What The Heck Is Going On?

Evan has diarrhea. It started on Monday… it’s now Saturday. It’s been six days of changing the yuckiest smelling diapers you can imagine. He’s pooping 4-5 times during the day and at least once at night. It’s the night time poops that are the worst. Sometimes they’re so bad I have to change his pajamas which totally wakes him up. Of course after feeding him and changing him half an hour goes by that I’m wide awake in the middle of the night. I’m not sure if it’s the after effects of Cuba or teething or what, but I hope he starts pooping like he used to soon. We’ve switched to a soy-based formula in case it was sensitivity to his milk-based formula, but that hasn’t helped. We’ve been giving him rice and bananas, but that hasn’t helped. I called his doctor and he said 10 poops a day is the benchmark for concern. If he’s pooping under 10 times than it will most likely correct itself in time. My question is, how long is it going to take?! The doctor also said to keep an eye out for signs of dehydration. Oh boy, this is not so fun.

What was fun was my date with John last night. We went out in Almonte (so my parents could watch Evan) and had a really lovely time. Our dinner was delicious and we talked each other’s ears off! Ha ha! We decided to spend the night in town so that we could have a few drinks. Unfortunately Evan failed to communicate with us in advance that he really wanted to go home to sleep. He was up ALL NIGHT! Finally at 3:30am I said to John, “Pack up, we’re going home.” We made it back to Barrhaven by 4:30am and Evan went straight to sleep and stayed sleeping until 8am. Then he had an hour and a half long morning nap. It’s weird, it’s like he just wanted to be in his own bed. That’s not cool! How are John and I supposed to get our date on if Evan won’t sleep well in his play pen. I’m hoping this is another one of those temporary things.

Other than that things are good! I gave Evan Cheerios for the first time today and he loved them! Yay, one more thing that can keep him happily amused!

Tonight we’re having some friends over for dinner… I hope (after last night) I can keep my eyes open.

Here he is, poopie diarrhea pants, eating his Cheerios!

Cuba, Si!

We did it! Not only did we survive 7 days out of the comfort of our country let alone our home, we loved every minute of it!

Last Friday, John, Evan, and I along with my parents boarded a plane for Varadero, Cuba. Leading up to the trip I was very excited, but also a little nervous. I was nervous that Evan wouldn’t travel well; that his ears would pop on the plane, that he would have a reaction to the Cuban sun, that he wouldn’t be able to sleep without the white noise of his humidifier (hey, it actually crossed my mind). Thankfully Evan loved the plane (and every woman on it… he’s such a flirt). He loved the sun, although I was very careful to keep him either covered or in the shade, and he slept just fine without the humidifier (thanks to the Sleep Sheep and a fan in the room). Yes, our all inclusive vacation in paradise was just that… Paradise! Thanks to the helpful hands of my mom and dad and brother and his girlfriend (who met us there) I even had time to relax in the sun and get a bit of a tan. Sure, it was different than vacations pre-Evan, but I enjoyed the difference. I hardly drank and I was actually okay with that. Instead of partying all night the way I did just a few years ago when I travelled to Cuba with my girlfriends, I went to bed early in exchange for waking up early to take a beautiful walk along the beach with Evan and John. Like I said, paradise!

I think Evan’s favourite part of the trip was the first time we took him to the beach. As soon as we arrived we went straight for the ocean and I would pay money to see his reaction a second time. He absolutely lit up. His hands and legs were going and he was grinning ear to ear. John knelt down with him and let him put his hands in the sand and he was in heaven. In fact, just his hands weren’t enough, Evan wanted to be crawling in it, so we let him. It was so much fun to watch him discover something new. His second favourite thing was the buffet. Evan is all about the ‘all you can eat’ buffet. Its official, Evan is his father’s son (they share the same appetite). I swear, Evan would have eaten anything we put in front of him. At one point I had to tell John to stop feeding him, I was afraid his little tummy would explode. Evan loved the fruit there and the staff was so good to make mashed potatoes and pumpkin for him. Of course we brought our own food with us as well, but we could have gotten by on the food they provided at the resort.

It was truly a once in a lifetime vacation and I’m so thankful to my family for making it happen.





This inflatable kiddie pool worked great as a play area for Evan and as a beach crib for him to sleep in!



Here we are on one of our sunrise walks along the beach!

