Berry Time!

Strawberry season in Portage la Prairie reminds me of babyhood; fleeting.  It seems like just yesterday, our little boy was a baby.  Now I find I'm correcting myself every time I call Ethan "baby".  This little guy isn't so little anymore, and definitely not a baby.

This past weekend, I was able to take Ethan out to the berry patch.  We went picking last year too, but that involved Uncle Chad and I picking while "baby" Ethan slept in his removable car seat.  I loved picking berries when I was a kid.  I remember going to the Hyde's patch, thinking I was so lucky to have strawberries so close to our house. 

Then I remember working with Chad at Mayfairs in the mornings, and picking for our own business at Connery's in the afternoon for the few weeks that berries are available during our early teen years.  There is apparently a lot of money to make on the berry patch for kids that can handle the sun and are a little ambitious. 

I hope that Ryan and I can make strawberry picking one of our loved traditions with Ethan.

But on Saturday.  I can tell you my sneaky little man LOVED the berry patch!  I showed Ethan were the berries were hidden under the greenery.  It didn't take him long to figure it out.  But Chad and I learnt early that succeeding on the berry patch requires a little bit of craftiness.  Ethan would pretend to pick a strawberry, then walk over to my bucket to "put it in" and ended up swiping three or four berries at a time.  I picked 2 buckets in the 40 minutes I was there.  Not a great amount for that time frame, but in my defence, I had to refill a quarter of the first bucket picked after Ethan had found it down the row.

Mr and Mrs Connery saw Ethan in his car seat when I went up to the shack to pay, and noted that baby would have some issues with the pampers later that night. 

But it wasn't so bad.  It was worth it to share one of my favorite summer activities with my Little Man.

Ethan is so tired after playing at Daycare all day, that he still needs an evening nap.   Sometimes he doesn't want to have a nap, but Mommy knows best.

Working Mom

Wow!  What a week!

Last week I became a working mom for the first time.  I was a little nervous about going back to work, cause I knew I would miss spending every waking moment with my boy.  (Since birth, Ethan and I have only been apart for very short spurts)  I was ok with the job - as far as 9 to 5 jobs go, I've got a great one - but my job description was getting a face lift, and I happened to go back on month end and year end.

Thankfully Ethan LOVES daycare!  He hugs and kisses the little boy that is there and they get along great.  Ethan hasn't moved into break down mode when we leave him for the day, but I'm aware it might still be coming.

Evenings are definitely not long enough!  I do miss my boy a lot, but still need to get things done in the evening that I normally did during the day for the last 9 months.  Mornings are very early for all three of us - My boy used to sleep until 9 or 10, and I'm forcing out of crib at 7am at the latest!  Poor Ethan!

And to top off my first week of work, with deadlines everywhere, I came down with a horrible case of the stomach flu on Wednesday morning.  I spent 3 of the 5 first days back at work in bed or the bathroom, with an evening on IV in the hospital to boot.  Not how I wanted to come back.  But luckily I kept my flu to myself - sparing Ethan and Ryan.  And I am back to work this week again.

Unfortunately my computer becomes the last thing that I look at - only getting here if a lot of non-Ethan time presents itself.  But that's ok.  Time at home has become very precious.

All I Wanted For Christmas....

was my two front teeth. 

I used to hate that song.  What a silly song.  I guess if you were 6 years old, with two big gaping holes in the front of your mouth, it would make sense.  But for the rest of us...  kinda silly.  Mind you, there are Christmas songs about Donkeys and Hippos, so I guess it's not the silliest song out there.

Well...  I have my two front teeth, and have never known a child to get their two front teeth for Christmas.  Until now.

Besides a tonne of presents and clothes, Ethan got his two front teeth for Christmas.   One cut through on Christmas Day, and was in by the 27th.  And yesterday, he cut the second one, which is in today.  These teeth moved very quickly, and provided a few rough nights of sleep.

But something changed this teething time around (they are teeth 5 and 6 if anyone is keeping track).  Ethan slept!  During the day, he slept a lot - not at one time, but the days have been filled with naps.  He wakes up, has something to eat and goes back to sleep.   Wakes up, cuddles for a bit and falls back to sleep.  Wakes up, plays with some toys and starts yawning, cause it's time to go back to sleep.

Night time doesn't allow for a long- through the night sleep.  But he's waking up between 5 and 6:30.  Next week he'll be getting up at 6:30 anyway to get ready for daycare. 

So forget the Hippos and Donkeys.  (Ethan didn't get any of those - but cute puppies that say his name, and Elmos galore)  Ethan got something every kid sings about at some point in time.  He got his two front teeth for Christmas. 

