5 things I've learned about pregnancy & motherhood.

1. Even though they are very small & new, babies fart as loudly as a full grown man. The amount of grunting and effort required to push out such a small, liquidy poop is astonishing. And entertaining. We still laugh as he turns red and starts the 5-minute long grunting process.

2. For the first two weeks of a baby's life, your main job is feeding. And feeding. And more feeding. Your primary outfit for those two weeks consists of your most comfortable pair of pants (for me it was old Guess jeans) and a nursing bra, usually with one flap open and breast ready for duty. Forget the shirt. Unless company is over, of course. :)

3. As soon as you give birth, there is something that happens to your brain that causes you to feel an increased sense of urgency whenever your baby cries. It causes me to get completely flustered, especially if I know he's hungry. Clothes go flying as quickly as possible, which sometimes results in lost clothing. Like belts. At Starbucks. And then you have to call and ask if you forgot your belt there. At Starbucks. Which made me feel like a complete weirdo. Til the girl admitted they were all trying the said belt on.

4. When your milk comes in, its not a long process. I knew that milk coming in = Dolly Parton. But, for some reason, I thought it was a process that took a few hours or an evening. Not minutes, literally. Within about 10 minutes, your breast undergo a rapid, Pamela Anderson-like enlargement and leave your breasts wondering what just happened. Thankfully, this doesn't last long. And the men seem to get a kick out of it.

5. When you become a mother, you automatically lose one arm. I eat with one arm, do dishes with one arm, type with one arm. My other arm belongs soley to Judah - entertaining him, feeding him, cuddling him. I kinda like it.

So, that's what I've learned in my time as a mother.

Last night I was looking through our maternity pictures and, honesty, I already miss begin pregnant!

I felt large and round and beautiful, feeling my little baby squirmng around inside, occassionally poking an organ as he stretched.

This is one of my favorite pictures.

(1 1/2 weeks before Judah's arrival)

Oh.My.Word.

I just stubbled across this on another blog I follow.

This is both awesome and hilarious.

For $39.99, I may just need to purchase this in the future...

to help potty-train Judah & to see guests reactions when they use our restroom!

http://www.peterpotty.com/products.php

Jody and I had our very first date night last Friday. While hanging out with my friend, Christina, during the day, she casually mentioned that her, her beautiful little girls and her hubby had kept Friday night free so that they could watch Judah for us. I was a little unsure. I never thought I'd be nervous ninny about leaving my baby, but I was...

Arriving home to discuss ensuing date with Jody, some friends had just dropped off a belated baby present - a gift certificate to one of our favorite restaurants! It was a sign. So off on our date we went. Spending some quality time with my hubby was priceless. And we only talked about Judah a few times, I promise. *smile*

Here's some pictures of Judah getting spoiled by his babysitters. They may look young, but they are very mature.

Christina helping me in my effort to make Judah like a pacifier.

Christina, THANK YOU so so much for our date!

xo

Happiness is...

this little guy falling asleep on my shoulder.

:: Happy 3rd Birthday Minnow ::

To celebrate Minnow's birthday, I made her a giant peanut butter cookie topped with oatmeal (her favorite breakfast item) and dehydrated fish. These fish are the reason her breathe is so delicious.

In all honesty, I really didn't feel like making Minnow her birthday treat this year. I was tired after all of the birthday & Mother's Day celebrations. But I've made Minnow something special every year. Now, I know she's a dog and doesn't know the difference. But I would know. And I don't want to treat her differently now that we have Judah. And it was actually fun deciding what disgusting dog delicacies to decorate it with. She waited in the kitchen the whole time, drooling, just knowing something good was in the oven.

Behold, my beautiful dog birthday cookie.

Minnow waiting patiently to eat her birthday cookie. She devoured it in 10 seconds flat.

Peanut Butter Dog Treat Recipe

1 cup milk

1 cup all-natural peanut butter

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

Combine milk & peanut butter. Combine flour & baking powder. Mix the 2 mixtures together.

Bake @ 375 for 20 minutes or until light brown on a greased sheet.

Your dog will love you.

Today is a hard day for me. Five years ago on this day, my life changed forever.

There is a deep, raw pain when your parent dies, one that leaves you empty and orphan. Normally I don't like to dwell on my past, but today is a day that I let myself be sad and feel the hurt and the emptiness... I let myself remember the good times and the bad times... and I cry.

My dad was unlike anyone I have ever known. He had a charisma that drew people to him, especially women. He relished in his dorky sayings, like responding "Just ducky" when you'd ask how he was doing. It drove me crazy, absolutely crazy. He wore sandals with socks and track pants with dress shirts and no amount of ridicule from my brothers and I would shame him into changing. He liked telling jokes and wrote poems for us on our birthdays. He joined LavaLife. Seriously. He cried while watching "Touched By An Angel", a sad commercial, a happy movie. He once tried to grow lettuce in his kitchen. His childhood traumas scarred him forever. He hide a love child from our family. His addictions dictated much of his life.

