{our nest in the city}

around the web

2012-02-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

on why the city is the very best place kids!
how much space does a family really need?
a new favourite food blog
ok fine, another
if you're single, why aren't you reading this!?
art in the kitchen? i think yes.
an honest post from a blog i love.
1001 uses for vinegar?
want to be challenged about adoption and having kids? read this blog.
I really want to try this. it sounds like drinking a meal.

no laundry for a month

2012-02-14T18:16:00.001-05:00

I have a problem. I have a closet full of clothes, and yet I still wear the same few pieces day in and day out. I have my favourites and stick to them. I get in a groove (read: rut) and don't like to change things. I've been inspired by Jessi's 30X30 challenge, but I think for me the answer is not taking some of my clothes and trying to find new uses for them and mixing it up that way. For me, it means wearing all of my clothes. For once in my life.

So today I did my last load of personal laundry. For a long time. Here's my plan: I'm simply done doing laundry. I won't wash any of my clothes until I literally run out of clothes. Well, underwear. And then I'll wash those. But not the clothes!! Not until I'm near out of options.

I'll wear a shirt once, then it's done. In the "laundry" - meaning joining her friends in the huge pile of clothes that I can't re-wear for a while. That's in keeping with my normal standards - I only wear a shirt once before washing it, but wear pants a few times before washing them. So pants can get a few turns before they join the heap.

Of course I'll still do laundry for the kids and Brad, because they don't seem to have my problem (Brad doesn't have "favourite outfits" and the kids soil their clothes often enough to work through the lot). But unless my clothes are super dirty (and a stain could result) I'm not washing them until I need to.

You see, being a family of 4 that uses cloth diapers on two kids, I find myself doing laundry so often that I always have clean clothes. Because the kids go through clothes so often (especially receiving blankets!), I can throw in any soiled clothes of my own to "complete a load" (instead of just doing a smaller load of laundry). The result is I do a ton of laundry (partly inevitable, which I truly don't mind) and I never have to go beyond my favourite pieces. You know, the white tank top that goes good under everything, the jeans that work so well with every shirt, a couple cardigans that are on constant rotation...

Are you in a fashion rut too?

Do you find yourself wearing the same things all the time

even though you have a closet full of clothes?

What are your go-to pieces?

Up for a challenge?

Up for a break of doing laundry?

Join me!!

from crib to big girl bed {take 1}

2012-02-14T11:06:00.002-05:00

...has been an epic fail.

Does anyone even say that anymore? I don't know. But the point stands.

A couple of days ago we got Lily a twin mattress in preparations for her big girl bed (coming soon!). IKEA has the "Mattress Event" going on right now (until Feb 26th, 2012), where you get 15% of your purchase back in gift cards. We got the cheapest mattress we could find ($100) and then got her plain white sheet set free as a result. Score. But back to the fail.

So we have had her mattress on the floor in her room for a couple days. She's used to it and plays on it all day long. Definitely comfortable enough. This morning I thought it would be as good a time as any to see how she'd do for a nap on the mattress. The bed frame is still in pieces, so it's just on the floor beside her crib. After over 30 minutes of telling her to get back in her bed, I gave up and put her back in her crib. She's now sleeping soundly. Sigh.

Here's what I did that I think helped:

- put the yellow blanket she sleeps on top of in her crib, on the mattress

- put her crib toys (pink monkey, owl pillow, blankets) on the mattress

- took out any distracting toys from her room

Here's what I did that I think hurt my chances at success:

- I put her down towards the earlier side of naptime. I should wait for her to be really tired.

- I went in too many times. Every time I heard a noise and knew she was out of bed, I went back in. This basically roused her and got her more excited. If the room is empty, there's nothing to play with, which brings me to my next point:

- I didn't take out EVERY distracting thing.

Example: twice I went in and found her rocking herself in her rocking chair. The rocking chair that she's never climbed into by herself, EVER. The rocking chair that she wines at me to put her in because she can't get in herself... of so we thought. It was hilarious but annoying. After the 2nd time, the rocking chair joined the small basket of toys, the little types farm, and the clothes bin in the kitchen.

Side lesson in parenting: I've learned giving kids independence helps them try things they wouldn't if you were holding their hand (literally, figuratively). If I hadn't have caught Lily in the rocking chair, I would have continued putting her into it for who knows how long!

Tomorrow my game plan is to wait until 10:30am (naptime is usually between 10 and 10:30) or heck, even 11am, then put her in a near empty room, on the bed (which will have her crib toys/linens). And once I say goodnight, that's it for 2 hours. If I hear her playing, I'm not going to go in. There will be nothing for her to play with, and if she ends up passing out from exhaustion on the hard rug instead of the mattress, she'll learn what's more comfortable.

I'll let you know how it goes!

controversial question: nudity & kids

2012-02-13T17:58:00.001-05:00

OK people. We're in a stage of parenting where we're trying to make some solid decisions about some controversial issues. I'm genuinely curious about your thoughts regarding this so please feel free to share them. I haven't made up my own mind on the matters yet, and promise not to judge any comments/opinions made here.

So. Kids and nudity. I'm wondering at what age you all think it's inappropriate for kids to see their parents naked? Does this change for parents of the same sex as their child? Or is it a general rule, black and white? What do you do (or plan to do) with your children? What did your parents do when you were growing up?

Furthermore, at what age is it inappropriate for kids to see other kids naked? I seem to remember having baths with other kids when I was little (cousins, friends of the family, etc). I'm including siblings of the opposite sex in this question.

Full disclosure: Right now, we don't have rules against it. We have a huge jacuzzi tub as our only bath, so every other night when I bathe Lily, I jump right in. We're also not big on closing doors when using the bathroom around here (unless there's company over, obviously). But Lily is 17 months and I think she's starting to notice things. Hence, the blog post. Also, I've always been comfortable naked in front of my mom, sister, and practically any female friend, (and vice versa) if the situation arose (change rooms, bathrooms, etc).

Please share your thoughts!

hearts for Vday!

2012-02-13T10:27:00.001-05:00

Quickie craft:

take an old book, cut out a bunch of hearts, then sew them together!

this craft was inspired by this pinterest post and my friend Terra who did something similar for the holiday.

literally took me 10 minutes while I watched the Grammys. score.

progress in the living room...

2012-02-13T10:22:00.001-05:00

Moving when you have a baby and are pregnant isn't a blast... and usually means you aren't fully "moved in" until much later. Well, we're still in the move-in stage when it comes to decorating. Until this past weekend, most of the walls in our main living space (kitchen/living room/dining room) remained unadorned, but after a quick IKEA trip and two $20 LACK shelves, our living space feels so much more cozy and lived in. Plus there's finally some colour in my super grey living room :)

{L-R: vintage Reader's Digest books were 25 cents each from the Good Will in Kentucky, white ceramic own was $8 from Nood in Vancouver, painting was a birthday gift from Brad and is by Adamo Tiseo a local artist, two blue vases were 50 cents each from Salvation Army in Montreal, the vase was a centre piece at our wedding and is filled with split green peas, a picture of little boy Brad at Lake Louise in Alberta, a picture of my "Pa" teaching me something as a girl, and the two Russian dolls were $1 from Value Village in Montreal}

conflicted fashion sense...

2012-02-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

Here's what Lily chose for herself to wear today (by pointing and wining until I took them off their hangers)...

who doesn't love a girl in a hockey jersey? and tweed blazer ahem.

the kid's room {details}

2012-02-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

We've been taking forever to get the kid's room "finished" and it's still far from there, but here are some pics of things we've done recently:

It took a while to decide on the fabrics I wanted in the hoops this time around. Mainly because it's a co-ed bedroom so I didn't want anything too boy-ish or girly. And also the room is white and grey so the colours had to be bold. Happy with what we ended up with!

Right now the corner has a little reading nook goin' on but I'm not sure where that will go once we put together Lily's big-girl bed (which we bought the mattress for yesterday!). The hanging canopy is there because that's where Lily's bed will be, but it's fun to read under it too. It also adds some privacy since there's a large window in the door that's there.

And those two needlepoint prints of a lady and gentlemen were found on the side of the road last year (Jamie, do you remember when I put them in my purse and you thought I was crazy!?). I painted the frames bright white since they were kind of dingy. Love the contrast and irony of having them in my kid's room. A lady and gentleman. Ha.

Bringing Up Bebe

2012-02-10T19:29:00.001-05:00

I can not wait to read this book!

The reviews make it seem as though an alternative title could have been "French Women Use Babywise" :)

My plan it to order it from amazon.ca, hopefully finding a secondhand copy in a few months, and then read it in France this Spring! Has anyone read it yet?

Oh Hi!

2012-02-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

If it weren't already obvious, the Canon has been returned good as new and we're back taking pictures of this handsome man!

plate wall plans

2012-02-08T09:07:00.000-05:00

I've been inspired to do a plate wall in my home for a really long time. Like since my last home. All because of one beauty plate that I found two years ago at Salvation Army. It's red and orange and has that vintage french look and says Camembert (cheese) on it. I love it, even though I hate cheese, especially Camembert.

The problem with these aspirations is you can't just bite the bullet and get it done. You have to be patient and slowly add to your collection until you have enough to hang. And after two years of planning, I bought my second plate for the wall last night during an epic Value Village run. More on that later. And yes, I said second. These things take time, people!

Here's some pics from my Pinterest board to show you what I have in mind (all sources are available through my Pinterest account)

whatever it takes

2012-02-08T08:44:00.000-05:00

Three days ago I got a cold that I can't shake.

Two days ago Lily and Brad joined me.

Today, Oli has it too.

I'm tired and feeling pretty terrible but Lily is too and she wants to be held every.minute. Few things occupy her, other than mama. But I need time too. Time to eat breakfast and relax after a rough night with Oliboy. So I'm caving today. I'm declaring today "whatever it takes" day.

Lily is in her room, completely content emptying every drawer in her closet organizer. She loves to do this and whenever I forget to close her closet doors, she does. I'm kind of a neat freak about drawers. Everything has a place and everything is folded. So Lily's little activity drives me nuts. But today it's worth it.

Enjoy Lilygirl. I know I am :)

scratching the travel itch

2012-02-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

OK. it's decided. Brad and I are going somewhere.

We have loads of travel points that expire this year. Enough for one round trip to Europe (or a similar destination length) and one one-way ticket to Europe. Note to readers: credit cards are not your enemy! If you use them responsibly (always paying off your bill in full each month), then the points you rack up can really take you places. Pun intended. So to go Europe, we'd only have to pay for one of us, one way.

Say it costs $1,000 per person, to fly round trip, across the ocean. For a family of four it should cost $4,000 for flights alone. Yelp. But in our case, with two lap babies, and all of our points, it will cost our family of four $500 to fly across the ocean. Common. How could we not? And right during tax return season? You know when you feel rich because the government gives you some of YOUR OWN MONEY back? It seems all the more possible.

We don't know where we're going for sure, but we're thinking France. We love the country and speak the language. Plus the food is... well there are no words. And this time I can drink the wine too! (I was there in 2010 when I was pregnant with Lily).

To some this move will seem insane. Flying for 6 hours with two babies anywhere isn't most people's idea of fun. To a foreign country might make things worse. But we are eager beavers. Not so much because we think it will be easy, but because we know it will be worth while. Why?

The timing is perfect: We plan to enlarge our family soon. Probably within the year we'll begin the adoption process. So traveling internationally won't be in our future for a very long time. Two kids and two adults is the perfect ratio for such an extreme move. We'll just pair off, each taking a kiddo, and be fine. Plus the kids are both free fliers until they're two. Meaning, we only have until this August to fly internationally (or anywhere, really) as a family, before the cost is a legitimate disqualifier.And on top of it all, Brad has three weeks of paternity leave to still use up.

The cost is perfect: we could never just up and fly to France (or anywhere for that matter!) if we were paying full price, out of pocket. Most of our travel is covered by work (like conferences in Vancouver, where we were this past December, or missions trips) or is not full price (in 2008 Brad's Nonna paid 1/2 of the cost to fly us to Italy, so again, we got to travel to Italy and Greece, but the whole trip cost us less than $1,000). This trip falls into the latter category. It's 100% pleasure (no business!), but at 25% of the cost.

We have no reason not to: I'm not pregnant (though I went to North Africa, Spain, and France with work when I was!), we're no longer saving up for a house or in debt, and nothing is keeping us in the province/country (we haven't started the adoption process yet). We're free birds if we want to be.

So off we go. Not sure where. Not sure when. But soon. And somewhere.

resolutions, 1 month into 2012

2012-02-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

Remember all those resolutions I made back in early January?
Ha. Me neither. Kind of.

Here's the one's I'm not doing so hot in:

take the kids (or 1 kid at a time) on outings every other day
spend 1 hour a day MAX consuming media (including all internet sites, television) with movies as an exception (because what movie is an hour long?)
make our bed every morning (so I don't use the kid's nap time to crawl back into it!)
listen to 10 audio books with my husband in 2012 (to be fair, 10 books/year is less than 1/month so 1 month in we haven't listened to one, but we're not technically "behind")

My excuses? It's too cold and hard. And there's some great blogs out there that I love reading... and new shows on TV (Parenthood, Up All Night, Grey's Anatomy, and one starting tonight that I can't wait for... Smash!) that I love watching.

The bad news? All of those shows equal about 3.5 hours/week or 30 minutes per day, leaving me 30 minutes to read blogs, which is totally do-able. So DO IT, Emily...

