Saylor Joseph Betcher

2 short video clips of Saylor

2012-02-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine brought over a little video camera and made these two clips of Saylor. If you have sound on your computer turn it on for both video clips.

I see you at the park

2012-01-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

It was very mild this morning although the ground was very wet after several days of heavy rain. Saylor thought it would be a good idea to test out his new rain suit that his cousin gave him for Christmas.

Chocolate Monster

2011-11-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon Saylor upstairs with Daddy. Daddy got a phone call from work and then had to do a couple things regarding the phone call (Mommy and didn't know Daddy had to work) While Daddy was busy Saylor opened the cupboard and found something yummy to eat. If you look closely that is a box of baking milk chocolate that he ripped open and started munching on a square of chocolate. Daddy grabbed his cell phone and snapped these pictures.

Snowsuit trials

2011-11-19T22:38:00.000-08:00

We had a light dusting of snow this morning so I bundled up Saylor to test out his new snowsuit. Its a little big and he had a difficult time walking in it.

Enjoying Dinner

2011-11-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

Saylor has a head cold and seems to be feeling lousy. He wasn't too interested in the pasta mommy and daddy were having for dinner so mommy gave him a favourite snack. Some home made apple sauce with plain yogurt.

Do you think he was enjoying himself?

Some Fall Fun

2011-10-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Last week on a very mild fall went Saylor and mommy outside to play. Here's Saylor enjoying his sandbox

Sand Art with Saylor

2011-10-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon a wonderful blog Play at Home Mom and through reading this blog and the Facebook page Play-at-Home-Mom on Facebook I was inspired to introduce Saylor to glue and some very find coloured gravel that I found at the dollar store.

Daddy emptied this shaker from some seasoning
a few days ago and it hadn't made it to the recycling yet.
It was perfect to put the sand in to shake and dump

the first sand picture

the second sand picture

After the art had been created Saylor ran his hands through the gravel and checked out how it stuck to his hands. Then he attempted to put it back in the shaker so I asked him if he wanted the gravel back in the shaker and bounced up and down on my lap. So I dumped the gravel from the baking sheet onto a piece of paper to act as a funnel and then dumped it into the shaker. Saylor quickly grabbed the shaker and started shaking the contents back onto the baking sheet, next he tried to take the lid off and with help he was able to get it off. You guessed it he dumped the remainder of the gravel out! We repeated this a few more times before he lost interest.

This was a great activity and he really seemed to have a great time! Thanks Mom at Home for the ideas and inspiration. I have bought a few more art supplies and have a long list of more things I'd like to get. So you can look forward to more art by Saylor.

Gratitude

2011-10-09T09:02:00.001-07:00

I spend a lot of time browsing the internet and one of the recent themes I have observed on some blogs I enjoy is the theme of gratitude. So I am jumping on the wagon as well. It seems especially fitting today as it is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada.

I am grateful for

my loving and supportive husband
my son who amazes me every day with the things he is learning and loving
my home - which keeps us safe and warm each day
my computer - which allows me to interact with the world and learn so much
my health
my mom and her endless love and support
new friends - who are wonderful to talk with and get to know

Have a wonderful safe, happy and grateful weekend!

Oh the things I can say

2011-10-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post so I thought I'd share some of the things that Saylor is doing now.

Four days ago Saylor signed "dad" for the first time then two days later he signed "mom" so I decided to show him the sign for "please" and he started to use that right away as well! In total he knows the signs for:

hot
milk
mom
dad
more
finished
please
book
I think I will have to start showing him some more signs as he is catching on faster :)

Saylor can also say:
mom
dad
ball
nite nite
on
up
hat
burp...so funny!
that or "dat" this may have been his very first word

I am sure there are a few other things he says. When he gets frustrated he makes a certain sound that could almost be called a growl.We certainly know he is frustrated by the sound he makes at the same time its almost funny.

at the park with a new friend by the name of Koan

Lake Side

2011-08-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Last week we joined up with some friends and headed to Westwood lake to explore the shore. Saylor dipped his toes in the water but seemed to prefer playing in the sand.

15 months and some water play

2011-08-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

On August 19th celebrated his first 15 months in our lives with a bit of fun.Mommy had gone out after dinner for about an hour to do a couple errands when she left the house Daddy and Saylor were playing in the new sand box. Then when she got home Daddy popped his head over the railings of the deck saying "you have to come see this" so Mommy went around to the deck and up the stairs to find the following....

Saylor and Daddy playing in the sand

As you can see Saylor is soaked and had a great time. It was a very warm evening here and the concrete deck was still warm to the touch. I think Saylor had a great evening with Daddy marking his amazing 15 months with us.

I feel honoured to have been chosen to be Saylor's Mommy. He is such a smart fellow. He can now stretch up on his tip toes and reach the knobs on the front of the stove so we have take the knobs off the stove when we aren't using it to keep him safe. He has taken a few little tumbles including one off the back of our couch in the family room while trying to get to mom who was behind the couch. Then a couple days ago he attempted to stick his little fingers into a fan that was blowing cool air in a window. ack! He is one curious fellow and sure keeps Mommy and Daddy ever watchful.

A day trip to Saltspring Island

2011-08-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

Today we took a short ferry trip to Saltspring Island and enjoyed exploring the beautiful Island.

I didn't expect to see beautiful rolling farm lands but
that is exactly what we saw as we drove around the north end of the island.

Just before we headed back to the ferry Daddy and Saylor played with the happy faced ball for a few mintutes. Saylor was so tired that he slept for most of the trip back home.

Experiencing Powell River

2011-08-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

Last week Pete travelled to Powell River and Saylor and I joined him on the trip. I took almost 130 pictures in 2 days. Saylor had his first taste of sand although I didn't get any pictures of that because I was busy cleaning out his mouth :)

Look mom I have a shovel I "borrowed" from another kid over there.

Oh I love the toilet paper game! (it was almost bed time and we were resting in the hotel room

and mommy asked daddy where I was because it was way too quiet. They found me in the bathroom and I was having a great time!)

On!

2011-07-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of months Daddy has been picking Saylor up and showing him how light switches work and Saylor was enjoying the "game" Then Saylor's Nana and Opa came from Calgary to visit for two weeks and Opa contined the light switch "game" and Saylor learned to say "on"! It is very cute Saylor points to light and says "on". The light could be the overhead light in the truck, or a light at a friend's house. He definitely understands the concept of turning the light on and off. The only challenge is that Saylor wants to turn the light off and on all day long.

Saylor's room make over

2011-07-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Until recently Saylor's room has been a rather dull uninteresting room. We knew early on that we wanted his room to have a nautical theme but we had a hard time finding things we liked for the room. The first thing we did find was a sail boat mobile and we found this when he was only a few months old.

so up it went in his room looking a bit out of place

in late June we picked out these two shades of blue
and Daddy worked hard to paint Saylor's room

here's a sweet little door pull on the closet

Saylor supervising while Daddy worked

Then this week we found this wonderful painting in a shop in Duncan. I love the sense of whimsy this artist has you can find more information about here her here Tails and Wings . This painting really captured our attention right away and we knew we wanted it for Saylor's room! The lobster even has pipe cleaners for antennae. There are a few more fun elements we have in Saylor's room that I will share soon.

Peachy goodness?

2011-07-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

I offered Saylor some fresh and very ripe peach the other day and I am sure he tasted...but I think he enjoyed squishing it and making peach juice even more.

for some reason this is a little blury..a picture of Saylor
with Uncle Glenn

Apple cookies for breakfast

2011-07-13T21:26:00.001-07:00

This is a recipe that I remember my mom making for me as a child and not long ago I asked her for the recipe and in fact she is still making these yummy cookies for her own breakfast many years later.
I know posting a recipe is a first for me but this is great tasting, healthy and easy to do so I really wanted to share it.

The recipe originated from a Weight Watchers meeting many years ago and my mom has changed it over time.

