A little treat for my readers!

I'm not sure if I've had the chance to post much about B's amber necklace on here, but if you've seen him in person, you've probably asked about it and heard my never ending speech.
So, amber has amazing NATURAL healing properties and is amazing for teething babies/children. That's it's most common use, but there are many more. Hazel Wood has great NATURAL healing properties for many other ailments like skin issues.
My favorite company (and it's Canadian!!!) is www.hazelaid.com and as my treat for you, I'm going to give you a hazelaid discount code for 10% off everything. They have sooo many beautiful pieces of jewelry as well as other natural products. Spread the word, the code is good for everyone and you can use it as many times as you want!!!
"10rebecka" - hazelaid discount code
Happy Shopping friends!!!!!

Another Attempt

I have written this post numerous times now and each time after staying open on the computer for days, it ends up getting closed. Each time the post is different, but hopefully this one actually makes it to the end!

The boy is still sleeping (despite my attempts to encourage him to wake), Daylight Savings Time has kind of messed us all up around 219. Springing forward is definitely easier than falling back...Life Lesson #7890923841267 (I made that number up) lol.

We had our annual trip to Florida last week. Unfortunately, Daddy couldn't come with us, but Aunt Julie stepped up and did some major bonding with B. I was rather hesitant about the entire trip (the flights, the nights, feeding him, the sunshine), but it went perfectly! Everyone helped out with B and I didn't feel like a single mom at all. Cudos to those of you that are single parents, I don't even know how you do it.

Despite my best laid plans, I hear stirring from the nicest room at 219... always wonder what's so funny in there when no one is around. The giggles haven't turned into yelling (which may turn into shrieking) yet, so I may have a few more minutes to get this done.

I'm not sure what direction I want this blog to take, but I think I have to decide. Do I cover relationships, home ownership, parenting, eco friendly living????? After typing that, I guess I cover them all. Why was I wondering?? Now I have myself confused.

Here are a few of our favorite things!


Toys

Baby Gear

Miscellaneous Baby Stuff

OK, Ok

So at the constant demands of a few people, I'm giving you a post. Now that we are on a better nap schedule, who knows, they may even come more frequently (pfft, yeah right). 219 is a whirlwind of activity these days. B is standing and climbing and protesting and very curious. These are all good things right? The past couple months have led me to think about the old boy vs girl behaviours. I don't care what anyone says, boys are boys and girls are girls...219 most definitely has a little boy. To the parents that think they can hide the sex of their child, good luck. Why would you force your child to live your weird test on society. IDIOTS!

We had a very busy (read expensive) month in December, new water heater, new furnace (thank you to 219 Daddy for installing it himself!), Christmas prezzies, travel, and to top it off, gall bladder removal for my precious Buff Buff. Yes, believe it or not, the beagle now lives a normal life gall bladder free. She's lucky I love her as much as I do. I'm going to let you imagine what emergency surgery costs, I will never admit to what we actually paid. It was worth every single cent and we would do it all over again. She recovered well and is back to buff buffing like her old self.

A year goes by

Again, I slack at blogging. The little Mr is getting pretty busy these days, not leaving much time for "silly little blogs". It's amazing how fast they really do grow. I find it most overwhelming to think that just one year ago I was on bedrest as a small medical issue threatened to take away what we tried so hard to get. Now I watch what was then a few cells with a heart that just started beating roll around my dirty floors, smile at me with a toothy grin and reach for me when we sing our good morning song. I am so humbled by this last year that I can't even put it into words. Everyday is amazing with B, I think we finally found our groove together. Some days are long and difficult but each night when I lay him in his crib, I can't help but say a little thank you to the Man upstairs. This last year has been filled with the most highest of highs and some very low lows. We welcomed new family members and loved ones and said goodbye to some as well. It amazes me how one person can touch your life so profoundly and sometimes you don't even realize it until they've began a new journey. Today has me feeling reflective and that leads me to feeling very thankful. I have a life that is filled to the brim with love and kindness. Everyday I am reminded of how wonderful people are and sometimes I forget to take note. Today I am taking note and I hope to every single day. I can't wait for B to grow up feeling all the love that surrounds him and start to really recognize how many truly amazing people he has in his life.