Here's the one's I'm actually doing more than 75% of the time:

read a book a month (I read 2 in January: Loving the Little Years, Adopted for Life,)
pray for Brad and the kids every day
wear sweats and yoga pants 2X a week MAX (unless I'm working out)
put in my contacts every day (my glasses aren't bad it's just a sign of frumpiness for me)
live more simply (give away unused clothing or toys to those in need, be smarter with what I buy and how I spend my time)

Here's the one's I'm doing about 50% of the time:

read the Bible every day
always have red paint on my toes ('cause it makes me feel like a WOMAN, not just a live-in nanny)
eat breakfast, not just coffee

my excuses? laziness and business.
the bad news? those both suck.

comfort food.

2012-02-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

I love potatoes. I'd say we go through a bag of them every week. I love potato wedges, shaving potatoes (Jamie Oliver inspired this one, use the cheese grater and never look back!), soups with potatoes (whole or mashed), hash browns on the side of eggs and bacon, slivered potatoes in a casserole or bake. They're all so good. And cheap. And filling. And surprisingly packed with Vitamin C. Crazy eh?

Anyway, yesterday morning Lily and I woke up with runny noses and sore throats and today it's much the same. I definitely crave comfort food when I'm sick but since Brad does groceries on Mondays after work, our kitchen is pretty barren. Until around 8pm at least, but I needed comfort food now. Mashed potatoes were a given but I wanted some kind of soup too... Here's a couple of recipes I came up with:

Super Hearty Soup

Saute 1 leek & 1/2 a white onion with a few glugs of olive oil, salt, garlic (the more the better!), hot pepper flakes, and Herbs de Provence
add 1.5 C lentils (I did a combo of Green and Eston lentils) and 1/2 C barley
after a couple of minutes of stirring that mixture, add a few glugs of wine. just enough to cover the mixture
let the wine cook off a bit and add 3 C of chicken broth and 2 cups of water
let boil, then bring down to low
cover almost all the way, allowing for a little crack to let steam out
cook until the lentils and barley are cooked - around 25 minutes
alter with liquids and salt for flavour and texture
blend half of the soup (optional)

Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

roast a head of garlic - cut off the very top of the head of garlic, place in a ramekin, pour olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt over the cloves, and bake at 450 for a while. Keep your eye on it. When it's done your kitchen will smell like garlic and the cloves will be soft and slip out of their skins.
boil 8 red potatoes, skin on
add roasted garlic to drained potatoes, add 35% cream, olive oil, and salt to your liking
mash with an old school hand masher - it's the only way you can get the exact texture you want!

Perfect for a sickie day :)

travel and change...yes please

2012-02-06T11:14:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I think working with Campus for Christ is the best job on Earth. Several reasons give me that impression, but one that has come to mind recently is the abundance of travel afforded to any staff worker.

Our annual staff conference that is mandatory and awesome is held in Whistler, BC. If you can believe it, 300 people staying in hotels in Whistler in the off season was cheaper for our organization than to rent out UBC dorms in Vancouver! Hello.

Most summers a staff worker either finds themselves running a missions trip to Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, the UK, or elsewhere in Canada. You may recall Brad and I met on one of said trips to Africa back in 2007. And went back a couple of times, once while I was pregnant with Lily.

If you're not on a missions trip, you might be getting theological training in Colorado or Florida. Not bad destinations either. Or in our unique case, Louisville, Kentucky. Which we grew to love <3

The point is, come Spring, almost every colleague we have is craving change and travel. Because it's part of the gig! And we're lucky. We get to alleviate that craving most of the time. This year, we're headed back to Kentucky so Brad can keep plugging away on his MDiv but I find myself dreaming of more significant travel and change than that...

The kids can fly free anywhere in the world until they're 2. That unfortunate milestone will come for Lily at the end of the summer so we're running out of time. Heading to Vancouver in December was actually lovely (with great advice to send us off) despite taking both babies on a 6 hour plane ride and a 3 hour time change. It makes me want to do it again, or go anywhere again, before the dreaded 2nd birthday of our oldest. Before we expand our family and our kids graduate out of the glorious world of being "lap babies".

In addition to the kids flying free and the parents craving travel and change, Brad has 3 weeks of ~~holidays~~ paternity leave that he needs to use up this Spring. Oh mama. I want to goooooooooooo! anywhere! together! all 4 of us! am I crazy?

ps - trying to get motivated to travel with kids? check out this adorable post on one of my fav blogs!

eating better {mostly obvious}

2012-02-02T14:01:00.003-05:00

OK. So it's been a few months since I had Olivier and I'm finding that it's a lot more difficult this time to loose the baby weight. At this point after Lily I was really happy with my "post-baby" body. It wasn't my "pre-baby" body, but it was good enough. My ab workout routine got me basically back to where I was in the tummy region only 3 weeks after I began it. I still weighed a little more than before Lily, but I think a lot of that was just me growing and aging. Acceptable. The bottom line was I was healthy and happy. Not so this time.

It has been SO much harder to loose the nagging 10lbs after giving birth to Olivier. And it's obvious why. When I had only Lily to worry about, I was a lot more mobile. If I wanted to go out and do something, I'd strap her into the baby carrier or stroller and GO. With two it's so much harder. We live on the 2nd floor on a busy street. To get both babies and a stroller down just to go for a walk is not only border-line impossible, but hardly worth it. If Brad's home, sure I'll get his help and take the kids out. Or better yet, leave one or both with him and be off. But the point is, I leave the house so infrequently that the exercise one gets just from the hustle-and-bustle of the day-to-day is lacking. Not only am I not working out "hardcore" at a gym or something...I'm not getting any amount of day-to-day exercise. Unless you count rolling on the carpet with Lily in a tickle fight. 'Cause I'm praying that burns more calories than a spinning class. Any facts on that?

I know I need to exercise more but it's just really hard to right now. So aside from the abs routine (that worked last time around... still waiting this time!), I got nothin'.
But there's still eating healthy, right? HA. Also failing big time there. I saw a list of tips recently for women to loose weight in a healthy manner. I'm basically breaking all the rules.

don't have more than 1 cup of coffee/day

{I have one but it's BIG. And sometimes I have two.}

eat within 5-10 minutes of waking. it jump starts the metabolism.

{I roll out of bed, feed Oli, change him, wake Lily, change and feed her, drink coffee, and then MAYBE sit down to breakfast around 9am. On a good day. I often don't eat until 10:30am or 11}

eat a big breakfast, a medium lunch, and a small-ish dinner

{total opposite. I often skip breakfast or have a small one. Same with lunch. Then I feast for dinner and often have some kind of homemade delicious fatty dessert too}

don't drink your calories, eat them (the same amount of calories found in a glass of juice and an orange don't make you feel the same amount of full)

{this is the one rule I've actually always followed. I drink a lot of water and no juice. Yay me.}

stop baking and having sweet fatty carbs in the house.

{I don't even want to talk about it.}

So in addition to plugging away on the abs routine, I'm resolving to start running again this Spring and adhere to as many of these rules as regularly as possible.
And are you ready for this? For the month of February, I will not bake.
Are there tears welling up in my eyes? Um no, why would you think that? Sniff sniff. No desserts, which often become breakfasts as well.

also...

Only one decent sized cup of joe per day.
Lots of water.
Eating breakfast.
Early.
Not eating dinner after 8pm and with a huge sweet fest following.

We'll see how I do...

how many kids in Canada are waiting to be adopted?

2012-02-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

The Help

2012-02-01T09:38:00.001-05:00

was.so.good.

I know, most of you saw it in Theaters, or already read the book, or have rented it a dozen times by now.... but we're really really behind the whole pop culture top ten lists of movies and music so it generally takes us a while. Like how I don't know a song is popular until I hear it remade on Glee - sometimes a year later (hello, Lady GaGa). And now that I no longer watch Glee, well I don't know anything. Some would say I'm better off for it (I'm still debating).

Movies about racism always get me and Brad. Most of our favourite movies that make us angry and sad and happy and proud (of man overcoming prejudices, of people being bigger than their times, etc) are about racism. Remember the Titans, ah. So the Help obviously tied into that category. But it did something to my adoption-dreaming heart too.

Almost as much as the racism, the neglecting white mothers enraged me. The mom who didn't love her daughter because she didn't find her pretty and thought she was too chubby made me livid. I hated her. She had all the time in the world (read: not needing to work to provide for her family, not having other kids to rear or a sick husband to care for) and yet she neglected her little girl trading in Mothering for Bridge with the girls. Sick. When the baby girl said to her maid "Aveline, you're my real Mommy" I lost it. In what kind of world do people treat other human beings so terribly? Hired help, other races, their own babies. And these were Christians. It just breaks my heart and boils my blood.

And once again we prayed before bed that God would bring us to the right kid(s) who need a Real Mommy and Daddy, someday.

ps - watch this if you feel at all similar. it's beautiful and true.

kids music I don't loathe

2012-01-31T12:51:00.000-05:00

hard to find, right moms?

usually I cringe when the CBC childrens programs are singing aloud in my living room.

the lyrics are usually so senseless and the kid's singing drive any sane person completely bonkers!

our friends recently introduced us to the solution: Seeds Family Worship.

the lyrics are actually significant and important to us because they're straight from the Bible. it's actually just straight up Bible verses to music. and the main singers are adults. big bonus ha!

if you're looking for music your kids will love (and dance to - so cute) and that you won't loathe, check them out. you can listen free online, but if you like it, do buy it - it's available on iTunes :)

painting the kitchen cabinets (more ideas)

2012-01-30T18:31:00.000-05:00

You can't blame me for wanting to paint all of my kitchen cabinets a fresh white. My kitchen doesn't have any direct sunlight and I find white to be so bright and airy. Bonus: your fun secondhand collectibles and food can be the colour pops (pitchers, plated, mugs, fresh fruit, lentils in glass jars, etc). But you all know my husband's stance on the issue. Not to make things any easier on me, my dear friend Laura posted the finished product of her recent kitchen white out and the results are stunning. Ow. My white loving heart.

In keeping with Brad's desire to have "anything BUT an all white kitchen" (I know, how can we be so opposite on the stuff that really matters, right? Kidding), I've done some more hunting.

Thanks to Pinterest, the naptime black hole.

What if I did a greeny-taupey coplour on the bottoms and then just painted the uppers white? And definitely I'd have to get some corbels for under the upper cabinets to make them look custom. And I need a fun fabric to make the curtain that will cover my dishwasher hole (that currently stores all of our Costco goods). Basically EVERYTHING I found on Pinterest took me back to one beautiful kitchen, by the design genius behind Urban Grace Interiors.

this kitchen takes the same colour but ads white uppers and also has the same countertops as we do, so I can really picture it:

canisters full of baking ingredients, open cabinets with corbels, rich warm green lowers, fresh white uppers, silver shiny hardware... I'm really starting to picture this!

a really bad idea

2012-01-30T13:42:00.000-05:00

hey guys.

if you haven't checked my blog yet today... GOOD.

'cause this morning I wrote a silly post without giving much thought and it hurt some people, quite legitimately.

i've taken it down now, so happily no one will read it again, but instead of pretending that it never happened or that no one was ever hurt by me, I want to clear the air.

i can be really insensitive. i speak (or in this case type) before I think a lot, and i'm working on it. or I should say, God is working on it. because we can't just laugh off sin, especially when people are hurt by it, and my carelessness did that today.

thanks for your grace as I grow and continue blogging my way through this life.

xoxo

open doors to Quebec

2012-01-27T11:12:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that Brad and I would some day love to add to our family through adoption. There are lots of questions as to what that will look like, of course, and I'm addressing them as they come mainly on my other blog. One that I wanted to bring up here is International Adoption and Quebec, because this blog is about our life here in Montreal.

I was surprised to discover that there are actually very few countries that a Quebecer (or Quebecois if you're French Canadian) can adopt from. There may be additional countries where it's possible through a private agency but they're rare enough that I found no information on them. What I did find was a very short list:

Countries currently open to adoption to Quebec:

China
Colombia
Haiti (temporarily closed)
Philippines
Mali
Taiwan
Vietnam
Armenia
South Korea
Honduras
Niger
Dominican Republic
Ukraine

The sad thing is many of the countries in the world who have the largest amount of orphans due to HIV/AIDS aren't listed here. There is still a possibility of adoption through private adoptions, but they are very difficult and rare. Of course if there was a country someone wanted to adopt from, I'm sure they'd find all the information in existence, and this was just from a few searches, so I might be missing something.

Interesting Facts:

In China, Mali, Dominican, and Taiwan you can't adopt until you're 30
In Taiwan you can't adopt if you're over 40 (Taiwan only gives a 10 year window!)
In Mali and Niger you can't adopt unless you have a certificate of infertility from a doctor
Taiwan won't let you adopt unless you either have no children already, or have Taiwanese or Chinese children in your home already.
Russia is the most expensive ranging from $36,000-$48,000
Niger is the least expensive costing $18,000, followed closely by China ($19,000-22,000) and Mali ($24,000)
Most countries will not allow a single person to adopt. Where exceptions are made, it's to single females only (to protect against human trafficking) with the one exception of Vietnam which didn't specify.

At this time I think domestic/local adoption is the path we'll eventually take, but having this information is beneficial in case we change our minds, or if any of you are interested in international adoption :)

great read on Adopting When You Have Kids Already...

2012-01-25T13:05:00.000-05:00

Why Adopt?

