Highs & Lows

Life is full of them, otherwise it wouldn't be worth living. You need the lows in order to appreciate the highs, and you need the highs to get you through the damn lows. I fully understand this, but it doesn't mean I don't feel completely beat up at the end of a hard day and yes, hard days are relative.

The day started off well enough with a great play date with some awesome friends, tasty quiche, and a fun photo shoot for a book that we are making. Yes, a book, because we are the coolest mommies around town!

After this, it started to go downhill. My Small Human got a 20 minute power nap on our drive home, despite all my psychotic efforts to keep him awake. I sang Lithium, Toxic, Jingle Bells, and the theme song to Sesame Street at the top of my lungs while clapping at every stop and screaming "Yay! Woohoo!" and pinching his feeties, to keep his eyes open. When we got home he was more awake than Ernie on cocaine.

Then the cranky whining began, accompanied by much drooling and what I think was gum pain. After this was screaming, the throwing of any object within reach, and repeatedly falling on his face. He only cheered up on our walk. It was too brief, but so wonderful and very much needed by both of us!

I looked in the mirror tonight after this long and difficult day and I looked older. Obviously this is inevitable, being on borrowed time, but is this even something I can control? Will trying to relax and not worry help? I know I make such a big deal out of napping but the fact is, if he doesn't sleep life is just plain crappy.

My only consolation is that even amidst the tumult, we still managed to live and love and sing and dance. Just another day in the life of a stay at home momie.

How can we not be cheered up by this beautiful west coast weather?

And then the non-stop crying came back. He was soooo tired.

30 seconds after I took the last crying picture

No Humble Bragging Here

If you want to brag, just come right out and do it. Don't pretend it's anything other than what it is, because everyone can see right through it anyway. You know what I'm talking about. We can also see through your pity party when you fish for compliments. People can tell when you are being genuine or full of it, I promise you!

My complaints about my body were SO genuine that it was starting to get depressing for me and annoying for everyone who had to hear about it. But now I am finally in a place where I am happy and on the right track to being healthy Lilibeth again. Of course, this happens right before we are starting to think about baby number two. Fabulous.

I gained 40lbs when I was pregnant with Noah, and I'm not ashamed of it. I'm not going to lie and say I only gained 22.75lbs. I gained a bunch of weight, had a million stretch marks, and had a perfectly healthy, happy pregnancy and baby. I had a Cesarean section because his head was facing the wrong way and was too large to fit through my cervix after 18 hours of labour. I breastfed for just under 6 months. There is no shame in breastfeeding for less, and there is no medal for doing it for longer, so we all need to stop lying about it or feeling shame and guilt over it.

14 months after Small Human's birth, and after three false starts, I am happily back to my old body. My skin is a little saggier in the belly region, but I honestly had no idea I could get it back as much as I did. I feel stronger, slightly more energetic, and absolutely more confident! I did this in 2 weeks of pretty much eating a little bit better and exercising moderately. I'm pissed at myself for not doing it sooner, cause I was able to do it so damn quickly.

I'm bragging and proud of it! Mostly, I'm relieved to have my confidence back. Man is motherhood tough! Everyone thinks you just pop back to normal physically, emotionally and mentally, but that's just not the case. I'd like to be more active for the next pregnancy, so that I can keep it up and not lose too much steam. With Noah, I had a subconscious fear of losing the baby if I did anything beyond walking around. That was dumb, especially since I wasn't a high risk pregnancy.

If my lazy, McDonald's loving butt can do it, anyone can!

No sticking my arm out to make it look skinnier, no angling, just me.

Noah Goes to Pike Place Market

Small Human and I started the week off right, with sunshine, proper napping, lots of eating and drinking, and a brisk walk down to the market! Seattle is known for it's very famous Pike Place Market, and Noah's already been many times in his 14 months on earth. (Even in utero)

We said hi to Rachel the Pig and the fish throwers, we snacked on Beecher's cheese curds and French pastries from Le Panier, and even brought some home for Dada so he doesn't feel left out. Then we went to Momie's favourite Italian grocery store to get some fresh goat cheese & caramelized onion ravioli for dinner! I made it with vodka sauce, yum!

Noah laughed at all the dogs we met, including one positively enormous and gorgeous Irish Wolfhound, who wished Noah a very happy St. Paddy's Day. The mirth that overcomes my son when he sees a friendly animal is just infectious to everyone within earshot, and so beautiful! If I ever question what it is that I did in life, I can at least say that I gave the world one very happy little boy with a lust for life and meatballs.

Before we headed back home, we stopped at City Target for a diaper change, Sephora for moisturizer (where we are embarrassingly well recognized), and the GAP because of their 40% off the whole store including sale items! We scored a $20 Paddington Bear shirt for $6, woohoo!

Small Human's tooth count is at 11 now, going on 12 but it was a good day because it seemed pretty pain-free, thank goodness. I am happy to report that we were monsterless today, only lots of smiles, giggles, singing and dancing.

With his favourite toy, my kitchen towel. (Tidbit Ball photo bomb)

My monkey sitting in a very small box. No he isn't pooping.

Baby Monster

I just realized that sometimes, I treat my son like he's a monster. I am not afraid of him per se, but I do catch myself trying to appease him or act like accidentally waking him up would destroy the whole village.

Ever since I was a teen, my hips crack when I initially start to walk. It's weird I know, but most people have a similar problem with their knees so you know what I'm talking about. Okay, I am not saying that this is something that I do regularly (anymore), but after I lay Small Human down in his crib, to avoid disturbing him with my oddly loud hip joints, I shuffle out of the room backwards, hunched over like I'm genuflecting, and using my legs from the knees down only.