Six down, Fourteen to go!

SAHM No More

What a weekend!  Christmas was busy, throwing Ethan way off schedule.  We had 4 Christmas' in a five day span.  And I'm kinda glad to be home today, cleaning up the house, packing away the Christmas tree and trying to find a place to put all the new toys.

Yes, I've been so excited for Christmas, but took down my tree today.  You see, in the past 3 weeks, Ethan has become extremely mobile, making it difficult to do anything without putting him in his exersaucer - which he is very tired of.  If I'm not sitting beside him on the floor - I find him in the tree or pulling stuff out of the TV stand or headed down the hall in search of a garbage can or return air-vent.  So removing the tree was almost necessary.  One less thing to get into. 

Today is back to work day for everyone.  And I'm at home with Ethan, alone for the first time in 4 days.  I have so much that I want to get done this week.  Before going back to work next week, giving up my SAHM status for a little while at least.  I want to make cookies and give the house an incredibly good cleaning, and make a menu for next month (one of my New Years goals, hoping it will relieve some stress of 'whats for dinner-lunch' making Daycare packing a little easier too).  I also want to spend some good time just hanging out with the boy, cause I'm pretty sure I'll miss that the most.  I love reading him stories, and singing and dancing with him. 

Going back to work is the hardest thing most Mom's I talk to ever experience.  Maybe harder than child birth - cause I think you remember how you feel going back to work forever - and the pain of child birth doesn't stay with you too long.  I'm looking forward to going back, but I'm also sad that I can't just stay home till we're done having kids and they've all gone to school.  But I can't.

Time has just flown by.  It's so cliche, but it really has.  There was a baby sitting in front of us yesterday in church.  She was so tiny, and sleeping quietly.  Seems so long since Ethan was that small....  but it really wasn't.  I'm happy that he's developing, but I'm going to miss cuddling on the couch and rocking him to sleep. 

Merry Christmas To You!

Being Ethan's first Christmas, I'm sure that there will be some spoiling.  I know there will be.  I'm sure that he will get more gifts than he needs.  I'm okay with that.  However there is one thing that I'm so happy Ethan will get this Christmas.

Okay, here's me getting Corny; Family. 

He's such a lucky boy.  He has a huge family, right here close enough that he can spend Christmas with them. 

This is his Great Grandma Janzen, sharing such a nice kiss with him during our Christmas on Sunday night.  What a great picture (captured by my Aunt Mary).  I'm sure that I'll cherish this picture for years to come. 

Out of all of the things wrapped under the tree, nothing can replace the rituals and the traditions that we create with our families over the holidays.  It's true.  When your Christmas changes for the first time in years, it doesn't feel quite the same. 

I'm so excited to start some new traditions with our family this year.  And I'm so happy that we have so many wonderful people in our lives that will be part of those traditions.

Merry Christmas From Our Family To Yours!!!!

Soother? Yes I Am

Ethan's been having problems sleeping at night again.  I'm not sure exactly what the issue is this time.

He is teething again, but not horribly *I really wish teething was a 2 day process*.  Sometimes some teething gel is required - or Baby Crack as I call it....  Ethan smacks his lips in anticipation when he sees it coming.

I also cheaped out on diapers and bought the none-brand named brand, as I'm cheap and I didn't have a coupon for my favorite brand name.  Around 3am, Ethan yells to let me know that his diaper has reached full capacity.  Then it takes a while to get him back to sleep.  I will be picking up a package of my favorite brand named diapers today.

Ethan is also giving crawling a huge try, mostly at night.  He sits up in his crib, lies back down, crawls to the edge, sits back up, lies back down, rolls around, pushes his face up against the edge, and SCREAMS!  In the past, I usually have given him a few minutes of screaming in hopes that he will calm down and fall back to sleep.  I've found that if the issue is a face against the bars of his crib, promptness is necessity, or a lot of Mommy soothing will follow.  I'm considering purchasing some crib bumpers today as well.

Another issue that we've run into is Ethan throws his pacifier out of the crib, then has trouble soothing himself back to sleep.  He will be a great ball player, he's got quite an arm on him.  If the soos (as we call it) has left the crib, the chance that he will fall back to sleep is about a zero.  Going into his room, getting another soos and getting him back to sleep is also necessary.  The bumpers will probably help his issue too.

Last night at 3 am, the diaper, Ethan's face against the crib and the missing soos were all issues.  It took about 4 trips to the nursery, a diaper change, a bottle and a big long cuddle with Mom to settle him down.  While I was crawling back into bed, Ryan asked "soother?"  I took it as a statement.  Maybe it's my title now.