Especially if you have ~~your own~~ kids already?

Such a common question adoptive parents face and one I've already been asked as we even just start talking about our desire to one day adopt.

This article articulates many of my "reasons" and I love it so much I decided to just quote it instead of writing my own variation. Would love your comments!

We are committed to life. For our entire marriage we have supported many pro life causes. But we always felt that if we were going to encourage unwed girls to give birth to their babies, then Christians should be in line to be ready to adopt those who would be given up. It was our way of “putting our money where our mouth was.”

We are committed to the helpless and disadvantaged. James (1:27) makes it clear that one of the evidences of our faith is how we respond to the “affliction” of widows and orphans. Taking care of these two groups is time consuming, messy, and sacrificial. But it is a central part of the Christian life. We wanted to make sure that our family was heavily invested in this important admonition.

We are committed to biblical manhood. Men are called to lead, provide, and protect (Gen. 1-2, Eph. 5, I Kings 2:1-9, 1 Pet. 3, Col. 3). This is a fundamental teaching of the Bible and it does not merely pertain to the four walls of one’s home. Men should be looking for those who need protection and provision. There are fatherless children all over the world. Every year I meet women who are burdened for adoption but their husbands won’t budge. It’s usually something about retirement, college costs, or they are finally able to afford that boat they always wanted. In our home, the men lead and sacrificially give of themselves for the good of others.

We are committed to Gospel-centeredness. The doctrine of adoption is at the heart of the Gospel. We are born outside of Christ, but it is through Christ that we receive “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8:15) Physical adoption is a daily living picture of this spiritual reality. It is a constant reminder to our family and others of the grace and mercy of God and His love for the lost and care for the fatherless.

We are committed to the nations. Not everyone is called to international adoption but the result is a reminder of God’s love for every “nation and tribe and language and people.” (Rev. 14:6). Every week the Lord adds people to his church and tells you and I to love them. They may not look like us, smell like us, have the same socio-economic background as us, or talk like us. But that’s the beauty of the Gospel. Twice we have brought into our home children from another country and told our other kids, “they don’t talk like you or look like you, but here’s another one, love them.” It has been one of the biggest blessings in the whole process for us and has dramatically shaped our view of the whole world.

Article found on Tim Challies Blog

because he's sleeping...

2012-01-24T22:26:00.001-05:00

Life is good now that Oli is sleeping through the night. Normal and good. I am doing things I did before he was born that I abruptly stopped at his birth and didn't pick up until that first fateful morning when I felt well rested.

Things like planning dates for Brad and I. We have a Groupon for O Noir, a restaurant in Montreal that serves delicious food in pitch black and all the wait staff are blind. Apparently the tastes and experience is hugely enhanced by taking away sight, and a portion of sales support the blind community. Can't wait.

Things like cooking real and good dinners. Brad and I have ventured into one of my new Jamie Oliver cookbooks and are loving it. It's called Meals in Minutes, and though the meals take longer than the promised 30 minutes to prepare, they are delicious. We pick a few dinners each week, Brad does the grocery shopping for the required ingredients and watches the kids while I cook, and we both enjoy unique tastes and high quality cuisine again. I love the challenge and sense of gourmet when cooking with duck, celeriac, fresh basil, or wet mozzarella, even though an ingredient is an ingredient and it's not so intimidating when you tackle it as a team.

Things like picking movies we want to see and actually watching them. We recently saw Midnight in Paris, which was okay. Definitely made us long for France, but the plot was a little incomplete with a confusing and sudden end. But just watching it! A movie! Uninterrupted! At night! Ah the simple things. Next up on my "to watch" list: Monsieur Lazhar (a Quebecois Oscar-nominated film about an extraordinary teacher) and Somm (a documentary about 5 wine snobs studying to take their Sommelier exam).

Like taking both kids, by myself, on outings around the city. Yep. I did that. And carried Lily and Oli (in a carseat) up the stairs to our 2nd floor condo. Holla!

It's so good to be back! So good to slowly creep out of the land of coffee, sweat pants, and exhaustion that I called home for the last 3 months. Thank you sweet Oli. Sweet dreams.

thinking of Kentucky...

2012-01-21T12:13:00.000-05:00

We spent almost two months in Louisville, Kentucky last summer while Brad studied for his MDiv at Southern Seminary. It was fine and we met some wonderful people, but it wasn't easy. I was pregnant, Brad was very busy, and our car didn't have air conditioning, so Lily and I were somewhat housebound with daily temperatures reaching well over 32 degrees C (90 degrees F). But we had so many good times there as a family, and I'm excited to go back this year. Especially since our car has AC and I won't be pregnant :)

Lately I've been reading Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, a professor at Brad's school in Kentucky and Brad just went down there after New Years for a 2-week course, so it's on our minds all the more. Not to mention he brought back some Kentucky bourbon from his trip :)

So in the Spirit of our summer home away from home, you MUST make this insanely delicious dessert:

Bourbon Banana Pudding

{inspired by this recipe}

3 large eggyolks
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 1/2 tbscornstarch
1/4 ts salt
3 cups wholemilk
4 tbsbourbon
1 tbs purevanilla extract

To make:

Lightly beat yolks in a medium bowl.

Whisk together 3/4 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in asmall heavy saucepan.

Slowly whisk in milk, then boil over medium heat,whisking constantly, until pudding is thick, about 3 minutes.

Gradually add hotpudding to yolks, whisking constantly, then whisk in bourbon and vanilla.

Cover surface with wax paper and chill until cold, about 2 hours.

For assembly:

pour puddinginto a stem-less wine glass or other bar wear

slice ½ abanana over every glass

top withwhipped cream spiked with 1ts of bourbon

Y'all, it's Gooooooooooooooooooooooood!

like old times...

2012-01-21T11:53:00.000-05:00

Last night I stayed up really late... BECAUSE I WANTED TO.

We didn't crawl into bed until 1am, after starting dinner and a movie way later than normal... BECAUSE WE FELT LIKE IT.

Not because one of both kids were keeping us awake, but because we hadn't seen Midnight in Paris yet and I was making beer battered shrimp and potato wedges and banana bourbon pudding (minus the sponge cake and pecans, with spiked whipped cream). Because we were having a date night in.

Even though we decided the movie was lacking a strong finish, the pudding certainly wasn't. And frankly, we could have been watching and eating pretty much anything and I'd still have felt victorious. When babies start sleeping through the night, parents get a big part of their lives back. Plain and Simple.

The feeling of being in control of basic things like what hour I go to bed, are sadly thrilling, but I think any parent of newborns can agree! We felt like we were dating again, snuggling and watching a movie after midnight. So wild, I know.

out of the infant trenches

2012-01-20T14:24:00.002-05:00

I'm just going to say it.

I don't love the infant stage.

I love my babies. I love being a mom. But the first three months are SO TRYING.

Most people don't do well on three hours of sleep a night. Most people aren't fans of waking up three times a night to care for someone who won't thank you, only cry some more or eventually pass out. I don't think moms are any different, but there's a guilt that comes alongside feeling or saying "I'm not loving this stage". Well, no more.

This week Olivier turns 12 weeks old, and you can JUST TELL. Just like at the 13th week of pregnancy (oftentimes) nausea disappears as if on cue, I have noticed with my two kids that at three months, they become really fun. Really enjoyable, even. Oli took a bit longer than Lily, but he's now sleeping from 10:30pm to 7:30am. JOY!
He's also more alert, he's always smiling, watching, and cooing (oh that boy loves the sound of his own voice. not unlike the rest of our household!) He has just come alive and we adore him.

my only recent pic of Oli, taken from a friend's iPhone

At his vaccinations yesterday, he was smiling so much that they had trouble administering the oral vaccine! What a character. And I'm sure that spirit was always in him, but before 3 months it's really hard to see. In those weeks where babies don't smile or coo, it's so hard to connect. To feel like I know them and that they might just love me back. Or at least recognize me. You know, the one who is at their beckoned call 24 hours a day.

I refer to the first 3 months (or 12 weeks) as the real trenches. All work and no play. Exhaustion with little reward. Pure obedience and loving by faith. If that wasn't your experience, oh bless your baby! I'm so happy for you. And if your current baby is well over 3 months and you're still "in the trenches", keep going sister. There is light at the end of the long tunnel.

In our case, Oli seems to be through which means we're out of the infant trenches. Quite possibly forever. Wow. All I feel is pure relief. Now, the fun part!

ps - it's no coincidence that when Lily turned 3 months old (and started sleeping through the night) we found ourselves ready to talk about trying for baby #2. In similar fashion, we find ourselves ready to take another step. Not trying to get pregnant, but in the very very early stages of researching our options to ADOPT.

Keep us in your prayers?

the Word for chez nous

2012-01-18T21:23:00.001-05:00

A few days ago I opened my Bible after a couple of days going without reading it.

It's hard to describe how it feels when this happens... I'll try, maybe you can relate or share your own experiences if you've been there.

Like coming home after a long trip.

Like receiving a hug from an old friend who hasn't changed a bit.

Like the relief when you find out "it's all going to be all right"

Like coming in from the cold Montreal winter to a roaring fire, slippers, and coffee.

Something like that.

Brad promptly promised me that he will do whatever it takes to insure I get at least 30 minutes of day in the Word. If it means him taking care of both kids at a time. If it means him waking up early to get his day started ahead of time because he knows I love my sleep. Whatever, he'll do it. I love how much my man cares for my Soul. It also got me thinking of the deep value of scripture. Whenever I hear it, whenever I read it, my heart sings.

So when I think about decorating our new house (where most walls are still blank), I know, I want God's Word to be part of that. Enter my girl Jessi (who I've never met, but have talked to several times and believe me, this woman is PURE.GOLD.) She has a shop called Naptime Diaries on Etsy and I just bought two prints for our house. One will go on a shelf (that we haven't bought yet) in the dining room and the other will be on my side of our bedroom. I'll let you guess which is which :) Check out her shop, she's having a 30% sale RIGHT NOW.

Update on Lily & Oli

2012-01-17T09:09:00.001-05:00

Thanks again everyone. I am so touched by how many encouraging and concerned texts, e-mails, and messages we've received. Feeling truly cared for.

Enjoy the pics of the kids - for the most part they have little to do with the text, but fitting with the title of "an update" :)

Brad took Lily to the walk-in clinic yesterday and after an hour and a half wait, saw a doctor. Thankfully Lily was excited to leave the house and enjoyed the walk in her stroller to the clinic, so she was in good spirits - unlike the.whole.day.

The doctor confirmed my suspicions that she indeed has an ear infection. Hence the high fever the other day, and possibly even the pink eye. And definitely explains her intense irritability. She's now on antibiotics for 10 days that should clear up everything. In her other ear, though, she has a severe blockage of wax that may actually be affecting her hearing (and could explain why she's still not talking - something we weren't even worried about). Her doctor suggested a bit of an unorthodox approach (at least to us, though we're glad she wasn't too quick to prescribe another medication) - drop oil (of any kind, olive oil even!) into the blocked ear once a day for a week or so. That should soften the wax. We'll see what her family doctor finds when she goes in to see him in a few weeks for her vaccines.

SO thank goodness that all seems to be resolved. Something I can't believe I haven't blogged about yet is my little man sleeping through the night! Kind of. When I realized that he was approaching his 11th week, I decided enough was enough. From all of my readings, there's no reason that by his age he should be sleeping no more than 4 hours at a time. Yet he would always wake at 2:30am and sometimes at 5am too. So I decided to experiment... what if I wasn't giving him a chance to settle himself back to sleep? What if I was only continuing the problem by going to him at the first sound he made. Easy to do when he's in YOUR ROOM. I didn't want to wake Brad, I could hear him so clearly, I couldn't sleep through his whimpers, etc.

The experiment was that we'd put Oli in the bathroom that's off the kitchen. In between Lily's room and ours. A bit further from us, but still in hearing range if he was really belting it out. We'd close the doors, flip on the fans in both the bathroom and our bedroom. In this scenario we wouldn't hear whimpers, but we would hear real, prolonged cries. And we would also hear the same (and do hear the same) from Lily. So if one of them really needed us, we'd hear, but if not, we'd sleep, and Oli would learn to settle himself back to sleep.

AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.

For 4 or 5 nights now, Oli has gone to bed at 11pm or 11:30pm and slept until 6am, 6:30am, or even glorious 7am. I've heard him at times, like last night at 2:30am because I was tossing and turning, but in all cases, after a short bout of crying/whimpering, he's gone back to sleep.

Makes me wonder how long this could have been happening if he wasn't sleeping so close to us. We thought we didn't have any other options, since we know he'd wake Lily with even faint cries and aren't willing to have BOTH kids awake for no reason. But the bathroom with fan never occurred to us. Why else do we have two bathrooms if not to make one an impromptu nursery?

