There are oodles of songs outside my choice music genre about the power of love and they're swell. But today, I've been thinking about the power of the a latte. Vanilla bean, hazelnut, pumpkin spice: they're all good and equally powerful.
Yesterday was a trying day with my ball of energy. Despite being really tired, she wouldn't settle for a nap. I have a cold coming on, I can feel it in my throat, so I really wanted those few hours this afternoon to nap myself. For hours I tried to get Ember to snooze but she wasn't having any of it. At 3:30, I aborted the mission and hoped for an earlier bedtime.
After a few errands this evening, Ember began her tell tale 'eye wipes' at 6:30. Hurrah! I pounced and began the bedtime routine. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. The girl was overtired, feisty and took a lot of rocking to settle down. After a day like yesterday, this very well could have been the proverbial straw, but you know I was calm, cool, collected and patient.
Wanna know why? There was a latte waiting for me on the kitchen island.
That's all. It was that simple.
A latte. One glorious latte.
That hot beverage can completely alter the landscape of my day. I'm thankful for its power and I bow before it. Someone should totally write a song about the latte; I'd buy that album.
What do you think someone should write an ode to? What helps you maintain sanity on the harder days?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ember Went to The Beach
I can't believe how quickly summer has wrapped up in these parts. Snow is predicted for Sunday. SNOW!!! Um, what about Fall??
This morning, I am pouring over photos from our adventures in a warmer time as I work at item number 22 on my 28 in 28 list.
A highlight of our summer is our day in Cold Lake, AB. Andrew's brother was at survival camp at the Base there and we took a Sunday to go visit.
Can you believe this is the best photo of all of us? Yeesh.
In addition to seeing Jay, this trip allowed for Ember to dunk her toes in a lake for the first time. Oh my. It was such fun to watch Ember wade in the water and giggle while the waves lapped against her chest.
I smile remembering Ember examining the sand.
Touch.
Look.
And, taste, of course.
This is one of my favourites.
Isn't she cute?
Summer days of sunny, family fun will help keep me warm on the gloomiest winter days.
This morning, I am pouring over photos from our adventures in a warmer time as I work at item number 22 on my 28 in 28 list.
A highlight of our summer is our day in Cold Lake, AB. Andrew's brother was at survival camp at the Base there and we took a Sunday to go visit.
Can you believe this is the best photo of all of us? Yeesh.
In addition to seeing Jay, this trip allowed for Ember to dunk her toes in a lake for the first time. Oh my. It was such fun to watch Ember wade in the water and giggle while the waves lapped against her chest.
I smile remembering Ember examining the sand.
Touch.
Look.
And, taste, of course.
This is one of my favourites.
Isn't she cute?
Summer days of sunny, family fun will help keep me warm on the gloomiest winter days.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
APB: I Need A Good Concealer
Okay ladies, I need you.
I'm tired, sleep deprived and it shows. Annnd, it's not going to change anytime soon. I'm ever the optimist, huh?
Please let me know what your favourite concealer is. The goal is to have people assume that Ember is a great sleeper because I look so effortlessly rested and radiant, okay? A lot of pressure and expectation, yes. But I believe the product is out there.
Hmph, maybe I am an optimist after all. Or maybe I'm delusional.
I'm tired, sleep deprived and it shows. Annnd, it's not going to change anytime soon. I'm ever the optimist, huh?
Please let me know what your favourite concealer is. The goal is to have people assume that Ember is a great sleeper because I look so effortlessly rested and radiant, okay? A lot of pressure and expectation, yes. But I believe the product is out there.
Hmph, maybe I am an optimist after all. Or maybe I'm delusional.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Adapting on the Pitch
Weekends are very exciting though stressful for us right now. Andrew's rugby team is currently in the playoffs striving for the provincials. Last Saturday marked the semi-finals and we pulled it out over the Clansmen. The second half of the game, momentum really swayed our way and we won 29-10. Being that I'm a little (okay, a lot) competitive, I get pretty riled up on the sidelines and my voice was definitely hurting Saturday evening.
Andrew (in white) jumping on a lineout. He won possession.
Outside of the game, maintaining Ember's schedule is always tricky on game day; nap time usually falls while we're standing on the side of the pitch. Thankfully, as long as Ember gets a snack (my boob) then she usually dozes off. Fussiness cues snack time and then she is happiest being tucked into the stroller. The challenge then becomes keeping her asleep with all the raging and loud rugby fans standing nearby. Me being one of them.
Happily napping while the game rages on.
