Spill it, Sister.

We're MOVING.  Holy mackerel.  Just typing that out is pretty surreal.

Where are we going?  Take a wild guess.  Come on,  you know the answer:

VERMONT!

Back to the old stomping ground.  Juice had a terrific job opportunity fall into his lap.  It was too good to pass on what with the longer-term security and fantastic location.

I'm looking forward to the following:

Mountains
Skiing & hiking
Lake
Magic Hat
Organic, vegan food everywhere I turn
Yoga
Bike Paths
Friends
Penny Cluse
Proximity to the Motherland
Patchouli
American Flatbread
Green grass
Public breast-feeders
Apple cider
Short commute times
Ben & Jerry's...

I could go on all day!

I'm not so excited at the prospect of selling our house.  The market's not great down here and the value has really taken a nosedive.  Plus,  I really like our house.  We'll be hard pressed to find something similar that we can afford in Vermont.

The biggest thing I'll miss however are the friends I've made.  They've been terrific and I'm truly sad I won't get to see them as often.  I'm a firm believer however that relationships can be maintained no matter what the distance if you're willing to put forth the effort.  For these ladies,  I certainly am willing :)

Fingers are crossed that we can get this house sold and get on with the move.

Wish us luck!


PS:

I GOT MY JOB BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

Three's Company

It's a BOY!

Baby E. 

11/22/11 @ 7:17

8 lbs 13 oz

21"

He finally showed up only a few hours short of ELEVEN days late.  Yeah.  Eleven.  You have no idea how much I had to push back against all of the pressure to be induced.  They had given me three more days (42 weeks).  Thank goodness he decided to cooperate.  The delivery was fantastic and he is healthy.  God is good.

He's six weeks old today.  Let's start with the positives:

He's healthy.
He nurses like a champ. (unlike my other two)
He's super cute!

Now,  the not so positives:

He doesn't sleep.  For real.  Like we're talking maybe a combined total of say 7-8 hrs. (pssst!  Newborns are supposed to sleep 16-20 hrs.)

He only takes, what I like to call "crap naps".  30-45 minutes of shut eye.  Just long enough to get nothing done.  A teaser,  if you will.

It takes an act of God (and a TON of time and effort) to get him to fall asleep.  He can't do it on his own.

He's colicky.  Lets just say that when he's not "sleeping",  he's crying and fussing.  Evenings are especially fun.

He will not sleep in anything flat.  This includes the apparent "sleep saver" of a co-sleeper as well as in our bed.

Yes,  I've tried all of the remedies and tricks under the sun.  Still SOL.  And of course I've been to pediatrician regarding the above and they have chalked it up to a combination of reflux,  personality and "every baby being different."  Basically, "suck it up, sister.  There's nothing we can do."  Thankfully,  I have a little experience already under my belt with this "type" of baby (I'm looking at you, Fifi).  I know he'll eventually grow out of it.  Until then however,  I'm in survival mode.

Since I'm not naming names on this blog,  I shall henceforth refer to baby E. as "Ducky" (coined by Fifi) or "General Fuster" (coined by yours truly).

Now who wants to hear a birth story?  I wrote this originally at the request of my prenatal yoga instructor.  I'm all about recycling,  so here it goes:

November 22, 2011

At 41 weeks and two days, I felt like I was never going to go into labour.  This was my third baby and all along everyone told me that they thought for sure I'd deliver early.  Needless to say,  I was getting to be rather frustrated.  I went to bed that night experiencing mild contractions but thought nothing of it.  I had a difficult time staying asleep as the contractions steadily intensified throughout the night.  Could it be that I was actually going into labour?!  By 9AM the next morning,  the contractions were strong enough to take my breath away and had been coming every 2-3.5 minutes for a couple of hours.  I called my midwife and she told me to head in to the hospital.  The babysitter came to look after my other children until my in-laws could get there and we were off.

