Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
How Does your Garden Grow?
Well it's the Long Weekend up here in Canada! We were supposed to go camping but that got cancelled due to the possiblity of alot of rain where we were headed (me, Mr. Daddy, Lemur, Koala AND the grandparents all stuck in a teeny tiny Motorhome all weekend is not my idea of fun!) So Mr. Daddy headed off to Regina to help out a friend (Regina is about an 8 hour drive) so he's gone for the weekend leaving me in charge at home. And well as you can see we are all still here, the Raptur didn't happen and it gave me a chance to get started on my gardening. I grew up on an acreage and we always put our garden in on the Long Weekend in May. So I'm carrying on that tradition. Now I did cheat a little bit and the front "flower" beds were planted last week. But today before he left Mr. Daddy brought me a truck load of dirt (happiest girl in the world right now!).
I set up tonight to get started creating my gardens, we have to do container gardening because we rent and there is no place to put an actual garden in. After a quick adventure to Walmart (GASP!) to get some landscaping fabric...and a few plants...We were in business. Lemur, Koala and I got busy in the backyard. My containers are two semi beat up kiddie pools that we had laying around from last summer. I poked holes in the bottom to help with drainage, lined them with landscaping fabric and then filled them with dirt. Man you should've seen me, I was barefoot in the back of a truck scooping out dirt by the bucket full into the wheelbarrow while trying to convince Lemur that he should not Climb into the back of the truck with me. On my second trip with the wheelbarrow, the Neighbours across the street asked if I wanted a shovel because it looked like I needed one. Actually the bucket method was working pretty well for us and I had a shovel already but it was nice of them to offer. They commented on my adorable helpers (Lemur and Koala). So we busied ourselves filling the kiddie pools with dirt. The munchkins had fun scooping up dirt with their buckets and "helping". It was a grand time! Lemur and Koala also collected some earthworms and tossed them into our gardens.
Well we got the dirt in and started to plant. This was interesting, Koala helped put the seeds in, she was a little overzealous with the peas but hey, who doesn't like fresh peas? Anyways we got everything planted except our strawberry plants which we shall do tomorrow. Here's a list of whats in our garden this year:
Front Gardens:
East- Lettuce, Spinach, Dill, Chammomile, Basil, Lavendar, Rosemary, Chives, Garlic Chives, Parsely, Sorrel, Candy Mint, Cinnamon Basil, Italian Oregano.
West- Onions, Garlic, Sunflowers (at the very back), watermelons, and a cucumber plant.
Container Gardens:
Big pool- Peas (still have to add our fence for them to climb on), carrots, beets
Little Pool- Pumpkins, Spaghetti Squash, zucchini, cucumbers
Potted:
4 tomato plants
And there you have it, our gardens for the year, we have some strawberry plants as well that I need to build a box for still. What's in your garden?
I set up tonight to get started creating my gardens, we have to do container gardening because we rent and there is no place to put an actual garden in. After a quick adventure to Walmart (GASP!) to get some landscaping fabric...and a few plants...We were in business. Lemur, Koala and I got busy in the backyard. My containers are two semi beat up kiddie pools that we had laying around from last summer. I poked holes in the bottom to help with drainage, lined them with landscaping fabric and then filled them with dirt. Man you should've seen me, I was barefoot in the back of a truck scooping out dirt by the bucket full into the wheelbarrow while trying to convince Lemur that he should not Climb into the back of the truck with me. On my second trip with the wheelbarrow, the Neighbours across the street asked if I wanted a shovel because it looked like I needed one. Actually the bucket method was working pretty well for us and I had a shovel already but it was nice of them to offer. They commented on my adorable helpers (Lemur and Koala). So we busied ourselves filling the kiddie pools with dirt. The munchkins had fun scooping up dirt with their buckets and "helping". It was a grand time! Lemur and Koala also collected some earthworms and tossed them into our gardens.
Well we got the dirt in and started to plant. This was interesting, Koala helped put the seeds in, she was a little overzealous with the peas but hey, who doesn't like fresh peas? Anyways we got everything planted except our strawberry plants which we shall do tomorrow. Here's a list of whats in our garden this year:
Front Gardens:
East- Lettuce, Spinach, Dill, Chammomile, Basil, Lavendar, Rosemary, Chives, Garlic Chives, Parsely, Sorrel, Candy Mint, Cinnamon Basil, Italian Oregano.
West- Onions, Garlic, Sunflowers (at the very back), watermelons, and a cucumber plant.