Apple Breakfast Cookies

1/3 of a cup powdered milk
1/3 cup quick oats or 1/2 cup regular oats
1/8 tsp baking soda (a pinch)
1/8 tsp cinnamon (I increased this to a 1 tsp)
2 tsp of sweetener...(I am using honey and it works fine)
1 small apple grated (it takes a bit to really figure out how much apple u will need
too much apple and the cookies run while being baked)
2 tsp butter

mix the batter up a bit and spoon onto your cookie sheet (I like cooking them on foil no cooking spray needed, I tried it and made the bottoms of the cookies really dark)
flatten slightly
oven at 350 c and cook for 20 minutes..and devour them

a picture of the hand written recipe :)

one loan cookie left after breakfast

I have found this is something that Saylor really enjoys for breakfast and so do I!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last year on Father's Day Saylor was exactly 4 weeks old and I was still recovering from the c section that brough him into the world. I was barely getting out of the house and unable to drive yet. So the special day went by almost with out notice.

This year I wanted to make sure and create a memory for Pete who is a wonderful, loving and dedicated father to Saylor. When Daddy arrives home Saylor rushes to be picked up and hugged by Daddy.

Saylor created a very special gift this year with a little help from Mom and Ana.

we started out with a canvas and blob of light blue paint

hmmm let me stick my fingers in this

and I must taste this new stuff it could be food..hmm nope not yummy at all

add some dark blue....smear it around

add some dark green...smear some more and we have a gift for Daddy!

Happy Father's Day to Pete and all those loving Dads who are dedicated to their children's well being.

Big boy hair cut

2011-06-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today was the day. After procrastinating for over a month Saylor finally got his first real hair cut. I was struggling emotionally with having his hair cut because I knew that it would make him look more mature and I really love his curls.

Saylor's hair is longer on top and he still has a few curls :)

Thanks to Marnie and Sam!

before

after

after

Birthday Celebrations

2011-06-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

Saylor's birthday was on May 19th and due to the craziness of life we waited until June 3rd to have a little party. We celebrated with a barbeque, friends and family.

here is Saylor tasting he new set of wooden blocks
a gift from Ana

mmmmm cake!

First Steps

2011-05-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

For a while now Saylor has been standing up and holding onto furniture, the walls and just about anything else that will help hold him up then walking along the distance of that item. This afternoon Saylor was walking and holding onto Daddy's hand when Saylor saw me in his room he wanted to come and see what I was doing so he pushed Daddy's hand away and took about 3 steps on his own towards me! It was an exciting moment to see Saylor take a few steps on his own. I don't think it will be long before he is walking on his own. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to grab the camera I will try to take more pictures soon.

Censorship

2011-05-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

Did that grab your attention? Its an unusual subject for this blog. I have had this blog for about a year and half and have kept the posts focused on my experience of pregnancy and then the development and antics of Saylor. I have often thought about ideas or subjects I wanted to blog about but have stopped myself from writing about those idea due to fear of offending or upsetting someone who may read my blog. I have come to the conclusion that with only 10 followers I need to move beyond that fear and write about whatever I choose to write about.

I hope to write more about how I am experiencing motherhood. With that in mind I have given the blog a face lift. I will continue to post pictures of Saylor on the main page and my motherhood ponderings on a new page that can be found in the tabs near the top of the page.

Snack time with a Friend

2011-05-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Saylor met up with his friend Alexi. He took her to a local coffee shop and had a great snack of cheerios, pear (brought by Alexi's mommy) and a yummy muffin.

Mommy set the camera on her favourite setting that takes rapid back to back pictures and took pictures of us eating and having a little fun!

When we got home mommy decided to take me out of my cute overalls and put me in other clothes. When she opened up my overalls she found my food stash! I tried to tell her I was saving those yummy muffin bits but she just laughed and put the smooshed bits in the garbage. Thanks Alexi for the fun morning out!

Look what I can do now!

2011-05-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight Pete was going up the stairs for dinner and we allowed Saylor to follow behind. Pete told Saylor to "come on" I was a couple steps behind and watched Saylor go up two steps on his own for the first time. After dinner we put Saylor at the bottom of the steps this time I had the camera in hand and this is what happened.

He seemed pretty proud of himself! Now we need to practice this a little more so he can safely go up the stairs.

11 months

2011-05-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

As time continues to whiz on by here are a few pictures showing Saylor at 11 months old

we are starting to see some spring weather here
and one evening recently we were outside around the bonfire
and Saylor had his first experience crawling in grass.
(that's Uncle Aaron holding on to Saylor as Saylor was about to
crawl towards the fire pit)

oh goody mommy has the camera out!

here I come mommy I want that...

Delicious Noises

2011-05-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Recently late one night I was sound asleep and Saylor woke to have a snack. As he settled in to nurse he began to make some sweet sounds. He cooed and slurped away seeming to truly enjoy his milky snack. As a tiny babe Saylor often made delicious noises as he suckled now as he is approaching his first birthday he makes these wonderful sounds a little less often. As we layed there falling back asleep I soaked in those sounds and added them to my memories. Its as if Saylor was saying mmm this is so delicious mommy just what I needed! Thank you for filling my belly so i can sleep some more. I will miss those slurps and coos when breastfeeding comes to and end for now I will treasure those quiet sleepy moments and brand them deep into my memories.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

2011-04-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

On April 23 around the world at 400 different locations The Great Cloth Diaper Change will be happening. The goal of this international event is to change as many babies as possible into a cloth diaper. This is an attempt at setting a world record for the most cloth diapers being changed at the same time. I think this is a remarkable way to share with the world how cloth diapers have changed and are so easy to use. The Great Cloth Diaper Change Nanaimo is being hosted by Huckleberry Baby Shop and there will be prizes and giveaways!

Recently Huckleberry Baby Shop posted on Facebook asking for a event participant to speak with the local newspaper and have a picture taken to help promote The Great Cloth Diaper Change. I volunteered for this and was chosen! I spoke on the phone with the reporter and the photographer visited and pictures were taken of Saylor laying on a pile of clean cloth diapers with me close by.

A Glimpse into....

2011-04-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Over the last three days I have had a glimpse into single parenthood. Pete left at 6am Thursday morning for a Navy League conference in Ottawa and he won't be returning until late Sunday evening. On Thursday during the day Saylor and I had his music class and Aunty Tina visited. On Friday Ana visited for a couple hours and a photographer from the newspaper dropped my for a picture of Saylor. Today Ana and Aunty Darlene came to visit. So the days have been full of activity. The evenings have been the most challenging because I am making dinner or putting dishes away and Saylor is at my feet pulling on my pants or pulling himself up against my legs. I always appreciate the team approach Pete and I use in parenting Saylor. Saylor and I are really missing Pete's humor and support.

My glimpse into being a single parent gave me new appreciation for those single parents who truly don't have a partner for whatever reason.

Thank you Pete for being an amazing husband and father!

Things that roll

2011-04-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

Mommy put these 4 red, blue and white things on top of a tote (that rubber maid tote is full of clothes you have out grown young man) I had to have one of these things! So I worked hard and pulled myself up so I could stand and grab the thing mommy put down.

at first I studied the thing

then I tasted something mommy called plastic

oh it rolls! now I can chase it for a little bit

oh oh she caught me. Mommy took my toy away and I was very sad for a few minutes.

P.S. I'm having issues with blogger today.

A few pictures from December

2011-04-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend and proffesional photographer http://www.islandexpressionsphoto.com/ who took some pictures of Saylor in December. Click the link and have a look Saylor at 7 months

Daddy and Saylor playing guitar

2011-04-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Whenever Daddy gets the guitar and starts to play music Saylor starts to dance and make his way towards the guitar. Today was no exception. I think Saylor really wants to play music with Daddy.

Cloth diapering for bed time

2011-04-01T19:57:00.001-07:00

One of the hardest parts about using cloth diapers is figuring out the best combination to use on your child for over night. I originally started with a extra thick prefold and a layer of fleece to keep my son feeling dry this worked only for a few hours and then I had to change him in the middle of the night thus waking him up more.

With my night time diapering not going very well I returned to Huckleberry Baby Shop to chat with the owner Christ and she suggested I purchase a fitted diaper and use that over night. I have 5 different fitted diapers all of which work really well. In order to explain what we are currently using for our over night diaper I took a few pictures.

my sweet peas cover Sweet pea diaper

AMP prefold folded in 3 AMP diapers

I have opened up the prefold here and added a micro fibre doubler

re fold the prefold

My Sugar Peas fitted diaper, this fitted diaper has a lot of added absorbing layers

fold over those absorbent wings

now add the prefold on top of the fitted disper

next is a layer of fleece that will go directly against babies skin

the fleece is a Bummis product but you can use other fleece items old shirts/blankets etc

the fitted snapped closed

the whole combination before adding the cover

add the cover and you are done

I have found with this diaper Saylor has an extra fluffy bum but it doesn't matter over night. Saylor does wake up wet in the morning but he doesn't seem to be bothered about it until the morning. So this is what works for us.

