Winter 2012 (and 2013)

Now winter was long and cold here in Canada. I know it's suppose to be cold here, but the last few years have been positively spring like, so it was kind of a shock to the system this year.

We started out December with the annual Breakfast with Santa at my church. We had a great morning, and Emilie was soooo good for Santa (and Olive the Reindeer).

Little did we know that Emilie was coming down with the dreaded stomach bug that almost everyone I know came down with that same December. That morning was the last time she was happy for about two weeks. It was a very rough month.

We started what I hope to be a Christmas Tradition with the arrival of Emilie's own Elf on a Shelf. Emilie loves babies, so she named him "Baby"

Our 21 month picture was delayed for her to get over the stomach bug, but then she came down with a fever that day. She was a trooper for her hair cut that morning though!

 Finally after what seemed like forever she was better! And back to her old tricks being silly and trying to bug her Papa while he tried to read the newspaper.

Finally it was Christmas! Santa arrived, and left Emilie a Fisher Price Farm. She loved it, and still loves to play with all the animals.

 

We even managed to get a picture of Mama and Emilie. She was one pooped little girl after all the Christmas Festivities, hence all the paci's!

Boxing Day arrived with one of the biggest snowfalls we have had in years. Needless to say we bundled Emilie up and we went outside so her and her cousin Joshua could see all the snow!

Mama and Emilie on a little walk.

Andre and I didn't do anything for New Years, but we did manage to sneak out one afternoon shortly after Christmas for a swanky lunch out with friends.

January was a blur. Our little girl brought in the New Year with a new virus. She was not a happy camper when she turned 22 months old.

That virus ended up turning into Pneumonia (BOOOOOOOO!) I will have to say that taking her for a chest x-ray for a diagnosis was worse for me than it was for her. The good news is that the antibiotics cleared everything up very quickly. After an appointment with her Pediatrician for a regular heart murmur check up we got some good news. First, her lungs were clear and they could no longer hear her murmur (YAY!) We still have to take her back in September to double check that the holes in her heart have indeed closed, but it looks very promising.

The appointment ended with a flu shot for little Emilie. We had hoped that by Andre and I as well as her caregivers getting the shot she would have enough immunity, but after one round of pneumonia we weren't willing to take any chances. She was not happy about her needle, so Andre and I bought her some finger paints to cheer her up. She loved playing with her "colours".

Our first painting!

The rest of the month was the usual, with visits from her Nana and Grandpa, and trying to build up her immune system.

Giving her bunny some juice.

We finally turned a corner in February, and Emilie was once again her usual self just in time to turn 23 months old!!

We were healthy once again to enjoy some play dates with friends!

Then it was March. The end of the winter was approaching, as well as the end of having a one year old. Our little girl was TWO. No longer a little baby, or even a toddler. Every day she was getting closer and closer to big girl territory.

Our little girl the day she was born, at one year and now at two years. Someone find a pause button!!

 We got Emilie the Fisher Price My First Dollhouse for her birthday. She loves her house so much.

Even though we were having a birthday party that weekend to celebrate, we decided to have some family  over for her actual birthday. I made a cake while she was napping and we all gathered to sing to her. She was so excited for her "party cake" (every cake makes it a party right?).

Finally it was party day! I decided this year that I did not want to have everyone at the house, so we decided on an indoor playground. The one that we settled on did private parties, so for two hours the place was ours. So we invited all of her friends, and even with a couple unable to make it we still had 9 children, and all of our family and some close friends!

I even made an Elmo cake for the birthday girl!

It's not a birthday without a personalized Elmo shirt right?

Mama and Papa helping the birthday girl blow out her candles.

I can't believe that it is now Spring! I can't wait to see what this season has in store for us!

Fall 2012 thus far

Let me start by saying this year has been flying by much too quickly. I used to find myself kind of wishing time away before I had Emilie. Counting down till the summer, or the next big vacation. Now that I'm a mom, I find myself trying to savour every single moment. Even on the most frustrating of days I try not to wish away one second with my little girl. Life has other plans and I find that I blink and a week has passed. Okay, not really, but you get the picture.

So now we're into November, the mad dash to Christmas. The summer is over and we're trying to relish every day that it is above freezing so Emilie can spend just one more afternoon outside in the fresh air.

Here are some pictures from our Fall so far:

Emilie and her cousin Joshua helping my dad celebrate his birthday.

Pictures with her Grandpa and her Papa.

Hamming it up with her Uncle at her Great Baba's birthday party.

Emilie and Joshua in their matching Halloween PJ's. We called it "The Skeletwins".

Enjoying some reading.

I think she's seen Mama hang a bag on the back of the stroller a couple times!

Doing some fun at the Pumpkin Patch.

Off to find the perfect Pumpkin.

Our very sick little girl having a little treat after trick or treating at a few houses.

First experience with Play Doh

Having some fun in the leaves.

Some fun with her Grandpa at the park on a warmer day.

Swinging around with her Nana and Grandpa.

Cloth Diapering: How to deal with yeast

This is probably the number one asked question on cloth diapering forums. For some reason this one issue, or the rash issue in general intimidates to many that cloth diaper. The good news is that it doesn't need to. Aside from a couple extra things that you need to add to your load of diaper laundry, it's no different than if you were using disposables.