By the time we had driven to the hospital and I was hooked up to the monitor however,  my contractions had magically and mysteriously dropped in intensity and spaced out a bit.  My midwife checked me and I was 4cm but not very effaced.  She didn't think I was in active labour and told me I should head home.  I was ready to cry.  I was 10 days overdue and she wanted me to drive the 35 minute ride back to my house?!  I really felt like I was in labour and would deliver that day.  After talking with Juice, we decided to listen to my gut and not leave the proximity of the hospital.  Wouldn't you know, on the walk from the hospital back to the car,  the super intense contractions resumed, with a vengeance.  They were happening every 2-2.5 minutes too.  We drove to a restaurant to have a bite for lunch.  I tried desperately to eat my food but the contractions were so intense that they left me gripping the table, in actual tears.  I kept saying to Juice:  "I really don't want to go home.  I feel like baby is coming today."  He promised we wouldn't go home as long as I thought we shouldn't.  We decided to then do some walking.  We walked up and down the main drag, stopping along the way at each contraction.  After about and hour, all the while having regular contractions,  we decided to head back to the hospital area.  Once there,  we kept walking, and walking!  We ended up at the high school track at one point and did about 4 or 5 laps around it too!  Eventually, It started to get dark.  We had literally been walking for hours at this point.  I was beginning to get pretty worn out from everything.  We decided to head back up to the unit and discuss the situation with my midwife one last time before going home.  Once there,  she took one look at me and said:  "Wow.  You look very different than you did this morning!  You're the one in the 'green jacket'!" --Apparently some employees had seen me outside walking (in pain!) and went to tell the unit about me!

I was checked again, and was now 5cm and 80% effaced.  All that walking had helped!  I was definitely having my baby that night!

Once in the room,  I discussed the plan with my midwife and we decided to break my water to hurry things along.  Hurry things along did it ever.  The contractions were then over the top.  I got into the tub, focused on the task at hand.  Having had one medicated and one unmedicated birth already,  I was determined to deliver drug free again if I could.  I gripped juice's hand with each contraction, and focused on my breath to keep me calm through the pain.  After about an hour and a half in the tub,  I felt the urge to push.  The midwife checked me and I was 10cm.  I quickly got out and returned to my bed.  With the next contraction,  I pushed with all my might (and was pretty darn loud!) and out came my healthy and strong  little boy at 7:17PM!  We didn't find out the gender beforehand and I really think not knowing helped me to push all the harder.  They put him right on my chest and Juice cut the cord. He weighed 8lbs 13oz was was 21" long.   

Fifi and Buster came in the next day to meet their baby brother.  They were both excited and showered him with kisses. 

Looking back at it all,  I'm certainly glad that I listened to my gut and didn't return home.  On the other hand,  I'm also, in a way, glad that my midwife didn't admit me initially.  It gave my Juice and I time to go through the very spiritual and emotional journey of labour together not pacing the hospital halls but rather in the fresh air and sunlight; on our own terms.  I'll look back on our day together fondly.  The birth experience was beautiful and empowering.  We love our little General Fuster so much.  The old adage rings true in our case:  "Good things come to those who wait."

The End.

Hey You in There...

When are you going to make your grand appearance?!  We're at 40 + 2 today.

Just wonderin'.

For Those Wondering:

I'm due on Saturday, but take it with a grain of salt.  I find that history seems to like to repeat itself.  I'm thinking I'll be a week late, AGAIN.  That's actually ok with me this time.

It's a bittersweet thing coming to the end of one's pregnancy, isn't it?  You and that little peanut go through an awful lot in nine months.  This pregnancy in particular has been a tough one for me.  Going through  "surprise!", to worshiping the porcelain bowl, to gestational diabetes and everything in between has been quite the journey.

I'm excited to finally meet this baby;  to find out WHAT this baby is after all this time.  Am I nervous to go through the whole birthing/postpartum process again?  Heck yes.  Borderline terrified, actually.  But I'm trying to stay focused on the task at hand and to stay as positive as possible.  The privilege to bring life into the world is one of the greatest gifts God has given to women and I'm honoured to finally be at the eve of experiencing the miracle of birth once more.

