Plus Size Preggos!

Are you a PSP? I'm sure there are a few out there (heck I was for both! I still am plus size). A friend of mine is preggo and she found this site and loves it. I thought I would pass along their blog for anyone who is interested!


Well Rounded Mama

Enjoy!

Vacation!

Everyone needs a vacation right? Well It's kinda my turn! I'm at my parents house for the week. We always have a great time here, there's a pool, playground, and lots of people who like to spoil my kids!

This time around I hired my cousin to babysit the kids for me in the mornings. I'm working my way through all my old stuff in the basement to have a HUGE sale this weekend! I'm hoping it goes well. Our plan is to sell everything we can! I have buckets and buckets of kids clothes! I hope I can get rid of lots of them, toys and other things!

For that reason I'm not going to be able to update alot but I'm working on it! I've got some new book reviews coming up and some great information for you.

Also, something to think about. I'm giving away some 'discounted' births! I would like to do 2 more discounted births this year (ie before November since I stop taking births on for December). If you are interested please e'mail me and let me know!

Happy Father's Day

This is so beautiful! Kyler, our oldest son, came home on Friday with a gift all wrapped up for my husband. Hand painted frame and the most beautiful foot prints.





Kyler so proud:




The Poem Reads:

Footsteps

"Walk a little slower Daddy"
Said a child so small.
"I'm following in your footsteps
And I don't want to fall".

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they are hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy
For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up
You're what I want to be;
Then I'll have a little child
Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right
And know that I was true.
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you!

Happy Fathers Day.

It's The Dad Life ~ YouTube

Another cute one for Dads everywhere.

(A More Real) Love Story YouTube

This is for those moms who have preschoolers. And just a glimps into what those dads will be like!

In The News: Even Dads Get the Baby Blues

As a first post for Dads this week I wanted to post an article that was published shortly before Mother's Day. I was surprised to see this article because, to be honest, it had never occurred to me!

I realized that Fathers all over the world have: sympathy pains, sympathy weight gain, and just plain sympathy.

But Baby Blues surprised me! I guess it makes sense. So Moms, remember to look out for your husband. See how he is doing and make sure he knows he is needed and loved. All the time.

Even Dads Get the Baby Blues

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Happy Father's Day!

I just waned to wish Happy Father's Day to all the new, expecting and old timers (Like My Daddy!). I hope you have a wonderful day!

This week I am going to try and post things about dads so stay tuned!

A Post from a New Mom

A friend of mine, Amber, had her new daughter just a few weeks ago. I remember watching her go through trying to have a baby, trying to adopt and eventually becoming pregnant on their own. It's makes me so happy to see the photos of her beautiful baby girl, Morgan.

She posted a wonderful blog post and I had to ask if I could share.

Amber's Blog

Here is the post from her blog. And check out her BEAUTIFUL baby girl! Congratulations again Amber. She is beautiful and you are a wonderful Mommy!

Morgan:



What a great idea hey? Take photos of your child infront of some blogs for your sign!

So some things I have learned about Motherhood....in my 18 days being a mother...

*Mommy guilt is some crazy stuff. You can feel so guilty about the smallest thing and you always want your baby to not be hurting a bit (even if it is hiccups and it really isn't hurting them..you still feel guilty)

*I never knew that I could truly love someone so much and could love her more each and every day.

*The moment we met was truly amazing-I don't think there is any other feeling in the world like that-just pure bliss

*I never knew I could love my husband more than I do-he has been amazing and I'm so thankful that Morgan has a wonderful dad that cares about her so much. She already has him wrapped around her little finger.

*There is a trial & error on seeing what works and what doesn't especially when she is crying but so far we seem to have gotten the clues so far for the most part.

*Pictures are so addictive with having a baby its unreal. I love to take them all the time! I loved taking pictures before but now its an addiction :)

*Every baby is not the same and just because one of your friends tells you one thing worked for them doesn't mean it will work for you.

*Every time you seem to sit down to eat, the baby seems to magically wake up to eat. Maybe she smells the food right?!

*The first night will be the most difficult thing but once you make it each day does get easier and you start to learn your baby more and more each day

*no 2 labor & delivery is the same and I'm so thankful. I had a super easy recovery from a c-section which is unheard of it seems like. The first 2 days were much, much pain but after that it was very minimal. I was good to go with doing things by the time we got home just about but of course I waited to make sure I was fully recovered. It did make taking caring of Morgan so much easier. I would recommend a c-section to anyone after going through it but again that's just me.

