Sunday, June 26, 2011

Lovely weekend

Jackson and I had a lovely weekend, we went to the store yesterday and it was a good trip.  We got some good stuff, and stopped for McDonald's breakfast on the way home.  He gobbled it up!  He does love those breakfast burritos lol, and hash browns.  I'm sure McDonald's is very bad for us, but we usually get the breakfast which I think is better than the rest, and he does love it.  We had a good rest of the day, though the weather was a bit crappy.  We went out for a walk and ended up getting rained on.  It was funny because Jackson can say rain, water and wet now so I got the play by play on the way home :-)  And even once we got home he ran to the back door to watch the rain. 

Today was pretty good as well.  We went to the bookstore because someone was rather cranky and I've no idea why.  He ate a huge breakfast, and later a big lunch and amazing dinner.  Even had a big snack before bed.  I think he's going to grow again :-)  He was pretty good at the bookstore, though it was kind of exhausting for me since he loves books and was trying to grab them all off the shelves.  I got him 4 new books, they were buy 3 get one free and from the bargain section.  He loves the one about trucks and tractors. 

And tomorrow it's back to work, back to daycare.  But only for 4 days!  July 1st is a holiday here, and I have July 4th off as well, so we'll be off to my parents, and hopefully the beach.  I picked up a Puddlejumper for the beach and swimming, it was on sale and a good deal.  I've heard great things about them, and look forward to trying it out.  It should fit next year as well, it goes up to 50 pounds, so it'll be good to get some use out of it.

On another note, I've been worrying more and more about my fertility and need to figure that out.  I have been trying to wait, and work on losing some weight, saving some money, before moving forward.  But I'm thinking I need to maybe get checked out to see what I'm looking at.  I don't know if a thermometer might help me at least see if I can tell when I'm ovulating and all that.  It seems that my cycle is shorter, and varies wildly from month to month.  I had hoped to wait until the end of summer before trying to do anything, or investigating.  I might not have that time.  I do know that I am so blessed to already have my son, and if it turns out I'm too late, well I have a great kid already so it's not the end of the world I know, but I also feel incomplete as a family.  I'm 36, that shouldn't be too late. 

Another issue now is that a friend is getting married down south in the spring, and apparently I am being invited.  So that's $1500 I need by fall to book my spot, and then worry about what to do with the dog and the baby while I'm gone for a week.  And that's $1500 I could use for a month or two of IUI's.  I don't want to stop my life but I don't know what is best.  It's a hard decision, I'd really love to go but am not sure it's best for my life.  I could wait a few years, and take my family some place with a beach when they are old enough.  But I have never gone to an all-inclusive.  And it would be fun. 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Work work work

I'm back at work after my too short holiday.  The baby is finally starting to look less beat up, he had a few bumps and bruises from our stay with my parents, and a bad rash on his face.  I assume the rash is from sunscreen but can't be sure.  It's finally clearing up though his skin is now a bit scaly and rough, at least he's not as itchy.  The first night home was rough, he was up for awhile scratching at his face.  We stopped at the pharmacy and the pharmacist was a big help.  I often ask them questions instead of going to the doctor as they are familiar with the medications and what can be used for kids.  They will also often mix things up for you, one made a mixture for Jackson's eczema last summer when it was really bad on his back and it was quite helpful. 

Work is work, I go and do it because I need to make money, and I have a great pension plan, plus other benefits.  I wouldn't say I love it, but it pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head.  Hopefully it will pay for another baby, and now a wedding trip.  My friend is getting married next April some place South and warm, apparently I'm being invited which was a bit of a surprise to me.  And I'd really like to go.  But it's going to cost money that I was setting aside for baby 2, and mean leaving Jackson (and the dog) with my parents for a week.  Not sure how I feel about that.  Though I know he'd be fine, I think I would really miss him. 

I was realizing I haven't really been apart from him since he was born.  I've had a few hours off here and there, and being back to work I drop him off at 7am and pick him up at 4:30.  I've left him for a few hours with my mom or my sister, but I don't go out in the evening and I'm always the one to put him to bed at night.  I don't really regret that at all, I know when he's older I can look for a babysitter so I can go out for dinner or what have you, but right now, I enjoy the evening time with him (most of the time lol) and don't really trust anyone with him beyond my family.  My nieces are both of babysitting age, the younger one has just started babysitting, so that will be an option, perhaps this summer I can get her to watch him, and have her stay overnight maybe. 

