My Favorite Picture Lately

Wrennie loves screaming. She puts in a good hour or so of screaming in the morning, then after first nap in the afternoon, and one more time in the evening when Kenton comes home. She loves when Kenton comes home.

In this picture, you can't really tell, but she is in mid-scream. My poor neighbours.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This is me. I am...2 or 3 months old. Do you see the HUGE tuft of hair on the back of my head? The double chin? The cheeks? My mom tells me that I was in the 95th percentile most of my babyhood. If you don't have a clue of what that means.. all you need to know is that is a big baby! Whatever I am sitting on here was probably reinforced first by Sears employees. Actually my mom is sneakily holding me up from behind. Her arms were probably buckling under the weight.

This is Wrennie, she is 4 months old. Notice the tuft of hair? Huge cheeks?

I really need to get my hands on a baby photo of my dad...and get his approval to post it...and maybe my grandpa...and a picture of Kenton, and Andrea. I will return to the photo comparison another time..

Why Oh Why...

Why me?

The responsible owners of our apartment building decided it was time to insulate and re-side the entire place. This means that they are hammering and drilling on the walls outside...it's so loud they might as well be in our suite. The best part of all is that they are currently working on the wall right outside of Wrennie's room.

This was her going down for a nap on the floor cushion in the living room yesterday.

She slept from 9:1 5pm-6:00am. I love her. For some miraculous reason, the workers are not outside our windows at the crack of dawn today. Maybe someone else complained that is a huge pain to be woken at 7:30am and be deafened by the hammering all day long on top of it. Here is somewhat of a look at what they are doing out there. Sort of looks like winter with all of the white stuff they are using...yes, white stuff, I know a lot about construction.

Luckily, those workers weren't out there yet when I took this. It would be a bit creepy...then again, you can see that it might look like I am taking a picture of one of the neighbours windows, or trying to see inside.

This is Wrennie waking up this morning. She appreciated sleeping in too.

She is the cutest.

She needs a few minutes.

I really like her when she just wakes up.

Now to plan our day around not being at home. We are seeing the doctor again today to assess her head situation. Personally, I think her head is doing just fine. She can turn her neck both ways, and that ridiculous flat spot is slowly disappearing. But we will see..

Until then, must..avoid..apartment.

He is Hardworking.

Take a look at what Kenton has been up to...

Almost every weekend, Kenton goes to the shop for a day and works on this coffee table. It is the first piece he has designed completely himself.

Who is it for? The lucky Dallas and Rachel Synchyshyn!

Here, Kenton tells me he is "rasping" the legs of the table. In other words, shaping the legs so they are curved and rounded.

A closer look at the leg as he sands another part of the table.

Many blisters have resulted from his meticulous work.

Still sanding away...he does a lot of that.

Time to glue. He is going to attach the table top to the legs. This is the really exciting part! No, I am not being sarcastic, it really is, because then it's so close to being finished!

In go the legs, and you can see the shelf as well that sits underneath. The wood grain in the piece is so beautiful. The table is made out of walnut, one of Kenton's favorites.

Now to clamp it together so that glue has a chance to really set.

Give it an hour or so and the clamps come off, table goes right side up and will sit and dry completely for a few days.

The next part will be to sand it one more time and begin oiling it, which will take another couple of days. The oil really brings out the beauty in the wood grain. It's going to look amazing.

I wish we were keeping it...

Cloth Diapering 101

Cloth diapering can be really confusing. I don't know why, it just is, even when most of what you read on the internet is really almost the same. Maybe this is because everyone includes their little tricks and hints they learn along the way and it gets overwhelming to a first-timer.

I am going to post the basics of what I do and use. Simple.

1. Diapers.

Which to buy? I don't know really. I wanted the easiest thing possible, so we went with Bumgenius: One Size 3.0. Why? Because your diaper, the insert (part that absorbs) and and cover are all together, not in separate pieces like traditional cloth diapers. One size will fit baby from 8lbs - 35 lbs. Each diaper comes with 2 inserts. Fuzzibuns are also very similar, but they have snaps, Bumgenius have velcro.

I have nothing against other cloth diapers, my friend made me 3 fantastic ones that are more traditional and use diaper covers. They also work great, the only difference is that they don't wick moisture from Wrennie's skin, so she just has to be changed more often. (Translation: I can't be a deadbeat mom).

How many do you need? about 20-25. We have 24 I think.

2. Detergent.

Apparently one of the most important parts. We use Claudia's Choice. Why? Because it was recommended by Bosom Baby (the store where we bought the diapers). You can't use detergent with scent or additives otherwise it will cling to the diaper and so will the stink. Gross. So get something without additives. We bought a big pail of Claudia's Choice from Bosom Baby 4 months ago for about $30 if I remember right and maybe have gone through half of it...maybe. It's good stuff.

