And So It Starts!

Get out the gates, get out the screwdriver!! Little Miss is crawling up the stairs!!

Little Miss at 8.5 months crawling up the stairs! Oy!

Trying to get to the kitty!

And as soon as she does, the kitty runs away!

Needless to say the kitty isn't very friendly!

And yes I know I already have a gate, but now we need one at the top and bottom. We also need to bolt the top one to the wall. Not supposed to use pressure gates at the top of stairs. Oops!

When did your little ones start crawling up the stairs?

Did they have any major falls?

Flashback

So I was going through all of my facebook photo albums and I want to share some of my pregnancy pictures and the photo shoot we had done. I absolutely loved being pregnant! Aside for the morning sickness. :)

14 weeks

18 weeks

22 weeks

29 weeks

37 weeks

40 weeks

40 weeks + 2 days

This picture was taken just before going in to get induced. That induction didnt work so we went in the next day to do it again. Let me just say NEVER AGAIN!

And here are the pictures from the photo shoot courtesy Tanya Wood Photography

This is at about 29-30 weeks if I remember correctly

I really want to do it all over again!

♪Home home on the ran...UH.. Home Sweet Home♥

Yep, we made it home!
It was a long trip.
Sweet Thing was not happy on the flight, and I just about got ourselves lost in the airport.
But we got a nice welcoming at the airport from Sweet Husband.
As much as I love going to visit family, it is always nice to get home.

Home Sweet Home

Simple Gift Stories

My breastfeeding story has been posted on http://www.simplegiftstories.blogspot.com/

Go follow and share your own breastfeeding stories.

I Just Knew

When did you first realize you were pregnant? Was it when your period was late and you took a test? Did you just know? Did you find out while trying to diagnose another symptom or illness?

I have to say with all my symptoms, I just KNEW I was pregnant.
I had sore boobs. I was getting dizzy and a little nauseous every now and then. I was in the bathroom frequently. I was late for my period.

Last night I remembered the excitement I felt as I waited a few extra days to take a test. Just to be absolutely sure. I had this overwhelming feeling that yes, I was pregnant. In bed I would hold my lower stomach all night knowing something amazing was happening in there, to keep everything warm. How could I not? After 2 years of nothing, something was finally happening!

OK you are looking at my age and the '2 years of nothing' and wondering WHY? Well technically we were never 'trying' (but not really preventing either) but in my mind it was a disappointment every time my period came around. I think I was destined to be a mommy! I don't really remember wanting much else.

After 8 days I convinced Sweet Fiance (yes we were engaged beforehand) to buy some tests. We headed to our regular grocery store and asked the lady what the best home pregnancy test was, and she told us to go to the Dollerama. Seriously?? The Dollerama?? OK! Off we went to the Dollerama, bought a couple tests.

Boy was I nervous. I really wanted a positive. I remember that day very well! I was wearing this cute flowy purple shirt and it was St. Patricks Day!

I took the test and came out of the bathroom....and waited.... OK does that not seem like the longest wait ever?

Sweet Fiance wanted to be the one to look at it first, and so he did. I peeked over his shoulder but couldn't really see anything. Then he turned around with a huge smile on his face and said "my baby's having a baby!"

I have never cried so hard because of something I was so happy about! This really was the best day of my life. It was so incredibly special to share that exact moment with him. We spent a long time hugging and laughing and crying (and jumping up and down). It was simply amazing!

What's your story?

Is there anything in particular that reminds you of the day you found out?
Mine is a song called Laughed Until We Cried by Jason Aldean ♥

Sunday Show and Tell

My favourite cool-you-down summer treat!

Raspberry Sherbet

My dad made home-made raspberry sherbet with raspberries from my uncle's yard!

DE-LISH!

Just Two Weeks

It is amazing how much you can appreciate something so much more when you dont have it.
Its almost been two weeks since I've seen Sweet Husband.
All of a sudden, when I talk to him on the phone I dont want to say goodbye, I could just talk to him forever, and I find him a lot funnier too!

I know I've got a great guy!
He's offered me a huge chunk of his bonus next year to "do whatever" I want with. Seriously? Your gonna let me blow a thousand bucks!?
He tells me he loves me and most of all shows me.
He is an AMAZING father. He just loves Sweet Thing to pieces!
He is genuine and I know he wouldn't do anything to hurt us. Besides he's worked too hard to get his life where it is now, to just throw it away on something worthless.