We've had to deal with cloth over the almost two years that we've been using cloth. I've tried many different wash routines, done a ton of research, and come out with a routine that I have found has killed the yeast once and for all (for us).

 First of all you are going to need this:

Yes I know what you're thinking "OMG the warranty on my diapers!". First of all if you have a stash consisting of more than one type of diaper, and have used any diaper rash cream on your diapers you've probably already voided the warranty. Secondly isn't your little ones tush more important? People are also incredibly worried about the bleach breaking down their diapers. A tiny amount of bleach a couple times a year is not going to break down your diapers.

So...yes, good old chlorine bleach. It doesn't necessarily have to be Clorox bleach, I usually use No Name stuff, it's cheaper.

Second on the must have list is:

and/or:

The bleach kills the yeast, but you need tea tree oil and/or grapefruit seed extract to kill the yeast spores.

You can find the tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract at your local health food store, or the organic section of your grocery store.

Now this is where people have different suggestions about the order in which to use these products, I am going to share what has worked the best for me when I have had to treat Emilie's diapers.

First off you're going to add 20-30 drops of the tea tree oil and/or the grapefruit seed extract to either your rinse, or your pre wash. We do a pre wash, so that is when I add the oils.

Then after your rinse or pre wash is over you are going to do a hot wash with your detergent, and 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach. I follow this with my usual extra rinse. Some people find that they need to do a crazy amount of extra rinses to get the smell of bleach out of their diapers. I have a super sensitive nose, and find I only need one extra rinse, but do whatever you feel comfortable with.

**I will add that this wash routine should be followed for all of your cloth wipes, inserts, liners, doublers, wet bags, wash cloths and towels as well. Basically everything that has come into contact with your diapers and your little one's tush. I also clean out the plastic container that I hold my cloth wipes in with some bleach as well, followed by a good rinse.**

After all this is done I like to throw all of my inserts (ie. everything that does not contain elastics and PUL) in the dryer on HOT. Then if God willing it is a sunny day, everything with PUL and elastics goes outside in the sunshine for some extra yeast killing treatment.

If it's the dead of winter or super cloudy where you live, no need to worry, just line dry your items like you usually would.

Now comes your big decision, do you keep your little one in cloth while you treat their bottom with anti fungal cream, or do you switch to sposies? If you stay in cloth you need to follow that wash routine the entire time to make sure there is no risk of reinfection. If you switch into sposies then you do the wash once, put the diapers away, and then put your little one back into cloth once the rash has been clear for 3-4 days. On average this means about a week.

A yeast rash while in cloth is a pain, but it doesn't have to be a disaster.

The question I hate

It's a question that most mothers/parents get asked when their first child reaches a certain age. Usually sometime after their first birthday.

"So when are you thinking of having #2?"

My heart usually sinks a little bit every single time I hear this question. I keep the smile on my face though, trying not to betray my true feelings to the other person. For most people I give a glib sort of answer and then change the subject.

You see, when you have suffered with infertility in the past, and don't have the resources to go through the whole battle of treatments again, it's a complicated question. One of finances, and logistics, and emotions. You see for us it's not as easy as just throwing caution to the wind and having unprotected sex.

I often wonder what it's like to be able to take your fertility for granted like that and just know that it will happen. Maybe sooner, or later, but it will happen. I think because so many do take their fertility for granted that most just assume that once people have one baby that they will just do it all over again. Then there are others that just think that because you went through treatments once, that it's a given that you will do it again.

I wish for us it was that easy, that simple a decision. But it's not. Right now we just don't have the resources to do it all again. Fertility treatments can be expensive. Not to mention time consuming, and physically and emotionally draining. I have thought lately about what if we did have the resources. Would we be in a place where we would be willing to go through it all again? I couldn't even answer the question.

So for now I guess I continue to slap on the too stiff smile and laugh it off.

A sobering morning.

It all started last week. Emilie was feeling under the weather and running a little bit of a fever. Our daycare provider would have taken her if we absolutely needed her too, but since Andre is home for the summer I called her and told her she was sick and asked Shirley if she wanted me to keep Emilie home. Since Emilie was really not herself that day Shirley asked if it was okay if we kept her home. Not a problem.

Later on that day a neighbour came outside and asked us if we had heard about a cab going through the front of a house on Cranbrook Dr. The same street as Emilie's home daycare. The news didn't mention the house number. We thought about it, but though, no, it couldn't possibly be the same house.

It was.

Sometime that afternoon a cab driver drove through the front downstairs window of the same home that houses our Emilie's daycare. It's the same room that is across the hallway from the same room that all the children play in. The room is totaled. Across the room from where the window and brick wall once was there are big holes in the drywall from flying bricks.

That same room is the tv room where the children will watch movies or hang out if one of the kids is under the weather. Emilie and the other children could have very well been in that room had she have gone to daycare that morning. The only thing that is left to remind anyone that was a tv room is the big screen tv mounted to the wall. It's the only thing left after the accident.

Thankfully all the children were outside playing in the backyard when everything happened. Seeing that room this morning confirmed my belief in God. Confirmed that miracles happen, and that there was something keeping everyone in that house safe that day.

Today I am thankful.

If you are interested there is a small article here about the accident that has a picture.