Container Gardens:
Big pool- Peas (still have to add our fence for them to climb on), carrots, beets
Little Pool- Pumpkins, Spaghetti Squash, zucchini, cucumbers
Potted:
4 tomato plants
And there you have it, our gardens for the year, we have some strawberry plants as well that I need to build a box for still. What's in your garden?
Friday, May 20, 2011
Annnd....We're BACK!
Well we're back! Its been a few months but I kind of got out of the blogging phase for awhile (fell off the wagon so to speak!) But we're back, and still on a day to day adventure. Here's an update on our lives:
Lemur- He has been going to pre-school twice a week, somedays are great, somedays not so much...Pre-school is almost over for the year and he will be going back in the fall for 5 days a week. We will see how that goes but we might cut it back a little. His speech has improved considerably but it definately still needs some work, his behaviours are still so-so. Some days it is really hard to deal with him other days he's really good. Sensory wise we're still at the same spot, he bites himself, chews on random things, drools alot etc. We are working on getting him into a pediatrician to see if we can go forward with a diagnosis. On the other front, he's growing like crazy, happy and such a sweet little boy. He absolutely loves to do puzzles and he's started doing tons of imaginative play!!! He has such a wild imagination, you never know what we will be doing next, we might be digging for dinosaur bones or slaying dragons or baking a birthday cake!
Koala- She is growing like a weed and turning into such a little girl. Her speech is amazing for her age, her newest word is "Carbohydrate" She loves to play with her babies, she's quite the little mommy. She's also rough and tumble, loving dirt and bugs as much as picking flowers. She'll wear a pretty dress but at the end of the day you'll find her right in the dirt next to the Lemur. She is still breastfeeding (We made it past the 2 year mark!!!) although we have now started down the path of weaning. Mostly we nurse at nap time, bedtime and at night. I'm a bit sad that my baby is growing up but I look forward to our new adventures as a toddler and a big girl.
Mama- My life has been extremely busy, I've been busy doing work for our local Doula association (check out http://www.lethbridgedoulas.com/), knitting, crocheting and sewing up a storm all while balancing life with the Lemur and the Koala. Right now I'm working on a colour swap package going out to a very special crafty person in the US. It's a surprise swap so SHHHH! I'm crocheting a nicey lacey cowl made out of Alpaca and have some gorgeous buttons from Tessa Ann Designs (custom made!) to put on it. I'll share a pic when its finished. I'm also trying to finish off a little red riding hood cape for Koala. I have a lovely stash of other yarn sitting here waiting for projects. There is some lovely stuff waiting to be knit up into a present for a wonderful Mama Friend and her brand new baby boy! and some more waiting for another Mama Friend who has yet to have her sweet little baby.
Mr. Daddy- He has been busy working...working and more working...Snow season was rough on us all this year, Lethbridge got a crazy amount of snow and he was gone alot but we made it through. I think the best parts of our day is when Mr. Daddy gets home from work and takes some time to play with the munchkins. He is teach Lemur how to ride a bike! Lemur has figured it out pretty quickly and I'm very proud of both of them.
Well that's our update! stay tuned for more of our adventures in Lemurland!
Lemur- He has been going to pre-school twice a week, somedays are great, somedays not so much...Pre-school is almost over for the year and he will be going back in the fall for 5 days a week. We will see how that goes but we might cut it back a little. His speech has improved considerably but it definately still needs some work, his behaviours are still so-so. Some days it is really hard to deal with him other days he's really good. Sensory wise we're still at the same spot, he bites himself, chews on random things, drools alot etc. We are working on getting him into a pediatrician to see if we can go forward with a diagnosis. On the other front, he's growing like crazy, happy and such a sweet little boy. He absolutely loves to do puzzles and he's started doing tons of imaginative play!!! He has such a wild imagination, you never know what we will be doing next, we might be digging for dinosaur bones or slaying dragons or baking a birthday cake!
Koala- She is growing like a weed and turning into such a little girl. Her speech is amazing for her age, her newest word is "Carbohydrate" She loves to play with her babies, she's quite the little mommy. She's also rough and tumble, loving dirt and bugs as much as picking flowers. She'll wear a pretty dress but at the end of the day you'll find her right in the dirt next to the Lemur. She is still breastfeeding (We made it past the 2 year mark!!!) although we have now started down the path of weaning. Mostly we nurse at nap time, bedtime and at night. I'm a bit sad that my baby is growing up but I look forward to our new adventures as a toddler and a big girl.
