Month: January 2024

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Teething Early

Posted on by Mama

As mentioned in a previous post, Valeria has begun her teething early. Normally children begin from four to seven months of age and others say six to twelve (the internet is so indecisive geez), however she is three months. Her two little top teeth can be seen starting to come out and I feel for her. It can’t be easy to have that discomfort and pain after everything she has already been through.

She has been relatively calm about it so far, though today she has been fussier then normal, making this new sound we never heard before. It seems almost like a bit of a whining pain noise, I can’t really describe it, but we’ve attributed this with her teething. She then proceeds to drool ALL over her onesie and chew on her hand. Indicating to us, it’s time for her toys.

We have this all natural teething medicine, but we are trying to hold off on it until she really needs it.

Instead, we have found that she really enjoys cold teething toys and cold choochies (pacifiers), it seems to help with the discomfort. We also found that she likes gnawing on her wooden teething ring, but not really sure why with that one. She tends to want to chew and suck on our fingers too, but please if you let your baby do this, Wash Your Hands! I know that’s self explanatory, but it still needs to be said.

If you are interested in the wooden rings or the silicone fruit, I highly recommend. The wooden teether is called Loulou Lollipop – Bubble Silicone and Wood Teether and the others we found on amazon. There are so many on there, the package we bought off amazon came with: a grape, a strawberry, a banana, a giraffe and some finger brushes. Though the finger brushes seem more like a little gum massager. Valeria isn’t a huge fan of the strawberry, but she seems to like everything else.

Since she has been drooling and blowing little spit bubbles quite a bit from the started, I noticed that her skin on her face and cheeks began to get dry in spots and a bit of a rash in others. I put a dab of breast milk on the area and it seemed to help (please understand I am no longer breast feeding however I still have a teeny tiny bit of milk still there). I’ve found a small touch of coconut oil helped the dry parts as well. I’m constantly keeping her face dry now, wiping it with her burp cloth whenever I can. Seems to be helping to alleviate the rash and dryness.

So my tips:

  1. Cool/cold teething toys and pacifiers – wonderful to help soothe sore gums
  2. Wash your hands before letting your baby chew and gnaw on your finger or knuckle
  3. Try different toys to see what your baby enjoys and what they don’t – they may not like certain textures
  4. Massage their gums when you can, if your baby allows you (Valeria hates us digging around in there)
  5. If your baby is drooling a lot, try to keep their chin and cheeks dry the best you can – burp cloths are amazing for this!
  6. If a rash or dryness occurs on their face, try a bit of breast milk (mamas if you are able and are producing, but if not that’s okay!) OR a teeny bit of coconut oil. Just don’t make your baby look like they are about to go out and get a tan
  7. Patience. Your baby is going to get fussy and cranky and all they want is love, comfort and soothing from mom and dad.

Hope this helped even a little. It is what my husband and I are finding to works at the current moment, but I will keep you all posted on her two little teeth!

Ciao!

Posted in Health & Wellness

Trying To Find Balance

Posted on by Mama

Today was a rough day for me, extremely emotional to say the least. I wasn’t sure I was even in the mood to write my post today, but I couldn’t bring myself to break this new habit. It’s a bit of a reflective and candid blog post today.

Since the birth of my daughter, I’ve been quiet about the emotional turmoil going on inside. Before you say, “POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION!”, trust me it’s not that. I know depression all too well from my teens and early twenties. What I’ve been feeling is different, almost lonesome and poor self-image.

I had to admit this to my husband today. Not an easy conversation for us to have and one that was very self-reflecting for him as well.

And hold that thought….laundry needs to be put in the dryer! *Plays cute hold music* Okay, where was I…ah yes, revealing to my husband how unbalanced my life seems and how my emotions have been wreaking havoc internally.

Now please don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my life, but I don’t feel myself. I feel unbalanced and what I mean by that is, I don’t have an outlet other than blogging every day. Leaving the house has been…difficult with this terrible weather recently. I don’t have an activity or class to attend once a week. My close friends and family all live far, except for one, but I don’t see her often any more. The weight gain after the pregnancy was due to the stress of breastfeeding, so that is winding down some, but definitely making my weight loss a bit of a struggle to get rolling. That blasted scale is evil I tell you!

