Monthly Photo Shoots

I love to take photos. I wish to someday become an amateur photographer in my spare time. That is if I acquire an amazing camera, skills, and spare time. This inner passion of digitalizing every day and memory has sparked a monthly routine.

Every month on the date Monster was born (the 6th) we have our own personal photo shoot, just me, him, my pug-kid and sometimes the Hubbs. I hope to be able to make a collage of the first year of his life to hang on my wall, because everyone knows infants change so quickly!

Today was Monster's 5th month Birthday and so we celebrated by taking photos, and having plenty of laughs with LOLA on the floor for tummy time. I've edited a couple -- I love you picnik- enjoy!!

Somedays are just plain challenging

Somedays can be challenging when it comes to parenting an infant. In our case a 5 month old.

Today just happened to be one of those days. Now, I'm not one for complaining because I realize that I have it pretty easy when it comes to my job as a mommy. My Monster generally sleeps from 8pm until 6am give or take up to an hour in either direction. Lately (the last couple of weeks) he's also been going back to sleep right after his morning bottle until 8:30 or 9am. That in itself is grounds for not complaining.

Not to mention, on a day to day basis Monster is happy, content and pretty accepting to changes in his environment, as long as it doesn't effect his bedtime routine.

Today was just one if those days. Every parent has them, even if it's just once in awhile. Monster decided early on in the day that he was only going to be happy in one of his parents arms. The rest of the time he would holler, fidget or fuss.

I think this need to be close to us stemmed from yesterday. He spent a good majority of the day with one set of grandparents and then the other, so he probably just missed us.

I am sympathetic to his needs and feelings now, since he's fast asleep and the house is quiet. I've been able to reflect on the day and my frustrations with him and realize he probably just missed us. Plain and simple.

How does a parent learn to be patient and read their children when the frustrating time is happening and not have to realize their short comings later?




- Posted using BlogPress a from my iPhone

Trip to Herold's Park

On Sunday we took Monster for his first picnic to Herold's Park. In the past family picnics were a weekly occurrence for my husbands family but since all the "kids" are grown ups and have kids of their own, they are less often, but just as special.

Packing for a trip to the beach is like packing for a over night vacation when it comes to an infant. That might be dramatic, but I'm somewhat of an over packer. I'd really rather have too much stuff with me, then be without something I really need. Herold's Park is right on the Shuswap lake, so I knew there would be a swimming adventure involved in the picnic. I had to pack all the necessary items for the family (My family of three, not my husbands massive family) to eat, go swimming, dry off, change, hike (we didn't end up hiking), and be in the sun.

An hour of packing and checking off the lists in my head, we finally left our house, and only had to turn around once because I had forgotten something. Luckily it was only after driving for a minute, and not after getting to Herold's (which is about 20 minutes from our house). Only once? I'm impressed too! :)

We spent all afternoon playing in the water and at the beach with Monster, my 4 nieces and

nephew. Monster only enjoyed looking at the water, he wasn't a big fan of the cooler

temperature (Despite that adorable smile above). I guess for now, we'll have to stick to the temperature regulated pool at the recreation center! Once he got dried off and set up in his stroller with his toys, he really loved the beach!

Auntie TgM and Uncle CgM brought their Kayaks and took the older kids for a spin on the lake, which they thought was tres cool! The event came to an end when Hubbs found patches of incredibly itchy bug bites all over his body, so unfortunately we didn't get the chance to hike over to Margaret Falls. That will be an adventure for a different day, maybe one when I have a jogger stroller that can conquer the mighty mounts of the forested path!

Preparing for Solids - The Pictures

Yesterday I blogged about Monster adventure in feeding himself his sweet potatoes (Preparing for Solids). Since I was blogging on my phone, I didn't have the opportunity to post photos of it!

Here they are! :)

For the last couple of days, he's been eating the whole jar! He loves his fruit and veggies!

Today was another new food/eating milestone. I gave Monster puree'd green beans for the first time, and he gobbled them right up. This is unbelievable because usually he cringes the first time he has a new flavor. Weird-oh baby!

Preparing for solids

Typically solids aren't introduced to infants until they're 6 months old. Of course, I am an eager beaver and started feeding Monster rice cereal at about 3 and a half months old.

He thoroughly enjoys eating, and I can't say that I am surprised. I mean, just look at the kid! Since then his menu has increased to 4 fruits and 5+ veggies. He usually eats some rice cereal and a fruit for breakfast, a fruit or veggie for lunch and a veggie for supper.

Today Monster spent the afternoon catching up on the sleep he missed yesterday so our feeding/eating schedule was slightly thrown off. He was ready to eat at the same time that I needed to be in the kitchen preparing supper. Good thing my kitchen and dining room are the same room.

