Martini Momma

Mama's girl

I'm afraid I have a mama's girl on my hands. Secretly, I'm happy she loves me so much!! For the last few weeks she only wants to be home and with her mom. There is no issue when we go out, out to the grocery store, out for a walk, out running any type of errand. The problem comes into play whenever we go to someone else's house. The second issue comes into play whenever anyone gets too "in her face".  Immediately, the flood gates open and trying to get them to stop is challenging to say the least. The funny thing I've noticed is that the more a baby cries, the more people get close to them like they've got the secret weapon to make it all just magically stop. 

I'm not sure why other people's environments have become such a problem.  Does she not feel comfortable? Does she miss her own "things"? Is she scared I'm going to leave her there?  I know this is the first of many phases I'm going to be faced with, but it can't last too long, we've got places to go and people to see!  As for now, I'm happy to snuggle her as much as I can.

Happy Birthday Mol

What would I do without my sister? Who would I run to every day with my latest question about Ivy? Who would I spend my time with?

We are rapidly approaching the five year mark of losing mom, a journey that has been difficult to say the least. Needless to say, these past years would not have been possible without eachothers shoulders to cry on.  Thankfully, you have taken on the role of mom in my life.  You cheer me on with enthusiasm, celebrate every important moment in my life, and let me be me without passing judgement.  We tell eachother everything (yes, even things our husbands think we shouldn't), we laugh and gossip together, we talk reality TV and real estate, we share hopes and dreams. How lucky are we!

The greatest gift you have given me Mol is your 3 babies who I adore like my own.  They each carry qualities of you that are unmistakable.  Ty, with your sensitivity and worry.  Mags, with your fire and stubbornness, and Sadie with your happiness and love for life.  My little Ivy is beyond blessed to have an Auntie who adores her the way you do. Unfortunately, most of our time together is dominated by the demands of our children, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I wish you a fabulous birthday my sister with a year full of love, laughter, and happiness. I am so lucky to have you as part of my life and look forward to the many years ahead xoxo

I finally did it

I hear you Mol.  It's hard to find things that are exciting on a daily basis to blog about.  I could write forever about Ivy, but how fun is that for our friends that read.  I love writing about the highlights in her life and about the new challenges motherhood brings, but to be honest, most of our days are the same, just get togethers with different people. 

With that being said, I did something this week that I swore I would never do.  I'm just going to come out and say it, I joined Facebook.  For years, along with my sister, I swore I would never do it.  Why would you want to reconnect with people from your past life that you haven't given a second thought to in years?? Well now I understand why people love it. I have reconnected with my friend Lindsay who lives in Australia, a bunch of my old Keg friends who have since left Winnipeg, and a bunch of girls I spent so much time roaming the halls of River East Collegiate with. I must admit that it is neat to see who married who, what people are up to now, and who is still friends with eachother.  The novelty has already worn off a bit, I mean I do have 79 friends!!! (Mol, in case your wondering, that is a very small amount). Anyways, it is a great way to communicate with people who you do like and to see pics of them and their families, plus, in my class the other night we learned that the most common place to recruit new employees these days is  Facebook.  One of my friends said to me the other day, "Welcome to 2010 Katie".  It took me a while to get here, but I simply can't fight it anymore, Facebook is my friend!!

Happiness and Hormones

This weekend was spent still fighting this nasty cold and staying close to home. These days home is exactly where we like to be. Cold weather = comfy clothes, lots of movies, and plenty of laughter as we never knew a small smile and little giggle could light up our home.

For the last couple of weeks, Ivy has been trying as hard as she possibly can to roll over.  Well, Saturday morning her first milestone was achieved. I have been cheering her on with every attempt and this time it worked!!! If anyone would have been listening outside our door they would have thought I was crazy. I was so excited, what a big day in her little life! We immediately called Daddy at work as he too has been on the edge of his seat waiting for her to finally make the roll. As I hung up the phone, my excitement quickly turned into sadness as I realized my girl is growing way to quick for my liking (have I mentioned that my hormones are out of control these days).  At the drop of a hat my smile turned into tears, happy tears, but tears none the less. What is going on with me????

