cries because she doesn't want to be held and at exactly 6 months, one week and a day... she cut her first tooth! Ta Da!! It's still too small for a picture (I've tried on various occasions) but when I can get a good shot of it, you'll be able to see it here. <br />
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Now I can only wonder what her next milestone will be but I'm sure it'll happen too quickly.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-7749930590486550752012-04-02T00:09:00.000-04:002012-04-02T00:11:37.055-04:00March Break VacationA couple of weeks ago we went on vacation. It was nowhere exotic, and we didn't board a plane or train to get there. Although my kids aren't old enough to experience an official March Break, Paul and I took this time to get away from the daily routine and spend some quality time together as a family. The kids had such a good time and I loved every moment of it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGs0OvnP4p8jhedwxc2LVOYPjhyphenhyphenlacSJVQmktcugyCSTBCBrr31qYtXJHBQa9ptFDkQEBB1R7nAo8y6BlzcWL39zNXKYgMKmGEPiYLoaCm8CJviMHWz7PcAhIDFx2vra4Qg6K6TY_fqAw/s1600/kettle_point_0224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGs0OvnP4p8jhedwxc2LVOYPjhyphenhyphenlacSJVQmktcugyCSTBCBrr31qYtXJHBQa9ptFDkQEBB1R7nAo8y6BlzcWL39zNXKYgMKmGEPiYLoaCm8CJviMHWz7PcAhIDFx2vra4Qg6K6TY_fqAw/s400/kettle_point_0224.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our home for the week</td></tr>
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We rented a cottage in <a href="http://www.kettlepoint.org/" target="_blank">Kettle Point First Nations,</a> off the southeast shore of lake Huron. It took us about 3 hours to get there and the kids did really well with the drive. I expected Pauly to wake up and freak out that he had to sit in his car seat for the rest of the way. Happily it didn't happen. When he did wake up for a while, he was happy to be riding in "daddy's truck". As for Riley, I was almost certain she would sleep the whole time but there was the uncertainty that hunger would get the best of her. It didn't. And so our ride was uneventful and we were there before we knew it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzoXkRIMmI69DIdKc3rZz8s1rmhsc9iAHLrlF1wpL-Oddg24Kzqe4s0WmD7xJFmOqDBxzPi_Sb4_GYtEBXamQyDrdO7LX15GqdRPBqY5ZmS9fsJC3l2Wc5-PngSHp-ayEss6ADSXjSEFR/s1600/kettle_point_0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzoXkRIMmI69DIdKc3rZz8s1rmhsc9iAHLrlF1wpL-Oddg24Kzqe4s0WmD7xJFmOqDBxzPi_Sb4_GYtEBXamQyDrdO7LX15GqdRPBqY5ZmS9fsJC3l2Wc5-PngSHp-ayEss6ADSXjSEFR/s400/kettle_point_0010.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">within the first hour of arriving - making himself at home</td></tr>
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As we started to unpack, Pauly got right into his toys. We didn't bring many but we knew Thomas and his friends couldn't be left at home. The cottage was cozy and clean, set on a mature big lot. The beach was nearby and there was swings in the back. And the best part was the weather. I had fully expected a freak snowstorm but we were surprised by warm temperatures and only one thunder storm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznWrgoYRysxhEg9B0RyXS55c3bhYgutof-Wbe5SfTXvGcS_aatJPlYoH1A1643qSdecijy1N7FQsAEHZASk6Ui21JnMZtmw_iBz1FG5WcQ6qQIbFnve6iBH_8-VLRXfE62lu5x7W61Knj/s1600/kettle_point_0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznWrgoYRysxhEg9B0RyXS55c3bhYgutof-Wbe5SfTXvGcS_aatJPlYoH1A1643qSdecijy1N7FQsAEHZASk6Ui21JnMZtmw_iBz1FG5WcQ6qQIbFnve6iBH_8-VLRXfE62lu5x7W61Knj/s400/kettle_point_0136.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">visiting the town of Petrolia</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; clear: left; color: black; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">We traveled to nearby towns, enjoying the scenery along the way. We took a walk to the beach and Pauly loved splashing in the water. He loved running in the yard, picking up sticks and chasing after Chloe. And Riley was smiling and laughing all week long (except for a couple sleepless nights). It was exactly what everyone needed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAZ8sezN0bQCUHM6O_MOnu1zBJNEArXeAPA0Q7rEzMIfgXJrMM55iU_DVPiiX58aRQSAd0b3b_m8-Rogc_U6485dhWL-lfCmwP3rXBwWqSeIZLQe6mTlIRuUxt83N00LQ-WJdLP7iMt-K/s1600/kettle_point_0139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAZ8sezN0bQCUHM6O_MOnu1zBJNEArXeAPA0Q7rEzMIfgXJrMM55iU_DVPiiX58aRQSAd0b3b_m8-Rogc_U6485dhWL-lfCmwP3rXBwWqSeIZLQe6mTlIRuUxt83N00LQ-WJdLP7iMt-K/s640/kettle_point_0139.