*After having the c-section at 2 weeks PP I am only 4.4 lbs away from my pre-pg weight. Not much longer to go! My pre-pg jeans almost fit but still need to tone up I think before they will fit

*Breastfeeding is a hard thing especially the first 4 days but since my milk has came in, it has been so much easier. I am still exclusively BF her for now but wont be able to do it once I go back to work in August. It has been an amazing bonding time for us and I love it a lot more than I thought I would. Of course going anywhere has been a definite challenge because I'm not pumping but we have found workarounds so far.

*My Brest Friend Pillow=wonderful! The LC had one when we went for one our BF sessions and it made nursing so much easier. I would now recommend it to anyone feeding, its so much easier than a boppy pillow.

*Morgan has been an amazing baby-she sleeps at night the minimum of 5 hrs but last night slept 7.5 hrs straight. We have been told by many people just how blessed we are that she sleeps so long. It sure helps mom & dad to feel rested. I think Morgan just likes her sleep as much as we do!

*I don't think I can ever say Ive been more excited to see poop & pee diapers its amazing how your life revolves around these to make sure everything is ok with their systems

*When she has gas poor little thing just isn't a happy camper I wish I could take the gas away from her.

*Baby smiles are the absolute best and make the world go around for now. I could kiss her little cheeks and still not have enough I don't think.

*Bassinet=best purchase if you don't have one. It has been a wonderful thing to have around. She loves sleeping in her little bassinet!

*She loves music and will fall to sleep in no time once you turn it on, its like magic!

*Doing anything always revolves around naps, its amazing how much more you can get done in such a small amount of time!

*We are still trying to figure out the entire schedule thing. So far we have the night down but daytime varies greatly with naps. One day she will take lots of 30-45 min naps and other days she will take 2-3 hr naps.

*I still wonder how parents of more than one run errands its hard enough going anywhere with 1. I keep getting told it will get easier once she gets a little bigger but for now Chad is running the errands because its so much easier!

*Getting dressed is definitely a challenge. I seem to get a shower in but makeup and fixing my hair usually doesn't happen for now. Maybe one day Ill get it all down :)
I could seriously stare at her all day long except I guess I need to sleep sometime.

*She loves to cuddle and it is so sweet. She just loves to lay on your chest and will stare up at you with her beautiful little eyes. Those moments I will treasure forever and ever!

*Morgan is such a content baby and doesn't cry much at all but when she does she is loud and lets you know.

*I've been amazed that our dog when she does bark it doesn't bother Morgan one bit. I know they say that if the dog barks while she is in the womb she gets used to the sound but I guess I never really believed it-guess I should now.

*Many people told me I would cry over everything but honestly I really haven't. I guess it all goes back to the every person is different. I cried when Morgan was born how could someone not. Meeting your child for the first time is a magical moment.

Thanks for letting me share this with the new and expecting Mom's who read here. I hope this gives some of you moms a new hope and excitement from a mom who just had a baby!

A Snip-It into My Life

I know I have told you about myself and about why I am a Doula but I thought you might like to know a bit about my daily life. It's boring! Ha! No really. I am always doing something to keep me active.

Our Family's Typical Day looks like this:

6:20am I wake up. I'm out the door by 6:30am for a run. I'm currently training for a "Give-It-A-Tri" on the Toronto Islands in August. I'm very excited about it. This is the only time I seem to get to myself so I'm out the door as soon as I can.

7am I am home and the boys are starting to move. My husband is generally out of bed by now listening to the news on the radio and the boys are waking up.

We all have our breakfast and get packed up for the day. I know this step will be gone soon but we have been getting bags ready for Speech Therapy for Quinton and a school bag read for Kyler. Speech Therapy ended last week and school ends next Friday so we are almost out of this step!

7:30am until 8:15am is around the time Arnold leaves for work. My husband cycles to work and loves it! It's about 10kms I believe and it takes him around 45 minutes or so. On Wednesdays he takes my son to school and then goes home and leaves the "trail-a-bike" at home and then heads out to school.

8:30am we start our walk to school and wait until around 8:50am for Kyler to get inside with his teachers. Quinton and I head home and figure out what we are doing for the day. Sometimes we have ST other times we go grocery shopping, drop things of at clients homes or just hang at home.