I need to find balance.

My photography is a great outlet for my creative side, along with my wood burning…’I should really get back to that soon‘. Reading has been good lately as well, keeping my mind focused and imaginative. But my physical and social is the real problem.

My weight loss journey will be a long one; Rome wasn’t built in a day, after all. I need to have patience. And I know the pregnancy changed my body in a lot of ways. But it’s hard to look at a picture from before the pregnancy, where I had started my weight loss journey initially and then now. I need my gym outlet back! It was extremely therapeutic for me to go in with my workout plan and just lift weights. The stress, anxiety, everything just melted away and I felt great. I miss it quite a bit. However, now I have to think; When can I go? Who will watch the baby for us? Can I change my schedule to go super early in the morning? All good questions and all without an answer. Unbalanced.

The social aspect; well I thought about mommy support groups and such, but to be completely honest, it doesn’t feel like something I’d enjoy. I thought about taking a class, my husband also suggested it today as well. A cooking class would be nice, or maybe a language class, but not sure where I’d go for that. I do try to keep in touch with my friends and family the best I can, but everyone has their own lives. Understandably so. But what do I do? How do I fix it? Unbalanced.

This doesn’t just happen to pregnant women, I’m sure everyone goes through this at some point in their lives. Maybe I’m just abnormal in this postpartum recovery and this is my time to restructure and re-balance.

How do you deal with your life when it becomes unbalanced?

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Quiet Monday

Posted on by Mama

Another glorious morning….makes me sick! Just kidding, and if you don’t know the movie reference, than you really need to watch Hocus Pocus. Original, not the newer ones…blah. Don’t know why they need to ruin incredible movies with sequels. Sorry tiny rant over….for now….muahaha!

Anyway….

The day was pretty quiet for the most part; Valeria slept quite a bit today and it seems our little one has already got two little top teeth ready to pop out. Teething at three months, oh man. She just can’t wait for anything; seems she wants to be early on a lot, such a determined little soul. I’m pretty sure I can get her walking and maybe starting potty training within the year….we’ll see! I think she gets her determination from me… *smirks*

I updated my agenda or planner, which ever you want to call it, I’m trying to plan out my days and weeks so I’m a little more organized again. And to not feel like a lazy bum trying to remember everything I need to do and appointments.

Speaking of appointments; I was absolutely ticked this afternoon. APPARENTLY, I had a doctor appointment with the new physician who took over the practice from my family physician who retired. However, when I booked this appointment I was informed that it was for February 22nd, not January. The office called me today without leaving a message, which is unusual, so I called them back. I was then informed I missed the appointment. I was not a happy camper, I don’t miss important appointments. Unfortunately, now I have to wait until the end of March to see this new doctor for myself. MARCH! Are you freaking kidding me! I’m to have a meet and greet for my daughter February 2nd, but I might call them to confirm the date and time now. Sad that I have no trust in the receptionists there any longer; now I am going to have to double and triple check whenever I book anything. I miss the old staff I used to know. Needless to say, I was not a happy mama this afternoon after that call.

I don’t enjoy being perceived as flaky or forgetful, because I’m not. I’m usually annoyingly early and extremely punctual. Time is precious; my time, your time, everyone’s! Scheduling is a thing for me and planning ahead (to a degree), hence why I’m using my agenda more in the last year and into this new year. I am a visual person, so an agenda just works. I hate using my phone for stuff like that. Nuh uh, don’t like it.

After I calmed from that whole debacle, I was going to start blogging and watching the latest episode of 90 Day Fiancé, when baby girl woke up. A quick diaper change, a bit of play, a few photos and then passed to daddy so that I could make us some dinner. It’s nice though, they keep me company in the kitchen. I made up this pasta dish, as I usually like to experiment in the kitchen: peas, onions, ground beef, roasted mix vegetables and the sauce was sour cream (there was a small amount left and I wanted the container out of the fridge), Parmesan and a bunch of spices (black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and dried parsley). It turned out pretty good, my husband seemed to enjoy it. It reminded me a bit like stroganoff. A very hearty dinner, my husbands favourite types.

