Spring Ahead- Fall back on the Zzzz's!

I love spring because it brings us closer to summer, which is my ultimate favorite season, but this whole time change thing is a real pain! Not that I wasn't losing enough sleep when Emma decides not to sleep through the night, but we just have to throw out an extra hour of it because the sun is moving to different locations in the sky. If we actually lived by the suns movement, we'd gradually change the timing of the events day to day, not all at once. I can handle losing a quarter of a minute every couple of days. But something about that one whole hour just sucks the life right out of me. I'm convinced it is instituted by coffee shops.... just when we get the hang of waking up without  needing a cup of coffee in the morning, they decide the time needs to change, and it just so happens, everyone wakes up extra tired and in desperate NEED of coffee to come remotely close to an 'awake' state of mind. That's just my theory ;)

Well, Emma went and did it again! She's gotten another month older. I can't believe 4 short months ago she was still thriving in my belly. Now here she is laughing, talking in her own baby talk, rolling over, playing with her toys, yelling at her toys, and always looking at me like I am the best thing in the world. I just love her so much! I'm so blessed to have her! Happy 4 month Birthday my sweet sweet girl! Does the time ever fly! 

I signed up for a parenting course, and the first day was yesterday. I mean, you can never know too much right? Plus I always feel like I am doing something wrong, so I thought this would be perfect to be reassured, as well as to meet some other mum's and babes. They have a nursery there where they take your baby for you so you can be focused on the lesson plan, and each baby has their own 'experienced mother' to look after them. It's not like their are 2 women watching 10 kids. I love that! It makes me feel like my daughter is being looked after properly. Emma just slept cuddled up to one of the lady's, and woke up just as it was time to leave. I really think I am going to enjoy this program! They teach you how to cook healthy meals, stick to a budget, organize your home, and learn to find time to have your own life outside of being a 'mommy'! PERFECT! Exactly what I need! 

I mentioned that Nick was offered a new job, well he might have a chance to get an even better job than that one. I don't want to get too excited because that one might not work out, but if it does, it would be super great! I'll go more into detail once things are finalized. 

Does anyone know where to buy a swimsuit for a 4 month old?! I've looked everywhere and can't find one. I've decided to put Emma in swimming lessons. But I can't find one... and when I say swim suit, I'm talking age appropriate, I'm not into little girls in bikini's, not at all! 

Hope everyone is enjoying the last bit of winter! Blessings! 

Twila

Change

Emma is growing and changing so fast I don't even want to blink because I may miss something! I just can't get enough of her.

However, that said, I did get away from her. Sunday she spent the afternoon with her Grandparents (Crozier) while Nick & I went to a birthday party. I was constantly thinking about her, but only got Nick to call to check on her once. That's pretty good for me! Then Sunday night I went to the movies while Nick stayed home with her. I only called once before the movie started to see if things were ok, and then I was fine for the movie! I enjoyed being out and about, when I came home I enjoyed being with Emma even more & I was much more patient with her. Happy Mommy = Happy Baby!! :) 

Great news : Nick has got a new job!!! The one he wanted, with a major pay increase, and benefits! Whereas his present job is kind of a dead end. Yay, Congrats babe! 

Tomorrow Emma & I are going to a Baby and Momma Parenting class. It goes for 12 weeks and teaches you how to finance better, plan better, find time for you, etc. Should be interesting! I'll update afterwards about it. 

She is sleeping in my arm so I better go put her into bed for her nap. 

Twila

Ahhhh love.... I mean music!

First off, I'd like to punch that ice storm we got the other day in the nose! Our car was covered in at thick layer of ice and I was trying to get the door open to put Emma in and instead of the ice breaking and falling off it just pushed into my skin. Now I have a hole in my thumb that hurts like... well.. it just hurts! 

My friend Morgan couldn't find out what she is having because the little one was not co-operating and the tech couldn't tell. She is a much better person than me, because I wouldn't take that for an answer when I was there and made the woman keep trying until I could see some evidence of a gender. However, through all that she and her husband have decided to keep it a surprise.. again better person than me, I'm a basket case and need to plan everything out a head of time, I'm not the surprise type of girl. lol But I am excited not only to hear 'MORGAN HAD HER BABY...' but also '....AND IT'S A _____!!!' 

