Emily's Latest

So here's what's up

2012-01-18T20:21:00.003-05:00

We found out at Christmas that my husband got a new job, starting February 6, 3500 km away in Calgary! So... our house is up for sale, and meanwhile we have to find a place to live there.

The three of us flew out a couple weeks ago for a weekend and viewed about 20 houses. We saw one that we loved, but it had a couple of things that gave us pause - a preserved wood foundation instead of concrete, and it backs onto a golf course that has been sold to a developer - and there's no way of knowing what's going to be put in directly behind it. We've looked at the developer's website, which shows a neighbourhood full of trees and a green belt where the house backs on to - but anyone who's seen a developer's plan versus the reality of neighbourhood construction knows things can change and trees are often just a pretty fantasy. We contacted the City planner to find out if plans have been submitted, and the answer is no. The wood foundation is okay, if it's in good condition (life span of preserved wood is 98 years, concrete is 103) - but it has a stigma to it that can hurt resale.

We also took a look at a show home of a custom builder. Very nice - at $1.2 million bucks! The house we are considering building would be less than that! However, on discussing with the builder since then, there are all sorts of costs they keep adding on to the amount they initially proposed. It's kind of a rehash of our last experience with a builder, which was an ordeal we're not eager to repeat.

All that pause and hemming and hawing - we finally decided to put an offer in on the house we loved. I was so excited. It's truly a beautiful home. And... a couple hours before we could sign it, our real estate agent emailed to tell us the house has sold. It had been on the market since May, and suddenly it's gone. I'm so disappointed.

Meanwhile... my husband starts work in three weeks there, our house hasn't sold yet, we have nowhere to live there, and no real solid prospects for houses at this point.

Stress? Oh, my. I'm drowning in it.

Here's to...

2012-01-01T12:50:00.000-05:00

Another big year!

2011 was a huge year for us - the birth of our long-awaited daughter, living in Calgary for three months while she was an infant, traveling across Canada and taking a Western Mediterranean cruise with her... It has been a heck of a ride.

Soon comes her first birthday (wow - where did the time go?). We are preparing for another huge, eventful year in our family and look forward to sharing it with you!

Holiday Appetizers

2011-12-24T21:50:00.004-05:00

I haven't done a food post in a long time - mainly because I find cooking with a baby in the house is a quick and dirty affair. With my husband home for the holidays, we're getting a little time in the kitchen as we spell each other off on daughter care!

My husband made these rockin' Vegetarian Chick Pea Pot Pies (a lot of work, but they are so worth it... delicious!), and we were left with about a quarter package of extra puff pastry. Hmm!

I made some Stuffed Mushrooms -

2 dozen large button mushrooms, of uniform size, cleaned
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, finely chopped
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp dried roasted garlic, if you have it handy (or the real thing, or none)
salt and pepper to taste

Pop the stems out of the mushrooms (and reserve for another use!). Lay the mushrooms bottom up in an ungreased baking dish with a rim - or, better, on a cooling rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet. These lose a lot of liquid while baking.
Drain the chopped peppers and tomatoes in a sieve to help keep the moisture down, as you don't want your mixture to be too wet. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with the grated cheese, and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Spoon cheese mixture into mushroom caps. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes and then broil until browned. Try not to forget about them under the broiler like I did (oopsie!) - unless you want dibs on the burnt ones! - give them about 4-5 minutes tops for broiling.
With the red, white and green filling, these are pretty at Christmas (or any time)!

Now, what to do with those mushroom stems and leftover puff pastry?? How about another appetizer?

Chipotle Mushroom Puffs

1 cup of finely chopped mushrooms (stems work just fine!)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated cheddar
1-2 tsp of chipotle sauce OR 1/2 chipotle pepper, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 package of puff pastry (225 grams)
1 egg

Saute the mushrooms and onions in a bit of oil (I used oil from the sun-dried tomatoes - why not!) until soft. Allow to cool. Mix in the remaining ingredients. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out into a rectangle and cut it into 2" squares. Drop a dollop of mushroom mixture onto each square. Brush the edges with water and bring up corners to make a pouch. Pinch the edges together to seal. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, beat the egg with 2 tsp water and brush over the pouches. Bake at 425F until golden brown and puffed, about 15 minutes.

Yum, yum!

I will not tell on you if you sip Baileys and chocolate milk while cooking. I may have had to do a little of that myself. :)

Meals for a non-eater - help!

2011-12-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

Two blueberries, three Rice Krispies and a half teaspoon of yogourt.

No, it's not some crazy fad diet - that's what my 10 month old daughter ate for breakfast, refusing all else.

Lunch? I am not sure but I think she may have swallowed a minute amount of egg salad, possibly a teeny bite of bread and definitely the juice from a clementine segment (but not the solid part of the fruit).

And this is why she's still up at least 3 times a night to nurse and nursing so frequently during the day. It's not that she's a picky eater per se - she loves pizza, pasta, and will try anything we give her - tonight she tried sushi and tempura (vegetarian of course), and she doesn't balk even at spicy food. She just doesn't eat much. And yes, I've tried the blander foods too - rice cereal, applesauce, banana, whatever... She'll eat a little but not much before she starts refusing it.

I know that "food is fun" for the first year, and I'm not concerned about her weight (at all.. she's still in the 90's, percentile-wise and moving on up to 18 month size clothing at just 10 months!), but I would be happy if she would sleep longer at night and stop nursing quite so much at night. Nursing at night means she also needs diaper changes twice during the night. I love our cuddle times at night, but... I'd love some sleep too.

She loves playing with food, tearing it apart, and completely understands how to get it into her mouth and eat it, though sometimes she spits it out and sometimes she just plays or tosses it to the floor and doesn't put more than a bite or two into her mouth. She will sometimes take a spoonful or two of softer stuff (yogourt, applesauce, cereal, soup, etc) but it's rare for her to eat more than, say, a tablespoon of anything. She will happily take small bites of things we hold out to her (banana, sandwiches, pizza, etc).

I don't want to force it on her and usually stop when she starts turning her head and pressing her mouth closed. I will try again a few minutes later, and again, and again - with different foods sometimes - but never make her eat or shove things in her mouth. My husband is more likely to pop things in there when she's not quite expecting it.

She is teething, but I am not convinced it's a teething issue as she's never eaten very much, especially compared to the other babies I know.

So, faithful readers... hit me up with some advice on getting Mia to eat some more.

Christmas!

2011-12-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

It's coming so fast! Where is the time going?! I have so many gifts yet to get, stockings to stuff, and haven't done cards at all this year... I am not sure I'll get to it.

We went out to the tree farm this weekend and picked out our Christmas tree - a lovely Balsam Fir. My husband cut it down and we enjoyed a hay wagon ride and a cup of hot chocolate. Then we stayed up late, even Mia, to decorate the tree. The whole house smells lovely from the aromatic tree! Mia keeps pointing at it. Maybe "tree" will be her second word. (Her first is "dog!")

< Here we are, all bundled up for a cold winter walk at the tree farm!

And, having found our perfect tree... >
A little snow on the ground. Mia's in her Deuter carrier, the dog's there hiding behind the tree, and my husband is getting ready to cut that tree down!

Staying up late, decorating the tree - sleepy Mia in the Boba carrier.

The result! We have an eclectic ornament collection which we add to every year. This year's additions include a Pinocchio that we picked up in Italy, and a ceramic schooner ornament my husband got on his recent trip to St. John's. More presents are appearing underneath daily. I love Christmas and it will be fun to watch Mia's reaction on Christmas morning when she realizes some of those pretty packages have toys inside for her!

There's just one more day to enter to win a Sozo Nap Sak for your little one... they are so super cozy, I kind of wish they were available in my size! Go over and enter! (hit "read more" if you don't see the entry form!)

Hexbug Nano Review!

2011-12-10T12:45:00.001-05:00

This is a totally fun and unique toy! We got to try out some of the Hexbug Nano products and I think they're really cool. They are tiny robots that scoot around, change direction when they hit something, and can even flip themselves back over if they get overturned.

They look like cool little bugs and act like them too... enough to almost give me a creepy feeling when I first saw them skittering around the floor (they really freaked the dog out, too!). They come in a whole bunch of collectible formats with different designs and colours ("mutations"). The glow in the dark "specimens" are my favourite, and there is even a glow in the dark "habitat" for them. Each Nano has a special code where you can register online and keep track of your Nano collection, and learn about science as well. I like the interactive educational aspect of this.

The habitats are easy to put together and create a contained area for the Nanos where you can race them or even just watch them make their way through doorways, over bridges, and through gates. (It's amazing to see these things move.) What I also like about the habitats is that you can have several different ones and connect them all together to make one big, awesome habitat with lots of variations.

The Hexbug Nanos are battery powered, and they do have an on/off switch on the bottom. I'd definitely recommend deactivating the Nanos when you're finished playing with them, though spare batteries - or, "bug food" - are available.

These would make a great Christmas gift for the kid on your list - for ages 3 and up (they're a choking hazard for really little kids). I think they'd be most ideal for ages 4 and up. If you know a kid who likes collecting things, robots, racing or competitive games, science, constructing raceways, and so on - they'll love these toys. And you can add on later with different robots and habitats!

I discovered there is a whole world of Hexbug robot creatures available. We didn't have toys like this when we were growing up! Can you believe these things? Amazing. Toys of the future...

I received some Hexbug Nano products to try out, but was not paid for this post.

Shopping, and what retailers can learn from WalMart

2011-12-01T17:36:00.001-05:00

With Christmas approaching, and being on most-time maternity leave still (I'm working very part-time), I've spent some time in the stores lately. Time with Mia in the stores, I should say - and her Big Enormous Stroller. I've learned a few things about shopping.
The only store I have found lately that has reasonable aisle widths, no aisle clutter to speak of, and requires no elevator... is WalMart. Now, I'm not really a WalMart fan. Sure, their prices are low, their stores are clean, they have reliable family washrooms, but it seems to be at the cost of small business, employees, and results in the homogenization of the world (I was going to say North America, but I saw a WalMart in Mexico a few years back. I suspect they're stealthily taking over the world, McDonalds style). Okay, Old Navy is pretty decent as well for stroller-friendly layout.

Here's the thing: I WANT to shop elsewhere. I don't like big box stores. I have money to spend on Christmas gifts and time to spend it at the mall, or wandering down main street and popping into shops. And I'm not alone.

So, dear retailers, please take a lesson or two from WalMart - you are losing customers left, right and center, I'm sure! Just take a look at the clientele at the mall on a weekday. Do you see what I see? About 70% mums with strollers. Mums with time on their hands and a yen to shop, and a very small person in a very big stroller who seems to "need" lots of stuff. Stuff that could be purchased at your store. Here's what you need to know. It's pretty easy.

Your store needs to be stroller accessible. I'm not talking about the first three feet of the store. The whole store.

If I can't get in to see your stuff, I'm not buying. If I can't reach the cashier, I'm not buying.

Worst offenders? Abercrombie and Fitch decided to give their store a porch of sorts at the mall near me: three steps up to get through the door, then three steps down to get into the store. I tried, really I did. We went up the first steps with the stroller, I saw the next set of steps, peered into the gloomy darkness of the store, and said, "Forget it!". Wrangled the stroller right back down the steps and walked away. BAD MOVE, A&F. The Children's Place, Gap Kids, and Gymboree - I spend more time trying to maneuver around the racks, which are scattered in some awkward non-grid system and placed way too close together, than looking at the wares. Even Toys R Us has aisle clutter issues. These are stores for kids! People who shop there pretty much all have strollers. What are you thinking?? Stores like Bombay, Pier 1, Benix (the worst!) - I get that your stores are full of non-child-friendly stuff. But they're so darn crowded I have to walk sideways when it's just me shopping. No way am I coming in with the stroller.

And this is why the big box retailers and online shopping are winning my money over the small stores. Not because I prefer them. Not because I support their style or ethics (or lack thereof). Not because I even particularly like the stuff they have. It's because I can't come in with my daughter in her stroller.

I also have to add... If I can't even get in with a stroller, it's clear that you all really suck in terms of wheelchair accessibility too. So uncool.

Am I the only one this bugs, or are others frustrated too?

The best toys

2011-11-30T12:14:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post today to share Geek Dad's 5 Best Toys of All Time. I like it.

Mia is napping -:yay:- so I have a minute for a hot cup of tea and to catch up on my email. Hopefully it's not like yesterday's debacle, where it took me an hour and a half to get her to sleep and then twenty minutes later, a courier rang the doorbell, and the @#$ dog set off barking which woke her! Love the dog, hate the bark...

Don't forget to enter the two amazing giveaways I've got running now for my Canadian readers. I spotted the Sozo nap saks at Winners yesterday and they are SO fuzzy and cushy. Someone will be lucky to win one of those for their little one! And the Bright Starts toy looks super fun, I can't wait for Mia to open hers at Christmas, you can win one of those too!

Bright Starts Having a Ball - Review and Giveaway!

2011-11-28T21:39:00.001-05:00

Christmas came a little early for Mia as she has been testing out the Bright Starts Having a Ball Get Rollin' Activity Table!

It comes with six coloured balls, just the right size for little hands, and textured (with animal faces) so that they are easy to grab. The center has a ramp and a hole where the balls swirl around and drop down to one of four legs with catchers at the bottom. I have found that with one ball in the catcher, if another goes down that leg it sometimes bounces out and rolls away. Here's a ball in action - you can see how focused Mia is on it! I like that the balls are light enough and small enough for her to have no trouble picking them up. They're very rolly, though - on our wood floors I find I'm chasing them around!

You can also see here the gears for turning, and the fish, which has coloured beads in it that tumble when it's spun. Each activity triggers a different song or phrase.

The table has two modes - play and learn - which switch back and forth depending on what page of the book is open. Mia LOVES flipping the page of the book (we read together a lot and she helps turn pages). She flips it back and forth, so we hear "Let's play!", "Let's learn!" over and over! Here she is with that page... you can see the look of concentration on her face!

Here also you can see the alligator, whose mouth flips up to reveal a hiding spot (sized just right for a ball or maybe a treat!). The alligator triggers sound effects, or "open/closed", "up/down", depending on what mode the table is in.

There's also an orange spinner, which can hold three balls - a red lever spins them madly around and they fly off in all directions. I'm SO glad Mia hasn't figured this one out yet, as she's not got the focus at her age to go around picking up the balls!

There's also a cute caterpillar that is also a shape/colour learning tool and acts as a musical keyboard, and the 1-2-3 numbers pop up and make sounds or say numbers when pressed.

The last great thing about the Activity Table is that it is the perfect height for Mia to use as a walker. She's at the age where she wants to walk all the time, but is unable to balance yet - she's been using my fingers, which is hard on the lower back when it's all day long. However, she can lean on the table and push it along while walking - it's not meant to do this specifically, but on wood floors it works a treat. Here she is on the go!

You can use it without the legs for younger babies as well.

If there were anything I would change about it - the alphabet song that it sings says "zee" instead of "zed", and I wish for the Canadian market they would have changed that. I also wish that for Canada they would give a French option. **Edit: the French versions of all the Having a Ball toys should be out in the New Year!** And I wish the balls would always catch in the legs, and not occasionally roll out.

However, those are minor complaints. Mia spends more time playing with this than a lot of her other toys and I like that it has functions that entertain her now (at 9 1/2 months old), and she can grow into other elements of it. What she loves now are the book, alligator, fish, and banging it randomly to see the lights and hear the sounds. What she will grow into are the learning elements - numbers, alphabet, relating the sounds and songs to what she sees, as well as the more complex actions of the ball ramp, spinner, and gears. I think it will be fun once she realizes where the balls go once they drop through the center - and that they could fall into any of the four legs. I also like that it's not huge, it's a reasonable size.

The Bright Starts Having a Ball line has a bunch of fun toys (Santa's bringing Mia the Swirl and Roll Truck for Christmas! Shh!) and they are available in Canada (and the US) exclusively at Toys R Us. Visit Bright Starts for more information about the toys!

Bright Starts has generously sponsored a giveaway for my Canadian readers as well! They have sent me a Swirl and Roll Truck to give away!

I will be shipping this myself and I can't guarantee delivery in time for Christmas, but I will try.

Sozo - Review and Nap Sak Giveaway!

2011-11-23T11:37:00.001-05:00

There are fresh new fashions for little ones hitting the market, and I was happy to test out a very cute outfit for Mia from Sozo Canada! I chose this simply adorable giraffe print dress with matching capris. Made of a soft, printed cotton with ribbon flower embellishments, it's super cute and comfy for her! She was fascinated by the flowers. I love that the cotton is prewashed - no shrinking!

Mia's just over 9 months old now, but wearing 12-18 month clothing. We tried the dress in a 12 month size and it fits wonderfully. Her super chubby legs mean the capris are a little snug at the elastic around the calves, but they do comfortably fit her big cloth diaper booty which is great! She didn't have any complaints! I love the length of the dress. It even looks cute with jeans underneath for the cold weather that is coming.

What stands out about Sozo clothing is the bright colours and the fun designs. The cuteness is available in jammies, rompers, dresses, buntings, swaddles, hooded towels, nap saks, and accessories like hats, gloves and mittens, as well as 'WeeBlocks' for little boys! You can see all these products in their Facebook albums, and be sure to like their Facebook page for the latest news (hint: they post current giveaways there as well!)!

The Sozo Nap Saks are super cute. They come in 0-6 and 6-18 month sizes. I have Mia in sleep sacks now for the cold winter months and I can tell you they are great - nice and warm, safer than a blanket as there's no way for them to ever cover baby's face.

Sozo clothing is available online at Amazon.com and if you do a search you will find lots of other online retailers as well! (You can also contact them to ask about stores in your area! There are lots of stores now carrying this line.) The clothing comes in these sizes: 0-3m, 3-6m, 6-9m, 12m, 18m, 24m, and the loungewear is available in 12m, 18m, 24m, 2T, 3T 4T

Sozo Canada has generously offered to give a soft and cozy Ladybug Nap Sak to one of my Canadian readers!

Thank you Sozo Canada for the giveaway and review opportunity!

Starlight Toy Drive

2011-11-20T22:20:00.001-05:00

I think in the hectic consumer madness of the season (a friend mentioned today that Christmas is only five weeks away!), we sometimes forget what it's really all about. Here's a little reminder that the gifts which mean the most need not be found at the shopping mall.

From now until December 9th, Starlight Children’s Foundation is hosting their Annual Starlight Toy Drive. You can help spread holiday cheer to a Starlight Child or Family by donating as little as $20 to sponsor a holiday stocking. For children dealing with serious medical conditions, holidays often take a back seat. Many parents also don’t have the means to celebrate as most time is spent caring for their ailing child. Starlight’s multiple giving opportunities make it easy for people to donate and help make a holiday wish come true.

This program helps Canadian children who are seriously ill and their families celebrate the season. You do get a tax receipt for donating, and you can even donate in someone else's name, as a Christmas gift. Last year for my parents' birthdays, they requested donations be made to local food banks in lieu of gifts - they have enough 'stuff' and wanted to give instead. What a fabulous gift this would be for both the people who have everything, and for children who are truly in need of a little cheering.

The Starlight Children's Foundation Canada has been helping children with chronic, life threatening illnesses and life-altering injuries for more than 20 years. For more information, visit their Book of Smiles website.

Free poster!

2011-11-14T15:19:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share a freebie with my Canadian readers... Posterjack.ca is giving Facebook fans a free 8x12" poster - starting tomorrow, November 15th!

Just head over to their Facebook page, click Like, enter your name and email address, and you will receivea voucher code to redeem your free poster at Posterjack.ca. The process is pretty quick.

Then head to Posterjack.ca, upload your photo, select the product, choose the size and you’re done! And it’s shipped right to your doorstep. They have lots of other products that would make good Christmas gifts, too.

A nice 8x12" photo of family in a frame sounds like a good gift to me. I have absolutely no Christmas shopping done yet, and no ideas on what to get people, so any little things I can get going on are at least a start!

Tomorrow we have Mia's 9 month check-up. I can't wait to find out what her height and weight are now! I never weigh or measure her in between appointments, so it's fun finding out her new 'stats'. Not that it matters, really, as she's quite healthy and happy, but it's fun keeping track of these things.

Jolly jumper (your thoughts?)

2011-11-10T11:52:00.001-05:00

I just picked up a Jolly Jumper on a stand for Mia. It was only $20 secondhand! She's having the BEST NAP EVER right now (an hour and 40 minutes so far!), so I've assembled it and am waiting for her to wake up. It is so big - my husband told me it was, but now that it's in our house I really get it. The footprint is about 4x4'! I hope she likes it.

My aunt gave me an aghast look when I mentioned I was thinking of getting one. She said it places a lot of pressure on the groin area. The baby carriers I have (the Boba, the Deuter Kid Comfort III, and the Sleepy Wrap - love them all for different reasons), I chose specifically because Mia's weight goes on her bum, not on her groin like certain carriers do. And when I look at the Jolly Jumper, I can see what she means.