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lunch in Petrolia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bCyoW-7ZJ68fk9E1ICII6VInbjY-CRZDGBfJrHi8_2r9TlLl5p6aUOWu7ZatQwl1PPkMaf-RKqjMkxdQa4WqmFn_pqhLtR5Jeig-0GQJslyPMLnWxFcmn4RPS_28ZJPYszW7xOVWBEln/s1600/kettle_point_0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bCyoW-7ZJ68fk9E1ICII6VInbjY-CRZDGBfJrHi8_2r9TlLl5p6aUOWu7ZatQwl1PPkMaf-RKqjMkxdQa4WqmFn_pqhLtR5Jeig-0GQJslyPMLnWxFcmn4RPS_28ZJPYszW7xOVWBEln/s640/kettle_point_0016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">watching Thomas and Friends in jammies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_udRQH_Y2qDSIbZx_Smcdn9chtpmCsdax0Z2BzxHr6C1nnmmWX_D6LqcxVix8FRAEe8kC3OZcRZ6yq1pImty8ytP18YT-Tmp5e-AfHXX0NvO__c2bp8-OFxMp8JZDysSQ7HhW5YNbNp3Y/s1600/kettle_point_0024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_udRQH_Y2qDSIbZx_Smcdn9chtpmCsdax0Z2BzxHr6C1nnmmWX_D6LqcxVix8FRAEe8kC3OZcRZ6yq1pImty8ytP18YT-Tmp5e-AfHXX0NvO__c2bp8-OFxMp8JZDysSQ7HhW5YNbNp3Y/s640/kettle_point_0024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">walking to the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBydILcbkKF8vI25XjJYr7FK_c9BxVu7hx0nDbioSSmZNJJtr54V9eSyI36rBegWaFM-OoD-ZwotEDbGec3gdZrjMYwc_dfokJGHRVYRtYSS4W6Uca3S5ohaiXc2eZEC5mTFZ7SlJpLdI/s1600/kettle_point_0027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBydILcbkKF8vI25XjJYr7FK_c9BxVu7hx0nDbioSSmZNJJtr54V9eSyI36rBegWaFM-OoD-ZwotEDbGec3gdZrjMYwc_dfokJGHRVYRtYSS4W6Uca3S5ohaiXc2eZEC5mTFZ7SlJpLdI/s640/kettle_point_0027.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">enjoying the ride to the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd33bUZ0Uhf4QYgfFN3RWuCTg6yEutc55p_-4k5eZ79mrQWfFj1WWn0P4FDX3QRNKv4XL_7XB9-Z_Du5E9LNMZX3zp7ncs4kyCjBm-hJO_wDths84496EG6FAZG2T3rmYJJjN8WWyHgdzW/s1600/kettle_point_0030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd33bUZ0Uhf4QYgfFN3RWuCTg6yEutc55p_-4k5eZ79mrQWfFj1WWn0P4FDX3QRNKv4XL_7XB9-Z_Du5E9LNMZX3zp7ncs4kyCjBm-hJO_wDths84496EG6FAZG2T3rmYJJjN8WWyHgdzW/s640/kettle_point_0030.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">soooo many rocks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLya-YD9uByu-bGAqWTnd6TFOWumTzOWKeMXTxgQ_NjXs48Ut4jCikWcPbK7AiXDgom2aP6MsbN-KFY9ndbn9L8lBu3LaZhr6Obz-fsgabaay58nhRhwncSg8ll7aiog1lpU8qtwGE7WDC/s1600/kettle_point_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLya-YD9uByu-bGAqWTnd6TFOWumTzOWKeMXTxgQ_NjXs48Ut4jCikWcPbK7AiXDgom2aP6MsbN-KFY9ndbn9L8lBu3LaZhr6Obz-fsgabaay58nhRhwncSg8ll7aiog1lpU8qtwGE7WDC/s640/kettle_point_0037.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">having fun in the water - it was warm out but we couldn't get him to take off his hat</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fVGRFcZ7O04?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdT87egZmBMSNEwmxBIik70I2k_UlKmTipS067oalfGIV1uvxfmgn-Vqz6NQ9vozB7G6TjVEvoTR30NTkQp1nHnUidWgGcPjQOB2I3xAwWQ1L6qA5ZNZpjKjfRkxHXW-jgcSBfGiJ3LJm/s1600/kettle_point_0052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdT87egZmBMSNEwmxBIik70I2k_UlKmTipS067oalfGIV1uvxfmgn-Vqz6NQ9vozB7G6TjVEvoTR30NTkQp1nHnUidWgGcPjQOB2I3xAwWQ1L6qA5ZNZpjKjfRkxHXW-jgcSBfGiJ3LJm/s640/kettle_point_0052.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drying off at home after splashing in the lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOo3zpyxv2p2eH3MioAz9Yr6OjDnvOqZNAp_BSdYRsherJelsU2PxjCkIeAUNGxO38GeniQESMX9lKNw-G0mFr4aF9iW-NbY6MeKQL-qsc97RnaibNKclBXkMc98sHalRA4LimoBoX23q/s1600/kettle_point_0071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOo3zpyxv2p2eH3MioAz9Yr6OjDnvOqZNAp_BSdYRsherJelsU2PxjCkIeAUNGxO38GeniQESMX9lKNw-G0mFr4aF9iW-NbY6MeKQL-qsc97RnaibNKclBXkMc98sHalRA4LimoBoX23q/s640/kettle_point_0071.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fun with sticks in the front yard<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/N-YhX2jAeNI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0kETKcTY9wc2ErFRrlPmKDdoF3O17G8oyQKhQqEa-vAu9VgfM9GJb6AmHjm5V7lTYrW8FfZl0y850IZ2zwvyNEzgZDrL0Ubi9PM7CdMluwfqaYqzNyfvoErWxJ3sTfDhH6G86piIZ2FS/s1600/kettle_point_0079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0kETKcTY9wc2ErFRrlPmKDdoF3O17G8oyQKhQqEa-vAu9VgfM9GJb6AmHjm5V7lTYrW8FfZl0y850IZ2zwvyNEzgZDrL0Ubi9PM7CdMluwfqaYqzNyfvoErWxJ3sTfDhH6G86piIZ2FS/s640/kettle_point_0079.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">daddy and daughter time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiIweKp9cShqCRpn6vG0bpLPx87TjdPgRrnblW5KEBBLDiuNFxOZzi_I3phWHVXzlUEkzqgAZ2G-fbJ8f7RzDGl19GV2CH1qBgWqdru7yoNMwRLmbSFuMwV6m-AIgcCgXyQ0EO4UXC0xO/s1600/kettle_point_0099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiIweKp9cShqCRpn6vG0bpLPx87TjdPgRrnblW5KEBBLDiuNFxOZzi_I3phWHVXzlUEkzqgAZ2G-fbJ8f7RzDGl19GV2CH1qBgWqdru7yoNMwRLmbSFuMwV6m-AIgcCgXyQ0EO4UXC0xO/s640/kettle_point_0099.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">being silly before bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSu6giMkRNolN1FPjUV_zZtNED-ozPz0dR9DtIVJ6lerC2VeQj8f4RTviq5kdGx36rWUUL3NoiEsPv33qeps2au0GkP8_1yzvcNRGL8Q-XuCyNb850pc8E5AEZwMB0yKjGWPcktPWWbWN/s1600/kettle_point_0126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSu6giMkRNolN1FPjUV_zZtNED-ozPz0dR9DtIVJ6lerC2VeQj8f4RTviq5kdGx36rWUUL3NoiEsPv33qeps2au0GkP8_1yzvcNRGL8Q-XuCyNb850pc8E5AEZwMB0yKjGWPcktPWWbWN/s640/kettle_point_0126.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mommy and daughter time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55wZKb2j8FVBOhyphenhyphen_o-c0QMHl58pO-SAlqO_tvZLvBR1MrSvDA3FvVIyZ7eWM786KVzt2heJoX3_anzlWB3w07tCudkFlIj_0GEim-fIY50yZ9K-ZF2dBQ4Tc9kmPUaE7onNfwy1KNEn9T/s1600/kettle_point_0237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55wZKb2j8FVBOhyphenhyphen_o-c0QMHl58pO-SAlqO_tvZLvBR1MrSvDA3FvVIyZ7eWM786KVzt2heJoX3_anzlWB3w07tCudkFlIj_0GEim-fIY50yZ9K-ZF2dBQ4Tc9kmPUaE7onNfwy1KNEn9T/s640/kettle_point_0237.