I'm going to go in with an open, yet decided mind to try to do this once again the way it's been done by my sisters for thousands of years.  I'll go with the flow, yes, but also try to keep in tune to the abundance of strength that can be found within each of us to overcome mountainous obstacles.  I'll let you know how it all turns out in the end.

So wish us luck.  If you can spare a prayer, we'll certainly take it, thanks!

See you soon (hopefully) on the other side!

C.

Happy Columbus Day

East London

I stumbled upon this rad video yesterday.  I don't know about you, but I kinda' think that I want to be in East London this Tuesday.

Check it out:

Everything NEEDS To Smell Like LEMONS

Time is flying.  Didn't summer just commence?  No, really.  Is it just me, or does time seem to travel at the speed of light once you have kids?  Ugh.  I wish I could make things slooooow doooooown a little bit.

Speaking of kids,  #3 is 30 weeks now!  As my tummy grows, so do my levels of fatigue.  I must admit, this pregnancy takes the cake when it comes to feeling pretty. darn. beat.  One could attribute this to having both a preschooler and a toddler to attend to, but my guess is more in line with...

... my diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes.  Weeeee!  AWESOME.

Yes, I'm as surprised as you are.  I certainly don't fit the bill for your "typical" GD candidate but alas, I truly do have it.  Like typical diabetics,  the highs and lows sometimes leave me feeling weak, dizzy, jittery, thirsty, tired, sweaty etc. etc.  The diagnosis has required me to start checking my blood sugar four times a day and to change when/how/what I eat.  A bit of a bummer, but if it means avoiding the need for insulin injections,  you can count me in.  Maybe it'll mean a slightly smaller baby to push out?  One can dream.

Here's a complication of gestational diabetes that no one ever talks about:

FATIGUE (& feeling generally crummy) vs NESTING.

Big problem folks.  Huge.  The urge is definitely there but the fatigue battles it (and usually wins).  I'm left feeling frustrated and behind the eight ball.

Not good.  Not good at all.  Because, when I'm in my third trimester:

Yes,  I'd say I've got a bit of a problem on my hands.

Blueberry Jam

Remember those wild blueberries we picked?  Well, Fifi and I decided to turn them into some delicious jam today.  We had about 2 cups of blueberries which isn't a ton, but just enough to make a small batch.  We used 1/2 pint mason jars to put our jam in.  Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Jam

• 2 cups of blueberries
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 packet of powdered pectin

Thoroughly wash your berries and make sure all those stems are completely removed.  (No one likes crunchy jam!)  Place berries in large saucepan.

Combine sugar and pectin in a bowl.

Add mixture to the pot of blueberries.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Once boiling, let the mixture cook for a full minute.

Ladle into mason jars and cool until jam is at room temperature.  Once cooled, place on lids.  Store in the fridge to use right away, or freeze it to enjoy later.

Notes:
You can easily double or triple this recipe and it still turns out nicely.
Obviously, other varieties of berries work well too.
Adjust the amount of sugar (+ or -) depending on preferred taste/tartness etc.


Enjoy!

Simpler Times

Gender

I get asked a lot of questions these days.  Typically, the first question I get is:  "Are you really having your third?!"  Followed shortly thereafter by:  "Well, is it a boy or a girl?"

I've come to the conclusion that people seem to really dislike not knowing.  It's weird.  You'd think that we the parents would be the one's with a potential issue.   No.  Apparently,  STRANGERS take the greatest offense to my lack of response.  (Speaking of strangers...boy have I had some interesting comments from them this pregnancy....a whole OTHER post.)

While I confess to being "a planner" type,  this is an instance where I'm perfectly content in not knowing.  God has blessed us with one of each.  A healthy baby is the only thing I'm praying for.  Sophie, on the other hand......

I don't really have a strong feeling either way.  At first,  I thought for certain it was a girl;  then a boy.  The Chinese gender prediction calendar says we're having a girl,  yet I have heartburn something awful just as I did with Oliver.  Heck, I don't know!

What's your best guess?

Take my little poll on the left!

The Lake

We spent the weekend at the lake.  It was hot and sticky....the perfect type of weekend to be spent almost entirely in the water.

