Hello Hello

This picture doesn't do my tree justice. If I had a more powerful flash I'm sure it would've. But that's what I get for using a point and shoot. Merry Christmas to all. Were off to Calgary tonight (I hope) if our flight takes off. So far it has been delayed an hour, which isn't bad considering how many flights have been cancelled out of our airport. I have few more things to pack for Aaron. A few bottles (not that he will drink out of any of them) and some food should he need to eat.

In other news my ribs still hurt a lot. When I lay certain ways or pick Aaron up it hurts. I think I aggravated it when I carried him on my hip for an extended period of time and when I shoveled the stairs. Stupid, stupid stupid. Aaron is fighting a cold or is teething. Poor little guy is so congested I wish I could do something for him other than use a vaporizer and taking him into the steaming bathroom. Despite being a little whiny Aaron is pretty happy for the most part. I'm sure it isn't anything some extra fluids ans sleep won't fix. He sure is vocal. He keeps saying "Da da, da, da..." over and over but I don't think he has made the association with Daddy. Now we can work on Ma Ma... Well I must be off and finish the last little minute details of packing. Merry Christmas and all!

The Klutz In Me

I am am indeed a klutz. Yesterday I proved yet again how klutzy I am when I fell down the stairs while carrying Aaron in his car seat. He's fine and was strapped in I however have some bruised ribs which will take 3-4 weeks to heal. When I fell, I fell on top of his car seat handle which would account for the bruised ribs. He cried a bit as he was scared but was fine. We decided to start using the side door door instead od the front door as to not track dirt and crap into the living room as it has been snowing around here and the first time I attempt to carry the baby out I go and hurt myself. I dont' know why I fell I didn't trip on anything I must have lost my footing and/or been carrying too much as Eric seems to think I had Aaron in his car seat, a diaper bag and my purse, or I was too tired or too rushed as I had to be across town to baby sit my friends son.

I am now begining to regret the 30 lb Graco Safe Seat, he is only 20 lbs and no where near being out of it, Not only is a it a bitch to carry, but I can hardly manage to get him in it with his snow suit on. The temperature has been below 0 celius which is rare around here. It's been about -8 C with the wind chill which is nothing. It's just getting us prepared for the -20 to -30's which we will be experiencing when we go to Calgary for Christmas.

Well I must be off. Aaron and I are heading out the a Le Lache Legue meeting and I don't want to be rushed and will be using the front door as I managed to knock the side door out of the door jam and it has issues closing. (I blame this on our land lady's shady handyman who left fresh cracks when he grouted the bathroom tile not 6 weeks ago.)

Time sure has gone by

Holy Crap! My little Aaron is 6 months old today! I can't believe where the time has gone or how much he has changed. I am forever the absent blogger! I am more in love with my son now than I could've ever imagined. I can't believe how long and how short these last 6 months have been. He has his own little personality that’s budding, he is near crawling and is happy most of the time; however when he gets mad, does he get mad! I love how he smiles at me or just looks at me and how everything is of interest to him. Now if someone would just let him now that when he sleeps on his stomach, it isn’t kosher to put to his face into the mattress. He likes to give me a scare on a nightly/daily basis. I always put him down on his back if he isn’t too sleepy he will turn to his side or tummy, and I will stand over him for 5-10 minutes adjusting him and trying to reposition him so his head isn’t face planted into the mattress. I wonder what the next 6 months will bring?

As for other areas of my life, our relationship with our neighbours has rapidly soured and were currently looking for a new place to live. I am stressed out and on edge all the time. I will try to post more, so that I may actually gain some readers.

Where am I?

Currently I am sitting in a HoJo hotel after a blissful night of sleep! That's right this mama to one has managed a whole nights sleep! With the aide of a sleeping pill, but I don't think it would've made a difference. I sleep so well at hotels. My dad was kind enough to stay at my place and look after Aaron for the night. Eric stopped by for a bit, but went home to be there just in case and for my piece of mind. I went to bed at 11pm, woke up once for an hour to pump with a crappy electric pump (I've got to find my hand pump) and slept till 10am! Now I am contemplating a dip in the pool.... What to do?

No Better Time Than the Present

To write a post that is. Today was a good day. Despite the fact that aaron was up at 8:30am instead of 10am. Sometimes if I am lucky, the baby sleeps till 10am! But that usually means he goes to bed after 10pm at night which makes for a long day. I feel like I got a lot done. I went to my PPD group, I cleaned my kitchen with the exception of the floors (that’s on tomorrows to do list) I took a few hours out for myself did a little shopping, went to a lake that I had never been to on a hope, and prayer and fumes ( I miscalculated my gas as I didn’t realize how far this lake actually was, nor did I know there wouldn’t be a gas station on the way) I made dinner, and Eric and I took the baby for a walk. I managed to get through the day without an emotional outburst or crying fit. Not that this happens every day but somehow it usually comes to pass on a Friday or a Sunday… I need to blog more. I have so many posts floating around in my head. It would be optimal to post when I am having a bad day and use my blog as an outlet.