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chippewa totem</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8JURAepWAIofYKoWE_obaP7jsw3dh-pidEgK1shTBMjtgZDT_971xNB18INW2OBdqxIu8vrmNaoF-DG3c68y5UAatIPoMcduVlauennW_3yVG52BRotM-RMGsx798wnT_wWJKaUKdUif/s1600/kettle_point_0246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8JURAepWAIofYKoWE_obaP7jsw3dh-pidEgK1shTBMjtgZDT_971xNB18INW2OBdqxIu8vrmNaoF-DG3c68y5UAatIPoMcduVlauennW_3yVG52BRotM-RMGsx798wnT_wWJKaUKdUif/s640/kettle_point_0246.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">exploring the back woods</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEbSQjStJUEGyn_CuRVMNJujpk4lcdpAyZve7UxKpv9kAMlmgSh2doIMJqC-Ee1m6enEwg_MrwAmBJeK-6CyTfG807iTlxTjbGVEr-HPm11xc4ulFr05G9j98NsToGE_7NxCKuyi4-oQZ/s1600/kettle_point_0266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEbSQjStJUEGyn_CuRVMNJujpk4lcdpAyZve7UxKpv9kAMlmgSh2doIMJqC-Ee1m6enEwg_MrwAmBJeK-6CyTfG807iTlxTjbGVEr-HPm11xc4ulFr05G9j98NsToGE_7NxCKuyi4-oQZ/s640/kettle_point_0266.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">enjoying a swing before dinner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FkzLs8cwpCCnjSvM-2Z5_wUyMsv3_yBbX2a54uH00cGz__B_p7b9icGT34Pj7BNi5IUIWGCwAFkwdjGZNRMmKwYhIk2MdDDotmXBCw2_htdVsOSL5EXhA8dRotmUZ_2u3cOrlaGbQhaR/s1600/kettle_point_0273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FkzLs8cwpCCnjSvM-2Z5_wUyMsv3_yBbX2a54uH00cGz__B_p7b9icGT34Pj7BNi5IUIWGCwAFkwdjGZNRMmKwYhIk2MdDDotmXBCw2_htdVsOSL5EXhA8dRotmUZ_2u3cOrlaGbQhaR/s640/kettle_point_0273.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">posing for mom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLG9uaQsAuxINXMbpouev2NEWf-GJk-mdZHnbOBfkCM00_j3ZaRPTEDsCWVCwXjk2Qc5lIfpzYuk5Muqsy_LHuXAD87DFhXxoAEVjqoISagOaa7B4sgmxuRZA7ZDkiJX-YoQVVJyndLZxD/s1600/kettle_point_0290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLG9uaQsAuxINXMbpouev2NEWf-GJk-mdZHnbOBfkCM00_j3ZaRPTEDsCWVCwXjk2Qc5lIfpzYuk5Muqsy_LHuXAD87DFhXxoAEVjqoISagOaa7B4sgmxuRZA7ZDkiJX-YoQVVJyndLZxD/s640/kettle_point_0290.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">storytime with dad before bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmk2fvY7ltxZO_Yqycy-ZTRkm2Yyst_dgUIX7PB2y-o4sZQGrGTXPQpbVbw1bX-VHd6feHlp5mSGiEKFZSU5bxQP5n276ScLZUog76F_6Aw-JtkFWBE_mqECdbwqBD-rHdo9uRnsd1q5x/s1600/kettle_point_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmk2fvY7ltxZO_Yqycy-ZTRkm2Yyst_dgUIX7PB2y-o4sZQGrGTXPQpbVbw1bX-VHd6feHlp5mSGiEKFZSU5bxQP5n276ScLZUog76F_6Aw-JtkFWBE_mqECdbwqBD-rHdo9uRnsd1q5x/s640/kettle_point_0315.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas and friends all lined up and raring to go - toot toot (Thomas, Rosie & Diesel 10)</td></tr>
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</div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-57642814154752023732012-03-04T00:11:00.000-05:002012-03-04T00:11:03.819-05:00Goldie Lock-lessPauly is now 20 months old and growing so fast. This has become more apparent to me as I recently made the choice to have his hair cut. Now, this wasn't a rash decision. On the contrary, it took me some time to finally make up my mind. And of course I discussed this with Paul who at first, was opposed to the idea of chopping off the little guys hair. But after a few days he came to the same conclusion as I. Pauly's hair was getting too unruly and he no longer had that messy baby look. Instead he was beginning to look like a bird was nesting somewhere atop his head.<br />
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So off I went with camera in hand. I was expecting him to be uncooperative and throw a fit so I was prepared...Smarties! He did not disappoint me, although I must admit that I thought it was going to be worse. I chose the Thomas the Train seat in hopes that he would be a little more distracted but that didn't last long. As soon as the hairdresser began wetting his hair, all bets were off. He wiggled and dodged and even tried climbing out of the chair but settled back down once the basket of toys was handed to him.<br />
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Things were going well until the first snip. There was more dodging and the crying started so, out came the box of Smarties. It was good for a few minutes then he noticed that someone was still "playing" with his hair. I started naming all the toys and their colours and he did well from that point on. The dinosaurs had a battle and the ski-doo went for a ride. Then we were done. There was no buzz cut or faux hawk (at least not yet). I just had them trim what was already there. It wasn't perfect but close to it. <br />