3. Dirty Diaper Storage.

Don't use a plastic pail, it will stink you out of your home. Don't soak your diapers in liquid either. Use a stainless steel garbage can with a lid. Put a large mesh bag inside to hold the diapers. (It can get thrown in with your wash each time) OR a really large wetbag (see below for more on wetbags). Throw those stinkers in there. Will it stink? Yeah once you reach day 3...and mostly when you open the lid. I have smelled diaper genies worse than that though.

4. Wipes.

We use cloth wipes. Take a big piece of cotton fabric. Cut it into squares. Put them in a small container on your change table or crib. There are your cloth wipes. Or go spend a bunch of money and get pre-made ones. I, not using my brain, did both. Just make your own, really, save yourself some money! Throw them in the pail with your diapers and wash them all at the same time.

You could use disposable wipes (we do have them on hand for going out and about, or just back up at night time) but just remember...pee/poo wipes in the garbage will start to stink. Just saying.

5. Wetbag. (Optional)

This is a small bag lined with a waterproof fabric to throw your dirty (cloth) diapers in when you are out and about. It's also good to hold anything that gets wet...like barfed on onesies for example, you may notice you go through a few with a little baby. Maybe you plan on using disposable diapers when you go out, but if not, the wet bag is good to bring in your diaper bag. I got mine off of www.etsy.com from Pat-A-Cake Baby.

Got your supplies? Great.

Washing.

Seems to be some debate on this. Do what works for you, but in case you were wondering, here's what works for me:

1 scoop (Claudia's Choice) detergent in 1 COLD wash.

1/2 scoop detergent in 1 HOT wash.

That's it!

You can stick them in the dryer, I just hang dry all of mine. How often for washing? I wash every 3 days or so. The Bumgenius website tells you to do those 2 cycles, plus an extra rinse or two. Unnecessary I would say. But hey, give your washed diapers a sniff and you be the judge.

Personally, I like cloth diapers better. (In case you were curious, because we do both at times). When she is wearing her cloth ones, I can't smell a thing on her. They even hold in her big messes a million times better. Her disposables have let me down...you know the "skunk back"? Where babies poop up their back? Yeah, not pleasant, and yet...has not happened in a cloth diaper to date. Amazing. They are also so much cuter with all of the colors to choose from! And last thought...why not a cloth diaper service? Some use really harsh chemicals to get those diapers clean, and it was just not something I wanted against Wrennie's skin. I also wanted to keep all of mine for the next baby...

wait..what?!

There you go.

Here is Wrennie in her cloth diaper for the first time at 10 days old. (Yes, we were eager to begin!) This picture makes me burst out laughing.

Below is Wrennie at 3 months old. Quite the difference! And they are supposed to fit to 35 lbs...at the rate she is growing, it seems hard to imagine that 35lbs is very far away.

Sewing = Happiness Pt. 2

In my month off before Wrennie came and happily invaded our lives, I kept busy with crafty projects, like sewing. I did three major projects.

The Amy Butler diaper bag came out so well, with a little cell phone pocket and all. It's basically the perfect diaper bag, in my opinion...but it still has the problem of losing the contents deep inside the dark abyss that all bags seem to have, such as the desperately needed soother.

Apparently, we are not supposed to have crib bumpers. Yes, I did know this before I began sewing mine. Really, I think it's a little silly and paranoid for nurses to tell us this now. They also say to lay your baby on their back to prevent SIDS. Well, I have, and now Wrennie has a flat side of her head and her ear has shifted forward and we have a referral to the U of A to get it checked out. I am not bitter, after all, we decided to put her on her back the entire time. I am just saying. Anyway, crib bumper, Amy Butler, again. Not her fabric.

Matching A. B. baby quilt.I suck at quilts. I took this picture in such a way that this fact wouldn't be obvious.

Disclaimer: In every single project I have ever done, I have made at least one major mistake which results in me sitting for endless amounts of time with a stitch ripper and a good movie in front of me.

Sewing = Happiness Pt. 1

In case you didn't know, I love to sew. LOVE it.

I have done a bunch of projects in the past year. My Mom and Dad gave me my very own sewing machine as a graduation present when I finished University. I had not sewn much since my grade 9 Home Economics class, so I was a little rusty to say the least. Okay, maybe I had taken in the sides of shirts that were too big, or hemmed a dress or whatever, but putting together a full project is different. Where do you start? I practically needed a tutor to get the basics down again.

