Random Thoughts From a Mommy

Want to know what happens when you run out of drugs that help you cope with nausea? Everyone suffers. By everyone, I really just mean me and Bryan. I am a lump on the couch, I am hugging the toilet, I can't eat, but I have to eat, I am tired, I am sleeping, I am  the least helpful person on the planet of the earth. Needless to say, Bryan has to pick up the slack. He is getting up at 6 in the morning to go for his 5 km daily run. He comes home, takes a shower, then takes Mackenzie out of bed. Change her, play with her, feed her, and play some more. By the time I get up, there isn't much more I need to do. Not that I could anyway. I can barely get the energy to pick her up and bring her down for a nap. Bryan cooks lunch, feeds the munchkin, feeds me, and barely feeds himself. He cooks dinner, and sometimes clean. I know it's only been 6 weeks of me being sick, but already, I feel like the world's worst wife EVER. I know a lot of you are tired of me going on ...

I wasn't really sure if this was something we would announce or it would just naturally come out, but I figured eventually people would start asking, so I might as well write a post about it now. After months of contemplating, praying, discussing, and more praying, Bryan and I have left our main business (with Higher Laws). It was a difficult decision to say the least - we brought that company to Canada and it was our identity for the past 3 years. Leaving meant finding us in the business world all over again, it meant figuring out a brand new step. This is both exciting and nerve-wrecking to say the least. So far, we have a few ideas on the table, but nothing concrete. Few things are for sure: We love people and we love teaching. Most likely our new business will involve both. So stay tuned :) A lot of people will ask why. And we can't exactly pin point any reason. It is a decision based solely on faith. One thing I want to make sure is not lost in this surprise though...

Growing up in a household of women, we didn't celebrate Father's Day. Even with Bryan's 2 kids, with their religious backgrounds, we never celebrated Father's Day either. So this year during all the chaos of Mackenzie, I was a bit of a failure in provider a great Father's Day for Bryan. We didn't do a fancy dinner, we didn't do presents. All I did was wake up extra early to take care of Mack while Bryan slept in, and I made eggs benedict for breakfast. Obviously, I need a little more practice at this. I would take this chance to express all the things I'm grateful about Bryan, but I almost feel a bit lame doing it on Father's Day. It almost seems too...cliche. And so, I won't. I hope that my past posts and future ones paint a picture well enough of what a wonderful husband and dad Bryan is. If not, I will have to make sure I do better from now on! Having said that - Happy Father's Day. To Bryan, to my dad who's no longer with ...

As soon as Mack turned one, not only did she turn into a super sponge, she also turned into a super eater. There's not much she wouldn't eat (she doesn't like mushy stuff) and we no longer have to supplement with rice cereal. She's sleeping better and she started growing a belly. I decided to go and weigh her today. Last month, she weighed in at 17 lbs 4 oz (I had a big freak out, because she actually LOST weight...again). I was beginning to think that she'll never get to be front facing EVER. But I also knew she had gotten heavier. Carrying her has been more exhausting lately, and picking up another one of her friends the other day, Mack actually weighed heavier than her. Which is a first. She's now at 19 lbs 3 oz! That's 2 lbs in a month! I could hardly believe it. She also grew almost an inch. Guess she went through a huge growth spurt! She's growing out of her 9 months clothes and fitting into her 12 months clothes perfectly now. It's...

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day in Vancouver. There was blue sky and there was sun. Even though I felt like death, I was determined to take Mackenzie out to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather. (A rarity this month for some reason) The weather was so gorgeous that during lunch with Mack, I opened the patio door to let some fresh air in. I was looking forward to finally feeling the sun on my face! Half hour later, we were getting ready. I looked out, and not a patch of blue sky. It was overcast, it was windy. No matter which way I looked, not even a glimmer of blue anywhere. I pouted, I whined, and I seriously almost cried. I even made Bryan DRIVE to try to find blue sky for me. I was SO mad that I had missed the one gorgeous day we had this week (and the forecast predicts rain for another 4 days!). I had a tantrum and even got mad at God in my head. I went through 5 stages of grief. I tried to negotiate to have at least 5 minutes of blue sky for anything. Nothing worked. ...

I was reading another blog about poison control, and I can't believe I actually forgot to blog about our poison control experiences. You read that right. Not one experience. But ExerienceS. Which means more than one. The first time was months ago. Maybe 6 months ago when Mackenzie was mobile. My milk supply was going low, and I decided to take Fenugreek on a regular basis. Then one night, Mackenzie was unusually quiet. I picked her up, and she smelled suspiciously like maple syrup. I'm not sure if you know this, but ingesting Fenugreek makes you sweat and smell like maple syrup. How she found one is still a mystery to me. At first, I wasn't going to do anything about it. But upon second thoughts, I figured I should at least TRY to be a responsible mom. So I called poison control. I don't even know if poison control even knew what Fenugreek was. They told me it was fine. It was an all natural herb. And at worst, she might have diarrhea or something. She was...

A couple of weeks ago, Bryan and I were at a wedding. Which meant that my mom had to look after Mackenzie from 2 pm until bed time. At 6 pm, I had a missed call and a voicemail. The voicemail went like this: "Carly, it's an emergency! Call me!" So, I called. Mom: Oh my God! She fell down the stairs! Me: (calmly) Ok, breathe, what happened? Mom: She fell! Oh my God! She fell! Me: Is she conscious? Mom: Yes Me: Did she cry? Mom: Yes of course! Me: Is she crying now? Mom: No. Me: I think she's fine. Mom: She fell from the top right to the bottom! (and continues the freak out) This is from a mom who REFUSES to drive Mackenzie anywhere because she's too afraid she'd crash. So after the stair crashing incident? Probably no driving for a very long time. The good news was that Mackenzie was totally fine. We came back hours later to check on her and she was sleeping well. She was back to herself the next day babbling and running everywhere. What melts m...

I told Amanda the other day that I don't remember feeling this bad last time. She said that when she saw me, I looked better this time around than I did last time. Obviously, I have forgotten. This time around, I am out and about a lot more because of Mackenzie. Last time, I remember being a bit of a hermit, because I didn't want to see or socialize with anyone. Most days, I feel like this. I want to curl up in a ball. But, with a one-year old - that's the luxury that's no longer there. I'm forced to go out to the park, to go out to birthday parties, and sometimes, even socialize (yikes!). Even with taking diclectin, I'm throwing up at least once a day. I find that the time it hits the worst is after 5:30 pm - after that, I'm a zombie until bed. Even with days of sleeping 10 hours, it just never seems to be enough. I'm falling asleep while Mackenzie is playing in the family room with the TV on (yup, I'm that horrible mom who lets her child ...