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It took me a few days to get used to it but I love it. And the best part is he still has his curls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv43JOBvHbUk8beDMF7IxBbPF-pSp11KM_DjdriVLlx40ndjyRw5Zgh5_r0eIlSuDrvdkgaBchkCYTgvE7ypQtC5ly16cUJe_O3vUTx67pJsMK143qAY2Twq-3MfIamUZXrYYRe4Z3_GMR/s1600/bathroom_0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv43JOBvHbUk8beDMF7IxBbPF-pSp11KM_DjdriVLlx40ndjyRw5Zgh5_r0eIlSuDrvdkgaBchkCYTgvE7ypQtC5ly16cUJe_O3vUTx67pJsMK143qAY2Twq-3MfIamUZXrYYRe4Z3_GMR/s320/bathroom_0031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhKkU8_VFelErm6uKWx2OuJJyImpcpk2RFdl0Mh3bIE3dZ79kHGQ69eO81k7-zBjjl_HS4Jm0ssD1UiSmdSyeQo6zQxSJDMdVeM0k-rYvA3AWNT8KnZ0nygHkgPyXkfX8ePwUaLcFffIz/s1600/1st_haircut_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhKkU8_VFelErm6uKWx2OuJJyImpcpk2RFdl0Mh3bIE3dZ79kHGQ69eO81k7-zBjjl_HS4Jm0ssD1UiSmdSyeQo6zQxSJDMdVeM0k-rYvA3AWNT8KnZ0nygHkgPyXkfX8ePwUaLcFffIz/s320/1st_haircut_0001.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pep Talk<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9jxRqJr_yVbCHikjFvYnw1tV0gzB_Am3AZDh_F1XoLbGT92HxOK9c4yg_NNRAVCJgOtFCxMmJ7YEJWkekZvRHbpwR023r7ILNP1OHlMMT7bXDuKaiEVVf1bFfBCv_t7bfFyCjPENYsTy/s1600/1st_haircut_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9jxRqJr_yVbCHikjFvYnw1tV0gzB_Am3AZDh_F1XoLbGT92HxOK9c4yg_NNRAVCJgOtFCxMmJ7YEJWkekZvRHbpwR023r7ILNP1OHlMMT7bXDuKaiEVVf1bFfBCv_t7bfFyCjPENYsTy/s320/1st_haircut_0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mama...What's going on?"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjLd9tYjho7gyVqjgRjt9qJQUjvEYV24qmDH__Z9Svu2zd_BfmXaI4E2WBLyarSDRZj8OLu3Y1l2_RqrGc6Ad1YEuIoutzBEVkrap7mugh-gSVK_lKsWPq6ZnlwM-CRMmPlpRQMWj9gvk/s1600/1st_haircut_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjLd9tYjho7gyVqjgRjt9qJQUjvEYV24qmDH__Z9Svu2zd_BfmXaI4E2WBLyarSDRZj8OLu3Y1l2_RqrGc6Ad1YEuIoutzBEVkrap7mugh-gSVK_lKsWPq6ZnlwM-CRMmPlpRQMWj9gvk/s320/1st_haircut_0007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I can handle this... vroom vroom"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBs372hwEMSqxJUEf_QNVa6lPxeZY_YYUFWMKTqLX5FxB9hs3aLCNRzzo6i2UiAkO-RYMO0FAVyEvZcf5BWrQaO6O4aDaaPtxDw3Gbk_U3PoHTyU74xjxlIeOBGjFUkRq6o0COV6v9LNY/s1600/1st_haircut_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBs372hwEMSqxJUEf_QNVa6lPxeZY_YYUFWMKTqLX5FxB9hs3aLCNRzzo6i2UiAkO-RYMO0FAVyEvZcf5BWrQaO6O4aDaaPtxDw3Gbk_U3PoHTyU74xjxlIeOBGjFUkRq6o0COV6v9LNY/s320/1st_haircut_0008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dinosaur goes raaaaaa"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jVQT-RU4fsAWHXaAx_iLI4haqADCUts6IRxOHPm8NeoGmKGG-cO04HkPCCbW7cWU4O06imMJNdkXDRl7cc6AfwOaxKq7TP7Zfc5r0PtczNHucnS4Wzahz0f3oBsFmsrq-z0nlTjtXLsE/s1600/1st_haircut_0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jVQT-RU4fsAWHXaAx_iLI4haqADCUts6IRxOHPm8NeoGmKGG-cO04HkPCCbW7cWU4O06imMJNdkXDRl7cc6AfwOaxKq7TP7Zfc5r0PtczNHucnS4Wzahz0f3oBsFmsrq-z0nlTjtXLsE/s320/1st_haircut_0011.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'm not sure I like this"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds2CUmER0qvsMxDMxGRz2q__6Va1Ju1PuSFrCOlHUJdQ11JyHFgsnv06ekG2RYVHUyYBiFr2BQ0kOd614_sCQzAlq8eDg2TSiqbVzyIkhU6U-8YiyCFXGsJU-LTYrqInJ89baP8rqVn12/s1600/family_time_0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds2CUmER0qvsMxDMxGRz2q__6Va1Ju1PuSFrCOlHUJdQ11JyHFgsnv06ekG2RYVHUyYBiFr2BQ0kOd614_sCQzAlq8eDg2TSiqbVzyIkhU6U-8YiyCFXGsJU-LTYrqInJ89baP8rqVn12/s320/family_time_0011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-817440847303878432012-02-06T23:28:00.000-05:002012-02-06T23:28:34.027-05:00Sock FuzzToday I was organizing the many pictures and videos I have (a task that is truly never ending) and I came upon this video that I shot a couple of weeks ago. <div>
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I was getting Pauly ready for bed and that's when he discovered it...sock fuzz. It just makes me laugh and I thought I'd share.</div>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lNO68mQK9Ig?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-817666371314148352012-02-05T23:33:00.002-05:002012-02-05T23:45:15.638-05:00Bathroom BlissThis time around I'm going to forgo the hallmark-esk post and write about something I'm totally stoked about. You might recall that my upstairs bathroom was in need of a complete overhaul and although we (and by we I mean Paul) had gutted it awhile ago, this project was put on the back burner. If you need a refresher you can check it out <a href="http://beantobabyandbeyond.blogspot.com/2010/05/33-weeks.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Well...we've finally gotten back to it, yippy!<br />
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We changed the layout and with that came some major replumbing and updating. Our home is 60+ years old so Paul and my father-in-law took the opportunity to replace the vent stack and some plumbing under the kitchen sink.<br />
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With that completed the new toilette was installed. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3IL22f0ibwtW3yhhxM8sfQJy5kECpJYqVnuIk3ruMgfQf8M3lubDZv9fL0vIgiLX5hNLkTalPQGljiH4_8Ly_XmMYIw0ZlG9g258Cb-rwo5EAz7JSiBTxCssQyDYPZRnghIHj9x2KeT4/s1600/bathroom_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3IL22f0ibwtW3yhhxM8sfQJy5kECpJYqVnuIk3ruMgfQf8M3lubDZv9fL0vIgiLX5hNLkTalPQGljiH4_8Ly_XmMYIw0ZlG9g258Cb-rwo5EAz7JSiBTxCssQyDYPZRnghIHj9x2KeT4/s320/bathroom_0003.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple dual flush</td></tr>