As Andrew and I'd hoped, Ember does well adapting through the day and grabbing naps while we move about. We find as long as we adhere to her bedtime, she does splendidly and maintains her charm. Of course, we don't push our limits and don't practice this routine, or lack thereof, outside of weekends.
Ember cruising up and down the sidelines.
After Andrew's game, we travelled to watch another St. Albert team win their match to advance to the semi-finals. Ember was wide awake at this match and more content to walk about with Daddy's help.
She really boogies now.
I'm already looking forward to the final this Saturday. Go Albert!!!
Andrew (in white) jumping on a lineout. He won possession.
Outside of the game, maintaining Ember's schedule is always tricky on game day; nap time usually falls while we're standing on the side of the pitch. Thankfully, as long as Ember gets a snack (my boob) then she usually dozes off. Fussiness cues snack time and then she is happiest being tucked into the stroller. The challenge then becomes keeping her asleep with all the raging and loud rugby fans standing nearby. Me being one of them.
Happily napping while the game rages on.
As Andrew and I'd hoped, Ember does well adapting through the day and grabbing naps while we move about. We find as long as we adhere to her bedtime, she does splendidly and maintains her charm. Of course, we don't push our limits and don't practice this routine, or lack thereof, outside of weekends.
Ember cruising up and down the sidelines.
After Andrew's game, we travelled to watch another St. Albert team win their match to advance to the semi-finals. Ember was wide awake at this match and more content to walk about with Daddy's help.
She really boogies now.
I'm already looking forward to the final this Saturday. Go Albert!!!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Harder Stuff
Somewhere in the latter weeks of August, I snapped. Not in the way that required a padded room and a straight jacket, but rather in the way that this mumma's reserve of patience had depleted. Ember had morphed into a high needs baby, waking every hour of the night and the only thing that brought calm was our bed and my breast. Four consecutive nights of this made me a pretty sore zombie.
During the days in between, I seriously lacked ambition and energy. Crap was piling up on any and all flat surfaces; the laundry hamper overflowed of clothes waiting to be folded and put away and my little HMCS Ember left a wake of clutter everywhere she went. As she still does.
To add insult to injury, I was suffering through a painful breast infection and it felt like I was nursing a sabretooth.
Honestly, I started to feel like I was drowning. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get control and I was so tired. The worst part is that I began to take it out on Ember. During the night when she was so very demanding, I'd snap and swear at her.
I'm so ashamed to type that and I cry now thinking about my behaviour. It's my job to take care of Ember's needs and you know, I flat out lost my cool. However, I didn't feel like I had an even keel at the time. It only occurred to me on night 5 that I may be suffering from postpartum depression. The next day, I called a girlfriend to talk frankly about what I was experiencing. We discussed motherhood very honestly and I started to feel less and less like the worst mother ever.
That same day, I started on St. John's Wort and omegas to help boost my mood. (If that didn't work, I'd make an appointment with my doctor and talk about a different course of action.) Additionally, hubby and I sat down for a heart to heart and I let him know how I was feeling. I hadn't been 100% honest with myself, let alone my husband.
Between owning my feelings and the St. John Wort, I started to feel better. Even though Ember continued to be Miss Demanding, I handled it much better and comforted her rather than perpetuating the problem by stressing out.
Nowadays, I feel fantastic and much more like myself. I don't look back on my actions with any pride however I've learned from my experience. I was so busy trying to maintain this facade of an easy breezy mummy that I forgot to be authentic and fair to myself. Not to mention Ember who deserved so much better than she was getting from me. I'm learning to breathe through tough moments and say "I need five minutes".
Being on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week is trying and it's reasonable to take a few moments to yourself to just breathe and re-focus.
Did you experience something similar? Did postpartum or fatigue sneak up on you? Have you had an outer body experience when you were behaving a certain way that made you take note?
During the days in between, I seriously lacked ambition and energy. Crap was piling up on any and all flat surfaces; the laundry hamper overflowed of clothes waiting to be folded and put away and my little HMCS Ember left a wake of clutter everywhere she went. As she still does.
To add insult to injury, I was suffering through a painful breast infection and it felt like I was nursing a sabretooth.
Honestly, I started to feel like I was drowning. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get control and I was so tired. The worst part is that I began to take it out on Ember. During the night when she was so very demanding, I'd snap and swear at her.
I'm so ashamed to type that and I cry now thinking about my behaviour. It's my job to take care of Ember's needs and you know, I flat out lost my cool. However, I didn't feel like I had an even keel at the time. It only occurred to me on night 5 that I may be suffering from postpartum depression. The next day, I called a girlfriend to talk frankly about what I was experiencing. We discussed motherhood very honestly and I started to feel less and less like the worst mother ever.