The highlight for Fifi was venturing over to an uninhabited island to pick blueberries.  We picked and picked until the cows came home.  It's still a tad early in the season, but we collected more than enough to make some blueberry muffins.  Did I ever mention how much I loved to pick berries as a child? The "berry" doesn't fall far from the tree.

The highlight of the weekend for me (& I dare say, Juice) was going to dinner without kids.  Yes, it certainly is a rare occasion for us to have time away from the monkeys and we thoroughly enjoyed every moment.  A close second for me was simply sitting out on the porch swing after the kids were asleep...listening to "lake sounds" and watching the fireflies dance about.

I love summer.

Note To Self:

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas!  We have the most wonderful hydrangea bush in our yard.  In the part of Canada where I'm from, hydrangeas only flower white (something to do with the low acidity of the soil).  Naturally, when  I first discovered we had a hydrangea bush, I assumed we'd see some pretty white flowers blooming in late spring.  When they started blooming this delicious shade of blue,  I nearly did a cartwheel.  The colour is just so pretty; somewhere between a periwinkle and cornflower blue (or just BLUE, for the men out there).  It's amazing what beauty nature is capable of producing.

Flowers make me happy.  These ones in particular.  

And yes, there are some in vases adorning nearly every room in my house.

 

Home

We're back from our annual summer holiday in Ottawa.  I enjoyed the hot and sunny weather,  spending some great time with friends and family and celebrating Buster's birthday ( mine too).

But most of all,  I just enjoyed being.   

Being home again.

"Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to." 

 ~John Ed Pearce

Happy Canada Day

I miss Canada.  Every year, it's the same thing.  This year, it's particularly bad.  Will & Kate are currently in MY HOME TOWN.  Guess who's NOT currently in my home town?  Le sigh.  My aunt got to see them up close yesterday.  I shall live vicariously through her.

In case you were wondering:

Wills is very tall in real life.
Kate truly is quite stunning.

According to my aunt, Will said he chose to come to Canada for his first "married" trip as he had such found memories of his time in Canada with his mum and also, today is his mum's birthday.  A fine choice, Will.  A fine choice indeed.  Apparently, Australia has their nose 'outta joint about it too....Wruh Wrah! (snickers)

This Canada day is an especially important one for another reason.  This year, we have THREE, official canucks celebrating in the family!  The kids' citizenship was finally approved and it's now official-- for life.  Sniff!  So proud.

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

Mishmash

Blogging ain't easy.  In fact, it has become quite the challenge.  It seems as the kids get increasingly older (and I get increasingly bigger!)  Any free time to sit and write doesn't seem to materialize as often as it once did.  I'm taking 15 today.  We'll see how it goes.  (I'll end with a final tally of interruptions!)

The past month or so has been a super-duper busy mishmash of things.

• Fifi turned 4 (how the heck?) , finished up her first year of preschool,  performed in her first dance recital (cute) and attended a summer "cooking" camp.  And lest we forget all the playdates.  Tired yet?  I am.

•  Juice and I celebrated our 8th anniversary last month.  (how the heck?)  Yes indeedy, we successfully made it past the "7 year itch". 

•  Buster is about to turn 2 (how the heck?).  Active as ever, this one.  Saints preserve us.

•  Baby is past the half way mark (how the heck?)  We had the big anatomy ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and we're thrilled to announce that everything looks to be fine and dandy.  We opted NOT to find out the gender, so there's no turning back now.  Baby will remain a mystery until November.  Feeling lots and lots of kicks.  They get stronger each day.  I'm already so in love.

And there you have it.  Life is going entirely TOO FAST.  "Stop the world.  I wanna get off."

(Final tally:  9)

Surprise!

Hopefully this will explain my absence from blogging (I had more pressing matters to attend to which required me to frequently pay homage to the toilet bowl):

The news came as a big surprise to us both, but a welcomed one.  Admittedly, we were hoping to "space them out" a bit more, but we believe that God has His plans and they very often trump our own :)

Baby's due November 12th, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and push it back by at least a week (given my stellar track record).

