A Med Student for a Daddy: Part One: On the Move

Hello Friends,

It has been a busy week! Just over a week ago, D found out he would be doing his 5 week family medicine rotation at RVH in Barrie, a rotation that started yesterday. Lucky for us, D has a wonderful Aunt who just happened to have a basement apartment empty for the month of August, and an added bonus is the fact that our underground parking garage ramp will be closed with no access to the garage Aug 1st-Sept 1st, so now we don't have to find (and pay for) somewhere to park our car! So after a week of hectic preparations we loaded up the car with our little family and trucked up HWY 400 to Barrie.

As most parents will tell you going anywhere with a baby is quite the production. Considering it takes me a solid 1/2 hr just to gather the baby paraphernalia necessary for a trip to DQ, I was quite overwhelmed at the prospect of gathering a month's worth of necessitites (let alone condensing it enough to fit in our little honda). D and I joked about how if it was just the 2 of us, we could've hitch-hiked up here, since our stuff fit comfortably in one suitcase. But, alas, babies need stuff and a lot of it!

All loaded up and ready to go!

 D started at the hospital yesterday, so today is the second day K and I have been on our own in our new home in the 'burbs, and boy is it different than being snuggled right downtown in our little condo. Yesterday, we ran a few errands with the car, but for some reason K has decided he hates car rides and screams his little head off (complete with tears pouring down his cheeks) the entire time, so today we opted to walk/stroll around the neighbourhood.

I must say, I don't think I'm cut out for the burbs'. There is sooo little action.. so few opportunities for people watching. I know some of you must be thinking "woah wait a minute, you grew up in the middle of a field, and you're saying the burbs' are lame?!". To that I will answer, heck yes! This afternoon, I decided to walk to the mall (~20 minutes away). I passed a total of 2 people en route, and neither of them were walking because they wanted to. In fact, I overheard both complaining about how a mother/brother/sister/husband needed to use the car, so they were stuck walking. Stuck walking?! Never have I lived somewhere that boasts miles and miles of pristine sidewalk with not a soul wanting to walk on it! I thought back to myself 2 weeks ago, looking down at poor K as I bumped, and skidded and jiggled across the streetcar tracks and down the obstacle course known as the sidewalks of downtown Toronto. I recall wishing and praying for a smooth section of pavement to give K a break from the constant brain trauma which is our afternoon stroll! Now here we are, strolling down a smooth stretch of sidewalk with perfect "baby sleep inducing" crack spacing and there is no one around for me to smile at, be surprised at, admire, judge, laugh at or cry with. Talk about a boring walk! The only saving grace was the view on the way home!

The beautiful rolling countryside in the distance
(not a skyscraper in sight)

Really enjoying the unlimited play space!

On the plus side, K, D and I have never had so much space at our disposal. Our basement apt is probably close to 800sq/ft! Our living room (yes, it's a seperate room) doesn't have to look like an unregistered day care anymore, since we can put most of K's toys and gear in the den (yes also a seperate den.. haha). Also, we have the benefit of having our aunt as the land lady, so we can hang out upstairs and out on her beautiful deck as well.
Speaking of the deck, K just woke up from his afternoon nap so I think the 2 of us will head upstairs to get some much needed vitamin D! Now that we're settled in, look forward to hearing about more of our "Barrie" Fun adventures... Get what I just did there. Haha

Until next time!

-A

Mummy Groups and Stroller Gangs

Hello!

Awaiting the rest of the "Wolf Pack"

Wow three days in a row, I think I need to slow down or I may run out of material! (On second thought...I have a lot of catching up to do!) Today I think I will discuss one of my favourite perks of being a big city mummy... Mummy groups and Stroller gangs. 