So both kids are doing well. Lily is on the mend and Oli is thriving. Thank you Jesus.

one sick baby girl

2012-01-16T15:39:00.001-05:00

thanks to all of you who were praying for Lily and thinking of us yesterday. to catch those who don't know up to speed, she had a fever of 39.8 (taken under her arm) for a good part of the day. recently Lily has had pink eye and is getting 4 teeth right now, so we assume the fever was linked to those. luckily the fever went down before we had to go to the hospital (which we were instructed to do if it reached 40).

today, though, brought a whole new slew of problems. Lily is thankfully not feverish, but has been crying/whimpering all.day.long. and when I say that, I'm not exaggerating. from the moment she woke she has been extremely irritable, refusing most food and even her favourite toys. oh yeah, and naps. *sad face*

because of the issues yesterday and her symptoms today, we decided to go ahead and take her to the clinic near by. Brad's with Lily now, though I imagine it will be a while until she's seen. walk-in clinics aren't so quick, especially when you don't go first thing. and while she has a family doctor, he has a lot of patients, and wouldn't be able to see her until later in the week, and we need answers now. so the wait doesn't seem as significant after all.

my guess is she's got an ear ache, but we'll know this evening what the doctor says. thanks for praying with us for our baby girl.

things to pray for:

Lily's comfort level
That she would eat some food
That she would sleep well
That the doctor's would have a clear idea of the problem
That medications (if prescribed) would work quickly
That the wait wouldn't be much longer at the clinic

things to be thankful for:

Brad was able to take some time out from work and rearrange things so he could take her today, allowing me to be home with Oli.
In a few hours we'll know what's wrong (most likely) and get to work on treating it.
We have tons of friends (and some family) who live locally to help us if ever need be
Oli has been a dream the last few days during Lily's sickness(s), and continues to eat, nap, and sleep at night well (7 hours now! but that's another post)
Lily doesn't have a serious illness or ailment, it could be far worse
God loves Lily and us and will take care of us in his perfect way.

I want to get in the habit of being thankful even in times like this, when it's easy to push out some prayer requests and feel worried or badly for our girl and our family. There's always plenty of reasons to be. And if nothing else, we are loved and accepted by God. Just something I'm working on.

Thanks for praying!

fangirl

2012-01-15T21:41:00.002-05:00

thanks to my friend Maria for this sweet picture she snapped while babysitting Lily the other day :)

blogging again!

2012-01-14T23:09:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not pregnant, and we aren't adopting a child (yet), but I am writing again over at The Baby Bump Blog. Check it out :)

fun fact:

2012-01-12T22:21:00.000-05:00

there's a cafe in our old neighbourhood called Lili & Oli

No, they weren't named after the cafe - though we have been so many times!

The name Lily has special significance to me, and had she have been a boy we'd decided already on the name Olivier, but true Montrealers always catch the coincidence :)

white stripes

2012-01-10T20:09:00.001-05:00

{actually the wall was white, the stripes were grey, but that's less catchy}

I'm SO thrilled with how they turned out!!!

Here's a quick tutorial:

Measure the height of your wall and divide that number by the amount of stripes you want. I wanted big, bold stripes, and figured that would also mean less taping and precision, but smaller ones could look great too. I'm thinking smaller stripes though, would look best vertical.

Using a long, straight edge (I used a metal metre stick) and a level, draw lines in pencil. You'll need two people for this job. And a lot of patience. Then put painter's tape on your lines. And have a glass of wine, 'cause it's a long and arduous job!

Then paint! Apply one coat, wait 2 hours, and apply your second. Remove the tape 30 minutes after you apply your second coat.

Voila!

{Lily loves them, see?}

Here's a couple panoramic pics of the two walls we did. I promise you the lines are straight, but because of the panoramic app, then look a little disjointed. The one wall that still is taped will be a chalk board wall :)

the toy chest reveal!

2012-01-10T19:57:00.001-05:00

a few weeks ago I was going to the pharmacy to get some things and came home with this:

3 coats of white paint, made-for-metal black matte spray paint...

and we have this:

and yes, the stripes are done! another post on them is coming :)

link love

2012-01-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

just in case you don't read all the same blogs as me, check out these amazing links from the past little while:

less than 5 minute mug coffee cake. made it tonight with whole wheat flour and low fat sour cream and tricked myself into thinking I was being healthy. yum.
tutorial to make wings. totally trying this when Lilygirl is old enough to appreciate it!
amazing audio from a 6-part parenting class at The Village Church. Listened to one while I was painting furniture for Lily's room last night and was really blessed.
tutorial for how to do a fish tail braid. I've seriously wanted to learn how to do this for ages! Thank you, youtube.
probably the most clever 25 house hold tips I've ever heard!
Quel Ami Fidèle et Tendre aka "What a Friend We Have In Jesus" (en francais!)

discipline and delight

2012-01-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

there's a place for discipline.

just ask my 16 month old, who has been disciplined many times when she gets too close to the gas fireplace. just ask her little burnt fingers how much they wish she'd obeyed.

but it falls short when we need serious motivation.

why?

because from discipline, if used alone, motivation becomes about performance, and when we fall short, it becomes about guilt.

probably a good time to ask you guys, one week in, how your New Year's Resolutions are going? ha! guilt.

listening to a Matt Chandler sermon right now on prayer and my first thought was "oh man, I'm so weak in this area.... I don't pray as much as I should.... I need to do this more... my poor kids and husband - I don't pray for them enough.... I don't model a life of prayer to my community enough...." and on and on it goes. prayer is a discipline (we have to work at it, it doesn't come naturally), but if it's just that, it's just another area where we're performing or failing or both. if we're motivated by fear of God's discipline we might obey, but it's for the wrong reasons.

enter: delight.

what if we delighted to pray? what if we remembered that when we pray, we feel God's presence. His peace. His guidance. His beauty. that delight, when recalled, is a much greater motivator for me. but more importantly, what if we remembered that God delights in us? that even when we've failed 1,000 times, we should keep going (read: be motivated) because he delights in us communicating with him (in this case prayer). he delights in us.

here's a word picture for you that helped me:

his little girl leaps into his arms when he comes home from work.

there's never been a day in her life where she's obeyed all the rules and expectations of their household.

she's always fallen short.

yet.... when he comes home she runs down the stairs and leaps into his arms.

she still wants to jump into his arms, despite knowing she falls short of his standards, because she can feel and she knows that he delights in her.

do I really believe that God delights in me?

do I really believe that joy won't come in obeying if it's not fueled by joy in God and his reciprocal joy in us?

discipline seems harder but it's really easier. do this. don't do that. check check check.

delight seems easier but it's really harder. trust him. find joy in him. believe he loves you even at your darkest point.

what motivates you right now?

discipline? or delight.

new Hoop-la !

2012-01-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

I find one of the easiest ways to add colour and fun to a kid's room is fabric hoops. So fun. So cheap. So fast. I had a similar thing in Lily's bedroom at our old apartment, but changed up most of the fabrics and added a couple hoops to work better with our gender neutral nursery.

Have got so much done on the kid's room this week thanks to Morgan being here! Here's the latest, to be hung today:

play kitchens

2012-01-06T19:16:00.002-05:00

With Brad in the States (land of cheaper children's toys and gear and free shipping!), I thought I'd check out play kitchens and see if there was one we could manage to get for the kiddies. There are such beautiful ones out there! As you probably have guessed, I'm in search of a wooden one that can fit happily in our living room or kitchen without clashing with all of our things. So bright plastic is out. City living means there aren't play rooms or basements or second living rooms for such things, so I really want one that blends in. Think neutral. Think wooden.

Think...

Janod, 74£ (and unavailable in North America)

Ikea, $150

Educo, $80

Educo, $108

I'm leaning towards the last one, especially seeing a "real life" picture of kids enjoying it:

It would fit well in my kitchen, and seems the right size. Here's the kicker - guess who enjoys this kitchen, found on this blog? TRIPLET sisters! Yes, three girls, Lily's age. If it can withstand them, I think it can handle ours!

They're all beautiful but very pricey. The kids have $100 of Christmas money to be spent on toys or the like from their grandparents, and one of the Educo kitchens could be the ticket... We'll see what the Mr. has to say and if we could get shipping to him in Kentucky within the week (that's right because in 7 days he's HOME!)

1st pony tail

2012-01-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

and a kiss for Daddy :)

the toy chest

2012-01-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

I found a wooden trunk on the side of the road a few weeks ago. It was actually in great shape, especially all the hardware. Perfect for a toy box, but not as is!

It was painted with high gloss black paint and the hardware was golden. I wanted it to look like a set with the dresser I up-cycled for Lily's nursery last year, so I got to work painting it white and spray painting the hardware a matte black.

Now I wait. The 1st coat of paint is drying and I need to buy more tomorrow for the 2nd (and potential 3rd). Some of the screws seemed a bit stripped when I was taking off the hardware so putting them back in may be tricky. I'll know tomorrow.

Also up for tomorrow, we're hopefully going to finish the stripes and hang some art on the walls!

work begins on the kid's room!

2012-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

At long last, this week with Morgan's help I'm starting to decorate the kiddies room!

Brad hung a long floating Lack shelf from IKEA last week and Lily's unpainted big girl bed (for which she's not yet ready and we don't yet have a mattress) arrived so it got me motivated to finally get to work on the walls.

Then I measured out the lines for my stripes:

and we drew them using a metal metre stick, level, and pencil. then taped with painter's tape:

more progress tomorrow...

reinforcements

2012-01-03T19:24:00.000-05:00

Does your family have "not-family-but-feel-like-it" people? I hope you do.I hope your kids do. Living in Montreal, far from most of our family, Brad and i value people like Sam and Morgan so much.
Lucky to have them and so are our kids :)

With Brad away and Morgan here for the week, I'm so blessed.

recently...

2012-01-01T11:54:00.000-05:00

Lilygirl in all her glory (noticing a trend in her current interests?)

Me and Oliboy

The kids finally playing nice :)

and winter finally hits Montreal (-18 the other day!)

12 resolutions for a mom in 2012

2011-12-31T11:25:00.000-05:00

seems like I'm setting the bar REALLY low this year, but as a mom of two babies I think they're just right :)

make our bed every morning (so I don't use the kid's nap time to crawl back into it!)
put in my contacts every day (my glasses aren't bad it's just a sign of frumpiness for me)
wear sweats and yoga pants 2X a week MAX (unless I'm working out)
eat breakfast, not just coffee
read the Bible every day
pray for Brad and the kids every day
take the kids (of 1 kid at a time) on outings every other day
always have red paint on my toes ('cause it makes me feel like a WOMAN, not just a live-in nanny)
listen to 10 audio books with my husband in 2012
read a book a month (start with Loving the Little Years, Give Them Grace, Adopted for Life, The Meaning of Marriage, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, Prodigal God)
live more simply (give away unused clothing or toys to those in need, be smarter with what I buy and how I spend my time)
spend 1 hour a day MAX consuming media (including all internet sites, television) with movies as an exception (because what movie is an hour long?)

things are looking up!

2011-12-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

Brad is taking a course in Louisville, KY and will be gone until January 13th. That's a LONG time. I was the one who encouraged him to attend the course and I'm 100% supportive of him going, but it will be long and hard without him. 2 weeks with no car and 2 babies. 2 weeks in the dead of winter where my only mode of transportation is a stroller. 2 weeks alone and cooking for one.

Enter: Morgan. A dear friend who conveniently is visiting her fiance who lives in my city and conveniently needs a place to stay and conveniently is more like extended family than a house guest (she loves on my kids, appreciates good cooking, and is awesome company).

All the sudden I see the next 2 weeks as do-able. I'll be able to leave the house at will with her and the kids or even with just one kid or even....dare I say it... alone! I'll love cooking for her and I since she has a great pallet for food and I know she'll love my idea of cooking through my new Jamie Oliver cook book. She loves projects so we might even tackle painting Lily's big girl bed or the stripes in her room. She loves my kids so they'll be blessed by having an extra play mate and I'll be blessed with an extra pair of hands. Is this really happening!?

Plans for the week (get ready, M!):

Pick up a car seat adapter for my stroller that I'm buying from craigslist

Return some clothes to the Eaton's Centre

Finally try out La Tasse Gamine

Get a tension rod and put up the curtain to cover my dishwasher cave in the kitchen

Do groceries and cook great food

Up-cycle the trunk I salvaged a few weeks back for the kid's room

Paint the chalkboard wall in the kitchen

Maybe even paint Lily's bed and the stripes on the wall

Watch The Help

**if i even do half of these things I'll be THRILLED**

shopping in the US

2011-12-30T19:50:00.001-05:00

I really struggle with this next one...

I want to support the Canadian economy but it's extremely frustrating when identical products cost nearly double in Canada as they do in the USA. Our dollar is almost on par, and has recently been even higher than the US Dollar, yet products still cost less in the USA. And usually American companies boast free shipping anywhere in the USA too, which only ads to the inequity.

Kids and baby items are no exception and I've found over the last year or so I've found the best prices consistently being from American websites like amazon.com. Even companies that have a Canadian counterpart (like Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart, etc) are way cheaper to buy in the USA.

Here's an example with Uppababy Vista Strollers and accessories (a point of interest for our family since that's our stroller and we're in the market to buy the Rumble Seat to make ours a double for Oli and Lily to stroll together):

Stroller:

$749.99 CAD or $445 USD

Baby Ganoosh Footmuff

$79.99 CAD or $68 USD

Piggy back

$119.99 CAD or $80 USD

Graco Car Seat Adapter

$69.99 CAD or $39.99 USD

Rumble Seat

$149.99 CAD or $99 USD

You could get everything for $1,196.95 CAD or $731.99 USD. That's $464.96 less to buy in the US! Gross. If you're Canadian that is. Awesome, if you're American.

(this is comparing Canadian company Trendy Strollers which has the same prices as most Canadian stores and online companies to Amazon.com)

With Brad heading to Kentucky for a 2 week course in a few days,we plan to buy a few of these things and take advantage of the price and free shipping. We actually already bought the Rumble Seat before we thought of the idea to buy from amazon.com while he's in the US, but thankfully we hadn't used it outside so we returned it for a full refund.

