Wishing you...

...all the best this holiday season...and may the New Year bring you everything you hope for!

Uli's birth story...

So here goes...November 16th, 2014...

I believe I thoroughly screwed myself that evening when I was joking around at the night time Santa Claus parade  that we were attending that my water was going to break during the parade (it was so busy and we would have had a hell of a time getting to the car and out of town etc...). We went with my mom to the parade and it actually ended early at 6:30pm (was suppose to be done at 7:30pm). We drove my mom home (she lives a 3 minute drive away from our place) and then went home...it was past Felix's bedtime (7pm (ish) he goes to bed usually...falling asleep is another story) but he needed to eat and settle in a bit, so I started making him a grilled cheese sandwich quickly before bed.....it was 7:30pm....and then my water broke! Soooo we phoned my mom to tell her we would be dropping Felix off shortly (he would spend the night at her house) and I phoned the midwife....and burnt the grilled cheese.
It all went quite quickly after we got organized....I told her not to come right away (thought I would be labouring for a few hours...though my contractions started while I was on the phone with her). Justin headed out to drop Felix off at my mom's house and to grab us some take out (I had become obsessed in the last month of getting a festive chicken sandwich from Swiss Chalet when I went into labour...don't ask me why...I am a strange lady!) The midwife came an hour later (8:30pm) to check on me....did some checks (I was GBS positive again this time around, so she gave me the IV medicine for it) and she also checked how many centimeters I was...at that time I believe it was a generous 3cm. We decided she could go home and we would phone her once the contractions got harder....she left around 10pm (she lives very close by, thank goodness!). After she left I continued to try to eat my sandwich, but at that point I couldn't sit anymore than a few seconds...my contractions were getting more painful and frequent. I decided to head into the shower thinking it might help...I realized within a couple of minutes of being in there that the baby was coming quickly and got out asap....I don't remember getting dried off and dressed to be honest...the next thing I remember is being in our hallway and not being able to talk or stand up well during my contractions...at that point I went to lay down on our bed on my side. I closed my eyes (had them closed from then on until Uli was born) and laboured with Justin holding my hand (just like with Felix...I needed him to squeeze back as hard as possible...I used his hand (and him) as a counter pressure of sorts. Contractions were strong and less than a minute apart at that point (it just happened so fast)...I would have one big contraction (with soooo much pressure on my back area) followed by a smaller (more manageable) one....Justin phoned the midwife at 10:43pm (we looked at his phone later to figure out the timing ;) ) to get her back....I already felt like I had to push...she arrived at 10:56pm....needless to say, she was running around getting her equipment set up...the other midwife (they always have two) made it just in time while I was already pushing. During pushing, Uli's heart rate started dropping...the midwife had to do a quick episiotomy to get her out quickly. She said that had Uli not been "sunny side up" (posterior...babies that face upwards when born), she would have arrived even faster and it would have been Justin delivering her! I have since read more information on posterior births and I feel pretty bad ass having done one naturally to be honest ;)

Uli arrived at 11:55pm on November 16th, 2014...she weighed 6lbs 11oz and was 19.5 inches.

She was placed on my chest right away and started feeding like she had been doing it forever. It was quite surreal.

I still can't believe I had her at home....I did regret it about half way through labour! I believe I might have started to whimper when I realized it was too late to go to a hospital... 

I did have to go to the hospital a couple of hours after I had Uli...I had to get some "special" stitching done (the midwife can stitch you up, but this was a more delicate case I guess)...so we headed to the hospital for a couple of hours. It was all pretty serene actually....the first snow fall of the season...the streets were so quiet in the middle of the night on a Sunday/early Monday. The ambulance drivers (I had to be taken via ambulance, policy) were super nice...I rode in with the midwife and Justin followed in our car with Uli. We were back home by 4am, the midwife tidied up and left....and Justin, Uli and I hunkered down to sleep until about 10am the next day.....my mom took Felix to nursery school that morning....and Justin picked him up and he met his sister :) 

Having had both a hospital and a home birth now, it's interesting. I definitely prefer the home birth...even though it went so fast, it was nice to be around our things...