At the same time, Mia's getting tired of the exersaucer that we borrowed from a friend (yay for borrowing baby gear - we can give that sucker back and don't have to store it or try to sell it), and I need somewhere I can put her while I do stuff.

Her most favourite thing these days is to walk holding on to my two fingers, and sometimes I need my hands! This morning she was crying at all times unless she had those fingers and was on her feet. I can't get anything done at all that way!

I don't plan on sticking her in there for hours on end, of course!

What are your thoughts on the Jolly Jumper?

Night waking

2011-11-04T21:55:00.000-04:00

Okay, last night Mia woke NINE TIMES. Five times - every hour for the first five hours. Then every two hours. And, she wanted to nurse every time. What is up with that? She's nearly nine months old now. Tonight, she went down at 8:30 (bedtime is 8, she wouldn't or couldn't go down for 8), and 9:30 rolls around and she wakes, crying for me... I went in, tried to get her back to sleep in her crib without picking her up, she'd fall asleep and then wake repeatedly. After 15 minutes of this I checked her diaper... soaked! So she had a good reason. BUT - I got her back to sleep quickly after a diaper change, and 5 minutes after being in her crib she's up, crying again! WHAAAT?!!These are long nights.

Neglect and progress

2011-11-03T17:25:00.001-04:00

My poor blog is sorely neglected these days! I keep thinking up posts and then not having the time to write.

Mia's new hobby is to get on her feet and run - but she needs my two fingers to hold her up, as she can't stand, walk or run on her own yet! She absolutely squeals with delight when she is on the move! I should really get a video of this stage as it's very cute :)

Other than that, I've been trying to work a little - I'm getting about 9 hours a week in the studio and would need about 10 times that to keep up with the demand for my work at the moment. Good and bad!

And, reading a great book (Neal Stephenson's Reamde: A Novel)... mainly while nursing. Mia's still not that interested in real food, so we're still nursing a LOT! And, she's been up 5-8 times a night lately for comfort/diaper changes/nursing, so we're both rather tired and I'll admit, a little cranky these days! Last night for the first time in WEEKS she only woke twice - I'm hoping it's a new era. That said, she's cut 6 teeth already and with the time changes, and my husband being away for a week last week, and learning all these new skills... it's no wonder she's up at night.

Anyway... I have a few minutes while she's napping now (phew!!! many days she simply declines to nap!) so I'm going to take a well-deserved BREAK!
...ah, noooo! she just woke up!

Getting out with the baby

2011-10-27T10:50:00.001-04:00

We are back from our trip - more on that later (I'm trying to get a quick post in while Mia sleeps!).

I'm trying to get out more - for my own sanity and for Mia to see some new things and meet some new friends. We already go to Mum and Me Aquafit, a Baby Goose program at the library, and a Mother Goose program run by a community group. Her dad takes her to Parent and Tot swimming as well.

Yesterday we went to one of the Baby and You cooking classes put on at the Real Canadian Superstore and sponsored by Huggies. (As you know, we cloth diaper, but we do use Huggies when we are travelling - did you know you can buy them in Spain?). It was a free, drop in class where we made two recipes, had coffee and tea, and some fun with other mums and their babies.

The recipes were for quinoa pancakes (delicious - though the recipe called for too much milk! oops! and too much baking soda, in my opinion - they had a salty flavour), and for a sweet potato bake that was also yummy. Mia loved them both and we had fun trying to do one-handed mixing and egg-cracking with the other mums - with a baby in one arm, you really only do have one hand to cook sometimes!

Huggies provided cute tiger ear headbands for all the babies, and Tigger stuffed toys for some. They held a draw at the one we went to for the Tiggers, since there weren't enough for everyone. We also took home a couple of the new slip-on diapers to try out. I'm not convinced it's a good idea... that could get really messy, in my opinion.

Anyway, it was a nice way to spend the morning and I recommend checking it out if you feel like getting out with your little one. There's a list of the locations here on their Facebook page.

I really love things we can do together that are free and fun. What do/did you do with your baby?

(this is not a sponsored post!)

Tropical Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent - Review and Giveaway!

2011-10-21T09:44:00.000-04:00

I've had the pleasure of reviewing a number of different Tropical Traditions products and not once have I been disappointed (some of my favourites: the laundry detergent - great for cloth diapers!, flaked coconut, and organic honey!). This time I got to try out the Powdered Dishwasher Detergent and once again it's a great product!

The Powdered Dishwasher Detergent is natural, safe, and eco-friendly. It is also unscented, which I love - I cannot stand the scent of some of the big brands which adheres to my dishes (especially anything plastic!). You have to wonder what chemicals are in those and how much gets in your food, considering that it leaves enough residue on the dishes to smell like that. Tropical Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent rinses clean and leaves dishes residue-free.

Besides being unscented, this detergent does not contain chlorine, phosphates, or fillers. All you get is clean dishes without the environmental impact of chemical-laden detergents.

I also like the packaging. It comes in a large recyclable (or reuseable) jar with a scoop for measuring the right amount. No more pouring powder out of boxes and making a mess - with the scoop it's more accurate and simple. The jar is a bonus for me. We have a problem once in a while with leaks under the sink, and in the past cardboard detergent boxes have ended up soaking up the water, rendering the powder unuseable. Plus, those boxes aren't recyclable. The Tropical Traditions plastic jar will keep the powder dry in case of leaks!

I'm thrilled that Tropical Traditions is sponsoring another giveaway, this time for a jar of the Powdered Dishwasher Detergent just like I received! I assure you, you will love it (and the jar lasts a long time!).

Zippy Doo Diapers - Review and Giveaway!

2011-09-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

I'm so thrilled to introduce you to Zippy Doo diapers!
Warning: lots of pictures for this review. There was too much cuteness and I didn't have the heart to edit any more photos out.

For the past year and a half - or maybe more - I've been a part of an online forum for mums that took us from TTC to babies! It's been such a pleasure getting to know all the mums from all over and sharing our experiences. One of the mums in my daughter's due date group started making one size fitted cloth diapers. Soon all the mums were asking her if she'd sell them, and Zippy Doo was created!

With a background in fashion design, Natalie's diapers have a professional approach to construction and design. And Natalie really has an eye for a fabulous print! I had a really tough time picking a print for the diaper I was sent to review. In the end, she sent me two so that I could compare the knit to the woven fabric. Both simply adorable!

Tied with a pretty ribbon, and accompanied by a super sweet and soft cloth wipe, the diapers also came with care instructions (it's easy). Mia was thrilled when we opened up the package!

She spent a while just playing with the diapers. And so did I! They are super, super SOFT! Like you wouldn't believe. The inside is a cushy cotton velour, colour coordinated with the outer print. The print fabric is also soft, no stiffness at all.

The insert snaps in and has the soft velour on the exterior and an organic bamboo fleece on the inside. Very absorbent, very convenient. I have washed and dried the diapers a couple of times, and the dual layer allows the insert to dry quickly, both on a clothesline and in the dryer. And I should mention, the diapers stay soft even when dried outside on a line - no stiff and crispy feeling at all. Natalie's designed the diapers to allow for any shrinkage in the dryer as well.

The one size diaper has two rows of colour coordinated snaps. A fold down top allows you to adjust the rise for a smaller fit. This pink diaper with the Stormy Weather print is a knit, so it's roomier and has some more give (great for chubby babes like Mia).

Mia briefly stayed on her back so I could get a shot from the front. She has such chubby thighs, but the fit is just fine and the soft fabric didn't leave red welts on her thighs like some diapers do.

I absolutely adore the print on this diaper and Mia was fascinated by it as well! She spent ages staring at the cute storm clouds! She kept staring and touching the clouds. I think she was trying to pick them up off the diaper at one point :) Cute!

Here's the second diaper - the Little Lamb print in a woven fabric - in action. Once again a great fit and super soft!

I know, this is basically a gratuitous cute baby shot. But if you look, you can see the cute Zippy Doo label on the diaper. So professional! I am in awe of Natalie's workmanship! And, you can sort of see that the velour is the part touching Mia at the leg elastic, which means it's soft and cozy, not cutting into her chubby thighs like some diapers do.

So for the uninitiated, a one size fitted is basically a cloth diaper that adjusts to fit small to large, and does not have a waterproof outer layer. Now I am accustomed to using diapers that have a PUL (polyurethane laminate, aka waterproof) layer and was a little intimidated by the fact that these diapers didn't have it. Worry for nothing. You can use a cover if you are going out (or paranoid), but I use these diapers on Mia at home without a cover. You can tell when the diaper is wet because you can feel the dampness. I had her on my lap and the wet didn't soak through at all, I just could feel it when I touched the diaper. Absorbent, for sure! I have covers I could use but I really hate to cover up these diapers. They're just too darn cute to cover!

Natalie has offered one of my readers a $10 gift certificate towards Zippy Doo! The hardest part will be choosing a print!

BumbleWee Nursing Wear - Review!

2011-09-26T13:24:00.000-04:00

I've had the pleasure of reviewing a transitional top from BumbleWee Nursing Wear before (back when I just had a little bump!), and it's a top I still wear and love now that my bump is a baby! BumbleWee is a Canadian company that really cares about pregnant and nursing mamas, and helping them look and feel their best!

For their 3 year anniversary I was sent another fabulous nursing top to review. I received the Majamas Bramble Top, which is marked a "personal favourite" of Denise - the mum and cofounder of BumbleWee. That's a good endorsement as she has access to so many different brands and styles!

The style is a pull-aside overlayer with an underlayer for discretion. I really like this style of nursing top as there are no flaps that end up falling in Mia's face as with pull-up nursing tops. It also leaves very little exposed if you are nursing in public. It's super convenient, and a flattering design.

The fabric is a heavier weight, stretchy knit made of 95% modal and 5% spandex. Those fibers mean it hangs nicely and stretches comfortably. I like that it's heavier weight, because I find that nursing pads tend to add some (sigh) lumpiness. A very thin fabric just emphasizes that. I also like the detail at the shoulders, a bit of a gather with a detail of black and white patterned fabric. It's just a nice touch.

I think the fit is pretty flattering (forgive the wrinkles - I put it right on when I got it! Soon after, the wrinkles "fell" out.). It is the kind of top you could wear in early pregnancy as well - the empire waist is good for that. I think my bump was too big to have fit in this top during the last months of pregnancy (then again I loaded on 50+lbs -gasp!- and had a particularly big bump), but if you are looking for a transitional type top for early days and then nursing, this would be a good one. Denise tells me it fit her throughout her pregnancy, so it is possible! Not only that, but for her the fabric recovered beautifully from the stretch and went right back to the shape it should be! Is it weird now for me to say that I wish I could test that out for myself?!

As always, shipping from BumbleWee Nursing Wear was quick and I got the exact size and product I ordered - the helpful sizing guides for each garment mean I'm pretty sure before I order that it will fit. I love the quality of the fabric and stitching too. I have a nursing top from another company *coughExpressiva* where the stitching fell out and the fabric developed holes along the seams within the first couple wears. That is so not going to happen with the Majamas Bramble Top - it's well-constructed and high quality fabric.

You can check out the many different nursing tops available here, and keep in mind that BumbleWee also has lots of other products: maternity dresses and nursing dresses, pyjamas, nursing bras and accessories, and postpartum products, along with cute photo albums and such for kids. Shipping on orders over $200 is free to Canada and the continental US!

Do check out their big 3 year anniversary sale on now!

Like BumbleWee on Facebook for the latest news (and sometimes they have fun contests too!). They also keep a blog with breastfeeding articles and info about current events at BumbleWee. And you can follow BumbleWee on Twitter as well!

Disclosure: BumbleWee Nursing Wear provided me with a product to review. I was not paid for this post. My opinions are honest. Yep, I really do like it - and I'd tell you if I didn't.

Food, glorious food!

2011-09-22T13:04:00.000-04:00

Today I want to direct your attention to The Muffin Myth, because I just came across it (thanks to Everything Mom) and once there spent a blissful half hour reading old posts. Beautiful, friendly writing and inspired recipes.

I made the Chickpea Salad from Katie's blog last night and we devoured it on bread with soup for dinner; now I'm gobbling it on crackers for lunch. So. Good.

ps try it on homemade crackers - I promise, they're so easy to make - and so yummy you'll want to make them often!

Today

2011-09-20T15:16:00.004-04:00

In case anyone had the idea that life over here is perfect... This is my sweet, charming daughter today:

She would NOT nap no matter what I tried (really... I even did the vacuuming with her in a carrier. That's desperate.), until finally she basically collapsed from exhaustion at 2:30.

Yesterday was similar - first (and only) nap at 2:05 for an hour. Then she woke every hour from bedtime to 1:00 am (and was up at 3 for nursing and at 7:30 for the day). I am exhausted. She is exhausted.

I'm guessing I have another 15 minutes to myself before she wakes. Guess I should try to eat/drink something and go pee.

AAAAAUUUUUUGHHHHHHH

The Stink. (and what to do about it)

2011-09-19T21:51:00.002-04:00

I'm a big cloth diapers advocate (and proud of it!) but lately I've had a battle on my hands.

The Stink. (bom-bom-boommmmmm!)

We had ammonia buildup and we had it bad. It's not just the solid foods poop that can cause stinky cloth diapers, ammonia can be a big stinky problem. I have a feeling - and I hate to blame Calgary* - but I have a feeling that the hard water we were washing diapers in at our apartment while we were there this summer was a big contributor to the problem.

So I tried all kinds of things:

different detergents (less, more, etc)
sunning the diapers and inserts (according to my husband, UV rays break down ammonia)
rocking a soak overnight with Rockin' Green (btw, the scent I have is Rage Against the Raspberry and I can't smell a darn thing. I'm not talking about after the wash is done because I get that the scent is not meant to stick around. I mean, the soap doesn't even smell like anything. Huh??)

nothing. worked.

Aughhhhh, stink!

Finally, I tried the Blue Dawn solution that I'd read about online. I was hesitant to put dish detergent in my HE front loader but I just couldn't take the stink any longer. I was desperate. In Canada - at least where I am in Canada - you can find the original Blue Dawn at Dollarama. A teaspoon in a front loader's detergent drawer, a hot wash and several rinses later (until there are no suds), and - no stink!

YAY. So don't bother with the other stuff if you come across this problem. Don't hesitate and muck around like I did. Head straight to the dollar store, spend a buck on a bottle of Blue Dawn and get the stink out.

Unfortunately, poop is still stinky and there's not a whole heck of a lot you can do about that. I'm aiming to toilet train the moment she hits 18 months and has sphincter control.
Yes, I just talked about poop and sphincter control on my blog. I have become that blogger.

*despite my weird things about Calgary I and II posts, I developed a soft spot for the city and totally miss my friends there!! I'm not sure I miss the creepy giant rabbits though. just sayin'.

Teething - a question for you!

2011-09-17T20:57:00.000-04:00

Mia is finally cutting her first tooth. It started two days ago, at a couple days past 7 months old. She's been fairly good with it, just extra clingy and a little extra whiny, but still in a happy mood overall. She's been wearing an amber teething necklace for ages (we've been expecting a tooth since we first saw little white dots 3 months ago). Whether it really helps or not, I'm not sure, but it is cute!

My question for my experienced readers is - does teething bring barfing? Mia got over reflux (finally) at about 5 months old, and hasn't really had a problem with bringing up since. However, the last few days she's been throwing up a few times a day and I'm not sure if it's related to teething or if it's what I've been feeding her, as she is eating more solids now.

Not to be too graphic here, but I got barfed on today. In the FACE. As in, I picked her up and held her up to my face and she promptly lost it on my face. Barf was coating and dripping off my nose and chin. I'm yelling, "I need HELP! Get a CLOTH!" and my husband is spending time looking for an appropriate cloth, saying, "what cloth?" (as if I cared - how about whatever's at hand and fast!). It was so gross. When he saw me, he said, "Don't look in a mirror when you wash it off!" It was really that bad.

I haven't been keeping a food log for her, so I've made it hard to try to connect any particular food with the barfing. Or perhaps it's something I've eaten, as I'm still breastfeeding her often. I've also got a cold (getting more miserable by the hour) and although she hasn't shown signs of getting it, I guess she could have a version of it.

I'm not looking forward to the first big chomp during nursing! She's bitten down a couple times with just the razor edge of that tooth poking through the gums, and it hurts. I've read the advice to bring baby close when that happens, so she opens her mouth to breathe, but I guess I don't have big enough or squishy enough boobs or something, 'cause I haven't had luck with that. I've instead broken the latch with a finger.

Can't wait to see how cute she looks when the teeth are up and out! :)

Fairhaven Health Breastfeeding Multivitamin - Review and Giveaway!

2011-09-15T14:03:00.000-04:00

Another great product from Fairhaven Health has made its way to my cupboard. I am currently using the Nursing Postnatal Breastfeeding Multivitamin (yes, both nursing and breastfeeding are on the label!). Like it says, this one's for nursing mamas - specifically designed to help supplement your and baby's health after the birth and during breastfeeding.

I can't even begin to paraphrase all the good information about Vitamin D and B being so important for breastfeeding women, so I recommend you go check out the product page. It's interesting information (honest)!

They even have another option for mamas who need a little help with milk production - the Nursing Blend version contains herbal extracts for just that purpose. As I've mentioned before, I'm like some kind of crazy milk machine so I definitely don't want MORE milk! That one's not for me! But it's awesome that they are helping out mamas who need it.

The Nursing Postnatal Breastfeeding Multivitamin (phew...) dose is two capsules daily. You can take them both at once, or space them out for optimal absorption. Because I don't think I'll manage to remember to take them both if I space them out, I've been taking both in the morning. I was able to remember to take the FertilAid three times a day back when we were TTC, but then my mind was completely focused on the task at hand (like a crazy woman. I had the baby fever and I had it bad!) and it was like second nature to remember things like that. These days I'm scatterbrained enough trying to manage baby care with keeping a relatively clean house, trying to work a bit from home, cooking, you know... the zillion things women do every day and seem to manage in a capable fashion that have me scrambling.

Another plus - it's vegetarian-friendly. No gelatin in the capsule. Yay!

I've had the pleasure of reviewing several products from Fairhaven Health over the last couple of years - here are some of my previous experiences with their products:

FertilAid for Women
Natural Pregnancy Deodorant
Dream Belly Stretch Mark Cream (fyi - didn't get a single stretch mark from pregnancy!)
Nipple Nurture Balm, Nursing Blend Supplement and Breastfeeding Tea

As you will see, I have nothing but good things to say about Fairhaven Health. Their products are consistently appropriate, safe, health-conscious and great quality.

Fairhaven Health has generously offered one of my readers a one-month supply of the Nursing Postnatal Breastfeeding Multivitamin! I know I have a bunch of lovely nursing mamas reading - this one's for you!
click read more if you don't see the Rafflecopter form!

Keurig Review

2011-09-14T22:47:00.000-04:00

I recently had a chance to try out a Keurig machine, thanks to BzzAgent. I've seen these types of machines in the stores and at friends' houses and been curious. I'm a hot beverage NUT so I really wanted to try this out.

The machine is good looking, silvery and black, and fit in just fine in my kitchen. I did find it was fairly large, but that's all relative. It's around the same footprint as my Krups machine (I've talked about that here), but much bigger than the Sunbeam Hot Shot that I had been using to make hot water (until it died after several-times-a-day use for three years. Psst, Sunbeam, I need a new one and I can't find it in Canada!).

The Keurig can do coffees, teas, hot chocolate and even cider - it all depends on the cartridge you put in. And without a cartridge it does a quick cup of hot water (perfect for random stuff like nursing teas and the salted caramel hot chocolate I like to make). You can select a small or large cup size to fill. I did notice that the amount of water it dispenses seems to vary - a small cup can be 2/3 or 3/4 full, seemingly at random.

The machine comes with 12 samples of assorted cartridges. I'm not sure if they're all the same in each box but mine included 11 different coffees and one tea. In the spirit of giving it a good try, I tried each one. I am a super picky coffee drinker and had switched to decaf nearly three years ago so having caffeinated coffee was a bit wild for me. Honestly, I was not crazy about most of the coffees, but I did find one or two among the selection that I liked. And with hundreds of different varieties available, there is sure to be something for everyone.

I have to say I really didn't like the tea sample. I found it bitter. I'm something of a traditionalist when it comes to tea. I need steeping to bring out the flavours. So that for me was a disappointment. I actually tipped it out after tasting it and made a new mug with a tea bag instead.

And the whole cartridge thing leaves me cold. I mean, cute packaging, and it's SO convenient, but what a lot of waste. They can't be recycled or composted, so with every drink a big chunk of garbage is created. I have talked about that before. I would feel better about these if they were biodegradable, at least.