I am the Soother....  Just call me Soos.

Don't touch the tree.... Even if I place you in front of it

I must say, What a cute kid we've got!

Ryan and I did this picture in our livingroom the other night for Christmas cards (pretend you haven't seen it yet when you open your card) 

Things that I thought were important for the picture -

Socks...  I wanted to have Ethan in his cute little shoes, but he only has one pair right now that fit (besides slippers and boots) and they didn't go with the outfit.  But socks go with everything.

Turtle...   Ethan loves his turtle.  Turtle goes everywhere with us.  I bought it when Ethan was 3 months old so he could have something new to entertain him when we took our first plane ride to Montreal.  That's right, Turtle has even been to Montreal.

Corny Christmas Sweater-vest...   We can only dress them like this for so long before they start to protest - except my brother.  He wore 3 piece suits for school pictures well into elementary school.  Long even that I knew they weren't cool anymore Mom - and I'm 2 years younger than him.

Decorated Christmas Tree (with presents)...  It really sets the Christmas tone.  Otherwise it would just be another picture of Ethan, only with him in a corny sweater-vest.

Things I wish weren't in the picture-

The poor excuse for window treatments...  Scroll back up and look again.  You'll understand.

Finally I would like to say that to acheive a fabulous picture like this, it requires teetering your 8 month old on a box covered in blankets, surrounded by pillows, with a Daddy hovering just in case.  They did a good job, didn't they?

HOHOHO!!!!

Everyday is like Christmas when Grandpa comes to visit! 

Sunday Sleepers

I stole this picture yesterday while I was busy getting ready for Church.  Everyone says Ethan looks just like his Daddy, Ryan says he can't see it.  I think the similarities are endless!

What A Monkey

Left to his own devices, Ethan decided to play with ALL of his toys last night (with Daddy looking on).

Formula Follower

If you've been following for the past few weeks, you probably know I've been struggling with a Baby who is almost 8 months old, who refuses to sleep through the night. Up until about a week ago, Ethan was completely Breastfeed.

I am pleased to say that Ryan and I have won the Bottle-Battle. Ethan downed his 7 oz bottle of formula last night in about 10 minutes! Yay Ethan, go Ethan, Yay Ethan.... (happy dance)

My goal was to get him to take 1 bottle a day, right before bed, in hopes that he will sleep better. (some say that formula feed babies sleep better, breastfed babies wake up hungry in the middle of the night)

I am sad to say that Ethan is STILL waking up in the middle of the night, hungry. I know he's hungry, because I go in when he wakes up, make sure that teeth aren't the issue (he's not trying to pull the top of his head off) and give him his Soos (pacifier). Ethan will fall asleep, and wake up and cry and fall asleep and wake up and cry. I let him do this for about 50 minutes on Saturday night before Ryan finally went in to get him. Ethan latched on and had a full meal, then Ryan took him back to his crib and he slept for another 5 hours.

A growth spurt? A spoiled baby with trained parents? An extremely hungry 20 lbs 8 month old?

I'm not sure, but I prefer the sleeping Angel.

One Mans Junk...

I decided to take yesterday's warm weather as possibly one of the last days of above average temperatures this Fall and went for a walk downtown with the boy. Going out during the day can sometimes get expensive.

I like to shop. I admit it. I like to have money in my account and to buy things, resulting in less money in my account. Going for a walk downtown can sometimes result in WAY less money in our account. But I was good yesterday.

I stopped at the two second-hand shops, spent $10 total and came out with a jacket and pair of pants for the boy and two new toys! (though slightly used). The best part was that I could remember playing with a similar toy as pictured below when I was a kid.

When we got home, the boy went down for a nap and I proceeded to give the new toys a good scrub in the sink... and when he woke up, Ethan was delighted with his new treasures.

Boob-man

I think that there is always a sort of stigma towards Moms when it comes to breastfeeding. Everyone has an opinion. Even if they say they don't, I think they do as soon as a Mom pulls out a bottle or a boob to soothe that screaming child. BOOM! There it is; People's opinions.

Old ladies judge you before you even give birth to that child. Walking through Walmart 8 months pregnant, they'll stop you to ask "are you going to breastfeed?" (had this happen, didn't know the lady). She anticipates your answer and has a look of approval or a judgemental scowl ready for you.

If you choose not to breastfeed, I think you deal with it all head on. You're already armed with why you don't want to or CAN'T and you tell people (even though it's none of their business) that you're not, and this is why. And if they think less of you, just know that you can pull a bottle out anytime to quite your kid without them thinking you should leave the room to feed him/her.