I finally understand the excitement my mom used to unleash with every milestone in our lives (both big and small). These tiny accomplishments in her life may be just that, tiny, but they are all part of the bigger picture. As one proud mama, I know for certain that I will be there to cheer her on with enthusiasm and excitement through every "tiny" event in her life.

 
 

Weight loss

I've been giving a lot of thought to my weight loss goal over the past few days.  I've been eating well, but the exercising has slowed.  Having a bad cold last week threw me off course and for years and years season change has effected my joints.  It was so bad this week that I could barley walk up a flight of stairs and I'm still in quite a bit  of pain. Anyways, when the number doesn't go down on the scale I get frustrated and discouraged even though I'm feeling good. My body is still clearly going through changes and my hormones are still out of wack. I am just starting to feel like my body is becoming mine again so I think I need to keep doing what I'm doing, but not put so much pressure on myself right out of the gate.  My main goal needs to be feeling good, not the number on the scale.  YES, I absolutely want to reach my goal and I am going to reach it, but I don't want to live and die by the number. I'm still down five pounds and I know that number will continue to drop in the next few months.  I will continue to keep you up to date on my progress, but without the pressure(my own pressure).  Right now I feel like if I haven't lost any weight on weigh in day I don't want to write about it so I'm not going to.  Instead I'm going to keep you posted as I do make progress, maybe every couple of weeks instead.  Happy Thursday- only one more work day to go!!!

What's going on???

I have been so blessed with a good sleeper.  Ivy has been pulling 6,7,8 hour sleeps in pretty much since we brought her home (I know, it's crazy).  Then came last night. I was up with her 15 times I kid you not.  She was completely unsettled, hungry, miserable.  By the 6th and 7th times up,  I was cursing at my sleeping husband as I dragged myself back into her room to pop the soother back in or to try to get another burp out of her.  We are almost three months old, could this be related to growing?? She is also starting to break out of her swaddle which is amazing considering how snug she is when we put her down. I don't feel like she is ready to sleep hands free due to the fact that she wakes herself up so easily by constantly touching her face. She was coughing and sneezing a bit this morning so being sick is definitely not out of the question, but her naps over the last few days have been broken and virtually non existent.  Do growth spurts affect their sleep or was this just a bad night?? Are there other signs I need to be watching for as far as being sick goes??  HELP, I can't take another night like that.

Searching for balance

My sweet sister came over today on her lunch hour to bring me soup. We haven't seen each other all week since I've been fighting this cold so a quick visit was in order. She got a chance to cuddle Ivy with no other kids around vying for her attention-that never happens. We got talking about how much life changes when a baby enters the mix. I am finding that more often than not these days. The hardest part of parenting is sharing the responsibilities in our household and finding that balance between "I worked all day", and "I was at home with our daughter all day". By the time Jared gets home from work I am ready to switch off.  By the time he gets home from work, he's ready to unwind. Yes, of course he's anxious to see the babe, but he is as tired as I am.  Being at home is hard work and as much as I love spending this quality time at home with Ivy, there are days that I would gladly go to work just so I don't have to sterilize another bottle or empty another load of dishes (is that terrible??). I believe that both of us are entitled to our own time, but because of the lack of babysitters, our own time is never time together. We are still new parents adjusting to life with child, but I am searching for balance.  Mollie assures me that all new mom's feel this way at some point or another, is she right???

***Here are some new pics of my sweet babe (I know, her hair is wild!!)***

 

 

Weigh in Wednesday

Well this week was the first week that I have fallen off the weight loss plan, not so much with the eating, but with the exercising.  We had people staying with us all weekend and yesterday I was struck with this terrible cold. My coughing is out of control and I really have been sleeping when my baby sleeps so that I can get better soon.  We're staying close to home this weekend and I am looking forward to every moment of it. 