One thing I want to ask any of you mothers reading out there is if you have any advice for a baby who likes to go into blood curdling, raging crying fits? Lately when I breast feed Eric if he doesn’t get latched on ASAP he freaks the f*** out. I think this is due partly to the fact that he is my child and an Aries. (When I didn’t get my way as a toddler I would throw tantrums to the point of pulling my hair out. [I hope he doesn’t do this] I don’t know how my mom explained why her toddler had bald spots. Maybe she told them I had alopecia.) I used to be able to side nurse him at night laying side to side but lately he will have none of this. He will turn his head looking for his boob, but the second it isn’t in his mouth it’s meltdown time. I used to be able to get him on his side but he won’t have any of this either. Sometimes he get so worked up I just have to let him cry for 5 minutes because no amount of rocking, soothing, bouncing, singing will calm him. Then offer him the breast again to calm him which works because he is so upset he forgot what got him all upset to being with. We give him a bottle at night so he sleeps longer could this have anything to do with it s a bottle is easier and he doesn’t have to work for it? We use slow flow nipples on the advice of a doctor who is very knowledgeable on breastfeeding so he will continue to work when he’s at the boob. So if any of you have any suggestions please comment away.

Co-Sleeping

Is a controversial topic to most people, parents and non-parents in my opinion; to each their own. It doesn't work for me. Before Aaron was born I knew I didn't want to do it because it wasn't a habit that I wanted to have to break him of later on in life. The 1st night in the hospital he was in the little clear bassinet all swaddled on his back. We were only in the hospital one night. The second night home I laid in the guest with him all.night.long. Because all he wanted to do was nurse as my milk hadn't come in and I way to tired after 42.5 hours of labor to sit up and feed him. Needless to say I was a zombie the next day.

On his third night of life, I got the idea to sleep him swaddled in the horseshoe shaped breast feeding pillow. This lasted about 2 weeks. He would sleep in the bed with me, in his own area. Being a new mom, I wanted to be able to see him in the middle of the night. Eventually he was put in the bassinet next to me after I got over not having to see him and settled on hearing him. (We were sleeping with a night light.) This lasted maybe 2 weeks, I was very sleep deprived as I am a light sleeper and every little grunt or snore would wake me up. Especially an hour before he would wake up for his next feed he would be grunting and squealing and it kept me up. When he was about a month old I moved his bassinet to his own room, where he still currently sleeps but in his stroller. How did we arrive to this you might wonder? He was always inclined a little in his bassinet (me being afraid he may choke on his own vomit, silly new mother mistake) and then we went on a road trip and used his stroller as a bed and my son got used to sleeping on an incline. So when we came home and he would only do 2 hours in his bassinet it was back to his stroller because he will do up to 6 hour sleep stretches sometimes 7! So I am not one to mess with that! But now that Aaron is 13.5 lbs I think that he needs to get used to sleeping on his back because he is getting to be a big boy and will be ready for his crib soon.

As for co-sleeping when I was pregnant my sister said "Wait and see till your a mother, you'll do anything to sleep yourself." (She co-slept with her 3 kids and had a hell of a time breaking 2 of them.) Now that I am a mom I wish I could co-sleep with my son, but I can't sleep with him next to me I will often side nurse him at night but put him back in his room when he is done. I wish I could so I could have more of a bond with Aaron but I just don't sleep well with him in bed with me. (My fiancé is currently sleeping in the guest room due to a hacking cough he has at the moment, in case you are wondering where his sleeping arrangements fit in.)

Some how I feel odd that I am not able to co-sleep with my baby and that I am missing out but I don't know what I can do to make it work so I see it as one habit of not breaking him of. I still usually wake up right before he does because my mommy clock is in tune with him. I wear him as much as I can and I will nap with him during the day in bed, some how I can sleep like this but not deeply and in the mornings often I will wheel his stroller in the room as it is darker in our room and he sleeps longer this way.

Do you co-sleep with your baby?

Inspired Post

I could write about my latest meltdown, or my post partum depression, or recent visit from my in-laws that was cut short, but I would rather write about a lighter subect on baby slings. This post has been inspired by this blog that I read.

Currently I am trying to decide on a sling/carrier for my almost 3 month old son Aaron. I have at the moment 5 carriers/slings in the house. I am turning into a carrier whore. I started off with a Snugli I used a few times with my niece last year, followed by a Baby Bjorn. Neither which provide good support for me and I've been told that baby carriers that support babies by their crotch isn't good for their spines (not that I've researched this or had time to.) I then got a Momo Sling (ring sling) which is great but it has a lot of fabric and I find it bulky.

This week my dad got me a Hotsling, which the one time we've really used it I loved it. I need to re-watch the DVD and try him in the different holds. He was sleeping the one time I used it, but I want to try it with him awake. He likes facing outwards in the Baby Bjorn. I really want a carrier which is comfy for me the wearer and Aaron. So now enters an Ergo carrier that I am currently borrowing from La Leche League, so far he hasn't taken to it nor has he the Hotsling as when I try in it when he's awake he just screams... I am hoping I am catching on a bad moment. Because I just want to wear him when were out and not have him make a fuss. Plus I would like to be able to breastfeed him when we're out without sitting down somewhere. So I am thinking it will probably come down to a Beco or an Ergo. I don't have a Beco in my possession but have used my friends and we both loved it. The downside of the Beco is that the designs tend to air on the girly side and the 4th Generation Beco has been discontinued and I haven't heard good things about the Butterfly Beco, but I haven't tried it. The Ergo so far I like it. I just need to get Aaron to like it. And on the plus side Daddy can where him in it too. And Daddy wouldn't be caught dead in anything girly.

Well this post shall be wrapped up. Aaron is in bed for his 11pm bedtime (a time I am not crazy about, but he's stuck on it for the moment) which means its my bedtime too. If I were normal I would be able to co-sleep with my son, but because I am such a light sleeper it just doesn't work for me. That is something I would like to blog about soon. And my new love BOB which I just want to have but can't bare to spend the money on.