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The next step for us was buying the bathtub. We decided on a <a href="http://www.bainultra.com/" target="_blank">BainUltra</a> and it came in two weeks ago.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yPbsHUARwvHUx_4ZDC04ZPPvvZHXQW2DVLnWB6PYsDx2eF-JQiXqFRFQhB-4dU9JlDRvG-QwW478LOpvoRrXSRjhZk6ogANxWd1X-oDbuv5soXogi9fNmZM6ws3TMvDJgdeUUlTUiW4L/s1600/bathroom_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yPbsHUARwvHUx_4ZDC04ZPPvvZHXQW2DVLnWB6PYsDx2eF-JQiXqFRFQhB-4dU9JlDRvG-QwW478LOpvoRrXSRjhZk6ogANxWd1X-oDbuv5soXogi9fNmZM6ws3TMvDJgdeUUlTUiW4L/s320/bathroom_0015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrival of <i><u>THE</u></i> BainUltra</td></tr>
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It's a "drop-in" style tub so Paul had to build the box for it first.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwye4mUv69S4jbqsn0gkz7lzvUiKZo39Jrfv8udz4wnXZten0k3WSiJ5GbclQLdI0tW4q9GS3-nIDCoxWKnR8lNm2ae9k_ZzJXkogANtZv6tzWnzU2BIxfp2q1mDJrqJVD-01SbFQl5Z4/s1600/bathroom_0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwye4mUv69S4jbqsn0gkz7lzvUiKZo39Jrfv8udz4wnXZten0k3WSiJ5GbclQLdI0tW4q9GS3-nIDCoxWKnR8lNm2ae9k_ZzJXkogANtZv6tzWnzU2BIxfp2q1mDJrqJVD-01SbFQl5Z4/s320/bathroom_0018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy teaching Pauly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUIMuFml5ORSMSbC3WP-zrNUICBntuRQwnDDkxRIFUAZhXqIQqkoeknaoqM0rD9Og8Pf6LeI8ok2jyAcWZ70Z1IEaN_mh-IbReUVOwSkqbm6r6z64GRzYsxaHCb5TxtpVgzvnIDOFwlAm/s1600/bathroom_0028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUIMuFml5ORSMSbC3WP-zrNUICBntuRQwnDDkxRIFUAZhXqIQqkoeknaoqM0rD9Og8Pf6LeI8ok2jyAcWZ70Z1IEaN_mh-IbReUVOwSkqbm6r6z64GRzYsxaHCb5TxtpVgzvnIDOFwlAm/s320/bathroom_0028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pauly helping daddy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCpPZXbwl3_YpK6iUen8ZNhW7JSvA13Ppn1hyphenhyphenW3a9xyJguBYsBEh1cfnhtmfsNYvNr2BijFxcOUsfuqckWurdO6YuW1kB_ybxiVtN9dE_fc9l5iq0wG4ia8YtPcKidRonLN4QALwmnQgb/s1600/bathroom_0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCpPZXbwl3_YpK6iUen8ZNhW7JSvA13Ppn1hyphenhyphenW3a9xyJguBYsBEh1cfnhtmfsNYvNr2BijFxcOUsfuqckWurdO6YuW1kB_ybxiVtN9dE_fc9l5iq0wG4ia8YtPcKidRonLN4QALwmnQgb/s320/bathroom_0066.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bain Frame</td></tr>
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The tub is still sitting in our living room but I can hardly wait for my first Bain experience. You can count on reading about it but don't hold your breath. There's still so much left to do.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-64142958811400102222012-01-28T00:05:00.007-05:002012-01-29T03:38:01.392-05:00Happy Birthday Mom!Thursday was my mom's 60th birthday. We kept it low key as per her wishes and only celebrated with pizza, cake and coffee. She had a wonderful time with her daughters and grand kids but...my sister and I decided that a ladies night was also in order. So today we went out to dinner and left the kids with their fathers (except Riley since I'm exclusively breast feeding). We all gathered together afterwards including aunts and cousins but, it has been a while since we've done the mother-daughters thing.<br /><br />Years ago, spending quality time with my mom was not something I thought I'd look forward to. We didn't have the best relationship and our views on life were very different. Now that I'm older, wiser and have children of my own, it's something I cherish and very much appreciate. I love seeing her happy and right now her grand kids put the biggest smile on her face. It's priceless to see her eyes light up when all five kids are together at her house, playing and causing a ruckus.<br /><br />I wouldn't be fooling anyone if I said my life was perfect. But when you have a mother who looks past your mistakes, forgives your stubbornness, and is always willing to put her life on hold in order to make yours a little easier, those rough patches don't seem so bad anymore. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful role model and I hope that one day my children will think of me in the same way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I love you mom and happy birthday.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IC5nlkuuTOVq4m6OLlgXZvdAL8DodAN1UnoY6m_qCu-uX2I4kIhlwJ2FkZqIyqn9dcij_VHybB1psYf2d39Db8fjj-yvNlrUbhAxKlBl7XCBil8lDOXbeQ-glApjmC9STrkFtBMLc-lw/s1600/60th_birthday_0027.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><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/AVvXsEh2IC5nlkuuTOVq4m6OLlgXZvdAL8DodAN1UnoY6m_qCu-uX2I4kIhlwJ2FkZqIyqn9dcij_VHybB1psYf2d39Db8fjj-yvNlrUbhAxKlBl7XCBil8lDOXbeQ-glApjmC9STrkFtBMLc-lw/s400/60th_birthday_0027.