We've all seen them, rollin' down the sidewalk 3 wide, sporting their ever-so-comfy yoga pants, clutching a timmies (or starbucks) in one hand, designer diaper bag draped over the opposite shoulder, lookin' so fly that everyone they pass experiences an intense urge to pop out a baby and join in the parade. Well lucky for me, there I was with my brand-new baby boy (and fancy diaper bag) in tow ready to be welcomed into one of these exclusive mums- (and sometimes dads) only clubs. There was only one problem, where does one find a sign-up list, for a seemingly "invite-only" gathering? Throughout my 9 or so months of pregnancy, I researched everything baby, but failed to investigate these elusive groups. About 2 months into mummyhood, I decided to "give it a google", but despite my extensive research abilities, I came up empty (thanks for nothin U of T). It was time for Plan B, I decided I would frequent local spots where I've seen a group gather in hopes of being noticed (and subsequently invited in). Not a rock solid plan, but worth a shot. So there I was, chillin' at SPOT when it happened. The strollers started rollin' in.. one, two, three... as many as 15 or so! I sat up tall, and put on my most inviting mummy-smile. I received a couple smiles back, but unfortunately no invites. In hindsight, I probably could've just introduced myself but at that moment I froze (like grade 9 walking through the grade 12 section of the hallway froze), and went back to staring blankly at my crossword. I went home feeling slightly deflated, but not completely defeated. I just needed to rethink my strategy. 

Out and About in the City- My Baby is Boss

Flashback to July 2012. I had just found out I was pregnant with K (like 10 min ago) and as excitement and fear coursed through my veins I did as many newly-pregnant woman do... joined The Bump.com. The Bump is an awesome website that allows you to waste your day away by providing endless ideas for baby names, nursery colours, all the latest baby gadgets and gizmos and much much more. But the best aspect of The Bump are the discussion forums, and more specifically the "Baby Month Boards". I joined the March 2013 Moms board and was immediately part of a very diverse group of expectant mums. We supported each other throughout our pregnancies providing input and advice on a plethora of topics ranging from morning sickness to baby showers, to labour and delivery options, and even over-/under-bearing in-laws! These ladies (most of whom I will never meet) became like a bunch of sisters to me as we all grew to the size of small whales together. After the babies were born, a bunch of us (~50 ladies) created a facebook group so sharing photos and stories was as easy as 1, 2, upload! So there I was, now intimately linked to these ladies and babies all over the US and Canada. 

Back to the present. Even though 95% of the ladies in my Bump group are from the US of A, I thought it was worth a shot asking the group how they've found Mummy groups + Stroller Gangs. I received a reply from the only other mum from Toronto "A". She suggested Meetup.com (Which I must suggest to all of you, mums or not, as you can find a Meetup group for just about anything!). I logged on that afternoon, and within an hour I had joined 2 local mum groups and RSVP'd to 3 events (Wahoo!). I also made a date to meet up with "A", since she was the first of her friends to have a baby and was looking for some mummy friends as well. And just like that I was in! 

K and his Girlfriends..haha

Since that afternoon, I have been to a number of Mummy Groups and am now part of the downtown mamas and papas network. Almost every day of the week, I can join one of those previously awe-inspiring stroller gangs cruisin' 3 wide down the street. A few of us have even created our own smaller mum group with a few of the mums who live in my hood'. As a result, K has 2 baby girlfriends and has had his first baby dates.. hahah. I've also had a date with "A" and her little guy (K's first "bro"). This was my first "online dating" experience, and boy was I nervous (D laughed at me), but all was well and we enjoyed our lunch while chatting like old friends. It's amazing how much you can have in common with people you have never before met!

Thanks to my mummy groups, this farm girl turned city mummy is enjoying motherhood in the city in ways she could never have imagined. These mums have not only been able to provide unlimited resources with respect to baby-friendly places and activities and but also much needed support when I've felt like I'm completely crapping the bed as a new mum (which is good, because we can only have one person in our small condo crapping the bed at any given time and K has that covered.. haha). Plus they're totally cool having a casual conversation about hemorrhoids, cracked nipples, c-section scars, baby poop, or breastfeeding (or any other new-mum topic my non-mummy friends would cringe at) while you rock your screaming, inconsolable, I-haven't-napped-all-day baby.

So there you have it. At the age of 26, I was able to make a whole bunch of new mummy-friends (with the help of K of course) and am now looking forward to the fun we will have watching our little dudes and dudettes grow!

Until next time my (both mummy and non-mummy) friends!

Oh sheesh Mum!

