Absent!

Oops, I've been a little M.I.A. from this blog again. Sorry everyone! Incase you didn't hear, I've been busy trying to get my cloth diaper shop up and running. Very exciting stuff! I'm going to do my part to make cloth diapering a less intimidating and less expensive option for parent's in the Annapolis Valley (or anywhere else for that matter)! If this is news to you, please check out the shop's Facebook page, Elodie's Dipes & Wipes, email me at: dipesandwipes@gmail.com, or check out the shop's blog here!

In other news (point form style):

- Elodie is officially 6 months old as of 10:55pm last night. Where has the time gone? Seriously! Here is her six month photo with Big Teddy:

Like our new-to-us patio furniture? Courtesy of my in-laws! Thanks Nanny & Grampie I.

- Our roof has finally been replaced. Another task to check off our massive you-just-bought-a-100+-year-old-house list. Phew! And, today my Grampie (Elodie's GaGa) is supposed to stop by and install our patio railing and privacy fence. So exciting! Turkey Butt and I have been doing some painting touch up's on the fence posts while the weather has been nice.

- Poor Adora Poop Face is finally starting to mellow out after three loud days of roofing. Poor dog is such a scaredy "cat"! Oh, and what we thought were her food allergies ended up not being so. Best guess is she had an allergic reaction to the flea bites - though we don't know the reason for her pulling her hair out in the first place and therefore inviting the fleas to feast on her. But it doesn't really matter right now because all her hair has grown back in and she is back to being our completely adorable, mopey dog! Seriously, she's the Eeyore of dog's!

- Turkey Butt is loving his military training! We were lucky enough to have him home for a week and a half straight but he's back to the base on Friday. I see big things in his future with the Canadian Forces and I couldn't be happier for him!

- Little Miss Elle is almost to the point where she can sit up without help. She says "Dada" alot - even when she's not upset (she only says MumMum when she's upset). She is trying her darndest to crawl but just doesn't have the upper arm strength yet. Oh, and still teething (since two months old, oye) but no teeth. I'll be very excited to see her with a cute little tooth. I'm not sure if her Soph (teething toy) will feel the same way though! What else? She stands holding on to something - like our fingers of the coffee table. She's slept 13 hours straight two nights in a row - but then reverted back to her previous sleep schedule. She is just, overall, a really pleasant baby and only fusses when she is tired or hungry. No complaints here! They really broke the mold when they made this blue eyed cutie:

Photo courtesy of AVH Photography!

- And little ole me? Well, I'm busy buying stock for the new shop, loving on my family, and looking after an adorable little boy a few days a week. It certainly keeps me busy and if you know me, you know that's the way I like it!

This is my life!

Easter? So what?!

Am I a bad parent for skipping Easter celebrations this year? For starters, I hate Easter! Really. As a non-religious person I find it completely pointless. I hate pastel colours and milk chocolate and bunnies. Seriously! A big, scary white bunny bringing baskets of candy is nowhere near as adorable as a fat man in a red suit coming down your chimney to bring you gifts. I mean really. All the Easter Bunny does is hop. And there's nothing very fun about that now is there? I can hope. Enough said. Anyway, not only do I hate Easter but my sweet hubby Turkey Butt was on base the entire long weekend (Thursday til whenever we pick him up today - Monday). Where's the fun in celebrating a holiday when the only person to appreciate it can't even be here. The guy is missing enough, I don't need him calling home and me being like, Oh hey hun, you missed it, we had this big super awesome easter celebration without you. Oh, and did I mention that Elodie is only 5.5 months old and couldn't given a crap if she has a basket full of goodies outside her bedroom door?

Considering all of these things, why is it then that I feel like a bad parent for not celebrating her first Easter? I'm also feeling a little bad for not celebrating her first St. Patrick's Day but again, hubby was away, I don't drink and we're not Irish! You know where my guilt comes from? It comes from following the blogs of these perfect little mama's and their perfect little newborns. I have two in mind in which the babies are younger than Elodie, the Mama's look better than I did before I ever got pregnant, and they have adorable little outfits for every damn holiday. As adorable as it is, it's kind of annoying too. I have a newborn so I know that looking perfect and well-rested and getting a baby (no matter how good natured) to sit still long enough to get a perfect photo of them is hard. I just wish they'd be a little more honest and admit that. Show the photo of the baby spitting up all over their perfect little First Easter outfit. Maybe then I won't have to feel so damn guilty about my lack of holiday parenting, my messy house, my unwashed hair, and the spit up stains on my daughter's onesie. That is all. This is my life.

Funny Thing About Parenting...