So I am in love... no not with my husband, well, yes with him.. but I mean besides him. And it's not even with a person. It's with his talent. Oh, I just melt! I don't usually watch American Idol because I find whoever they pick to be in the top how ever many... they change them into what they want them to look/be like. I hate that! IT's not about a 'look' it's about the talent. However.... Nick was watching it while I was making dinner and he called me in to hear this guy... pretty good lookin' fella! Ju'Not Joyner! Odd name... didn't think anything of it... UNTIL HE OPEN HIS MOUTH!! Oh my goodness! My kitchen could have caught aflame and I would have still been in heaven! Albeit a very hot heaven... but heaven none the less! I was instantly in love. What a voice, what soul!!! So of course.. I had to you tube him. And I found videos of his own stuff. AMAZING!!! Like AMAZING!! Seriously, go to youtube and look up 'I'm so Down' by him!! I love music anyways... I could live in music, I wish my life had music playing as I walked down the street, slept, everywhere I was. I play music, I write music, I sing music. And it's my biggest weakness! So I am careful to what I listen to, it is very influential to me. But Ju'Not is like my ear's dream come true! Ahhh! His lyrics are well written, and his arrangements are amazing! 

I'm suppose to talk about garbage for someone.... lol.... and I'm not sure how exactly. However, today is my section of the city's garbage removal day. The bags have been tied and tossed to the curb! Ouch! But glad it has come and gone. :) 

Time to re-organize my living room! 

Twila

I'm So Excited!

Today Morgan finds out what she is having and I am so excited for her to find out!!! Either way I'm excited! Her and Dan are great people so the baby is going to be such a sweetie anyways! 

I still can't believe how many friends are pregnant right now!! When I was expecting, it was just Lisa and I, and it just so happened that we had the same due date, although she was lucky enough to be induced a couple of weeks early. And Serena is a doll!! Definite future play dates! ;) 

We all got better sleep last night! My sister Destiny stayed over and we had the worst pizza ever! lol I do not recommend Pizza Delight at all. Gross! Emma is starting to breath better and cough less, that makes me happy! However, Nick is getting sick.... will this flu season ever end? Argh!

AND, I saw my bestest Tasja yesterday!! I've been so busy I haven't seen much of anyone so that was just GREAT!! I LOVE her!! 

Oh, Nick graduates next month!!! Very exciting, the man has been working his butt off! And so a great graduation party is in order!! I'm so proud! 

Twila

So sad for my baby :(

My princess is sick. Really sick. She has been coughing so bad and so much that we had to take her to the clinic and the Dr. checked her out and found out that she has a throat infection. This was after a night of her screaming all night and Nick and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then at 5:00am she cried herself out. I felt so helpless! She is doing a bit better now that she is on some antibiotics. I just want her to feel better!!! 

We finally found a sectional couch that we wanted. I hate the new ones out now, everything is so modern looking, it doesn't even bring 'comfort' to a home. So we found one on kijiji and it turned out to be from a girl I grew up with and Nick went to high school with. Anyways... it was perfect! So of course we got it! It's a bit bigger than I thought it would be..... but I love love love it anyways! Then we decided to buy ourselves a LCD TV. We don't usually spend any amount of money on anything. We are bargain shoppers, and I think that has made us cheap. But going through all we have been through, we thought it would be a nice gift for ourselves. And it is... we will have many movie nights cuddling on our huge couch and watching our huge tv! It would have been nice to have it a month ago for the super bowl... but my team lost, so I just would have watched that happen a lot more up close and personal. What a heartbreak! 

We decided not to buy an SUV. We will wait a while, at least until Nick graduates and comes back from Japan! I'm alright with that! 

I'm so tired and half of this is probably spelled wrong, or might not make sense. But that's what I have to offer with only 2 hours of sleep! 

Well, I can't believe it is March! Spring comes this month! I am looking forward to it. 