-A

Getting Into a Groove: Part Two: Dressing Baby

Hi Friends!

Today I am going to talk about clothes. Not my clothes of course, as most of them I have little to no hope in hell of fitting in again (but to be fair, they barely fit before K..haha). No no, I want to talk about those cute adorable baby clothes! You know those little itty bitty, deathly cute; hats, pants, shirts, shorts, shoes, baby socks...

All dressed and ready to go home!

Before K, I had dreams of my little guy being the most adorably dressed baby in the history of the babies! I imagined baby modelling agencies lined up down the hall, fighting over who would get to represent the cutest baby on the block (nay, the world)! Strangers would stop and swoon over how incredibly well dressed my perfectly smiling infant was. Fast forward to March 17th, as I sit on my hospital bed, adorable baby sleeper in hand, staring down at this frightened little human, wondering how on earth I'm going to get those flailing but surprisingly rigid arms and legs into this cute little number. I sized up my challenge, and got to work. 15 minutes later... I had it over his head. It would be another 10 or so minutes before I wrangled his arms and legs into those impossibly small arm and leg tubes. As I sat back admiring a job well done, I realized that this sleeper was ridiculously large for my not-so-tiny bundle of joy and while he looked cute as can be, it was a far cry from being the most adorable thing I have ever seen on a baby. I knew that there was another smaller (and probably much cuter) outfit packed in the diaper bag, but at that moment I realized that I didn't give a poop about whether or not he had a cute outfit. He could be wearing a paper bag for all I cared, I was NOT going to go through the ordeal of squishing, and squirming and slipping and sliding my newborn into another outfit. Poof! Went any desire to dress my baby to the title of the next fresh face of Baby GAP.

As a matter of fact, you could say Poof! Went any desire to dress my baby at all... for the first few weeks of K's life, this is how he remained...

With a bod like that, who needs clothes!

Now the only problem with the "no clothes, no problems" technique is that there comes a time in every baby's life when he have to brave the chilly April weather and face the scruntinous public eye (in our case it was to H&R Block to do our taxes). Unfortunately, prior to this little outing we had not realized that we really had very few (read: none) outfits that fit our little guy, so this was Baby's First Outfit...

Who doesn't like Erkel pants?

Hahaha..Strike 2 for the whole Baby Gap thing.

Now, we've come a long way since that first attempt at dressing and I'm happy to report that not only do we have a larger selection of size appropriate clothing, but we dress K daily! I have also come to realize that Baby K doesn't need all the newest, greatest, most GAP worthy clothing to look absolutely adorable, and while I don't have agents lined up around the block to sign my little rockstar, I DO get stopped by strangers on the street to swoon over, not how well dressed he is, but how freakin' beautiful HE is (one proud mummy here!).  

That being said, I was out shopping the other day and picked up some rockin' baby clothes from Baby Gap, a couple of those cute mini-man outfits, (you know, the kind Pre-K me had imagined filling my little guy's closet). I was excited to get them all washed up so that I could play dress up with my little man. As I picked up my little GAP model to admire the celeb-worthy outfit, a week's worth of drool came pouring out of his cute little grin. On went the clashing, but only clean bib we had, and gone was the picture perfect outfit. As a matter of fact, within a 1/2 hr I was peeling off that impressively soaked button-up mini-me shirt and K was yet again topless... C'est la vie! But wouldn't you know it, even without those wildly adorable baby britches, he is still the most adorable baby in the entire world! 

Until next time!
-A

K's brief stint as a Baby Gap Model

Back to the Bare Necessities

Getting Into a Groove: Part One: Breast Feeding

Hello again.

I know it has been a while, but hey...I'm a new mum (and yes, I will continue to use this line for the next year or so). However, now that I feel like I have at least some of my ducks in a row, I think it's high time for another post. When contemplating what to write about, I couldn't help but focus on one of those very big ducks: breastfeeding (BF).

