Monday, July 30, 2012

dog days and baby blues

the dog days of summer are upon us.
actually, it's not as hot as it has been, so why am i complaining?

It's just that the days are starting to drag on and most of the exciting things I was looking forward to for the summer are behind us. Our trip out west is still to come and for that i am SO excited, but even so, these last few days i have been in a rut. i'm not going to lie about it, either. some of it is due to the fact that slowly but surely i am starting to feel just trapped. rosie still won't take a bottle. we've tried a few times, possibly not enough, and she still doesn't really understand how to suck on the nipple of a bottle. it just eludes her. i love breastfeeding, but sometimes, god forbid, i just crave a little freedom. as a reformed party girl, i'm feeling the need to have just one night out on the town with some good friends and a few beers. just one night?

i feel like mom's are never supposed to make such declarations. doing so makes us seem self-indulgent, reckless and irresponsible, but i don't think that it should. I love my little bud and she is the most wonderful thing i could ever imagine, but i don't think women should be stigmatized for needing more than just motherhood to feel fulfilled. I know that this is just a typical mid-summer slump and i'll be over it in no time, but i just wanted to put an honest voice out into the world to say that it's okay to want to break free every once and awhile, just as long as you keep your priorities straight.
and now, i've got a dress to sew! for my brother-in-law's wedding... wish me luck!

Friday, July 27, 2012

3 months! (and one day... oops)

rosebud is three months old!

she is now over 14 pounds and almost two feet tall! she smiles more and more every day... except on the grumpy, serious days. she thinks she is a grown up and almost always wants to be sitting or standing up, except when nursing. she even tries to sit up on her own but can't do it and gets tired and frustrated, the sweet little bean.
she giggles sometimes and when she smiles she smiles with her whole face, eyes aglow and cheeks round and soft and pink like a peach.
her little hands are what really does me in. i love when i hold onto her and she grabs my shirt with one hand, or places her little hand on my chest.
why can't we bottle up that feeling and keep it forever? and that baby smell, ohhhh the smell.
keep on smiling, little girl, keep on talking. mama's listening.
xox
(look at that little hand, fingers just tickling me ever so slightly as she looks at her world. oh, sweet little hand.)

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

camping trip!

Our camping trip was a success!

I think that one key to a successful camping trip with a new little one is taking your first venture into the wilderness to a friend's cabin or some place close to home - for us, it was the former. We went to a good friend of Rosie's Uncle Joe's place. His name is Brent and he has a beautiful little cabin south-west of the city that he shares with his brother. The cabin was great and having it there meant that we ate well and had running water and a flushable toilet accessible at all times. We didn't stay in the cabin, though (even though we could have!) We set up our little tent with an air mattress, a flannel sheet and two sleeping bags. It was lovely!

The fresh air made rosie sleep better than ever and we were free to stay up into the early morning having a few beers and hanging out with our friends without too much worry. We set up the tent far enough away that we didn't have to worry about being too loud but would most certainly hear her if she cried, but we made sure to check on her repeatedly through the night. B. and I still went to bed pretty early and we all had pretty much the best sleep ever. We even had the chance to go for a quick boat ride (a friend watched rosie for us, thanks!) and swim the next day!!! We'll definitely be doing this again, and soon!

here are a few choice photo's from what was one of the best camping trips ever!

(the nearby lake was called lac st. francois, and is part of the st. lawrence seaway. this part of the lake pretty much spans the quebec, ontario and US borders and is just beautiful. So clean, too! I sincerely hope to have the opportunity to be on it again, and soon!)

Saturday, July 21, 2012

a family affair.

we are finally taking rosebud camping this weekend. wish us luck!

B. is playing a little music fest and I'll just say right now my new favourite thing is when he plays shows that are kid friendly so that we can make it a full family affair.

On wednesday, B. played a show with one of his many bands, filly and the flops. Their lead singer, Felicity, is due at the end of september but still given'r hard and soo good. I just love being a feisty lady on stage with a big ol' baby belly to boot! The show was great and it was an outdoor, all ages event and I saw kids of all ages there shaking their little behinds! Rosie is such a trooper. we danced for awhile and I nursed her a bit before she fell asleep on Felicity's Aunt as the evening drew to a close and it was pretty much the best time i've had for while. As much fun as it was when none of us had friends and we drank and sang into the early hours of the morning, I'm so so happy with our lives with new little babes to share in the fun. These are precious moments i don't want to forget.