There's even a stigma when you stop feeding off the boob or God-Forbid you feed them for too LONG on the boob! When is it time to stop? When your child walks up to you and demands baba? (Ethan started asking for Baba around 6 months old, and yes, it means boob) So if you're behind us in church and he starts screaming "BABA-BABA-BABA" feel free to laugh, I'm trying to get it out as fast as possible.

I choose to breastfeed. (Man! how many times can I reference a boob in one blog? I'm not done yet) I'm pretty liberal (at least when it comes to breastfeeding) and refuse to feed my boy in another area, let alone a little room strictly for the purpose of feeding babies. I became very good at covering up fairly early, so if you're not staring at my chest, you won't see anything. Get over it. He's hungry.

In two weeks Ethan will be 8 months old. He has 4 teeth and has gone through the 'I can make Mommy squeal if I bite her' stage and we've gotten through it. My plan was to breastfeed Ethan until he's a year old. But I confess, I'm starting that downward spiral towards formula. (just joking formula Moms!) I'm giving up his before bed feeding, in hopes of getting him to sleep better. When he sleeps through the night, he is a happier boy during the day. And I'm a happier Mom. So I see no harm in trying to get him a better nights sleep.

But even my almost 8 month old boy has some stigma towards breastfeeding. He is a boob-man. He's had bottles (not for a couple month though) and will take a sippy-cup anytime during the day. But giving up his Baba right before bed has been a challenge... that I haven't won yet. But with lots of encouragement from my going-through-it-too friend and my family, we'll get through it.

I know that once I give up one feeding, I'll probably have to give up most of them. He's eating little people food, and doesn't BF that much during the day already. I'm pretty sad about giving up. But I'm tired, and pretty angry about not sleeping, especially at 2am then 4am or 6am....

On the positive side, I'll be able to give up my Maternity bras (they are pretty horrible!) and will be able to wear my pretty shirts again without thinking about if I can feed the boy with that shirt on. I'll be able to leave the house without Ethan every once in a while (I've only been away from him for 2 hour spurts, and not that many) and Ryan will be able to feed him, and bond in a way that I've been able to for months now.

And when someone asks "Are you still breastfeeding" I'll be armed and ready with my answer. Even though I'll be a little sad that it's ending.

Who Pays the Tooth Fairy?

The tooth fairy has a pretty sick sense of humour. Ethan is getting a bunch of teeth, all at once.

His bottom front teeth came in over a 3 week period (not counting the 4 months of "teething" in preparation of them breaking through). It was pretty horrible in the house for a few days at a time when they were cutting through the gums. Then he started smiling again, playing with toys and sleeping at night. Not too bad.

But on Monday, after a horrible weekend of not napping, I realized that his 3rd and 4th teeth came in on top (not the middle ones though). So Ethan could go as a vampire this Halloween! To relieve pressure, he even does the Vampire bite on your neck if he hold him the right way.

Now he won't let me look in his mouth to see what's going on in there... The top Vampire teeth are cut, but haven't "come in" and definitely hurt. Last time he let me look, his gums were very swollen on the bottom, the 5th and 6th teeth are obviously on their way. And I'm pretty sure that maybe even 2 more are coming in on top now. (8! Could he really have 8 teeth all of a sudden!?!)

So for the past 2 nights, I have been on the couch with him. Tylenol and Ambisol have little effect anymore. (I guess, with all that happening at the same time) When his pacifier comes out, he starts to yell, and when he's sleeping it falls out about every 20 minutes.

My poor baby. He's pretty sad right now, but maybe when all these teeth come in, we can get a bit of a break from teething for a few months.

Hopefully they don't fall out all at the same time. I'll be broke! I mean the tooth fairy will be broke. How much does a tooth run at right now? And with inflation over the next 6 years. Forget retirement! We need to start putting away for teeth!

What Does Elmo Have That I Don’t?

My baby loves Elmo.  Ethan loves Elmo so much that he will de-latch while eating when he hears the Elmo’s World song come on the TV.  He will push away from me and roll to watch the 20 minute show.  And he loves to eat! 

It all started when Grandma and Grandpa dropped off a Tickle-Me Elmo doll a couple months ago.  Ethan loves when Elmo laughs….  He’ll put the big huge eyes in his mouth as Elmo vibrates.  I think it feels good on the teeth.  (He now has 4!  Two more appeared yesterday!)

Now he makes out with Elmo all the time.

He also loves the Huggies commercial, and will de-latch for that as well.  You know, the one with the guy in the red and white running shoes chasing the giggling baby.  I think he’s imagining running away from Daddy in the park next year.