Breastfeeding has been quite an adventure (as I'm sure it is for any new mum) and while I'm finally getting the hang of it, it has not been without struggle and stress. Before K, I read lots of books, scanned lots of websites and talked to many friends and family about breastfeeding. I may be in the minority here, but was excited to breastfeed, like genuinely excited. I decided early on that yes, I will breastfeed and I am going to be soo good at it. What I failed to appreciate is that BFing (or any type of feeding for that matter) is most definitely NOT a solo activity and that the statement "I'm going to breastfeed" should be changed to "We will try breastfeeding". Now, I know what most of you are thinking, "of course it's not a solo activity silly new mum, obviously a baby is required". I guess I just didn't realize how big of a role baby K was going to play in this little dance. No amount of reading, consulting, or practice with a plastic doll can prepare you for that moment mid-milk letdown that your baby decides to pull off of your nipple. No words can describe the panic that rushes over you as you realize you don't have a free hand to stop that streaming milk spewing into your newborn baby's eye, or the resultant fear that will plague every breastfeeding session you will have from that moment on. It would be this fear that would turn the first few months of BFing into the most isolating group activity I have ever done. With D being at the hospital all day long, and sometimes overnight, I was on a fast track to becoming a hermit. It was around month 2 that I decided enough was enough. I was done being confined to the couch with my ever-so-secure BFing pillow and handy face-wiping cloth or hiding away with my elaborate set-up behind closed doors when friends visited (cue my BFing theme song Queen's I want to Break Free).

I knew it wasn't going to be easy (read: I knew it was going to be a hot mess of milk, baby and flailing limbs), but if I ever wanted to get out and enjoy the city with my new little bundle of joy, we certainly needed to develop our BFing "skills". First on the agenda was to free up a hand. This took a few days of practice but by day 3, I was able to pick up my phone to bbm or check facebook (wahoo!). Next, we needed to get rid of the need for that bulky BFing pillow, success! (Also +1 for resultant toning of mummy's arms and shoulders). I also wanted to be a mobile BFer since it became ever so obvious that there is not always a comfy (or clean) place to sit while out and aboot. This took some getting used to but by the end of the week, I was able to walk to the sink and back without K falling off the boob (go team!). Lastly, was mastering the nursing cover (since unfortunately the average Canadian, is not cool with the boob-in-your-face style of BFing that is enjoyed by many moms around the world). I got used the cover pretty quickly, it was K that needed some time to become cool with having a dark, mummy-blocking piece of fabric draped over his face and upper body during mealtime. I'm happy to report that he has since come to enjoy this little "man cave", and the fear that consumed him those first few times has thankfully been replaced by an excitement of the meal to come (now if only he would stop playing "peek-a-boo" with unsuspecting passersby.. haha). After mastering all of what I felt were the necessary components of public BFing. I decided to give it a go at my local coffee shop and much to my surprise... not a soul noticed. It was the first time I had practiced and practiced and practiced a skill in hopes of no one noticing how good I was at it (and I must say, I was pretty damn good ;)

Since that first time, I have freely breastfed all around the streets of T.O. and since no one seems to notice, I'm going to brag to you guys... I have proudly breastfed:

1. Sitting on a bench at Spadina and Bloor
2. Walking through the Eatons Centre
3. Walking through the PATH
4. Watching a Jays game at the Rogers Centre
5. While grocery shopping (note to self: avoid the frozen food aisle)
6. Walking home from our local dog park
7. At the table while out for breakfast
8. On a couch at a friend's house during a 10-person game of charades

(Reading through this list just made me think of this, in which a list of sorts is also bragged about.. haha)

Bam!

Now, I'm sure most of you could care less about BFing, and even less about where I've breastfed and to be honest a year ago, I, myself would not have read past the first line of this post (so thanks for getting this far). However, as a new mum, a majority of my day is spent either breastfeeding, planning to breastfeed, or reflecting on a feed so it's kind of a hot topic for me right now (and a hobby of sorts). I've also found that the more I talk about BFing, the more comfortable I (and those around me) get about where and when I do it. This not only helps to minimize the stress that I feel is inherent in BFing but also frees K and I up to fill our day with many new and exciting adventures (which I will have to tell you all about in a later post, as it is getting very late and wouldn't you know K will be up for another feed in a couple of hours!).

Until next time my friends!

-A