I put Monster in his highchair and fed him a couple bites of his sweet potato then gave him the spoon to hold and practice. Next thing I know, there was sweet potato covering most of his face and highchair, but the spoon was in his mouth! I dipped it in his sweet potato purée for him and let him guide the spoon (all by himself!) back into his mouth! That's right! He fed himself!

Parents preparing their children for the 6 month "I can start eating solids" milestone isn't just feeding them various purées, but helping them practice feeding themselves as well. I honestly don't think I will have to worry much about Monster missing his mouth, he loves his food far too much to waste it.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Baby's First Bank Account

First off, I want to say that I don't want to be another one of those parents who says they'll do something, but later takes the easier road. I know that as your child(ren) grow, you also grow as a parent and person therefor making somethings more or less important.

Finances and financial planning are things I'd like to teach my Monster ( and future child) the importance of. In the road of life, one learns best by following an example or making HUGE mistakes. I don't want my sons future to be filled with financial mistakes or major consumer debt because he wasn't taught how to manage his money.

I will admit that I'm not necessarily the best example, because I like to shop. A women is a liar if they say otherwise! Ok, maybe not every single women, but MANY.

The first step I plan on making is organizing mine and my Hubbs finances so that we can try our best to be a good example. The second step is trying to be consistent with Monster as he grows older. My first idea is to have him put half of everything he gets (insert dollar amount here) into his savings account, an account he will not be able to access until he graduates high school (or maybe needs to buy a car). Ideally, I would like to have enough money to be able to buy him what he likes so he could put all his gift money in savings, but I don't see that happening without Lotto Max (Har Har).

If I start this early enough, as early as the tooth fairy, Birthdays or Christmas then maybe the incentive to save will continue on to his first job. However, savings is only one aspect of finances...

(To be continued...)

Car Seat Safety

Everyone knows that the most important thing regarding car seat safety is actually using one properly.

However, unfortunately I think most people (even myself) turn a blind eye to how much can actually go wrong during the selecting and installation of an infant or toddler car seat. Please visit this link that was brought to my attention by another concerned parent.

The Importance of a 5 Point Harness Car Seat

(A big thank you again to J. Blackstock! :D)

All Clothes are Not Created Equally.

When it comes to baby clothes, sizes are all over the map for my Monster. Yes, it is overwhelmingly frustrating!

Ok, I get that he is a big boy! Why do the clothing companies have to conspire against us to make me feel like he looks like a toddler at 5 months? Warning: I've gone into dramatic mode.

When Monster was born, he was a little too small for the 0-3 month clothing we had on hand, but he was born far too big to make it worth buying anything in newborn. I was right, as he fit into his 0-3 month clothing by the time he reached about 2 weeks old.

Since then, he hasn't stopped! From what I've found, the infant clothing brands sold at our local big box store (Zellers, HBC); Cherokee and Little Tikes fit generally as the tags say they will. The swim trunks he wore at the beach today were 3-6 months (Little Tikes), fit him perfectly and he is barely 5 months old.

However, if we decide to shop at Walmart for any clothing we have to round up. A lot. Walmart does not have much to chose from in the way of size 6-9 month clothing. Rounding up? Monster is just a little too small for a 12 month outfit from George brand clothing. That is WAY off the charts for clothing sizes.

Please Mum is a higher quality children's clothing store (brand) that thankfully fits Monster dead on! It's obviously a little more expensive then Walmart, but in most cases to do with Walmart, you get what you pay for. I've never actually boughten him anything from Please Mum, except for 4 shirts on major clearance sale. The rest of his Please Mum has been gifts.

The rate of Monster's growth, and the differences in sizing wouldn't be too much trouble if I were a millionaire and could afford to buy him his clothes as he needed it, not having to result in SALE HUNTS! I love a good deal, especially on infant clothing that Monster is going to grow out of in a month or two. Ideally I would like to sale hunt, pre-buy his clothing a season in advance (example: buy out the clearance summer clothes from this year, in a size he can wear next summer) and be set. Who's to say what size he'll be in in a year?

As a parent, how did you live modestly with a growing Monster(s)?

The joys of a Son

Long before I became a parent I became a Today's Parent Magazine subscriber.

I enjoy most of the monthly articles, pulling advice and opinions from the pages, but this month went above and beyond article wise. As I flipped over the pages, I found one with the heading "Boy's Rock, Girls's Rule". "Boy Joys" was the subheading found over top a list of 10 things that make a parent lucky to have a son.

This inspired me, and made my heart swell three sizes as I read it. One day, in the not so distant future I will have a brute of a son, likely towering over me, who will be able to to love, and protect me just as well as my husband. Despite the smart as$ remarks he will learn from his father, I am excited about the future, and being able to watch my son grow into a man.

Having a son means having someone (another person, in my case. I don't want to undermine my Hubbs!) in your life who will always make you feel important and beautiful, even if you're lazing about in your pajamas, with your hair in a pony tail.

Please, click here to read the article too!