Mama- My life has been extremely busy, I've been busy doing work for our local Doula association (check out http://www.lethbridgedoulas.com/), knitting, crocheting and sewing up a storm all while balancing life with the Lemur and the Koala. Right now I'm working on a colour swap package going out to a very special crafty person in the US. It's a surprise swap so SHHHH! I'm crocheting a nicey lacey cowl made out of Alpaca and have some gorgeous buttons from Tessa Ann Designs (custom made!) to put on it. I'll share a pic when its finished. I'm also trying to finish off a little red riding hood cape for Koala. I have a lovely stash of other yarn sitting here waiting for projects. There is some lovely stuff waiting to be knit up into a present for a wonderful Mama Friend and her brand new baby boy! and some more waiting for another Mama Friend who has yet to have her sweet little baby.
Mr. Daddy- He has been busy working...working and more working...Snow season was rough on us all this year, Lethbridge got a crazy amount of snow and he was gone alot but we made it through. I think the best parts of our day is when Mr. Daddy gets home from work and takes some time to play with the munchkins. He is teach Lemur how to ride a bike! Lemur has figured it out pretty quickly and I'm very proud of both of them.
Well that's our update! stay tuned for more of our adventures in Lemurland!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
An update on the adventures with the Lemur
It's been awhile since I've blogged yet again, life just keeps exploding and spiraling out of control on me. AHHHHHHH!!!! Anyways I'm going to give a quick update on the Lemur. He has had his first in home therapy session with his behavioural therapist and he sees her again tomorrow. He is learning how to play again. We're starting to experience more behavioural issues again, not sure if its because he's refusing to nap during the day so he's tired or if something else is going on. Its getting frustrating to deal with the screaming, throwing himself onto the floor tantrums over simple communication. He knows his words but he's back sliding with everything. He is seeing his speech path once a week at pre-school and the pre-school also asked us to get his eyes checked. So we have to make an appointment with an eye doctor. All his assessments are in, I have to book him in with the Doc and push for a referral to the Pediatrician. We may push to go to Calgary to see a Ped instead of seeing one down here. We've received a great reccomendation for Calgary. So we'll see what his doctor is willing to do. We're waiting on his first OT session which will be later this month hopefully. So its all coming together I guess, its just all very overwhelming and still feels like its spiraling out of control :S
Friday, September 17, 2010
Doula? Huh what?
Doula...It's a word that we have started to hear more and more related to having babies. You see advertisements sometimes plastered everywhere, You Deserve a Doula! You might have even heard of someone who had a doula for their birth. So what is a doula? There's alot of article out there about what doulas are and how they affect birth etc etc. So for some of you this might just be a repeat of what you already know.
What is a Doula? A doula is generally a woman (sometimes a man) who assists and supports a woman (as well as her birth partner and family) through labour and birth. Some doulas provide support afterwards as well but we will get to that. The doula does this through non-medical means. She provides emotional and physical support as well as giving the mother and her family information to help them make an informed decision about their birth choices. There are some different types of Doulas. There are labour/birth doulas who support mothers through the birth and post-partum doulas who support the mom and her family afterwards when they come home. There are also ante-natal doulas who offer support mainly to high risk mothers through their pregnancies.
What do Doulas do? Doulas meet their clients, maybe do some pre-natal meetings, discuss birth plans, assist their clients in making informed choices about their birth, provide them with information and access to community resources. They are there for labour and birth offering emotional and physical support. Some doulas also do extra things like helping plan a blessingway (mother blessing), belly casting, henna, massage etc. Doulas also provide access to resources within the community. Post-Partum Doulas also provide support for the mom and family when they come home. They do a range of things from providing breastfeeding support, to cooking, light cleaning, helping with older children etc. Ante-natal doulas provide support and information through pregnancy and typically do a range of things like light housekeeping etc if a mother is put onto bedrest. No matter what type of doula they are the doula provides a level of emotional support to their clients as well as the physical support.
What are the benefits? There are alot of studies on the benefits of doulas. Most of the studies conclude fairly similar results.
Having a doula present:
Reduced the overall cesarean rate by 50%
Reduced the length of labor by 25%
Reduced oxytocin use by 40%
Reduced the use of pain medication by 30%
Reduced forceps deliveries by 40%
Reduced requests for epidural pain medication by 60%
Reduced incidences of maternal fever
Reduced the number of days newborns spent in NICU (neo-natal infant care unit)
Reduced the amount of septic workups performed on newborns
Resulted in higher rates of breastfeeding
Resulted in more positive maternal assessments of maternal confidence
Resulted in more positive maternal assessments of maternal and newborn health
Resulted in decreased rates of postpartum depression
(from Mothering The Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth, Marshall Klaus, John Kennell and Phyllis Klaus)
Doulas are a great asset to your birth team, if you are looking for more information on doulas check out http://www.dona.org/ or contact your local doula association.