We're NOT finding out baby's gender until delivery.  Hey, this baby was a surprise to begin with, so let's totally do it up.

Let me try to read some of your minds here:

YES, I am absolutely terrified and yes I cried my eyes out for a good week after finding out.  I have definitely had a few lows, but after getting all of that out off my system, I'm feeling pretty darn positive.  I do sometimes wonder how I'm going to handle it all, but I know that God only gives us what we can handle and in that I take comfort.

Yes, I'm preparing for the worst. (some of you know what I'm referring to)  If it happens again, well darn it, I've beat it twice and I'll do it a third time.  I always get back up when I'm knocked down and that's not going to change any time soon.  I'm definitely thinking positive.  After all, "Third time's a charm", right?

Do the kids know?  Yes.  Fifi's put in her request for a sister and Buster is more concerned with Buzz Lightyear and dinosaurs to give it much thought.

Juice?  He's pretty excited.

Am I showing?  Yup.  You can blame my short torso and third round for that.  Strangers have said things to me at this point.  Nope, I couldn't hide it any longer, and thus my little confession here.

Throwing up again?  You betcha, although the last week has been much better.  Dare I say I'm out of the woods?!

How's baby lookin'?  Pretty darn cute to me!  So far, so good.

I'll leave you with a picture of tiny feet:

I can't wait to tickle them!

What a miracle life is.

It blows me away every time.

"I'll Bet I Got a Coupon For It!"

"Extreme Couponing". Have you seen this new show on TLC?  The premise is exactly what is implied in the title.  Being a coupon clipper myself,  I knew I had to check it out.

 Coupons and I go waaaaay back.  Stems from my childhood, I suppose.  I'm almost certain that "sale" must have been one of my first words.  I've got to hand it to my mother.  She certainly taught me the value of a buck.  Now, there's a distinction to be made between "cheap" and "frugal".  I like to think of myself as being frugal.  If a manufacturer is going to put some money savings up for grabs, you better believe I'm going to take advantage of it.  More money in my wallet at the end of the day.  Be it retail or online;  I can guarantee that some amount of my time will be invested in finding/using a coupon.

I have a little folder, organized by month, for all of my coupons.  It's filled with coupons from the newspaper, magazines, product packaging and online and it gets pulled out before every grocery order or trip to the mall.  You can really save a lot with a little bit of effort.

Which brings me back to this show "Extreme Couponing".  The word "extreme" is most certainly applicable when it comes to this show.  In the episode I watched, one woman purchased around $1500 in groceries, and then after using all of her coupons, spent just over $100.  Impressive.  There were a couple of things that really bothered me about it though.  While she saved a TON of money, I felt like she bought a lot of crap that was borderline inedible/ she didn't need.  It was almost like she was buying things simply because she could, not necessarily because there was a need.  For example:  She literally CLEARED an entire shelf of mustard (probably 75-100 jars) to which her husband replied:  "But I don't even like mustard!"  I think it's borderline hoarding.  Not to speak of the potential waste.  Many things will expire before use when you're buying such large quantities.  If you're going to donate the majority of it to charity, well that's a different ball of wax, but something tells me this woman is most-likely not doing that.

I only use coupons for things that I would buy regardless.  I think there needs to be a balance, and the characters on this show are waaaaay off of it!

Interesting show though.  I'll probably watch it again.

Do you coupon too?

Pure Awesomeness

I stumbled upon this rad clip a couple of weeks ago (and immediately shared it with my brother on fb--definitely our kind of humour).  Can you guess who's been singing/humming: "Ain't gonna pee pee my bed tonight" ever since?  Yes.  Washing the dishes, driving in the car and mopping the floor have all been accompanied by a soundtrack of sorts.

So watch it and see if....

1) You can identify our little singer's gender (I ♥ androgyny)
2)  Duplicate those sweet moves (combination of grand mal seizure/ James Brown swagger?)
3)  Refrain from singing "Ain't gonna pee pee my bed tonight" for the rest of the evening.

Best of luck with that.





(Anyone else creeped out by "Santa" in the back?)