So I'm curious, how do you reconcile wanting to support the Canadian economy and local businesses with the drastically better prices just a few minutes or hours south in the US of A? Where do you draw the line between Supporting your own economy as an individual (hey, money talks!) and your nation's economy as a citizen? I feel a bit guilty, but baby things can be SO expensive and I know in this case, we're buying American.

everywhere you look

2011-12-30T12:22:00.000-05:00

it's a great time in entertainment to be a parent.

some of my favourite shows tackle the trials of parenting and it's complexities (Parenthood) or even just the craziness, joys, and exhaustion of raising babies (Up All Night). I don't recall there being shows on TV in such a surplus before, but now they're everywhere!

When I was pregnant with Lily the documentary Babies came out, which I thought was a bit on the boring side, but theres another one coming out that looks incredibly entertaining and is once again, about parenting! This one follows Punk Rockers who are now dads and I can't wait to see it! It's called The Other F Word and follows some of the bands I loved so much in high school in "their biggest gig yet". Should be interesting. Check out the trailer:

advent {day 20-25}

2011-12-27T21:32:00.000-05:00

I'm glad my heart was ready.

It really made all the difference.

He was born to die. The real celebration will be Easter, but this Christmas was a great one.

Hope yours was too, and that the new year brings even more joy to your hearts and homes and families!

Vancouver

2011-12-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

Why do we have to live literally the farthest possible distance across Canada from some of the greatest people? Doesn't seem fair. We have a BIG country. And GOOD friends.

5 hour flight. Both kids slept like pros. Amazing.

Jet Lagged babies kept sleeping.... thus throwing them off big time. Painful couple of nights at first.

Exploring the beautiful city with friends.

The Olympic torch!!! Do you KNOW how much I love the Olympics? Big deal. Sorry you had to see that, Oli.

Playmates times two for Lily in twin-friends Soren and Marlow (Or, as I like to call them, So and Lo)

My baby daddy after a delicious lunch with the kids.

Oli started smiling!

What an amazing 10 days. Thankful for dear friends who were willing to have 4 adults and 4 babies under 15 months in their little condo for over a week! But we're a city family too, so we were very comfortable. I'd stay a month if they'd let me! It was an incredible time. Thanks John and Sarah, So and Lo! xo

advent {day 15-20}

2011-12-24T09:02:00.000-05:00

we're getting SO close!

I'm actually excited for Christmas this year... which may seem typical but for the last few years I haven't been. Not that I don't love the holidays, would anticipate them as a whole - time with family, delicious food, reunions with friends, presents, Jesus. Yep, I intentionally typed Him last. Because that was the truth. But gearing up for the Holy Day (hello, that's where the word Holiday comes from!) by celebrating Advent in a meaningful way for me has really focused my heart in the right direction. And I'm excited.

This installment of Advent covers the days 15-20 when I was finishing up my time in Vancouver. You can read Luke 15-20 here. We had a chance to talk about it with our friends John and Sarah and we all agreed that especially as adults and now parents, Christmas has lost some of it's materialistic, Bing Crosby-ness naturally, but we still battle to celebrate the 25th fully in Christ and not get too caught up in the whirl wind of materialism and secular activity.

Here's what we came up with: Advent is meant to set our hearts right. To Jesus. To the incarnation. To the "25th" so to speak. If the 25th itself becomes more about family-visiting and snowman-making and cookie-eating and isn't a day completely set apart for celebrating the incarnation, that is only a shame if our hearts haven't been "preparing him room" for the whole season of Advent. There is nothing magical in a day. In a number on the calendar. There IS something magical about the incarnation - God became flesh to set his people free from a curse that was set over the whole world. That's something to be celebrated in awe, and Christmas and Advent are for that.

And after a near month of celebrating the Advent wholly for the first time in my life, I don't feel as much pressure to safe guard one day on a calendar. I still plan to tell my babies about Jesus by the fire as we finish up the book of Luke on Christmas eve. And we still plan to worship with our church family on Christmas day. But Advent has prepared my heart probably more than any one day ever had. Celebrating Jesus during the whole Advent has done more for me than any Christmas celebration on the 25th alone, ever had.

So let every heart prepare him room :)

and while we're playing catch up...

2011-12-21T00:02:00.000-05:00

advent {day 10-15}

2011-12-20T23:35:00.001-05:00

yeesh.

10 days without posting.

and didn't I recently say I loved having a "series" because it made me accountable to post daily, to reflect daily, to read daily?

let me explain.

I was in Vancouver with my hubby and kids staying with some wonderful friends and their twin babies. Brad had a work training conference for several of the days (along with John, hubby of Sarah, and dad of Soren and Marlow), so a lot of my days were filled with babies babies and more babies. Sarah and I had a great time all the while swearing off having more babies or ever opening up a day care :)

Anyway, no direct computer access so no posts. I've been in Luke though, so this will be my attempt at a catch-all post so tomorrow I can continue as planned. Also lots more to come from our amazing 1st family trip.

Noteworthy passages:

Luke 10 - "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this...but rejoice thatyour names are written in heaven." (vs. 20)

What an awesome reminder. Even the greatest earthly occasion or blessing or event pales in comparison to the truth that because Jesus came, born a baby, we are accepted by God.

Luke 12 - "Sell your possessions, andgive to the needy.Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, witha treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (vs. 33-34)

Something to seriously consider in a season where we tend to spend a lot of money. Money in itself isn't evil and neither is giving gifts, but it's a good reminder. Where your treasure is (money, time, etc), there will your heart be also.

If my heart is for the orphans and the widows and the lost as Jesus tells me it should be, does my treasure reflect that?

Luke 15 - "So he told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep,if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, andgo after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it,he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner whorepents than over ninety-ninerighteous persons who need no repentance." (vs. 3-7)

This is how much God has loved us. Celebrated at Christmas, the coming of the king who would bring great joy to us who are adopted into his family, but even to Himself in saving us. Also shown in the parable of the lost coin and the parable of the prodigal son (also in Luke 15)

I want to rejoice like that over He who came and over what He brought to me in His coming.

I'll leave it at that for today, and play catch up again tomorrow :)

Christmas Outfits

2011-12-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

Do you remember wearing them?

Why were all siblings dressed identically?

Me and my sister were two years apart but definitely rocked the twins gear come Christmas. Oh and don't think for a second that our two cousins were sparred from the festivities. Often all FOUR of us (the only grandchildren on one side) wore renditions of the same outfit or THE SAME outfit. Even though we were 8 years between us all and many dress sizes, there was no avoiding the classic Christmas outfit.

Yet now that I'm a parent, you better believe Lily has a snowman onsie and Oli a reindeer hat - only to be replaced one day by official Christmas outfits when they can stay awake past 6 o'clock.

Oh why do we do this to our children?

advent {day 9}

2011-12-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

I read Luke 8 last night (or this morning, technically) at 4am while I was feeding Oli. Definitely the only way I'd churn out a post today since we leave at 3pm to fly with the kids to Vancouver. I'm loving the advent series because it has really held me accountable to my desire to read and meditate on a chapter of Luke each and every day. I know I could skip a day - and already have! - but it's definitely keeping me on track.

So Luke 8. At one point, Jesus and the disciples are in a boat in a storm and Jesus calms the storm. No biggie (except that it is). And I love their response of wonder: "Who is this? That even the winds and the waves obey him?" (vs. 25).

I think I've stopped marveling at the work of God in my life and the lives of others. I want to marvel at Christ this Christmas. In his coming. In the reason for it.

advent {day 8}

2011-12-08T09:43:00.000-05:00

This is a little corner in the dining room side of our "Great Room". A lot of blogs do Christmas decorating home tours but that definitely isn't happening here. Mainly because my Christmas decorations consist of our tree, mantle, and this corner - all of which are in the same room (our house is kind of open concept). Not many decorations, not much of a tour.

But also because I think it would only feed the pressure that we need to have our homes all put together in time for Christmas. Perfectly decorated = prepared. I used to think this and this might be the first year I've really worked to maintain my focus and preparedness on the Spiritual and not on the Material. Decorating is still fun, and I still do it, but with my advent series, that's really my motivation. To get myself thinking about Christmas differently.And I still enjoy seeing decorations on other blogs too, I'm just aiming for something different personally, because I need it.

Also on a side note: isn't it funny how we can frame or spin things to look so much more beautiful than they are? All in the theme of keeping up appearances I guess. The first pic I posted looks like it could rock the title "Silent Night" or something. But in the spirit of self disclosure, check out the larger scene that was taking place then I took this pic

It's just out of reach of probably the messiest part of our house!

Lily's feeding spot at our table needs to be cleaned 3X a day and it's STILL a sticky mess. The walls still have food splattered on them and I often don't get it all during my clean ups.

Ah, life.

Enjoy reading Luke 7 today. I particularly love vs.36-50.

She who has been forgiven much, loves much.

flying with babies

2011-12-07T18:10:00.000-05:00

I've never done it but thankfully a lot of my facebook friends have!
This Friday Brad and I are taking the babies to Vancouver and I've been asking for advice on surviving the plane trip. Thought I'd share the wealth of information I was given:

nurse/bottle feed/let baby suck on your finger during takeoff and landing. helps their little ears not pop.
don't expect them to sleep, so when they don't you're not stressed, and if they do, it's a bonus (I really liked this tip...)
bring snacks and small toys that are favourites or new (both are your best bet at occupying them)
have designated carry-ons for each kid so if you're separated from your travel companion (who has the other baby) you won't have to worry about getting bottles/toys/blankets/wipes/diapers to them on the other wise of the plane
that said, book your seats together - ideally book a window and isle so you have greater chance of getting a whole row to yourself (since people least likely book middle seats)
arrive really early and be vocal about your needs as a family when you're in the security line
declare bottles (liquid) ahead of time, don't let them find them
ask the flight attendants for help as much as you need. that's what they're there for.
bring extra clothes and baby gravol - kids throw up. yuck
and my favourite piece of advice: remember your children will probably be better behaved than some of the adults on the plane.

advent {day 7}

2011-12-07T11:53:00.000-05:00

two posts today!

this one had to wait til nap time though, because I hadn't even read Luke 6 yet.

this is a great chapter. so practical. so impossible. how can I really do the things he's asking me to do here? LOVE my enemies? BLESS those who curse me? PRAY for those who abuse me? It's practical in that it would make life better and we can take it and run with it, but not until we realize that the secret to "being right" and doing these things he asks us to do, also lie within him, can we truly DO them.

anyone can follow rules. in the beginning of the chapter Jesus is being questioned by Pharisees who followed rules to a T, yet the Bible says they were far from God. Jesus' crazy love changes our hearts and empowers us to love like he does and act as he did.

this is the god who came down. joy, joy to the world.

advent {day 6}

2011-12-07T09:24:00.002-05:00

'm a little behind... yesterday was a big day with some big decisions being made and I didn't have the mind capacity to find a song and write about what I'd learned from Luke 5

It's so good for me to read books of the Bible I've already read at length because it's usually those books that I gloss over and miss things (because I've read them I think I know them). Luke is one of those books. Reading chapter 5 is reading of healing. And I need to remember that in this fallen world, Jesus heals. Amazing.

Ris'n with healing in his wings, as the song says (or should I say sings?)

advent {day 5}

2011-12-05T11:50:00.001-05:00

I don't know if you're reading and listening alongside me, but if you are, I suggest reading the scripture at your computer whilst listening to the song. I've been doing that and I find every morning the chapter of Luke just grabs my heart with two hands and doesn't let it go. The music is chosen to compliment the reading, so I find it especially beneficial.

Which brings me to Luke 4. And this song:

It's definitely leap to go from Jesus as a baby to his teaching ministry and temptation. A few years were skipped over, but the contrast I find, is more powerful that way. Jesus, who was last read of as a baby, is now taking command in the Synagogues and teaching with all authority. He resisted 40 days of strong temptation and continually proves in many nuanced ways that he is more than just "Joseph's son".

I can't even fathom being in the room as Jesus went up to read and teach, and what they must have thought when they heard: (vs 18-19)

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

You could probably hear a pin drop as: (vs. 20-22)

...he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them,
"Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

wow. and now onto Luke 5...

behind the scenes family photo

2011-12-04T20:23:00.000-05:00

look at the lovely morrice family:

now, look at the real morrice family: (this was one of about 25 pictures that didn't turn out picture perfect)

advent {day 4}

2011-12-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

OK. This may be gratuitous but I just have to post this whole section of Luke 3. I've read it before, and it's an arduous list of names, but it is everything. It is why Christmas is celebrated. Check it out:

²³Jesus,^(BB) when he began his ministry, was about^(BC) thirty years of age, being^(BD) the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,^(BE) the son of Zerubbabel, the son^(BF) of Shealtiel,^[e] the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of^(BG) Nathan, the son of David, ³²^(BH) the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴^(BI) the son of Jacob,^(BJ) the son of Isaac,^(BK) the son of Abraham,^(BL) the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Did you catch that? Son of God. Verse 38. Wow.