Happy March Everyone!! Hope Everyone is having a great March break from school!

Twila

The Breast Kind of Bond!

Sorry if this is offensive to some - if you think 'breast feeding' is gross or abnormal.. do not read on! 

I LOVE nursing Emma! I chose to do it because after much research I found there is no formula that comes close to being as beneficial to a baby and it's development than a mothers breast milk.

I'm not going to say that it was the easier choice.... my goodness, we struggled at the beginning! There were many tears shed and many hours just trying to 'latch' properly. And many vents to my online friends coaching me through my frustration! It would have been 100x easier to put some formula in a bottle and give her that. But it's easier to eat at McDonalds than it is to cook a wholesome meal, and then clean up afterwards, yet, the one with more work has more benefits obviously. So it was worth the fight. 

~I love holding her close.

~I love the look on her face as she nurses.

~I love how she is soothed by it.

~I love when she is finished and looks up at me and smiles as though saying 'Thanks Mommy!'

~I love knowing that when nothing else will calm her down, nursing her brings her comfort.

~I love being the only one in the world that can ever have that connection with her. 

~Oh, and I love how it burned all my pregnancy weight right off and continues to do so! ;)

~I love how she gains the perfect amount of weight and has less of a chance to be obese. 

I remember when she had lost a lot of weight and Nick was feeding her a bottle I just sat there and cried. I was so sad to lose that connection with her. I vowed that day, my daughter would not have another lick of formula as long as I could help it. If she needs a bottle while I am away, my milk will be in that bottle! 

I don't understand why people think it is inconvenient. Why? Because you have to be there for your baby? Isn't that what being a mom is all about? When she was born the limelight I lived in was shifted to her. She comes before me, not I before her. I'm passionate about this. Don't have kids if you want your life to be just about you. 

I am even MORE excited today because I found the coolest thing for Emma for the summer! Momsicles- (don't you just love that name?) Instead of freezing juice as a homemade popsicle, you freeze breast milk just the same. You may think that I am robbing my baby of the joys of a delicious sweet tasting popsicle in the heat of the summer sun..... but, have you ever tasted breast milk? I have, while I was fixing a bottle of it for Emma and she was not sitting right, I held the nipple part in my mouth and it almost fell (breast milk to me is liquid gold) so I quickly sucked hard to stop it from falling and got a gulp of my own milk! Honestly my first thought was 'PUKE'... but then I realized... breast milk is SWEET! The only thing I have tasted similar is sweetened coconut milk. Not only does it satisfy the sweet craving that fruit popsicles do, I can give her added benefits between her feedings! Finding this was like finding the perfect pair of shoes and then trying them on and them fitting wonderfully!! 

When Emma weans from nursing it will be a sad day for me, because I will feel a great sense of loss, but it will be something special I will always hold dear to me. Some people hate it, and they say it's not for them. I just don't understand that at all. At first it wasn't for me either.... it was for Emma, I just reaped the benefits I never knew were even there! 

Ahhhh, the breast kind of bond! 

Twila

And the flu lingers...

Emma has gotten worse, but I am handling it a lot better than what I did last time she was sick. No less terrorized though. However, she made up for not sleeping during the night the other day. Last night she slept from 10:30pm until 5:30am this morning! YAY!! GO EMMA GO! Notice how I didn't say 'WE slept', because 'WE' did not! I was up all night listening to her breath making sure she didn't stop! Before I said goodnight to Nick I asked if he was worried about her too and he said 'Yes, very worried'.  Next thing I know he is out like a light! Why is it that dad's can worry while they sleep, while moms are awake the whole entire time? 

In other news... lol... I love when reporters say that! We might be getting either a Jeep liberty (My FAV vehicle) or [drum roll please] a Mercedes Benz ML 320{!!!!!!!!}. The thing is insurance on the Benz is way cheaper, but if something breaks it will be WAY more expensive. BUT, I will feel 100% confident with Emma on the road in such a safe car. This is all IF we sell our Focus, because I don't want to be making two payments!  Whatever we get of the two, I will be happy to have an SUV!! 