Having a midwife vs. a doctor/nurse...I felt more included in the decision making....it all felt like it was my decision(s) throughout the pregnancy, labour and birth. I did not feel like that when I had Felix. 

Maybe because I knew what to (somewhat) expect this time around with a newborn, or because I laboured naturally, or maybe just pure luck....I (knock on wood) have not been experiencing postpartum depression this time around. Mind you, I have had my little meltdowns...but those were definitely due to lack of sleep.

Felix has taken to being a big brother without any issues :) He is so good with Uli and sooooo sweet :)

*I didn't get to finish that damn chicken sandwich until the next day in the afternoon...it was worth it ;) 

Introducing...

...little miss Uli ! 

Uli came quite quickly and 6 days before her due date. On November 16th we came home after the night time Santa Claus parade, and while I was making a quick grilled cheese for Felix before bed time, my water broke! My water broke at 7:30pm and Uli was here at 11:55pm that same evening....phew! She was born here at our home (still can't believe I did that!) with the help of our midwife team. I will share more of her birth story a little later....she *might* be waking up again right now ;) 

We are all doing well and adjusting to a family of four...it has gone quite smoothly actually, which is shocking! ;) 

Just wanted to pop in quick and wish you and yours a magical holiday season filled with lots of hugs and goodies to eat!

Hello there....

...ummm....where has the Summer gone? I can't believe September is here already! 

I hope your Summer has been lovely? Ours was busy, good, but busy...definitely went by with a blur! 

Enter Autumn....and I LOVE it so!!! My favourite time of year...it completely energizes me :)

All is well in bump land...growing belly and lots of kicks...and tonight...too much ice cream...I discovered chocolate banana ice cream last week...delicious and deadly ;) 

We are re-doing Felix's room, trying to make room for the crib and changing table. We decided to sell his double bed from Ikea and get him a new toddler bunk bed of sorts (no bottom bunk, which gives more floor space). Here is a picture from the Ikea site....

It is a small room that they will be sharing for a while, so this bed will give them much needed floor space for playing. I like the fact that it is "encased" so to speak, he shouldn't (fingers crossed!) fall out of it in the middle of the night. 

I am definitely slowly nesting, once we have the new bed for Felix, I can move around and add some wall decorations/pictures. I bought some wooden embroidery hoops of different sizes to decorate the wall above the crib. I will be putting four different fabrics (one in each) inside of them, that I got for my birthday from Justin. I also plan on getting a mobile again (we still have Felix's hanging above his bed as decoration). I have had my eye on this one from Etsy...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopLittles

Lots of big and little things to get done before the little one arrives....once their room is all set up, washing all the baby clothes and organizing it by size etc... getting all the cloth diapers ready again....I also want to make a bunch of freezer meals ahead of time....hmmm...what else... 

that is all I can think of right now. But now that I am off work, I am sure I will be checking into this space more often! 

Sun Days...

When Sunny days actually fall on a Sunday (my day off), it is pretty awesome.

Our day started like our last few Sundays...a toddlers gymnastics class...where ten tiny people basically have the run of a large gym with a lot of fun activities set up and three very patient coaches helping them out. It is a ton of fun to watch through the window viewing area. He listens to direction! Who knew? The class is 45 minutes and Felix enjoys it...the trampoline being his favourite for sure. We are really happy we signed him up for this once a week little class, and plan to do it again in the Fall for him. We also hope to find a music centered class for him around our area. I really think he would enjoy it a lot...he LOVES music and sings & dances along to everything.

After gymnastics we quickly headed to a local farmer's market that just started this week for the season...we wanted to check it our for the first time. It looks pretty promising for the Summer. We picked up a chicken pot pie for dinner from one of the local farm stalls there (which was very tasty indeed!).