Okay, so what did I love about the machine? The convenience. If you can find the right coffee cartridge for you, and the whole wastefulness of it isn't enough to put you off, it is so freakin' easy and quick. The water heats up really fast and your drink is ready sooner than you'd ever get it with a traditional drip, percolator, or even a kettle. It's about the same speed as my beloved late lamented Sunbeam Hot Shot, with a slicker look and easier use (no spilly filling of water each time for the Keurig - you just fill the tank on it every once in a while and it lets you know when you need to). It is so convenient and also kinda fun to pick out a drink and make it, just like that. I imagine if a few people in a family like hot drinks it would be even more excellent. For us, I'm the only one (my poor husband is actually allergic to coffee and is not fond of other hot drinks). I can't emphasize enough how easy it is to use.

If you are that person who actually buys a coffee at a shop every day, this would be a money saver for you. The cartridges are around 50 cents each, from what I understand.

Overall... love the ease, hate the waste. I'm currently using it for hot water only and for that purpose it seems too big (oh, Sunbeam Hot Shot! I miss you). I hear you can get a good deal on the cartridges at Costco, but I look at them and think, "That box is full of landfill" - and can't buy them. If only I could feel okay about where the cartridges go after use, I'd probably be a solid convert.

Baby and You Online Community

2011-09-12T22:44:00.004-04:00

For the past three years or so I've been especially active in a few online communities - from trying to conceive to having our beautiful daughter, being able to talk to other women in the same stage of life has honestly made ALL the difference for me. I found that my friends and family weren't at the same point that I was at throughout and while they are supportive, being able to talk to people who are dealing with the same issues as you are is so helpful. I've met some women online who I connected so well with that I count them among my friends. It's been great.

One of the newest online communities is Loblaws' Facebook page Baby and You. It's a place for mums and dads to chat about their babies - ask questions, post photos, even brag a little (guilty!). I am on Facebook quite frequently so it's nice to have it right there. There are discussions and tips as well as exclusive savings. I hear there's even something special coming up related to Joe Fresh (I adore their baby clothes, even if I do always have to buy the next size up).

There are featured Canadian mom bloggers as well: Mommy Moment for the mom stuff, and Lisa from Growing your Baby focuses on the baby side of things. I've just spent a minute fantasizing about taking on some of the 25 Me-Time Ideas for Moms... yeah, right! Maybe if I can do them with Mia in tow - and then is it really Me-Time? More like more Mia-Time! But it's nice to dream...

I have found online communities to be wonderful and I'm sure some of you have as well. I "Like" the Baby and You site on Facebook and perhaps I'll see you there!

Disclosure – I am participating in the Baby and You program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Loblaw 
Companies. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

BumbleWee Nursing Wear's Anniversary (contest & coupon!)

2011-09-10T13:40:00.000-04:00

You may recall I had the pleasure of reviewing a top from BumbleWee when I was pregnant (ooh! Just over a year ago. How time flies!). I am looking forward to cooler weather when I can wear it again, as it is the perfect kind of transitional top that goes from bump to nursing. I'm still loving the soft fabric (it's so comfortable), the colour and style.

BumbleWee is celebrating its third anniversary with a fantastic contest! This is a photo contest - you simply upload a newborn or nursing photo to the contest page and the photo with the most votes will win!

The contest runs until September 21st, so there's still a good chunk of time to get your photo up and earn some votes! It's easy to add a photo to the site (I've entered mine already!) and it's fun to see who's getting the most votes.

What's the prize??? Well, how does $350 worth of maternity/nursing goodies sound? Here is the package:

2 Maternity & Breastfeeding Tops
1 Maternity & Breastfeeding PJ
1 Nursing Bra
1 Pumpease - Pumping Support
1 Breastfeeding Bonnet
1 Nursing Cover
1 Photo Book

Hmmm, yes please! AND, every entrant gets a 30% off coupon towards any product in the 3 Year Anniversary Sale category. Already on sale and then 30% off that... just for entering. Sweet!

Leave a note if you enter, and I'll head over and vote for you myself :) And feel free to send a vote my way if you feel like it! I'm nowhere near in the lead but it's fun to see my picture get a few votes.

Busy and unprepared for travel!

2011-09-06T23:31:00.001-04:00

I've been keeping busy just being a mum lately. Someone's having super short naps (35-45 minutes) so I'm not getting much done - a little baking here and there to keep me sane. Somehow baking has always been my go-to pursuit when I need some Me Time. There's something so satisfying about whipping up a coconut loaf, muffins or cake. It takes hardly any time, really, to prepare, and you end up with something so yummy!

We are looking forward to taking a Mediterranean cruise next month - Barcelona to Monaco, Rome, Pisa, Sicily, Naples, Palma de Mallorca and Marseilles. Mia will be about 8 months old for her first very long flight (those flights to Calgary and back were just practice) and her first European vacation. Too bad she won't remember any of it when she's older.

The cruise is coming up so fast and we're a little unprepared. So if you have any must-see sights in any of those cities, let me know! We'll be in Barcelona for 4 days, pre-cruise. Here's our list so far:

Barcelona: Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Mercat de la Boqueria
Monaco: ???
Rome: Colosseum
Pisa: the Tower, of course - from the outside only as children aged under eight are not allowed in.
Sicily: Cattedrale di Monreale, maybe...???
Naples: ???
Palma de Mallorca: Cathedral (Le Seu)...???
Marseilles: ???

Yeah, we need to do some planning! Suggestions welcome!

Winner - Milk Nursing Wear!

2011-09-01T23:32:00.000-04:00

We have a winner for the $30 gift certificate to Milk Nursing Wear! One lucky mama's going to do some shopping!

Congratulations! I know a bunch of girls from my birth 'club' online entered and I wanted to say thanks for stopping by to everyone. I've got some great reviews and giveaways coming up that I'm really looking forward to, so I hope you stick around!

Do Something Little, Help Something Big

2011-09-01T15:59:00.000-04:00

I was excited to learn about Energizer Canada and Evergreen joining forces on their “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” initiative. Energizer is contributing $100,000 to Evergreen to make Canadian cities more liveable.

I had of course heard of Energizer before (who could forget that bunny!), but I don't think I'd come across Evergreen before. It is a not-for-profit organization that is "a leading national funder and facilitator of local, sustainable greening projects in schoolyards, parks and communities across Canada". I first thought that if I lived in a bigger city rather than the suburbs, I would have heard of it - they seem to focus on urban areas like Toronto's Don Valley. But a little research proved that this organization does green things all over Canada, including suburbs of the GTA like Richmond Hill (not too far from where I live). For some reason it's just not been on my radar, but I'm going to start looking out for Evergreen projects near me!

I am a big fan of greening cities and communities developing fun, educational and environmentally sustainable sites, so this seems like a great idea to me.

We can all help by doing a little ourselves. The have suggested some pledges that are easy things we can all do to reduce our impact on the environment and spread a little joy as well. I found 10 that I'm happy to add to my day. And for each pledge, Energizer will donate an additional $1 to Evergreen (up to $10,000).

One of the ten pledges I made for Energizer Canada & Evergreen’s “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” initiative is to do my laundry during off-peak hours. I mean, that's just sensible - with time of use billing in effect, it will also save us money! Another I love is to tell my daughter I love her. Easy... I do that all the time. We are also installing a clothes line this year - hanging clothes to dry is not only a money and energy saver, it is great for all those cloth diapers (sun removes stains!). I let cars merge in front of me all the time (don't you hate those road hogs who speed up when you want to merge? That drives me nuts. Let someone in for goodness' sake!). And giving someone a smile is a great way to brighten a day. I started greeting strangers when I went out for a walk with the stroller and I'm still doing it. A traded "hi" or "good morning" and a smile make me feel good and make our neighbourhood more friendly. It's so easy to do the little things.

A few quick clicks of the mouse and you can check off some pledges for yourself and help this great cause. Head over to the Now That’s Positive Energy site to do so. You can also share your successes on the site, and read what others are doing.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Energizer Canada & Evergreen “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Energizer Canada & Evergreen. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own. While I did receive compensation, I want you to know that I don't promote things I don't believe in. This partnership between Energizer and Evergreen is a really positive thing a big corporation is doing - and I support that!

Keeping cool in summer heat

2011-08-30T11:58:00.002-04:00

It's another lovely, hot day here full of sunshine (and the accompanying high UV index). I'm hoping for another month at least of summer (fingers crossed)!

I got a note from Playtex Infant about ways to keep babies cool and hydrated in the summer and thought they were good tips to share.

Dress alike – If you’re feeling hot, chances are your baby is too, so be sure to dress for the weather. Cool cottons and linens are comfortable and let your skin breathe.
Stay out of the sun – The sun is the hottest from 11am to 3pm so avoid going outside at this time. If you do go out on a hot day, ensure your baby is shaded from the sun as best as possible.
Carry plenty of water – If you run out of water or it becomes too hot to enjoy, pop into a local cafe or restaurant and most will be more than happy to fill your sippy cup with cool water.
Use ice – If it’s a really hot day, try filling one of your sippy cups with ice. By the time your baby is thirsty, most of the ice will have melted, creating a cool and refreshing drink. I have breastmilk frozen in an ice cube tray that works for this!

There are online resources with more information and tips on keeping baby cool this summer such as www.playtexbaby.ca and www.playtexmommyville.ca.

One last tip from me: take a drink for baby so she's not forced to resort to sucking the side of your iced capp for cool relief!

(I had Mia in my Boba front carrier, and she glommed on to my drink like it was meant for her :) I guess it was soothing on her gums... the teeth are still being reluctant to pop through but I know they're bugging her!)

Our water baby (and my swimsuit dilemma)

2011-08-24T13:07:00.001-04:00

We've just signed up for two classes at the local leisure centre - a Mommy and Me Aquafit, and a Parent and Tot swim class.

My husband was a lifeguard for many years and knows the importance of learning to swim and being comfortable with the water. I love the water too but I'm not a good swimmer... no matter how hard I try, I breathe in water if I go under. It holds me back from enjoying the water as much as I'd like - so I also feel it's important for Mia to learn to swim.

Here's the dilemma... my swimsuits are all pre-pregnancy and while I am about a pound and a half away from my pre-preg weight (yay for breastfeeding!), I am not at all the same shape or tone I was before - and they are all bikinis. I have bulges. My boobs are too big for them (never thought I'd be sad about that but it's a pain), my belly is soft and squishy, and my bum is bigger. The things they never tell you about getting pregnant!

So... buy a one-piece? I haven't worn a one-piece in years, ever since I decided to be confident and comfortable with my body. (This new body I have is taking some getting used to.) A one-piece won't give me much incentive to shape up, either. Okay, I'm just going to say it... I don't the idea that I'm ashamed of my body so much that I need to wear a one piece when I'm really a bikini kinda gal. However, I'm not so happy with the way I look at the moment and might feel better about getting in the pool with strangers if I'm a bit more covered.

Or, get a new bikini that fits better? Give in to the size up? I've been putting off buying clothing until I'm "back" to my regular body, but I'm not sure that's going to happen exactly the way I thought it would. I think my hips are permanently bigger and the boobs are definitely here to stay, at least until we finish breastfeeding - a long ways out I hope. The bikinis I have I am seriously busting out of (which was a little embarrassing on our recent trip to Tobermory with friends)!

My cutie needs a new swimsuit too, as her 3-6 month is a little tight:

And being the end of summer, where can I find a teeny swimsuit for her?

Lastly, I just got her a cloth swim diaper and the leisure centre specifically requires one of two brands of disposable swim diapers... I'm thinking they can bite me and I'm going to use the eco-friendly, reusable, soft and trim cloth swim diaper I have, but I also don't want to be banned from the pool on our first day!

Thoughts on any of this?

Winner: iQ Eco-Friendly Cleaners - and our holiday

2011-08-22T22:49:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Londia for winning the iQ cleaner giveaway!

I am quite happy with the Rafflecopter format, it's easy for me to use as a blogger and I know as an entrant it's easy as well. I'd love your feedback on this format - did you like it?

We spent a really nice week in Tobermory with old friends (my best friend from high school and her family - I've known her 22 years, good grief!). Gotta love Ontario... it's so lovely here, especially once you get up into cottage country. We are dreaming of owning our own, but for now we rented a cottage.

Here we are relaxing on the deck - Mia all bundled up in a muslin blanket to keep off the sun, snoozing in a post-nursing daze. The weather was fantastic, warm and sunny with only one day of rain and hardly any bugs.

And this is one of my new favourite photos... her Daddy can always make her giggle!

Mia loves the water, even the chilly Georgian Bay temperatures didn't hold her back from splashing and hanging out half-submerged. She especially loved the Singing Sands park, which is fantastic for little ones as it's so, so shallow so far out, with warm water (it really is bathtub temperature) and fine sand. Highly recommended for tots if you're headed that way.

Mia had her 6-month appointment today (10 days late). She's weighing in at 18 lbs, 14.5 oz (95th percentile) and measures 71 cm (98th percentile). The weight gain is slowing down but she is still a big girl! Still going strong on breastfeeding and we've started introducing solids as well. She is such a joy. She cried so hard after the two needles (to the thigh... they made her bleed... oh, it's hard) but soon conked out and slept for 3.5 hours, her longest daytime nap ever. Poor little girl!

Half-birthday

2011-08-13T22:59:00.001-04:00

Six months old! How time flies.

Milk NursingWear - Review and Giveaway!

2011-08-11T16:31:00.000-04:00

***This giveaway is closed!***

Winner: Susan E.

Milk Nursingwear is a source for maternity and nursing clothes that I wish I'd found sooner! They have everything from tops, dresses, bras (lots of the big name brands you'll recognize), sleepwear, to accessories like slings, nursing pads, bibs, and so on. And the prices are very reasonable. I was just looking at the Chic Crossover top (nice for fall!) and it's priced at only $12.99! There is a big end of season sale on right now, so definitely a good time to shop!

Style: The one I tried is the Everyday Tie-Front Top. It has an inner pull-aside layer underneath a v-neck that makes it easy and discreet to nurse. The empire waist is flattering and helps hide the leftover bump (let's not talk too much about that. And don't you go looking for it now!). I like the cap sleeves and the colour is lovely - a deep turquoise. The room I was in was very bright so it looks a little washed out in the photo. It is a more rich colour than the photo shows! Excuse my weird expression in the photo! Ha ha! I was in a hurry, making the most of Mia's short naps!

Fit: I opted for a small and it fits exactly like I hoped it would. I wouldn't suggest going up or down a size - the size seems just right!

Durability: I have worn and washed it several times and hung to dry. It does wrinkle when it's hung to dry (and I don't iron) - but the wrinkles soon fall out when you wear it. The picture was taken about 5 minutes after I put it on, so you can still see wrinkles a little. The fabric is a soft, stretchy cotton jersey with 5% spandex - that explains the nice fit and draping. I love how soft the fabric is. I don't notice any pilling at all, either.

Price: Like the other tops at Milk Nursingwear, it is very reasonably priced and on sale now at $25.20 (down from $42).

The only complaint I have is that, despite my efforts to teach her the baby sign for milk, my daughter still lets me know she's hungry by sliding her open mouth across any part of my body that she can reach - including shoulders, any part of my chest, arms, etc. The drool trail she leaves with this behaviour does leave a dark mark on the fabric (that stays dark even when it dries). Of course, it washes out, but if she happens to glom on while we're out, I'm left with a mouthprint on wherever... I have a feeling/hope this is a temporary behaviour!

I really like this top and it's quickly become one of my go-to pieces for comfortable and discreet nursing wear. I would not hesitate to shop at this nursing wear store again.

Milk NursingWear has generously offered one of my readers a $30 gift certificate!

How to enter: This one's a little different from my usual, so pay attention! You can do one or the other of these things to enter. Doing both gets you two entries! Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected.

Visit Milk NursingWear, find a product you like and would be happy to win, and then tweet about it with a link to the product page
Example: "Check out this beautiful nursing top: http://www.milknursingwear.com/store/pc/Everyday-tie-front-top-2p2112.htm" - now, obviously, don't just copy and paste this tweet, that doesn't count!

Like Milk NursingWear on Facebook

That's it! Simple, right?

Of course I would be honoured if you follow my blog, follow me (@emilyisland) on twitter, and/or mention me in your tweet. But these things don't count as entries this time.

Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends August 31st at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn within a few days, announced here, in a separate post and emailed! Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Sponsor is not liable for duties or taxes incurred in cross-border shipping (but if you spend less than $60 on your order you should be fine!)

August... BBQ month!

2011-08-09T14:16:00.000-04:00

Okay, that's not an official designation, but it is barbeque month for our family. We are so happy to be back in our own home with our yard and of course our barbeque to enjoy! This last month of summer, we plan to make the most of it.

On the August long weekend, we were in the middle of our big road trip home from our three-month stint in Calgary. One of the first meals we had when we finally arrived was barbequed veggie burgers with sweet Ontario corn and homemade potato salad. It's a classic summer meal, simple and delicious - and that goes for the Wonder+ SimplyFree buns we had for our burgers as well.

The buns I mentioned before and again here, are now our go-to buns for barbeque. This is the first Canadian National Brand of bakery products that are colour-, preservative-, and chemical- free, yet they taste just like the yummy Wonder buns we are all used to. Plus I have noticed that they don't seem to go stale any faster for not having preservatives. So, why add them in? They also don't contain high-fructose corn syrup (ick, and so bad for your health), and use unbleached wheat flour. Better to get buns that have simple, familiar ingredients and keep the chemicals out of our family's food.

Don't forget there are some good-lookin' recipes over at Canadian Living to help you think up ways to use that barbeque this summer. I think they are nearly all convertible to vegetarian (except maybe the tuna melts) as well. We pick up veggie dogs at the grocery store and veggie burgers at one of the wholesale club stores (because we eat so many!). There are also better barbeque tips for tweaking your BBQ style.

Here are my two most favourite people relaxing in the hammock after a delish bbq dinner -

Get out there and enjoy these summer days... we are planning to host a few more barbeques while we have the nice weather. We've got to make the most of it!

Disclosure – I am participating in the Wonder+ SimplyFree program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Weston Bakeries. I received a gift card and free product coupons as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

FYI – I'm happy to try the product for free and receive a gift card for my time in writing about it, but I want you to know - I don't promote products that my family wouldn't use or products that go against my grain. These new products by Wonder, to me, are a step in a very good direction for a big company. This IS the product I look for in the grocery store.

Giant Baby

2011-08-04T21:28:00.000-04:00

I bought Mia a 6 -9 month sleeper today and she is too big for it! I had a 2-3year (!) romper set aside, just for fun I tried it and she is rockin' it like it's 3/4 sleeve, going-to-the-flood style.

I have a giant baby. Did I mention she's not 6 months until the 12th?!

excuse crappy webcam photo. lost my card reader somewhere...

iQ Eco-Friendly Cleaners - Review and Giveaway!

2011-08-04T09:06:00.013-04:00

I'm always on the lookout for a good cleaner - I like trying new ones, and the key for me is that they be eco-friendly. I want non-toxic, natural ingredients, smart reuseable packaging, a reasonable price, and good cleaning results. The new iQ cleaners have it all.

The cleaners (all-purpose, glass, floor and bathroom) are made from natural surfactants (hello, coconut!) and sugar-based acids. They are completely non-toxic, and so I can feel that much more comfortable cleaning around (and cleaning up after) our daughter and our dog.

The iQ line has reuseable spray bottles and REFill (Reduced Environmental Footprint) cartridges of the cleaning solution. This means WAY less plastic waste, less cost (all you need is a REFill cartridge when your cleaner runs out, not a whole new bottle), and less of a carbon footprint as shipping tiny cartridges rather than big bottles means less trucks on the road. You add the water yourself, then the cartridge, screw on the spray nozzle and they mix together to make the cleaners. Here is the 'before' (with water added to the fill lines on the bottles):

and the 'during' (it's a little tricky to see, but check out the cool swirly effect of the cartridges releasing!):

Less shipping and packaging costs also add up to savings that are passed on to consumers. Yay!

Plus... they're fun. Yes, cleaners can be fun! Popping the cartridges in and watching the coloured cleaner diffuse through the water is pretty cool. I'm a sucker for pretty, I admit it! You can take a gander at how they work in this video:

The glass cleaner was put to the test on our console table (a glass-topped dust collector) and our mirrored closets in the foyer (a target for dog nose prints, fingerprints and dust). No streaks!

The bathroom cleaner worked well and I liked the fruity scent.

The all-purpose cleaner took care of the kitchen. This one has my favourite scent - refreshing and light. It cleaned the countertops without leaving residue, and even worked on the stainless steel appliances with no streaks!

Overall - love the products, love the performance, love the way they smell and love that they've got a refreshingly eco-friendly approach to cleaning.

Now for the giveaway! iQ has very generously offered one of my readers the same three products I tried, plus a year's supply of REFill cartridges (ARV $50!).

Also this is my first Rafflecopter giveaway so be patient if there are any bugs! (note - it starts at 12:01am EST August 5th!) Good luck all!