11:05am is when Q and I head to school. We pick up Kyler and come home for lunch. The boys eat and watch their only movie of the day. Currently their new obsession is Magic School Bus. I remember it from when my brother was little but I love that my children are so interested!

1pm the boys go down for a nap. I know I am very blessed that both boys still nap but it's wonderful! I don't get much time alone but it's enough to get some things done around the house and work on some of my Doula work.

3pm until around 4pm would be around the times the boys wake up. Q is always first lately. I am hoping this summer with more time outdoors this will change and they will both sleep until 4pm.

The boys play together until Daddy gets home or supper time. Generally around 6pm or so.

After supper we go for our nightly walk (weather dependant) and then come home. The boys have bath day on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays so if it's one of those days they get a bath. If not we are busy the other days a night so we just send them off to bed. They are in bed between 8pm and 9:30pm depending on the night.

Now that I have it written out so much can change a day. For example:

Monday nights we have our College and Career group over so no night walks (unless we get everyone to come) and bed time is around 8pm
Tuesdays I have swimming (for my training) and the boys nap time gets pushed until 3:30pm instead of 1pm
Wednesdays we have Kids Klub and youth group so at night we are at church.
Thursdays I have swimming and the boys have their lessons. We don't get home until close to 4:15 and then there is no nap or they sleep until about 1 hour before bed time and that doesn't work so well!
Friday is our 'down day' where we hang out and generally go to that schedual, unless we are going somewhere that weekend (camping, my parents house, ect) then our afternoon is a bit different.

There are so many things that can change our days!

But that is just a snip-it into my life! I hope you enjoyed it!

June's Book Review

"The Moms On Call Guide to Basic Baby Care: The First 6 Months" By Laura Hunter, LPN and Jennifer Walker, RN, BSN

http://www.momsoncall.com/

This book was a *gem* to find! I was at Faith Family Bookstore and checking out their sale section (what can I say I'm frugal) and found this book I bought one brought it home and read it. Then I went back 2 days later and bought up the rest of them (about 3). It's a great find and perfect for those parents who could just use a bit more encouragement with how to do things. Or need that *visual* reminder. That's right I said *visual* reminder. This book comes with a DVD! I love that feature.

This books chapters are a bit different than other books since this is in sections. Here's the Contents:

Section 1: The Basics
*General Shopping List
*Bathing
*Bowel Movements
*Eye Drainage
*Nail Clipping
*Skin Care
*Teething and Oral Care
*Twins

Section 2: Common Illnesses
*Overview
*Fever
*Common Colds
*Falls and Lacerations
*Otitis Media (Ear Infections)
*Vomiting
*Diarrhea
*Reactive Airway Disease/Bronchitis/Bronchiolitis
*Infant Nasal Congestion

Section 3: Routine Issues
*Breast-Feeding
*Formula-Feeding
*Spitting Up
*Starting Baby Foods and Solids
*Getting Your Baby to Sleep
*The Amazing Swaddle
*Crying
*The Three-Day Rule
*Frustration
*Typical Days

Section 4: Safety Issues
*Immunizations
*Childproofing and Safety
*Quick-Grab First Aid Kit
*Poisoning

Section 5: The Labyrinth of Health Care
*The Doctor's Office
*Scheduling Appointments
*Phone Triage
*Medical Insurance
*Who's Who at the Hospital
*The Emergency Room
*The Specialist's Office

I think what made me grab this book off the shelf wasn't the price (come on sales are good) but more so the chapter called "Three day Rule" Wow! Aside from my mom (who is smart enough to write a book) I have never heard anyone talk about the 3 days rule. Yes I am going to make you buy the book to know what it is but it's a great chapter! Something every parent should know about.

The authors of this book are both nurses so it's wonderful to have a medical background each time you flip a page. There are personal stories but by far a great resource is the "When To Seek Medical Care" they have in their chapters. It's a wonderful way to reassure the parents that after trying these things you can and should (in some situations) seek medical care.

While this book is not Canadian it is a wonderful book for any parent to read. This brings me to the DVD included. Really, how great is it to get a book but then a DVD! This DVD covers a few of the topics they cover in the book but they show you how! This is a huge plus for alot of us. Personally, I remember being told and shown how to bath the baby but I didn't remember it completely and had so many questions when I got home. If I had this DVD at the time it would be great!