The 10 month mark

2011-03-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

Wow some how Saylor has reached 10 months old. I know I have said this and been told by many people that the time flies by and it's so very true. I thought I would do an update on my little fellow. He now has 2 bottom (those came in December) teeth with 3 more coming in on the top. He is still doing the scoot on his back but is very close to crawling. If someone holds him under the arms he will "walk" he will also stand against the couch on his own and take a side step or two. Saylor is very vocal and loves to scream and babble away. His hair has gotten lighter and curlier and his eyes are a darker blue now. Saylor loves to be with mom and dad so much he rarely sleeps on his own for long. Saylor has found that when he waves at family, friends or strangers he is rewarded with smiles and return waves. We are still going strong with breastfeeding and some days it seems Saylor would prefer to stick to his diet of mama milk over any solid food I can offer him. Tonight he threw any food he was offered on the floor during dinner...hehe.

This is a short video clip of Saylor playing on the floor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcMi7bGvZZs

10 months old and showing a little character

2011-03-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

Starfish kids in the snow...

2011-02-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

A little while ago I won this beanie from Starfish Kidz. Here is Saylor wearing the cute and oh so soft bamboo beanie. Starfish kids is run by 2 moms from Port Moody BC. I love how well this hat fits and how sweet it looks on my little fellow. Starfish Kids has many other wonderful products. Thanks so much for this great beanie!

I dressed Saylor this afternoon, took him outside and plunked him in the snow. He didn't complain and seemed to enjoy the brief play time in the snow.

9 Months old

2011-02-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Saylor was 9 months old on Saturday. Here is an example of what is up to now. He love to roll and scoot on the floor as much as possible. I put the laundry basket in front of the wood stove between a trunk and the couch to prevent him from getting into dangerous territory. So today he managed to....

get into the basket and almost onto both knees

getting out of the basket

hi mom

oh what is this tiny scrap on the floor?

Mummi Quilt Giveaway

2011-02-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

In My Opinion is hosting a great giveaway on Mummi Quilts. Mummi Quilts has some beautiful fabrics to choose from if you win a custom designed bib.

Some examples of fabrics she has available. I know what I would choose if I win...the guitars for sure. Pop over and enter the giveaway.

Baby Gourmet

2011-02-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

I received my All Stages Sampler box from Baby Gourmet. This baby food is produced by a Canadian company and is 100% organic.

The Box Contains:
1 pouch of Stage 1 Orchard Apple, Carrot & Prune
1 pouch of Stage 1 Juicy Pear & Garden Greens
1 pouch of Stage 1 Harvest Pear, Pumpkin & Banana
1 pouch of Stage 2 Baby’s Sweet Potato Pie
1 pouch of Stage 2 Apple Sweet Potato Berry Swirl
1 pouch of Stage 2 Roasted Squash & Fruit Medley
1 pouch of Stage 3 Vanilla Banana berry Risotto
1 pouch of Stage 3 Tropical Banana Bliss
1 pouch of Stage 3 Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

It was soon going to be snack time so I looked through the packages and chose Baby's Sweet Potato Pie for Saylor to try. As soon as I opened the package I could smell the fresh veggies. I also tasted it and it had a real sweet potato flavour.

I squirted a little puree into a bowl and mixed in a little breast milk then I warmed the dish in hot water. The food is ready to serve and doesn't require any liquid being added. Saylor is used to his food having some breast milk in it so I choose to continue this initially.

This is Saylor enjoying the Roasted Squash & Fruit Medley stage 2. He seemed to enjoy the thicker texture of this flavour. In fact he seems to be cleaning his hands off here.

Saylor enjoys feeding himself so as usual I put small amounts on his spoon and in the mouth it goes. When he doesn't like something he throws his spoon on the floor right away. This time Saylor ate the whole amount I had put out for him. He was smacking his lips and seemed to really enjoy this new food!

At this time Saylor is eating very small amounts of purees and once opened the packages are good for 24 hours this tells you what is contained in the packages does not contain any preservatives. Sadly we never finished a whole package of food before the time was up and I had to toss what was left over.

I think the Baby Gourmet food would be wonderful to travel with as it's compact and the lid goes back on securely. It does need to be refrigerated once open.

I really enjoyed using the Baby Gourmet products and I know Saylor enjoyed eating them.

*I received this product as a sample to try and give honest feedback on the product. I was not paid to write this review.*

A weekend away

2011-02-01T22:22:00.000-08:00

Daddy told me a while ago that mommy's birthday (I don't know what a birthday is but daddy seemed excited) was coming up and he had a secret to surprise (whats a secret?) mommy with.

Then something came in the mail and daddy's secret got spoiled. Mommy was pretty excited because daddy planned a trip to Tofino for her birthday and they were staying at mommy's favourite place Crystal Cove Beach Resort .
Online web album of trip

this is me with mommy and daddy in mommy's
new Ergo baby carrier this thing is comfy I had
a nap in it

I'm so cute!

this was the view a couple steps outside our door

this is mommy trying to be arty with her camera

Zoe Organics Bath Tea

2011-01-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago Erica of Everything Mom and Baby blog asked for someone to review Zoe Organics Bath Tea from Everything Mom and Baby Shop . I was really fortunate and she chose me to review this product! This is the only shop in Canada to carry this line of products. When the envelop from Erica the owner of Everything Mom and Baby Shop arrived I tore into it and the scent that greeted me was amazing! I loved it right away :) I know that lavender and calendula are soothing and have therapeutic properties so I was looking forward to having my son bath with the tea. The directions on the bag said to drop the muslin bag of bath tea in the water and let it sit for a few minutes, then squeeze it out into the bath and use the bag to wash with. The scent lingered and did not leave the water feeling sticky or icky.

In my house hubby has always bathed Saylor. Hubs said he liked the scent as well. Saylor seems to have sensitive skin and he came out of the tub with soft soothed skin and smelled so sweet! I have one more bag of the Zoe Organics Bath Tea and I think it will be a fight who gets to use it! I think this would make a wonderful gift for anyone you know who loves their bath.

Cold Tea

2011-01-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

As I do most mornings about 7am I make myself a cup of herbal tea some times I will get a sip or two in before I put it down. Then some how the next time I pick up my tea its cold. So lets see, what have I been doing while my tea sits abandoned and cooling down. I have pprobably changed a diaper, fed Saylor, dealt with laundry, played with Saylor, eaten a quick breakfast, had a sip of now luke warm tea, responded to an email or two and entered a giveaway or two on facebook. Now its likely time for a fussing babe to nap once he is calm "oh ya" I have tea to drink and once again its cold but I drink it any way because I love tea and I need a drink. This is why cold tea has become part of my day.

Snow fall

2011-01-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

This is what we woke up to this morning! A heavy wet blanket of snow, more ten a foot of it.

our deck

the view out the front door

my truck

Saylor's First Snow Experience

2011-01-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Over night we got about 6 inches of soft white fluffy snow. When we got up this morning it was gorgeous outside! Mommy figured it was a good idea to take me outside to play for a few minutes.

Here I am all bundled up

at first I sat on some crunchy plastic
and mommy and daddy gave me some snow

mmmm yum! thanks Daddy

Smiliey Saylor

2011-01-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

Today mommy took us out for a little bit. After she put me in my car seat I was smiling at her and mommy grabbed the camera...again.

Saylor's First Haircut

2010-12-28T22:51:00.000-08:00

Mommy was getting bugged to cut my hair and she finally gave in and agreed to let Ana (aka Grandma) trim my bangs and get that annoying hair out of my eyes.

before the trim

sitting up on my own, no one told me that
the case I'm hold has scissors in it

when daddy saw me after my haircut
he didn't even notice anything different

here's the evidence, wow that looks like a lot of hair

Christmas Musings

2010-12-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

Recently Pete and I have been talking a lot about Christmas and our expectations for the holiday. With Saylor in our lives suddenly Christmas has a different perspective. We want Saylor to know the reason we celebrate Christmas and not be focused on the commercialism and must have attitude that is so prevalent in our society. We are struggling and discussing our options. Some of the ideas we have tossed around are to adopt some German traditions as I have some German heritage and Pete's father was born in Germany. We also are pondering what type of family traditions we want to establish, cutting down our own tree, adopting a family for the season, donating to a charity of our choosing? All of these ideas have merit then it comes down to how these traditions will look to us? Christmas is about so much more then buying large quantity of items made in another country and wrapping them with paper that can't be recycled. Christmas is about the birth of Christ and giving of one's self more then it is about receiving a pile of things that end up forgotten about.