Jesus wasn't just a baby born in an unfortunate and scandalous circumstance (in a barn, to an unwed mom). No, Jesus was more. He was God incarnate. When he came it was to redeem and rescue a rebellious world and reconcile us to himself forever. Reading that genealogy brought me to tears last night.

in excelsis deo.

or in English, Glory to God in the Highest.

amen.

advent {day 3}

2011-12-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

wow. Luke 2 is fierce. So much in there that I want to share and meditate on. Starting with Jesus being born in a manger. As in... a BARN. Having just given birth 5 weeks ago, with no pain medication (at least none that came into effect before it was time!), I still feel that I only understand a glimmer of that day. Mary was outdoors in a filthy environment, among animals, and far from her hometown when she gave birth to Jesus. That's how the Lord of Lords came into our broken world.

Is there a more humble way to come? How indicative of his ministry.

The humility of Christ is astounding.

Also something that comes to mind - as we're commemorating the coming of Christ in this season of advent (where we wait to celebrate his coming at Christmas), it's sweet to my soul to see exact examples in chapter two of people who were waiting for Christ's coming faithfully.

Simeon and Anna are two folks written of in Luke 2 who were eagerly anticipating the Messiah and when they saw Jesus in his mere infancy, they stood amazed at his presence and uttered:

"for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

Beautiful to have recognized him then and to have waited so long and see His coming in fruition.

Enjoy some Sufjan Stevens Christmas and reading Luke 3 today :)

advent {day 2}

2011-12-02T08:49:00.001-05:00

Luke 1 was so rich. I read it yesterday and really soaked it in. Brad had to work last night though, so I haven't had a chance to discuss it too much. Excited to do that tonight at dinner. Brad's mom and step dad arrive tonight for the weekend - our 2nd family Christmas!

We're doing our Christmas celebrations with family from Ontario early in the season since Brad and I will not be traveling to our hometowns this Christmas. We're spending it with our own little family in Montreal! So looking forward to starting new traditions with our kids and heading (hopefully in the snow) to church on Christmas morning which happens to fall on a Sunday this year. Makes me feel all grown up :)

Enjoy this beautiful song by Shawn McDonald, filmed in the actual town of Bethlehem. And Luke 2 if you want to join me.

advent plans

2011-12-01T12:46:00.001-05:00

update blog header for the correct season
hang advent calendar cards from Naptime Diaries
bust out my new stand mixer and make sugar cookies to decorate
make homemade marshmallows too
oh and drink a lot of hot chocolate with them (and maybe some baileys in there too...)
buy second seat for our stroller so we can go on family strolls in the snow
read a chapter from the Gospel of Luke every day this month
meditate on readings, share them with Bradford
find a new Christmas song to play daily and dance around with Lilygirl while listening
research and plan to give generously
make a family Christmas card and send it out
seek people to bless, worship rightly, pray expectantly, thank heartily, serve humbly

***

how are you getting ready for Christmas?

how are you preparing your heart? your family? your home?

do share!

advent {day 1}

2011-12-01T08:46:00.006-05:00

It's hard to imagine a time in history when people were praying, watching, waiting, yearning for the Messiah to come. This song comes from the verses penned by such people in the Old Testament.

Emmanuel {god with us}
And he came.

{Luke 1}

1 month in...

2011-11-30T18:30:00.000-05:00

I just re-read an old post by the same title that I had written a month after Lily was born. It brought back such wonderful (and terrible) memories. Some really different experiences this time around, but I'd say that summery is fair this time around too. Wonderful. Terrible. Ah the first month of a human's life.

The first month with Oli has been similar to the first month in Lily in that it's been filled with sleepless nights, small victories, oodles of snuggles, and copious picture taking. But the similarities end there. This time around I have a completely different baby (duh) and am a completely different mother (hmmmm).

I know more. I came into this fairly prepared. I'm akin to breastfeeding and diaper changes and sleepless nights. I'm not necessarily learning new things, as much as I am adapting to new circumstances. Mothering a newborn is very fresh in my mind (heck, I did this just 15 months ago!), but mothering Olivier is completely new. So while I'm not afraid or anxious about much (as I was with Lily), I'm still adjusting.

Hello, he's a BOY. diaper changes alone took days to figure out!

So here's some highs and lows of the last 4 weeks. I'm grateful they are in my life history. I'm thankful to have experienced them. And I'm glad they're over. Moving on...

HIGH - Olivier came into this world quite easily. Painfully, heck yes. But quickly and healthy. Thank you, Lord.

LOW - Hospital food still sucks.

HIGH - Brad brought me whatever food I was craving while we were staying in the hospital (with Lily it was sushi, with Oli, Lebanese), and our church has graciously provided meal after meal for us. I have been well-fed with filling and nutritious meals for a month now, and have done basically nothing but receive these acts of generosity.

LOW - while we were happily eating said meals, Lily went through a frustrating "phase" of food refusal and extreme picky-ness. Accompanied by a bout of food throwing (that we're still working through) and scratching/hitting Oli. Oh and a severe yeast infection and 1 day of non-stop vomiting. She's been a bit of a hand full to say the least. Bless her heart.

HIGH - Oli is on a schedule! He has almost never fought a nap, and any time he has, when I've offered him food, he's gulped it down quick enough to tell me he probably hadn't got a full meal before I put him down. Starting Babywise with him so early has been wonderful. He still wakes in the night but usually just once, and as of late, for an hour or less.

LOW - To catch up on sleep I've had to eliminate my evening activities and nap from 8-10pm. With Lily I slept several times throughout the days to cope with the nights but it's different with two kids. Once Oli's nights are more predictable, I'm excited to see friends in the evenings again and host small group at our place once again.

HIGH - So far, I'm having no milk production problems! I never thought I'd say that after the trouble I experienced with Lily, but thus far things are going great. For a variety of reasons I'm bottle feeding expressed milk for the majority of the time, and am so shocked to see me able to provide 4oz every 3 hours for Oli. About 3X what I was able to get when pumping last time!

I'll leave it at that for now. Lily's asleep for the night and Oli's nap ends in 35 minutes. Brad's at hockey and the house is quiet. Ahhhh. Rare and cherished in this life stage for me. So excited for Month #2. In my experience, it really only gets better and better.

We survived.

Our first family picture! on "Christmas morning" this past weekend when my family was over.

Slightly worse for wear and incredibly blessed.

look who's 1 month old!

2011-11-28T21:21:00.000-05:00

baby gear we have (and recommend)

2011-11-28T14:46:00.002-05:00

Lately, I've had a few prego girls in my life ask me what we chose in terms of baby gear - how many of a certain thing we bought (bibs! onsies! burp cloths!) and what brands to choose from out of the oddles available (baby bjorn! carters! graco!).

So I thought I'd compile a list. I'm in no way saying we have the best stuff available or that you should buy what we did. This is just a list for those wondering, and it served us well for one and now two babes.

Baby Clothes and Linens:

10 baby pajamas in each size up until 1 year (0-3m to 9-12m)
Robeez shoes or an equivalent (a pair for 0-6m and a pair for 6-12m)
1 or 2 hooded towels, 10 (or so) burp cloths, 10 (or so) baby face cloths
2 miracle blankets (1 isn't enough, because diapers leak and baby's spit.... a lot)
2-3 sets of piccolo bambino fitted bed sheets (available at Winners, Toys'R'Us)
1-2 baby sleep sacks suitable for the time of year (thick if baby's born in winter, thin if baby's born in summer)
3 baby hats
2-3 baby blankets (warm fuzzy ones!)

We figured we didn't need (and have never missed):

excessive baby clothing, especially sizes 0-3m (dressing them is a hassle when they seem SO breakable and all they do is sleep anyhow)
baby mittens and booties (both fall off)
formal baby bedding (i.e matching quilt/ crib sheets/ crib skirts)

Baby Gear:

Beco Gemini baby carrier (we also have a Baby Bjorn which is great for small babies, up to 15ish pounds, but gets uncomfortable after that). Lily STILL fits in the Beco even though she's walking. We're glad that we have the Bjorn though it lasts less time, because we now have it for Oli and can carry Lily in the Beco)
Uppababy Vista stroller (we got this secondhand from Craigslist)
Graco Snugride infant car seat (we got this secondhand from Craigslist)
Safety 1st Air convertible car seat (which Lily needed around 6 months because she was so tall!)
a pack-n-play (we got it at Wal-Mart, I forget the brand, but it was $60... way cheaper than the Graco ones)
Cloth Diapers (I've used Easy-Fits, Bum Genius, and Apple Cheeks and have reviewed them at length on this blog, just click on the cloud on the sidebar to find articles about them)
Exersaucers (got ours from Wal-mart, these are great once baby is around 5-6 months because they're a safe place to leave baby while you take a shower, etc. We called it Lily's office since she loved "working away" in it :)
Baby play mats (again, great distraction and entertainment for babies under 6 months). Ours was from Costco, but I am IN LOVE with this Skip Hop one.
Da Vinci jenny lind crib (my mother-in-law got us this and I just LOVE it.)

We figured we didn't need (and have never missed):

baby swings (these are usually over $100 and take up tons of room, plus we didn't want to use "sleep aids" to help baby fall asleep so didn't see the need)
sound machines ("sleep aids" again, but if you need one, consider a fan or something you have around the house to save moo-la)
baby chairs (we had a Baby Bjorn chair and sold it, we got a Svan baby bouncer for $35 off Craigslist and hardly use it)
baby slings (I've used my African-style sling a couple of times at church but wouldn't say it's a must buy item)
expensive diaper bags (I got a Skip Hop diaper bag and love the appearance, but truthfully it doesn't hold much, and a large purse or cute bag can do the trick for far less)
baby monitors (we've never lived in a large enough house!)
baby change table or dressers (because they're labeled "baby" they are sold at ridiculous prices! any old dresser will do! and top a dresser with a change mat and you've got a change table built in for $15)

That's my basic list. I'm sure I'm forgetting lots of items, so if you're curious just ask and I'll try to recall the brand or how many I have/had. Happy baby planning!

Oli's schedule and troubleshooting...

2011-11-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

Presenting this schedule to all you moms out there who may have some tips/answers:

7am - wake, change diaper, eat 4oz, play
8am-10am - nap
10am - wake, change diaper, eat 4oz, play
11am-1pm - nap
1pm - wake, change diaper, eat 4oz, play
2pm-4pm - nap
4pm - wake, change diaper, eat 4oz, play
5pm-7pm - nap
7pm - wake, change diaper, eat 4oz, bath or play
8pm - "bedtime"
11pm - dream feed (approx 4oz)

but then it's night, and he goes BONKERS.

waking anywhere from 2:15am-4am, and taking up to THREE hours to eat. Falling asleep at the breast or bottle, but then waking the second we put him down, pooping 3 times during this feed, etc.

It's madness!

Any tips on:

Getting him to suck/feed more efficiently? I found slightly more success (and no gas issues) with switching to a bottle of expressed breast milk during the night instead of bothering with breastfeeding which takes him even longer, but I'm still looking at 2 hours of up and down, though less than 3...

Getting him to stay awake at the breast and bottle (but especially the breast)? I've tried changing his diaper, removing his clothes, tickling his toes, talking to him...

I can't continue on 2 hours of sleep at a time...common' Oliboy

just because he's adorable

2011-11-23T20:23:00.000-05:00

the last 48 hours in #s & words

2011-11-23T12:46:00.004-05:00

1/2 of a personal day taken by Brad
times Lilygirl vomited: 3
1 time on her high chair, 1 time in the container drawer, 1 time in her bedroom
cleaned 16 pieces of Tupperware as a result
gave a 30 minute bath to one brave 15 month old
thankfully, while a 4 week old baby was taking his 2 hour nap
for the following 1.5 hours, Brad mopped and cleaned everything that Lily or I (also puke covered) may have touched
poor girl, lost not only her lunch, but all 3 meals that day
her diaper rash/yeast infection is also going on 5 weeks so we're seeing a Dermatologist on Friday
at the same place where we took her yesterday, and waited 2.5 hours for an inconclusive opinion by a doctor who only spoke 1 language, and it was not English
but babylily bounced back so well, and still slept her usual 13 hours (6pm-7am), and went to bed with a smile. She's a good "sick kid", do you know what I mean? It could have been far worse if she wasn't, but she was a champ. So was my husband of 3 years :)

life with kids is tiring and messy and frustrating and you need to be flexible and resilient and patient but it is rewarding and fulfilling and the love you have for them is bold and genuine and deep so you can withstand days of sickness and waiting rooms. especially with a partner by your side. and a god who is for you and strengthens you. and kids who are perfect. for you.

big girl bed and ramifications

2011-11-21T12:24:00.000-05:00

Lily is SO not ready for this.

She's just learning how to walk now (took 10 steps today! record!), and Oli is going to be in his bassinet in our room for a while still, but the bed is coming.

It will be empty, but it's coming.

It won't have a mattress yet, but it's coming.

Which means, Lily's room is turning into a co-ed nursery!

Eep!! My parents, sister and brother-in-law are coming this weekend and an all-too-short visit, and they're bringing the vintage Jenny Lind bed that Brad and I got in Kentucky for $12. It has rails but I'm doubtful that it'll all fit together and be sturdy right away. Might need my father-in-law to come over with his tools... but that's beside the point. The point is the bed is coming, and it is SO CUTE.

Here's my plan for it: paint it and stress it. Comme Ça:

I can really picture it too, because the walls in that room are white and gets TONS of natural light.

Then we're going to paint grey stripes on the walls, Comme Ça:

Then I add bright curtains to the giant window,

Comme Ça:

and then hang the cardboard book's shelves and the long lack shelf, Comme Ça:

and finally, my dream project for Lily and Oli's room (which may require Brad's help juuuuuuust slightly):

can you even HANDLE that tee-pee!? that bonfire pillow?

oh.my.gaswsh.