The funny thing about parenting is that just as you think you've scored a small victory, an overwhelming defeat is thrown at you. Last night Elodie slept from 7pm til 7am only waking up once. I thought it was the most amazing thing ever because a good night usually has her waking up 4 or 5 times throughout the night. I let myself think, hey this was nice. This parenting thing might not be so difficult afterall...

And then.......

Then today she refused to nap for more than half an hour at a time. From approx. 3pm to 6pm she screamed any time I put her down for a second. But it didn't end there, if I held her she'd cry and try to wiggle out of my arms. So I'd set her down, and she'd scream again. For 3 hours straight! Finally it was nearing her bedtime and gosh, she must be tired since she hadn't napped. But no! It is 10pm now and I've been trying to put her down for the last 3 hours. Once she fell asleep for about 20 minutes. Then the screaming continued. Screaming so loud she was losing her voice mid-scream. So I would go and retrieve her from bed, try to feed her a bottle, and then try to put her down again. Let's just say she is still awake.

Turkey Butt came home from work about ten minutes ago and wouldn't you know, she didn't scream for the first 5 minutes he was here. I felt like a drama queen. But then the screaming began. And so it continued until he brought her into the tub with him to splash around. I can only hope she goes to sleep soon because I am exhausted and get to do this "single" parenting thing again tomorrow. I am dreading the day that Turkey Butt begins his BMQ and is gone for a minium of 48 hours at a time. This is my life and I love it but oh gosh, this is my life...

Ellie Belly & Mama's Snowy Love Day

First time in the snow - any other time she's been covered in her car seat on the way to and from the Jeep.

Little Miss Elle & Elle :)

In the doorway of our new house!

Back inside - Baby-o getting kisses from her Mama. Did you know that Mama Kisses are the best kisses because they're filled with love? True story!

Thanks Jay for letting us borrow your little man's Jolly Jumper. She loves it.

Too cute for words.

Yayyy, cloth diapers. This is a One Size FuzziBunz - my current favs. How cute?

Because Turkey Butt works tomorrow on the actual Valentine's Day, we are celebrating today. Unfortunately Turkey Butt had to shovel the driveway, pick up his kit (uniform, etc) from the base, and get groceries for our Love Day Supper. Ellie Belly and I had some pre-nap fun without him though. This is my life!

P.S. Little Miss Elle got me the sweetest Valentine's day card (thank you Turkey Butt). I literally bawled when I read it. It talks about how "she" thinks I'm the perfect Mom to guide, teach and motivate her through her wonderful life. It also thanks me for all the hugs, kisses and songs I share with her each day. Gah. After a rough, nap-less day yesterday - this was such a nice thing to read.

Update.

Sorry for being so absent lately. We've been busy packing and moving and living - without the internet or my cellphone. Here is our update:

Turkey Butt is officially a member of the Canadian Forces Reserves as of last Thursday. He is taking his road test in less than an hour and fingers crossed by 11am I won't have to play chauffeur any more. He's still cooking but hopes to be out of there ASAP - or June at the latest.

Ellie Belly is creeping up on her 4 month milestone. She had this amazing growth spurt where she became so long (but still so slim) and now in the past few days she is finally starting to fill out. such a solid babe, just like her Mama was :). She loves to stand while clasping onto any willing fingers and can even pull herself up from her knees to a standing position. She talks alot, especially if someone is making eye contact with her - sometimes her words even resemble the sounds of real words which we obviously adore. She is even beginning to sing along (ahhh babb bahh's) to some of her favorite songs - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Goodnight Sweetheart, Twinkle Twinkle, Baby Beluga, and the ABC song. Her hair is getting long (minus the bald spot she's created on the back of her head from rubbing it back and forth against her crib bedding) and darker blonde. Though occasionally it still looks reddish. Oh, and she is finally into cloth diapers 24/7. My favorites being One-Size FuzziBunz and Size One Sunbaby's.

Adora is slowly getting used to her new house. The transition was made easier by the woodstove which she loves lying in front of - some mountain dog, eh? She is battling ear infections in both ears like a pro and has been diagnosed with an Aural Hematoma in her right ear. We considered surgery but have instead opted to give it time to heal naturally. So far the medicine she's taking for her ear infections has been easing the amount of fluid in her ear. Other than that, Adora is Adora - into everything, wildly playful at times though usually lazy, and pretty darn lovable. You know, when she's not making me tear my hair out because I've come home to chewed up baby toys, cloth diapers, trash, etc.