I would prefer not to have a house full of plastic toys that break in a short period of time that end up in the landfill. Instead my desire is to purchase Canadian made wooden toys that will last for many years. I still have a couple wooden toys from my childhood that are in terrific condition. I struggle with how to express this idea to family and loved ones with out those people in our lives being offended.

*Edit

I wrote the above more then a week ago and haven't posted it to the blog for fear of insulting those that may read my thoughts. Now on Christmas eve I am going to post my thoughts. I will also wish all those that pause here a Merry Christmas! Take time with family and friends and soak in those moments that seem to last forever.

A box of surprises

2010-12-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

This morning a large box arrived on our door step. I wanted to take pictures of it before someone ripped into it...hehe that didn't happen. This is what spilled out of the box

Johnny Reid Christmas Cd and Boney M
my mom played Boney M when I was a child
so it brings back wonderful memories
On the stuffy you can't see it in the picture, but
it says Baby's first Christmas.

some cute holiday hand towels, 2 holiday books
and an ornament for Saylor

ok the saxaphone connection, Pete's dad aka Opa
played saxaphone for many years and so did Pete
Some how Pete managed to play Maurgaritta ville
on the plastic saxaphone.

Saylor playing

2010-12-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Daddy gave mommy an early Christmas present. A new camera and one of the things this fancy pink camera does is take videos. So of course seeing as I'm the centre of attention in this family the first video mommy made was of me

Today Saylor ate avocado

2010-12-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

Saylor has been trying solid foods for about a week and a half and finally today I found something he seemed to really like. Here are a few pictures of that experiment.

some how mommy got my food, bib.spoon and sleeper
all in the same great colour, green! mommy says this
was not on purpose

mmmm good

see I can feed myself!

I like it!

6 months and cereal

2010-11-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

Mommy decided that since I turned 6 months old yesterday I should try some yummy brown rice cereal. As you can see in my pictures I didn't think it was yummy at all. I kinda spat most of it out. Mommy said that I get to try it again tomorrow. I'm not so sure I like that idea.

Daddy was taking my picture while mommy was making me eat this weird goop.

A felting experiment

2010-11-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Recently I have seen quite a bit of wonderful felt creations and I thought I would give wet felting a try. I was really fortunate and one friend game me a ball of wool that she had used in a previous felting project. (the orange -rusty coloured wool in the second picture) and another friend gave the big pile of roving! Lucky me!

My first project is a ball for Saylor to play with. I started by putting a few popcorn kernels in a ping pong ball (I found 6 ping pong balls for $2 at the thrift store. I sliced into the ball popped in a few kernels and sealed it up with duct tape. Then I wound some wool on the ping pong ball and wet felted it. Next I took the small ball of wool and wound on a lot of wool so the ball now was about the size of my palm and that was wet felted. The last step was to take some roving and cover the yarn with a nice design. I'm really happy with how the ball turned out.

I am going to cover this ball with roving

Finished ball has a gentle rattle to it from the
popcorn kernels

A whole lota roving from a friend

I also purchased some needles for needle felting. I have tried it once and I need a little more practice. Pictures to come when I try again.

Walking on the water front in fall

2010-11-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning about 9am I packed up Sayor and I and we ventured out into the cool fall air. It was gorgeous outside crisp and clear.

this is Saylor waiting to leave the house

the harbour

sea wall

yacht club

Grateful Motherhood

2010-11-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was pregnant I instantly felt all would be well. I knew it was the right time in my life for a child to be added to our family. Very early in my pregnancy I also decided or is chose a better word? that I would be grateful for every moment of pregnancy whatever the experience. The 9 almost 10 months that I carried Saylor went really well in part because of the wonderful care I received from the two midwives who were my care providers and in part because my wonderful husband supported and encouraged me every day.

My attitude of gratitude has continued since Saylor arrived in our lives. I have chosen to soak in and enjoy all my moments with Saylor. Even when he is over tired and crying I can kiss him, cuddle him and know that these moments will pass. When I change his diaper and he pees on his clothing I can choose to get upset or I can laugh and grab a clean shirt.

Some how Saylor is approaching the 6 month mark and he is changing and learning something new every day. I have been told that time passes quickly when you have a child, and "they" are right. I don't want to blink or look away the next thing I know he will be walking.

I am going to continue being grateful for the opportunity to be Saylor's mother. I will smile at him as often as I can and express my joy in having him in my life every day. I have found that when I am tired or hungry and I forget to be grateful that is when I feel impatient and cranky. I remind myself to be calm and take a deep breath and return to being grateful for having my sweet son in my life. This isn't always easy but it seems to help when I need it most. I spend a lot of time reading blogs and articles online and when I see something sad happen to a child and their family this serves as another reminder that I want to be grateful for my experiences as the parent to a wonderful child. I will maintain my attitude of gratitude as often as I can and when I forget I will be gentle with myself and remember that I can be grateful in my motherhood.

5.5 months old

2010-11-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Saylor has learned how to do a funny little scoot. He puts his heals and head down on the floor and lifts the rest of his body. In the picture below he has scooted off his play mat!

Saylor bundled up for an afternoon walk with mom and dad

A couple weeks ago I went to a baby and kids garage sale. These two pictures
are of clothing that Saylor will wear when he is a 12 months and older. I haven't
taken pictures of the other items I got. In total I was able to buy just over 30 items
for under $40. My mom attended the sale with me and also purchased a couple
thing.

Unintentionally Crunchy

2010-10-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

All right so some of you who drop by this blog might get the "crunchy" reference others may not. The word "crunchy" or another word often used is "granola". The meaning behind this is the following, is a all natural mother. One who doesn't allow their child junk food, doesn't circumsize their son, one who avoids vacinations and eats organic food. This is a partial list of the qualities of a crunchy momma. For me being kinda crunchy or leaning towards granola is just doing what I feel is best for Saylor. It also means going back to more natural practices. I am planning on making Saylor's first foods at home instead of purchasing them.

I have found myself doing some of these things and it was unintentional. I did not plan or set out to be a crunchy mom. I am cloth diapering and have just started using handkerchiefs instead of disposable tissue.To go with the cloth diapers I am using a more natural laundry detergent that leaves no residue or scent behind. I have started a homemade felted ball for Saylor to play with when he's able to. In our community there is a new initiative to recycle and compost as much as possible. Hubby isn't much into this so I find myself sorting and organizing the garbage..hmm. Another thing that makes me kinda granola is buying at least 90% of Saylor clothing used. I know where the kids consignment shops are and I keep my ears open for baby and kids garage sales. The most recent garage sale I attended I bought over 30 pieces of clothing for Saylor for some where around $40. I got clothing that he will wear for the next 6 months and a few pieces for after that.

All of these things make me feel good and I know they are the right choices. I can hear Saylor calling after waking up from yet another 10 minute nap.

5 Months old

2010-10-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Daddy have shown me a new toy recently. I sit in it and swat at the toys on it. I think they call it an exersaucer. I really have fun trying to put all the new things in my mouth.

I have learned how to take my soother out of my mouth and some times I can put it back, this really makes me happy. I like to play with mom and dad's face a lot. When I put my fingers in mommy's mouth and she nibbles them I laugh! I don't really like to nap there is just to much going on and I don't want to miss anything.

I am 4 months old and I can....

2010-09-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am so alert and I love to look at my environment. When Mommy or Daddy walk past me I follow them with my eyes. I have a great boat mobile above my crib that I love to watch. Mommy tried to take a picture of it but it didn't work. I smile all the time and am starting to laugh. My clothes are getting too small and Mommy is going to go to a big baby garage sale soon and get lots of new things for me. I can't wait for new clothes.

Mommy and Daddy can't believe that I am already 4 months old. The time has gone by quickly. Here are some pictures of things I can do.

I can sleep in my crib for up to 6 hours at a time.
I also figured out how to pull of my scratch mitts.
This drives Mom and Dad nuts.