Day 2

I told myself that if I could get through my first day back at work I would be okay… and it would appear I was right.

Yesterday my alarm went off at 4:30am… not for an Evan related reason, but to get ready for my first day back at the office after 7 and a half months of maternity leave. Well I guess that’s not totally accurate. I technically started back to work three months after Evan was born, but I had the luxury of working from home, and let me tell you, it was a LUXURY. My commute was two sets of stairs and my office attire consisted of pajama bottoms and a cozy hoodie. Yesterday I had to shower (gasp), do my hair (double gasp), put on make-up (… you get the idea) and bust out ‘real clothes’. Thankfully I wasn’t emotional. I had a plan of attack. The night before, when I was starting to feel anxious about leaving my baby I read. I read and read and read until my eyes were shutting on their own. I knew that if I tried to sleep before exhausting myself I would have tossed and turned worrying about how Evan was going to do without me and with our new nanny.

As it turned out I was actually kind of excited when I woke up. I felt like a kid on her first day back to school. I even bought a new outfit for the occasion. Walking down the hall, past Evan’s room, I didn’t even pause. Not for a moment… I didn’t let myself think about leaving him. When I actually got to work it felt… neat. Within a matter of a couple of hours it felt like I had never left! It was nice to be around my wonderful colleagues and it was nice to discuss non-baby related things. That being said, when my eight hour day was up I bolted for the door. Before Evan my days at the office were 10, 11, 12 hours… not anymore. I’ve got a baby to get home to now, some quality time to spend before bed time.

On the way home I thought about stopping at the grocery store as I needed some things for dinner, but I couldn’t bear another 10 minutes away from Evan so I headed straight for home. I walked in the door to discover he was fast asleep enjoying his afternoon nap. I was disappointed, but happy our nanny was able to get him down okay. When he woke up I ran for his room. I nearly kissed his face off and he seemed happy about it. He was all smiles for his mommy and it made me feel like I was the luckiest woman on the planet. I guess he’ll survive my return to work. I guess I will too.

So Far So Great

So far 2011 is shaping up to be awesome! The last two days Evan has been the sweetest, most content, easy-going, cute, happy baby! All while cutting two teeth if you can believe it. Yes, just this morning I felt them for the first time. His two bottom teeth are coming in and I’m so excited for him! So how can it be that he’s being so wonderful? I don’t know… Maybe he’s happy to have the holidays behind him. After all it was pretty busy. Or maybe he’s enjoying having both his dad and his mom with him for the last three days. Whatever it is it’s making me love him all that much more.

Now for a little recap. First of all, Christmas! It was wonderful. This Christmas John and I travelled to Toronto to be with his family and it was really great. His family is so kind and warm and welcoming, and they were really tickled pink to be part of Evan’s first festive season. On Boxing Day we made the trek from Toronto to Almonte to spend time with my family which was equally great. For the most part Evan was really good. He was a dream in the car which meant my Christmas wish came true. He was also pretty good with all the new faces. Honestly I can’t complain, for being in different homes and around so many people he did really well. Unfortunately he did come down with a cold on Boxing Day, but it’s almost gone now and besides affecting his sleep a little he’s been a rock star through it. So yes, all in all Christmas was beautiful.















Oh, and I have to tell you that Evan is now officially crawling! Can you believe it?! He also pulled himself up (to his feet) on the couch for the first time yesterday. Thankfully just the day before John and I lowered his crib. I was having nightmares of hearing kurplunk in the night and it seems my mommy’s intuition was bang on.

I tell ya, life as a mom just keeps getting better and better. It’s going to be very hard going back to work on the 4th. As it is, for the last 7 and a half months I haven’t missed a single milestone… that may change now, but I can’t think that way. I’ll manage like all the other working moms do.

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. Here’s to 2011, may it be rich in many ways!

I Am Slowly Going Crazy

Forget baby brain... how about Christmas brain?! Wow. I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the last week. I've made check lists in an attempt to remember everything, but sometimes even with check lists things fall through the cracks. For example, my girlfriend Kim had John, Evan and I along with a couple of my other besties for a delicious lunch today. We had a great visit and as we left I gave her a small hostess gift, a bottle of wine in a festive bag.