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702969196130504930" /></a>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-20067451424142939122012-01-05T10:01:00.002-05:002012-01-27T03:05:19.297-05:00Joys of MotherhoodAs many mom's know, there's so much joy in raising children. The dynamic between children and their parents vary depending on wether you're the father or mother. Things like how attached children are to a specific parent and what kind of caregiver you are varies during a child's life. On those extremely chaotic days I sometimes find myself thinking about fatherhood and how much easier it seems to be at the other end of the spectrum. I wouldn't want to change places permanently but, is the grass <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> greener on the other side? I can't answer that question but here are some things I would never give up in order to find out. <br /><br />1. I will always know each of my children nine months longer than anyone. During this time I will experience their first kicks and hiccups. I will know when they are restless and when they are resting. And until they are born, they will be safe within me. <br /><br />2. Only I can birth my children. Fathers are very much involved but let's face it, a mother does all the hard work. And even though labour and delivery is no walk in the park, when you are the first to hold a child you've been growing for so long, it's worth every agonizing moment. <br /><br />3. Hormones. Oxytocin is a powerful thing. It can reek havoc with your emotions but in the end, it's responsible for that feeling of pure unconditional love. <br /><br />4. Knowing exactly what my children need. It took a little practice but over time I have come to know the personalities of my children. I know when it's time to eat, nap or just cuddle with mommy. <br /><br />And finally...<br />5. The bond created between a newborn and mom is definitely not worth giving up. I sometimes watch as my husband struggles to calm and sooth Riley and I realize how important it is for me to be there for her. When she seems unconsolable in the arms of someone, and all it takes is mommy's arms and a short lullaby to calm her I know I couldn't want anything else out of life. Don't get me wrong, when she is fed, changed and doesn't need a nap, she is very happy spending time with dad and I love watching them together but, motherhood is the absolute joy of life.<br /><br />So I'll end this post with one of my favourtite quotes:<br /><br />“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. <br />She never existed before. <br />The woman existed, but the mother, never. <br />A mother is something absolutely new.”<br />-Bhagwan RajneeshSandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-79000834271814614662011-10-23T12:16:00.024-04:002011-12-20T08:05:02.142-05:00The Disappearing ActHere is the long awaited post.<br />I'll try to keep it short but, that seems almost impossible considering this will be a birth story.<br /><br />Lets's get down to it then...I'm now a mother of 2. A rambunctious boy, and an adorable little girl. Her name is Riley and she was born exactly on her due date of September 22, 2011.<br /><br />It all started the day before Riley was born. I went to see the midwives for my 40 week appointment and was glad to find out that I was 1cm dilated. I felt good and went about my day which consisted mostly of cleaning and picking up after Pauly. I had been dealing with fatigue for a few weeks so it was no surprise that I was tiring quickly. As the day went on things started to change. I wasn't feeling as well and there was a persistent pain in my lower back. I started to think that maybe I was in early labour but, because I wasn't sure I kept this thought to myself. I struggled to finish dinner and was relieved when we all sat down to eat. The back ache subsided a little but I still wasn't feeling well. Soon after I put Pauly to bed and then sat infront of the boob tube to relax. <br /><br />A few hours later Paul started getting ready for work and I was sure to ask if he had his <span style="font-style:italic;">charged</span> cell phone with him. He did, so at 10pm he left. I decided that I should probably see if there was a pattern to the pain I was feeling and after an hour of monitoring I was sure I was in early labour. The pain was coming every 15-20 minutes and lasting 30 seconds. I then started to mentally prepare for the back labour I thought I would once again experience but, was happy when I started feeling the contractions under my belly. <br /><br />The advantage of knowing what's coming is that you tend to be a little calmer and can make better decisions about what to do next. My plan was to sleep through early labour and hopefully Paul would be home before I needed his help. So at midnight I went to bed and tried to get some rest. I wasn't too bothered by the contractions and managed to sleep in 1 hour intervals until 5am. At this point I couldn't get comfortable in bed so I decided to get up and time my contractions again. They were now coming every 10 minutes and lasting for 45 seconds. I wrestled with the thought of calling Paul and came to the conclusion that he needed to come home. Even though I was still able to move and talk through the pain it would be 40 minutes before Paul got home and