I can sit in my new Bumbo chair for a few minutes at a time.
Mommy is very smart and found this chair used for a good price.
Thanks to Nana and Opa for picking it up.

I can also lay on my play mat and have a great time. This
lasts for about 10 minutes then I need my Mommy or Daddy
to pick me up.

Random thoughts at 2am

2010-09-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

This morning at 2 am I found myself awake after having fed Saylor and folding the cloth diaper laundry. Yes, that's right laundry at 2am. As I folded my fluffy laundry I started to write this very witty blog post in my head. It is now more then 12 hours later and I really don't remember much of what I was planning to write. I know I thought about .."you know you are a mother when..." you are folding laundry at 2am and other similar thoughts. Those thoughts have vanished like wisps of fog.

I do know that Saylor is approaching 4 months old and I haven't posted any pictures recently. So very soon I will take some more pictures hopefully of the not too embarrassing kind. As a friend of mine pointed out down the road Saylor will find this blog online and see everything I have written. I certainly hope he does. I think at some point I will turn this blog into a keep sake book for him.

How I love thee, Huckleberry Baby Store

2010-09-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Over a week ago I had taken a picture of Saylor in fact it was this picture below. Saylor is wearing a Fuzzi Bunz diaper and holding his bottle and the tv remote control. hehe. I submitted this picture to a random drawing contest at my wonderful local baby store. Huckleberry Baby Shop

This week I was contacted by Christi the owner of the shop. I won! I won the drawing which included a Rocky Mountain diaper, Rocky Mountain diapers 5 wash clothes and some store credit. With the store credit I got myself a small travel size wet bag. It turns out I love this diaper and have gone back and bought 2 more of them. I like the trim fit and the fact that they are made in North America. The diaper Saylor has on in the picture was my previous favourite due to its fit. Then I found out it was made in China. Now I like the Rocky Mountain Diaper even better! It has been a terrific week. (I'm not sure what is going on here after I inserted this picture I'm getting some weird formatting.)

A pair of Jeans and my spirit

2010-09-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

For almost the last year I have worn sweat pants and yoga pants mostly in black and grey. I did have two pairs of maternity jeans that I bought used and wore only for a short time neither pair were comfortable. As of yet I can't get into any of my pre pregnancy jeans. Now that fall is upon us and temperatures and cooling down it was finally time to get myself a pair of jeans. I thought of one particular retailer that has a "comfort fit" style of jean that doesn't have a zipper or button and I figured that would be the perfect pair of jeans for my new body. I set off with a budget in mind and a limited time frame. I walked into the store and it was quiet I spotted the first clerk in the store and quickly told her what I was looking for. The first step was trying to figure out what size I needed, that was pretty easy. No, I'm not going to tell you what that size is..hehe. Next was the style, ok really I want that comfort fit pant. I put it on and some how this petite body of mine looked like it had gained 25 pounds and all below the belt, pouchy bunched up jeans are not flattering. I tried on jeans with a flap pocket on the rear including a button to keep the pocket closed that wasn't flattering either. The jeans I did like were going to shrink too much when washed so out they go. Finally it was time to try on jeans from the regular section not the petite jeans. The next pair of jeans I put on made me feel so good. A nice dark wash, straight leg and yes a button fly. Something I didn't think this new body would look good is. I have worn my new jeans out of the house a couple times and I feel wonderful in them. Getting out of my sloppy sweats has made a difference in boosting my spirit and my confidence. Such a simple joy really made my week. If I have done this right I think this is a picture of my jeans that make me oh so happy!

Trolling for Mommy Bloggers

2010-08-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

After I joined the Theta Mom community I began to troll the Internet more intensely then ever looking for other mommy bloggers. At first I was looking more for Canadian mommy bloggers and I have found a few, then I gave up on that and was looking for any mommy blogger. I have found many wonderful mommy blogs. I have started to follow them on facebook, twitter (which I don't understand how to use at all ...lol) and added them to my Bloggy Fav link on this blog.

If you are a mommy blogger and stumble upon my site and I haven't added you to my links please leave me a message and I will follow you and add you to my favs. I love reading about other mom's experiences. In a way I find it very comforting to read these great blogs as a first time mom it is a great way to find encouragement in those tough moments.

As I search for new blogs to read and follow I have also found many many giveaways giving away a huge variety of items, from diapers to very cute girly underwear. This is a fascinating thing to me and I have been slightly obsessed with putting my name in for as many giveaways as I can. So far I have won a sample of wipe solution for Saylor oh so cute hiney! Tied in with the giveaway thing is product reviews. Wow! Those are bountiful as well. I'm not sure that is the direction this blog will go it but it sure is fun to read the reviews!

The Theta Mom Community

2010-08-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago I found this wonderful blog. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this blog but I'm really glad I did. The www.thetamom.com is way more then your standard blog. Its an extended community that includes many other mommy blogger. The concept behind this blog is the knowledge that no mom is perfect and we need to accept that and simply be the best we can. I have been thinking about writing about this great blog for a while. I was wavering because this blog community is based in the states. as are most of the bloggers that connect with this site. I have searched and so far haven't found as many Canadian mommy bloggesr. Then I came to the conclusion that love reading the articles posted on this site. Drop by and look around. Now I'm going to add her button to my blog (read previous post) and let her know I blogged about her. !

More on Cloth Diapers

2010-08-25T17:01:00.001-07:00

I have really been enjoying my foray into cloth diapers. Saylor doesn't experience any diaper rashes and we rarely have leaks and no "blow outs". I have discovered that on Facebook. Twitter and many different blogs that there are frequent diaper and related product giveaways. This discovery has lead me to "like" and "follow" many new sites and blogs. Often in order to be entered in these giveaways you are required to "like", "follow", tweet or add a button to your blogs. Each of these actions is one entry in the giveaway.

Doing all of this makes me wonder what direction this blog is going in and how many "buttons" and other things I want as well.

I am loving cloth diapering. The initial costs seem worth the benefits including less garbage going into the landfill. Now its time for me to get back to Facebook and look for more diaper giveaways.

3 Months old today

2010-08-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

In hounour of Saylor being 3 months old today I thought I'd share a couple pictures.

Every chance he gets Saylor is putting his hands in his mouth
and when he can a blanket will work for him as well.

Aren't I handsome?

That smile lights up my heart!

10 weeks old

2010-08-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

At 10 weeks old Saylor weighs about 13 pounds. Here he is showing off a very cute sleeper.

Breast Feeding Ain't all its cracked up to be

2010-08-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is a post that has been rattling around in my mind for about 8 weeks now. I know breast feeding is best for babe and I know about all its benefits. What I didn't know was what incredibly hard work it is. I had heard of cracked and sore nipples and I had researched what to do if thar happened to me but I figured I wasn't going to be the gal that happened to. Instead of this wonderfully dreamy breast feeding experience I got something else altogether. I was recovering from my cesarean section and dealing with the pain and discomfort that comes with it. I was exhausted and emotional. On top of that I and Saylor had to figure out this thing "they" call breast feeding.

I am sure you can guess by now that my initial breast feeding experience didn't go so well. The first couple days were actually pretty good. Saylor learned to latch on fairly quickly although at first he did push my nipple out with his tongue. hehe silly boy. Then something changed. He wasn't latching properly despite having the lactation consultant and the nurses help in the hospital. I didn't realize quite have the latching thing right. Once home things got worse and my milk supply decreased. I did get cracked and sore nipples. I was told to get some calendula,from the marigold family.What I got was a calendula spray a very nice yellow spay and oh the relief it gave. Within 3 days more very painful nipples were healed.

As I have mentioned previously I had 2 wonderful midwives who were supporting me. After several visits and a lot of help we finally got the latch figured out but by then it was too late any my supply had decreased a lot. So I started taking a prescription to help with that. During this time I had been on a rigours feeding schedule with Saylor. Breast feeding him every three hours, pumping and giving him a bottle of expressed milk with formula added. Adding my my distress was that Saylor wasn't gaining weight like he was "supposed" too. This sure a lot for a first time mom to cope with! There were times when I was crying at the same time Saylor was. I remember one moment he was feeding and I was crying and using a receiving blanket to wipe my tears. Oh the humility!