The weight is not coming off as fast as I would like but it is slowly coming off.  It's time to step up my game in the upcoming weeks if I want to reach my goal.  I am making a cautious effort to drink more water (something I'm not very good at) and also not to eat after 8pm.  I'm doing really good with my portion sizes and have been saying no to any tempting foods at the grocery store rather than bringing them into the house and being faced with the decision here (poor Jared-no junk).

Here are the stats....

Weight loss to date:  5 lbs

Pounds to go:  18

Weeks to go: 8

Exercise this week: Only 2 x 4km runs

It is so easy for me to fall off my plan so every day I have to remind myself how good I feel when I am on track- that is motivation enough.

Friends

This weekend we had some of our good friends from Calgary staying with us. Sean and Dan used to frequent the bar I worked at out there. We instantly clicked and became great friends. Over the years I lived in Calgary I spent way too many nights having way too much fun with them. Jared used to come visit me at work so I finally introduced him to the boys so he wouldn't have to sit alone at the bar,and of course, they became good buddies. They come in for the Banjo Bowl every year being that they are Rider fans and it's an excuse to visit us.  It was the first time they met our little girl and they instantly fell in love with her (what's not to love!). We always have a great time with them, lots of laughs, good conversations, and lots of trash talking between the boys. Dan lives in Canmore and is a total foodie and wine connoisseur. The two of us spent most of the weekend talking about his recent trips to Napa and what new trends are out there in the restaurant world (oh the life of a single man). Jared and I used to love driving up to Canmore. We would hike in the morning and then sit on a patio all afternoon (Winter or Summer). I absolutely loved the feeling I would get when we were there.  Fabulous restaurants, funky stores, and friendly people all surrounded by the mountains. It is the one place that I would move to in a heartbeat provided my family would come with me. I have never regretted my move back to Winnipeg, but I do miss that drive to the mountains.

I went to the big game with them yesterday and quickly remembered that I don't really like the games.  I don't understand the rules, I mostly people watch, and beer in the afternoon makes me tired. Jared's mom babysat for us so it was nice to get out and enjoy some much deserved time with my husband. Ivy was a perfect angel for Grandma being that she slept for a good portion of the day.  As much as I enjoyed being out, I found myself thinking about my little girl and talking about her even more. As Jared intensely watched the game, I talked his ear off about her. I am starting to learn that your brain never shuts off from these little ones.  I strongly believe in "me" time and quality husband time, but I have to say, when I got home, I realized there is no place I'd rather be. It was a fabulous weekend with great friends who we don't get to see often enough. I'm beginning to think a trip back to our old stomping grounds is in the near future.

The small things

****My weigh in will be tomorrow***

It's funny how really small things can make your day.  Today Ivy and I ventured out to Polo Park to do some returns. She was so good while we were there that I was able to take the time to admire the fall fashion (and wish I had an endless supply of money to deck myself out in it). I absolutely love the Bay at Polo Park.  It's such a beautiful store with gorgeous clothes displayed everywhere you turn-some more affordable than others. Mollie told me that the new Dex line was super reasonable and really cute, that is in fact true.  Lots of beautiful sweaters, leggings, shirts all around the $25- $40 range if your getting tired of heading out to Joe for all things affordable. A nice relaxing day at the mall with Starbucks and baby.

After the mall we decided to take Daddy coffee and cookies to work.  He was surprised that we ventured to the other side of the city to see him. He always totes his daughter around proud as can be when we visit. He called me after we left to tell me that us showing up made his day.  It was just the afternoon pick-me-up that he needed to make it through the rest of his day. It makes me happy that he likes when we come visit.

When we got home from our adventure, Ivy went down seamlessly for her afternoon nap (you mom's know what a great feeling that is).  I was able to make dinner, tidy up, and I even managed to sit down with a cup of coffee and watch Oprah.  My husband walked in with the mail in hand, of course, bills bills bills. Is it just me or is getting the mail depressing? As I opened up our hydro bill I was pleasantly surprised- a $300 credit.  When do you ever get a credit?

Anyways, it made me think how the smallest things in life can make you the happiest.