Valeria was a sleepy bear, so we ended up putting her to sleep around nine tonight. So currently she is fast asleep behind me on the couch as I’m writing. But I’m going to end it here and hopefully finish my show, maybe read some more. My book is getting good now…Krampus is after Santa! I’ll do a book review once I’m finished.

I’ve been inspired by another lovely blogger to read more, after reading a post of hers. Go check her out, she is wonderful! https://pinkfordays.wordpress.com/

Ciao!

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Bonus – If you could…

Posted on by Mama

If you could give everything up and move to your dream paradise, would you?

I one hundred percent would! To be able to live in a beautiful cabin, with property surrounded by nature, fresh air and a calming lake. It wouldn’t even be a hesitation.

All I want for my family and I is a peaceful life, where they can grow up appreciating the little things, natural beauty and respecting where our food comes from.

In the world we live in, filled with ever evolving technology, electric cars (in my opinion not a real car) and everyone rushing to get no where, people having no manners at all, well it’s too much for me. Everyone has a focus of money and things, no one appreciates spending time with family/friends, enjoying nature, spending quiet time reading or playing games. Hell, kids don’t even really play outside any more.

I want to get back to a simpler time, one not surrounded solely by things.

So would I give everything up for my peaceful, loving paradise?

Absolutely.

Posted in Health & Wellness

My Struggles About Breastfeeding…

Posted on by Mama

Before I got pregnant, I never really thought about being pregnant and whether I would breastfeed or formula feed. But it’s a pretty important factor into how you want to raise and feed your baby. You can read article and studies galore on each, and I do suggest you research both sides. However, when I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby. It wasn’t even a question, but I was worried I wouldn’t produce enough milk and sadly, my concern was accurate.

As the months passed on and I got closer to my due date, my Midwife suggested I begin to collect Colostrum. For those who don’t know (I didn’t have a clue), Colostrum is “liquid gold” for babies. Colostrum is the first milk that your body produces while you are pregnant and a few days after you give birth; it is almost like a light amber or yellow colour. Colostrum contains many different elements for supporting growth, development and immune defense for your baby.

We bought 1 ml syringes and I went to town! I was producing quite a bit of Colostrum, I was able to fill about 10-12 syringes and it looked promising for my milk production. At least that’s what my husband and I thought.

In the coming weeks following up to my daughter’s birth, I kept watching videos on proper latching, different positions for feeding, signs and remedies for sore nipples/blocked ducts. You name it, I watched or read it and I was ready!

When my daughter was born, we attempted to breast feed her and she latched immediately. Both my Midwife and Doula were stunned! My Doula even said “This normally doesn’t happen for first time mom’s, where the baby just latches so naturally.” It made me feel very proud of myself and proud of her that she took to my breast so quickly.

The following days, weeks and months however, was a different story all together. Not only was I dealing with a bit of Postpartum depression, but I was struggling to feed my baby. She wasn’t gaining much weight after her birth and she was wailing from starvation; unknown to my husband and I until our midwife pointed it out. Unfortunately, we needed to implement formula to make up for my lack of production. It devastated me and I felt like a failure.

I can’t describe the emotional toll breastfeeding and the struggles I had with it really took on me. It’s something only another struggling mom would understand. It was a beautiful bond with my daughter; to feed and nourish her from me. But that bond was broken when my milk supply tanked from sickness.

I tried everything and I mean EVERYTHING! Multiple different supplements and drops, lactation cookies, power pump sessions, pumping every hour, etc. You name it, I tried it. And for a short time my supply went up from these drops called – Milk Aplenty by Rumina. Baby girl was feeding hourly, I was pumping and even leaking some mornings when I got up from bed. Too much info probably I know, but I’m being real. Things were going amazing and I began to be hopeful at her 2 month mark.

Then….the bomb struck….