Amy Butler. She has revolutionized sewing for our generation. Her fabric is modern- definitely not the flannelette our grandma's were sewing with for our Christmas pyjamas that you can still find at Fabricland to this day. (Don't get me wrong, I loved those pyjamas as a kid). And her patterns are far beyond the fleece joker hats (remember? the long, pointy ones we thought were really cool as kids?) that remain in our childhood memories.

You don't have to like her fabrics, but her patterns take you by the hand and guide you through her projects step-by-step, almost to the point of assuming you are a complete idiot. But hey, I find that helpful. Not all of us have a clue what "stitch in the ditch" means...good for you if you do. Yes, I realize the pom-pom pillow on the cover of the book is not screaming "wicked awesome!", but I promise, there are some real winners inside. Like what, you say? See below!

The pleated apron, made with Amy Butler fabric. A personal favorite for shower gifts.

Reversible place-mats. On the back it is just one solid print, so you can change it up. Also, her fabric in the center. These are also a gift...sometimes it's hard not to hang onto stuff for myself!

Then we have the ridiculously useful Laundry Bag, all A. B. fabric again. It's primary use- hauling multiple loads of laundry to mine and Kenton's parent's every week.

I think this was the very first pattern I attempted out of her book, the Floor Cushion. You may have seen it in a few photos with Wrennie on top. It's one of her favorite places to hang out.

Yoga Mat Bag, how great does that look? I made this one for Andrea at her request. This is a free pattern on A.B.'s website.

My last one is a "tunic" from a Simplicity pattern (sounds like something out of the Bible...a tunic?) but it was made with her fabric too. Can you tell I was obsessed?

If you have an iron, basic sewing tools (machine, pins, measuring tape, scissors, etc.) and you can follow directions well, then you can sew. It's really not as hard as it may seem.

In part 2, my baby projects that kept me busy in my month off of work before Wrennie came!

About Kenton.

A week after Wrennie was born, Kenton started a new job. I know, could we have more life changes at the same time? This was needed though, for his emotional well-being, and mine. Let me back-track for a second and tell you how that came about.

Kenton has been into woodworking since we were dating. He did a year of NAIT in their woodworking and carpentry program, and wanted to give it a shot ... see if this could become a career... make furniture for a living...not just as a hobby in his spare time.

Right after we were married, I got one whopper of a tax return back from the government, and Kenton went shopping for tools. Very big tools. I have never seen money disappear that fast, except when I am in a knitting store. (You are now wondering why on earth I gave my money up for this endeavour instead of going on a huge Nokomis shopping spree, I'll get to that.)

If you didn't already know, we live in an apartment. Not much room for tools in a 2-bedroom.

So his parents generously allowed him to take over half of their 2 car garage and turn it into his shop.

Even though he had most of his supplies for making pieces now, it was too soon to "go into business" so to speak. He hadn't exactly designed anything yet, or made anything outside of his NAIT projects. That part was going to take some time.

What to do in the meantime? The current job sucks.

Kenton found out about an Edmonton based company called IZM owned by 2 guys who design and make modern furniture...all by themselves. Click on that link, you NEED to see their stuff. So he called them up to see if they were hiring- this was winter of 2008. Nope, not at the moment...and not until this November did they get back to Kenton saying they were ready to hire. We had been waiting a year for this!

He would be helping with sanding, oiling, finishing pieces and some assembly. And no, this was not a lucrative move for us at all. If anything, it was starting at the bottom again, starting over in a totally different field. They wanted him to start as soon as he was ready....which would turn out to be the week after Wrennie was born.

So I am on maternity leave now, and Kenton is starting a new job. The money is not rolling in. What were we thinking?

All I can really say is that if we didn't take this opportunity now, we would never know if it would have worked. Who can live with the regret of not taking that chance?

Not to mention...how many of you have husbands that are unhappy in their current job, or wish they could be doing something they truly love on a daily basis? There is something to be said for a husband that comes home from work every night content. Some things aren't worth a massive pay cheque.

So here we are, Kenton is working for IZM, and slowing building his skills and knowledge with them and with his own work.

Yes, it makes me nervous, it is a risk after all.

Yes, I do believe he can make a living from furniture making. No, I am not just saying that. Wives do not hand over huge cheques of cash to their husband that could have been spent on tons of beautiful clothes and shoes or trips if they did not think that something else was more worth it.