What is a Doula? A doula is generally a woman (sometimes a man) who assists and supports a woman (as well as her birth partner and family) through labour and birth. Some doulas provide support afterwards as well but we will get to that. The doula does this through non-medical means. She provides emotional and physical support as well as giving the mother and her family information to help them make an informed decision about their birth choices. There are some different types of Doulas. There are labour/birth doulas who support mothers through the birth and post-partum doulas who support the mom and her family afterwards when they come home. There are also ante-natal doulas who offer support mainly to high risk mothers through their pregnancies.
What do Doulas do? Doulas meet their clients, maybe do some pre-natal meetings, discuss birth plans, assist their clients in making informed choices about their birth, provide them with information and access to community resources. They are there for labour and birth offering emotional and physical support. Some doulas also do extra things like helping plan a blessingway (mother blessing), belly casting, henna, massage etc. Doulas also provide access to resources within the community. Post-Partum Doulas also provide support for the mom and family when they come home. They do a range of things from providing breastfeeding support, to cooking, light cleaning, helping with older children etc. Ante-natal doulas provide support and information through pregnancy and typically do a range of things like light housekeeping etc if a mother is put onto bedrest. No matter what type of doula they are the doula provides a level of emotional support to their clients as well as the physical support.
What are the benefits? There are alot of studies on the benefits of doulas. Most of the studies conclude fairly similar results.
Having a doula present:
Reduced the overall cesarean rate by 50%
Reduced the length of labor by 25%
Reduced oxytocin use by 40%
Reduced the use of pain medication by 30%
Reduced forceps deliveries by 40%
Reduced requests for epidural pain medication by 60%
Reduced incidences of maternal fever
Reduced the number of days newborns spent in NICU (neo-natal infant care unit)
Reduced the amount of septic workups performed on newborns
Resulted in higher rates of breastfeeding
Resulted in more positive maternal assessments of maternal confidence
Resulted in more positive maternal assessments of maternal and newborn health
Resulted in decreased rates of postpartum depression
(from Mothering The Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth, Marshall Klaus, John Kennell and Phyllis Klaus)
Doulas are a great asset to your birth team, if you are looking for more information on doulas check out http://www.dona.org/ or contact your local doula association.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
I did it...
I'm not the most confident person, nor do I think I have the greatest body. Let's face it, during my pregnancy with the Lemur I gained over 90lbs...yes over 90lbs!! And really didn't loose alot of it before I got pregnant with the Koala. Fortunately with her I only gained about 30lbs after loosing 10lbs during the first part of the pregnancy due to awful horrible morning sickness. Since then I'm frequently dropping off the pounds without doing much. Hooray for the breastfeeding insta-weight loss program! Sure I go walking with the Koala in a carrier and the Lemur in the stroller (its a great work out) and I try to eat healthy but most of it is from the breastfeeding. I put on clothes this morning that fit me perfectly pre-Lemur pregnancy and well the shirt I'm wearing is way to big now and my jeans I can slip off over my hips without unbutonning them....I've lost alot...how much exactly? I don't know, I actually haven't stepped on a scale since I was in labour with the Koala. I've been meaning to weigh myself and see but haven't yet. Although I've lost alot of weight, there's still parts of me that I'm not particularily comfortable with...my tummy...I have that perpetual mommy tummy flab from having two children....all the stretch marks...I have stretch marks on stretchmarks and although to me they are badges of motherhood, I still wouldn't show them to anyone else (ok well except the Hubby).
Anyways...awhile ago a photographer friend approached me about doing a boudoir shoot so she could practice her boudoir photography. I was a little unsure about it because I am a very self concious person and well after having two babies in less then 3 years my body isn't exactly model material and I was feeling really down at that point. So I thought it over and thought it over and finally took a risk and said yes. Unfortunately things got in the way and we didn't get it done until recently...
