A day in my life

I decided that on Monday, I would record everything that I did in one day. I did it partly to show Dan why I'm so tired at the end of the day, and partly to brag to him about what I CAN do in one day (thanks to the 3 hour nap). It was quite amazing to quantify everything that I accomplished in one day. It also showed why I don't get MORE done in a day (yah, a whole hour of crying/snuggling) So I decided to share it with you. Please don't take this to be a regular day....the stars just happened to align and I got a lot done. The next day was full of tears (Joel's) and teething. Nothing else really got done. Believe me...I think I reheated a meal from the freezer to eat for dinner. 8:15 am I woke up to hear Joel munching around. I refused to get up quite yet (I just need those few extra minutes) and I know that Joel will go back to sleep 8:30 am I finally wake up (somewhat reluctantly) and start pumping while I watch some early morning tv (family feud anyone?) 9:15 am Finish pumping, clean up supplies, prepare for a shower 9:30 am Shower (oh glorious hot, hot water!) 9:45 am Breakfast, say good-bye to Dan 10:00 am Start first load of laundry, wash bottles, fill water glasses 10:15 am Wake up Joel, change his diaper and realize that he smells! Bathe Joel, lotion him, dress him and brush his hair 10:35 am Switch laundry to dryer, start second load 10:45 am Feed Joel, wash bottle 10:55 am Empty laundry rack, and hang non-dryerable laundry on drying rack, replace change pad cover since Joel peed on it earlier, get mail and read it 11:07 am Joel plays on play mat, I hand wash laundry (two sweaters) and salad spin it dry. Two breaks to change Joel to different activities, to help suffice him until I'm done 11:20 am Feed Joel, change him (second of the day), put him to bed 11:31 am Remove plastic wrappers from breast pads, prepare recycling to take across the hall while I... 11:39 am Switch laundry over, wash salad spinner, fold first load of laundry and put it away 11:52 am Make lunch, prepare pump 12:00 pm Watch news while eating lunch 12:10 pm Start pumping 12:40 pm Remove laundry from dryer, wash dishes, eat salad, fold laundry 1:15 pm Organize Joel's clothes (just had a baby shower, and need to organize sizes) 2:05 pm Joel wakes up, change diaper (#3), feed him 2:20 pm Back to organizing Joel's clothes, with a small break to answer the door and receive a package 2:45 pm Feed Joel, clean up last of laundry 3:05 pm Playtime with Joel (that didn't last long!), Feed again, He cries and teethes. I make a new bottle, and change diaper (#4) 4:06 pm Snuggles with Joel, intermittent crying, talk with Dan on the phone 4:30 pm Joel to bed, clean up last of laundry, fill water glasses again, clean bottles and pump from lunch 4:45pm Make dinner (throw leftovers in a pot soup), run dishwasher, clean up 5:00 pm Pump while menu planning for the week and creating shopping list 5:40 pm Relax...and stir the soup 4 times 6:00 pm Check email, wash pump and bottles 6:20 pm Dan comes home, Joel wakes up, diaper change (#5) 6:25 pm Diaper change (#6) Gotta love those surprise squirts 6:33 pm Eat dinner 6:46 pm Clean up dinner, talk with Dan and feed Joel, prepare to go out 7:22 pm Walk to grocery store and get groceries 8:42pm Return home, put away groceries, diaper change (#7) 9:03 pm Play with Joel, change him into PJ's, feed him, 9:33 pm Let the crying begin, intermittent with trying to feed him 10:47 pm Joel finally falls asleep, I quickly get ready for bed 11:00 pm In bed, and fall asleep in about 10 minutes

It wasn't me!

 Honestly! I didn't do it! A complete change of clothes, new sheets, one bath, and a few tears later and Joel was back in bed. Good thing we cleaned all that puke off his face.

Bike Ride

 It was very evident what Joel thought about his first bike ride. Eventually he did calm down and actually fell asleep.

 We went for a quick ride around Fishtrap Creek. 

I actually took this picture while riding my bike. You can see that Joel seemed to calm down and started to enjoy it.

Free the Fridge Friday!

Its time to rid the fridge of those leftovers! Free the Fridge Friday is what its dubbed in our household. And in the words of 4 year old Cypress, "I like the way it sounds. But I don't like the way it tastes."

Cake Monster

 Quick! Nobodys looking! 

Just one little bite!

 Mmmmm! So tasty! 

BUSTED! I swear it wasn't me!

Dang! My frugal ways!