See how many ideas and plans one little bed brings?

winter want

2011-11-19T18:55:00.000-05:00

I was strolling with Lily the other day and it dawned on me that I needed something to keep my ears warm (duh, it's Montreal in late November!). But I had my hair in a bun, like every day, so a hat wouldn't work. So I was just cold instead. When you haven't washed your hair in a couple of days, you dare not take your hair out of that bun! It is a life saver, people! And you don't mess with life. Moving on.

My ears were cold. But I couldn't wear a hat. And I thought, does anyone wear headbands anymore?

Because when I think headbands, I think:

But not the headbands that Hal and Jo used to rock.

I'm thinking cable knit, chunky, warm.

I'm thinking non-neon and not flashy.

Sorry, Hal and Jo. You guys will always be cool, but I can't pull off your headbands.

Here's more what I'm looking for:

source

I assume Etsy is a good place to look. They were all under $30 and very cute. And I still have some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket. Then I could be warm whilst sporting the dirty-hair-exhausted-mom-"up-do"...

and I could keep fit and have fun.

and for lunch? a gold fish cracker.

2011-11-19T18:30:00.001-05:00

Not even gold fish crackerS. Just one. Singular. Cracker.

Lily's mealtimes are a real challenge these days. As a baby she ate anything in puree form. And when we first switched to solids, again, whatever was in front of her she ate. It was awesome. And I was proud. Maybe too proud and in need of humbling. Because those days are far gone and she throws or refuses nearly every food we present her with - including former favourites.

I always swore I'd never be that parent, who hides healthy foods to force her kids to eat them or who lets her kids eat the same kid-friendly (read: boring) meal every day. But these days it's all I can do to keep my head above water during these meal times with Oli in tow.

Lily's list of foods she will eat:

yogurt

3.25% milk

gold fish crackers

1/2 water 1/2 juice

tortellini or pasta in tomato sauce

pureed pumpkin (weird, I know)

bread or toast with peanut butter

pieces of meat (chicken, ham, sausage)

AND THAT'S IT.

Everything else is a struggle. Meaning any fruit or vegetable (fresh or cooked). Meaning rice and pita. She's a full-on meat lover which I guess we can be thankful for, but it's hard to imagine she's getting enough vitamins (though her juices are vitamin packed and occasionally she'll eat a cut up peach, pear, clementine, etc., but that's day by day and rare).

And here's the kicker - she won't eat, no matter how hungry, if it's not on THE LIST. If she doesn't like it, and sometimes even if she does, she will not eat it. And when I try her later, when she must be more hungry, she still holds out. Today for lunch she had ONE GOLDFISH CRACKER. ONE. So I figured for sure, dinner would be different. I presented her with a few options, and she had about eight teaspoons of pureed pumpkin and two teaspoons of shepherd's pie, maybe three. How is that enough?

What boggles my mind is she continues to be average, healthy weight and her diapers reveal that she's eating "enough" (read: one large healthy poop per day and lots of pee). I'd imagine on her current diet she'd be drastically under weight, not thriving,

But maybe 15 month old toddlers just don't eat that much?

I swear she ate far more at 11 months, and shes larger now and far more mobile, so wouldn't she have a greater appetite?

Is she that stubborn that she would continue to refuse food she used to LOVE is she were secretly starving?

And the questions continue to flow.

***
UPDATE: really encouraging article on Ask Dr. Sears, thank to my friend Lauren.
Maybe Lily isn't as insane as she seems to be...

jealous baby day 2

2011-11-16T14:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all those who posted here and on facebook advice and encouragement.

This is just a really frustrating time, because at the end of the day I don't think there's much I can do. I'm not going to bite her back, but I also can't neglect Oli while he's awake and get down on the floor and play with the toy farm with Lily.

It's a rough season of give and take.

I'm thankful that Lily won't remember these early months and even years sometimes!

To deal, I've been giving Lily loads of attention during Oli's asleep times when she's awake (8am-10am, 2pm-4pm) and have tried being more interactive when I'm breastfeeding or bottle feeding Oli during one of his awake times (unfortunately the feed is 75% of his awake time) with her, but I'm limited to what I can throw her (toys, snacks) and what I can say to her (read aloud from memory her favourite books when I see her grab it, ask her questions, etc), because I can't be physically with her and feeding her brother at the same time.

She still tried to bite me and Oli's feet a couple times today but I gave her some wooden toys on place of my flesh as soon as I saw her coming towards me, mouth open, teeth glistening, and that seemed to re-direct her. She even spent some chow time nibbling on the chair I was sitting on... really makes me wonder how much is jealousy and how much is plain old teething (she still only has 6 teeth and many more are due). Seemed happy so long as she was biting something, though me and Oli are still her preference and only when they're awake together.

I also pushed her nap time from 11am to 11:30am so I get 30 more minutes with her once Oli is down. Normally they both went down at 11am, making his 10-11am awake time entirely about him, and then it was bedtime, with no time for Lily-focused play. Also means she wakes at 1:30pm (theoretically) and by then Oli is nearly done his feed that began at 1pm, giving me more time to share between them.

I'm basically trying everything, and I'm seeing progress, so I'm encouraged.

Lil and I had a bath today as soon as I put Oli down and it was really fun. Now she's playing with plastic containers on the kitchen floor as I make dinner, and I'm relaxed knowing Oli wasn't clawed today :)

Another day survived. As if I can claim that before 3pm...

jealous baby

2011-11-15T18:20:00.000-05:00

To all of those who asked "is Lily jealous of Oli?", my answer has since changed.

To a big fat YES.

Lord, help us all.

It hits the worst when they have a shared feeding time. With Lily's one nap lined up at 11am-1pm, she and Oli both have the same wake time, as one of his many naps also ends at 1pm. So while he's getting his bottle or breastfeeding, she's furious. Even though her sippy cup is beside her. Even though she's surrounded by Goldfish crackers or other things I can give her outside of the high chair. Even though I'm chatting with her or putting on a cartoon show for her. Furious.

She's also furious when she's tired and I'm with Oli. Which hits around 4pm. Her bedtime isn't til 6pm, but once she's eating at 5pm (and Oli is napping) she perks up. But 4pm. Oh brother. Not my favourite time of day.

And how does she act jealous you might ask? Scratching and biting. Which is really hard to avoid or stop when I'm nursing or bottle feeding Oli on the couch and she comes at me with those teeth or nails. She's stronger than you might think! And very determined. She'll bite my feet or legs and only tries harder with a firm "NO!" or slap on the hand. And today she actually scratched Oli quite hard on the head.

Anyone who has been here before, PLEASE feel free to suggest any tips or ideas as to how I can stop this. She's only 15 months old so I'm not sure how much my disciplining is working, but it's got to stop and smothering her with love when Oli is napping and my hands are free isn't enough to suggest that jealous isn't needed and that I'm still here for her.

2012 owl calendar

2011-11-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

download it here!

or follow the link on my sidebar.

loved last years and this year's is EVEN BETTER!

makes a great free and practical Christmas present too...

may print them off for my family that are receiving donations in their names to charity instead of a material gifty (just for a little somethin' extra).

but you didn't read that magpie and sar-bear...

buh bye gross-ness

2011-11-13T18:31:00.001-05:00

Newborn babies are adorable.

Umbilical cords are just a little bit gross.

I seriously prayed to not be the one near Lily when hers came off, and luckily Brad was changing her diaper on that fateful day. Not so lucky this time.

Oli's came off on Nov 11th, or at least on Nov 11th I found it in the leg of his pajamas when I was changing him. *shiver*

Plus side, it's GONE. And now bathing and changing him is less spooky because I'm no longer waiting for IT to happen.

Enjoy this bath time pic my friend snapped with her iPhone while you're pondering this deep post :)

ps - the top right corner picture melts my heart.
pps - he looks so much like his dad. thank you Lord.
ppps - the bottom right picture is kind of terrifying. Just sayin'

mvp cookies

2011-11-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

I turned on my stove the other day.

It was a BIG deal. Hadn't done so since before Oli was born and still don't plan to for the next few days.

Thankfully we have been lavished with a bountiful supply of food from our church family. I'm really wondering how we would have eaten (at least eaten well) the last two weeks without it. It is by far the most appreciated act of service anyone can do for us right now, and we are thankful.

That said, I needed snacks to munch on throughout the day that I could just grab. Or in the middle of the night. Nursing makes you SO thirsty and hungry I've found, but since we're not cooking, we aren't doing groceries either. Enter MVP cookies.

I love peanut butter ANYTHING. If a dessert calls for it, I'm ordering it. So I was delighted when my friend Lindsay (who babysat Lily for us while we were in the hospital) welcomed us home with a giant plate of peanut butter cookies. YUM. And thanks, Linds :)

I wanted more once I finished that plate off in record time, but I figured I would bulk them up a bit to be more filling since I was eating them to refuel and not just re-sugar-high my body. Also, I have a major sweet tooth but I didn't want that to be the road block to me eating healthy, especially while I'm nursing. So I changed a recipe I found to make it much more filling, healthy, and hearty than the average peanut butter cookie. Still a treat and a cookie - let's be honest, it's not health food! - but redeemed somewhat. And amazing for moms who are trying to keep up their milk supply (hello oatmeal!) and stay fueled for the long night ahead (hello walnuts and whole wheat!).

One baby was asleep and the other was playing nicely so I had the time to quickly whip up a plate of these and was so glad I did. Long gone now, but just writing this post is making me want to make them again.

MVP Cookies

cream together:

1/2 C butter, 1/2 C sugar, 1/2 C brown sugar

add, and mix until fluffy:

1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla

stir in:

1 1/2 C peanut butter

whisk and then add to pb mixture:

1 C whole wheat flour, 1/2 ts baking soda, pinch salt, 1/4 C ground flax, 1/2 C quick oats

fold in:

1/4-1/2C chopped walnuts

bake @ 350 for 15-20 min (mine took a good 18)

look how BIG they are! one cookie was actually FILLING. so good.

now, back to the babies.

the first week.

2011-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

is over.

uhthankyou.

Newborn parenting goes something like this (at least in our experiences):

first night - BLISS.

Baby is cleaned off and cuddly. Doesn't need much food. Sleeps practically nonstop. You have a new family member and everyone is lovey dovey and head-over-heals.

second night - TORTURE.

Baby realizes he likes food and mom's the only place to find it. Night and day are meaningless, it's an around-the-clock affair for mom and dad (if dad is lucky enough to get paternity leave and get roped into the crazy).

third night - HARD.

Maybe you've had a bit more sleep, but fear that the new normal is immense lack of sleep, life in dirty pajamas, and tears all around, are enough to make you swear off having any other children.

forth night - HARD but DO-ABLE(?)

Feeding every 3 hours, mom and dad figuring out roles, learning to sleep at bizarre times (I take a "nap" every night by this point from 8pm-10pm) to make up for the 3 hours tops at any given point, nursing is stabilizing and engorgement is subsiding (thank goodness).

fifth night - JUST KIDDING.

Baby has a mind of his own and just when you think you *might* have figured out something, you haven't. But you know it will get better and that the first month is THE worst in terms of physical and emotional exhaustion, so you hunker down and deal. Together. You may have even showers by this point and seen some friends. Maybe.

sixth night - DETERMINED.

We're determined to set healthy habits for Oli such as feeding every 3 hours and staying awake for said feedings (call it Babywise light, since we're just in his first few weeks of life), so no matter how frustrating and exhausting, we do what we need to do.

seventh night - EXHALE.

That week was a gong show but it's over. Everyone in the house is tired and feeling that their needs are coming second (except the newborn!), but a joint understanding (except the big sister!) of the temporal chaos and long term benefits of this stage help us get through. We start to grasp what life is like with one more family member and we take the next 7 days as they come.

{a rare pic of the kids together.}

This week Lily is learning to be more gentle and we let her touch Oli a lot to make him familiar to her. She hasn't shown many signs of jealousy as many have asked about - we think she's too young to grasp the concept that Oli is a sibling and child and here to stay - bonus ...for now :)

fall mantel

2011-11-10T11:42:00.001-05:00

~~Movember~~ November is flying by (though not fast enough for those of us whose husbands are sporting the hideous and scratchy mustaches in support of prostate cancer research and men's health) and I'm starting to get excited for Christmas. Not the gift buying and cooking and baking as usual though - I'm honestly without a clue as to how I'll do any of that this year (and our families are coming to celebrate the holiday in 2 and 3 weeks respectively, so we have.like.no.time). But the decorating? Yes.

Decorating is such an outlet for me. I love it, it helps me feel productive and creative in a season where neither is really true of anything I'm up to. Plus its a quick fix. It will take me an hour tops to decorate my whole house for Christmas, and maybe another hour for the tree - though we'll drag it out to maximize the memory-making :) And this year we have a real fireplace to attack with holiday cheer. Huzzah!

But I figured I'd post about what our mantle looks now - in it's Autumn glory - for the "before" shot.

It's been like this since the week we moved in, mid September. Really simple, just some fall-ish things that I think are pretty and brighten up the room a tad. Next stop, Christmas!

single mom Sundays

2011-11-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

From time to time my hubby preaches at our church.

Our church is small and we only have 1 pastor, so when he is due for a Sunday off, various pastors share the pulpit with him and give the message on a Sunday morning.