And me? Well I've been busy with the new house. We have officially been living in our dream house for almost two weeks now. It is pretty darn amazing, but also a lot of work. I don't know that I'll ever get ahead in my laundering or dusting. Just keeping the fire in the woodstove going is a chore in itself. Especially on days when i'd rather stay in bed - in Turkey Butt's dirty sweats for the 6th day in a row. A baby who often gets up 5 or 6 times through the night will do that to you. Pure exhaustion I tell you. I'll be happy when Turkey Butt can drive himself to and from work so that I can try to get Little Miss Elle on a sleep schedule. I'm thinking about trying the no-tears method. The few times that she's been exhausted and I've had things to do, I've tried to let her cry it out but she just becomes catatonic - screaming, can't catch her breath, coughing fits. Clearly it's not working. That being said, my attempts at the no-tears method have resulted in 15 to 20 minute cat naps if I'm lucky. Oh happy medium, I will find you.

As usual, this is my life!

Three Months

My sweet Ellie Belly is now officially three months old. A quarter of a year flew by oh so quickly! She stands, laughs, babbles, giggles, smiles, pounds her fists on the table, drools up a storm, and recognizes Turkey Butt & I. She's pretty amazing - even if she does keep me up til 3am and get Turkey Butt up for the day at 7am. This is my life :)

Thirteen.

This is my life.

12 Weeks

Love that mischevious grin! This is my life.

Eleven Weeks Old

It's a brand new year and my baby girl is now 11 weeks old! My poor squishy face has been fighting a cold since Christmas. Lots of snot and teeny little sad coughs. Sigh. Luckily she enjoys cuddling with her Mama when she's not feeling well. But I hope she gets better soon - her sleep schedule has been out of whack and I need some sleep. Turkey Butt and I are so excited to move the little miss into our new home. She'll have a big bedroom all to herself and a massive wal-in closet that I plan to turn into a secret play area or book nook when she gets older. Anyway, this is my life :)

Jumping on the Yearly Recap Bandwagon

It seems to be a trend in blog world to end the blogging year with a nice little recap. So, no need for me to disappoint.

January - We had to put down our sweet kitten Rocco. We cried. I celebrated my 26th birthday in Cottage Country with Turkey Butt.
February - We found out we were expecting our little pumpkin on the 16th.
March - Celebrated our 1st anniversary at my in-law's very cold camp.
April - Turkey Butt celebrated his 27th birthday with a homemade ice cream cake.
May - Moved to a new apartment.
June - Found out that our little pumpkin is going to be a girl.
July - Went to the zoo.
August - Had an unpleasant run-in at work that led to a few days off of work - funded by Worker's Compensation.
September - Got beautiful maternity photos taken by RavenDawn Photography. Attended my first baby shower - and it happened to be my own.
October - Turkey Butt & I got hitched on the 1st. On the 18th we welcomed our Little Miss Elle into the world. On the 31st we celebrated our first Halloween as a family of 3 (+dog) with cuddling and horror movies.
November - Took holiday photos of Little Miss Elle for our Christmas cards.
December - Found our dream house and put an offer on it. Celebrated Christmas as a family. Officially bought our dream house - now we wait for the closing date.

All in all it was such a wonderful year. I feel so very blessed to have had such an amazing year! I can only imagine what will happen for us in 2012. Will be so hard to top 2011! This is my life!

Ten Weeks Old

My sweet squishy face is now ten weeks old. My how time flies! This is my life... :)

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

I've got to be honest... juggling caring for a newborn, keeping house, going through the process of purchasing a house, the holidays and a marriage is hard! You're bound to drop the ball on something. Sadly, in my case, I let my marriage falter for awhile.

The stress of everything had been piling up on my shoulders. I was cranky and frustrated. I felt more like the nanny/maid/chauffeur than a wife and mother. I made the mistake of taking my frustration out on Turkey Butt. We ended up fighting and arguing on a daily basis. Heck, most days we weren't even speaking to each other because saying nothing was better than saying something we might regret.

The low point came one morning when neither of us could remember if we had ever been happy together. Believe me when I say this was the worst because we've had such an amazing relationship full of so much happiness! We were just becoming blinded by the bad. For awhile that day I honestly thought we might not make it. But then Turkey Butt, after awhile of nothing being said, told me loved me!

Well folks, that woke me up! Why was I getting so frustrated and pessimistic? I have an amazing husband who is so in love with me he bawled at our wedding. I have the most perfect baby girl whom I have waited my whole life for. I have an adorable, lovable dog. We're in the process of buying our dream house. I have wonderful family and friends who fill my life with joy. So why was I so angry all the time?

Enough was enough! After that low point, I vowed to take a deep breath and relax. My life is absolutely amazing and I plan to enjoy every last second of it. It's only been a few days since I vowed to see the glass half full instead of half empty, but I can already feel the difference. I talk to sweet hubby respectfully, I can laugh about all the house buying hoops that I jump through daily, and I'm enjoying my time with Little Miss Elle!