Twila

To The Croziers ~ From The Flu

I am feeling much better!! Nick took great care of me, and Emma was very understanding; even though she wouldn't sleep in her own bed. Which brings me to this: now she is sick! I'm terrified that she will get stuffed up and not be able to breath and have a bad episode like the one that landed her in the hospital in January! I'm trying to stay ahead of the game and keep her nose clear with saline drops, nurse her more than usual to flush the virus out of her faster, keep the air cool and moist, so far so good. Although she woke up at 2:30am and didn't go back to sleep until 6:30am! Argh, not my favorite night! 

Emma sat up by herself today and held for a moment. She has been working on this for a long time and has gone through many face plants in the meantime! LOL She is growing so fast! I will post pics when I find my camera cord! 

Twila 

Snow Day

This weekend was painful! Everything from my glands to my head felt swollen and on fire! Thank goodness Nick was able to be home so much, it was nice to be able to relax without having to worry about Emma! Now I just keep praying Emma won't catch whatever it was I caught! 

Other than that I pretty much stayed in all weekend, except for a bit on Sunday I went to get my hair cut and I LOVE it! I'll have to post some pics. Way easier to do than long hair.. plus I mean you can only have long hair for so long before it gets old and that time was clearly here! Now to get my butt in a tanning bed. Too bad there wasn't a baby and me tanning bed. lol JUST joking! 

Emma has officially found her feet and LOVES to play with them, they are always in the air! Not quite to her mouth yet.. which is fine with me. She is also working on her rolling over skills. I think she forgot how for a while! 

Today all the colleges and universities are closed down so I got to sleep in a bit with both Emma and Nick. And then I was able to have some sleep by myself (Thanks Nick!!) 

That's about it, pretty boring for a weekend but now I am very rested! 

I can't believe Emma will be 15 weeks tomorrow!! YIKES!

Twila

OH.EM.GEE

I feel absolutely horrible!! Because I nurse Emma I can't take any good medications, apparently the cold & sinus medicine decreases your milk supply by 30%! I don't need that at all! So hopefully drinking DanActive, OJ & my daily dose of vitamins... I will get over this quickly! (I hope!) And I just PRAY that Emma does not catch it!! Oh my goodness, I can't handle her being sick, it terrifies me! I'm sick enough for the both of us! :( 

I do have to applaud Lisa's craving for chinese food though. Very influential to that husband of mine, keep the good ideas posting on Facebook!! The chinese was GREAT! lol Although, not so much for the waist line ;) 

I'm getting my hair cut on Sunday.. I'm pretty excited since I have had the same hair cut for a while... and now that it is all falling out anyways, might as well make the pieces laying around EVERYTHING a lot smaller! 

My friend Ashley had her baby girl Lauren yesterday, I'm so happy for her and Scott! Big Congrats!!  Now I am just waiting to hear what Morgan and Dan are having!! That should be very soon! And I am SO happy Morgan has the SAME Dr. I had while I was in Ontario! Go Dr. T! Seriously, THE best Dr.. Other than that, all my other prego friends are in the later stages of the game. 

Alright it is 9:50pm and I just want to curl up in bed and watch a movie...so... I will!! 

Twila

Life

Yesterday was a great day for me, despite how much pain I was in from my latest cold! Emma was laughing at me. This is a big deal because last time she laughed it was by accident. She didn't realize what she was doing. This time I just kept coughing and each time I did Emma would bust into the cutest laugh ever! I got it on camera, thank goodness, because Nick has yet to hear her!

Last evening we went to go see Emma's great grandmother for her 90th birthday. It was a nice visit, we had chinese and pineapple angel food cake. Yum! Imagine living to be 90, I honestly don't think I want to, but the memories in reserve would be intense. Especially in the last 90 years. Going from no t.v, computer, microwave, cell phone, etc to the vast amount of technology that is at our finger tips is extraordinary! Not to mention two world wars, two depressions and a growing medical science field that has exploded in the last 20 years! But then again so have diseases. I also think it is kind of sad to live for 90 years. Think of all the friends and family you would have had to say goodbye to as they pass away one by one leaving you more lonely. Sure you have the family and few friends that are here, but the ones who relate to what you've been through and seen are not. I think that would be a great loneliness! 