Hello September

Week 1 with a baby is bliss, the honeymoon period, the newborn "all I do is sleep" period and the husband being home makes life a bowl full of cherries. The 2nd week, you start to get a little tired but life continues to be sheer bliss. The 3rd week comes along and exhaustion is starting to set in and then BAM! the 4th week comes and slaps you upside the head. The husband is soon going back to work (yes we were lucky enough for him to spend a whole month at home with us), the baby starts to have longer wakeful periods, the guilt of not being the best Stay At Home Mom starts to set in because alas, you can't do it all, and you start to figure out how you are going to cope. Yes, week 4 was an eye opener for me. Byron then decided that perhaps he didn't like nursing so much, then he decided that he didn't like eating at all so much. By week 6, I was exhausted and overwhlemed. Why does my baby cry ALL.THE.TIME? What was I doing wrong? We started supplementing with formula (add more guilty feelings please) and things got a little better. Byron continued to be very "fussy" (fussy implies he was cranky, cranky doesn't even come close to explaining the screams that escaped my poor boy's lips). Luckily, I have the internet. I started to do some research and paid a little more attention to how Byron was acting. Reflux. That had to be it. Ok, get to the Dr, get him something to make him feel better and life will be blissful again. Dr-check, prescription-check, bliss - not yet. Byron and I had to head to my Mom and Dad's for his baby shower the day after the Dr's appointment. Luckliy, Byron slept most the way. I, on the other hand, cried more than half the way (the poor 16 year old boy at McDonalds didn't know how to respond to my swollen eyes, runny noes and gasps for air - sorry kid). Mom and Gramma were there to help when we arrived, they were able to witness the sounds that such a little boy can produce and see the obvious pain he was in, I wasn't crazy afterall. I wasn't over reacting to his cries. A few days later, the Zantac started to work and life was on the up and up again! Less barf, way less screaming and even some giggles (from both of us). I am happy to report that as Byron appraoches his 4 month birthday, life is good. Byron is growing well and doing all sorts of fun things now. He rolls over, he belly laughs, he puts everything in his mouth (EVERYTHING!) and he is starting to get really good sleep habits. We are happy. Bliss- check! We made it.

He's Here, He's Here!

I know this post took awhile, but adjusting to our new lifestyle was way more important than updating the old blog (not to mention catching up on some long awaited snuggles).
Friday, May 13, 2011 (yep, Friday the 13th!) our son was born! Byron Wesley, 7 lbs 2 oz, 18.9" long via c-section at 8:21pm.
His birth story is long and drawn out and a little dramatic, but in the end he was born perfectly healthy and very happy. We spent 4 days in the hospital recovering and were very happy to come home and figure out how 219 would run with it's newest member. Buff Buff and Me Too got to have a week long vacation at Gramma and Papa's and didn't seem too happy to return to their newest sibling. After a month, I can proudly say, they have fallen in love.
So far, our lives as parents have been pretty good. We are lucky to have a fairly happy baby and we are also lucky to have eachother. I can't imagine how I would have gone through my recovery without the amazing support of Jeff.
So, without further ado (sp?), here is our boy!
Happy one month birthday little one!

For My Mom

Happy Mother's Day!

Don't fret, I sent her flowers and called her first thing on Mother's Day so I am not really two days late.

I have a pretty awesome Mom. I have a Mom that I love and a Mom that I know loves me. Sure, we may not always see eye to eye, but we get over it and life goes on. I know that no matter what, she is there for me and what more can I ask for?
She did her best to raise me to be a caring, independent, successful woman and, I think she did ok.

I can only hope to raise my child to be those same things.

I love you Mom!

To all the other Mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day to you. Especially the ones that are particularily close to me and also helped shape who I grew up to be.

To all the women that are struggling to become Mother's, I send you big hugs and love today. It's a tough day for many women and I hope your journey to parenthood ends in love and smiles soon.

XOXO