Today 10 weeks later breast feeding is much easier. I am still pumping and giving Saylor a bottle as needed. I am constantly wondering am I feeding him enough? Am I doing this right? When is my milk going to dry up? I wonder each day is today the day when I won't be able to breast feed any more. I have "mommy guilt". I expected this breast feeding thing to be work but really not this much work. I haven't gotten the courage to breast feed in public yet. I have breast fed him at a friend's place who has dealt with some of the same issues and her daughter is a week older then Saylor. One day I will breast feed in public but I will do it when ready and definitely covered up! No one needs to see my now saggy milk sacks! Ahh the wonderful things I can do as a mom.

I am so grateful that I have had amazing support with breast feeding and learning how to be a mom. Without all the support I am not sure I would still be breast feeding. So each day I cope and do the best I can. I think that's all I can do.

Saylor at 9 weeks old

2010-08-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

On July 29th Pete and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by going to visit my mom aka Ana at her home for the first time. We had a wondeful lunch and Ana (Grandma) got to dote on her grandson.

nap time at Ana's

Daddy time!

Today Saylor is having his first nap in his crib!

My little cloth diaper stash

2010-07-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

I have started small with my cloth diaper collection. There are so many choices and designs it was difficult to choose which system to go with. For simplicity and cost I choose to use diaper wraps with a variety of inserts. I am really enjoying using this diapering system. I have just enough to get through 2 days of diapering. Soon I will add more to my collection.

Thanks to Christi at Huckleberry Baby Shop for the education and help in choosing what I need to have for cloth diapering. http://www.huckleberrybabyshop.com/

bummis wraps, I have already purchased another wrap
and I am positive I will be getting more soon

my collection of aborbant layers including bamboo,
hemp, terry cloth and fleece

these wondefully soft bamboo washcloths by Thirsties
are wondeful for many things

my large Jam Tots wet bag to store wet diapers in,
this was a shower gift

Cloth Diaper Trial

2010-07-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

While I was pregnant with Saylor I spent a lot of time researching different baby related items. One of the things I spent the most time learning about was the variety of cloth diapers that are now available on the market. It didn't take very long before I was completely overwhelmed and confused! The cloth diapering world has its own dictionary of abbreviations and language.

I started to hope that I could find cloth diapers locally, so I did more searching. I was fortunate enough to find an amazing local shop that is fully stocked with any cloth diaper I could want to use for my baby. http://www.huckleberrybabyshop.com/ When I found Huckleberry Baby Shop online and realized that the shop was located within 15 minutes of my home I got excited! Reading further I found that the shop owner Christi, offered a cloth diaper trial.

Yipeee I could try cloth diapers out and have minimal commitment or expense. One afternoon I dragged my husband to Huckleberry Baby so that we would learn more about cloth diapers. Christi the owner gave us the run down explaining all the many options, materials and possible. combinations when using cloth diapers.

Christi explained how the diaper trial worked. She put together kits that held the appropriate sized diaper for you baby plus all the accessories you need for two weeks of cloth diapering. Included in the kit was the appropriate laundry detergent for the diapers, a large and small wet bag, a huge variety of diapers, a list of the contents of the kit,a glossary of the special language for diapers and several other small items. I really enjoyed my two weeks of cloth diapering. The first thing I noticed was less garbage leaving the house. At first I wasn't really clear on why I needed so many diapers and so many variations. Then when we had a moment where I changed Saylor 3 or 4 times back to back I got it. Newborns go through a lot of diapers! Here are a few pictures of what comes in the diaper trial kit. For me this was the perfect way to try cloth diapers! I loved it.

I would recomend Huckleberry Baby Shop for more then diapers. Christi also carries a variety of slings and wraps. Which she is also very knowledgeable about and can help you learn to use them with her expert knowledge. You can also find locally made products from diapers creams to clothes. Huckleberry Baby is a full service baby shop!

My next post will show the beginnings of my own diaper stash!

pocket and all in one diapers

small wet bag top left
wipe cubes middle top row
a roll of disposable liners far right
large wet bag bottom left
folder with washing directions and glossary in red fold

prefolds far left
fitted diapers middle
wraps/covers far right

more stuffers and cloth wipes

Baby Shower

2010-07-02T21:18:00.002-07:00

On June 26th a good friend of mine held a baby shower to Welcome Saylor. The event was attended by a great group of gals. Including a long time family friend that as I say has known me before I existed and another friend who I meet as a young teen and we have stayed in contact. I felt wonderful being surrounded by this caring group of new and old friends. Thanks everyone for attending. Here's a couple pictures from the shower. Thanks Gloria for the yummy cake!

Saylor at 6 weeks

2010-07-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

I could say that I don't know where the last 6 weeks has gone that wouldn't be the complete truth. I have spent the last 6 weeks in loving and devoted 24 hour care of my wonderful son Saylor. The first 2 weeks were a blur of recovering from surgery and trying to figure out that breastfeeding didn't have to be a painful experience. Today I can understand Saylor's cries a little better and we have started to find our own routines.

Did I know what to expect these first few weeks as I was expecting Saylor, truthfully no. I have enjoyed every moment though both the struggles, challenges and good times. In the last week or so Saylor has begun to smile and will some times stick his tongue out at me if I do it first.

Over the last week I have also experimented using cloth diapers and have now ordered my own to use. I don't think we will exclusively use cloth diapers but we will use them most of the time. More on the cloth diapers another time.

I have had a few requests for updated pictures so here ya go!

Close ups

2010-06-25T00:57:00.000-07:00

These pictures are already two weeks old and I can see Saylor's face is constantly changing. I was playing with the camera.

Saylor's Birth Story

2010-06-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about writing this post from the moment my labour started. I have also written this post many times in my head as I lay down to sleep. I have come up with great ways to say things, even being funny at times. Right now at this moment I don't remember any of those witty things. One thing that did stick with me from those late night writings in my mind was to warn readers that this story may not be something everyone is interested in or would like to read. This recording is for me so that I don't forget. I also want to record the details of Saylor's birth as a way to mentally and emotionally heal from the process. The details are already starting to fade as Saylor will be 4 weeks old in a couple days. Maybe the details aren't as important as the final results that being Saylor and I healthy and happy.

My original due date was May 8th 2010 and as the date approached I wasn't showing any signs of labour starting. Next thing I knew I was 10 days past my due date and it was time to make decisions. I was induced at 7am on May 18th(I'm going to skip some details here)I then spent the next two hours at the hospital being monitored and then I was sent home to wait. At noon we returned to the hospital so that I could be monitored and checked. I had been having contractions but my body was not progressing. Again I was sent home and my midwife came to check on me some time later. Around 2pm it was time to head to the hospital and get settled in there. At this time I was already in a great deal of pain but I was still refusing any medication for pain management.

I should include as part of my story that Pete and I had attended prenatal classes called Birthing From Within. I was confident that with the coping techniques I learned in these classes that I could have my baby naturally with out medical intervention. It is a very good thing that Birthing from Within covers all the possibilities. Due to what I learned from the classes I was able to cope but in a different way then what we had hoped for.

When we arrived at the hospital I continued to labour. My midwife suggested that I may want to soak in a warm bath I agreed. I spent the next several hours laying in that large comfortable tub. Around 8:30pm I was again offered pain medication this time I agreed to it. Now it was time for an IV to be started and further measures to be taken to help my labour. I was given 3 doses of fentanol after those 3 does I was offered and epidural and I agreed to it. Some time around 3 am the on call obsetrican who had already been involved in my care said it was time for a c-section or cesarean birth. Pete had known for some time this was coming I wasn't aware of this yet. This was a very difficult moment for both of us. All of the interventions that I had received thus far and now a c-section were not part of the plan we had discussed and dreamed about. In fact it was as far from our hopefully plan as things could get. It was time to consider my health and the babies. So c-section it was. Things moved along very quickly here. There is much of this story that I don't clearly remember due to the pain and medication. Saylor was eventually born at 3:40am on May 19th 2010. Pete, cut the cord and was the first one to hold him. My mom who had arrived at the hospital before 9pm was the second person to hold Saylor with in 40 minutes of his birth.

I have often said that I have never had this many drugs in my entire life. Never before had I had surgery either. Recovering from this abdominal surgery has been an experience on it's own. For the first two weeks I could hardly pick up Saylor or dress myself. Pete has been amazing through this process. He has had to care for both Saylor and I plus do the necessary cooking and cleaning. Pete was also very involved in supporting and understanding the intricacies of breast feeding. I am very proud that he is my husband and Saylor's father. Without Pete the wheels would have fallen off this buggy for sure.