Friday, July 13, 2012

rosie plays piano!

yesterday, rosie and her daddy did one of the cutest thngs they have other done together, and I am going to post it all over the internet because yes, i am one of those moms.
here she is!!!

hubby thinks she is a natural because she actually uses her individual fingers to play notes rather than just slamming on the keys with her hands. obviously i agree.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

5 reasons Masterchef Australia is 'heaps' better than Masterchef US

In the days when rosie was a newborn and we were still working on hitting our stride with nursing, i needed a tv show to watch that could take my mind off of my pain/discomfort and get me through long feedings when I could not move an inch lest totally ruin our nursing session. Those were the days before The Nanny was on netflix, so somehow, on one unremarkable day, Masterchef Australia became this show.
Our tedious breastfeeding times are over and we kick ass at it now but i still love to watch it! and I watch the US one too! But for anybody who cares, which I assume is nobody, this is a list of five reasons why Masterchef Australia beats Masterchef US in the contest of my opinion.

1- it airs 5 days a week.
simple logic means that even if masterchef AU didn't offer better than it's US counterpart in quality (which it does), it would still most likely win just because there is more of it.

2- the contestants actually like each other.
Like actually! they help each other! they don't talk bad about one another! They hug each other often! Masterchef AU is like a beautiful cooking utopia where everybody is nice and avocados grow on trees. If I had to decide which was a better country all round based only on these two tv shows, Australia would win hands down. (no offense, americans, but masterchef US kind of just makes everybody look like a huge dick)

3- the judges actually care about the contestants
They help them out! They offer them tips and tricks and i'll be darned if I can remember any one time where they berated, shamed or otherwise belittled any of the contestants. Even when they do have negative things to say about somebodies food, they do it in a nice almost apologetic way. I love them.

4- I've actually learned something!
At the end of each week, they have this thing called the masterchef masterclass where the judges and some guest chefs teach the contestants how to make some of their signature dishes and offer up tricks of the trade. Combine this masterclass with the little tidbits of culinary expertise that are thrown in each of the other episodes and you have a show that actually kind of enriches this viewer's life. Thanks Masterchef AU!

5- The drama doesn't seem as contrived.
This is kind of related to number 2, but different. It also is kind of related to 'reality' tv in general. Basically, when watching Masterchef US, you kind of get the impression after awhile that the contestants are encouraged to shit talk each other and the editors are encouraged to make every mundane detail into the hugest drama ever. subsequently, everything seems dishonest and eventually my desire to beat my head against a wall strts to win out over my desire to actually finish the episode. Masterchef AU does have it's drama and uses the typical cliffhanger-before-commercial-break trick, but all in all i find it much less desperate for ratings than Fox' US version, which isn't much of a surprise in itself.

BONUS REASON!
It's a novelty!
let's face it, it's just kind of got this adorable quality about it just because as a canandian i am exposed to the odd (usually pretty bad) bit of Canadian programming, but most of the shows i watch are produced in the US about people in the US. Masterchef AU is a beautiful gust of fresh air. (and yes, they have accents.)

Masterchef Australia
this isn't a sponsored post, i actually just really love the show.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

goodbye little buddy

Blake's parents left yesterday morning after being in town all week. We all had a great time but it was a bit of a whirlwind of activity.

Thursday afternoon, the in-laws took rosie and I to Canadian tire where we picked up some things for the house. I also finally picked up a collar with a bell on it for our one-year-old kitty, JJ, who has been known to kill a bird or two in his time. On Friday evening I started to get really worried because I hadn't seen JJ yet and I was looking forward to putting on his new collar. the weather was great so i pushed my worries aside and told myself he was probably just exploring the neighbourhood. I wish this had been true.

When we woke up on Saturday morning, Blake's parents complained of a bad smell in the air and my heart stopped. Blake found our JJ right away, curled up in our front yard, under the stairs leading to the apartments above ours... he was gone.

my heart is broken. I feel awful because he was such a good little kitty, but since rosebud was born I haven't been showering him with the love her deserved. I wish that we had looked for him sooner and that we could have somehow helped him, even though I know we probably couldn't have. Blake says he thinks he was hit by a car and it seems as though his injuries would have killed him pretty much right away. I just hope he wasn't in much pain and that in his final moments he knew that he was a good boy and loved by his family.

We had JJ for less than a year, but he was a special part of our family. When we adopted him, he had been save from the streets by the mother of a friend. She was looking for a home for him because she couldn't keep him, and when I saw the picture of him she had posted to facebook I knew he had to be mine; his colouring matched that of my childhood kitty Shadow, who passed away last year. JJ started out skittish and shy. The first week he lived with us he spent hiding under the frame of our futon. We nurtured him with love and he became confident but always had a sweet curiosity that made him a pleasure to be around. During much of my pregnancy I was lethargic and miserable, but JJ was always there for me and his love and companionship soothed me through those rough days. He was my baby before my real baby came.

goodbye my sweet JJ, mommy still loves you and always will.