Our afternoon consisted of a long forest walk....twenty minutes of which was spent throwing sticks into the water (a favourite activity of late)...until a couple came into the forest with their two (gigantic! I kid you not! dogs....the breed was Irish wolfhound I believe). We then had to creepily follow them along their walk of course. Felix chatted their ears off the entire way. Poor couple thought they would have a nice quiet walk in the woods....little did they know a three year old was going to be stalking them! ;)

I finished the evening with making homemade fruit yogurt popsicles. Felix has been obsessed with popsicles and these are a healthy alternative to the crazy amount of sugar ones you can find in the grocery store. All I did was put two bananas, about two cups of frozen fruit (I used strawberries this time), and two cups of yogurt with a bit of honey) in a blender, blend like crazy until completely smooth (I had to add a splash of water to get it moving), then pour into your popsicle molds....voila! 

I hope you had a relaxing Sunday? 

Ps...Keep in mind...this may all sound like an awesome "perfect" relaxing day spent with a toddler, but lets keep things real and add that this day included about three major meltdowns, a tub time that was cut very short due to violent splashing, a refusal of proper food (which led to a dinner of crackers) and my (amazing) husband now laying down with Felix until he falls asleep (because for almost a year now, he wont go to sleep on his own anymore...we have tried EVERYTHING!)....which results in us getting maybe two hours to spend together by ourselves....which then inevitably will lead to Felix waking up and crawling into our bed.....just wanted to give you a taste ;) 

Happy week to you!

one little heart beating...

Well, it is official...I feel like I can share our news today...

We heard a very strong heartbeat for the first time today :)

We are expecting a little one to join us this November!!! 

We are over the moon happy and couldn't be more excited...and nervous... & scared...all in good ways! ;) 

I am definitely nervous about the jump from one to two tiny people in our lives, but feel more prepared than the first time with one...I'm probably fooling myself! 

Now that I am a bit into the second trimester and feeling more energized again, I hope to spend more time in this space again. I try not to force this space, I don't want it to feel like a chore and I like to write about things that I feel like writing about, when I feel like it....not stick to a schedule too much. I know it can be annoying as a reader to have to wait for new posts for long periods of time, so I thank you for your patience and for checking in on this space when the mood strikes you :) 

Hmmmmm....any guesses? I feel like this tiny one will (is?) be a little brother to Felix....we shall see! :) 

Welcome to Felix's room...

  

About 50% of the books, toys and stuffed animals (those more like 75%) are from either my childhood or Justin's (more so books from Justin)...which is pretty neat, I think :) 

We just bought him the little bed beside his new "Big" bed...for the doll he got for his birthday and also to help him see how "cool" big beds are! ;) 

We are really happy with his space...I love how colourful it is for him.

We also got an enthusiastic "I love my new room! I love new house!" from him...which is all the feedback we need :)

Welcome to the living room...

I received this beautiful bouquet from Justin for our 5 year wedding anniversary last weekend :)

I added this wall decal under the deer riding the bike picture in the living room...need a reminder once in a while!

Some of my doula study books... :)

A painting my Opa made a number of years ago...

Planted some tomato seedlings...must get some herb ones started soon!

ahhh...yes, the gas heater eye-sore of the living room...pretending it is not there... ;)

...and there you have it! I will show you the rest in my next post...I feel I have bombarded you with enough photos for now!

...overdue...

...an update is long overdue!

Much has happened in the last month and a half or so...

After much thought, we came to the conclusion that London was just not our cup of tea (pun intended ;) ). It was an awesome opportunity, but financially, not so much. Seeing as the position would not have been at an international school (which usually pay for your relocation costs), the actual costs of just getting over there, getting a place for us to live set up, getting our things out of storage and over there....to put it mildly, the finances were staggering. Had London been our first choice overall, it would have been tempting, but we also have Felix to think about, and it just didn't make sense to us to fall into debt for that particular move. 

What we learned from the entire thing...Switzerland is our dream and we are going to continue working towards that. We realized that we were just desperate to "get going" that we started to lose sight of our goal. We were applying to countries just because they were in Europe and closer to Switzerland then we are here...and that is just plain silly. It cleared our vision, and made us focus on the now. I am just reading a book and it had a great line in it that kind of went like this (I was reading late into the evening, so please do not quote me on this!) basically, you are not going to step off the airplane and magically become/morph into the person that you always wanted/hoped to be. We had all these amazing plans that always started with "when we are in Switzerland..." 