I'm trying to plan when I can take a bit more time off, I don't want to use up all my holidays because I will need some time off around Christmas when daycare is closed, but I do want a few days to go to the beach, and have a bit of fun.  I am off for a long weekend July 1 to 4th, so that will be quite nice, we'll go down to my parents again I'm sure, they have central air conditioning, and are close to the beaches :-) 

I think it's time for an early night, it's raining and I'm tired.  One thing I've learned being a mom, sleep when you can! 

Sunday, June 19, 2011

One more day

So far this holiday has been going pretty well.  I am enjoying being home with my baby, who is such a little man!  We went to visit my parents for a few days and he had a lot of fun.  Apparently he's really smart too.  He was playing with my dad, they were stacking some coasters he had dumped on the floor and my dad said "one" and Jackson proceeded to say "two, three, four, five, six" which is how many coasters there were, and said this without any prompting beyond the "one" to start.  At some point in his 18 months he's learned how to count... that's good right? 

We had his check up Wednesday, and the last shots for awhile.  He is a whopping 28.6 pounds and 35.4 inches tall.  That's 75 percentile for weight and off the charts in height... He's a big boy!  And healthy, talking up a storm, doing all the things he's supposed to be doing at 18 months.  Right now he has a big bump on his head from a bad fall at my parent's, and a big rash on his face from either sunscreen or tomatoes... hopefully that clear up by tomorrow! 

It was a nice vacation at my parent's, my mom got up at night with him, so I got to sleep straight through, which of course I didn't.  When you have been getting up at least once a night for close to two years it's a hard habit to change lol.  We got to spend some time in their backyard, with a little kiddy pool, Jackson loved that.  He ran around saying "wader!" and splashing, it was quite cute.  We are hopefully going back for the long weekend in about two weeks, and will hopefully get to the beach then!

Overall I've been enjoying this time with my little boy.  We have one more day before I go back to work and he goes back to daycare.  Other than getting some milk, and maybe some fruit, there's no real plans.  Probably a trip to the park, a walk, and hopefully a good nap!  The problem with 3 hours drives are he usually doesn't sleep the whole time any more, and when he wakes up he's unhappy to be still in his seat, and then of course doesn't have a nap when we get home either. 

Monday, June 13, 2011

Diaper dilemas

I've been using cloth diapers since my son was about 7 months, it was the best decision, and I wish I had started sooner.  He is, however, a big boy.  I had a hard time then finding diapers that fit his rise with what I felt was room to grow.  I did manage to find a few I liked, and rarely paid full price for them.  I have yet to find a good over night solution and we use a disposable over night, he still leaks.  I have a selection now, mostly pockets and all in ones, they are the preference of my daycare provider, and easier for me too.  I am however getting worried.

Most of the diapers I have are starting to get a bit low in the rise, and look more like bikini underwear than a proper diaper.  Having a boy, good coverage in front is important.  A couple will still work, my sweetpeas should last awhile, and my one size fuzzibuns might last another 6 months or so.  The mediums, I'll be lucky to get another 2 months out of.  I love my TotsBots AIO's but they will probably only last another 6 months or so, which is sad because they are so cute, so absorbent, and bamboo, so nice and natural.  I know my boy will not be potty trained before 2 1/2 at the earliest, he has no interest, doesn't even seem to know what's going on down there, and never complains if he's wet or dirty.  So I need diapers to last another year.

As an attempt to try something new, that will hopefully fit, I ordered a couple Thirsties Duo pockets in size 2, and AMP AIO's in large.  I ordered from Caterpillarbaby, who was great in answering some questions and recommending the Thirsties.  I wanted to get some happy heiny's but the new fit is an inch shorted in the rise, so there is no way they will last.  I am still on the look out for some of the old style, and hopefully I'll be able to pick a couple up. 

The Thirsties fit really well, they are super cute, and have the same two openings that I love about my sweetpeas.  They come in some nice colours and a couple cute prints.  The prints cost a dollar more but I splurged and got one.  The inserts are great, there are two that snap together, the top one is microfiber and the bottom one is hemp, so you get the best of both, with the microfiber pulling the moisture away quickly, and the hemp holding lots of liquid.  So far they seem to be working really well.  Of course he always poops in the new diapers as soon as I put them on him... but I tricked him and had two!  The second one did hold up to a good 3 hours stretch, no leaks, no red marks, and it looks like he can grow another 2 or 3 inches, though it depends on where those inches are lol, the rise should last. 