It's not as if Kenton did the program and said, "Wow that's fun" and just hoped he could do it. He is really good at it. I mean, really good. Even pieces from school he would bring home would have his own creative slant to them (despite the fact that he would be told not to deviate from the project plans at school- what a rebel) and great craftsmanship. To his credit, he is a bit of a perfectionist in life. Some call that Type A or "anal", whatever term you like. But when that type of personality is channelled into something as meticulous as woodworking, it is to your benefit. I know it won't be easy, and I know we are not in it for big money. Big deal.

In Kenton's words, "You are good to me." He means it with all his heart.

Want to see one of Kenton's biggest inspirations? Here is sweet, old Sam Maloof, and above is his famous rocking chair.

Month 3

Month 3:

I can finally handle seeing myself in a photograph with Wrennie. When you spend the whole day un-showered and in your comfy pants because your child barely allows you enough time to brush your teeth, it's slightly unmotivating to be in a picture.

By the way, breastfeeding has ended for good. 2 bouts of mastitis and one food-poisoned night later did me in. It wasn't going well anyway.

By 3 months old, Wrennie has almost doubled her weight. The little pumper is now 15 lbs 7oz. The doctor actually told me that sometimes when the baby cries, she may just want a soother. Clearly this doctor did not know that in my infancy, I was in the 95th percentile until I was about 1 year old..in every category. Tub-a-lubs run in the family.

She is now sleeping 6-8 hours in the night. Wow. You know what went through my head the first time that happened?

'Oh my gosh, it's 6:30am...I don't think Kenton got up with her...I hope she is okay....she probably is...I am too tired to even go check...'

She also thinks that she is pretty great when she sits in a Bumbo chair:

What a cutie.

Things Wrennie is into right now:

1. Screaming just for the fun of it.

2. Grabbing her toys and stuffing them in her mouth.

3. Trying to roll over.

4. Talking to us.

5. Starting to laugh...most adorable thing my ears have heard.

6. Walks in her stroller. Her amazing Phil & Ted's stroller. I have never raved about her car seat, her carrier, her swing, or anything technical that she has for that matter. But the stroller is truly rave-worthy. Yes, it is nearly the price of a tiny, crappy used car, but I will only ever have to buy one...even if we have more kids. It has great wheels, doubles as a jogger, small and compact, and can turn on a dime. Okay I am done now.

7. Potentially starting to make strange. Stay tuned.

8. Sitting up and standing. That is the only picture I have. She has definitely gotten better.

I am not even going to bother getting into who she looks like right now. Kenton, myself, my sister, it goes on...everyone sees someone different. I claim the cheeks though.

My schedule is full every week. I never would have thought that would happen so effortlessly...this year is going to go by too fast. I am busy to the point of having to make sure we are just at home for a day or two during the week for our sanity. Time changes do not help either. Setting the clock forward is not worth more daylight in my opinion, Saskatchewan is so smart.

That being said, nap time.

Month 2

Month 2:

Wrennie began to smile. Oh how cute it was! 6 weeks old, and I actually caught it on camera.

We have a couple of showers thrown and lots and lots of presents!

Her and I also start to get out a bit more with friends during the day as it gets more mild outside- for January. In turn, I start to feel more like a human being again and Wrennie starts sleeping 5-6 hours in a row now. I will mention that Kenton is still taking turns in the night getting up and feeding her a bottle. He is amazing.

I plunked her down in this chair for a photo and she found sitting up by herself was funny!

She is such a sweets.

Month 1

Month 1: What...just...happened..

The shock of a new baby hit us good and hard. Speaking for myself, I need about 9 hours a night to survive. I was down to maybe an accumulation of 4-5 if I was lucky. Breastfeeding was hard and making me psychotic. How do people do this??

Good thing Wrennie is cuter than anything I have seen, at least I have that. Kenton and I were exhausted. Despite our new zombie lifestyle, the Royal Bison Craft Fair (www.royalbison.ca) was on 4 days after she was born. Did we go? Of course. Could I barely walk? Yes. Was it worth it? Obviously.

We spent the first 4 weeks staring at her, she was too beautiful to take our eyes off of. Unfortunately I was feeling the effects of postpartum and wasn't sure if I liked all of this, which was evident on the days where I would be crying as Kenton left for work and still crying when he returned. Just a few calls to my mom and sister to come over were made...just a few.

Again, Amanda takes delicious pictures...here is a sample of my favorites:

Like these? You haven't seen anything yet. Smashed Photography, take a look.

A Baby Comes...

My doctor schedules and induction for a Thursday. My mom is a nurse at the hospital in labour and delivery, so I have a good connection.

I get a call Wednesday morning from her at work.

"It's not busy today and I talked to the doctor and she said you can come in and be induced this afternoon."

Wow, even as I write that, I get that nervous- excited feeling all over again.

