Nursery {updated 'to do'}

{this is a bit of a glimpse into my head as I plan MM's little room}

• make curtains - DONE
  
• buy curtain rod - DONE
• make empty frame wall art like this - DONE
  *buy empty frames, ribbon, and white spray paint - Dollarama - DONE
  
• buy baskets for toys/things - DONE
• buy shelf to display MM's fun things - Winners - DONE
• buy white lanterns to hang above her crib - Dollarama - DONE
  
• buy paint (cool beige, ideally) - Home Depot - DONE
  
• move everything from the office (nursery) into the living room,
  rearrange, and make clean again - DONE
• hang fabric hoops wall art - DONE
• paint walls, trim, ceiling (find friends to help!!) -DONE
• buy laundry hamper - IKEA
• buy rug - Canadian Tire
• find dresser on Craigslist/buy one - IKEA?
  
• assemble crib, make up w/ bedding
  
• put up curtain rod, hang curtains
  
• hang lanterns above crib
  

CLOTH DIAPERS!!!

I'm so excited, I feel like the baby's actually coming the more prepared I become {as if she would wait for me to get it together?!}

We're still lacking a baby's room but everything else is in place, including as of yesterday, her cloth diapers! We decided it would probably be suicide to start cloth diapering from day one - you know in those weeks/month + when babies poop every 30 seconds? SO we're going with disposables for the first month+ and switching to cloth shortly after that - but we HAVE them, and that's what makes me feel less like the crazed, irresponsible mom who forgot to book prenatal classes, and more like, well a MOM.

I was going with the AppleCheeks system for several reasons including but not limited to:

• They're a Montreal company
• They're less bulky and probably the cutest one's I've seen
• They have rave reviews

However last night I had a slight change in plans when I was at the Bummis 15% off everything in our store (plus 80% off other things!!) sale on the Plateau with my girlfriend Amy. Bummis doesn't carry Applecheeks for starters, but the main deal was they carry another product called Easy Fits made by Tots Bots (a Scottish company).

The Easy Fits lacked some things AppleCheeks do have:

• not as cute colour selection and a tad more bulky
• not local

But what they lacked they made up for in spades:

• They're one-size fits-all, so with the AppleCheeks I'd have to buy size 1 and size 2 for the baby as she grows, but Easy Fit will last her the.whole.time. YES!
• They're prestuffed {AppleCheeks and most other cloth diapering systems come in 2 parts: an envelope cover/outside shell and the actual absorbent lining which you fold and insert each time, and hence must also remove each time...when it's poopy and urine-soaked... yum!}
• So with the Easy Fit I don't have to ever unstuff a soiled inner-part because it's all attached. **see clip here
• They're cheaper {AppleCheeks were $20 for the outer part and $9 for the inner part, Easy Fits are $23 even, but last night even 15% off of that ;)

Now that I think about it I should have bought way more than I did... It's suggested you have 8-14 diapers {brilliant because the AppleCheeks you would have needed as many for EACH SIZE!} and I only bought 5... I guess I'm holding out because it always chokes me up to spend so much at one time... but looking back that was a bad call since they were 15% off last night and may not ever be again...

Oh well, I'll just think about how much money I'm saving both from switching from the AppleCheeks system, but most of all, from not using disposable :)

COULD IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS?

Healthy baby, head-down position, strong heartbeat, healthy movement, sucking her thumb, perfect glimpse of her adorable face, 5 lbs 6 ounces (approx) and suggested to be born around 7lbs, set for an on-time arrival (ONE MONTH TODAY!!!) or a few days early :)

But YES, it could have been better.
Bradford is still away with work until August 1.
I miss him SO much right now...

MM loves the Gap

I've heard it all before...
"baby clothes are SO expensive!"
"why would you even go IN that store? It's so expensive"

blah blah blah.
All said by folks who don't know how to find a good deal.

Take Gap Kids. Gap for adults usually has decent sale prices, but it seems their kids clothes don't get marked down as often or as drastically.
Until today!

Everything, even sale items were 30% off, so I made a bee line to the sale rack and got THE CUTEST things for MM. Big time cute and big time cheap (but we won't tell her that!)