We all got really sick: our daughter, my husband and I. Two months old and extremely sick. So, not only had my body been under stress from breastfeeding and trying everything in my power for my production but now I had stress from caring/worrying about my sick daughter. Then my eardrum ruptured from my sickness as I was incredibly congested and that was it. Antibiotics and a slew of other meds and my supply plummeted.

For weeks after I tried to bring it back up, and unfortunately my daughter stopped latching to me when she got sick. Her congestion was so bad she couldn’t feed without having her nasal passages cleared first. I tried latching her a few times, but gave up on that too. I didn’t want her crying and stressed out while I tried to latch/feed her, she didn’t even want to be near my nipples. That was a terrible feeling.

I felt defeated, devastated, hopeless and a total failure to her. I tried. I was determined and ultimately I couldn’t succeed.

My husband was supportive, and kept encouraging me to try. I’d get upset with him when he would make suggestions or try to be encouraging. It wasn’t right, but it became a very sensitive topic for me. I didn’t want any advice about it near the end. And when I finally decided to give up, he hugged me and said “You are more then just milk baby, you are a wonderful mother and gave what you could.” I will always remember that.

I feel like women don’t discuss the struggles of breastfeeding as openly, or maybe that’s just my opinion. But it needs to be discussed more. So, if you are a mom struggling, do your best and give your baby what you can. And don’t let anyone dictate when you should stop trying, only you know when you are emotionally and physically spent, especially in this department. Know that I am here for you and I know your struggles.

Now I can be less stressed and focus on my beautiful baby girl Valeria and truly cherishing her developmental moments.

I’m here if you need me.

Ciao

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Baby It’s Cold Outside…

Posted on by Mama

This morning we woke up to a wonderful snowfall, actually a little bit of a winter storm. As we gazed out the window, baby girl was mesmerized the the snow; little fluffy pillows of snow fell from the grey sky, blanketing our barren trees and shrubs. Depressing and beautiful all at the same time.

I sat there thinking “Another day inside, how boring…” and it’s true. It’s exactly how I felt, I’m tired of being inside in this frigid cold recently. I miss our daily walks with the baby, now we sit around like couch potatoes. Not ideal when you are a mama trying to lose weight! Our dog on the other hand is loving the snow, the little fluff ball is 14 and acts like a puppy when it comes to this weather. Silly girl!

What a better way to pass the time than to go out in the front yard and take some photos. The photos above this paragraph is the start of the snowfall. It continued throughout the day, stopping only briefly once or twice. The photos below are later in the day.

Valeria had a tough time napping again, taking 20-30 minute naps at a time. Not really sure why, but I’m finding weekends are her toughest days. I wonder if it’s because my parents are home and she hears more noise throughout the house. We are fortunate that she was in a good mood all day, even with the little sleep she had.

Baby girl spent some time with grandma and grandpa as well. My parents love spending time with her. My dad’s face just lights up whenever he sees her, and he adores playing with her and making her smile. Mom doesn’t want to put her down whenever she is spending time with her, it’s so cute to watch them with her.

My husband cleaning his car – FYI this is not his usual winter attire, however not surprising to see in Canada!

This afternoon, I suggested that my husband to clean off his car so it doesn’t pile up too much and potentially freeze. That’s what you are witnessing above.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet and fairly boring. We had hoped to do some errands, but with the weather that changed our plans. I uploaded my photos to my Instagram, I think I got some good shots.

Weight loss journey update – I’ve been on a streak for logging my food and drinking at least 10 glasses of water a day. Sadly, my steps have dwindled since we can’t do our hour walks lately. I should really figure out a workout plan I can do inside for days like these. Maybe I can find some suggestions online. If you have any suggestions let me know! My husband says it seems like I’ve slimmed down, but the scale says otherwise. Who knows!

Baby girl is wailing and I hear mad shushing from my husband, so it’s time for mom energy.

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Laughter!

