momversation

I discovered this website a few months ago, and enjoy observing moms discuss controversial and interesting topics. There are so many things that are difficult about parenting, but I think that talking to your kids about death is one of the hardest. I have experienced grief and loss in my life and it is inevitable that it will happen again. My first instinct is to protect Charlotte and keep her heart safe, but I know that she will experience loss in her life as well. How do I help my baby go through grief and maybe discuss death in advance of it happening?

I agree with Dana on the episode, I will approach it from a Christian perspective, but I do not in any way have all of the answers. Life is hard. And short. Keeping this perspective helps me realize what is important and has helped me to enjoy the immediate moments in life. (Rather than contemplating the past or worrying about the future.) I will try to be genuine with Charlotte, especially in my feelings and hold her hand through the loss she will experience in life.

This is a heavy one, but prompted me to respond as it is close to my heart.

babes in the library

Today was our final Babies in the Library class. For now... they are offering another class in April which I think we will sign up for. It is a great chance to get out, play and meet new moms, dads and babies. Charlotte is so interested in [eating] the toys and books they have.

this is the nylon scarf she loved so much

When we arrived today, I took Charlotte out of her seat and smelled something a little funky.... and there was a huge mess on my hands! There is no change table in the bathroom of the library, so on the floor she went. I had to hold her still because she loves to roll when being changed, and tried to maneuver wipes, diapers and dirty clothes pretty much with the hand that wasn't holding her still. Quite a task! Finally she had a fresh diaper, and only her undershirt was dirty (all the while the group had started their good morning song) and as soon as I sat her up she had a huge spit up all over her shirt!! So..... I had to change her again. Gone was the cute outfit I had picked out for the momentous occasion, and on went the sleeper!! Oh, well. We had a lot of fun today! Thanks to the library for putting on such a wonderful *free* program for all the Freddie moms and dads!

I couldn't resist... everyone is posting pictures of the big storm we got yesterday. 48 cm. Total of 71 cm on the ground. Click here for the details. So much for wishing for spring.....

discovering..... FOOD!

We had a great weekend this weekend... relaxing, wandering around downtown... checking out new shops and getting a latte at my favorite coffee spot in Freddie. This trip also included new winter boots for me, hurray! Now, walking on snowy sidewalks won't be such a chore. And risky ;)
We also took it easy because we are all recovering from the nasty head/sinus/cough thing that is going around. Poor girl was up a lot last night with that cough.

We have also been enjoying watching Charlotte discover food.... and spoons and bowls! As long as she is hungry enough she LOVES to eat. In her genes perhaps?? So far, she has had rice and oats to eat. I am deciding what to introduce this week. A vegetable? Fruit? Barley, perhaps? Any suggestions out there?


She drank the last of her cereal out of the bowl... what a girl. xo

it's winter time...

and seems like it has been for awhile! another storm hit yesterday, and I long for warm days and sunshine.

for now, I will face the snowy sidewalks once again, to breathe some fresh air.

sick

"Mommy's can't get sick" my mom used to say. I didn't realize the truth of that until this week. DH took a couple days off of school to nurse his sore throat, head cold and just general yuckiness. When the bug hit me last night, I realized that I couldn't nurse anything! Not with a 6 month old demanding my attention every second.

To be fair, Tim never takes a day off work, and has had maybe 1 sick day in 4 years. And I wouldn't trade my little girl for a day in bed with lemon tea and a warm bath.... not in a million years. And I don't want to have that martyr attitude.... I gave up everything for you, blah, blah, blah. That's not fair. The truth is, I love my daughter very much and enjoy our time together immensely. We have fun! We giggle and sing songs, dance around the living room to Raffi and have adventures. I have never felt so content in my life thus far.

So I will rest when she rests today. And hopefully feel better tomorrow!

time for cereal!

Well, we reached the day last week, when it was time to introduce cereal. I was wondering if I would know when to introduce it, and I knew (or should I say, my hubby knew)! (That is, if it came before her sixth month birthday. I know that they start needing the iron, around 6 months.) Last week there was a day when she would not stop eating and was quite fussy all day. I was exhausted that evening, and Tim suggested that she might be ready for cereal. She needed more food in her belly!