That same day, I started on St. John's Wort and omegas to help boost my mood. (If that didn't work, I'd make an appointment with my doctor and talk about a different course of action.) Additionally, hubby and I sat down for a heart to heart and I let him know how I was feeling. I hadn't been 100% honest with myself, let alone my husband.
Between owning my feelings and the St. John Wort, I started to feel better. Even though Ember continued to be Miss Demanding, I handled it much better and comforted her rather than perpetuating the problem by stressing out.
Nowadays, I feel fantastic and much more like myself. I don't look back on my actions with any pride however I've learned from my experience. I was so busy trying to maintain this facade of an easy breezy mummy that I forgot to be authentic and fair to myself. Not to mention Ember who deserved so much better than she was getting from me. I'm learning to breathe through tough moments and say "I need five minutes".
Being on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week is trying and it's reasonable to take a few moments to yourself to just breathe and re-focus.
Did you experience something similar? Did postpartum or fatigue sneak up on you? Have you had an outer body experience when you were behaving a certain way that made you take note?
Friday, September 10, 2010
How Things Change
This morning while nursing Ember down for a nap, the smell of Fall was wafting through the air. The crispness and freshness of the air is tangible and I love these first days of this new season. I look forward to the leaves changing and eventually littering the sidewalks.
Moreover, I look forward to pounding the pavement in my boots. Ah, my boots. Brown, black, mid-calf, knee high - they're all grand. They are my favourite part of my wardrobe. Boots, a great fitting jean and a Cowichan inspired sweater? Autumnal perfection.
When I was 23, living alone in the Lower Mainland, I maintained that in the event of a fire I would save my cat and my black Miu Miu boots.
Go ahead, think it.
Shallow bitch, right?
Well, no more. My boots don't make top three (or five). With Ember and the cat in each arm, I'd attempt to get the external hard drive of photos to safety.
As Fall sets in, I relish the opportunity to wear my boots again. I love the sass that permeates my step and the extra swagger in my gait.
These would love divine below my knees and even behind a stroller or pushing a swing. Swoon!
Moreover, I look forward to pounding the pavement in my boots. Ah, my boots. Brown, black, mid-calf, knee high - they're all grand. They are my favourite part of my wardrobe. Boots, a great fitting jean and a Cowichan inspired sweater? Autumnal perfection.
When I was 23, living alone in the Lower Mainland, I maintained that in the event of a fire I would save my cat and my black Miu Miu boots.
Go ahead, think it.
Shallow bitch, right?
Well, no more. My boots don't make top three (or five). With Ember and the cat in each arm, I'd attempt to get the external hard drive of photos to safety.
As Fall sets in, I relish the opportunity to wear my boots again. I love the sass that permeates my step and the extra swagger in my gait.
These would love divine below my knees and even behind a stroller or pushing a swing. Swoon!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Dearest Blog,
I'm sorry that you have been so neglected. It's not that I don't love covering your wall with photos and posts about my family, it's just that I lost my blogging mojo. Summer reached it's peak, I wasn't spending a lot of time on the computer and as my cousin said, "all things need a summer vacation."
In my absence I've been mentally writing posts on a variety of topics that I look forward to sharing with you in the near future. My inspiration for this space is now nine months old, bubbly than ever and I've been snapping photos like a mad thing in an effort to hang on to all nuances of her fleeting infancy. Many of those will be hanging here soon, too.
Perhaps it's the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the little people toddling down the sidewalk with backpacks strapped on, but I'm fired up and ready to reconnect dear blog.
A happening of the past weeks:
Ember managed to crawl into the cat's tent...
it was fun while it lasted ...
but she couldn't figure out how to get out. Hmmm...
Trying a yoga pose may help.
Finally, I just had to pluck her of the tent's clutches.
I will be back again soon with more harrowing tales. ha.
All good things!!
In my absence I've been mentally writing posts on a variety of topics that I look forward to sharing with you in the near future. My inspiration for this space is now nine months old, bubbly than ever and I've been snapping photos like a mad thing in an effort to hang on to all nuances of her fleeting infancy. Many of those will be hanging here soon, too.
Perhaps it's the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the little people toddling down the sidewalk with backpacks strapped on, but I'm fired up and ready to reconnect dear blog.
A happening of the past weeks:
Ember managed to crawl into the cat's tent...
it was fun while it lasted ...
but she couldn't figure out how to get out. Hmmm...
Trying a yoga pose may help.
Finally, I just had to pluck her of the tent's clutches.
I will be back again soon with more harrowing tales. ha.
All good things!!
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