During the Christmas season John and I travel with wine. Since we visit so many people we like to have it on hand. Pretty much everyone we know enjoys to sip on vino so it's a safe bet for a thank-you and Merry Christmas wish.

After leaving Kim's we got home and I felt like enjoying a glass myself. I asked John to grab the half empty bottle from the box of wine (half empty because I enjoyed some of it last night... tis the season). Well he couldn't find the bottle... It took a minute, but I soon realized what I had done. I immediately called my girlfriend and sheepishly asked, "Did I give you a half empty bottle of wine?" Being the wonderful friend she is she laughed and confirmed my fear. Then we burst out in laughter together. Thankfully Kim is a new mom too so she understands my absent mindedness. At least now I know what I'll be getting her next year... The other half. :)

Marveling

I’m typing as my adorable son talks to his Sophie giraffe. It’s early morning and he is so happy. He’s playing contently on the floor. Every once in a while he’ll look my way and give me an ear to ear grin. Life is so good. Honestly, things are great these days. Evan is sleeping so much better and it seems like he’s growing by the minute. He can get from one end of the room to the other in record speed if he sees something he wants. He does this inch worm thing to move forward and it is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen! He’ll be full on crawling before I know it. Sometimes I tear up looking at him. I can’t believe how he’s developing, I can’t believe John and I are responsible for creating him, and I’m so excited to see what the coming days, weeks, months, years are going to bring. Happy snowy Tuesday!

The Sleep Situation.

We’ve turned a corner in the sleep department my friends!

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before I had my girlfriends over and of course there was a lot of baby talk. God love my two girlfriends who don’t have children for bearing through it. I was telling them all about Evan’s sleeping habits, the getting up every two hours (or less) through the night, the resisting naps and stress it was causing me. That’s when my one girlfriend said to me, “Josie, you have to let him cry it out”. Of course there are many opinions on this. The strongest come from those who disagree with it as a method of sleep training. I myself have struggled with it. I read one book that was dedicated to sleep training and it suggested letting the baby cry out, but not without checking on him every 5 to 10 minutes to let him know you haven’t abandoned him. I’ve also read books that say the crying-out method is wrong and you should go in and sooth your baby back to sleep either by patting him on the back or singing, etc. Now I’m no expert, I mean, I’m only 6 and a half months into this mother gig, but I believe all babies are different and what works for one might not EVER work for another. That’s why I don’t hold judgment (or at least try not to) when it comes to mothering.

If you’ve followed my sleep woes you know that Evan is the type of baby that can really fight sleep and when he’s fighting it is hard to calm him… I believe some would describe him as “spirited”. When things were bad and he was resisting sleep NOTHING would calm him down. Not rocking, not singing, not a soother. Even if I fed him it would only offer temporary relief from his blood curdling scream. I was getting so desperate and I was becoming so sleep deprived I listened to my girlfriend when she told me to let him cry it out. I did it that very night (two Friday’s ago). I closed the bedroom door, turned on the humidifier for white noise, kept the monitor OFF and went to bed. I did set my alarm periodically through the night so I could check on him though. I woke up at 1am, turned on the monitor briefly and heard nothing so I went back to sleep. At 3am I did the same thing and heard nothing. I woke up at 4am (on my own this time, without the alarm) and decided I should physically go in and check on him. When I walked into his room his head popped right up! I quickly exited and went back to my room to let him fall back asleep.

I have no idea how many times he was up that night or for how long. I don’t know how badly he cried because I didn’t hear any of it. The next night by some miracle he only woke up twice! That’s compared to the 4-5 times he was waking up just two nights before (and for three weeks before that). Since then John and I have kept up the dream feed and 10pm and then I do another dream feed at 3am. He’s been waking up for the day shortly after 6am. As far as the monitor goes, I have kept it off! I keep the bedroom door open instead. As my mom pointed out she didn’t have a monitor for me or my brother and got by just fine without it. I do still use it for naps of course because I can’t always hear him when I’m downstairs.

Speaking of naps he seems to be going down easier for them now as well. Like magic, the night after I let him cry it out he went down for his nap without a fuss. I read him a story, sang to him, put him down and walked away. It was really that easy. Now he still resists sometimes, I find it gets harder to put him down as the day goes on, but there has been a drastic improvement.

And there you have it… my sleep update. It will probably be different in a couple of days so I’ll keep you posted.