Time flies ....

 
This is crazy busy part of the year now. Every year, starting in April and ending in June I wish I could just crawl into a hole and hide, or run away to a sunny place with a sandy beach and a beautiful water front and not come back until July. In the span of three months we have Daddy's and mine birthdays, Easter, Our wedding anniversary, Mother's day, Father's day, Dance competitions, Year end show and rehearsal, Year end parties for soccer, and finishing up all the school work for the year. It's busy, and days are super long, but this year with Baby Monkey being only a little infant, it's that much harder.

Birthdays, festival, uniforms, and teething!

  Life is very busy, and I originally wrote this post 2 weeks ago and never got a chance to post it. So I am posting it now!

   This week has been a crazy busy week. Both Daddy and I celebrated our birthdays (we are a day apart in birthdays). I tried really hard to surprise Daddy with a take-out form his favourite Chinese food restaurant, but apparently the people who own that restaurant did not know about my plans and took a 3 week vacation. I was very surprised when I phoned to place an order and the answering machine informed me that the restaurant is closed due to a 3 week holidays that the owners were taking. Sometimes, I wish that people could read my mind!

What has been happening lately?

   Life has been very busy lately. More busy than I expected when I was pregnant. Four kids are a lot of work, but four kids that are all of different ages are even more. I am getting used to the constant demand of my time and attention. With Funky Monkey and Girly Monkey in dance and soccer, and Little Monkey in dance and homeschooling them all, and Baby Monkey still in the infant stage I find that most days test my patience and endurance. 

   Recently, we have noticed hat Baby Monkey has started to spit up a lot after nursing and in between nursing. Since Little Monkey had reflux when he was a baby we recognized that as such. On top of having to change mine and Baby Monkey's clothes on constantly he developed a bad rash on his face from putting his fingers to mouth full of stomach-acid filled spit up and then smearing it on his cheeks. Little Monkey was a victim of that side effect too. Little Monkey lived with that for a whole year before it got better! I just didn't want to deal with it for so long with Baby Monkey Luckily, when Little Monkey was 2 years old we took him to a chiropractor (for his elbow, not reflux) and the wonderful doctor informed us that we should have brought him in when he was a baby as a chiropractic treatment would have helped with reflux. I have ever heard of babies being treated at a chiropractor, but supposedly it is done very frequently. So as soon as we suspected reflux in Baby Monkey I booked an appointment with the wonderful doctor. The treatment itself is very un-invasive. I lie down on the bed and lay my son on my chest. The doctor then uses a little clicking tool to gently click and adjust babies' spine and joints. Baby M smiled and cooed the whole time. Apparently, it felt good. 

Day in the life of a mom.

   Baby Monkey is 2 months old now and I am busier than ever!!! I am not sure what he weighs now, but it's over 12 lbs. His daily schedule is still all over the place, but there are some consistencies. It also looks like he is following in his older brother's footsteps and has developed baby reflux. It surely throws a twist into the mix. This has increased the amount of laundry that I do and number of times that I have to change Baby M and myself (and sometimes Daddy has to change too!). Since life is so busy, I thought that it would be fun to write about my typical day of being a mom. Let's try a minute by minute account of one day:

7:05 am

Baby M is starting to stir next to me. I am so very tired. It was close to 3 am when I finally got a chance to sleep and 4 hours is just not enough. Maybe if I nurse him lying next to him he will fall back to sleep and we can get some more rest. I start to nurse him...

The postpartum mom

As I am nearing my 6 week postpartum check-up, I would like to write about what postpartum life is like. First of all, if you have recently given birth to your child (doesn't matter if it was vaginal birth or c-section) give yourself a pat on your back. You did it! Welcome to being a mommy! Whether this is your first child or you just added to your brood, becoming a mom (or a mom again) is such a beautiful thing. Hopefully you have had some time to rest and recover and things are starting to normalize for you. If you have not had your baby yet (and you're feeling like this pregnancy is bound to last forever) let's see what you can expect after you deliver your baby.

What will the New Year bring?

   No one really knows. But New Year's Eve is time to ponder new beginnings and possibilities, as well as to reflect on the past year and all the things that happened, good or bad. For many people it's time to set ne goals and make New Year resolutions with the hope of bettering oneself. I love the feeling that I get entering the New Year. It's the feeling that anything is possible and anything can happen.

   Last year for New Year's eve I was really hoping that I would get pregnant and have a baby. We just decided that we were going to try for a forth child and I was full of hope that it would happen. I remember trying to imagine what being pregnant again would be like. I tried to envision what our next child be like. Would it be a girl or a boy? Would they be born in August, or October? Would they be born naturally, or would I have complications in childbirth that would result in our child being born via c-section?

Life with a newborn.

   Baby Monkey is going to be 3 weeks old this Friday. It really seems like he has been here longer. It actually feels like he has been part of our family since the beginning. That could be a sign that we are all adjusting very well to having a new little person in the house.

39 weeks and .......... NOTHING.

   I am 39 weeks today. I thought that this baby would have showed up by now, but nothing is happning. Two weeks ago I was convinced that this little boy would have come in early November. I was really worried that he would arrive too early and I wouldn't have all the things ready yet. Boy, was I wrong. He never came really early. Now, since I am a mom, I will be worried that he is going to arrive late. I really don't want for him to be late since that would put a damper on our Christmas plans. With this awful flu that we all had I am very hesitant on taking a newborn into a restaurant on Christmas Eve or big family dinner on Christmas day. Since he can arrive up to 2 weeks past his due date, that would make his latest arrival on December 13th! That would make him less than 2 weeks at Christmas time. And I don't think that taking a 2 week old into a place where they can catch flu or cold virus is very wise. As a matter of fact, taking a less than a month old into any large gathering of people would be unwise. Especially since we have all just finished being really sick for a whole month! A newborn would not do so well with it. So that would mean no to our annual Christmas Eve dinner at the Boathouse, and no to extended family dinner on Christmas Day. I would hate to miss out on any of these but I have to look out for the best interest of our family.
   Daddy and I decided that if Monkey In-Waiting is going to arrive after the 29th, then we will forgo all the Christmas gatherings this year, but if he comes before then we will still take him. Since today is the 22nd, that leaves him a week to make his appearance and for all of us to still be able to enjoy all our Christmas festivities. The problem is that I am not feeling like he is about to make his entrance any time soon. Starting at 30 weeks I was getting tons of Braxton Hicks contractions daily. Since I got sick I have not gotten many at all. I now get maybe 3 a day. I think that it's time to start doing all the natural ways of inducing labor.

She is 6 already?

   Today is Girly Monkey's 6th birthday. I can't believe that she is so big already! I miss the cuddly little infant, the gentle little preschooler, the assertive little kindergartner. In their place I have a young lady that is so much more. She has grown to be a lovely person on the inside and outside. She is kind, smart, a really good friend, a nice sister, a perfect daughter. Here is a picture trip though the last 6 years with Girly Monkey. Happy Birthday to a young lady that 6 years ago stole my heart! I love you very much!

Happy Birthday, Girly Monkey!!!!