That being said I didn't like parts of the DVD. The colour was off (I know not too important but still) and once you moved to the second menu screen it would flip back to the first after your clip was over. Aside from that I enjoyed it alot.

It's a great book and DVD combo. I really recommend it to people who need to see some of the information and who need an 'easy to find' information book. You can open to the contents and find just what you need and flip there so fast.



~~ If you know of any books you think I should read or add to my library please feel free to post in the comments section or shoot me off an e'mail and I'll be sure to pick them up as soon as I can.

Book Review Time

It's almost book review time. I've got a book I want to review that's not part of my Doula training reading list. Hopefully I can get it done for you this weekend or next. It's busy at our house!

Do you know what June is?

Alright maybe that question doesn't seem right but did you know that June is Home Safety month?

This is this great website I got from my Dad about the Home Safety Council. I'm excited to delve more into it but for now I wanted to share with you so you don't miss out on anything. Make sure you check your homes and keep them safe for you, your children and pets.

Home Safety Council Website


~Miranda

Recall ~ McDonalds Shrek Glasses

I'm hoping to keep up with some recalls but I saw this and thought of all you out there who already have kids and may have gone to McDonalds. Here's the link

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=10822739

I'm Sick ~ Hints for a Healthy Pregnancy

I hate these feelings! I always hate being sick. I can attest that it is super hard to be a mom and sick. Not only is your body telling you something is wrong and it needs time to recover but you have to take care of your family, big or small.

I don't know why I never take my own advice but I'm working on it. I'm finally 'sleeping when the kids sleep' even though my kids are older. I've been trying to get over 10 hours of sleep a night and that seems to be helping my cold a bit.

For those of you who are pregnant right now I have some "Hints for a Healthy Pregnancy" This handout was something I found from a great Doula Tracy Hartley.

Hopefully something on here will help you during your pregnancy woes:


Morning Sickness (A favourable sign that the pregnancy will continue successfully)
 Drink plenty of fluids – preferably water or juice
 Eat small, frequent, non-greasy meals with little odor
 examples are – crackers – preferably whole grain for nutritional value
 fresh fruits, unsugared
 cold chicken
 a piece of (whole grain) toast before getting out of bed
 papaya enzyme tablets
 peppermint oil or peppermint tea
 chamomile tea
 liquid chlorophyll
 raw almonds
 parsley (tea or in salads)
 extra vitamin E
 extra rest
 reduce stress
 cut back on vigorous exercise
 Vitamin B6 (strengthens the immune system, aids nerve impulse transmission, assists with energy metabolism, and synthesizes red blood cells. A large banana provides almost an entire milligram of this B vitamin. Brown rice, lean meats, poultry, fish, avocados, liver, whole grains, corn, and nuts are also high in vitamin B6. So, provided you can tolerate them, you may want to add some of these foods to your diet along with the vitamins.)

Heartburn
 Redhots or fireballs (sounds crazy, but it works!)
 Eat slowly
 Eat several small meals
 Tums/Roliads

Constipation
 drink plenty of fluids – preferably water or juice
 use a footstool while sitting on the toilet
 eat fresh fruit and roughage
 moderate exercise – walking

Backaches
 rest
 massage
 hot or cold packs
 exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles and to decrease the curve in the lower back



Headache
 warm, relaxing bath
 massage
 tension reducing exercises (such as should circling)
 relaxation routines
 hot packs or cold packs on the back of the neck or shoulders
 cold packs on the forehead

Cold, Hay Fever, Runny Nose, and Cough
 cool-mist vaporizer
 saline nose drops
 rest
 liquids
 honey and lemon

Sleeplessness (common in late pregnancy)
 take a brisk walk each day
 warm bath
 warm milk
 massage
 soothing music
 a dull book (if you find yourself awake in the middle of the night)

Things to Avoid During Pregnancy
 tetracycline (a commonly prescribed antibiotic, may retard bone growth and affect tooth development)
 Over-the-counter medications including:
 decongestants
 cough medicines
 sleep medications
 headache remedies
 aspirin
 paint fumes
 rug shampoos
 lawn chemicals
 cleaning solvents
 pesticides
 x-rays
 caffeine
 cat litter
 cigarette smoke (including second hand)


Hopefully I feel better by following some of these tips!

Something to Laugh About

I found this a few weeks ago and I wanted to share. Just something funny for you to enjoy!

Forewarned... wording might be a bit strong

5 Super Powers We All Had As Babies

Smile!