My dad's death changed my life, in many ways for the better. I have realized the importance of living my life deliberately. I have learned to relax and savor the moments, not just the minutes. I have allowed myself to trust and love and be vulnerable, things that I guarded for a very long time.

I miss him.

You know you are the mother of a newborn when...

(look closely)

you find yourself using the stray breastpad on the coffee table as a coaster. Or maybe that's only me.

On Mother's Day, Judah started smiling. Not from gassiness or in his sleep. And not just once, a rare little glimpse of a smile. But big, large, happy smiles over and over again.

It melts my heart everytime.

It starts out as a little 'I may have gas again' smile...

And then goes into a open-mouthed 'I'm going to eat you' smile...

And finally into 'melt mommy's heart' smile.

Having my baby learn to smile on Mother's Day topped off an already fabulous day. I can't even find the right words to describe how I feel when he smiles at me, except to say that it melts my heart, literally. I feel like its a sign of his happiness & contentment... It makes me feel like I'm doing an alright job in my adventure in motherhood.

Last weekend, celebrating the big 2-9 with my man & my little 6 weeker.

A fabulously sunny Vancouver day, walking the Seawall & eating at our favorite Mexian restaurant.

I just ordered these for Judah!

Oh, they made me laugh as soon as I saw them... and pretty much everytime since. I can't explain it. They just make me smile. I had to have them.

www.babywit.com

Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day was something I'll never forget.

My husband surprised me with a silver "J" necklace first thing in the morning and whatever kind of Starbucks coffee I wanted. I knew it'd be something good as soon as I saw that little Blue Ruby box. *smile*

Jody and I also took Judah to the pool for the very first time! I cleared it with the doctor beforehand because he's still pretty tiny. And he loved it! We only lasted about 10 minutes before it got too cold, but it was an awesome experience for our little family.

My two dudes. Jubs looks a bit funny to me in this picture, but I love Jody's excitement. :)

Me & my little man in his tiny bathing suit. It was gigiantic on him and gapped horribly everywhere. Luckily, we managed to escape without incident (ie. poops) in the pool... because the swimsuit was totally for show.

Just chillin'.

This Mother's Day, I was especially thankful for all of my mommy friends. Going through the process of becoming a mother over the last five weeks has made me so very grateful for all of the girlfriends that I have who are willing to listen to my never-ending questions about my baby, offer thoughtful wisdom on everything from burping tricks to the best in diaper rash cream to circumsision, and who are willing to attempt to put my crying baby to sleep by rocking him to sleep with their crazy moves.

I am thankful for my high school girlfriends, who I am so very happy to still be close to. They constantly make me laugh. They knew me when I had a horrible perm and braces and still love me anyways.

I am thankful for my Sunshine Coast mothers. I am so blessed to have met them; their friendship makes my new life here so much easier.

And I'm thankful to all the mothers I've met in-between who have enriched my life.

:: Happy Mother's Day! ::

- to all the incredible women and mothers and wives that make my life so full -

My baby is five weeks old tomorrow. Its amazing how fast the last five weeks have passed but at the same time, it feels like Judah's been here forever. I constantly find myself wondering what my baby will be like in the future, especially when I am around other young children. I find myself saying "I can't wait for Jub Jub to fit into this little outfit" or "I can't wait until he coos at me and giggles and starts talking". The other part of me was saddened this week when I retired his tiny little undershirt to his memory box and when I realized his skinny little arms and legs were getting chubby. Today I tried to soak in the feel of his little body curled up on my chest because I never want to forget how this very moment feels. I dream of who this tiny little boy will become - his dreams and desire - and wishing for this moment, who he is now, to never change. xo *m

This past weekend my brother, Noah, and my mom, referred to as "Nona" (Italian for grandma), came for an overnight visit. My mom so kindly offered to take the night shift with Judah so I could sleep a whole night without any disturbances. This conversation took place the following morning:

Me: (Nursing Judah on the couch and realize something is wrong. It takes me a minute...) What happened to his hair?!

Nona: What's wrong with it?

Me: Its gone! Where's his hair?!

Nona: Oh, all babies lose their hair.

Me: But on the top! On the top of his head! His hair's all gone!

Nona: They lose it from rubbing it when they sleep... it happens to all babies.

Me: He doesn't rub his forhead or the top of his head in his sleep! He's bald - like a little old man! Mom look at it! (pause)

Me: Mom, did you rub his head all night?!? (realizing this is what happened) You rub him a bald spot!!!

Nona: (pause) Oooooh, maybe I did. (starts laughing)

Me: This is not funny! (laughing) He's bald!

So, my baby now has a bald spot. And, not in the back in some hidden, nondescript place. The top of his head is bald. He resembles a minature George Costanza. I can't help but obsessively stare at it a few times a day and pray for hair to start growing back.

Jody's not impressed.

The thought of posting a picture of his hair horrifies me. But, I know I can't hide it forever.

Note the resemblance...

So, Judah's newest accessory for any outing has become a hat. Both to keep his bald head warm & to deflect any questions about his strange hairline. And there have been questions. From strangers. My poor (bald) baby.

You know you are the mother of a newborn when...

the closest thing you have on-hand for a vase is a bottle. *smile*