Just About Summer Baby Wearing Momiform

momiform (mom-a-form) n. the official or distinctive clothes or outfit worn by mothers, especially when on duty

1) Panama Hat - i prefer the Panama Hat style because the brim is wider than a fedora and thus serves more than just a decorative purpose

2) Saltwater Sandals - i've walked in these sandals for hours on end and my feet never hurt nor was my arch affected (y'know those sharp pulses of pain when there is absolutely no support?). Great shoe that's flat, comfortable, stylish, and durable (the company is about 50 years old)

4) Blue jeans - jeggings from JOE FRESH are my go-to's for comfort and price point

5) High - Low shirt - any high low shirt is the perfect in my opinion for baby wearing. the front length is appropriate without it looking like a tunic. the back length is perfect as when the lower belt is buckled (say on an ERGO), a normal shirt would start riding up throughout the day. the length of the back just has enough length to keep skin from being exposed say when you need to bend over and pick up that soother baby just happened to spit out of their mouth ;o) I like basics from H&M and slightly nicer going out styles at Forever 21

6) Sunglasses - it's definitely sunglass weather! I love going to Forever 21 for their super cheap frames ...like $6.80 type of cheap. their lenses offer 100% UV protection and great price point oh for when your child wants to wear them too and spreads the arms extra extra wide apart until you hear a snap!

Life Lately

• We spent mother's day stuffing our faces at Olive + Anchor at Horseshoe Bay. Have you been? Aside from the calamari and clubhouse which Gene raves about, I personally came for the Oysters Rockefeller- they were the best I have ever eaten. something about cheese, spinach, butter, bacon, and an oyster's texture that is so right. As expected i had hot flashes all day from the richness of this dish

the best picture of father and son that day

• i had the tiniest of canker sores near my lower gum line, and of course the smaller they are the more painful they are. ive been optimizing the healing environment of my mouth because of this stupid thing and guess what happens last night? during Max's rumbling and tumbling sleep gymnastics, he drops his head on my face/mouth while i was sleeping and i just about screamed in pain. i held it in. it was more painful than childbirth
• husband is away for the next 3 days doing some seasonal work and Max and I are alone together for the entire 72 hours. Today was day 1 and i was already feeling my patience nearly boil over at 1030am (we woke up at 730am). im pretty sure it's just me, because Gene says he's a baby when im around but totally different when im not around. Max just wants to be picked up and carried all.the.time and you know what? he's freakin' only 23lbs but feels like 30lbs. Dense. Solid. im hurting
• i went out with some company who think my way of doing things is wrong and i make my kid uncomfortable. if they were other people, id tell them to fck off, but alas no...because i CANT. unsolicited, critical, nagging "advice" or "recommendations" especially from people who dont, by and large, spend more time with MY CHILD during the hard times really should be more of a pillar of support
• my cat is humping this fleece blanket on top of my couch. he's neutered...what's up with him? 
• i had a great laugh with my friend Sarah about our changed menstrual cycles post baby. It was NEVER like this pre-baby. New moms beware!
• Max despises the stroller, every time he's in it...it's a CIO session until i pick him up. I dont bother bringing this anymore. Life right now is so much more easier when im not using it. But, damn when he's heavier, i hope he chooses to walk more than me carry him on the carrier. Or at least hold my hand when crossing the street or how about not dart close to the boulevard when he sees big rigs pass by on the street. is that too much to ask? 
• i can't cook food, prepare food, or wash dishes if im the only parent in the house. Max seems to hate it when i do this. I can't help but think maybe he doesnt want me to do this...which paves the way for him to be trained earlier to do it for me? haha

• We recently had, what i think was our first post rainstorm outing. i was totally unprepared for Max's curiosity and i dressed him in runners, jeans, light jacket- and he of course runs straight for the biggest puddle out there and falls in. Awesome! I learned my lesson the next day (after another rainy day) and let him run free in appropriate gear

oh is that piece of dirt for me Max? Thanks, you shouldn't have! 

• we upped this little man's bedtime to routine starting at 830pm and down by 9pm. he is still crying 2-5 hours after this but he's waking up sometime between 730-9am. who would've thought that sleeping in is defined as 9am? oh parenthood
• Max's bedtime breastfeed session feels more like snack suckling rather than the i-want-breastmilk type of gulping sounds im used to. he's weaning me off!! 
• we went to the Brentwood Mall 'playground' the other day- why does it always smell like dirty diapers there? maybe i just have a sensitive nose? or maybe it's the parents/guardians who DONT PAY ATTENTION to their children and gab away to their friends instead. pardon me if i have to gently push your too-big-and-or-too-rowdy children away so they don't hurt my child 
• i found myself reflecting on how i judged parents pushing their McDonald's eating young child in the stroller- as i sat with Max at McDonalds giving him fries (no salt and flat pressed in napkins to soak up the oil of course ;-p)

im back to work soon, have a great week!

My family members are tanned in May

tell him to smile and this is his look!

This week felt like summer in Vancity and guess where i spent monday-tuesday-wednesday-thursday? AT WORK! I totally missed the entire week and then some of friday as i was in a state of post night shift hangover. Illustrated by Max and husbands sun kissed skin, all smiles, stained shirts from who knows what treats they've been eating, it seemed like it was quite the week of fun for them! Now im off, and it's raining...womp womp.