Through out my pregnancy it was my strongest desire to labour and deliver my baby without medical intervention. I had chosen to have my prenatal care through a midwife, to labour at home for as long as possible then to move to the hospital deliver the baby just in case medical intervention was needed. Having to change my hopes, wishes and dreams for my delivery was very difficult. The skills learned during Birthing from Within allowed Pete and I to process the necessity of having a c-section, come to gripes with it and move forward. Pete said to the doctor that we don't want to do the
c-section but we will because it is the best thing to do in this situation.

Having written this post a few days ago and now re-reading it I think I have included what was important. Today Saylor is a month old. The time has truly whized by on some days and then there are the moments that seem to be drawn out and really last. I hope I remember both the fast and slow memories. I think it is also time to begin Sayor's baby book to record those moments so little is forgotten. I focus on each moment and that is how tomorrow arrives.

Today I....

2010-06-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today I spent the most time at home without someone close by to support Saylor and I since we go home from the hospital. Along with that milestone I did a few other things. I took bedsheets off the bed and replaced them with clean ones. I showered for the first time in an empty house while Saylor napped. I was also able to putter around the house a little.

Each of these things on it's own is just a small matter put them together in this stage of my recovery and they are all small victories. I feel like I'm getting stronger each day and I know that 3 weeks ago I wasn't sure I would see this day. Every day is worth marking and remembering this step. Things like sneezing,coughing, sitting, getting in and out of bed are all just a minor discomfort now instead of agony. I have come a long way in recovering from Saylor's birth.

Every day Saylor amazes me. He has started to make more noises almost cooing now, he's gained weight and stretched out. He loves his bath with dad! Saylor is a mellow little boy that isn't bothered by the phone ringing, the vacuum cleaner going in the same room or the construction noise outside the bedroom window.He sleeps through various visitors dropping by as well, I am so glad to be Saylor's mom and I am doing my best to enjoy all of our moments

An outting

2010-06-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend in Nanaimo a Baby Fair was being held at the local Rec Centre. I had known about this event for several months and knew that I really wanted to attend it. My husband and amazing friend Gloria worked together to get me out of the house. After being home for the last couple weeks and barely getting out this was going to be a big deal for me. Adding to the adventure I planned to drive my truck for the first time in close to a month. Gloria lives about a 5 minute drive from my place and when I pulled into her driveway the first thing I asked her for was some pain killers...hehe driving was more difficult then I thought it would be. I choose to leave Saylor at home for this outing as I knew I wouldn't be able carry him or push the stroller yet. The Baby Fair was overwhelming for me and I only purchased some bamboo wash clothes. Being out for almost two hours was a little much and I had to come home to take some pain killers and have a nap.

In the grand scheme of things my trip to the Baby Fair is a small event. For me being only 18 days post c-section and arrival of Saylor it was a big adventure. I enjoyed getting out and feeling part of the world again. Thanks to Pete and Gloria for getting my arse out of the house!

Little Victories this week

2010-06-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get to this post for a couple days. It looks like I have a few minutes right now. I have been trying to think about some positive things that have happened in the last few days.

1) I was able to put my own socks on starting 3 days ago - this was a big deal! lol
2) wearing 99% of my own clothes instead of all of Pete's clothes
3) being more mobile and in very little pain
4) getting Saylor on a feeding schedule that is working

I know there were other items on my mental list..but I can't remeber them right now..due to sleep deprivation.

Flowers

2010-06-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

I have received several boquets of gorgeous flowers and most of them have come from our favourite florist in town. It's difficult to captures how truly beautiful the flowers are. There was one more boquet that was given to me in the hospital that I didn't get a chance to take a picture of. Thanks to everyone who has sent flowers!

A slide show

2010-05-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

My good friend Gloria Bell came to visit and take a few more pictures of Saylor. Then she went to work with the pictures and created this wonderful slide show.

http://www.islandexpressionsphoto.com/saylor/

Saylor's namimg story

2010-05-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Like most expectant parents Pete and I started to search for names for our baby. Early on Pete came up with a name we both loved for a girl and that was Lorelie Josephine Betcher. Then we struggled and struggled to find a boys name we loved and agreed on. We never did find the perfect name. I went into labour not knowing what we would name a boy child should we have a boy.

While I was in labour Pete was rubbing my back and comforting me with one hand and chatting with our close friend Tina Holden http://www.beadcomber.ca/ on the computer. Tina and her husband were blessed to have two gorgeous daughters. One of whom has autism. Tina asked her her daughter Krista if we were going to have a boy or girl and what we were going to name the baby. Krista intuitively said we were going to have a boy and name him "Sailor". Tina was relaying this story to me and said that Krista was over joyed with her announcement and very very sure of herself. Tina told this story to twice the second time was when we were in the hospital. Pete told me the story at this time. I was very tired and on some heavy duty drugs at the time. The first thing I said what that we would have to change the spelling. Next it was nap time and I would think on the name suggestion. When I woke up I agreed right away that our son's name would be Saylor Joseph Betcher. Joseph is after my dad who passed away 3 years ago after a long battle with cancer.

We really love Saylor's name and it really seems to suit my little man! Thank you Tina for sharing this wonderful story with us. I was really worried that we wouldn't find the perfect name and had no idea where or how our search would end. Krista you are an amazing gal!

Introducing.....

2010-05-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to Saylor Joseph Betcher. He arrived in the world on May 19th at 3:40am. He weighed 10 pounds and was 20 inches long. As you can see in the pictures he also has a full head of hair. My little boy is gorgeous and amazing. He doesn't fuss much and when he does it's just telling us what he needs. Pete and I are very much in love with our handsome new family member.

I will slowly post more pictures and details of Saylor's journey into the world. I know that some of you will be curious about his name as well. That in it's self is a terrific story I will also share soon.

Preggy pics

2010-05-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

I am fortunate to have some amazing friends in my life. On of my closest friends is also a professional photographer. Today we got together and took a few pictures before baby arrives. Here is the link to Gloria's website http://www.islandexpressionsphoto.com/

A few gifts

2010-05-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

The first item is a exersaucer from everyone I work with. The staff put together a informal shower with some yummy snacks and this wonderful gift.

This sweet little set is from my good friend Tina Holden.

The rocking chair isn't a gift but it is a treasure all the same.
It's on loan from another close friend. Behind the rocking chair
are several book cases one holds the growing collection of
children's books.

Here is the crib we will be using.

If you are looking for the informal baby pool please scroll down to the previous post. Thanks

I'm feeling really good and taking it easy as much as possible. Things are a little hectic at the house with a new deck under construction and custom storage being built in our family room. The chaos will be well worth it later on.

For those of you looking for the big announcement keep checking back. Initially the plan is to post the information on Facebook and as soon as I can get to it I will post all the details here.

Let's have a little fun....

2010-04-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just for fun I thought I'd ask all my net friends to take a guess at what day baby Betcher is going to arrive. So think about the date, time, weight and gender. Leave me a comment with your guess. Baby is due on May 8th. Please only leave one comment per person, thanks. I haven't given a single thought to a prize but maybe I will come up with something.

A few baby clothes and bassinet

2010-04-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

I thought just for fun I'd take a picture of the baby clothes I have collected so far. Most of these I have bought through local consignment shops.

A friend of mine found this bassinet along with a matching play pen on usednanaimo.com. She then sent me the link and I followed it and was able to purchase the two items. I am thrilled with all my great finds.

A little game

2010-03-10T08:31:00.001-08:00

Two nights ago we were laying in bed and Pete put his hand on my belly and baby kicked his hand. So Pete gently poked and tapped back and each time baby kicked back. The whole time this was going on we were both giggling. I am guessing this game went on for about ten mintues. It was really cute.

Over the weekend we had our living room painted and we have started to work on the nursery. The baby's room is going to be kept very simple. After little one arrives and is a bit older we will think about painting the room and customizing the space for the little personality.

Time is passing quickly. We are looking forward to meeting baby!

8 weeks until......

2010-02-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

I have now applied for maternity leave. As long as I continue to feel well and have the energy to work I am only have 8 more weeks to work. Right now 8 weeks sounds like a long time to me but I know it's going to fly by.