And to Mrs. Trophy Wife and all the other Military Mamas I couldnt imagine being in your shoes. You ladies are strong beyond belief! You do it because you have to, but honestly I think I would go a little crazy! Props to you!

Sweet Husband, I love you!

Oops! I bought diapers again!

I know I mentioned being a cloth diaper addict. But this week just proved it! I seriously went nuts! Sweet Husband and I had an agreement when I first decided to use cloth diapers, I was only going to buy one diaper a month.

Well that has NOT been the case at all! Let's see, how many did I buy in the last 3 days?.... 1....2.....3,4....5.
That's right 5 diapers...that is 5x the amount I should have... 500% more than I was supposed to.  3 of them were from daily deal sites, another was an item added onto an order that I had won, and another at the local farmers market in Vanderhoof.

Maybe I'm just an online shopping addict! 'Cause diapers are not the only thing I've bought. The only good thing is, I am getting stuff we need....ok Sweet Thing doesnt NEED an amber necklace right now, but she might! And if I'm in pain, I can just wrap it around my wrist right?
I did win something so I'd say that kind of makes it ok....right?
And besides I'm saving money in the long run by using cloth...
Ok....please tell me I'm justified.!

And you know, I go through these phases, one day I've got a bunch of money in the bank and BAM! it's all gone from shopping online! And then as I recieve all my packages in the mail, I'm one happy camper. And as soon as I've gotten the last item and there is more money in the bank, the cycle starts all over again.

Ok serioiusly... is there a Diaper Addicts Anonymous, or a Shopping Online Anonymous???
I NEED IT!
Either that or take away my paypal. That is the source of all online shopping evil!!

help?

What is a Blog?

To me, a blog is a place for me to write whatever I feel like writing! I may be sunshine and rainbows one day, and I may hate the world and everything in it the next! I won't lie and I won't sugar coat anything!
Take what I say with a grain of salt!

World Breastfeeding Week

This week I am celebrating World Breastfeeding Week!
What a wonderful thing to recognize breastfeeding!

When I was pregnant with Sweet Thing, I read all the books about pregnancy and birth and even a little bit of parenting! One thing I didn't give a second look was breastfeeding. I knew I was going to breastfeed, I wasn't worried about getting my newborn to latch. I thought it would be a piece of cake.

How wrong was I?

Breastfeeding was a challenge for us from the beginning.

After giving birth, we tried to latch about an hour later, with not much luck, we didn't worry about it. She wasn't hungry anyway. Later on in the day we tried again, and it was painful, and the nurses were trrying to help, telling me she's got it, she's doing well. But it was still painful, after unlatching and relatching, I was still in pain, finally I gave up and kept my mouth shut because the nurses weren't helping. Sweet Husband helped me hand express the colostrom to spoon feed our newborn.

We went home the next day.
That night was awful our beautiful newborn screamed for what seemed like an eternity, we tried everything, rocking, bouncing, singing. Anything but nursing. I didn't want to, I was hurt.

Finally we had a nurse come to our house, she then gave me a pump and told me to pump every two hours and 'finger feed' Sweet Thing so I could heal.

I healed and we tried nursing again. It was still painful, like someone pinching my nipple as hard as they could. We tried different positions. Nothing helped. We were told she had a tongue tie and may need to clip it.

A new nurse came a few days later and fitted me for a nipple shield.
Finally after 10 days of pumps and tiny cups and syringes full of mommy milk Sweet Thing was able to nurse, and I was pain free!!
I was ecstatic, I felt like a real mommy!

We nursed successfully from then on with the shield, and only recently have we both been completely weaned from it now at 8 months.

Although the beginning was tough and I had more than my fair share of doubts and not wanting to do it anymore. I stuck it out and I am so glad I did. I now love breastfeeding, it is a nice quiet time for me and Sweet Thing, I love that I am the only one who can do this for her. I love that she was a tiny 6lb 9oz baby girl and and now she is a healthy 18lb 8 month old, all thanks to mamas milk. I am sad that our breastfeeding is slowing down now that Sweet Thing is on more and more solid foods lately. I will not wean her, this is her decision.

I urge every mother to breastfeed, and though you may think you just can't do it anymore, you can! You really can!

Check out what World Breastfeeding Week is all about.