he still had to set up the dining/living room for our water birth. When I spoke to Paul he sounded excited and a little anxious about what was going on. After our conversation I went and sat on the birthing ball to try and relieve some of the pain but it didn't do any good. I just couldn't find a comfortable position. The contractions were now getting stronger but not closer together. I walked the house and tried different things but the only way I seemed to get relief was by slouching in the corner of the couch and breathing through the pain. I realized I should probably call the midwives too in order to give them time to get here. I had been hoping that Basak was going to be on call and was so happy when she called me back to say her and Adriana would be on their way in about 10 minutes. <br /><br />When Paul got home he informed me that his mom was on her way to pick up Pauly and our dog. Before he started packing Pauly's overnight bag I had him attach a <a href="http://www.birthsource.com/scripts/article.asp?articleid=144">TENS</a> unit to my back. I was a little skeptical about wether it would work for me but I was pleasantly surprised to feel that it took some of the edge off the contractions. As Paul went to work I concentrated on breathing through the pain and relaxing in between. <br /><br />My mother-in-law showed up a short time later and asked how things were going. I wanted to tell her all about what was happening and how I felt but, I couldn't speak through the contractions any more and was forced to keep my answers short. She finished gathering things for Pauly and let me kiss him goodbye before leaving. I had really wanted him to stay but because he was still so young I knew it would be best if he wasn't home with us. After they left I told Paul that he needed to call our doula <a href="http://www.timelessbirth.ca/Welcome.html">Jody</a>. The contractions were getting stronger and closer together. He made the necessary call and continued to quickly prepare the birth pool.<br /><br />At this point I was still on the couch breathing through the contractions and waiting for my team to show up. At 7:45am Basak and Jody arrived with Adriana following a short time later. The midwives began setting up all their gear and Jody came to my side to see how I'm doing. Because it was still early and Paul figured he had a long morning ahead of him, he decided to make some coffee. Although I didn't feel like having any, the aroma was somehow comforting and just the fact that he was able to do it was a little surreal.<br /><br />Once the midwives were ready, Adriana offered to check me and I eagerly agreed. I wanted to know exactly where I stood and I wasn't disappointed. After 3 hours of painful labour, I was 6cm dilated and completely effaced. At this point I got the OK from the midwives to get into the pool and I absolutely loved it. The water combined with vocal toning really did help me get through the contractions. I had my eyes closed and was so focused on relaxing my body and resting between contractions that I can't tell you what was going on around me. I know someone was rubbing my shoulders and arms (I later found out it was Paul) and I could hear Jody guiding and encouraging me.<br /><br />Then suddenly I had a few strong contractions, one on top of the other and there was no time to think. I started pushing. Basak got ready, my water broke and Adriana ran outside to get Paul because he was "making the phone calls". By the time he came back in Adriana was sternly telling me to stop pushing because things were going too fast. I tried not to push but with the next contraction my body didn't give me a choice. Riley's head was born. A few seconds later the midwives told me to stand up because Riley's shoulders were stuck. A few more seconds later and she was in my arms safe and sound. I sat back in the tub to keep her warm and waited for her to cry. It didn't take long for Riley to announce her arrival and Paul was able to cut the cord soon after.<br /><br />Basak was concerned that there might still be fluid in Riley's lungs because things happened very quickly so she took Riley to the table to examine her. A short while later I was lying in bed with Riley in my arms again. I couldn't believe that I had been blessed with another little angel who was perfect in every way.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqzPPIk1k6lf-3Zng_0DjVGjQN8SarZB5kHSo0argh6NXrZ2i-VTZhw671VQ7v4oS7Q1MmPEQRF4UcSq2aHPwFSWZeoN866wahh7KOeXE2wOwZQaxQXNHOHNnM1dIsfMC3KnZEhN9Lp4x/s1600/riley_grace_0002.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqzPPIk1k6lf-3Zng_0DjVGjQN8SarZB5kHSo0argh6NXrZ2i-VTZhw671VQ7v4oS7Q1MmPEQRF4UcSq2aHPwFSWZeoN866wahh7KOeXE2wOwZQaxQXNHOHNnM1dIsfMC3KnZEhN9Lp4x/s200/riley_grace_0002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688067279702855954" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCentLTMeP8bXNXRtEeVkmKfvx5uCQ30JS7E-2t83k7e4QBP5iDbFhfZeL9ip4jZR_8iKsWgZtLnuhq1wUxuGdBQBb_FRP7fyvXat5VUz2KLjElMZt-31aRoCQVIy4PxmNqE30X_dkCWE/s1600/little_sister_0002.