Instead of trying to end my maternity leave so that I can go to work and feel as though I'm accomplishing something, I'm taking the Little Miss out into the community to meet new people. Yesterday we visited my Great Great Aunt and her husband. They don't get many visitors and have been under the weather lately so it was truly amazing to see how much they adored their visit with Little Miss Elle. We also stopped in to the Nursing Home I used to work at yesterday. The little old lady's all got a kick out of holding the squirming baby and giving her lots of kisses! Having one of the Alzheimer's patients ask me who I was really made me appreciate my life. I think after the new year, the babe and I will have to visit more frequently. It is wonderful the joy ten minutes with a baby can bring!

As always, thank you for listening to my rant. This is my life....

A letter to Little Miss Elle

Dear Elodie,

Choosing to vaccinate you was an easy decision for me. The possible side effects of the vaccinations were easier for me to accept than the consequences of you contracting a serious disease. We were lucky that you didn't experience any side effects with your first set of needles. In fact, the most notable part of that day occurred that evening while your Daddy was changing your diaper...

I was in the kitchen and I heard him holler for me to come quick. I dropped what I was doing and ran into your room. You were lying on the change table and smiling up at your Daddy. Everytime that he said, "Hi Lady" in a high pitched voice, you would squeal with laughter. The joy on both your face and his was enough to melt your Mama's heart.

We love you sweet baby-o. Forever and for always!


(This is my life...)

8 Weeks Old!!

Wow, does time ever fly! My little miss is eight weeks old now. She smiles, babbles and coos, and sticks out her tongue. She usually only wakes once during the night (anywhere from 3am to 5am) and goes back to sleep til 7 or 8am once she has eaten. When she gets up at 7 or 8, she usually falls back to sleep til 10am or so, after she's eaten. She loves bouncing on laps, being sung Baby Love by The Supremes, and staring at lights of any kind (especially if they're reflecing off a picture frame). She's super serious when she's pooping and when she's in the bath tub. She grasps onto our fingers so tightly when we're feeding her a bottle. She loves to talk to her fishy's (on her swing) and yells at them when they stop spinning. She always falls asleep in her car seat, though sometimes I have to sing a few verses of the ABC song first. She's just beginning to enjoy spending time in her carrier, and typically falls asleep while in it. Her hair sometimes looks dirty blonde, sometimes looks brown and sometimes looks red. She's got the biggest dark blue eyes that I have ever seen on someone so little. She's pretty much perfect and we're madly in love with her.

This is my life!

Little Miss Elle at 7 Weeks

This is my life!

Growing.

My, almost, 7 week old babe just moved up to Size 1 diapers! Yikes, how did she get so big? I'm amazed by all of the little changes that have been occurring in her. She loves hanging out with her fishy's in her swing! And she's babbling up a storm!! She has many story's that she shares with her fishy's - including yelling at them when the swing times out and the fish stop spinning.

Oh, and you would not believe the leg muscles on this kid! She stands on Turkey Butt's lap and can hold up her own body weight. Well, she leans her body against his chest but he doesn' hold her up at all! Less than 7 weeks old! She's amazing!!!!

This is my life!

Protection

Let's talk about birth control. Personally, I have never been a fan. Perhaps this is because the only option that was ever offered to me was the Pill. I am thoroughly annoyed by the Pill. Seriously, if you can remember to take it at the exact same time, every single day - good on ya. But me? Not a chance in hell.

As I got older I started researching other options and, at the time, the IUD seemed like the best option for a forgetful girl like me. Have it implanted and forget about birth control for five years. Woot! Of course the eventual downside to this was no baby for the next 5 years. At the time that I was pondering this conundrum I was with a ho-hum (a.k.a. boring) boyfriend whom I didn't plan to have kids with, EVER! But upon further consideration, I didn't plan to spend the next 5 years of my life with him either. So, I decided against the IUD.

Then I met Turkey Butt, fell madly in love and thanked my lucky stars that I didn't shell out the big bucks for an IUD. I could definitely see a future with this man. One that included many, many babies!

Cut to present day. I just got home from my 6 week appointment with my OB-GYN. At this appointment he asked me about birth control. Now personally, I am SO ready for baby number two. Sweet hubby on the other hand says we have to wait a year before we start trying again. Fair enough. So, now I'm sitting here with a sample of the NuvaRing, prepared to do a little research on it before I put it to use.

Anyone out there in blog land have any luck with a certain method of birth control? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! This is my life...

Elodie is 6 Weeks Old!

This is my life!

I dislike pink.

The following tale will elaborate my dislike of the color pink:

Turkey Butt put Little Miss Elle in an all pink outfit this AM. Because of this, I wasn't careful with my spit cloth placement and oops she got spit up on her pink onesie. Oh, and since you have to change her anyways, could you please put her into her navy onesie? It looks much nicer with the bubblegum pink pants you've put her in. Thanks : )

This is my life!

Elodie at 5 Weeks

This is my life!