According to husband, Max has a girlfriend at school. oh ya know, a 4 year old girl who just won't leave Max's side. Beside him from the moment he arrives, asks husband if she hug Max constantly, and is just generally googly eyed for him. (Ive gone to school with him, how come ive never noticed this?) At this point, Max is not being bullied...why? because this little woman is his body guard. Some kid rips a toy from Max's hand, the girl goes up to the kid and takes the toy back, and gives it back to Max. By keeping him company, she's even inadvertently teaching him how to play appropriately with other kids. Cute! Thanks little girl!

too hot for clothes this week!

It's that time of year when our countdown to outdoor swimming begins. In fact, i've already stocked up on sunscreen (had to), a few UPF 50 shirts for swimming, and swim shorts. This year, we're going to go with part time disposable swim diapers as Max's poo schedule (and size of poop) is so erratic. When i'm off, i can clean the reusables, but if Gene is alone, he can't be cleaning shorts with the little restless man. I have to say i feel quite guilty about this because of the un-environmentally friendly factor but i think it has to be done. im saying N-O to poo floaties at the pool!

Along the same vein, Max and Gene have been sleeping under the tree at the park this week. Yes, no typo. They eat lunch outside and spread the sheet, and sleep under a tree providing shade. Max's room absorbs all the heat and it's just not comfortable to be there during the day. I dont know if i would personally do this, but it's kind of cute and Max apparently sleeps for 2+ hours. Boys!

a rare selfie. Max and i were both wearing stripes and red pants!

 ***  Happy Mother's Day!  ***

im not going to lie, i can't do this full time and i dont love every.single.minute of it. damn it's hard work but man alive i love this little one of mine and i would do anything and everything for him. xoxoxo

Happy Nursing Week!

(all too accurate)

Happy Nursing Week!

"Nurses are getting yelled at for being late with meds, holding their bladder because they don't have time to use restroom, starving because they missed lunch, being peed on, puked on, pooped on, bled on, and are missing their family while taking care of yours. In the minute it took you to read this, 

nurses all over the world are saving lives"

Thank you for all that you do!

Co Sleeping Life

Do you co-sleep? Over here we do part time co-sleeping and there are days when i think that this direction in Max's care was a mistake (usually after a bad night) and of course, there are days when im all about this and glad that I do this.

Positions that apply to us:

• Roundhouse kick
• the Neck Scarf
• Snow Angels
• H is for Hell
• Jazz Hands
• The Dog House
• The Stalker

Many months ago, we did full cry it out (CIO) session (as in shut the door and not to return until the am), it worked and we got lengthy, uninterrupted sleeps. Then as with everything baby, came changes- he started to wake up earlier..and earlier..and earlier (damn time change too)...and we found ourselves back at the should we change directions or retrain via CIO? we changed directions. My definition of part time co sleeping means that for naps, husband or I co sleep with Max. As well, we consider his first cry of the night as a summon and thus one of us gets off our comfy king sized bed and go into his room, pick him up from the crib (he's usually jumping up and down), stick a soother in his mouth, and settle into a spare twin bed in his room. 

For naps, we get about 2-3 hours of sleep time. Gene tries to get some shut-eye or at least diffuse from the morning, and when it's my turn, I am on some electronic gadget catching up with people and whatever is hot and new online. For night sleep, we do our usual bed time routine and then plop him in the crib and shut the door. It's really a CIO session that lasts anywhere from 5secs to 60 minutes with no common denominator. i find myself feeling quite agitated when it gets close to the 60 minute mark as it's not really a cry..but a whine..pause..whine..pause...so i just suck it up and get into the room. After he falls asleep, we get 2 hours (current) to sometimes even 10 hours (rarely) of sleep before he calls. I figure by letting him CIO he at least can teach himself how to self soothe and by going in later on, but he knows we're there when needed. i do wonder if i am confusing him by doing this technique?

The positives of all this, i dont have to hear Max cry for that long or feel SUPER guilty about it. CIO hurts all involved.  when i am at his bedside he's i-n-s-t-a-n-t-l-y quiet and sleeps. I love how i can peak at him pretending to be asleep and watch what he's doing- when he sees me at his bedside, he's pretty respectful of a sleeping individual, sure he's restless and rolling around but he waits until eyes are fully open and readiness to interact before he makes any major peeps to start off the day. i find it pretty cute too when he sticks his face right up close and personal (like nose to nose) a few times over night just to see what's up i guess? or get a direction on what he should be doing? No idea! Max wakes up 9/10 times in a good mood and once he sees my eyes open, he's all smiles and cutesy wootsy. Max is only this small for so long right? i just want to soak him in! these are the good days!

The negatives are more along Gene's alley, he's a lightweight sleeper- he just can't and doesnt get adequate sleep. Co sleeping sucks when you're a light sleeper because toddlers don't sleep like logs...they're gymnasts! Gone are the days when swaddling was an option. Everything about the above picture rings true for full time cosleepers, and even as a part time cosleeper, i can relate to the stated positions. A rough night, makes for a rough day for dad, and lets just say he's thankful when i can take over! As for me, im a middleweight sleeper, i can sleep but i can still be woken up by the gymnast-child, and then go back to sleep. It's never deep, but i feel good enough to carry on once the day starts.

womp womp...

not sure if this post was a rant or a rave, but my saving grace is knowing that at some point the bed rail will go down, he can get out of the crib, open the door, walk into our room, and hop into our bed when he wants. In fact, im absolutely looking forward to this day and welcome it and him with open arms. 2 years? 3 years? 4 years? Sooner than later please!