Random Thoughts From a Mommy

It's funny how when I was pregnant, I thought time went by so slowly. As soon as Bryanna was born, I blinked and it's already been 6 weeks. It's the weirdest thing. Well, it's been 6 weeks and we're still alive and awake! Let's recap, shall we? Bryanna is a completely different baby than Mackenzie. They told me each baby was different, but I don't think I really anticipated how different they would be. First of all, Bryanna feeds amazingly. She eats for about 10 minutes at a time every 3 hours (4 to 4.5 hours at night). Mackenzie was a slow feeder and I would have to wake her up to feed every 3 hours (if I didn't, she could go 5 hours without a feed!). Bryanna is gaining weight like a normal baby. She is already past 9 lbs at 6 weeks! I swear she will be wearing the same size clothes as Mack soon! (Ok, I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean) Mack has been amazing with Bree. Every morning, she asks for Bree and gives her at least 5 kisses ...

It all started innocently enough. I started having contractions around Boxing Day. They were so inconsistent though I knew they weren't real. This continued for a few days so I had huge hope that Baby Dime would greet us earlier than its due date of Jan. 13. Then last Sunday morning, I woke up at 4 in the morning from a bit of a nightmare (a skytrain veered off its tracks). I felt my first contraction and started timing them. For the next 2 hours, they were consistently at about 7-10 minutes apart. I woke Bryan up and told him that "today is the day!" It was hard to believe and exciting at the same time. I even told my sister to take the day off work because the baby was coming. I was convinced that within 12 hours, the baby would be here. Then the contractions started getting further and further apart. They started ranging from 10-30 mins apart. We went to IHOP for breakfast, I even had a nap! My hope for Baby Dime to greet us diminished. I told Kelly to go to work b...

I realize this post is a bit late as we're already 5 days into the New Year. Better late than never I say! Here are the top 10 moments of 2012 :) 10.) Mackenzie walking - one of the most memorable moments of 2012. Mostly because she took her first steps AND we were able to capture it on video! Of course, our lives were never the same after this girl became mobile, but overall, it's been worth it! 9.) Mackenzie's first birthday - I can't even believe we survived our first year! Her party was a success and I also found out ON her actual birthday that she's going to be a big sister. Turning one was a huge moment, but more importantly, she just became a super sponge afterwards. The fun times really began after that :) Mackenzie - you continue to teach me so many lessons and I love you so much. Thank you for making the 2012 fairly easy (you're in the testing phase right now, so you're averaging about 3 time outs a day!). And thank you for transitioning into e...

It's been 10 weeks since my last post. I wish I hadn't slacked off, because I'm bound to miss a lot in between, but better late than never, right? Where to start? Where to start? We had beautiful weather here in Vancouver right from when I got back from Edmonton to Thanksgiving. This is unheard of. We spent every single day outdoors at the park. It was awesome. Since the park is only a 2 minute walk from our place, we wouldn't normally take the stroller. But a 2 minute walk turns into a 20 minute walk when you have a toddler around. She stops to look at...everything. Every crack on the side walk, smell every bush, touch every tree. At first I would get really impatient and try to hurry her along. But then after awhile I realized that this was such a blessing. We have the most curious kid ever who is just so present in everything that she's enjoying every moment. I learned to be patient, slowed down, and let Mack explore as long as she liked to. Mackenzie sig...

It's been so long I will have to break this up into 2 posts. I'm now almost 19 weeks preggo (gosh, almost half way!) and I'm officially a yoga instructor. It's crazy and umm...crazy! Where to start? The 5 weeks that I was in Edmonton was not nearly as torturous as I thought it'd be. I was so busy with school, homework, yoga classes and socializing that I really didn't have much time to miss a lot. And it helped with phoning and skyping every day with Bryan and the munchkin. It really wasn't until the last week that I was anxious to see them. So, the reunion: For a week before the course ended, I told Bryan that I would just take a flight home on the Friday night to avoid the 12-hour plus drive to Edmonton with a one-year old. But he insisted. He insisted it would be "fun". And so, with much anticipation, on Thursday night, I waited and waited and waited. And finally, the arrived! (after a very very long drive) I got up to the car, Mack to...

Dear Mackenzie, The last time I saw you was exactly a week ago where I hugged you tight at the airport with tears streaming down my face. I reluctantly left security with one last glance at daddy holding you by the door waving goodbye and blowing the last few kisses my way. I didn't know how I was going to last the day, let alone for over a month. Here I am, the first week. I've loved skyping with you every evening after school. I love that you are so distracted every time we're on the computer because you so desperately want to play with the keyboard. Sometimes, you crank your neck to watch TV. But the moments when I do get your attention, it's been well worth while. I wanted to write you today to let you know, your dad is my hero. The past couple months have been really hard. Since we found out you were going to be a big sister in January, I've been completely drained of energy and hugging the toilet at least once a day. On beautiful days that we did t...

Well, this week marked my journey of Yoga Teacher Training. It also marked the first time I'm away from Mackenzie and Bryan for a whole month. The time crept up pretty quickly. Or maybe I was in denial. I really didn't feel anything until the night before I left. I was putting Mackenzie down to bed for the last time for a month, and I held her and cried for 10 minutes. Mackenzie gave me a weird look, but indulged me with a few cuddles. Then the next morning, I was unusually quiet. And the tears started rolling about 10 minutes before we even left the door to go to the airport. I continued to cry at the airport, through security (while Mack and Bryan stood at the door to wave goodbye and blew me a million kisses), and while waiting for to board. I thought I was going to cry through the whole flight. That was, until I set beside 20-month old twin girls who screamed the entire flight. The mom looked so apologetic. I gently reassured her that I have a 14-month old myself....