I couldn't let it go to waste. I just couldn't throw out that top layer of cake or the white chocolate cream cheese layer underneath. So I put it on the cake. The sad thing is that I would rather have an ugly cake, than waste a layer! Its not like I don't have enough cake to go around. For some reason this recipe makes 1.5 tuxedo cakes, but I stretch it to make 2 whole cakes. (But my stretching skills this time around weren't as good since I cut the cake too thin and it broke, hence its ugliness).

Earth Day

This year, for Joel's first Earth Day, we celebrated by lighting candles and playing board games. Joel was enthralled by the candles and even tried to reach out and touch them.

So, what's new with you?

Oh how I loathe this question. It seems to be the most commonly asked question, meant to open up conversation. But I hate this question. I really never know how to answer it. Probably because what's new with me is this:

and this:

and this.

It really not exciting to talk about....or listen to for that matter (except for maybe Joel, but not all the time). I guess I find it hard to answer the question simply because my days are often filled with laundry, grocery shopping, dishes, pumping breast milk, preparing dinner and looking after Joel.

I never really realized how lonely motherhood can be. Days and hours are filled busying yourself around the house, cooking and cleaning. On occasion, you get a break to blog, read a book or take a walk. But mostly my days are filled with tasks that need to get done to make the household run. I purposely try to get all those things done so when Dan gets home, we get to hang out and talk. (Poor Dan, his ears must hurt by bedtime!!!) But the reality is, I don't have anyone to talk to, except Joel, who can't talk back yet. And even when he learns to talk in a year or two, it isn't adult conversation (yes, Joel! that is a doggy!). I remember when I was nannying Cypress and River up at their house in the boonies, that the one time we got to go to a play group, I was so excited to talk with another adult. Yep, that conversation about yeast infections was the best thing ever!

So when people ask, what's new with you? I get discouraged. I wish I had more to share. I wish there was so clever antidote to share other than breast milk stains your clothes. Now I know why mothers often feel as though they have lost themselves. Your entire life is serving and taking care of others.

So for Lent, I decided not to give up anything (although giving up some cleaning and cooking would be awesome), but to add something to my life. I decided that I would try to do things that I enjoy doing. I am trying to blog, read, scrapbook and just relax more. I am trying to stop wasting time on the Internet or watching daytime TV, and do all those things that I've given up for 3 months. This isn't a regimented daily task I must complete. Every parent knows that the best laid plans are often foiled (yah teething!). But just a desire to feel more like person and less like a mom.

Liquid Gold

No, we aren't talking about Starbucks or oil, we are talking about breast milk. We've mentioned before how I've been blessed with an overabundance of milk for Joel. So much in fact, that we've decided to share it. We've decided to donate the 'extra' to BC Woman and Children's Hospital Milk Bank. They use the milk that we donate to feed babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, babies with failure to thrive, transplant patients and so much more. After two months of an intensive screening process, I was finally able to free my freezer from the breast milk we've been storing and donate my first batch to the bank. Normally, they expect a normal woman to pump an extra ounce a day for 100 days to meet the minimum donation commitment of 100oz. I donated what they would accept (no pumping's from Joel's hospital stay) and from when I started pumping for a total of 6 weeks of donations. We were "surprised" to see that I met my commitment.....three times over....for a grand total donation of 325.5 oz. The duty nurse who accepted my donation, was surprised to hear how little Joel still was and made a comment on how blessed I was. I have finally accepted that having an abundance of breast milk is a blessing. Being able to use this abundance has finally solidified that notion in me. When Joel was first born I considered it a curse. Being soaking wet all the time, having to wear dish rags in my bra to absorb the extra milk and sleeping on numerous towels were just some of the perils I lived through. It didn't help that Joel was a lazy latcher (he didn't need to latch to get any milk, he could just open his mouth and it would pour in). Eventually it became a blessing and a curse. I was blessed to be able to help other babies, but was still frustrated with wet tops and difficulty breastfeeding. But time has passed and I have been told countless times that I am blessed to have more milk than to struggle to make enough to feed my baby. I have come to terms with pumping milk into a bottle for Joel to help him grow without drowning in my milk. I have come to realize that this is a blessing. When Joel had his major growth spurt recently, I had more than enough milk for him and wasn't having to deal with a baby who couldn't get enough to eat. What I thought was a curse has turned into a glorious blessing. Even more so, now that we have been able to donate the milk and know someone who might possibly need it for her little boy. It truly is liquid gold!

200th Post!!!

Here we are, post number 200! It's taken us just under 2 years to get here. Looking back over our posts it is very interesting to see how we've grown, the places we've been and all that we have experienced. Having a blog is a journal of sorts, a journal for our lives that we get to share with others. It's been a blessing and a joy to share our lives with those of you that read it and follow along with us. Here's to the next 2 years of posts!