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCentLTMeP8bXNXRtEeVkmKfvx5uCQ30JS7E-2t83k7e4QBP5iDbFhfZeL9ip4jZR_8iKsWgZtLnuhq1wUxuGdBQBb_FRP7fyvXat5VUz2KLjElMZt-31aRoCQVIy4PxmNqE30X_dkCWE/s200/little_sister_0002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688066895296576226" /></a> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoy8OgpcJypyNPjpq1kdJTg6fvmbKI3CzkdhMvc_J3tVl4l2ESQmMK8unV0rIDhWv9vSlRWJLyv7pvbDGBJVQfK3GdDBcYUH5g-IPhkYADisFi6XJ6rhIB0kx3QSiMzCfQCMkw4gRVq8wV/s1600/little_sister_0007.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoy8OgpcJypyNPjpq1kdJTg6fvmbKI3CzkdhMvc_J3tVl4l2ESQmMK8unV0rIDhWv9vSlRWJLyv7pvbDGBJVQfK3GdDBcYUH5g-IPhkYADisFi6XJ6rhIB0kx3QSiMzCfQCMkw4gRVq8wV/s200/little_sister_0007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688067782811260722" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDU2uqQ0KvJNoxn1GHmgszkaiAxn5ov2Z75dgfpvcOi-2nunzLWBS6Rl92RAuLW9cjWxaSARanRr3iIOD0y811MBZpj3Ly2qterWuLgqHZO2Z6JCiQQW-NxjV2qTTHFLCAJkuOuF9KmNo/s1600/little_sister_0025.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDU2uqQ0KvJNoxn1GHmgszkaiAxn5ov2Z75dgfpvcOi-2nunzLWBS6Rl92RAuLW9cjWxaSARanRr3iIOD0y811MBZpj3Ly2qterWuLgqHZO2Z6JCiQQW-NxjV2qTTHFLCAJkuOuF9KmNo/s200/little_sister_0025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688067991180425506" /></a><br /><br />So I'm sure this new journey will have lots of sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and moments of pure chaos but, I'll also have twice the love, twice the affection and twice the amount of memories to cherish.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996423371928379947.post-86398413123973903062011-08-02T11:20:00.013-04:002011-08-07T20:03:48.531-04:0033 Weeks Pt. 2Whew... I am tired. I'm in the home stretch now and I really understand what it means to be <span style="font-weight:bold;">DONE</span> being pregnant. Let me start by saying my baby dropped at the end of last week and stayed that way until Tuesday of this week. It was so unbearably uncomfortable that all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep it away. Unfortunately there was work and my sister-in-law's birthday. Work was a little more difficult to manoeuvre but the birthday party was great because Paul looked after our son while I sat for most of it. But as of now, baby has decided it's much more comfy being out of my pelvis and I am truly grateful!<br /><br />As for other events, the three of us went to my in-laws trailer a couple of weekends ago. It was nice to get away for a weekend and I'm looking foreword to doing it again before the new baby arrives. I don't know if that will be possible because Paul and I still have most of the nursery to finish. And of course the more I think about how much time is left in my pregnancy, the more excited I get. I see Pauly walking around on his own and playing with his cousins and it makes me realize how much he's grown in the last 13 months. It makes me miss the quiet times we used to have together when he was only a few weeks old. At night I used to take him from the bassinet to feed him and as he nursed I'd fall asleep with him in my arms. It was never for too long but seeing him asleep in my arms made me want to squeeze him. And since Pauly is sleeping through the night, I know I'll have the chance to do it all again. At least for the first little while. I'm not exactly sure how Pauly is going to adjust to a younger sibling but I think he'll do fine considering he loves other kids.<br /><br />I also saw the midwife last week and everything is looking good. She gave me my charts to carry around in case anything happens and I've got to go to the nearest hospital. But of course it's all precautions. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWlAMcIKKy7C1X7JUfFOyoaOWu1Vma4goLbl7uyH-b_9T6Km_3t7P40ILx3xLDnpkPFjaqt_XPTQr7yWrpn08c50rMiBXWvJDM1L1YE5HInYxSaFIyrOLxoGJEwn-vzj-bmwbhui_4mLh/s1600/pineapple.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 152px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWlAMcIKKy7C1X7JUfFOyoaOWu1Vma4goLbl7uyH-b_9T6Km_3t7P40ILx3xLDnpkPFjaqt_XPTQr7yWrpn08c50rMiBXWvJDM1L1YE5HInYxSaFIyrOLxoGJEwn-vzj-bmwbhui_4mLh/s320/pineapple.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469878078288805986" /></a>I am really hoping not to go into labour before 37 weeks as I have officially decided to have a home water birth. I've still got some supplies to gather but it's nothing major. The biggest item will be the birthing pool which I rented form <a href="http://www.doulameredith.com/">Meredith Ballaban</a>. I get to pick it up two weeks before my due date. The decision to have a home birth is really sitting well with everyone too. The midwives and our doula Jody are very excited. Even Paul is looking foreword to the experience. <br /><br />This week my lil' bean is weighing in at a little over 4 pounds, about as much as a pineapple, and is just over 19 inches long. He/she can listen, feel, see and is still gaining fat. There isn't much change except for his/her size and before I know it there'll be a newborn in my arms.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00800636472486878245noreply@blogger.com0