On the road again

2011-07-26T17:07:00.001-04:00

We are hitting the road tomorrow for the Big Drive. Those giveaways listed to the left are coming up once we get back to Ontario!

Thoughts on first foods for a vegetarian baby

2011-07-20T16:56:00.006-04:00

Not busy lately, just chillin' with this sweetie!The topic I'm reading up on lately is first foods. Mia's tried a few things (just tastes); she turns six months old mid-August.

My plan was to do baby-led weaning, but I think I will do a modified version that does include purees-to-mashes, based on the reading I've been doing. I liked the idea of BLW without purees, but the World Health Organization as well as my provincial and federal governments recommend purees that gradually have more texture.

I also liked the idea of skipping baby cereals altogether - they seem like unnecessarily bland, empty calories - but again am doubting that. The reason I'm having doubts is that we are (lacto-ovo) vegetarian, and her nutrition is really important. I know she will get adequate iron, zinc and B12 once she starts eating what we eat, but until then the cereals are iron-fortified, so we can be sure she's getting enough. Plant-based iron is harder to absorb, so she'd need to eat bigger amounts (than she would of meat products) to get enough, and I don't think her appetite will allow that for the first while.

Any thoughts on first foods? Any vegetarian baby mamas reading who'd care to share stories? Did you supplement with vitamins?

ps while we're on the topic, Glimpse Reviews is hosting a giveaway for a Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair!

Winner - Life Choices prize pack

2011-07-15T13:24:00.005-04:00

And we have a winner!
Stay tuned for some fabulous giveaways coming up: a fabulous household cleaning prize pack from iQ, a cloth diaper from Zippy Doo Diapers (she has the cutest prints!), and a gift certificate from Milk Nursingwear. I am looking forward to these reviews, which will start in August, once we're back home in Ontario.

iQ Facebook contest

2011-07-13T11:37:00.003-04:00

You may have noticed I have a few giveaways coming up (check the left sidebar for details). One of them is for iQ cleaners - a line of non-toxic cleaners that I am looking forward to trying!

While we wait for that, I wanted to let you know that iQ is having a contest on Facebook. You could win a prize pack and a $100 Walmart gift certificate. All you need to do to enter is like their page and let them know how you re-use!

Go here to enter and good luck!

Also - it's the LAST day to enter the Life Choices giveaway here on my blog!

A Western Weekend

2011-07-11T15:50:00.011-04:00

On Friday, my husband texted to ask if I wanted to go to the Calgary Stampede on the weekend. I don't know much about these things, but it's been Stampede all week on the radio, billboards, flags, you name it around Calgary. My impression of the Stampede was that it's an agricultural fair - I thought it would be like the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) or the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair that we have in Toronto. The Stampede is a Calgary must, apparently - and in the spirit of making the most of our time here, we bought tickets.

On Saturday morning I read the headline on CBC about a horse being put down after the chuckwagon races Friday night. Death at the fair? I read on and learned that horses seem to die often during or after chuckwagon races - from heart attacks, broken legs, or exhaustion. After six horses died last year, they made new health and safety regulations for the races, yet one still died on Friday. How sad!

We did go to the Stampede and joined the crowds; the vast majority were decked out in plaid, cowboy hats and boots and what our Albertan friend calls "turkey platters" (those big ol' belt buckles). Apparently, the Stampede is a license to skank as well... Forgive me my geezer's take on this but the young women there really weren't wearing enough! I'm all for flattering clothing and am not averse to mini skirts or tight shirts, but girls - don't dress like it's for sale! But I digress...

We wandered the livestock buildings (one building to admire the animals, the next to encourage us to eat them - sigh), watched some of a very cool and speedy sheep shearing competition, saw lovely heavy horses parade around with chariots, and, yes, attended the chuckwagon races.

I found the races to be a little boring, actually. There are nine heats with four chuckwagons racing each one. There was one that was quite close at the end, and that was exciting just to see which team won, but mainly it was won from the start. Yes, the horses run fast. I guess I'm just not a race aficionado, because it seems really pointless to see which corporate-sponsored team runs the fastest. Who really cares? A stadium full of people and some big business, apparently - just not me. I went up behind the stands and nursed Mia in the middle of the races so I didn't see all of them. Maybe I missed the whole point somehow, but I think not.

Mia and I at the chuckwagon races

After the races was a live show somewhat modeled after Cirque de Soleil shows called Volte, which included a great fireworks display. Mia seemed to like the fireworks, starting a little at the pop!s but open mouthed with wonder at the lights and colours.

I did enjoy the Stampede - the midway was fun to wander (though we didn't play the games or ride the rides - I just love the colour and bustle of it all). It was fun people-watching. I imagine a lot of the cowboy/girl get-ups we saw are brought out once a year just for Stampede! We got some fancy spiral cut chips and I had a yummy fruit shake. My husband enjoyed an applewood smoked beef sandwich. Mia loved the heavy horse show with the live orchestra - she was wide-eyed and bouncing on my husband's knee as we watched. I think the aspects that I liked are the country fair parts, though, not necessarily the parts that make it the Stampede.

The other thing we did this weekend was a 12.3km hike in Kananaskis Country - the Powderface Trail (Prairie Link). It goes up and down and up and down a LOT, so we were sore-legged by the end! Mia rode in the carrier and slept much of the way. We'd just finished two-thirds of the trail when it began to rain and hail (!), and the temperature dropped from a comfy 20 degrees down to 12, so we rushed - as much as we could, tired hikers we - through to the end and were thoroughly drenched and chilled by the time we got to the car. Luckily, Mia's carrier has a good waterproof canopy and while she was a little chilly, she warmed up fast while she nursed.

I love a good hike but definitely could have done without the rain!

So that was our western weekend!

Excerpts from Making Mummy Crazy

2011-07-06T17:23:00.007-04:00

If Mia were to write a book, it'd be about something she knows. Something she's put a lot of effort into. Something she's a seasoned professional at. Something like....

Making Mummy Crazy
Tips for Babies

Insist on nursing or bouncing to sleep. Every time. No exceptions.
The best time to require Mummy's immediate attention is when she's prepared herself a nice hot cup of tea or coffee. Never, ever let Mummy drink a hot drink.
In the same vein, you may nap during meal preparation, but always wake for the meal so that Mummy and Daddy don't have to sit alone together and eat.
Insist on being held while anyone is eating. This is a good way to help Mummy and Daddy develop one-handed eating skills, and also provides the opportunities to get food dropped in your hair and to stick your drooly hands in someone else's meal.
A giant booger is an opportunity not to be missed. Let it dangle, then snort it back in just as the washcloth nears your face. If it should drop below snorting range, be sure to wipe it on your hand, back onto your face, back onto your hand (repeat as desired), and wave that boogery hand around if a washcloth approaches (cry if possible).
Mummy must be coated in fluid at all times. Do not let Mummy dry out. The easiest way is to mouth any random bit of bare skin that you can find (option: clothing works, too), leaving a coat of slimy drool.
Alternately, spit up. Spit up is best used when you or Mummy have recently changed into clean clothes. Preferably, spit up the mucousy, chunky, stinky reflux kind that results in instant shock and disgust noises and a flurry of activity. Also, be sure to cry when your face/arms/legs/clothing is wiped off, and especially if you are changed into a new outfit.
Last resort: pee. Best when Mummy has just exited the shower and put on clothes. Aim for the waist or higher, that way you will be sure to drench both shirt (and bra, if possible) as well as pants.
Pull hair. Your own, or Mummy's - either will produce shrieking. Wait until your beautiful 3" long hair has, to Mummy's chagrin, begun to fall out at around 4 1/2 months - then grab fistfuls of it while nursing, falling asleep or just chillin'. The key is to drool on your hands first so that they are sticky. Then you can pull out great gobs of hair, leaving refreshing bald spots and creating a hairy fist that Mummy will attempt hopelessly to clean before you get it to your mouth. Pulling Mummy's hair is also fun. Act like you're going in for a cuddle, then wrap those sticky fingers around Mummy's mane and yank. If you're lucky, she is also losing hair from post-pregnancy. Bonus!
Wait as late as you can before going to bed. My personal record is 2:30 am before I went to sleep.
Pretend you've gone down for the night, wait until Mummy falls asleep, then commence kicking practice in bed. Legs up, then - wham! - legs down! Repeat until Mummy gives up on waiting it out and comes to pick you up.
Keep them guessing. Nap for a week with reliable 1-2 hour naps three times a day. Then give up napping entirely and substitute whining.
If you accidentally sleep five hours in a row at night, make up for it by staying up for the day once you wake. Otherwise, aim for two hour stretches at the most.
Laugh only for Daddy.
Take interest in solid food only when it's completely inappropriate. Chocolate pudding, ice cream, yogourt, nuts, spicy food, or anything that is a perfect choking hazard.
If you are meeting someone new for the first time, hold back on the charm. Be as grumpy as possible, spit up on them if you can, look directly into their eyes and burst into tears, that sort of thing. The exception is complete strangers (shop clerks, bank tellers, etc) - for them, mix it up with a big grin, then resume complaints for your parent.
Shrill squeals - the highest pitch you can manage - are perfect for trips in the car, bedtime, and in public places like restaurants and malls.
Outgrow your clothes as fast as you can. This way you will ensure a constantly changing wardrobe of cute outfits. Who wants to wear the same thing more than twice anyway?
The car seat is your enemy. If you are strapped in, make your unhappiness known by crying or otherwise complaining the entire time. Do your best not to fall asleep in the car.
Aim to wet or soil your diaper twenty minutes to half an hour after leaving the house, no matter if it was just changed before you left.
Thrill Mummy by performing tricks (saying "ba" or "da", peeing on cue in the potty, rolling over for the first time, etc) and then hold off on repeating the event for at least a couple of weeks. This makes Mummy look like she is bragging that you're doing things you're not (when actually you are perfectly capable of doing them). Also, Daddy will never believe Mummy's stories about your behaviour unless he sees it for himself.
If the camera comes out, immediately stop doing what you were doing.
Everything belongs in your mouth, unless Mummy or Daddy put it there (vitamin drops, medicine, vaccines, tiny tastes of solid foods); in that case, spit it all out. The ideal way is to dribble it out the side of your mouth onto your shirt.
If Mummy is nearby, you want to nurse. Even if you aren't really hungry, demand that the boob make an appearance. This applies double if it's (a) the middle of the night, (b) in the car, (c) Mummy has just sat down to eat, or (d) you just woke from a 20-minute nap where you were nursed to sleep.
While nursing, wait until let-down occurs, then pop off the boob for a grin, to see what that noise was, to sit up and look around, or just to dribble that mouthful of milk out onto Mummy's shirt. If you are lucky, Mummy will have a strong let-down reflex and you will get a spray of nice warm milk on your face, that hard-to-clean neck, your shirt and wherever Mummy is sitting to nurse.
Diaper changes are the best times to practice kicking, rolling, stomping and putting whatever you can reach in your mouth. Also, help by grabbing the diaper or the hands of the parent who is changing you, and hang on tight.

I hope you enjoyed these excerpts from Mia's great literary debut!

We're down with NIP

2011-07-05T19:05:00.006-04:00

I've nursed in a lot of different places - at the mall, on airplanes and in airports, at family reunions, restaurants, in the car (stopped of course!), park benches, in crowds, you name it - but this is the prettiest place I've ever nursed:Behind me, a huge waterfall - you don't get a sense of the massive scale in this photo - and that's snow - yep, snow in July! We're up a mountain! And this is the view in front of me:We were at Waterton Lakes National Park for the weekend, hiking up a storm (this particular hike, to Lower Rowe Lake, was 8.2 km up the side of a mountain). Mia was in her new carrier (the Deuter Kid Comfort III) that my husband found secondhand.
She's still a little on the small side for it, but she finds it comfortable enough to sleep in for long hikes and my husband finds it comfortable to carry her in it.

The wildflowers were at their peak, and we saw all kinds of wildlife - antelope, black bears, marmots, bison, mule deer, snowshoe hares, pheasants, red fox, pikas, golden mantled and Colombian ground squirrels, and a stunning mountain bluebird. It was such a fun weekend. The town of Waterton is really nice, with little shops and a pretty waterfront.

Mia had her first pool swim (she did well, but I can't say she loved it). My husband was a lifeguard and swim instructor for years and years, so I trust him completely with water and Mia. I'm not a great swimmer, so I did have some anxiety over it. My hope is for Mia to be a happy, skilled swimmer so that she doesn't end up like me in that respect!

What's the prettiest place you've ever nursed your baby?

Winner - Tropical Traditions Natural Soaps!

2011-07-01T14:00:00.004-04:00

Random.org has picked a winner for the trio of natural, organic soaps from Tropical Traditions:
Congratulations to
Thanks to Tropical Traditions for sponsoring the giveaway! Check out their site for lots more natural and organic products, from food to household products and skin care.

If you haven't entered yet, there's a new giveaway up there on the left for some treats from Life Choices, Canadian healthy and easy food (Canada only). And stay tuned for more giveaways to come!

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T12:48:00.006-04:00

Happy 144th birthday, Canada! What are your plans to celebrate this long weekend?

We are going to the festivities on Prince's Island here in Calgary, with live music and other entertainment - then later watching some fireworks.

In between - well, what better way to celebrate Canada Day and some nice summer weather than a barbeque? We're all heading home for some yummy cheese (veggie) dogs, corn and salad. We did a trial run earlier this week (never enough nights for barbeque in the summer). Remember the Wonder+ Simply Free buns I told you about before? They are now our go-to buns for veggie burgers and dogs. The classic fresh-baked taste you expect from Wonder, without any additives or weird chemical ingredients. They're delicious!Mmmm.

Maybe you noticed the little sticker on the bag of buns in my picture? You can enter to win a BBQ party worth $5,000 through a unique PIN found on specially marked packages of Wonder+ Simply Free hotdog and hamburger buns! Very cool contest!

They also have added eight more new barbeque recipes to the Canadian Living, Summer Fun Comes Naturally site. I think the Pineapple Meatball Skewers look pretty yummy (with vegetarian meatballs, of course!).

And you can learn a little more about your favourite outdoor appliance at the Canadian Living website, in the Summer Fun Comes Naturally section: “Learn How to Build a Better BBQ”, and “The History of Barbecuing in Canadian Culture”.

I hope you have a fun Canada Day!

Disclosure – I am participating in the WONDER+ Simply Free program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Weston Bakeries. I received a gift card, BBQ kit and free product coupons as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

FYI – I'm happy to try the product for free and receive a gift card for my time in writing about it, but I want you to know - I don't promote products that my family wouldn't use or products that go against my grain. These new products by Wonder, to me, are a step in a very good direction for a big company. This IS the product I look for in the grocery store.

Life Choices - Giveaway!

2011-06-28T15:12:00.008-04:00

***This giveaway is closed***
Winner: Anne-Marie!

If you care about where your food comes from and what's in it, and want some quick and easy meal options for your family, check out Life Choices.

A Canadian brand (based in Toronto), Life Choices has a mission to make family-friendly, healthy foods such as Pizzas (family size and mini), Mac & Cheese, Meatballs, Chicken Fingers, Fish Fingers and Pierogies. Being vegetarian, I like that they have vegetarian-friendly (and even vegan or glucose-free) options. I am also impressed by the fact that they care about the environment and use sustainable practices including organic foods and sourcing locally. Life Choices has been "Making the Right Choices Easy" since 2002. I find their products in the natural foods section of my local grocery store.

Print a coupon from their website to get $1 off any Life Choices products, or you can
enter to win a Life Choices prize pack right here!

The giveaway:
A Life Choices insulated lunch tote (kids can draw on it!), 3 boxes of Mac ‘n Cheese, 3 $1-Off Coupons, as well as 1 Free Product Coupon for any of the Life Choices products. ARV $25.

How to enter: Follow @lifechoicesfood on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)* Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

Subscribe via email to the bi-monthly Life Choices eNewsletter, which includes expert nutritional information, fun recipes, and lifestyle tips. (sign up on the bottom of their home page)
Head over to Life Choices and let me know one of their products that you'd like to try, OR one thing that you learned there.
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:
Canadians, #Win a healthy, natural food prize pack from @LifeChoicesFood at Emily's Latest http://bit.ly/jbMzXE @emilyisland 7/13
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Life Choices – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺ If you already do any of these things, it still counts for entries!

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends July 13th at 11:59 MST. A winner will be drawn within a few days, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor.
* the mandatory entry was changed 06/30. Entries previous to this change who completed the original mandatory entry were accepted.

Heavy

2011-06-28T14:31:00.005-04:00

It's official: we are renaming our baby Gigantor. At Mia's four-month appointment, she weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs, 14 oz (birth weight was 7 lbs 13.8 oz), and measured 69 cm (27.2") long and 42 cm (16.5") around her head. She's in the 98th percentile for her age and rocking 6 month size clothing (which she will no doubt grow out of soon). Just for the record, neither my husband nor I are big people - we're pretty average.

As for me, of the 60 lbs (!!) I gained while pregnant, I've lost 51. I am dying for the last 9 to go away... but apparently not desperate enough to want to do any actual work to lose it, or give up eating... I miss my relatively flat belly, though. Fitting in to my pre-pregnancy jeans is still just a fantasy. I haven't given up hope, and refuse to buy larger clothing, so I haven't shopped in a year or so and the wardrobe is getting kind of desperate. I've heard the body retains the last few pounds while nursing and it's extra hard to get rid of... I'm using that thought to reassure myself these days!

I've never needed to really think about my weight that much. I've been one of those lucky people who stays around her optimum weight without a whole lot of effort. I started hitting the gym when I was 25 or so and I was always able to maintain a good level of fitness without working too hard at it. But now that I'm in my mid-thirties (ugh! they totally snuck up on me) and I've had the baby, and going to the gym seems to require scheduling around my husband's work, baby care and my low energy from lack of sleep, it's on my mind. I've been twice since Mia was born, which means twice in the last 7 months, as I wasn't going after 6 months pregnant... no wonder.

I know I am doing well, relatively - I try not to compare myself to others, but it's hard. At my mums' group, we're all soft mummies, some softer than others - and I'm on the less fluffy end. But at the cottage last week I was side by side with my sister-in-law, who is amazingly fit, not to mention nearly 10 years younger than I am, and childless - and I felt doughy and out of shape. If that wasn't incentive enough to lose these last pounds, I don't know what would be.

I hate not being able to wear the vast majority of the clothes in my closet, whether it's because they don't fit (shorts and jeans mostly) or because they're not nursing-compatible (tops and dresses). Boo.

Related:
When I was at the mall the other day with Mia, a woman came up to me and asked, "What formula do you have your baby on?"
"Formula?" I asked, bewildered.
"Yes, you know - Similac, Enfalac - which one?"
"OH!" I said, "None, she's breast fed."
"Ohhhhh," the lady said and walked away, looking slightly confused.

Weird, right? My husband thought it might be a generational thing (she was in her 50's/60's).

Best swim diaper?

2011-06-15T17:47:00.009-04:00

I need your advice! What's your favourite (cloth) swim diaper? Mia's about 17 lbs (I haven't weighed her recently) and has chubby thighs.

Something available in Canada (online is fine) would be great... I was about to order one from CSN Baby, but the $7 diaper had $19 in shipping (!), $8 in border fees and $5 in taxes, bringing the total to nearly $40. Um, no thanks!!

Edit: I ended up getting a Monkey Doodlez cloth diaper and so far so good. Of course we haven't had what my husband so nicely terms an "aquadump" yet...

We've been busy lately, spending the last weekend in Canmore, with side trips to Banff and Lake Louise. What a lovely time was had by all - except for the bouts of car seat crying by Miss I-Hate-The-Car Mia.

Mia at Lake Louise.
You can't really tell because of the light, but the whole lake
is a brilliant turquoise like at the left there.

We also hit The National horse jumping championship for a spot of hopping horses. I found the Prairie Dogs (dogs running obstacle courses, I know there's a name for that) much more entertaining!

Mia at The National

Mia celebrated her four-month "birthday" by sleeping for FIVE HOURS IN A ROW! Hooray! Then, the next night, she slept for FIVE AND A HALF HOURS IN A ROW! Double Hooray! ...Then, last night, she was up every 2-2.5 hours again. But... I saw the light. And it was so beautiful.

She also has perfected rolling from back to tummy in the last few days. Way to go, Mia!

We are heading back to lush, hot, humid Ontario tomorrow for a bit - to stay at a cottage with family, and for my husband's grandmother's 90th birthday party. We're both looking forward to being at home, in our own house, for a few days and leaving the rental condo in Calgary behind.

Sadly, our neighbours who are looking after our house have reported that all the fish in our aquarium have died. I imagine the house got too hot. Hopefully our gardens are surviving the lack of tending.

I'm not sure if I'll have internet access for the duration of our stay in Ontario (eeek!), but keep on leaving those comments (especially for the giveaway!) and I will get to reading them on my return before the month is out!

