Dear Sawyer, (4 Months)

Dear Sawyer,

You cut your first two little bottom teeth a couple of weeks ago. You were chewing on things a lot more but other than that you weren't fussy and then boom one tooth and the next day the other one poked through. These past couple of days you have been a wee fussy. You aren't napping unless you are in the carrier, stroller, or being driven around. I have a feeling we may even see a third tooth emerging soon. At this rate you are going to hit puberty by one. It's crazy that you are doing so much so early. If you were my first babe I would be so excited that you are popping teeth and rolling over. Instead it just makes me sad because you are growing way too fast. I am truly cherishing every second, time is flying. Slow down little buddy.

- You are wearing size three diapers and wearing 9 & 12 month clothes.

- You weigh 18lbs 5ozs

- You are the happiest, I repeat the happiest baby. I would say you are smiling 93% percent of the time, as long as you have napped and have a full belly! And you think everything is hilarious.

- you are not as sensitive to sounds as before. You are definitely used to your sisters random outbreaks.

- We call you sloth boy because you are pretty lazy and content

- You sleep for most of the night in your bassinet beside us. When you sleep you have to have your little bunny with a binky attached to it and blankies over your eyes. I am always worried you can't breath but you get mad at me when I move the blankets.

- You love playing with those adorable little feet of yours.

- You now have interest in toys and books.

- You love watching your big sis and pets. Willow is so good to you and wants to cuddle and sing with you all of the time. She calls you Soyyy-yah.

- If you haven't been held for awhile and get picked up, you cling on like a Koala. So ridiculously cute and cuddly.

- You have rolled over a few times now.

- You think your mom is hilarious. You are def a little mommas boy.

-You sleep from 7pm-3:00am, 3:30am-6:00am, 7:30am-10:00am, and 2:00pm-4:00pm

- You started swimming lessons and absolutely love the water. You are so chubby you float right to the top.

Every night I get a little bit sad when I tuck you into bed. I gaze at you for an extra couple minutes (in the most creepy, obsessive way) because every morning you wake up a wee bit bigger. If all babies were guaranteed to be like you I would have 10!

Call The Midwife!

I have received numerous e-mails regarding my home birth experience so I'll just write it down here so I can refer whomever to it! I am not a home birth guru by any means but I did have one "cabin birth" so I can only talk of my experience.

I have a wee bit of an obsessive personality so when we had discussed the option of doing a home birth I spent hours and hours and hours researching. After reading about births for countless hours and discussing the two different options with my midwives I felt a home birth was right for me. I feel that home births and midwives still have a little bit of a stigma surrounding them. I find BC to be a little bit more progressive than the rest of Canada. I don't understand why some provinces aren't even legislated?! Crazy talk! When I was spending the month in Comox, locals would ask me if I was doing home birth or hospital birth? I liked that. It's nice having options and it's nice to see people more open minded. A lot of friends and families responses were, why would you do a home birth? That is too scary! I'm scared for you! Why a midwife, we aren't in the stone age? You are such a hippie! They were saying all of these things because it is foreign to them and they were just worried but Midwives go to school for four years and specialize in births. My midwives were extremely professional, caring and simply wonderful. At each prenatal appointment you are given 45minutes with them, and not once did I feel I was being rushed out. We didn't just discuss pregnancy we talked about life as well so you establish a great relationship with your midwife. They always have a midwife on call as well so if you have any concern or any little question they encourage you to call. I LOVE midwives and would really encourage you to use one if you have the option when having a baby!

Jon's biggest concern was what if something was to go wrong and we weren't in a hospital, what would we do? The midwives honestly bring the hospital room to you. The amount of "stuff" they lugged in was insane. They are prepared for routine births as well for any kind of emergency situation that may arise. From resuscitation equipment to a baby scale, they got it all! Our midwife also said that in a serious emergency situation they don't mess around. If they feel an intervention like a c-section is needed, they would rush you to the hospital. The hospital was five minutes from our cabin.