Posted on by Mama

Today was extremely chilly outside, so it was another indoor day. Valeria woke up in a good mood and to entertain her, we placed the play mat down for her to kick and touch. It has a little piano for her to kick and different sensory toys, it’s great and to watch her being able to interact with it finally is amazing. She is kicking up a storm now and able to reach up, she loves the music the piano keys creates. It’s a bonus because this entertains her AND causes exhaustion. Mommy win! Makes getting her down for naps much easier lately.

This is the play mat, it’s great!

Later in the day, after her first nap, my husband sang “Are you happy and you know it” and helped her clap her hands and she was loving it! She was having such a great time, she finally laughed! An actually full on laugh, it was so cute! We were even able to capture a video of it! The way her face lit up as she laughed, it seriously melted my heart.

There are so many emotions I’ve felt in the last three months, it’s truly unbelievable. I can’t explain it, but the best way to describe it is this; it’s as if you are watching yourself as a kid learning and growing, to see the wonder in your mini me’s face as they explore and discover their voice, their emotions, their body. Even if it’s not always great, it’s always strangely beautiful. As a parent, you watch but you also grow, learn and change as well. To be proud and astonished by the little human you’ve created, or multiple little humans.It’s seriously a blessing.

But her smile, that laughter….my God it was wondrous. Can you be too obsessed with your kid? Pft, no! Okay maybe, but c’mon people it’s my first kid of course I’m obsessed with everything she’s doing! I’m just happy we were able to capture the moment.

Alright, okaaaaaay, I’ll move along now. The rest of the day was pretty ordinary; made bread this morning, cooked bacon in the oven, feedings and naps for baby girl (with play time thrown in-between), dinner, a bit of video gaming (while she slept of course…mommy needs fun too) and the day flew by.

My husband was able to put Valeria down for the night after he came back from his Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) sparring session tonight. Not surprised, she was pretty exhausted, she only had about a half hour nap while he was gone.

Anyway, I’m exhausted myself since I was up at 7:30 this morning. Just couldn’t get back to sleep after baby girl woke up for a diaper change and quick feeding. Early bird gets the worm and all that nonsense. Honestly, just not a morning person, but who is? Seriously….

Let me know, are you a morning person? I’m a night owl personally, except for today….forced awake ugh. Now my butt is off to relax with some Bob’s Burgers and than bed.

Ciao!

Posted in Travel/Vacations

To Dream…

Posted on by Mama
Amalfi Coast – Photo found on Google Images

Did you dream of far off lands as a kid, teen, young adult, even now as an adult? The places you would travel to, the experiences, the people you’d meet, THE FOOD! I have…

Today I was thinking about that a lot. On this chilly winter day, I was dreaming of the sound of waves crashing on the soft sandy beach, the feel of the warm sun-rays on my skin, the smell of the salty sea air, the sweet sticky gelato melting as I try to eat it….oh what a beautiful dream.

I’ve never been to Europe, sad isn’t it? An Italian whose never been to Italy…don’t remind me! But I had grand plans when I was younger to travel, to see the world. Unfortunately, lack of funds, my mother scared to death of my safety, along with the fact no one would come along, partially stopped me. That, and the fact I started a boring job for a big corporate company that chained me to a desk. Never again will I allow that to happen! Now, we have Valeria (our daughter). And in a year or so, we will try for another.

“Your life is over, forget about travelling…” I’ve heard that a number of times, but honestly I don’t believe that’s true. It will just look a little different than the romantic getaway I had in mind for my husband and I.

Our kids are Italian/Romanian, so I’d like for them to know their heritage, to see where our ancestors come from, to experience beauty in history, art, culinary cuisine. I want them to be well-travelled and cultured. But not in a pompous, I know it all sort of way. I want to give them a life that I couldn’t have. Plus, I want to see the wonder and amazement in their eyes as they experience new places. I also want them to remember.

I’ll be honest, I’m trying to visualize my dream vacation; oh how I would love to drink and cook my way through Italy or visiting Dracula’s Castle in Romania or walking along the cobblestone streets of Santorini, Greece or visiting the courthouse of the Salem Witch Trials…just think about that! Though I have a number of dream vacations in mind: Italy, Romania, Scotland, Ireland, England, Salem Massachusetts, Portugal, Greece, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Greenland, Florida Keys and the list goes on and on! Of course now we have to incorporate Disney Land in there for the kids and I’m sure there are other places I can’t think of right now.