It makes me feel like I'm Will Ferrell in some silly movie, and I often have to resist the urge to burst out laughing. I have woken him up with my cracking joints before, so I'm not crazy! Not only do I do this, but I also avoid making eye contact with Monster and try to leave his line of sight as fast as humanly possible. The things we do as mothers.

My freakish mommy behaviour usually only manifests when my son is teething, of course. If you are a mother, you'll understand how calling your baby a monster isn't far off base when they are teething. They're in pain so naturally they'll be ornery. The thing is, if my baby is ornery,  I will also be ornery which in turn makes my husband ornery. Then we're just one big ornery family. Hence the monster-appeasing.

If this kind of odd behaviour has been occurring in your house, it is not unique to your family, I promise! We've all been through it, you are not alone. I just wanted to put that out there so that you know "your people" understand. We've all got our own little monsters.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Kiss him, he's 1/4 Irish :)

Pay Things Forward

Being so far away from most of our friends and family, we didn't get a lot of help when Noah was first born. It was tough, but we did it. And we are so eternally grateful to the people who did come to visit and help us out. Postpartum Lilibeth was not a happy camper. I was in a lot of pain, still swollen, kinda sad, had a lot of headaches, and was just generally bitchy and tired over all.

If you're anything like me, you'll hate asking people for help and might even decline any help when it's offered to you. Please take it from me: Accept all offers of help. You know why? Because it won't last long. Once your baby is older, people seem to think you've got the whole parenting thing figured out and won't help you anymore. This makes me sound really entitled, but that's not what I mean, I'm just pointing out a reality.

Obviously, at some point you and your partner need to get your act together and raise your child like everyone else in the world does. Then, once you're finally settled, and kindasortamaybe know what you're doing, when it comes time to help out your fellow new parents, pay it forward with acts of kindness.

For the love of God, bring those poor, sleepless souls some coffee grounds, milk, eggs and bread. Bring them a giant package of toilet paper, and a whole balanced dinner to eat. Fold their endless amounts of laundry for them. Wash their dishes, or take out their garbage and recycling. Watch baby for 20 minutes while they take a much needed shower or nap. It doesn't take much to save someone's sanity, so why not?

The world would be a much better place if we thought about others more. Happy parents have happy children, and happy children are healthy children who will one day run our world. Happy weekend, friends, spread the love.

The Truth About Stretch Marks

I'm really not sure why stretch mark creams even exist. Probably so some lucky schmuck can make loads of money by preying on desperate pregnant ladies. If you religiously slathered cream on your belly during pregnancy and didn't get stretch marks, it's probably cause it isn't in your genes to get stretch marks anyway.

You have probably deduced that it is also predetermined by your genetics if you will get them. I was part of the unlucky stretch mark lot. My first one showed up right at the beginning of my third trimester. I was horrified. I think I cried. I am also pretty sure I took a picture of the offending first stretch mark and sent it to all my friends for their opinions and analyses. 

By the end of my pregnancy, I had huge streaks under my belly and on my sides. My worst stretch mark moment came after my c-section with Noah, when my doctor finally removed my dressing. I had an allergic reaction to the glue and it caused my biggest stretch mark to rip open and bleed. I have all the luck.

Once baby has arrived, the state of your stomach skin is the least of your problems! You forget about it, and slowly but surely, they start to fade. Mine are still apparent over a year later, but they don't bother me much. I think the norm is for them to fade to white or skin colour again.

So for all you first time expectant mothers, don't bother with expensive creams, even though I know you are tempted! Just moisturize to keep the itch down to a minimum, and focus instead on strengthening your core before you get too big to lie on your back. It'll help to get your stomach back to normal more quickly postpartum. If you're curious about your genetics, ask the women in your family if they got stretch marks cause that is absolutely the best indicator of whether you'll get them or not.

Here's a picture of how my worst stretchmarks look today. They have faded to a pinkish brown and some are shiny white. They used to be very dark and huge. I dunno, they may be ugly to some but I'm kinda proud of them. :)

Miss Sensitive Lips

My name is Elizabeth, and I have a lip balm addiction. If for some reason the Lip Balm police had a search warrant and ransacked my house for evidence of owning too many lip balm products, I would be beyond busted. 

In my defense, this is because finding ones that I am not allergic to is like my hobby. Your run of the mill drugstore balms just don't cut it with my sensitive lips, well except for most EOS balms. Chapstick, Blistex, Carmex and the like leave my lips scaly, more dry than when I started, or produce an itchy, bumpy, rough rash that sometimes weeps. Yes, weeps, it's awful, no one wants painful weepy lips.

This is why when friends mention lip balms that they love that sound too good to be true in awesomeness, I am always wary. However, I am willing to give them a try because: addict. My lovely and gorgeous buddy Christina had been raving about these Hurraw vegan lip balms that she was obsessed with, not just because of a great product that delivered but because the company offered impeccable customer service as well. 

How can I not be lured by that, I mean, seriously? Well, I gave them a try and I am pretty impressed so far. I bought the Coconut, Almond and Orange, and they gave me a Black Cherry one as a freebie! Apparently this is common practice, which I truly appreciate because I go through lip balm like it's going out of style.

They're pricey but worth a try at $3.79 a pop for the "regular" balms, plus $2.95 shipping to the US. Obviously it's more cost effective if you buy a bunch. They're vegan, organic, fair trade, preservative-free, non-toxic (not as duh-worthy as you might think), and they smell great, fragranced with fresh pressed oils. The almond is to die for if you're an almond kinda gal or guy.

The best part for me: No bumps or weepiness, just healthy, regular lips that are soft. Hurraw balms aren't my number one favourite, that honour goes to Badger's Classic Lip Balm Stick in Madacascar Vanilla, but it's always nice to find a fun, new product from a truly great little company.

You can find them here!: Hurraw!