1. Bathing suit - regular price $22.50, bought for $2.78
2. 2 pairs of leggings/pants for this winter - regular price 2 for $22, bought for $2.78ea
3. cute top - regular price $16.50 bought for $3.48

note the flower-shaped knee pads on the orange pair!!!
They're called "crawlers" so baby's knees are protected,
and I bought for this winter,
in a size up so she'll actually be crawling near that time.
SO CUTE.

wherein I vow to never be like THAT Mom

Obviously I know everything changes when the baby in your belly becomes the baby in your arms. The baby that's able to grow up, misbehave, scream, embarrass you, etc.
MM won't always just be the silent kicks I feel around the clock or the reason for my waddle-walk.
She'll actually BE my daughter, great cause for anticipation and maybe some need for a reality check.

The reason I'm throwing out this disclaimer is that I UNDERSTAND that it won't always be easy, and that moms are some of the hardest working people on the planet and that they're not perfect, and we should all give them a break.
Sometimes. I understand.
BUT. My experience yesterday definitely had be saying that famous sentence than could result in a later eating of my own words:
"I NEVER WANT TO BE LIKE THAT MOM"

The scene of the crime was on the Toronto-Montreal Via Rail last night. Leaving at 6:30pm arriving at Midnight. Why she thought her 3 rambunctious kids under age 5 would be quiet and sleep is beyond me as she brought no books, toys, or blankets for them. Plus let's face it, trains are exciting. My problem isn't that they were awake or not the perfect Ritalin-pumped obedient kids everyone wishes kids always were...
My problem is this:

This mom did NOTHING to stop her 3 kids from literally SCREAMING for most of the train ride. Many passengers were staring at her desperately as if to plead "please, Lady, just maybe a WORD of rebuke? Please?". NOTHING.

Somehow I managed to slip off into a 5 minute nap to be awoken by the boy, at the top of his lungs, screaming "CHOO CHOO!!" (I know, trains are exciting, again, but it was the LEVEL OF VOLUME escaping from this kid and the lack of it from the mom. Infuriating).

So I did it. I was the "bad guy".
I leaned over (yes I was actually sitting directly behind them. Joy.)
and said politely,
"SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, BUT COULD YOU PLEASE ASK YOUR SON
JUST TO BE A BIT MORE QUIET? THANKS [SMILE]"

Passengers all but gave me a standing ovation, but guess what the Mom said to her boy?
"MAX, SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE CHILDREN,
SO THEY WANT YOU TO 'SHUT UP'!"

!!!!!!

I couldn't believe it! She was making the train a complete nightmare for everyone around her, giving her kids not an ounce of discipline, spun from respect for others, while she read a book, and then blamed it on the 8-months-pregnant woman who apparently "doesn't like children".

!!!!!!

I was going to clarify that I indeed love children, but just that her kids were all not talking loudly, not yelling, but SCREAMING, and that many of us come 10pm were trying to get some shut eye... but I left it at that.
I didn't need to justify myself.
I just needed to remember that moment, because surely some day in my future my kids will be going crazy in public and I'll want to just escape and let them be someone else's problem for a minute (or 6 hours as the ride was) and the easiest thing to do would be to tone them out, ignore them, and hope they're not bothering anyone...

But the fact is, 50-odd people were bothered, and her kiddos are her responsibility. Her blessing. Her opportunity to teach them love and respect. Her little people to shape. Her kids to pack toys and books for and not to tell them that passengers "hate kids" and want them to "shut up".

Must. Remember. This. Moment.

a coral sun dress

stole this from my moms closet today, love!

one week, massive growth

Ok, I know at the end they say pregnant ladies like me will notice growth like every day, but really, EVERY DAY.

They're not kidding.

Heres a picture of me at 33 weeks, and another of me at 34 weeks.

7 days people. HOW DID I GROW SO MUCH?

get ready...

t-minus 6 weeks!

Check out what our home has become:

MM's 2nd Party!

Me and MM were given our second baby shower yesterday -

what an AMAZING day!

Any day when 25+ people you love and have known all your life want to shower you with love, encouragement, and gifts is easily the best day of that week, but what made it extra special were the little things:

1. my sister hand-making a gorgeous baby quilt from all my favourite fabrics
2. the sun hats that were provided for EVERYONE in the back-yard tea party shower
3. the 8 different kinds of tea offered
4. Alysha spraying everyone's hot legs and ankles with iced-water from a spray bottle
5. celebrating with some friends who I've known since I was born, in grade two, or elementary and high school
6. the favours: a bag of blend 103 tea from the Tea Emporium with a tea leaf catcher and a small satchel of lavender (my favourite scent) for under your pillow :)
   

what I don't want of MM

So many people want to have kids to feel "complete".