~ i am going to not drink pop anymore...

~ i am going to knit...

~ i am going to eat super healthy...

~ i am going to get into my photography again...

~ i am going to not use any chemicals at home when cleaning....

etc etc etc....little (and big) things like that...it is that perpetual excuse...and it gives you hope...BUT! no more...this whole experience in the last two years since we decided to take the plunge has really helped us discover who we are, what we like, what we don't like, our wants, our goals, our hopes and our dreams. We are open to change, but we have our focus...and while we work towards our goal of living in Switzerland, we are going to embrace the here and now...fully. 

That being said, we found a cute little apartment right smack downtown of our little hometown....a two minute walk from my work, around the corner from the library, and a hop, skip and jump (literally a minute walk) to the main nature trail (which connects to my mom's street down a ways). It will be our home for the next year (more than likely two years...but fingers crossed :) ). We love it! Justin had his reading week last week and drove all our things from NB to ON that were in storage there...it has been amazing having all our stuff back!!! Our tax return has basically gone to Ikea, but we have new beds (and a BIG boy bed finally for Felix!) and a new couch (which is offensively the brightest orange ever...and we love it!).

I am working on lots of new projects...my doula studies, my own Etsy shop, starting to de-chemical our household (making my own lotions/cleaning products etc)....LOTS of fun stuff that I will be sharing on this space...that I hope you will enjoy :) 

...I will leave you with a teaser photo of our new place...I will give you a tour in my next post :)

Happy weekend to you and yours! 

Why London?

...why Now? What happened!!?? 

You might be wondering "why?" from a couple of posts ago...

Justin had a meet and greet of sorts with an agency that recruits teachers for full time work over in London last week. It went really well and they have asked him to participate in the interviews in late May in Toronto. They fly a bunch of UK principals over here to interview the selected new teachers. Justin stands a very good chance and we have our fingers and toes crossed! We have (of course) been doing a ridiculous amount of research now about London...and are super excited! It seems (to us so far) that Switzerland or Germany are not in the cards for us this year...which sucks, but doesn't mean it is the end of the world or our dream. We still want to move to Switzerland and plan on applying every year. London looks like an AMAZING opportunity (one that never crossed our minds) and we are beyond thrilled for this chance. I guess now my patience has to last me until the end of May...sigh ;) 

The most confusing thing about our research so far....the zones! The apartment/house rents depend so much on which zone you live in! I am soooo confused about which areas are close to central London and if they are "safe". I have been looking on Gumtree London for rental places and there are a ton, but once again I am always suspicious when they are cheaper...does that mean they are not close? Not safe? 

We shall see! 

Birthday planning...

How did three happen?

Sigh...I have a feeling I will be saying this every passing year...

Time really does fly.

Last year it was Thomas...and this year...

 You guessed it...Curious George! Felix LOVES him still. His Santa gift was a huge hit (the game, doll and DVD) at Christmas and we carried the George theme over to his birthday too. We went to a local party goods store last week in hopes of finding a Curious George balloon...we did and we found a bunch of Curious George themed birthday party stuff...at 50% off!!! Needless to say, we *might* have gotten a few extra things (a banner and centerpiece) along with plates, napkins & cups. Did I mention that the only people at this party is 4 adults and 2 (including the actual birthday boy) toddlers? Oh, well...it will be worth seeing his face when he sees all the George decorations for his special day. After our little "party" and nap time, Justin and I plan on taking him to the local pottery painting store. I think he will have a blast :) We were originally going to take him to see his first movie, but honestly there is nothing out right now that we think will hold his attention. I think we will wait until March when the Muppet movie comes out :)

For his birthday gifts...an adorable matching game....

 

...and my favourite...

 

...a custom made doll that we bought off of Etsy. The shop is called Cleo and Poppy and is amazing!

You can customize your doll completely! 

It was so much fun :)

Wishing you and yours an awesome mid-week! ;)