Before then we have some minor house renovations planned. Our downstairs family room will get painted then a custom shelving unit will be built to solve some of our storage issues. Plus I think the deck that we have wanted to replace since we moved into our home 3 years ago will be replaced. Fingers crossed the plans go well.

I love books!

2010-02-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

My in laws arrived this week from Calgary to escape the snow and have a visit. They also brought a set of wonderful books! Thanks for starting off the library.

Another baby shop locall owned and operated

2010-02-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

I found another terrific shop close by. This place specializes in cloth diapers and understanding what is involved in using them. The shop does carry other items as well. I really enjoyed my visit there along with hubby we sure learned a great deal in that hour long stop. We have decided to use cloth diapers. I'm thrilled that Huckle Berry Baby offers a trial program in order to determine which cloth diaper suits your needs best. http://huckleberrybabyshop.com/

I have been feeling really good. Taking it easy during the weekends and after work. I haven't had any unusual food cravings. Some time soon I will get Pete to take some pictues of my growing belly. We had an appointment with the midwife yesterday and all is well. Babies heart beat was between 130-145. I can't believe that I am already 6.5 months pregnant the next couple of months are going to pass quickly. :)

A Great Find

2010-01-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

I have been doing a lot of research online recently looking for great used kids stores in my area. I found a local shop that opened recently called Kit n' Caboodle Quality Children's Consignment. The shop opened in early December and she is having her grand opening on February 6th. Check out the link here. http://knckids.com/ If you follow the link from her store to Facebook you will get alerts when new items come to the store. The shop is clean, organized and well stocked. Nicole the owner has two young children and is a new comer to Nanaimo. I really hope the store does well. I'm looking forward to returning to the store soon!

Babies are free loaders

2010-01-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Well what to say? This baby is already costing me money and it isn't even here yet! Every time I turn around Vanessa just keeps getting bigger. And now I constantly hear this doesn't fit and I am uncomfortable that!

Every time we go shopping I have to buy new clothes for Vanessa and now her mothering instincts are coming to the fore front with things like.....We need new storage, new deck, new paint, new furniture and you need new friends!

On top of that I just found out that this Baby won't even be self supporting at all! My friends have told me that all babies are free loaders. They take up room in the house, whine day and night. Expect you to feed them and on top of that they expect us to wipe their bottoms!

Beware babies are Free loaders!

Pete offered to write an entry on the baby blog today and this is his take on his pending fatherhood!

Midwife Musings

2009-12-31T06:59:00.000-08:00

This is a post I have written in my head several times as I layed down to sleep over the last few nights. At this point I am 4.5 months pregnant and have told many people about my choice to have a midwife for my pregnancy care. Often the first question people ask "are you having the baby at home? with a incredulous tone in their voices. My immediate response is "no" I will be having the baby in the hospital under the midwifes supervision. At the hospital if anything was to go wrong or be an issue there are doctors on call and available for assistance. I have had the most wonderful experience with two kind and knowledgeable midwifes. The midwives I chose to work with are two wonderful caregivers who have been Rn's and midwives for many years. My first appointment was over an hour long. This involved filling out some paper work, and many questions being asked by myself and the midwife. Subsequent appointments have also been close to an hour in duration.

My husband has attended the appointments and has the opportunity to ask his own questions and be really involved. Initially Pete was a little uncertain about using the services of a midwife, after he met the women and began to learn the roll of these health care professionals he was convinced this was the best thing for us. Pete's first thoughts about midwives were, aren't they "comfortable sandal wearing hippies" hehe. The truth is that midwives are well educated and their services are fully covered under our the BC medical plan. In BC midwives have been licenced practitioners for 11 years. The following is the definition of Midwifery from Wikipeida

Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers give prenatal care to expecting mothers, attend the birth of the infant, and provide postpartum care to the mother and her infant including breastfeeding.

I am very grateful that midwifery is a easily accessible health care service where I live!

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that 2010 brings you all that you desire.

Ultrasound Pictures!

2009-12-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Picture 1 top left 2 little feet
Picture 2 top right full face view
Picture 3 bottom left profile picture including spine
Picture 4 bottome right profile including arm

We are thrilled to be sharing these pictures!

Our Second Ultrasound

2009-12-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I had an appointment for our second ultra sound. I am now 19 weeks and 4 days into my pregnancy. If we had wanted to know this would have been the scan to find out the gender of the baby, neither of us wants to know in advance if we are having a boy or a girl. The ultrasound technician was really good and she explained what I was seeing on the screen through the scan. At one point baby was even playing with it's toes! Today baby weights 10 ounces and the heart rate was 145 beats per minute. This was a really exciting scan Pete and I really enjoyed this session. I do have 4 pictures that I will attempt to scan soon and load to the blog. I'm not entirely sure the pictures will scan well so fingers crossed.

The end of week 18

2009-12-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I went back to the midwife for my regular check up. All is well. We were able to hear the babies heart beat again. What a wonderful sound! The heart rate was 144 beats a mintue. There is a myth out there that says the rate of the heartbeat tells you the gender of the baby. hehe

Late next week we go back our the next ultra sound. That will be really neat we will be able to see the baby in detail! Looking forward to that.

A few baby gifts

2009-12-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

The first thing I have to say is that I don't have room on a single blog post for all the recent gifts that my in laws and grandparents in waiting have sent.

A sweet little shirt for a baby girl.

A adorable shirt for a baby boy. One of each because we aren't going to find out the gender of the baby until he or she arrives.

This hand made blanket was made by family friends that I haven't met yet. It's really lovely in person and very soft.

A Rocking Chair for Baby

2009-11-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to ask my mom if she still has the rocking chair that she rocked my brother and I in. I couldn't remember if it was in her house or not. So even after visiting with mom today and talking lots I still forgot to ask her about the rocking chair. I called her this evening and in fact she still has the rocking chair that her and my dad bought unfinished around the time I was born. My dad applied some sort of stain and sealer and it has lasted a long time and is in wonderful condition.

Gratitude

2009-11-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for the big bag of maternity clothes I was given last week. Then today we were given a beautiful white crib in terrific condition! The crib hardly looks used. The third thing that we have received is a year old car seat and stroller I am buying this from a friend for a low price. The car seat and stroller are well cared for and like new! Receiving these items has made my pregnancy more real as I am not showing yet.Pete and I have a lot to be grateful for!

Week 13-14 and some Relief

2009-11-12T17:41:00.000-08:00

As of today I am 14 weeks and 5 days pregnant. At the end of week 13 the nausea I felt constantly started disappearing! That was a big relief for me and since then I have only had a few moments of nausea. This afternoon I had a appointment with my midwife and I was told that my hemoglobin is low and this contributes to why I am tired so much of the time. I have started a iron supplement and that should improve how I'm feeling soon. We were also able to hear the baby's heart beat briefly a nice healthy 152 beats a minute! That was a wonderful sound to both of us!

12 weeks

2009-10-27T17:07:00.001-07:00

All right I know it has been more then a month since my last post. Things have been going really well, except for some periodic nausea. Today I went and had my first ultra sound. We were able to see little beans head, eyes, arms, spine and part of a leg the other one was hiding. Seeing the heart fluttering away was exciting. I was pretty worried about drinking 24 oz of water and being uncomfortable. In the end I drank probably a little less water then I was supposed to but I wasn't too uncomfortable at all. The technician said baby is measuring 11 weeks 4 days, plus or minus 7 days so things are right on. We could have bought a ultra sound picture but it would have just been a blur so we opted not too. Pete was able to see the images of the baby on the computer screen, he was thrilled!

I have also had my first formal check up with the midwife I spent over an hour with her asking and answering questions. That was a terrific experience I didn't feel rushed at all. I'm so grateful to be working with 2 terrific midwives!

My next appointment with the midwife is on Nov 12Th and we will hopefully be able to hear the bean's heart beating!

Week 7

2009-09-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well it's week 7 of my pregnancy. Pete and I are adjusting to our exciting future. Yesterday I spent a couple hours napping, couldn't keep my eyes open absolutely exhausted feeling. Today I felt good almost energetic. I was reading on a baby website and my little "alien" is the size of raspberry! hehe a funny comparison. We have been browsing online at a variety of baby gear and I have been asking my friends with kids a lot of questions!

I have a appointment to meet with a midwife on Oct 1st another exciting step for us. I also found out something wonderful this evening. I have a friend who is also expecting and we share the same due date!

Vanessa