So many look to their kids for their ultimate
happiness, security, purpose.

I want babies, maybe even five...
I want a big family that loves God and each other.

But putting the pressure on your kids/family to make you happy/secure/purposeful will only crush them and isn't what God designed family for.

Something I was thinking about just now after watching
THIS CLIP.

1st party for MM!

Yesterday some of my Montreal girlfriends hosted a surprise baby shower for me and MM! It's only fitting that these fabulous women were there to usher in an undoubtedly fabulous woman of the future, MM, herself!

Some highlights:

Rachel made an owl banner to welcome the baby and bought is 'Rockabye Baby' Radiohead lullaby's for kids CD. It's amazing, they take your favourite bands (a gift for the parents indeed!) and turn their songs into baby friendly relaxing songs sounding a bit like the lullaby's they listen to anyway! But you won't be singing "twinkle twinkle little star" when you hear it! Check it out here
Jess bought MM the changing table top thing we registered for since we won't be getting a change table, but will just plop it on her dresser. LOVE the practicality and how it'll save us a ton of space!

Nikita got MM her first pair of cloth diapers! You buy about 12-15 to start with and add more if need be. But you buy them individually, so now we've gotten started. I'm so happy she appreciated both the cloth diapers and that the company is based in Montreal as much as me :)

Jamie got MM an amazing diaper cake for the first month when we're abandoning our convictions and using disposable diapers (I've heard 10 diaper changes a day... eeek!) and inside put my favourite Bath and Body Works lotion (for me!), diaper cream, and some baby lotion/bubble bath, plus she hosted the amazing shower and planned so many fun games!

Amanda and Andrea both got MM some A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E clothes from Zara and Old Navy! The first "real clothes" MM has, since she has a lot of onsies and pjs but until now no dresses or pants. The squeals in the room were inhuman when we saw how cute they were!

Also, everyone got a favour for coming, Amanda's homemade granola in a jar with fabric that matches MM's future bedroom (and I got to keep the extra 2 yards of fabric, score!)

Surly many more great parties with 'the girls'
(yes, this can soon include my daughter!!) are to come :)
thank-you!

32 weeks!

WOW!
I can't believe time is flying so fast now!
MM is 32 weeks along, and the clock is ticking! Especially because at 36 weeks a baby is technically considered "full-term", not 40 weeks which is when the due date is set at... so MM could arrive healthy in a MONTH. that's just a handful of WEEKS.
Did I already say "WOW"?

Here's me @ 32 weeks pregnant, the pics aren't great since the background is so colourful, but you get the idea, I'm growing! Hard to believe MM still has room to grow. My tummy is itchy non-stop since the skin is just soooooo stretched beyond what I ever thought possible, though no stretch marks yet (fingers crossed, I have friends who didn't have any until like the week before their baby was born! Oh well, well-earned battle scares if they come :)

Other than the itchy tummy, symptoms are at an all time low!
I'm not napping daily anymore, and have a lot more energy, though I am going to bed a lot earlier... plus I'm getting so much done on the baby-prep front.

Life's good in prego-land, 56 days to go!

Upside, Downside

so it's crunch time.
8 weeks until the baby comes.
EIGHT.

I have a baby registry that's online so I can see what gifts have been purchased for me and I'm getting nervous about not having the "major" items (i.e. stroller, car seat) yet. Not too nervous, but starting to think about buying them myself second hand since they haven't been bought yet for the baby shower next week.

The car seat I've registered for is strictly for infants and fits into my stroller and is a must for when we take MM anywhere by car.

The downside? I have to buy her something that will work for like 6 months. And then never again until baby #2.
SIX months.

The upside? Nobody uses these puppies for too long, so all the secondhand ones I've seen online are in terrific shape and less than 50% of the original price. Since the one I registered for was $200 and will last 6 years (yeah these also have expiry dates, like milk, and they're only about 6 years from date of manufacturing, so I probably can't use it for all the kids we want to have!), I'm highly motivated by the "like-new" ones I've been seeing online for $90. Plus they only shave off a year, making them "expire" in 5 years, when we most likely won't be done having kids, but we'll be SO close (according to "the plan", and you don't mess with the plan... do you hear that God? Please.)

Bringing me to another downside. We'll probably be on our final baby and have to buy another one that we will not be able to reuse. Great.

Upside? One day I'll be the calm and collected and experienced mom who is selling her "like new" baby stuff on craigslist to basket cases like me, and making some cash back when all is said and done :)

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