The AMPs were great as well.  I was actually surprised as I tried one in the demo I did when I started and did not like it then.  I still do not think I would like the AMP pockets as they look puffy in front, and that's not a good look on a boy.  The AIO's were great though.  They take a long time to dry but are super easy to wash.  I again bought two, and they both stood up to a few hours of pee'ing.  I have a heavy wetter, so this is a big deal to me.  Also, no rashes or anything, so they wick the moisture away nicely.  I don't think I would use one overnight, but as I said, I have yet to find any cloth that will hold up to overnight (and up to 4 bottles between bedtime and overnight).  I like that the AMP's come in a lot of colours, though I don't think any prints, and they don't need to be prepped.  You need to wash them once first of course but not multiple times like the Thirsties inserts. 

I am debating how many I need to get, and how soon.  I am still hoping to get some HH, they are OS which would be good to have for baby number 2.  That is one thing I'm hoping for with all these diapers, that I can use them again on baby number 2.  I might sell a few that I'm not as happy with, and replace them with ones that I really like. 

All in all, using cloth diapers has been a huge learning curve but also incredibly fun.  And actually it is easier in the day to day to use them than I thought it would be.  I wish I had started sooner.  At least I know for next time, and am all set to start. 

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Is it Friday yet?

I'm anxious for the weekend to arrive.  My daycare is closed next week so I am off for the whole week.  It'll be the longest stretch of time I've spent with Jackson since I went back to work, and I'm really looking forward to it.  I do kind of wish it was later in the summer so we could go to the beach, but I'm sure we'll manage to have some fun!  Hopefully I'm able to handle it, I'm out of practise! 

My plans aren't huge, we will do some shopping because mama needs some summer work clothes!  The last summer I worked I was pregnant, and while I'd love to wear my maternity shorts and capris to work, I'm sure there'd be some talk :-)  So shopping we will go!  It's actually good timing too, because I live in Ontario and will be getting $335 from the Ontario government on Friday because of the stupid HST.  We might go to a mall and have lunch there too, we'll see.

I plan on taking him to Valleyview Farm, which has a train ride and a petting zoo area with baby animals, as well as a big play structure park area.  I'm sure we'll have fun, and he's free this year because he's under two, so we just have to pay for me.  We've gone once but I didn't really let him run around, and this time I think I'll have him walk instead of taking the stroller.  Could be a mistake, we'll see!

His 18 month appointment is Wednesday, and he gets his last shots for awhile, so that day will likely be a write off, hopefully we'll be able to go to the park in the afternoon, but I expect he'll be tired after the shots, and ready for an early nap. 

Then Thursday we're going down to visit my parents for a few days, I think we'll come home Sunday, which happens to be Father's Day as well.  Hopefully we both have fun, I know I'll be ready to get back to my own home by the end of the trip, and my poor cats will miss us of course.  But I want him to spend time with his grandparents, and I know they want to see him.  Plus it's nice to get a little spoiled down there, I don't have to cook or do dishes, they help play with him, entertain him, even walk my dog!  So it's nice :-)  I'm hoping we can all go out for breakfast but we'll see. 

So all in all, it'll be a nice week and I'm hoping we can work on some sleep issues while we're at it, maybe sort out bed time and wake up time, naps and all that... not too much to ask for a week is it?  I'll probably take some more time off in the summer so we can go to the beach, my parent's live near Sandbanks Provincial Park, which is an amazing beach, and I'm sure he'd have a lot of fun there. 

I have one more day of work to get through though... and that's going to make it a long day of work.  Especially since my usual coffee partner is off. 

I have to say, having this time off is making me look forward more and more to the time when he's older and we get to spend summer's together.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to take the whole summer off work, there is a program called leave with income averaging, so I can take the summer off, with no pay, but the lack of pay gets averaged over the year.  Since I expect to have two kids by then, it'll be worth it to not have to pay for daycare or day camps for two months.  Plus, I get to spend the time with my baby!  And I'm sure we'll have lots of fun.  One of the perks of working for the government, particularly in my area. 