Funny vs Not Funny

2011-06-10T10:37:00.009-04:00

Dear darling daughter,

You are lovely, clever and charming, but your sense of humour needs some refinement.

Your cute little sounds, that can go on for twenty minutes - aaa-ooooo-booo-guh-aaaa-ayyyyypbbbbb-boo-booo-el-goooo-yuh ayboo-eh-geeeee-buhzeee (I'm transcribing as she talks right now) - those are Funny.

Those superextraloud grunts you come out with while we are half-asleep nursing in bed in the middle of the night, the ones that keep Daddy awake on work nights... Not Funny.

When you bust out your heh-heh-ha! laugh when Daddy goes nom-nom-nom on your neck or belly, that's Funny!

When you settle in for a nap, but it only lasts half an hour, that's Not Funny.

The way you wake up grumpy, but as soon as you see your Mum or Dad you give a giant gummy grin and sometimes a squeal - that's Funny!

When Daddy gives you a shower and Mummy takes you, dripping wet, and cuddles you dry in your hooded towel, and then you spit up all over your just-cleaned self and the towel and Mummy, that is Not Funny.

When you fill your pants five minutes after Mummy puts a fresh diaper on you, that is Not Funny. Stop grinning.

When you grab your toes when Mummy is changing you, that's Funny.

When you poop twelve times in one day, that is seriously Not Funny. Let's never repeat that debacle.

When it's 4am and you are having your diaper changed in the semi-dark by a very sleepy Mummy, and Mummy turns to put your old diaper in the bin, and grabs the last clean cloth diaper to put on you, starts to snap it and discovers that you've peed a puddle on the change mat, which is now soaking your clothing, yourself, the last clean diaper and Mummy as well... that's Not Funny.

When you're nursing at 4:30am and you keep falling asleep, and Mummy thinks she can put you gently down and go back to sleep but you wake with a start and re-latch like you're starving, and repeat every three minutes for twenty minutes, that's Not Funny.

When Mummy finally gets you into the bassinet at 4:50am, it is Not Funny to spend the next hour Riverdancing. Mummy needs a little sleep.

When you're hungry and you try to nurse on Daddy, that's Funny.

When you're hungry and you try to nurse on Mummy, but she's not ready for you, and you're either drooling on the nipple area of her shirt (leaving a big soaking wet spot), missing the mark entirely and slobbering all over her chest, or giving her an honest-to-goodness hickey on her arm that she later must explain to her own Mum (true story), that's Not Funny.

When you make faces and constantly roll to the side every single time Mummy is trying to take a picture of the two of you together, that's actually kind of Funny.
When you grab Mummy's nose and honk it... that's Funny! (even better is getting a picture of the moment!)Love,
Mummy.

Tropical Traditions Natural Soap - Review and Giveaway!

2011-06-09T14:05:00.007-04:00

***This giveaway is closed.***
Winner: Diane!

I've had the pleasure of reviewing several products from Tropical Traditions already (some of my favourites: the laundry detergent - great for cloth diapers! -, flaked coconut, and organic honey!). Each time I've been happy with the quality of the products and the lack of chemicals or additives. This company does wonders with natural ingredients.

I had the opportunity to try out some of their organic natural soaps recently. We were sent the unscented, lavender, and tea tree oil varieties. Here they are before use:
The unscented soap has just one ingredient: saponified organic virgin coconut oil. Who knew that coconut oil could be soap?! It is truly scentless and like all coconut oil skin products is wonderfully moisturizing.

The lavender soap smelled lovely and has only the addition of organic essential oil of lavender.

The tea tree soap (the unwrapped one in my photo) again only has added organic essential oils of tea tree and lemon to give it scent. I like the herbal/medicinal scent of tea tree oil (and the antibacterial properties); my husband said it "smelled like car cleaner", so I guess to each their own.

I loved how the bars lathered up well and I really felt after using them that I wasn't left with residue on my skin - just soft skin from the coconut oil, but no oily feeling. I could use these on the sensitive skin on my face without drying out my skin or having a bad reaction. I also like that they are so simple in their ingredients.

My one complaint was that the bars didn't last super long. However, if I had left them to cure, unwrapped in a dry location for a week or longer, I probably could have gotten more use from them. As it was, we busted these open right away and used them up.

The soap bars are now on special so it's a good time to pick some up!

Tropical Traditions has generously offered one of my readers the chance to try the organic natural soaps for free!

The giveaway:
A set of three Tropical Traditions soaps like the ones I tried!

How to enter: Head over to Tropical Traditions and let me know one other thing you'd like to try, OR one thing that you learned there. Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Extra entries (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

Subscribe via email to the Tropical Traditions newsletter
Follow @troptraditions on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
Tweet about this giveaway for ONE entry, this is not a daily! You can use this if you like:
#Win organic, all natural soap bars from @TropTraditions at Emily's Latest @emilyisland http://bit.ly/kOi4R2 US/CAN 6/27
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Tropical Traditions – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺ If you already do any of these things, it still counts for entries!

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends June 27th at 11:59 MST. A winner will be drawn within a few days, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Prize will be shipped by sponsor. Note for Canadian entrants: Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway. (FYI - it's unlikely to have a charge, being well under the $60 that incurs duty charges. There was no extra charge on my soaps, which came to Canada quickly and packaged well)

Dinosaurs, Hoo doos & the Badlands

2011-06-06T19:03:00.004-04:00

(Sounds like a great children's book title!)

This weekend we visited Alberta's Badlands.

Drumheller, Alberta has the world's largest town mascot - a towering dinosaur (that you have to pay to climb up for a view from the dino's mouth. We didn't.). Mia was singularly unafraid, but played the part of mockingly terrified well for a photo! It's way bigger than it looks in this photo at 86 feet tall!

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is one of the world's finest dinosaur museums, with lots of bones! It's amazing to think that T. Rex and Stegosauri roamed around these parts long ago. Definitely worth a visit if you're anywhere nearby.

We hiked the loop by the RTM and it was lovely, with the characteristic "popcorn rock" of bentonite clay and views of the gorgeous badlands, but we were swarmed by the little bloodsuckers. Mia was wrapped up in her carrier and a blanket and hat, so didn't get bitten at all.

The Hoo Doos, however, are probably not as awesome as you might expect. I mean, they sound awesome, right? Like something out of L. Frank Baum's Oz books! I expected the Wheelers to roll out from behind every corner. Alas, there was no Wheeler in sight (or maybe not; as I recall, they weren't very nice). The Hoo Doos are pillars of soft rock, topped by a hard one - creations of erosion. There are only a few at the location and the mosquitos are insane.
They do look cool.

Winner - Playtex infant products

2011-06-04T01:19:00.004-04:00

And we have a winner:
Congratulations! Stay tuned for more giveaways & reviews coming soon. I've got some treats for the grown-ups coming up, and am working on some more for the little ones!

Thanks again to Playtex for the opportunity to try out - and give away! - some of their products for infants!

Sleep (what's that, again?)

2011-06-01T19:07:00.004-04:00

I'm happy to report that, at nearly 16 weeks old, Mia is down to three night wakings. That's right - no sleeping through the night here. Even when just 5 hours of consecutive sleep is considered STTN, she hasn't broken her longest sleep record of four hours and forty-five minutes. She did that once, and only once - more typical is a three hour period during which I am so amazed and thankful that she is sleeping more than two hours at a stretch!

She wakes to nurse*, and for at least one diaper change** during the night. A typical night is - 9:30 to sleep***, wakes at 12:30 to nurse for 20 minutes, wakes at 3:00 for a wet diaper change and to nurse for 15 minutes, wakes at 5:30 to nurse for half an hour, sleep until 7 or 8am, often with a nurse at 7 before snoozing until 8.

So when the mamas on my birth club board are talking about a "4 month sleep regression" and complaining that their babies, who previously slept 6-10 hours without waking, are now waking up (the horror) three times a night.... sorry, ladies, I have NO SYMPATHY!

*About the nursing: Mia is exclusively breast-fed and will stay that way until she weans. I've got lots of milk, and don't feel that supplementing with formula or adding the empty calories of rice cereal to "fill her up" is the best thing for my baby. She's gaining and growing like a champ on breast milk - we estimated she was around 16.5 lbs, based on our home scale, and 25 1/4" long at 15 weeks - that's up in the 90's percentile I believe for EBF babies. And yes, I can tell the difference between night fussing/sleep noises and hunger.

**About the diaper changes: she will not tolerate a wet diaper. I've tried big inserts, and doubling the inserts in her cloth diapers; hemp, bamboo, and microfibre inserts, even - ick - disposables on our various trips, it doesn't matter. The girl doesn't like to be wet (and who can blame her?).

***About the sleep: There's no way Mia will go to sleep at 7:30pm as so many babies do. She's never been a good sleeper, and now that she's finally taking daytime naps I am simply grateful that she goes to sleep around 9:30. Sometimes it's later. I know that sleep begets sleep. Her daytime naps took ages to happen at all; for the first two months of her life she probably only slept 6-8 of every 24 hours. Even as a fresh newborn.
She sleeps in a bassinet beside our bed, at an incline due to her reflux, in a onesie with a flannel receiving blanket over her legs. She's strapped in (it's a Fisher Price bassinet with a restraint), so can't slide down under the blanket, and the blanket is firmly tucked around and underneath her, so she can't kick it up over her face. She was swaddled for a long time but hated it, and as she is finally growing out of the Moro reflex, we have stopped swaddling her entirely. She doesn't startle awake anymore. Once we are back home in Ontario, we intend to move her into a crib in her own room overnight, but meanwhile we are limited by what we have here at our temporary home in Calgary.

Basically... I'm not looking for advice, I'm happy she's sleeping well for her. Just had to vent a little about the whinging of the other mamas who have no idea how lucky they've been!

More weird things about Calgary

2011-05-28T11:08:00.004-04:00

You knew it wasn't over, right? Calgary's different. I'm not saying bad, just different.

It's dry. I mean really dry. Mia's hair has a wave in Ontario - here it's straight. I'm slathering on the lotion like nobody's business just to keep my skin from cracking. Saline nasal spray is a household necessity. Now, lately there've been rainfall warnings and a week of rain, so it's not been quite as dry, but still. On the plus side, my cloth diapers hung up after washing dry in just a few hours here, compared to a day and a half in Ontario.
It's dirty. Don't take this personally, Calgarians. Not using salt on the roads during winter (it gets too cold for that) leaves little option but sand for winter driving. Only, it seems to be a mix of sand and pea gravel. By spring there is a swath 6 feet wide on both sides of every road of grit and stones. Oh, it will be cleaned up... by July, they say. Meanwhile, every other car has a giant crack across the windshield because of the flying gravel.
It's windy. Very windy. One time, my husband and I were going for a walk with Mia in the stroller, canopy up to block the wind, when my husband said, "Hey, I don't even have to push!" Sure enough, he let go and Mia was blown across the field we were walking in by the wind at such a rate that I had to really dash to get my hands on the handle of the stroller. Yes, Calgary tried to steal my baby.
It has private parks. Some neighbourhoods have these fenced-in green areas. I mean big ones, with lakes and such. I guess Some People don't want the riff-raff spoiling their scenery?
It claims to have friendly people. Okay, but where? I have met a number of friendly people here - but they are all from somewhere else! The friendly folks I have met here are from Toronto, Edmonton, England and Ireland. The one native Calgarian I've met (not in a social situation, this was a cab driver) spent some minutes complaining about how unfriendly it is elsewhere... and on my daily walks with Mia, it's me (the Ontario transplant) saying good morning to the people I see on the trails and them reluctantly meeting my gaze and grunting. Am I hanging out in the wrong neighbourhood or something? Maybe all the friendly people are in the north end of C-town. Yeah, I'm calling it C-town.
Milk. Where I come from, milk comes in bags. It's tidy, it's handy, it keeps better, it's the Canadian way. Here in Calgary, milk comes American-style, in an unwieldy 4L plastic jug that is heavy, gets gross crusties around the rim, and you have to return the darn thing to some place called the Bottle Depot to get your deposit back. Ugh! What a stupid system.
Liquor is available everywhere. I know that's not exclusive to Calgary, but in Ontario if you want to get loaded, you're making a stop at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores (LCBO) or at the Beer Store. Those are the only two options (okay, unless you shop at the lame wine kiosks in the grocery store that have very limited selection, or make your own). Here it's wide open. The Real Canadian Superstore has an associated liquor store. The Costco even has one. There are independent liquor stores. There is booze everywhere. I like it.

Ah, Calgary. What a freaky city.

One thing that is awesome about Calgary is the proximity to the mountains (Wait - it's great because it's near great things? hmm. Would I be more great if my next door neighbour was great?). This weekend, we're heading to Banff to do some hiking and hoary marmot spotting. I love those hairy little guys. Just look at that cutie over there.

Did you miss my first Weird Things about Calgary post?

Glup bebe bandana Review & Deal Alert!

2011-05-27T14:03:00.012-04:00

The fabulous Erica (aka Mama Ash) at Everything Mom and Baby sent me a Glup bébé bandana to review! This is a fairly new product in her store and, I think, a great addition to her lineup of products that aren't widely available in Canada.

The Glup bébé bandana has ties at the sides to make it quite adjustable and a panel at the back to keep the sun off sensitive skin! (My husband calls it a 'nape cape'.) It comes in two sizes. We were sent the six month size, but although Mia is just under four months, I thought it fit very well (and will fit all summer long).

While we were in Ontario last weekend, we got to try it out on one of the few sunny days they've had recently. Here's how it looks from the back:She's pretty wiggly, it's hard to adjust because of that, but you can see the back panel (which got folded over on her) is nice and wide. And from the front:There's my happy girl! Yep, adorable. Mia's rockin' the Romance print, and there are lots of other prints to choose from.

Glup products are made in Quebec. There's also a Glup drool bib available at Everything Mom and Baby - very cute! Mia's drooling up a storm lately so I've got my eye on these.

And right now there is a BIG SALE at Everything Mom and Baby on Glup products! The bandanas are on for $8 (from $15) and the bibs are $6.95 (from $9.95) (prices in Canadian dollars). Check them out here - the sale's on until May 31st!

If I have a complaint about the Glup bébé bandana, it's this: I tossed it in the washer (with my whites, on hot) and dryer, and it came out so wrinkly that I had to iron it before Mia could wear it again. I am not an ironer if I can help it, so I found that to be a pain. Of course, on looking at the Glup site I see that the bandana is meant to be hand-washed or cold washed and air-dried, so it's on me for not following directions. However... who really hand-washes baby clothes? That's just crazy talk. Not that a hat needs frequent washing (or is that just me?), but still. Anyway, no harm done - I just took the couple seconds to iron it and it is back to looking great. It just won't get washed that often at our house is all.

I am a big fan of Everything Mom and Baby's commitment to stocking interesting (and often Canadian) products - like cloth diapers (including Charlie Banana diapers, which I love), laundry and mum and baby products. Erica is really nice as well! I recommend following her blog and liking her Facebook page for the latest news. Here's a tip: the Everything Mom and Baby blog often hosts giveaways!

A big thank you to Erica at Everything Mom and Baby for the opportunity to try out the Glup bandana! We love it. We were sent the product to review and keep, but our opinions are our own!

First airplane ride and a couple of good movies

2011-05-26T11:19:00.005-04:00

Mia handled her first airplane rides quite well! Two four-hour flights down, at least two more to go before the summer's out (maybe four), and two giant ones to come in the fall when we travel to Europe.

She managed to wet herself about 10 minutes before takeoff on the way back to Calgary and so cried for the half hour it took for the seatbelt sign to come off. I'm sure the rest of the passengers were rolling their eyes and thinking she would cry the whole way home. Of course not! As soon as her diaper was changed, she was happy again. She slept most of both flights. What a good traveler!

By the end of this year she will have been to 6 countries and logged over 36 hours of flying.

Also, I watched two good movies recently that are worth checking out. Although I watch rather a lot of movies, I don't usually write movie reviews. Mostly I find movies are rehashes of the same old same old, or even close duplicates of each other (case in point: No Strings Attached vs Love, Sex and Other Drugs - if you've seen these you will know what I mean. And if you're going to watch one or the other, LS&OD is much more intelligent).

The first of the two I'm recommending today: Limitless. This didn't get a lot of press (that I saw - granted, I don't get out much and can't remember the last time I saw a movie in the theatre. I usually watch everything online). It had some weird, surreal moments, especially at the beginning, which I really liked. It has action, good-looking people, and a plot that really makes you think, with a couple of twists that keep it interesting. Recommended for a movie night!

The second movie I can recommend is called Me and You and Everyone We Know (from 2005). It's quirky and definitely for grown-ups (it has some very odd, non-graphic sexual discussion). It's about... people, I guess, and connections or relationships. I liked the indy quality (it's no Hollywood blockbuster). Definitely worth a watch if you're in the mood for something interesting and provocative. I saw this one on the plane back home and was surprised that such an interesting, off-the-beaten-track film was offered on Air Canada.

So there you go. A couple of goodies to look out for.

Coming soon: a review of the Glup bébé bandanna from Everything Mom and Baby

Winner - Healthy Options of Days Gone By

2011-05-19T15:24:00.005-04:00

Drumroll.... and the winner is...
Congratulations! I'll email you shortly.

A big thank you to Healthy Options of Days Gone By for the great product sampler and the prize! Please do visit their Etsy shop. The products are really very nice, and the prices are great!

Stay tuned for more giveaways, and if you haven't yet, check out my latest one - my Canadian readers have a chance to win Playtex infant products!

Long weekend! BBQ time (with Wonder+ Simply Free)

2011-05-18T15:52:00.008-04:00

As you know, we're a vegetarian family and I care a lot about what kind of food is on our table. I ALWAYS read labels to see just what's in the food I buy. I started doing this to check for hidden animal products when I became vegetarian, and the more I've learned about additives and preservatives, the more I pay attention to the ingredients list.

That's why I'm thrilled when a company - especially a huge, well-known brand - comes out with a product that I can rely on to contain ingredients I want to see (like unbleached flour) and none of the ones I avoid (like high fructose corn syrup and artificial preservatives, flavours and colours). That tells me the big brands really are listening when I vote with my wallet for real food! And that's exactly what you'll get with the new Wonder+ Simply Free hotdog and hamburger buns. Nothing nasty, just real food.

Wonder is made by Weston Bakeries - I remember the delicious smell of the Weston Bakeries in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario! I went to university there and ended up living there for 12 years. Every time I took the exit from the highway, the big Weston Bakery welcomed me home with the yummy scent of freshly baked bread!

This Victoria Day weekend, we're heading back to Ontario to visit family. I'm really looking forward to breaking out some veggie burgers for the barbeque. My favourite ever recipe for vegetarian burgers is a simple one that you can whip up at home - it's Mark Bittman's Nut Burger recipe which you can find at that link or in his "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" cookbook (I use cashews as the base, truly a fabulous burger). These will go great on Wonder+ Simply Free hamburger buns! If you're a carnivore, you'll find two burger recipes at Canadian Living's Summer Fun Comes Naturally site - and more new recipes to come at that site all summer!

Wonder is offering a neat coupon for the new product as well - it's a progressive coupon on Facebook. Like their FB page, and the more of your friends who also like it, the better your coupon gets - up to B1G1 free! You can find the details on this offer at Wonderbread.ca.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Wonder+ SimplyFree program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Weston Bakeries. I received a gift card and free product coupons as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

FYI – I'm happy to try the product for free and receive a gift card for my time in writing about it, but I want you to know - I don't promote products that my family wouldn't use or products that go against my grain. These new products by Wonder, to me, are a step in a very good direction for a big company. This IS the product I look for in the grocery store.

Playtex® Infant Products - Review and Giveaway!

2011-05-17T16:16:00.011-04:00

***This giveaway is closed***
Winner: Robyn

Just before Mia was born, I received a number of Playtex® products to try! Yes, that's how behind I am on reviews (sorry!!). I have had some time now to give some of them a test run and am finally happy to get this review written!

We received:(clockwise from left to right - the new Playtex® Infant Lil’ Gripper cup, Playtex® Drop-ins System, Playtex® First Sipster, the classic Playtex® Binky, and the Playtex® Ortho-Pro® Pacifier (with sterilizing cover, shown between the pacifiers).

What a selection for little Mia!

The Playtex® Drop-ins Original Nurser System is probably familiar to most of us, as it's been used for generations. The collapsing, BPA-free liner (available in helps prevent baby from swallowing air, and the NaturaLatch® nipple is designed to mimic a mother's breast. I honestly hate pumping and since I'm not away from her much, we haven't had a chance to test this one out. As she gets older I am sure I will want the chance to skip a feeding here and there, and this will come in really handy for dad or a babysitter to take over! This system is super easy because you don't need to sterilize the bottle; the liners are sterile.