So... we tried the rice kind, with so much breast milk you couldn't even tell that there was cereal in there! (The consistency was like milk.) And.....

she loved it! Especially chewing on the spoon. She even tried to eat it out of the bowl....


with a hand on the spoon as well. She is a pro! I am giving her about a tsp and a half in the morning and at supper. That seems to work for now. The whole cereal thing is so new to me and I although I have done a bit of reading, I am pretty much making it up as I go along. So far, so good!

rainy days

Call me crazy, but I have always loved a good rainy day. It makes me contemplative and feel like drinking tea and curling up with a good book. Today, we are having a pj morning, reading stories, listening to Bach's Goldberg Variations, and just hanging out. The baskets of clean laundry waiting to be folded, well, they can wait! At least until this afternoon. I am loving our quiet day.....

and this smile.

those days

I'm having one of those days today... I thought I had a dentist appointment to fix the tooth I broke on a cheesie. That's right, 1/4 of my tooth gone, from a cheesy! It was the crunchy kind, and really, I shouldn't have been eating cheesies. My "word" to describe my New Year's resolutions this year was "health". (Check out the forum discussion on New Year's Resolutions for more info.) Anyway, the dentist was sick today, so no appointment. This was agonizing to me, because I hate the dentist, and had worked myself up to go. And now I have to do it all again! So everything was thrown off today, hubby had to take the car because his drive had already left hours ago, and he was going to help with Charlotte at the dentist. So no Babies in the Library... baby would NOT go down for a nap today despite the fact that she was exhausted. And I have yet to get "ready" for the day. Pathetic, I know! I'm thinking that I need to work on the putting yourself to sleep thing with Charlotte. I am not really a fan of the "cry it out" theory. This may be my downfall when it comes to naps and going to bed, but I don't really believe in letting her cry it out. I feed her (she won't eat if she's not hungry, today was an example of that) put her down with her seahorse that plays calming music and has a soft light emanating from it's belly, rub her back, walk her.... I just can't bring myself to leave her crying in her crib. I feel like if she's crying, there is something wrong, even if it's just that she's lonely. Some of you are rolling your eyes, knowing what I am getting myself in for when she gets older and cannot soothe herself to sleep.... but for now, we will work on getting to sleep. We "practice" and I will lay her down and walk away for a while. A few times she has managed to fall asleep.

Okay, so I am crazy. Despite the fact that I am a neurotic tooth brusher and sometimes flosser, I broke my tooth. And I won't let my baby cry herself to sleep! Honestly though, I am just trying to get a handle on things, much like most first time moms. I am figuring out how to love Charlotte the best way I know how. And what the balance is between loving her, and teaching her how to be independent. Hard lessons to learn.

For now, I will relish in the fact that she is asleep, and the dog is sleeping too. And so I will take some time to exercise, shower, and start the piles of laundry that have somehow accumulated into huge piles since last week. (And maybe I'll throw a cup of tea and chocolate from Germany in there too...)

winter wonderland

Honestly, I am ready for winter to be over. Bundling baby in a fleece suit and actual snowsuit, two layers of blankets and wind shield for the stroller, all to take the dog for a walk is getting to be a bit too much. Lifting the stroller over the piles of snow at the edges of people's driveways who use a plow, but don't bother to clear the sidewalks is getting annoying. I just want to get out on the trails, without a jacket and mitts and breathe spring air!

I went for a sleigh ride in Mactaquac this week and I have to admit, the snow in the trees was beautiful. The excitement of the kids was beautiful too. Charlotte will never remember the outing (she slept for most of it!), but at least I was able to see through the darkness of winter and glimpse some beauty. The passing of time means my girl is growing, summer will hold her first birthday, and for now, I am happy to enjoy the moments of babyhood. So winter, you are okay, but I do wish the groundhog had a more uplifting prediction this year!

Babies in the Library

Charlotte and I had our first "Babies in the Library" outing today! There were about 13 children there, ranging in age from 2 1/2 months to 18 months. What a great way to meet other moms and babies. The librarian was wonderful, singing songs and leading action games. The children had a play time with toys and books at the very end. Charlotte loved it, especially a nylon scarf that she found! I will have to look for something like that... it was a bright orange color, and she must have loved the texture and colour. It is so nice to get OUT and not stuck inside all the time. Personally, I'm hoping the groundhog was wrong and spring will come early....

welcome to my world!

Hello to all people out there who might happen to stumble upon my blog! I am privileged to be writing a blog for the FredKid website. FredKid is such a valuable resource for parents, I recommend you take a look around the site if you are unfamiliar with it. As for me, I am hardly an expert on parenting, in fact, I have been a mom now for a whole 5 1/2 months! But I love parenting, and will share with you my experiences and struggles as a new mom. I am Pamela, mother to one beautiful little girl (aka Charlotte), doggy mommy to one rambunctious little puppy (aka Ava) and wife to my loving husband (aka Tim). I'm sure you will discover a lot more about me as time passes and I share my thoughts on mommyhood. I hope you return and share this journey with me.