So as I stare at my sleeping baby girl, I wonder if she will have the same teenage dreams of travel as I did. I wonder where she would want to go first. Where would you go on your dream vacation? Have you travelled anywhere life changing? I’d love to hear about it!

Sadly, I feel like an old lady and literally yawning as I’m finishing up this post. So I’m going to call it a night….at 9:20 PM. Geez I am old! Until next time.

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Cold!

Posted on by Mama

Not much to really report today, it was an intensely frigid day outside. I really hated the fact we had to bring our daughter out into that cold and wind. Let me tell you, -8 Celsius here feels like you are chilled all the way down to your bones and you can’t shake the cold. I may just be a wimp, but I’ve also lived in central Canada in -40 to -50 some days and it was a dry cold, not this bone chilling crap we experience. There was a wind and cold advisor last night, it even got down to -25 Celsius here, disgusting.

We would have never brought our daughter outside, but we were heading home. We made a quick pit-stop at the big European grocery store (a regular occurrence whenever we visit my mother-in-law. A gust of wind blew into my daughter’s face and oh my God…..I never want to see that horrified little face again. She began to wail so hard that when she called down she made that hiccup sound. I hate that sound, it seriously makes me sad to hear her that upset. My husband blasted the heat to get her nice and warm, she was snug in her bunting bag (a cozy sack that is attached to her car seat, it looks like this:

To be honest, that bunting bag is a blessing! Highly recommend for any parent. She had some milk and passed out as we got on the highway. I sit in the back with her always, it just makes me feel more comfortable and in case she needs me. We always have a bottle at the ready for her, wipes, burp cloth and teething toys.

The drive was good, a bit of traffic on the way home, but once we got away from the city the traffic reduced and it was clear sailing! We got home in about an hour and 40 minutes. More snow had fallen since we left on Monday, but it wasn’t as cold.

We got our daughter inside and then my husband grabbed all the bags and brought them in the house. I unpacked everything while my husband was caring for the peanut. After I unpacked and we got her situated, I needed a shower and make dinner. We had Mac n’ cheese with tuna, something fast and easy.

After dinner, our daughter was exhausted, so I snuggled up with her and put her to bed. She was asleep by nine. We are just relaxing and enjoying some quiet time, my husband is gaming and I’m writing and watching Bob’s Burgers. I’ll have a more exciting post tomorrow, but for now I’m falling asleep here.

Ciao!

Posted in Extra Tidbits

Where Is The Fine Line?

Posted on by Mama

Are you the type of person who is super honest with close friends and family? Or the type to just tell them what they want to hear? Or even the sweet as pie, always positive advice?

I’m the type that is honest, sometimes brutally, if I know you can handle it. I wasn’t always this way, certain life events made me rethink some things in my life. This being one of them.

I’ve always thought of myself as a kind person, always there for friends and family, always a shoulder when they need it and willing to give advice when I can. Unfortunately, most people tend to take advantage of kind souls and it has happened one too many times to me. Those people are no longer apart of my life. But it made me think, could I have said something to change the outcome? Could I have been totally honest with them in advice, who I truly am and how I felt? I don’t think so.

My circle of loved ones, friends and family, has become small and include a few new additions.

Now, when I build new relationships/friendships and they come to me for advice, I blatantly ask “Do you want brutal honesty or you want me to sugarcoat it?” Most people opt for brutal honesty. However, if they get offended or don’t like the advice, is that my fault? I’ve learned as I get older and the years pass, that I don’t intend to keep quiet any more. You want advice, you got it. I’m feeling a certain way, you’ll know it. When I give advice and you keep repeating the same mistake, I’ll start hesitating to give advice.

But where is the fine line? When is it too much honesty for the person receiving it? And do certain circumstances warrant the bullshit pleasantries over speaking the truth? When do you stop giving advice to people who won’t utilize it?

Food for thought ladies and gents.

Ciao!