The Playtex® Infant Lil’ Gripper cup is a brand new design. Of course, it's slightly above Mia's current skill set, but we are looking forward to using it with her when she's a bit older! This new product is squeezable and has a straw, as well as those easy to grip handles. Designed for children four months and up, it is meant to help transition to a cup. Mum can give it a squeeze to get the liquid started and show the little one how to sip, using the natural grasping and sucking abilities of even very young children. It is guaranteed to be break-proof, spill-proof and leak-proof, and comes in blue, purple, green and pink. It's BPA-free and phthalate-free!

The Playtex® First Sipster is the next step towards drinking from an adult cup. What I like about the design is that the handles are attached to the lid, so you never have to worry about the spout not lining up properly. Just like the Lil' Gripper, it's guaranteed to be break-proof, spill-proof and leak-proof! It's also BPA-free and phthalate-free.

The Playtex® Binky is another classic. It's meant to simulate the shape of mother's nipple and comes in many sizes and colours to suit newborns to older babies. I know every baby has a favourite soother, and I must say that this one is not Mia's. Again, BPA-free and phthalate-free.

However, the Playtex® Ortho-Pro® Pacifier has been good for those moments when she just wants to soothe herself with sucking but isn't hungry. My husband uses it to get her to sleep when she is overtired. I always felt kind of anti-pacifier, but I'll be honest... sometimes it's just the best thing to help her relax and I have accepted that.

Here she is just over a month old snoozing with the Ortho-Pro® Pacifier. I know those pants look way too tight - it's just the cloth diaper bulking up her booty! She has a tiny waist, a big belly, and a fluffy butt :)

And I can't resist posting one more pic of her with her favourite paci at six weeks old. What a cutie!

One thing I love about the Playtex® pacifiers both is that they are available in a two-pack with a sterilizing cover. You just click them into it, fill to the water line and microwave for two minutes to sterilize. So easy and convenient. We used this feature while on the road as we drove to Calgary - every night at each hotel we stayed at, we could be sure her paci was clean and germ-free. Not that we're super paranoid about germs, but it's so easy to do, why not? If it fell on the hotel carpet (ick) or ground, it's better than just trying to rinse it off or wash with harsh soaps that might leave a residue.

It is also very thin and shaped so as not to interfere with normal oral development (hence "Ortho-Pro"!). The handle has teething nubs, too. And like the other, it's BPA-free and phthalate-free and comes in different colours and sizes.

The only thing about the pacifier that is frustrating for all of us is that Mia can't seem to maintain a hold on it. She will suck, it falls out, and then she is upset because it's not in her mouth. She hasn't learned in all this time how to keep it in her mouth herself. She is starting to use her hands to hold it there finally, but is not particularly coordinated yet. Anyway, I'm sure that is just her special style...!

Playtex® products are available pretty much everywhere across Canada - check your favourite department store, pharmacy, or grocery store. You can check out all the product offerings at the Playtex Baby website.

You can also check out the new online forum Playtex Mommyville, which has resources, articles, product info, sweepstakes, and forums for mums! There's also a Playtex Mommyville Facebook page. It's Canadian, too :)

Playtex® has generously offered a prize package just like the one I received to one of my readers!
The giveaway: One winner will receive the five products I tried: the new Playtex® Infant Lil’ Gripper cup, Playtex® Drop-ins System, Playtex® First Sipster, the classic Playtex® Binky, and the Playtex® Ortho-Pro® Pacifier!

How to enter: Visit the new Playtex online community PlaytexMommyVille, and tell me something that piques your interest, OR something you learned from the website. Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! This is the mandatory entry - do this first!

Extra entries: Bonus time! Leave a comment for each extra entry.

Become a fan of/"like" PlaytexMommyVille on Facebook (mention your first name and last initial in your comment). Already do? That counts!
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!). Already do? That counts!
Tweet about this giveaway (once - this is not a daily!) and leave me the permalink. You can use this for your tweet, if you like:
"#Win FIVE Playtex Products for baby (inc. the new Lil' Gripper!) at Emily's Latest @emilyisland http://bit.ly/lmAuFV Canada only, ends 6/1"
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments. Already do? That counts!
Add my blog button to your blog - leave the URL. Already have it? That counts!
Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to PlaytexMommyVille – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
Let me know if you've tried Playtex products before - and what was your baby's favourite one? If you haven't tried one yet, do you plan to?

Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends June 1st at 11:59 pm EST. A winner will be drawn within a day or two of the giveaway's end, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

A big thank you to Playtex for the products I received to test and the giveaway for my readers!

Weird things about Calgary

2011-05-16T18:20:00.004-04:00

Coming to a new city, there are always little things you notice that seem strange.
Here's what's weird about Calgary:

Drivers heed the speed limit. I have seen this bizarre phenomenon in Nova Scotia as well. Motorists actually drive at the speed limit! In Ontario, 10km above is the norm. Seriously, everyone does it - and people honk if you drive at the posted limit. I'm not saying that's right; it's just the way it is. But here in Calgary, if it says 30km (eg in a playground zone), everyone drives 30 km/hr. Really. Weird, right?
Drivers stop for pedestrians. Even when I'm crossing a road with a 60km/hr speed limit, not at a cross walk... they'll stop. If you tried that in Ontario you'd either better be quick or you'd wait a loooong time for a break in traffic. Here, all I have to do is stand anywhere near the side of the road and everyone stops and waves me across.
The streets all have the same name. Have you ever tried getting around in a city where every street is called the same darn thing?!? It's incredibly frustrating! The neighbourhoods are all named, and each street in each neighbourhood has a name based on the neighbourhood's name. For example, in the neighbourhood Evergreen, you'll have Everridge Drive, Everridge Close, Everridge Lane, Everbrook Street, Everbrook Gardens, Everoak Way, Everoak Circle, and on and on in that manner. I got lost my first time out walking... I am going to have to start leaving a crumb trail or something. Who thought up that idiotic system?
The housing looks funny. I guess there's no clay around, because a brick house is nowhere to be seen. Sure, there might be a little decorative brick here and there, but in general, houses are completely siding or stucco. How depressing to have every subdivision in varying shades of greige! Not only that,
The driveways are concrete. That's weird to me, because back home suburban driveways are (in general) asphalt. I would think it's a pain in the rear to shovel snow off of a concrete driveway because of all the seams. And they do have to shovel all winter long. However, I hear the snow here is lighter than at home because it's so cold in winter.
They have enormous rabbits. I mean, we have rabbits in Ontario. They're cute little things. The rabbits here are bigger than cats and wander around during the daytime, even! Wow. They're really BIG! DH insists on calling them jackrabbits (which they are) - but I just call them Big Freakin' Monster Bunnies.
Groceries cost a bundle. I'd estimate 20-40% more than at home. Wow. At least the taxes are lower!
The washing machines play little electronic tunes. Okay, this one is probably limited to the one in the condo we're renting! It plays a little happy tune when the laundry is done. And there's no way to turn the sound off. Weird.

Hm, that's all I can think of for now. I'm positive that there are more weird things going on out here, though.

I wasn't done... there are More Weird Things About Calgary

Cloud B Sleep Sheep - Review!

2011-05-11T16:49:00.012-04:00

I know I have mentioned before about Mia's sleep troubles. She's really been a difficult baby in terms of getting her to sleep and stay asleep. She's still waking about four times a night (a vast improvement over 6-8 times!). I have managed to get her to take more naps during the day, though. Our morning venture out in the stroller is one, a mid-afternoon nap, and usually one around dinnertime. I was thrilled when Cloud B sent the Sleep Sheep to help Mia out. Cloud B is a company devoted to helping children of all ages sleep better. They have a number of products designed for this purpose. One of my favourites is the Twilight Turtle - we already have this one and can't wait to put it to use when Mia begins to sleep in her own room at night. It projects stars and moon onto the ceiling in your choice of three colours. It comes with a guidebook so you can find the constellations, and is truly lovely at night.

Back to the Sleep Sheep - it's a wonderfully soft stuffed sleepy sheep that has essentially a white noise player in it. The player has a 23 or 45 minute setting, so it switches off when your baby's well asleep. There are four different sounds: heartbeat, rain, ocean and whale song. It also has a volume control (thank you!). It has a velcro strap so you can attach it to the crib (on the outside, for safety, please!), or anywhere, really. It's fairly large, sitting at about 12" (I'm guessing, I don't have a tape measure here in Calgary) - and there is also an "on the go" version that is sized more appropriately for the stroller! Smart. A little story book and adoption certificate comes with it as well - and yes, batteries are included!

Mia loves the feel of the sheep, and spent some time just touching and looking at it when we took it out of the box.What you should know - Mia fights sleep for as long as she can. She really doesn't settle well, and it is an ongoing struggle to get her to take three naps a day. Often when I decide it's naptime, Mia has other ideas. So we do quiet activities like lying down and reading in a quiet voice, looking at picture books, and singing lullabies.

My first opportunity to try it out was at her midafternoon nap. We read I Am A Bunny (three times), then read Pokey Little Puppy, and nursed a little, and I turned on the ocean waves sound for Mia. She fell asleep quite fast! Unfortunately, she woke as soon as the ocean waves stopped - I only had it set for 23 minutes, so there's my lesson - she's not fully asleep in such a short time. From now on it's the 45 minute setting! One feature I would love is if the sound faded out rather than shut off abruptly.

Then we tried it at bedtime. I've been putting her in the bassinet awake but sleepy lately, while I let her know I'm still around but don't interact with her. She is often awake for 45 minutes, talking to herself and just looking around. The rain setting is soothing and eventually her eyes drifted shut - sooner, I think, than usual. I find the sound soothing as well. My husband, however, sat up saying, "What's that sound?!" I told him it was the Sleep Sheep. "Oh," he said, "I thought it was a problem with the plumbing!" Ha :)

I did notice one night when my husband had the tv on in the next room that there was a very noticeable difference when I had the Sleep Sheep playing. With the Sleep Sheep on, I could hear the tv, but couldn't make out the distinct sounds or words of it. When it switched off, I could immediately hear the tv a lot more easily. So I really love it for me as well as for Mia!Overall, I like the Sleep Sheep a lot. It's cute, Mia loves to touch it, and the sounds are soothing. There are other Sleep Friends available, including a Dozy Dolphin, Mimicking Monkey, and Gentle Giraffe, as well as the aromatherapy Lavender Lab (the Lavender Lab is available only in the US - for now!), and some adorable Slumber Friends pillows.

Become a Cloud B Facebook fan for the latest info about the company and their great products! For more information about Cloud B products, you can visit the Cloud B website for information. To purchase - in Canada you can email info@dogree.com or cs-1@dogree.com (or, I have seen the Sleep Sheep at Babies 'R' Us!). For my American friends, online purchases can be made directly at the Cloud B website.

Thank you, Cloud B Canada, for the opportunity to test out this great product!

Healthy Options of Days Gone By - Review & Giveaway!

2011-05-02T13:26:00.011-04:00

***This giveaway is now closed!***
Winner - Jen M!

A while ago (and I mean a while... this move has really thrown off my schedule here), I was contacted to try out some mum and baby products from a small, family-run company called Healthy Options of Days Gone By. How fun! I loved the pack of products I got to try.
Included were:

two dryer sachets (only one is pictured)
Tiny Hiney Body Powder
Tiny Hiney Hand & Body Creme
Tiny Hiney Diaper Creme
Vanilla Comfort Sugar Scrub (that's the one I keep in the bag - it leaked a little but the bag caught all of the leak! Now they package scrubs in reuseable glass jars - no more leaks!)
three lovely soaps (only two are pictured)

Since I received the products, there have been some improvements in the packaging! Besides the scrubs going into glass containers, cremes and salves now come in tin containers (no more plastic), and all the labels are recycled paper! I love seeing a company that is already going with natural products make moves to reduce their impact on the environment as well.

We love the Longing for Lavender dryer sachet. I'm using all-natural, scent-free detergent now, and the sachet is full of lavender flowers, adding a lovely fragrance to our clothing. You just pop it in the dryer and leave it - to renew the scent just give it a squish. I was also sent a Rescue Me Rose dryer sachet. I have to say that rose scent is not my cup of tea, so I passed it to a friend - who loves it! What I like about these is the ease of use, the natural contents and of course the way our clothes and linens now smell just lightly like lavender :) They are VERY reasonably priced at only $2.50!

The Tiny Hiney body powder is a talc-free powder for baby. I admit to occasionally using a baby powder on myself when it gets hot as well. It is silky smooth and all natural. I love the little glass shaker it comes in, too!

The Tiny Hiney Hand & Body Creme I find slightly oily to the touch, but it does work wonders on dry skin. The air out here in Calgary is super dry compared to Toronto, and I am in need of a good moisturizer! The base is beeswax, and it is filled with moisturizing and essential oils to make a real treat for your skin.

Mia (cross fingers) hasn't had trouble with diaper rashes (I accredit this to her intolerance of a wet diaper, and using cloth diapers), but it is good to have the Tiny Hiney Diaper Creme on hand. I don't want to use anything with parabens or phthalates on her, and I also need any cream to be compatible with cloth diapers. I can't vouch for that, but using a liner with it would likely mitigate any oils getting onto the diapers.

The Vanilla Comfort Sugar Scrub is a nice treat for mums (or dads!). It is made with raw sugar and provides a good solid skin scrub. It smells lovely. To look at, it is dark and oily, but it leaves skin refreshed and moisturized. It contains Vitamin E to help heal and regenerate skin.

We also received three of their lovely cold-processed soaps to try out. We tried Sweet Southern Green Tea, Tiny Hiney with Flowers, and Tiny Hiney body soap. Again, very nice. I thought it was funny that there were bits of real tea leaves in the Green Tea soap. Little black bits surprised me in the shower until I realized what they were :) I found it lathered really well and left my skin soft.

What I like best about these products is that they are all natural, no chemicals. The packaging is simple, rustic and charming (some of the samples I received are in different packages than the ones you would get when you shop). Overall, really lovely natural products, and all very affordable as well.

Healthy Options of Days Gone By has VERY generously put together a Momma/baby gift basket for one of my lucky readers! The basket contains:

For mom:
Longing for Lavender Bath Soap
Kiss Me Goodnite Bath Soap
Longing for Lavender Bath Salt
Longing for Lavender Body Powder
Tiny Hiney Hand Cream

For baby:
Tiny Hiney Bath Soap
Tiny Hiney w/flowers Bath Soap
Tiny Hiney Body Powder
Tiney Hiney Diaper Creme

Wow. This would make a fantastic baby shower or new mum gift, or a wonderful treat for any family.

The giveaway:
One winner will receive the fantastic momma/baby basket described above!

How to enter:
This is the mandatory entry - do this first to qualify for bonus entries!

Visit Healthy Options of Days Gone By and tell me your favourite product, OR something else you learned there.
Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Bonus entries: (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

Like Healthy Options of Days Gone By on Facebook (leave your first name and initial!)
Follow the Healthy Options of Days Gone By blog
Heart Healthy Options of Days Gone By on Etsy (leave your Etsy name!)
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link to your tweet! You can do this once a day and you can use this tweet if you like:
#Win a Healthy Options of Days Gone By natural gift basket for mum & baby at Emily's Latest! @emilyisland http://bit.ly/km3E2o US/CAN (5/17)
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends May 17th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn within the next day or two, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Winner - Comfy Rumps! & Road trip pics

2011-05-02T13:05:00.009-04:00

Finally! Sorry for the loooong delay. We spent four 12-hour days driving across the country with a 10-week old, a week trying to find a short-term, furnished, affordable place to live, and a weekend starting to settle in for the three-month stint here in Calgary.

The winner is....
A long-time follower and a super sweet person.

On the road, Mia spent a lot of time doing this (thank goodness):
Some time being entertained by Mummy and Superfrog:And, of course, some time doing this (we all felt his way at times - it was a LONG drive!):Are any of you in Calgary?

Bear with me...

2011-04-19T20:49:00.004-04:00

Things are crazy around here. We learned on Monday that we need to move across the country for three months... and we leave Friday morning. It is about 4 days of solid driving. With a 10 week old baby.

We are madly trying to arrange dog care, house care, lawn & garden care, getting a rush passport for Mia (we're driving through the States as it's shorter), what to do with our mail, and packing.

Did I mention we don't have a place to live there, yet? We'll stay with good friends for a few days, but can't impose too long. Finding a furnished short-term rental that allows children and is close to my husband's work will be a challenge.

It's all very high-stress, as you can imagine! So please forgive me as the blog takes a back seat for a little bit. I do still have reviews and giveaways that I've committed to, but they may be delayed a bit longer.

One more song for Mia

2011-04-12T17:41:00.002-04:00

This is the last-resort, put-her-to-sleep song when she's crying up a storm (like today... she logged about 6 hours of crying so far! Darn vaccinations!)

Seated baby on bouncing knee...

Mia likes to ride the horsey knee
bumpity, bumpity, bump bump bump
Someone call the cavalry!
bumpity, bumpity, bump!

bump, bump, a-bump-bum-bum
bumpity, bumpity, bump bump bump
bump, bump, a-bump-bum-bum
bumpity, bumpity, bump bump bump!

Someone else needs to take the reins,
bumpity, bumpity, bump bump bump
Mia's performing a circus act
bumpity, bumpity, bump!
She is standing on the horse's back
bumpity, bumpity, bump bump bump
Juggling *animals front and back
bumpity, bumpity, bump!

bump, bump, a cow and horse
bumpity, bumpity, bump bump bump
bump, bump, a frog and moose
bumpity, bumpity, bump!

... and so on. Mia has juggled fruit, houses, dog toys, utensils, anything I could think of. Eventually she falls asleep! It is a little fun for me, too, as I try to come up with new things for her to juggle.

Nursing stories and baby songs

2011-04-11T16:44:00.005-04:00

What could be more fun than thrush, milk blisters or mastitis? How about all THREE at once? Throw in a little reflux as well. Yep. Nursing is superfun these days.

Despite the hurdles, I wouldn't trade it. Mia's gained over a pound in the last two weeks alone, and there's no worry with breastfeeding of obesity or diabetes. I love the after-nursing cuddles. I love her milky smiles. Her first laugh (a sleep laugh - she hasn't done an awake one yet) was when she fell asleep while she was nursing.

(I've also managed to hook myself up with some tendonitis in the wrists - it's from picking her up so often. I knew having a baby would be hard on my body, but I wasn't expecting wrist problems!)

So we have a couple of songs for Mia that we always sing, and I thought I might share them. The first is a soothing song. I swear it is magic - I just made it up (which you can tell by the lyrics) but it works very quickly to take a crying baby down to a sniffly, cuddly one.

*chorus*:
Don't cry Mia, Mia don't cry.
Don't cry Mia, Mia don't cry!

There's nothing wrong with you,
You're just fine
Where's my happy girl -
Let's see a smile!

Not too complex! Works wonders. My stepfather calls it blatant propaganda :) I don't think the melody is one I copped off another song... it's an Emily original. The following verses I just make up as I go depending on the situation. She had her two-month shots today, so today the next verse was all about the doctor giving her needles and how brave she was.

The next is the nursing song. She gets so upset when she's hungry. I do see the cues and respond, but she escalates before I can get myself ready to nurse her. Nursing at this point still requires an extra cloth for the leaks in the other boob, a cloth tucked in underneath where she's nursing because she dribbles, and a baby washcloth over her shoulder for the same reason. Without these things it's a messy prospect, believe me. So while I assemble the equipment, I'll sing her a song to let her know it's coming. To the tune of Here Comes the Sun, by the Beatles:

*chorus*:
Here comes the boob
Here comes the boob
and I say, it's alright.

Little darling, it's been a long and lonely naptime.
Little darling, it feels like years since you've eaten!
*chorus*
Little darling, the smile's returning to our faces
Little darling, it feels like years since you've eaten!
*chorus*
Little darling, I've got the boob all ready for you
Little darling, it feels like years since you've eaten!

Usually by the time we get to the second verse, she's where she wants to be. I'm hoping with repetition she will learn that the song means she's just about to get what she needs and that lets her relax off the crying a little. And hopefully the Beatles' estate doesn't sue me for mangling their song!

Winner - Gypsy Jewels!

2011-04-08T18:23:00.002-04:00

Time to draw a winner for the $20 gift certificate to Gypsy Jewels! Someone gets to treat herself with really lovely jewelry or something to make breastfeeding a little easier -

Congratulations! I will email you later today, or feel free to drop me a note if you see this before you get my message!

Don't miss the new giveaway for a ComfyRumps diaper, folks!

ComfyRumps Review and Giveaway!

2011-04-06T17:42:00.012-04:00

***This giveaway is closed***
winner: Jennifer!

I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but we're using cloth diapers. It wasn't a unanimous decision around here, but I think my husband is a convert now that we've had a good chance to try them out. We started using cloth after the first week (just to get past that meconium and overwhelmed new parent stage), and have only used disposables when it's way more convenient (like when we spend the day far from home visiting family. I know, we could take cloth for that but toting them around seems a pain).

