First camping trip

The Babe's first camping trip started off with a bang. Literally. Less than a kilometer past the Vedder Road exit in Chilliwack we blew a tire on the motor home we borrowed for the weekend. Awesome. At least we had food to get us through the two hour wait for BCAA roadside assistance.

When we arrived at our campsite, we rushed to get the Babe down for a nap in the hopes this will start two days of good sleeping. It works, somewhat. She wakes frequently to feed the first night, but goes right back to sleep each time. Can't say the same for me. Staying in a motorhome with my husband, a baby, another couple and a beagle that snores louder than most humans is a bit much to take.

Plus, camping with a baby is hard. Much harder than either myself or my husband anticipated. Because she can't walk or sit at the picnic table unassisted, we were holding her much more than any of us, her included, would prefer to. She's becoming fiercely independent and would rather be crawling and exploring than sitting and playing with Sophie the Giraffe. So being in the pack & play didn't entertain her for long.

Feeding a baby in a motor home is the same as trying to feed a baby in a restaurant which doesn't have high chairs. She sat on my lap as I tried to navigate the spoon towards her mouth while looking at the back of her head. Easy right? Oh, and the motor home is borrowed so I was also trying to get her not to smear food all over the upholstery. Point: Mom. Yes!

I forgot how cold 6:30am is out in the wilderness. I did not pack properly for the Babe and ended up wrapping her in my sweatshirt and a fleece blanket until I could beg a ride to the Walmart a half hour away and buy her the only thick baby sweater they sold, a Joseph & The Technicolour Dreamcoat-esque style one, only in baby girl neon colours. I also bought too big pants, 3 pairs of socks, and two hats. We only had one night left. Safe to say I felt a little bit of Mommy guilt.

We made it through the weekend. Kudos to the couple we were camping with, who do not have kids yet, but didn't say a peep about all the nap times, which meant not entering the motorhome for two hours, or the one hour pack up and hike to the beach with a shit ton of stuff, only to go in the water once, determine it too cold to stay in, and then get out and hike back up to the campsite for, you guessed it, nap time.

Will we do it again? Not this year, as the short summer appears to be drawing to a close. Next year? The jury's still out on that one. But I think the Babe had a good time, so that's all that matters...

~ H

Cutting teeth

It's been a sleepless week or so over here, as the Babe is cutting both her front teeth at the same time. I feel as though I'm walking around in a haze; the most consecutive sleep I've had in about two weeks is three hours. Friends have commented that I seem a little off, and I feel a lot off.

It sucks going to bed every night filled with dread, instead of relief. Wondering how long you've got until those piercing wails wake you up. Hoping tonight is the night your baby decides to join the club of sleeping through the night, only to be disappointed. We had a good thing going for awhile there, only one or two quick feeds in the night and then back to sleep. But now with the teeth, it seems we have entered a new phase of 1am party time. I'm not having it. It's not party time. It's sleep time. Get the memo Babe and go back to sleep.

This lack of sleep is also doing wonders for my marriage. It is hard not to be snippy to one another, just because we're so damned tired. I'm hopeful that once these two top teeth fully break through that some sleep is in our cards. Fingers crossed.

~ H

Your relationship magnified

I haven't yet posted about what happens to your relationship once baby arrives because I hadn't asked my husband if he was cool with that kind of a post. The kind where I tell the truth and say that somedays, not everyday, but somedays having a baby can make your relationship more work than it was before. Your problems, quirks and quarks can easily explode in the pressure cooker mix of lack of sleep, confusing baby cries and self-doubt. An innocent question such as "did you feed her on both sides?" is received as "obviously if you had fed her on both sides she would not be crying now. You should know that by now. You're a bad mother." Yelling and tears quickly ensue, as hormones are running rampant. But we've never had that happen to us ;)

There's the soother debate, the legal guardian "discussion", and the realization that a cleaning fairy does not magically appear when you have a baby. These used to be things we could talk about calmly, but our voices seem to get louder now. All of sudden staying home with the baby can turn into staring at an unkempt house and wanting help. A lot of help. And a maid and a cook. When your partner comes home, those observations have now turned into a list, a discussion and sometimes, a fight. You've read my previous post on lists - I love lists! But when there's things on the list that are not fun or hard to do, those often spark heated debates, more heated then before.