Monday, June 6, 2011

Trying to exercise

You would think that after almost two years of little sleep (my boy is not the best sleeper, he rarely sleeps straight through the night, and I had a hard time sleeping my last trimester) I'd be able to either manage on this amount of sleep, or be able to fall asleep easily.  But no.  I have hard time falling asleep every night, even though I'm tired.  It's going to be worse in the summer, when it's hot.  Which is starting now.  And then you'd think that since Jackson wakes up around 5 some days, and goes back to sleep with a bottle, that I'd be able to get up then and do my workout.  But no. 

One of my goals before trying for number 2 is to lose 20 pounds.  Technically I need to lose more than that but that is probably about what I need to be healthy, I think, and to feel better, and what I can lose in the time I've given myself.  I have noticed, when I do manage to workout, that it is easier than I remember, the workouts, especially cardio, don't seem to be as hard as I thought.  I'm sure it's from chasing a toddler around, getting up and down from the floor, running up and down stairs carrying a 28 pound baby/toddler, and all the walking we've been doing.  But it's not enough.

I know that diet is 80% of weight loss, and I'm trying to do better.  It is easier with having Jackson, I eat better because I want him to eat better, and he does love his veggies and fruit.  But then he goes to bed.  And I sit.  And eat.  Tonight I made a 4 minute microwave cake.  I only ate half of it, but still!  Not exactly healthy!!  I should have had an apple.  Or even the 100 calorie chocolate pretzel pack in the cupboard.  But no, I make a cake!!  It was pretty good though. 

I've been trying to get up to workout early, but haven't managed to do it yet.  Then I try and workout when I get home from work, before I go get Jackson, but I haven't done that very much either.  I am still getting us all out for a walk after dinner, but it's right after dinner so it's not really a power walk or anything.  I guess it's better than nothing.  But I have this flabby stuff left over from when there was a baby in there, and it's not pretty!  I admit, I was pretty flabby before too :-)  But this is flabby in a new way. 

I want to be healthy, I want to show Jackson that we can be active, and eat well.  We can live healthy lives and live a long time, enjoying lots of things in life.  Why does it have to be so hard?  I know new habits are hard, it's all hard, but it should all be doable.  I need to buy more fruits and veggies, and then actually cook and eat them lol.  I need to make a meal plan, and stick to it!  Shop only for what we need, stop making microwave cakes :-)  Take my lunch to work, stop buying coffee everyday.  I pretty much need to do these things or I won't be able to lose those 20 pounds, or save the money I need to try and get pregnant again.  Who knows how many tries it'll take! 

If anyone knows an easy, here eat this kind of plan, please let me know!  I keep finding them but they are hard to adapt to a toddler.  I've seen low carb, or low carb afternoon diets, but my baby needs potatoes and pasta to grow well.  I've seen low fat, but he needs fat too.  And I've done vegan/vegetarian before, and didn't lose weight on it.  We still do vegetarian meals a couple times a week, to save money, but I can't see doing that daily.  I think I need to be told what to eat when, or I get distracted by pizza and burgers :-) 

Alrighty then.  Time for bed.  Actually late for bed, but diapers are washed and ready to hang, and baby sounds restless so it might be warm up there... here's to a good night's sleep!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Da da

I've read some books on single moms, that explain how to deal with the daddy question.  And they are great, and I'm sure I'll use the advice in a few years when he really starts to understand.  But for now... how do I cope with Jackson calling every man he sees "da da"? 

I blame the signing DVD's we watch, they all have family segments with mommy, daddy and baby.  So of course he gets the mommy part, he has one of those.  And he gets the baby part, one of his favourite words actually.  But then the daddy part comes on, and apparently all he sees is it's a man... and having nothing in his little world that really fits that, he just thinks every man is called da da.  I know he's seen some daddy's, the other kids at daycare sometimes have their Daddy come get them.  Jackson calls them da da too. 

Not sure entirely how to deal with it, I mean he's a little young to understand the concept.  I can't stop showing him the DVD's, he really likes them, and he learns a lot from them.  I tell him the random men we see when on our walks are not his da da, but as we don't have a dad at home, I think it's going to be hard to really explain.  I'm hoping as he gets older it'll get easier to deal with.  I do have a story I tell, to explain that we have a mommy and me family, with no daddy.  But, I guess he doesn't get it yet.