Mia in one of her ComfyRumps - still on the smallest setting, which has fit so far from 8-12lbs.

I've got a whole pile of different brands because I wasn't sure what would work best for the baby before she came. I have some of the 'big name' diapers, some WAHM diapers, and some from smaller companies. I ended up buying a dozen pocket diapers from ComfyRumps and they are our number one go-to diaper every day! No kidding, whether or not I had a review diaper from this company, they are the one brand that has been our favourite and here's why:

a great fit from 8lbs to 12, where she's at now - and still lots of room to grow Edit: Still fitting well with no leaks and room to grow at 19 lbs!
no leaks. Not a single one.
they come in lots of colours, prints, and a fuzzy version with fuzzy prints too... cuteness!
great fit and the one size style means they will fit until she's out of diapers
the snap style prevents wing droop and allows for a lot of adjustments
the company is Canadian (although, the diapers are made in China)
the ridiculously affordable price!!!

Let me get back to that price for a second. The plain colours are $7.25 (!), printed are $7.50, plain fuzzy wuzzies are $7.75 and fuzzy wuzzy prints are $8.00 (all Canadian dollars). Compare to some of the big name brands at $30 a diaper! This was a big factor in me ordering so many without trying them out first and I'm very happy to say that it was a great purchase for me.

The outer is PUL (no cover required), and the inside is microfleece. It's very soft. It has lost a tiny bit of the softness after so many washes (as any microfleece will) but I only noticed that when I got the replacement diaper. The insert is a three-layer microfiber, and is very absorbent. One more thing I love about this system - you can hold a dirty diaper by the front and give a couple good shakes, the wet/dirty insert falls right out into the diaper pail. No touching required! Love.

ComfyRumps are in heavy rotation at our house and have been for 7 weeks now. They are in great condition still, with one exception. I had one diaper delaminate after 4 weeks' use. I am sure it was simply a faulty batch of fabric (it was the only one of that colour that I had, the other 11 diapers are still looking great), and when I contacted ComfyRumps to let them know, they sent out a replacement immediately. Great customer service.

Overall... if you're looking for an affordable, reliable, quality diaper from newborn and up, take a serious look at ComfyRumps. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Now for some great news... ComfyRumps has offered a fantastic diaper to one of my readers!!!

The giveaway:
One winner will receive a ComfyRumps cloth diaper!
How to enter:
This is the mandatory entry - do this first to qualify for bonus entries!

Visit ComfyRumps and tell me your favourite diaper, OR something else you learned there.
Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Bonus entries: (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

Like ComfyRumps on Facebook (leave your first name and initial!)
Follow ComfyRumps on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!)
Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link to your tweet! You can do this once a day and you can use this tweet if you like:
#Win a @Comfyrumps diaper at Emily's Latest! @emilyisland's fave dipe for newborn & up http://bit.ly/hQMJMJ US/CAN (Ends 4/22) #clothdiapers
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends April 22nd at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn within the next day or two (as long as I'm not in labour!), announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Markham Mom to Mom Sale

2011-04-02T20:28:00.004-04:00

I don't know if any of my readers are local (in the Markham, Ontario area), but there is a mom-to-mom sale coming up on April 9th at the Markham Fairgrounds.

I went last year before baby Mia was born and got some fantastic deals. It's kind of like a giant garage sale of all baby stuff, from other moms and some companies as well. I had a good time browsing. It was really crowded and last year I didn't even have a baby in tow - this year it will be a little more work with a stroller to push through the crowds, but I plan to go all the same.

If you are interested, they have a Facebook presence and the main website for more info is here.

Conversation

2011-03-29T20:45:00.002-04:00

This is what it's like -

Ghee!

Ghee? Did you say ghee? Ghee!

~big grin~ Elk!

Oh, elk! Good girl!

Elk elk! A-boo!

A-boo! A-boooo!

~grin~

Smiles! Good girl! Big smiles! Yay, Mia!

~grin~ ~spit up~

~sigh~

And that's pretty much the highlight of my day.

I used to be more interesting.

2011-03-25T21:40:00.004-04:00

Before (that's Before, with a capital B), I'm sure I had other things to talk about. What was life full of - work, food, movies, restaurants, going out with friends, sewing, baking, gardening? I can't really remember. I do remember swearing I wasn't going to be one of those boring people who can only talk about their babies.

Fast forward to today, and my main topics of conversation these days are:

sleep
milk
Mia
...

Yep, that's it. I am officially one of those people. Hey, at least I don't talk about poop. Much.

The reason is this: she takes ALL of my time, 24 hours a day. I have very little time for anything but nursing, changing, soothing, diapering, endless laundry, stuffing cloth diapers, putting away baby laundry, wiping up spit up, leaving a trail of baby washcloths, burp cloths and baby socks as we go, and picking it all up as well. It took me three hours to put away the dishes from the dishwasher the other day. One day I vacuumed with her in a sling - that was a MAJOR accomplishment!

I know it will get easier. It already has, really. We're trying for a schedule of sorts, and it's actually working - she's had two nights in a row now that have been better. Better means she's up every even hour to eat, burp and settle - which takes an hour. So I'm getting 4 one-hour stretches of sleep a night now. That is an improvement. I've realized that I've actually been sleeping with my eyes open (literally - I wake up and I immediately need drops in my eyes, they are so dried out).

I know that my sense of self and having a life outside of the baby will return as well. Eventually.

For now, I'm devoted to her care. It's my only job, my life's work and my passion... even at 4:00 am, when I'm dead tired and she's starving.

And this is why I have very little else to talk about these days... There's no room for anything else in my life right now!

Gypsy Jewels - Review and Giveaway!

2011-03-23T13:29:00.013-04:00

***This giveaway is closed***
Winner: Leigh!

I have a great line of products to share with you today. Gypsy Jewels is an Etsy shop featuring gorgeous jewelry as well as mama products. Juliea is a doula so, as you can imagine, she's well in tune with the needs of mamas! Of course, the jewelry is not just for mamas - her gemstone bracelets and necklaces are lovely on anyone. Check out these beauties:I love this silver leaf necklace - isn't that pretty?
And this malachite and rose quartz birthing bracelet is not only lovely, but the stones are meant to stimulate contractions. I have read elsewhere that these stones are excellent for fertility!

I love that Juliea has taken the time to research the stones and tells what they are known for in the product descriptions. Whether or not you believe in the power of stones, they are so pretty!

Besides the jewelry, there are also the mama products and this is where I come in. I was able to review the Mama Munchies cookies and a nursing clip.

The Mama Munchies cookies are full of goodness that helps with lactation. So not only do you get to eat cookies, it's for the baby - and you don't have to share! They are organic, and contain ingredients that are beneficial to your health as well as helping out with milk supply. Plus, (this is really important) they are delicious! Nothing like feeling like you've done yourself and your little one a good deed by eating a cookie :) I loved the cranberry and walnuts in them, and that they are not overly sweet, just sweet enough. Yum.Plus, they are perfectly freezable so if you're still waiting on baby's arrival, you can pick them up now and be prepared. I know this first hand as I received them in January and as you know, Mia joined our family in mid-February. The cookies tasted absolutely fresh when I brought them out of the freezer.

The nursing clip is wonderful as well. I had the chance to try this out recently - I'm not that shy about bringing the boob out for Mia to nurse, but there are certain situations where I'd rather not show the world. The clip is way smaller than dragging along a big cover, and you can use whatever's on hand as the cover itself. I had a blanket handy so that did the trick. I really hate carrying luggage for the baby - my diaper bag is a small tote - so keeping accessories to a minimum is key. This works for me!

The clip is pretty fabric with a lead-free clip on each end. You can see that the clip has plastic 'teeth'. I remember this type of clip back in the day when they were made with jagged metal teeth! Nothing like that here. It is fabric-friendly so you don't have to worry about damaging whatever you use as a cover. You could use a napkin at a restaurant, your jacket, whatever you have on hand.

Here we are using the clip... do I look tired? I AM! And yes, I am sitting around on the couch wearing only a nursing bra on top... Par for the course these days, I'm ashamed to say. At least I have a little modesty using the blanket as a cover. Mia's little legs in her legwarmers and socks look like doll legs, but I assure you she is under there munching away. It's pretty much all she does besides snooze (never at night). Here's the great news for you! Juliea has offered one of my readers a gift certificate to her Etsy shop! VERY nice! You could pick up something for yourself, or any of her products would make great gifts.

The giveaway: One winner will receive a $20 gift certificate to spend at Gypsy Jewels!

How to enter: Visit Gypsy Jewels, and tell me something that you love, OR visit Juliea's doula website, Crowning Lotus, and tell me something you learned. Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! You MUST do ONE of these things for the mandatory entry; if you do BOTH, leave an extra comment for a bonus entry!

Extra entries: Bonus time! Leave a comment for each extra entry.

Follow Juliea's blog (publicly)
Heart the Gypsy Jewels shop on Etsy (leave your Etsy name)
Become a fan of/"like" Gypsy Jewels on Facebook (mention your first name and last initial in your comment).
Follow @gypsyjewels on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!).
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!). Already do? That counts!
Tweet about this giveaway (once - this is not a daily!) and leave me the permalink. You can use this for your tweet, if you like:
"#Win a $20 GC to Gypsy Jewels (Etsy) @ Emily's Latest. @emilyisland @gypsyjewels http://bit.ly/hggDOY US/CAN 4/7 jewelry & mama products!"
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments. Already do? That counts!
Add my blog button to your blog - leave the URL. Already have it? That counts!
Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Gypsy Jewels – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
Tell me - do you believe in the power of stones? I am open minded about it - not fully believing, but not disbelieving either! Kind of a "can't hurt, might help" attitude!

Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends April 7th at 11:59 pm EST. A winner will be drawn within a day or two of the giveaway's end, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Winner - Fairhaven Health Breastfeeding Support!

2011-03-21T18:28:00.005-04:00

Late, I know - this one ended on the 17th! Random.org considered the entries and here is the winner:

Congrats, mama! I'll be emailing you shortly :)

Stay tuned for more giveaways for mums and babies... I know things are moving slowly around here but they are coming, I promise. Good ones, too!

Meanwhile, for your entertainment, here is another photo of my favourite little girl. This is the dark side of Mia - she definitely has her smiley moments, but this happens too! This is just the start of a raging and inconsolable crying fit she had after tummy time today. Thankfully, a nap on mum solved whatever the issue was.

The Nursery - photo tour

2011-03-15T19:29:00.015-04:00

Here are some pics of the nursery, just for fun. I am not a big fan of theme nurseries or gender-specific stuff, so we went with a colourful, eclectic look.

Her bookcase we got secondhand - solid wood, so perfect and we didn't pay an outrageous price. The decal of the branch and birds is from Wilson Graphics (read my review and see it being installed here). The little painting on top of the bookcase is by Toronto artist Scott Waters, and features a parakeet and sailboats. I love it.
The glider I bought secondhand (I paid $25 for the glider, plus $75 for fabric) and recovered (see the before and after here). The print above the glider is a monoprint I did in one of my university printmaking courses.The crib is secondhand, too (I paid $100). It was a drop-side crib, but my husband secured the side so it no longer drops down. I made the dust ruffle because I couldn't find one I liked - it's simply broadcloth in white and blue with a gold braid trim. The sailboat mobile is from ATG Stores, and the two quilts are handmade (all hand stitching!) by my aunt. The maple dresser is one I refinished the summer after high school. I remember stripping off about 9 layers of paint, so I couldn't bear to paint it white to match the other furniture! The shelves are from Ikea, laundry basket from Bouclair - I picked it up on sale for less than half price and added the fabric that I used on the glider to the laundry bag. To the right of the dresser (just outside the picture) is the dirty diaper pail for cloth diapers. The red horse on the top shelf I picked up at an art gallery in Spain years ago - it's modeled after a horse in a painting (and I have just totally blanked on the artist and the painting). The tigers are from my husband - he won a contest some years ago to name tiger cubs at the Metro Toronto Zoo, and along with a behind the scenes tour of the zoo he got those cute stuffed tigers. Something I did just today was add a couple of ribbons dangling from the shelving above the change table, with clips on them, and clipped on some Wee Gallery baby art cards in black and white - something to look at for her, and it's easy to change the images from time to time.
As you can see, I did end up using the wire alphabet that I made - my husband spray-painted it bright red and I love the way it turned out! I hung it using tiny finishing nails. Here's a close-up:And the little bird you may have spotted on the curtain rod... one I made just for fun a while back.
_____
We discovered the cause of all the nursing problems - thrush! No wonder I've been in so much pain. I knew it wasn't the latch!

The medicine they gave the baby (Nystatin) makes her spit up all day long, and the cream I've got (the one recommended by Dr. Jack Newman) doesn't seem to be helping much. Ugh. I've been treating this for a week and it has gotten better (I'm not in tears with every feeding) but it is not all better. It's driving me crazy. The next thing to try is vinegar (1:3 with water) swabs, and instead of giving the baby 2mL of Nystatin twice a day, swabbing her mouth with it instead so she's not taking so much in. I sure hope it starts working.

So I'm spending my days nursing, cleaning up after baby spits up - changing her outfit a lot, nursing again because she's hungry because she spat up all her milk... along with doing cloth diaper laundry and stuffing, and wishing she would sleep (this baby does not nap OR sleep at night!).

This is the first chance I've had to get on the computer for a week! I miss the blog and hope to get back on a more regular basis (just need to get her on track with that plan!). I have reviews of some really great products to write and giveaways too, so do bear with me, there is good stuff to come.

Lastly, I can't resist sharing a pic of our cutie - just over a month old now:

Winner - Daddy Scrubs!

2011-03-08T10:09:00.005-05:00

Here's the lucky winner of the Daddy Scrubs (read my review here) - one dad-to-be is going to be pretty happy and comfy!
Congrats!! I am sure your son will love these scrubs as he welcomes his third baby!

A big thank you to Daddy Scrubs for the giveaway. I can not recommend these enough for the delivery room... My husband was comfortable, the scrubs took the place of his regular clothes and saved them from getting stained - and the scrubs came clean as a whistle in the wash so he can wear them now to lounge around the house.

More reviews and giveaways to come, I promise :) One day I will be able to get back to more regular posting. Meanwhile, we are operating on minimal sleep over here as we are trying to get Mia out of the habit of sleeping only tucked up beside one of us on the couch and into the habit of sleeping alone in her bassinet by the bed at night. It's been a rough few nights. She hates to sleep on her back, hates to lie flat, hates being swaddled... Stubborn little girl, just like her mum and dad. Who will win???

Breastfeeding support: Fairhaven Health Review and Giveaway!

2011-03-02T14:57:00.006-05:00

***This giveaway is closed***
Winner: CanadianMama

So the breastfeeding is going a little better... We're working on the latching, and I've decided to just let her have her hands all over the place rather than try to control it. As long as they're not clawing at her own face or in between her mouth and me, it's cool.

As for my supply - well, that has been just fine. Almost too much, in fact - I leak on the side she's not latched to, I drip like a tap if she cries or goes longer than an hour or so without nursing, I go through cloth breast pads like nobody's business.

All that cluster feeding she did early on probably helped, but I also think it has a lot to do with some great supplements I've been taking. I've reviewed products from Fairhaven Health before (they were great when we were trying to conceive and during pregnancy - you can check out my previous reviews of FertilAid for Women, Natural Pregnancy Deodorant, and the most fabulous Dream Belly Stretch Mark Cream - I didn't get a single stretch mark!), and they were kind enough to send me some nursing products.

I got to try out the Nursing Blend Breastfeeding Supplement, the Nursing Time Tea, and the Nipple Nurture Balm. I am so sorry, I haven't had a moment to take pictures of the products yet (Mia's keeping me really occupied lately!), but if I can I will update with some of my own photos.

The Nursing Blend Breastfeeding Supplement is a complete postnatal vitamin supplement that goes beyond and includes herbal support for breastfeeding. Besides the usual vitamins and minerals you need, it also contains fenugreek, anise, fennel, coriander, anise, chamomile and vervain, an herbal blend designed to stimulate milk production and calm mum and baby. I love that the capsules are suitable for vegetarians/vegans as well! The dose is two capsules daily. I've had such a good supply of milk that I'm alternating these with a regular postnatal vitamin every other day. The capsules are a standard size, but are easy to swallow, and have a vaguely herbal taste to them - no bad flavour at all.

The Nursing Time Tea is a loose tea blend of fennel seed, goat's rue, blessed thistle, alfalfa, anise seed and lemon verbena. I find the flavour of anise really comes out in it - slightly licoricey. I love that flavour! It is wonderful with a bit of honey for sweetness and a little extra energy. The herbs in it are chosen for their role in increasing milk production, helping baby with gas and indigestion, and adding nutrients for mum and baby. I really like this tea and if I weren't already engorged I'd be drinking cup after cup - for now, I'm limiting myself to a cup a day at most because it works overly well! If you have any trouble with supply, this will definitely help.

The Nipple Nurture Balm is an organic, lanolin-free ointment for the nipples that helps to soothe and heal them - so necessary for new mums! If you have tried lanolin, you will know it's fairly 'stiff' and sticky out of the tube. The Nipple Nurture Balm is the opposite - quite liquid and easy to spread over sore, cracked or chapped nipples. To me that makes it much easier to use because I'm so sensitive there right now. It is safe for ingestion as well, so no need to clean it off before nursing. The base is shea butter and olive oil, and it contains the herbs marshmallow root, calendula, and self-heal, which have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and healing properties. If I had one complaint it would be that it's a little too runny for this type of container - I have to keep it flat because if it's tilted the oil runs into the threads of the lid and gets messy. I don't like mess! So I just keep it in one place rather than toting it around.

Fairhaven Health has offered a giveaway for one of my readers!

The giveaway: One winner will receive the three products I tried: Nursing Blend Breastfeeding Supplement, Nursing Time Tea, and Nipple Nurture Balm !

How to enter: Visit Fairhaven Health, and tell me something that piques your interest, OR something you learned from the website. Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! This is the mandatory entry - do this first!

Extra entries: Bonus time! Leave a comment for each extra entry.

Become a fan of/"like" FertilAid on Facebook (mention your first name and last initial in your comment). Already do? That counts!
Follow @FertilAidAmy on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!). Already do? That counts!
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name!). Already do? That counts!
Tweet about this giveaway (once - this is not a daily!) and leave me the permalink. You can use this for your tweet, if you like:
"#Win amazing #Breastfeeding Support Products at Emily's Latest. @emilyisland @FertilAidAmy http://bit.ly/dOsZR0 US/CAN ends 3/17 #bfcafe"
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments. Already do? That counts!
Add my blog button to your blog - leave the URL. Already have it? That counts!
Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to Fairhaven Health – 2 entries, leave 2 comments and please include a link to your post
Let me know if you've tried a product intended to help with lactation before - and did it work for you? If you haven't tried one yet, do you plan to?

Please be sure to include your email if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends March 17th at 11:59 pm EST. A winner will be drawn within a day or two of the giveaway's end, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

In love & BF help?

2011-02-25T20:57:00.004-05:00

I know, I'm biased. But - isn't she great?

The only troubles I've been having are some issues with breastfeeding. I thought going in that it's natural and how hard can it be? I had the firm belief that it would be easy. HA! Everyone told me it was hard and they were right.

She is two weeks old tomorrow (wow!) and I am exclusively breastfeeding. She's gaining very well, no trouble with supply - but my nipples are so freaking sore. She's on 5-6 hours a day. They're cracked and just super, super sensitive. I've got an inversion on one side and engorgement on the other (which I have also had surgery on to remove a lump; it's not clear whether the milk ducts were affected by that). Maybe this is way TMI for a blog post?

I've had a public health nurse come by and spoken with two others on the phone... they're recommending baby-led latching, cold - NOT warm - compresses, cabbage leaves, air-drying. My midwife recommends NO cabbage leaves, warm and cold compresses, latching by popping the nip in when baby opens wide.

Of course, baby rarely seems to open wide enough and constantly has her hands up at her mouth when I'm trying to get her to latch (once she's on, we're good). When she is latched, she's grabbing and scratching at my breasts and her own face. Wearing mitts keeps the scratches down but her hands are still in the way. Argh!

Advice welcome, I've had so much contradicting advice so far a little more won't do any harm!

Daddy Scrubs - Review and Giveaway!

2011-02-20T21:34:00.009-05:00

This giveaway is closed
Winner: Crafty

It seems sometimes like pregnant mums and babies get all the attention and dads can get left out in the cold. It is so nice to include dads in the preparations for new babies - they're important, too!

I was so thrilled for my husband to try out a great product for expectant dads - Daddy Scrubs! These are practical scrubs that allow the new dad to not only be comfortable in the long hours spent at the hospital (or home for home-birth families!) but also define his role as the Daddy. To differentiate dad from the hospital staff, and to show his pride, they are printed with "I'm the Daddy". A dad came up with this great idea when he found himself expecting his fifth child - an idea born of experience!

