Recently our little E has been quite irritable.  She is normally so happy that we are really not well versed in how to quiet a fussing baby.  The usual tricks did not work and as we were pretty sure all this was due to teething we decided to bite the bullet (pardon the pun) and get her some Orajel.  The pharmacist suggested a homeopathic remedy that does not include any numbing agent or alcohol.  We gave to to E and within 10 minutes she had quieted down!  She then practically passed out while eating because with the pain and discomfort gone she could now finally get some sleep.

Love this and suggest it to everyone.

So, in search of some of that coveted "me time" I decided to take a cake decorating class at my local community centre.  I enjoyed the class and thought I would share the fruits of my labour here with you.

The above picture is the first step.  It is oriented wrong but don't worry, the last picture will be easy to see.  Anyway, I started with a rectangle shaped cake and painted the sky and the grass in butter cream icing.  Then I started to add flowers.

Next came the rose bush and the vine for the wisteria.



Now the wisteria.

One near disaster averted when E decided to see what was going on...

Then add the leaves and a little bird and Voila!

Not exactly Cake Boss quality but I am still pretty happy with it.  It was yummy too.  I used chocolate cake with butterscotch pudding filling.



What is the best part of Mommyhood?  Getting to do the things you did as a little kid of course!  E and I spent a great day at the wonderful splashpad/wading pool next to city hall.  The water is the perfect temperature and no chlorine to damage tender skin.  This is all made possible by the amazing swimsuit we got from a local company called Sunseals.  This SPF fabric covers 90% of her little body meaning we only need to put sun screen on her hands, lower legs and face.  The best part about this suit is that it will grow with her.  In a few years it will come to just above her elbows and knees.  How's that for getting your money out of something?

Wubbanub to the rescue!

I love these things! I bought E's first Wubbanub when she was about four weeks old and have since bought three more. These little beauties can be positioned in such a way that they can stay in an infant's mouth while she is sleeping. It literally gives parents hours of sleep. E loves hers so much she plays with two of them at a time! I am hoping that it will make things easier when the time comes to wean her off the pacifier. We can just cut the soother off and she still has the little stuffy to play with. Hopefully that will give her something to pay attention to rather than be upset that the soother is gone.

Omen of things to come????

E's favorite activity. Playing on her mat while watching tv. Sigh. I need to get the basement cleaned out so we can bring the play area down there.

Where we are now.

Well, I cannot believe I have let this slide for so long.  My baby girl is now almost 9 months old and happily crawling around.  The hubby and I have been loving parenthood.  We have been blessed with a happy little thing who would rather smile than cry.  How has motherhood changed me?  Not as much as you might think.  I don't know how to explain how I feel but it is almost as though she has always been a part of me.  Now she is just on the outside and able to interact.

I think a lot of the reason I did not keep up with this is that my post pregnancy recovery took forever!  My family doctor is a great man but like most people in my life tends to think that every issue I have is due to weight and the ultimate suggestion is always "lose weight".  Well, yeah ok but how am I supposed to do that when I can barely walk around.

Let me back up.  The actual c-section went pretty smoothly.  The anaesthesiologist determined that, because of my weight, I would have to have the surgery done in the main operating room of the hospital rather than on the maternity ward.  The main problem with that is that I would have to go to the large recovery room meaning no time spent with the baby in those all important first hours.  I was unhappy about that decision but I just wanted to get things moving and there was nothing I could say that would change her mind so why bother.

I was shocked to learn I had a girl.  I was expecting a boy.  We had a few minutes and then baby and husband were both whisked away to the nursery.  The only really bad experience was learning that a "friend" of mine who works in the hospital had snuck in and seen the baby.  I had made it very well known that no one should see that baby before I did.  The only person who had a reason to be with her was my husband.  Needless to say that friendship is over.  I won't go into details as it still upsets me.

The recovery from the surgery went really well.  Seriously, I had the good drugs at home for the first three weeks so pain was not an issue.  The day we got home I was able to go up the stairs normally which I had not been able to do in months due to the pain in my hips.  It was only after the drugs wore off that I realised that pain was still with me.  I went to my family doctor about it and he just advised me to lose weight and walk a lot.  Hard to do when walking any distance causes such pain. 

When I started this blog I promised to be honest so here comes the honest bit.  The chocolate muffin I ate every morning with my cup of tea probably did not help either. 

That pain slowly eased and by 7 months and one week I was confident in telling my husband that I was fully recovered from the pregnancy.  Then the knee and back pain came!  Sheesh will this never end???