Increasingly, Brad has been taking on this responsibility and I really see it as one of his giftings from God. But it's a lot of work. For him (he takes about 20 hours to prepare a sermon, on top of his full-time job and helping me with the kiddies) and for me (on those mornings I don't have his help with the kids or getting to church).

We were so blessed to have our friend Morgan spend the night on Saturday so she could help me in the morning. GOSH this girl is amazing. She actually works as a mother's helper to a family of 4 kids, so she's beyond qualified and she loves my kids, which to me is more important than any qualifications. She sacrificed her limited time with her fiance Sam to come and serve my family on a single-mom-Sunday. Without her, I literally wouldn't have been able to get to church because we each had a kid in a carrier and took the metro. She also fed Lily breakfast and woke with her while I was feeding Oli. Normally Brad does breakfast with Lily but again, it was a single-mom-Sunday and he was going over his sermon so he couldn't help.

I am so thankful for the family that God has surrounded us with here in Montreal.

Even though our biological families aren't close enough to help me get to church on these particular Sundays, we've had people from church offer us rides and people like Morgan, or our friends Kamin and Rebecca who each spent huge portions loving on our kids today after church.

I am blessed.

My kids are spoiled with love, but that's only a good thing.

Halloween '11

2011-11-02T10:01:00.000-04:00

Halloween '10 didn't really happen... even though Lily was not exactly a newborn, we were overwhelmed. Something about the 1st child really rocks a family's foundation. Everything needs to change and adapt. With the 2nd, many changes need to take place, and the juggling game is much more difficult but I'm finding the adjustment easier. Especially emotionally and physically, but that probably has to do with an easier birth and labour this time around (more on that when I write up the birth story over at the Baby Bump Blog) though.

So yeah, Lily didn't have a cute baby costume, we didn't carve a pumpkin, and we didn't eat delicious candy. Sad. But this year, even though Oli was a ripe old 2 days old (and 1 day home from the hospital) we celebrated! Again, major differences to what I'd love our Halloween to one day look like (i.e. we still didn't get around to carving a pumpkin, but we had one this year, which is a start!), but we got the kids in silly make-shift costumes and even snapped some pics before bed. I'd all but forgotten about pictures and costumes though we had Lily's and Oli's for months, but thankfully Brad remembered. He knew I'd want to have pictures and that it was disappointing to me last year that we missed the holiday altogether, so he made sure to get a bunch of Lily in her cute Tiger "costume" (read: sweater) and then took some of Oli in his Shrek "costume" (read: crochet Shrek hat).

Get this... Lily's best buddy Nehemiah dressed up as the same thing!!

introducing...

2011-10-30T22:17:00.001-04:00

Oli.

Full name: Olivier Michael Robert Morrice

Date: October 29th @ 7:41pm

Size: 7lbs 15oz | 21.5in

Nickname: Oli

Status: loved.

Lily = Golden Girl.

2011-10-28T13:27:00.000-04:00

(not that kind)

***

It's as if she knows.

She is a woman after all ;)

Lately, my girl has been a bit off in terms of sleep and eating but the last 2 days she has been a star. Really above and beyond. And I NEED to write this braggy parent post because I will probably read it tomorrow and be like "who was THAT kid and WHERE did she go!?" This age is just so unpredictable...

So, I'm writing that post that entertains no one and keeps the author sane.

My kid rocks.

The last 2 mornings, I have decided to not bother setting an alarm. What's the point if I'm just going to press snooze? I don't like setting unattainable goals you might say! So I've just slept til I hear Lily crying and babbling and then I drag myself out of bed. Well, the crying/babbling hasn't really been coming until QUITE "late". We're talking post 7:30am late. Yesterday it was 7:45 and today it was 7:40. Hallelujah.

She just kind of talks to herself in her crib until then. What.On.Earth!? Sure she's awake before then, but if she's not going to make a fuss, why should my 39-week-prego self get out of bed? I rest my case.

She's also been better food-wise. She was really in a rut for a while, and went all Occupy Montreal on us, refusing to eat anything we asked her to and throwing most of it back. Frustrating. I may have raised my voice out of anger once or twice *shame*. But lately, I'm proud of my girl. Funny, being proud of things she used to do All.The.Time but like I said, this age is funny, and I'm taking victories where I see them.

Thanks Lily girl. You're a star. Mama needs you to be great right now and you have been.

xoxo

the hall closet {city style}

2011-10-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

When we bought our house we were blown away that we had FOUR closets.

Real closets. Not cubby holes with a hook or two behind a door, but real, live (though not...) closets!

The main closet in the front enclave became the place for Brad's desk though, since we don't have a third bedroom to make his office, which was fine because we still have an under-the-stairs (stairs to the condo above ours) large walk-in cubby in the entrance way for our stroller, vacuum, non-essential shoes, boots, outerwear, etc.

But we needed something for the every day stuff. Baby carriers, shoes we wear, stroller blankets, hats and mitts, and of course, the hospital bag (which is getting a little dusty and is ready to be used!). IKEA had a solution for that. Our old house had one of these coat/hat racks and it could store tons of stuff and now we have two but are trying to keep more hooks and shelving space open for guests. It's working great for us and is a HUGE space saver.

Closets are a giant perk of this place, but when you live in the city, your closet space may or may not be your office, so you improvise!

pumped up kicks

2011-10-25T15:14:00.001-04:00

Lilygirl got some new shoes and they.are.adorable.

Now that she's standing by herself (yay!) and moving around tons with the help of furniture and us, she kind of needs to be in shoes at all times. Bare feet is getting too cold, and socks are too slippery. Problem is, she has a gap in her shoe stock... tons of 0-6m and 6-12m shoes, and a couple of pairs of 18-24m, but nothing in between for say....now.

I love Robeez but not the price. Have had some luck getting them secondhand, but this time around I couldn't find any in her size.

Maybe 12-18m shoes are just a Bermuda triangle for all babies? No one has any or sells any? Where did they go? Anyway, I checked out Etsy instead and am so glad I did.

I found a pair of Robeez-like shoes in a totally unique fabric that I've never seen before. Rainbow chevron. LOVE. Maybe not everyone would call them unisex, but I totally plan on putting LG in them. He's a Montreal boy, he can rock 'em. They fit extremely well, just like Robeez. They're slip-resistant because of the grip fabric used on the sole. And they're even cozier than the average pair of Robeez slippers as they're lines with faux fur! I also got L a pair of boots that I blogged about a couple of days ago and they also arrived today and I'm very happy with them too. Robeez shoes are usually around $20-25 and the booties are $35. I got my shoes and boots from Etsy for $10 less respectively, with the added bonus that they're from Etsy...

Why shop Etsy (or similar venues)

saves you from ever stepping foot in Toys-R-Us *shudder*

gives communication with the seller/creator to the buyer

oftentimes local (or at least from North America)

handmade by people who love what they do

can shop in your pjs from home

unique and often one-of-a-kind

good quality

fair prices

fair trade

cute!

*Lily's kicks are from a Canadian-based

Etsy shop called LittleJumpingBeans and

cost me $15. Head over to her shop and

show her some love! And your babies' feet :)

it is well.

2011-10-24T14:23:00.000-04:00

enjoy.

love the comfort and assurance, in all things, that God brings. 

Daniel Martin Moore, from Louisville, KY (our summer home this past year!)

things I want to make for LG...

2011-10-24T13:58:00.000-04:00

oh Pinterest... you provide endless inspiration!

fun felt mobile (maybe for in front of the window since we already have one above his crib)

source

wooden teether. couldn't really be an easier craft. piece of wood and fun rick rack.

source

me, lately

2011-10-22T16:24:00.000-04:00

feeling really amazing and on top of my game. haven't had this much energy in weeks if not months.
feeling a bit frustrated as said energy and lack of pain, because I'm less convinced that LG will come early, and I'm one impatient mama with 15 days to go til the due date (and always the possibility of going...late *shudder*
Lily's been standing on her own and it.is.so.cute.
her favourite book right now is Red Is Best and one that makes animal sounds from my cousins for her 1st birthday. just pulling them our makes her giggle - and me wonder, what makes a children's book a hit or a miss with babies?
found an off-white, knee-length, down-filled, brand-new, Columbia winter coat (worth $250!) at the Salvation Army this week.... and paid $25. Didn't need a winter coat *technically* but also couldn't leave it there for 90% off...
have been talking on the phone tons with my dad and am loving it (he's typically not a phone guy AT ALL but I think since his baby is having another baby he's getting sentimental :)... plus we love talking about what we're cooking that night for dinner and the Habs, so it's always a good chat)
scratching Modern Family from my TV schedule (it's just not that funny anymore and I like to limit my TV watching so if I'm adding a new show I usually take one off)
adding Up All Night and Parenthood to my weekly Grey's and Hockey Night In Canada
fed up with the Habs and their losing streak
loving my new neighbourhood!
excited to try Tim's white chocolate hot chocolate (has anyone tried it??)
Lily's on one 1.5 hour nap a day now (good bye free time and nap time, mama), but on the plus she goes to bed around 6:20pm instead of 7pm or later...
made pumpkin brownies (egg, butter, and oil free) and *red wine brownies and found that the healthier ones were actually way denser and better tasting. Weird. And you could barely taste the red wine either... sigh.
found these adorable alphabet cut outs that I'm having Brad print at Staples on quality card stock in the next couple weeks for the kid's room. love anything with twine and clothes pins right now, and the illustrations on these cut outs are really cute. too bad they're not in french...

* added 1/4 more red wine than

the recipe called for, and 1/2 C less

white sugar. should have added some

chocolate chips to the batter to make

it taste richer though...

I feel GREAT today...

2011-10-20T20:16:00.001-04:00

...which is confusing & frustrating more than exciting.
Why?
Well, it sure makes a girl wonder
WHEN I AM GOING INTO LABOUR!

painting the kitchen cabinets (again)

2011-10-17T14:09:00.000-04:00

So I talked to the Mr. and he was willing to bend on more than I'd thought (YES)...

My friend Rachel suggested painting the walls a different colour and maybe that would please his need for colour (along with the turquoise island) and he'd be happy with all white cabinets and back splash. He was hesitant but open. Thanks Rach!

Another option would be grey or silver-y subway tile back splash and all white cabinets - even keeping the white walls! I NEVER thought he'd go for that, but when he saw some pictures he was convinced it could be great. The man just really really really hates ALL white EVERYTHING. So breaking up the white with even a neutral grey tile would make him happy (and I could totally be happy with that too).

The last option would be to do the white tile back splash as I'd always wanted and the upper cabinets white and the lowers a colour (as I blogged about on Sunday). But after looking at some of the pins I posted, I think black or even deep navy may be too much... Our kitchen is "off" the main part of our open-concept condo so it gets natural light from the front and back of the house but in the "room"/alcove itself there are no windows. So bright and light would be best. I found some more two-tones kitchen options, with more beige and grey instead of such a strong black/dark blue.

Thoughts?

not ready for the cold!

2011-10-16T17:22:00.000-04:00

I LOVE Fall and even have become a fan of Winter (what can I say, when you live in such a cold place, you learn to embrace it), but it really snuck up on me this year.

Thankfully today I had a ride to church so I was able to go (and it was sooooooooooooo good!! hubby's sermon, the musical worship, seeing friends, meeting new people, AH.) and the cold weather took me by surprise. Mostly because I had Lily with me, and she had NO appropriate clothing! eeeeek!

I'm just realizing now that I need to get her winter boots (and she's actually out of shoes too, so she wore her brother's today so she didn't slip on the floor in her socks), hat and mitts, a winter coat, and some kind of snow pants or snow suit too. I headed over to Craigslist and Kijiji and found some cute options on the coat front, so we`ll see where that leads, and then to Etsy for the shoes.Check out these adorable non-slip boots (indoor) that I picked up for Lil! They're almost half the price of Robeez, totally unique and handmade, and the same idea - comfy, non-slip, warm. Love love love them. Now so get my baby girl some warm weather clothes before our next outing!!

From Little e Design on Etsy.

painting the kitchen cabinets

2011-10-16T09:12:00.000-04:00

I have a husband who LOVES colour.

Every time I mention wanting to paint something gray or white he cringes.

"Thunder clouds!" or "Mental Hospital!" are always his protests, though often he ends up loving it afterwards. Take our main colour in this new house - the living room, dining room, hall ways, foyer, and part of his office (save an accent wall) are all Sterling by Behr Paints (780E) and he LOVES IT. But the man has limits, and I can respect that.

Our kitchen walls are white (the kitchen is more of an alcove since the whole house except bedrooms and bathrooms is open concept). The cabinets right now are a beige-pink wood finish that is supposed to look antique, though the kitchen was completely remodeled last year and they're brand new. Our certain plans are to install under-cabinet lighting, white glossy 3X6 subway tile back splash, and buy a kitchen island and paint it turquoise and the stools white. The colour for the cabinets remains unsure.

These pics are my inspiration.

Unfortunately it's too much white for my man...

{see sources for pics on my Pinterest}

So my backup plan if I can't convince him {and in reality I want him to LOVE the house he lives in, so I won't push it too hard}, is to keep the subway tile, turquoise island, and white upper cabinets & shelving {we've already removed many of our cabinet doors to give us the illusion of open shelving} but paint the LOWER cabinets a different colour.

A bold colour like a deep, rich, navy blue, I'm thinking after spying these pics

{sources also available on my Pinterest}

or maybe a warmer shade?

What do y'all think?

I still adore the all white, but people have done much more for love no?

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