Maybe it's because I'm tired and sore a lot. Maybe it's because not working is unfamiliar to me and I am sometimes resentful of my husband getting to have more child-free time than I do during the day.

I now repeat what I hear in a heated conversation, so my husband has a chance to defend himself or clarify what I *think* he's saying. I try really hard at home. I hired a cleaning lady to come once a month. And I've resigned myself to the fact that the laundry will never completely be all done. Oh well, you can wear the same pair of underwear 4 days in a row right? ;)

~ H

Come support the Children's Hospital!

Today's post is to let you all know about a fantastic event happening this weekend in Port Coquitlam. Some friends are putting on a humongous garage sale with all proceeds going to the Children's Hospital. I have seen the stuff coming in and there is something for everyone! There will be also refreshments for sale, because it's going to be warm one.

The garage sale runs 9:00a.m. until 2:00p.m. and early birds will be charged double! The address is 3345 Flint Street, Port Coquitlam. For those of you familiar with PoCo, it is across the street from Kwayquitlam Middle School.

"My mom bought this at a swap meet and look at how happy it makes me! Come spend your dineros - it's for the kids people!"

Social norms

Today and tonight I had discussions with my daughter about what is socially acceptable. For example: it is not socially acceptable to scream in someone else's car. It is socially acceptable to stare at people in Costco as long as they don't catch you staring. It is not socially acceptable to pull the LAN cord out of the modem for your own enjoyment, especially at other people's houses. It is okay to scream during boot camp, if your mom needs a break. It is not okay to make raspberries with a mouthful of applesauce. It is socially acceptable to choke on your food, but not to throw up in your mom's hand.

And most importantly, it is not socially acceptable to poop in the bathtub. The first time it is funny, yes, and the second time even warrants a little giggle. But the fourth time is just wrong. Wrong!

~ H

Having trouble staying motivated

With life. With fitness. With sleep training. With budgeting. Apparently with blogging too, judging by the date on my last post. I love starting things. Developing a new project gets my blood pumping. But I always need an extra push to stay motivated. At work I don't seem to have problem, but perhaps that's because no one can fire you from your own life. Add a baby into the mix and now I almost always have an excuse not to finish things. Didn't do the dishes? The Babe was fussy. Forgot to work out for the last week (okay month)? The Babe was teething so no one was getting any sleep, hence the lack of energy to exercise. Haven't blogged in a week? That's because I can't sort out what to blog about. And the Babe was fussy ;) Maybe it's because I'm a Taurus, or a Dog, or a little scatterbrained. Or all of the above. But when the adrenalin wears off, I'm usually the first to hop off the productive bus.

So I have asked for help, because motivation doesn't always solely come from within. I've signed up for stroller boot camp, ugh. Every week for the next month I'll be twisting my mouth into a grimace at a local park. Please help me group fitness instructor, to return to a summer body I can love. I've made a budget and asked the husband to help me work the system I've created. Please help me BabySteals by not posting anything cute or exceptionally well-priced for the next month. I'm blogging tonight while the Babe sleeps, so there's two things done. Please help me readers, by commenting on my posts ;p

~ H

Making baby food

I love making baby food. It is calming and it brings me peace. I can't eff up the recipe because there's usually only one or two ingredients. I can't overcook it because it has to turn to mush anyways. I like knowing what I am feeding my baby, where it came from and how it was processed. I like that we are trying new combinations, introducing meats, and even cheese! I love that the food is starting to smell like food and less like barf.

The only thing I don't like is the fear. The fear the Babe will hate it. Even worse, the fear she will be allergic to it. We've had one reaction, and now I'm always on the lookout for the slightest pink tinge on her skin or upset stomach. But so far, so good, and she only hates one food - butternut squash. Which isn't my favourite either ;)

~ H