Today we are having a blizzard! I love it!! It makes in side that much cozier (is that a word?). So Emma and I are cuddling in bed playing while Nick is at work. Everything is cancelled and work places are closing down, so for much of the city it is a snow day!

In Ottawa today we are hosting a visit from the U.S president Obama. So many people are so excited and the security has been drastically increased for him, yet it has never been like this for any other authority figure's visit. Not even the Queen who is directly related to the Canadian government. Obama, not so much! I don't buy into all his promises and innocent misdemeanor. We will see what happens over the next few years. And what is the whole 'New World Order' he keeps talking about? 

I just had a thought, I could use a new pair of shoes and a purse! I'll have to look into that! ;)

Twila

The 'Mum' Thing!

Of course I have to brag about my daughter, after all, it's what mums do best ;)

Emma (Named after Nick's grandmother) Lynn (Named after my mother)

Nov 11, 2008 12:45pm

7lbs 10oz

13 hours of labor; An hour and a half of pushing!

9 long months full of severe morning sickness

And we have our little blessing!

She is such a good baby! I am very blessed, she is so smart and is learning how to do more and more each day! Some days I wish she would just slow down because time seems to be flying! She seems so big to me now compared to what she was just 14 short weeks ago! 

She is 3 months now (14 weeks to be exact) and is so much fun to be with, her personality is just booming! Here's a quick shot of her after her bath before she went for her 3 month shot (12lbs 7oz):

Isn't she just perfect, wrinkles and everything!

She is totally holding her head on her own, I don't need to support it for anything now. She can hold her weight when she pushes up on her legs, she picks out her favorite toys and brings them to her mouth, she loves sucking on her hands... and any skin for that matter, but refuses to take a soother or bottle. She rolls over, but there is no convincing her to do it unless SHE wants to. When she wakes up she doesn't make a sound until she gets bored of starring around the room then she will let a scream out for me. Lately she has been trying to sit up on her own, she can get up to the sit position, but has yet to master the 'hold', lol, so she continues forward until her face is between her legs. It's so funny, but she gets really frustrated. She LOVES to talk to her toys and carry on conversations with whoever will talk with her. She adores being in a warm bath, she absolutely hates being cold, I guess that's why she loves cuddling up with Mumma and Daddy! She sleeps through the night, although sometimes if she stirs, she wants nursed back to sleep. But I never mind waking up to spend some extra time with her. :)

OH I AM JUST SO IN LOVE WITH MY LITTLE EMMA!

Twila

Here We Go Again!

Those of you who have read my other blogs know I start one and it goes for a while and then I seem to drop off the planet. I have a good reason for this, maybe even an excuse; I write a lot in my physical journals and when I come online I feel as though I have already gotten my thoughts 'out there' so there is no need to go over the same things twice. However, last year and this year, a lot of my friends who have been in my life have, and are, graduated(ing) from university and everyone is so spread out now, so the easiest way to keep up with me is online. So here we go again! 

I have no idea how to do fancy things on here as of late, but I'm sure everything will change up as time goes on! At least I hope.

So the quick update (for those who have been long lost):

Yes, I did become a Christian (I know! Even I thought that would be highly unlikely!)

Yes, I did move to the U.S and end up in Jail (Long story)

Yes, I did marry the one person I said I would never marry! AND

Yes, I even love him! ;)  {I'll attach some pics}

Yes, I did have a daughter in Nov '08 even though I have always said I didn't want kids and I love her more than my own life! {I'll attach some pics}

I have two years left for my BA but don't know if I want to finish it in 'Religion' or not.

Those are pretty much the highlights of my adult life thus far. Maybe a little 'low key', after all I'm not a moon walker, but there has been no lack of drama! 

At the moment I am wondering why the blog keeps autosaving my post. I guess that is a good thing, no? 

My Dad and I {Aug 19, 2006}

Nick and I

Emma Lynn {Nov 12, 2008-1 day old}

Twila