Kenton and I calmly get my bag, and head to the hospital. It was weird. You picture your water breaking, having contractions and grabbing your belly as you head to the car.

Before inducing me, the doctor broke my water and that certainly got things moving. I laboured for a few hours until I couldn't take it anymore. I think I was more scared than anything, because I knew I hadn't seen nothin yet.

I got my epidural- worst. thing. ever. At that point Kenton thought this would be our only child.

But then it kicked in and things were great. We hung out until they told me to push. I couldn't feel a thing. I lied and said I could feel the tightening of a contraction (which I was supposed to) and pushed when they came. I pushed for 2 hours! Kenton was right there encouraging me, until I told him to stop with the encouragement, I really didn't require it right now. (He's so great). My nurse had asked if my mom was allowed in the room as I pushed. Uh, no.

Note: I am totally sparing the gory details. Let me just say it was amazing and very traumatizing at the same time. I thought about the birth for weeks after...

Then...out she came! All 8lbs 1oz, 21 inches of her! Kenton cut the cord, and she was placed onto me right away, our little sweets! In my opinion, she looked just like me, it was as if I birthed myself. (Sounds symbolic, maybe it is).

You can't really see it here, but I am crying at being completely overwhelmed and overjoyed!

She is incredibly beautiful in all her squishy-faced, gooeyness.

We spent the night in the hospital and went home the next afternoon...we couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Once we were home, the craziness began!

Our sweet sleepy peanut:

The clock ticks...

We knew the whole time we were having a little girl...well okay, from about 5 months on. We also knew that if we were having a girl, we would call her Wren. Ami McKay's novel, The Birth House, is where I found this gem of a name. There is a baby in the story called Wren and they all call her Wrennie. The name was decided. From then on we would be flooded with gifts (mostly clothes) that would have little birds of all kinds on it. I even bought a dress in Nelson with a birdcage on it. And yes, that is our very vintage and very great highchair find- thank you to our friends, Sarah and Charlie for it!

When I looked 'Wren' up in a few new-age baby name books, they said it meant "chief". According to some books, it's a boy's name. Another book said it was the new trendy bird name in place of Robyn.

Our parents reactions were amusing. Words like "different", "interesting", and "pretty" were used. At least we didn't hear "YUCK".

My pregnancy was great. Nothing out of the ordinary happened and I have to say I was pretty lucky. I was only nauseous for a few weeks, and really hot for the whole summer. I don't think I have stayed indoors in such nice weather so much in my life.

Kenton and I stood up for our good friends Nathan (yes, the first one to know I was pregnant) and Daisha in August at their wedding. Kenton sang his song...sheesh...I can't remember which one it was. Well, the picture of him playing is so handsome, I had to include it too.

For Daisha's stagette, I planned a pole-dancing class and party afterwards with her other bridesmaid, Brenda. If you have the chance to do such a thing, you should give it a try, it was hilarious and fun...but what do I know, I was pregnant and taking all the pictures!

Like I said in my last post, we were settled, moved in, happy to be done the hardest part of preparing for our little girl. All I had to do was keep growing...and somehow find the energy to keep moving!

By the end, my belly was huge, and perfectly ripe for delicious picture- taking. Here are my favorites over the months...

Things look good. 17 weeks along, in Nelson, eating lots of great food, walking around, buying cute bird clothes at markets.

Oh about 35 weeks here, huge, and now at home because work is finished for a year...and also bored. So I propped the camera and took a million on self-timer before I found one I was satisfied with. Ta-da!

Amanda took this great one, with the amazing wallpaper behind me in her house. I can't remember how far along I am here. Somewhere at the end as well.

If you think Amanda is pretty good at this photography stuff, you should check her out at www.smashedphotography.ca

The work her and her partner Lizette do will speak for itself.

I am at 37 weeks here, and Julie James comes back to do some maternity photos with me. She also did our wedding photos- check her out at http://www.james-design.net/

Also, very good!

So what do you do all day when you aren't working and you can't go anywhere because your husband is too worried that you will go into labour when you are out and about by yourself?

Sew, knit, and sew some more. Get every possible crafty project done that you wanted to! And I did, I sewed a crib bumper, a matching quilt, a diaper bag, and burp cloths. I knit a papoose sack thing (like a baby sleeping bag) that I never did put her in because the wool was sort of itchy and it only took me 9 months to make but hey. I also knit her 3 sweaters, and some toques, after all, she is going to be a winter baby! I kept busy.

Everything was done. Bag packed. Books read. Hospital registration form in. Checklist done, because I am a first time mother and have time for careful consideration of all such things.. and I am quite anxious...