She finally had time in her schedual and approached myself and a couple friends. Yesterday I was part of a boudoir photo shoot/boudoir party with a couple other mommy friends of mine. We all got together at our one friend's house to get ready and hang out while each one of us got to do a photoshoot. It was soooo much fun. I was a bit nervous at first but our photographer from Indi*claire Photography was awesome, she made me feel really comfortable and beautiful. I bared most of it and felt awesome! So yep I did it! I'm overcoming my negative body image just a little bit. I can still feel sexy and beautiful as a woman and mother. As much as I told myself that this shoot was for my hubby it was really just as much for me.I can't wait to get my pictures back....will I ask her to edit out a few strtch marks still...lol...well maybe...but I think I will keep a few just theway they are to remind myself of this moment on those days I feel really down about myself.
Anyways...awhile ago a photographer friend approached me about doing a boudoir shoot so she could practice her boudoir photography. I was a little unsure about it because I am a very self concious person and well after having two babies in less then 3 years my body isn't exactly model material and I was feeling really down at that point. So I thought it over and thought it over and finally took a risk and said yes. Unfortunately things got in the way and we didn't get it done until recently...
She finally had time in her schedual and approached myself and a couple friends. Yesterday I was part of a boudoir photo shoot/boudoir party with a couple other mommy friends of mine. We all got together at our one friend's house to get ready and hang out while each one of us got to do a photoshoot. It was soooo much fun. I was a bit nervous at first but our photographer from Indi*claire Photography was awesome, she made me feel really comfortable and beautiful. I bared most of it and felt awesome! So yep I did it! I'm overcoming my negative body image just a little bit. I can still feel sexy and beautiful as a woman and mother. As much as I told myself that this shoot was for my hubby it was really just as much for me.I can't wait to get my pictures back....will I ask her to edit out a few strtch marks still...lol...well maybe...but I think I will keep a few just theway they are to remind myself of this moment on those days I feel really down about myself.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
It's been awhile...
Well its been awhile since I updated the blog. Life got away on us and went crazy. So here we are in September and we've found ourselves in new uncharted territories. Over the summer we took the Lemur for a speech assesment because we were noticing some delays in his speech and language. Well one thing has led to another and we've exploded into assesments and appointments for everything. AHHHHHH!
It turns out that Lemur has a severe delay in his speech and language and ranges from 12-36 months on most things. We've been working with him at home and he's showing some improvement which is great. He is also going to Pre-school at a wonderful school and we've heard from his Teacher that he will have an aide fairly soon and he gets to do his speech therapy through the pre-school.
Our wonderful speech path at the CARE center suggested we get him some other assesments as well and we've proceeded to do an OT asessment where our OT has said he has a Sensory Processing Disorder and also that he has some low muscle tone which could be attributing to some of the other things we've noticed.
We also met with our behavioural therapist as well today and she said that he has a mixture of speech, sensory and behavioural things going on and that he's a bigger puzzle. That being said we have our first home visit with her in two weeks.
It's been a really crazy ride since June when we took him for his first speech assesment. There's always been things that we thought weren't "right" but we just thought that they were just his little quirks. Its overwhelming right now and I feel like everything is spinning out of control but also I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel. As crazy and overwhelming as it all seems I'm reassured in some small way because we are finally getting the help and support we need to learn how to deal with the day to day challenges of raising Mr Lemur. I'm really excited to be working with our "Team" his therapists are wonderful ladies and have been really nice and really helpful the couple times we've met with them. The next step on our adventure is to consult with a Pediatrician to rule out any chronic conditions that might be causing issues.
It turns out that Lemur has a severe delay in his speech and language and ranges from 12-36 months on most things. We've been working with him at home and he's showing some improvement which is great. He is also going to Pre-school at a wonderful school and we've heard from his Teacher that he will have an aide fairly soon and he gets to do his speech therapy through the pre-school.
Our wonderful speech path at the CARE center suggested we get him some other assesments as well and we've proceeded to do an OT asessment where our OT has said he has a Sensory Processing Disorder and also that he has some low muscle tone which could be attributing to some of the other things we've noticed.
We also met with our behavioural therapist as well today and she said that he has a mixture of speech, sensory and behavioural things going on and that he's a bigger puzzle. That being said we have our first home visit with her in two weeks.
It's been a really crazy ride since June when we took him for his first speech assesment. There's always been things that we thought weren't "right" but we just thought that they were just his little quirks. Its overwhelming right now and I feel like everything is spinning out of control but also I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel. As crazy and overwhelming as it all seems I'm reassured in some small way because we are finally getting the help and support we need to learn how to deal with the day to day challenges of raising Mr Lemur. I'm really excited to be working with our "Team" his therapists are wonderful ladies and have been really nice and really helpful the couple times we've met with them. The next step on our adventure is to consult with a Pediatrician to rule out any chronic conditions that might be causing issues.
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