My husband and I spent many hours in the birthing room during my prolonged labour. Being as comfortable as he could be enabled him to sustain me during the most difficult parts. And he has some funny stories about his Daddy Scrubs as well!

At lunchtime on the Saturday, he dashed out to the hospital cafeteria to grab a sandwich. To get to the caf, he headed through the main lobby where some labouring mums who were not yet in active labour were waiting with their husbands. As he walked through in his Daddy Scrubs, he overheard one excited dad-to-be whisper to his wife, "I didn't know they gave us scrubs!" The poor guy must have been so disappointed when he realized that not every dad gets these special scrubs to wear!

The real test came during the delivery. Two and a half hours of pushing and my husband was my coach and support. He even caught our baby when she finally arrived! We had a midwife, and a midwife-in-training as well. The trainee clamped the cord, then added the second clamp so that my husband could cut it. But, she forgot an important step - to milk the blood out of the section to be cut! So the cord between the clamps was full of pressurized blood and when my husband cut it, it squirted far and wide, hitting my husband, the trainee midwife, even the ceiling of the birthing room! It was so dramatic, and super funny - a moment of comedy after an exhausting labour. The point of telling this story is that the Daddy Scrubs saved his regular clothes from this - and (this is the amazing part) the blood ALL came out of them in the wash. I'm not sure if that is due to the nature of scrubs or the laundry detergent I used, but... wow.

Overall I loved seeing him in his Daddy Scrubs and I think he felt pretty cool and comfy in them as well. They looked great on him, were perfect for the delivery, and are comfortable enough to wear as lounge wear or pyjamas now - after all, he is still 100% the Daddy! He got to try the scrubs in khaki; they also come in green and navy, with different font options as well.

If scrubs are not the expectant dad in your life's thing, they also have "I'm the Daddy" t-shirts and hoodies, ball caps, and mugs. What an awesome gift any of these would make for an expecting father.

And guess what? DaddyScrubs has offered a set of scrubs to one of my readers!!!

The giveaway:
One winner will receive their own Daddy Scrubs!

How to enter:
This is the mandatory entry - do this first to qualify for bonus entries!

Visit the Daddy Scrubs website and tell me your favourite product there or something interesting that you learned.

Make sure I've got a way to contact you if you're the winner!

Bonus entries: (please leave an extra comment for each. If you already do any of these things, leave the comment - you do get the entry for it!):

"Like" the DaddyScrubs Facebook page (leave your first name and initial in your comment)
Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name)
Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link to your tweet for ONE entry (this is not a daily entry)! You can use this tweet if you like:
#Win a set of Daddy Scrubs for expectant dads at Emily's Latest! Comfort & style for dad! http://bit.ly/eeGc0H @emilyisland US/CAN (3/7)
Follow my blog (publicly) – 2 entries, leave 2 comments
Add my blog button to your blog– 2 entries, leave 2 comments (please leave a link to your blog)
Tell me who you would love to win these for!

I will be verifying comments so please actually do the things you say you do ☺

Please be sure to include your email address if it’s not public in your blogger profile! Anonymous comments without a way to contact you will be rejected. Canadian or US mailing addresses only, please. Giveaway ends March 7th at 11:59 EST. A winner will be drawn within the next day or two, announced here, in a separate post and emailed!

Busy but I will be back

2011-02-18T09:38:00.005-05:00

We have been spending the week enjoying our newborn. She's six days old now and has already surpassed her birth weight - she gained 11 oz in just the last two days! So you can imagine how much nursing I have been doing. Pretty much every hour on the hour for twenty minutes. And that means I'm not getting much sleep.

Thank goodness for my husband, who has been taking her out to nap with him on the couch for a few hours in the middle of the night so that I can get some much-needed rest. I just wake with every sound she makes (all those sleepy little chirps and sighs), so having her out of the bedroom and safe for a few hours makes all the difference.

By the way, breastfeeding? Ouch! The first couple latches we got weren't great because she was having trouble opening her tiny mouth wide enough. So I got a little damage within the first few hours and have not had a chance to heal. Then engorgement hit - oh. My. Goodness. Unbelievable agony. Thank goodness that is fading now. I can't wait for the day that feeding her is pain-free. It's not the latch now, by the way - we're good with that. It's just the engorgement and the damage from before.

A few people have asked her name - it's Mia, after my husband's grandmother.

I've got some more really great baby and mama products to review soon here on my blog. I've started using some of them already and am looking forward to sharing them with you.

One thing I wanted to mention is that one of the products I've reviewed in the past, the Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent - and their Oxygen Bleach, too (links are to my reviews) - is AMAZING at getting blood out. I am so impressed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T17:06:00.005-05:00

We are so proud, overjoyed, and overwhelmed to introduce our perfect daughter.Born on February 12th at 7:16 pm with a full head of hair (!). 7 lbs, 14 oz. and 21 3/4" long.

I had a long and difficult labour, as she was occiput posterior (facing forward). Back labour is possibly the worst thing ever. Early labour started on Thursday, and after 18 hours of that, my water broke late Friday night. We laboured at home overnight with the midwives here, went into hospital at 7am on Saturday at 7cm dilated, where labour stalled for many hours because of her position.

My birth plan went out the window due to the extreme pain of back labour, a cord wrapped around her neck causing her heart rate to drop during contractions, and my exhaustion after being up three days and two nights labouring. I ended up with an epidural, which then caused the contractions to slow down, and led to oxytocin to induce contractions (there goes the natural, unmedicated birth I was hoping for). It did allow me to catch a brief nap before heading into pushing.

An OB tried to turn her, but she proved stubborn and wouldn't budge. Unfortunately, that manipulation set us back some and probably prolonged labour some more. I stalled again at 9cm, and the threat of a vacuum delivery or, worse, a c-section, loomed. I developed a low fever due to exhaustion, low blood sugar, and dehydration. My blood pressure dropped dramatically. I was pumped up with 3L of fluids.

My midwife checked the effacement and thought if I started pushing, it just might work out. I pushed for two and a half hours, coached the whole time by my amazing husband and midwife. It was incredibly hard work, especially after all I'd already been through. My epidural catheter fell out at some point and soaked the sheets below me - I started feeling the contractions in my back again and was in tears, just about ready to give up because I couldn't handle more of those. Luckily, they managed to get the dose going again.

At the two hour point, my midwife told me that if we didn't get her coming out soon, I'd be heading to the OR. The work of delivery had caused baby to pass meconium in the fluid as well. That gave me the motivation I needed to use my last ounce of strength to get her out.

My husband caught her as she came, cut the cord, and she was rushed off to the warming table and a respiratory therapist and NICU nurses to suction the meconium before she breathed it in (so much for delayed cord clamping and immediate skin-to-skin contact). A few minutes later she was returned to me, all cleaned up and so, so beautiful. While the three of us bonded, I was sutured up from a 2nd degree tear - luckily, a very straight and apparently "easy" tear that will heal well.

We had to stay the night in hospital because of the meconium and my blood pressure scare.

We are finally home and getting used to a whole new life. More to come later.

She's keeping us waiting

2011-02-11T20:14:00.003-05:00

Still at home, still lots of intense contractions 4-5 minutes apart. They were at 3 minutes apart for a while but slowed down again. Teasing us!

I am booked for an induction on Monday if she doesn't get herself in gear before then!

update

2011-02-11T14:18:00.002-05:00

I had that membrane sweep done yesterday in the late morning. The midwife said the first one rarely works and that if it did, it would work within 24 hours. She was expecting I’d need another on the weekend, and was scheduling me for induction on Monday if nothing had happened. It was pretty unpleasant but not as bad as I’d thought it might be, especially after coming to terms with why I was so freaked out about it. At that time I was at 2cm dilation, 70% effacement and station –1.

Yesterday afternoon I started getting some irregular contractions. By evening they were pretty painful. I took a bath and went to bed, but I woke up pretty much every time one happened, so I was getting sleep in about 10-15 minute stretches. Early this morning DH timed the contractions, and they were between 8-5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute.

This morning I had an appointment for a biophysical profiling ultrasound, which is the one they do post dates to check the amniotic fluid, fetal movement, muscle tone, and fetal “breathing” (irregular practice breathing). This is because I’m pretty much at 41 weeks now. We had spoken to the midwife just before leaving for the appointment to confirm that she still wanted us to go, considering how frequent my contractions had become. It was not fun spending 45 minutes in the waiting room and having contractions every 5-7 minutes! The staff was really freaked out by me being in early labour in their office, and kept asking us if we shouldn’t be going to the hospital (not that they gave me any priority in terms of seeing me at my appointment time!). It was kind of funny. We were pretty calm (aside from me doing some breathing techniques through the contractions) and they were the ones panicking

We got a score of 6/8 for the profile; everything was good, except that the tech wasn’t able to catch her doing breathing movements. The baby is measuring approximately 7 lbs 13 oz (give or take half a pound) and DH got to watch the ultrasound and see her heart beating, and her little fingers wiggling and such. The profile took about 15-20 minutes. I couldn’t see the monitor at all!

Because we didn’t have a perfect score, we had to drive up to the midwife’s office (40 minutes away) to do a non-stress test. Bumpy country roads are really awful for a woman in labour BTW! For the test, I was hooked up to an external fetal monitor with two devices, one measuring the fetal heart rate and one measuring the contractions. Over twenty minutes, it did a graph print-out of the contractions and it was neat to see the way they regularly peaked (though I can certainly feel it already!). What they were looking for is her heart rate accelerating with movement and contractions. That test showed that the baby is just fine. It had to be done to make sure there were no problems. It also showed the midwife pretty clearly that the contractions are quite regular and spaced now at 4.5-5 minutes apart.

We are at home now, waiting for the contractions to become much stronger, which will mean I’m in active labour. At that point we’ll call the midwife and she’ll come to our house until I’m at 7cm dilation, and then we’ll head over to the hospital.

So, we will probably be looking at tonight or tomorrow for the birth (how exciting!). I hope it’s tonight because it would be a cool birthday – 11/02/11 – but I guess we’ll still keep her if she comes tomorrow

We're going to be exhausted after very little sleep last night and probably no sleep tonight!

Green light - red light

2011-02-09T18:45:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much for all your support and comments. I actually feel so much better about things for writing it out... Realizing where the fear stemmed from helped me start to get over it.

So here's where we stand today...

Last night at around 8:30 I had a gush of bright red blood. Panic! I've seen that before, and the last time was when I had the miscarriage at 11.5 weeks. I called the midwife immediately and, after a lot of questions about pain, how much blood, any other symptoms, she instructed me to lie down, drink a big glass of orange juice, and count fetal movements. Baby was moving about every 2-4 minutes, in between Braxton Hicks contractions that were happening every 10 minutes. The concern is placental abruption, but because I didn't have pain or a rock-hard abdomen that didn't subside, she said that probably wasn't it.

When I spoke to her again an hour later, she said it sounded like early labour, to take a nice relaxing bath, go to bed and let her know when we're at 5-1-1.

Well, I had two (two!) real, although mild, contractions at around 5 am - and nothing since then.

FALSE ALARM!

Phooey. I spent the day off my feet (as much as I could stand) as per instructions from my midwife. So boring (although my husband rented Little Big Planet 2, which is fun!).

So I am going in tomorrow for my appointment and membrane sweep... Not looking forward to it, but I can handle it. And if it helps get this baby out, sounds good to me. My back is aching, my belly is so full of baby that it feels stretched to the limit and so uncomfortable, my feet are swollen, and I am DONE!

Hopefully that will be the beginning of the end - and the start of a whole new life!

You can't pretend it never happened.

2011-02-08T08:18:00.011-05:00

I was 20 years old. It was the fall of my third year in university. We'd just gotten back into the swing of classes after a summer off, and everyone was busy reuniting with classmates and renewing friendships. I'd (amicably) broken up with my first serious university boyfriend over the summer, and felt ready to pursue a new relationship. It was truly a golden time - I was loving school, had a part-time job I enjoyed, had a ridiculous amount of friends, life was full of possibilities.

I'd noticed this guy before, a serious kind of guy, passionate about his studies, cute but not the kind of guy women were falling over. He was respected for what he was doing in school - he had talent - and while he was fairly introverted, we had some friends in common. I had a little crush on him, I'll admit it. There was something that intrigued me about his reticence, and his school work impressed me. I'd chatted with him briefly, but didn't really know him.

One Friday night, a bunch of us from school got together at the local pub. There must have been 20 of us, a really good group of people - lots of laughing, and lots of drinking. I have always been pretty good about knowing just how much it takes to keep a good buzz on without losing control, but that night I made a mistake in judgment. I had too much.

Slowly, as the night ended, people started leaving. Without cars, generally too drunk to drive anyway, and too frugal for cab fare, most of us walked the 1/2 hour or so to our various student houses. The guy lived on the way to my place and so we walked together. We chatted and laughed as we walked. His place came first - there was another 10 minute walk for me - and I was a little fearful of walking the rest of the way alone, well after midnight. He invited me in. Looking at the options - one one hand, the dark street, on the other his smiling face in the light of the doorway - I accepted. It felt like a safe harbour.

We were both drunk. We kissed. It went further than I wanted. He was stronger than I was. I said no. He ignored it. He didn't use a weapon, other than his body; he didn't leave a mark, other than internally/emotionally. He got laid. I got raped.

I never thought of myself as a victim. I was a smart young woman. I knew about rape, theoretically. I knew about making safe choices. I knew that what had happened to me was wrong. I didn't report it. I felt so stupid for getting myself into that situation. I blamed myself for "allowing" that to happen. I could hardly believe it had - I kept running over the sequence and doubting whether I'd really made it clear that I didn't want to have sex with him. It was like a choose your own adventure in reverse - if only I hadn't gone that night, hadn't had so many drinks, found a cab, hadn't trusted a stranger. If only I'd fought harder, screamed and shouted, woken the neighbours, run away, been able to defend myself.

I decided I wasn't going to give that incident any power. That I could get over it, learn from it, move on. And for a solid 15 years I have been able to say to myself, "I was date raped. I am over it."

The truth is, you don't really get over it. I don't think there's closure for that. I still blame myself for making bad choices that led to putting myself in that kind of danger (logically, I do know that's not entirely fair to myself).

This is not a story I've shared much. My husband knows it happened, my midwife, of course the guy who did it... that might be it. I didn't tell anyone at the time.

Before this happened to me, I didn't understand why women would keep silent about rape. I couldn't fathom letting someone get away with that. Before, I was a more judgmental person - now, I realize that there is an awful lot of grey in this world. A woman can see the black and white, but her choices are all grey.

It ended up being more about the consequences for me. In a completely typical, cliched response that I was, even as it happened, perfectly aware of - I felt like it must have been my fault. It was me, after all, who drank so much she wasn't thinking straight. It was me who agreed to go in to a drunk guy's place without knowing him very well. I questioned my actions rather than his. I could step back and look at it as though it happened to someone else and say very rationally, that was rape, that should have been reported to the police. But it happened to me and that's different. I doubted myself, I felt like I would be blamed and marked, it would ruin the rest of my studies, I'd always be That Girl. Some people might stand by me, but most would wonder if it were really true or, worse, back up the guy. I'd have to talk about it, relive it, it would go on and on. I wasn't beaten. I had no marks. It would be my word against his.

I honestly don't know that I would handle it differently if I were to go back and relive my reaction to the rape. Would I report it? It's not right that it happened, it's not right at all that he got away with doing that to me, it's not right that I felt too ashamed and scared of the consequences to come forward, and it is SO not right that the whole scenario is, I bet, way more common than anyone guesses.

So why am I thinking about this now? It's been so many years. It isn't something I make a habit of dwelling on at all. The first recent reminder was when I was filling out the forms for the midwife. A question asked - were you ever the victim of sexual assault? I hated checking off 'yes'. I hated that this one incident changed my history and changed the way I would be treated. The midwife asked me about it on reviewing the form and I said I was over it, it was a long time ago. I didn't want to discuss it, I didn't want to be treated differently or even reminded that it had happened. (Doesn't that reaction kind of scream, "Not over it!")

And now I'm 40+ weeks pregnant - a very much wanted baby, a loving and safe relationship with my husband - and suddenly the rape has come right back to haunt me. Not because of the birth - I'm not afraid of that, or of the pain of labour. Apprehensive, okay, nobody likes pain - but there's no fear there. I actually can't wait.

It's the induction procedures that terrify me. The concept of lying there while someone does things to me that I don't want to happen, that I know are going to hurt, that will undoubtedly make me feel bad physically - it's a big problem for me. Invading my body with membrane sweeps or hormone gel. It's a violation. I know it's meant to help and it's not malicious, it's about the baby and not about me. I know it's medical, and not about power or sex. I know these things. Logically, it's perfectly clear and not a big deal. Emotionally, it is something else entirely - it's huge and horrible and makes me want to run and hide. Despite the purpose of it, all for the good, it's the process that troubles me.

I feel like time is running out. I have until Thursday to try to change my attitude about this, to overcome the fear - or just accept that I'll be gritting my teeth, spreading my legs, and putting up with a bad thing happening to me again, a stranger doing things to me that I don't want. Of course, I could go into spontaneous labour naturally in the next 50 hours, but I am not feeling like that will happen.

A week from now, this part will be over. The induction will have or will not have happened. We'll have a new baby and so much more to think about than the past.

Meanwhile... well, after a major breakdown this morning about it, I'm writing this to get it out... hopefully it helps me deal with it, and who knows, maybe it will help someone else somehow.

Winner: Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent

2011-02-08T08:01:00.005-05:00

Someone lucky gets to try out Tropical Traditions' eco-friendly and non-toxic powdered laundry detergent for free! Let's see who won...Congratulations! I'm about to email you.

FYI, I had to draw a new winner, because the first commenter chosen did not complete the entry they said they did. Yep, I check! What a shame!

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for the baby to arrive so I can get my tiny new reviewer to test out some products! Check out the list up on the top left of upcoming giveaways for a sneak peek of what's to come - lots of goodies for mums, baby, and even dad! I hope you stick around for them!

No, she's not here yet.

2011-02-02T10:13:00.003-05:00

I had an appointment with the midwife yesterday. My due date is Friday, and she said that 80% of first-time mums go about a week late. There’s nothing happening yet; I doubt she’ll come by Friday.

Next Monday, if nothing’s happened yet, she’ll do a membrane sweep to try to get things going (does that sound early to anyone else?) – and again Thursday and Sunday if necessary. By the 14th, they’ll start induction with a prostaglandin gel and then maybe pitocin (which would probably mean a February 15th baby).

I’m really hoping none of those things happen and labour will start naturally before Monday! It feels like not enough time... While I want her here, I really want this to happen without interference. Ugh.

I'm also feeling a LOT of outside pressure to have the baby. People keep asking me about it (some daily) - as if I wouldn't let my family and close friends know when things start happening! Even though it's not in my control - I'm doing what I can to get things going, including Evening Primrose Oil, Red Raspberry Leaf tea, sitting/bouncing on my yoga ball, keeping on my feet and walking as much as I can - I still feel like somehow I am failing or disappointing them by not going into spontaneous labour.

So – send labour vibes :) but don't ask me...

Upcoming reviews & giveaways

2011-01-27T13:15:00.004-05:00

In case you didn't notice it on the top left there, I have some great reviews/giveaways coming up.

I've already got the Daddy Scrubs, Comfy Rumps diapers, and nursing products from Gypsy Jewels here, just waiting for baby to come so that we can do a proper review. I can't wait - just looking at these things makes me excited!

And, I have my hospital bags packed now. In case you thought I might have put it off just a little longer... ;) Just to give you an idea, here's the STACK of stuff we "need" to bring (with lists on top of last-minute additions):Oh, and maybe my big yoga ball, too...

All I can say is, I hope we need very little of it because (fingers crossed) our stay will be short and sweet (except, I'm breaking into the food bag the minute we're in the door!).

Winner - Hi-Tec Snowdonia Boots!

2011-01-27T09:32:00.005-05:00

WOW, you guys love these boots! I totally get it - I love them, too. One lucky winner will be walking in warm style. I bet you're dying to find out who it is! Let's see...

Congrats!!! I'll be emailing you shortly. If I don't hear back from the winner within 48 hours, I will redraw!

Just a note, I did reject a few comments this time around for either not completing the mandatory entry or for entering past the deadline. That's sad! If you ever have a question about how to enter a giveaway here, just drop me a note via email, a comment here, or twitter.

A BIG thank you to Hi-Tec for sponsoring this great giveaway. I'm a big fan of their products and can't wait to see what they come up with next. The new apparel line they are coming out with looks promising!

If it wasn't you this time, do stick around - I've got lots of other lovely giveaways lined up for the future. And, more followers means better and more frequent giveaways. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?! Meanwhile, go enter to win yourself some free eco-friendly and non-toxic laundry detergent!