I was considered low risk so I felt super comfortable with a home birth. If it was my first baby I might not be as comfortable as I was. I kind of new the drill from my first birth so I was more at ease.  I know things can change so quickly and you can go from being low risk to have something go very wrong in a split second, but I felt very comfortable with my midwives and my body. I loved being able to labour freely and not worry about rushing to a hospital. Hospitals are so sterile, as they should be, to me it just doesn't seem like a right place to have a baby. I wanted to feel cozy. I could light my candles, eat food, make tea, laze on the couch, sit in the dark and not be hooked up to monitors. And where what I wanted while roaming around our teeny cabin. It was really freeing! I liked not feeling like a sick patient and more like a healthy woman about to give birth to her babe.

I obviously didn't have a true home birth as I was in a randoms cabin. If they only knew what went down in there, oops! I wish I would have bought plastic to put on the sheets. I was so concerned with soaking their bed with blood that I wasn't able to fully relax after I gave birth. You clearly just want to sleep and cuddle your babe after delivery but I just was so worried about that damn bed. I had incontinence pads down which did the trick but I was constantly adjusting them. So for the bedroom buy plastic, incontinence pads, and use old sheets! Oh and don't forget about hydrogen peroxide, that stuff gets everything out! I must remind you that when you have a home birth the midwives do the initial clean but after they are gone it's all up to you. Scratch that, it's all up to your partner! So if your partner isn't ok with cleaning up blood , a home birth might not be for you. Make sure you are sleeping in a bed closest to the bathroom! Poor Jon cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. We were also paranoid with leaving any little spot because it wasn't our cabin. If I were to do it again I would have covered that cabin in towels and plastic before I went into labour.

We also forgot about the placenta, ohhh placenta. I guess when you deliver the placenta it needs to go somewhere. So one of the midwifes ran into the kitchen and grabbed a huge bowl. So there sat my placenta, in a bowl, for a good 24 hours. Jon gave it to the ocean because we just felt weird tossing it in a garbage bag for some reason.

After you have your babe the midwife comes over to your place a few hours later to check up on you and the babe. Then the next day and then every second day. After the first week, you go to them at the clinic at two weeks, four weeks and six weeks. My midwives called me every other day for the first couple of weeks because we came back to Ukee and didn't feel like driving that far. They are also always on call so you can call them whenever you need.

The care I got from my midwives was phenomenal. When you have a home birth you have a midwife and an attending midwife, and mine were the best! So to answer the biggest question, yes I highly recommend a home birth if you can birth in your own home and are low risk. And if you choose a hospital birth, find yourself a good midwife to catch your babe!

PS Happy International Day of the Midwife!! 

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

I am a wee bit obsessed about getting my kids outside EVERYDAY.  Yesterday we stayed in all day and I felt disgusting. The outdoors fuels me. In Manitoba I didn't get outside nearly as much as I wanted to, but I would make a point to get out a couple times a week even in minus 30-40. I would bundle Willow so only her eyeballs would show and I would take her for a walk around the block, just to get some fresh air. I am so grateful that this little earthling is enamoured by all things the Earth has to offer. She reminds me everyday how beautiful this place is. She can play with a rock all day and have the best time! I am training Sawyer young, just as I did his sis, to be a lovah of nature.

Easter Goodness

I love this town! The Easter bunny clearly loves the beach as he dumped thousands of Easter eggs for all of kiddies in town to find. It was absolute mayhem but so fun. I kept on hearing all of the parents remark on how lucky our kids are to grow up here and do things like this. I couldn't agree more!

Spring Babies

Willow has been talking about visiting the farm daily ever since our last visit in the fall. I really wanted to take her again and there is no better time than on Easer weekend. So many new babies have been born! Willow is more of a calf gal where I am definitely a baby goat gal. At one point Jon and the kiddies had to leave me because I wouldn't leave those babies alone. It's definitely a toss up on who had more fun.

Words Of Willow

W- Mama, I just want to rock and roll

Me- Thanks for going poop on the potty, I am so proud of you!
W- Welcome Mama, that was your Biidday peasant, a purple poop foe you.

W- Affer yunch I get to old my Soyah. His name is not my brudder, so I won't old my brudder. I old Soyah. Ooooooook?

Me- Oh boy, am I ever hungry
W- Ohhhhh ok, here mama, my boobies are heyah foe you (she lifts up her shirt)

Me- After your nap you can have a bubble bath
W- No thanks, that too wild foe me

Willow is now asking Why? Where? Because Why? after everything you say. I must have an answer for everything or she get's reeeeal mad.