Life is good.

I wish I had something to say. Seems I'm pretty speechless these days.

I'm happy the weather is lovely this week.

I'm happy that Anti-Kels and Unky Scott are in town.

I'm looking forward to work tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to going to the zoo tomorrow with friends.

All in all, life is good.

Tiny Friends

I think I may have unintentionally brought some friends home from work last night. And I'm not talking about clients. I'm talking bugs.

I'm probably just being paranoid. But I did hug quite a few people, more than usual, and when that happens, the possibility is there.

This happened once before when I was pregnant with Stinx. I kept finding tiny little things in my hair and my head was itchy. I remember it was a Saturday morning and I was so paranoid about it that I went to a walk in clinic. I got in to see the doctor very quickly (I only go as soon as the clinic opens). She was a very nice and polite doctor. She took a quick look at my head and made it very clear.... I was just a paranoid pregnant lady. No bugs. Only dandruff.

Last night I was working in a part of the shelter where I had worked for 4 years. It's the busiest part of the building. There were many people that recognized me and wanted to come say hello with a hug. Hence all the hugs. As I hugged each of my friends the thought of cross contamination did fly through my mind. To me it's worth the risk. And I'm not actually supposed to hug people so I try to just do the quick side hug. It's the full on hugs that are more risky. The hugs where your hair touches each others.

And this evening I have noticed my head is itchy. Hmmm. Am I just being paranoid? Probably.. I've been through this worry before. But I guess there's always a chance.

Wouldn't be my first time with bugs though. No sir-ee. Had them in the 4th grade as well as summer camp.

That's my street cred. I've had lice.

As I type this I am itching away.

Maybe I should get some lindane shampoo?

I just told Dad and he is freaking out. LOL.

I'm sure I am just paranoid.

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After doing some "googling" it seems I am just paranoid. It's just one of those things. - as soon as you think of lice, you just get itchy. But I am thinking of buying some Tea Tree Oil or Nix, just to have around in case I get overly paranoid. LOL.

Thrill of the Hunt Update

So I haven't really posted about my Thrill of the Hunt Challenge. I've been able to find a few things second hand. We did end up buying two twin captain's beds and mattresses secondhand. They weren't cheap but in really good condition and were pretty much exactly what I was looking for. I've been finding tons of great books second hand lately. Lots of kids books as well as parenting books. Just today I found a book that I have had on hold at the Library and it's in perfect shape. I paid $2.50 for it. I also found a really sweet set of glasses and a Pitcher at Good Will. As soon as I saw it, it reminded me of me, like 10 years ago.

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Right now I am starting to potty practice more often with Stinx and am desperately seeking two piece pj's for a 2 year old. His room is freezing cold and I usually put him in fleece sleepers as well as his sleep sack. But I find that the sleeper and sleep sack make it more difficult getting to the potty in the morning. Stinx just doesn't like having his sleep sack and pj's taken off. I figure if we switch to 2 peice pj's and a pair of socks it might help. It won't be so bad if I just pull his pants off. The sleep sack thing I might keep around till its a bit warmer out. Come the summer I want to wean Stinx off of it. I haven't had much luck with pj's at the thrift stores but I do have some leads from kijiji.

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I also want to find a tricycle. That could be a pretty fun summer activity.

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I can't wait for garage sale season :)

My Baby

What happened to my baby? He isn't a baby anymore.

I was looking through these photographs that my friend Vicki took of Stinx, some at 4 months old and some just before he turned 1.

Man it sure makes me wonder where the time has gone. It really went too quickly.

I was at a friend's house yesterday and I just admired her little one year old. I really loved that age. I love 2 too, but in different ways. I love looking back at Stinx when he was 1. It was fun times.

I clearly have baby fever. I can't wait to have a tiny little baby again.

I've been thinking a lot about birth again. I want so badly to experience a vaginal birth but at the same time I don't want to become obsessed with it. If I obsess about having a natural vaginal birth and then really do need a c-birth, I don't want to feel like I "lost". I don't want to have a guilty feeling about it. Rather, I hope to have a VBAC and try everything I can to do so, but be at complete peace if a c-birth is needed, because, I will know I tried everything I could. And, yeah, I don't want to overhthink it.

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My main concern is getting a midwife. There is a major midwife shortage in my city. Midwifery is going to be covered 100% as of April... that's days away. I am worried I won't be able to get one. My homebirth friends have been telling me for ages, "As soon as you get a positive pregnancy test, you call the midwives!". I really hope I can squeeze my way in. I would feel much more confident trying for a VBAC under the supervision of midwives. I know I could do it with a doctor, but I am just not sure how much support I would receive. Anyways... I know it will all work out for the best. I know that God's will is all planned out and he truly looks out for me (and you) and wants the best for us. In the end I would really love to have another healthy little babe.

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Now whether or not Stinx is ready to share me with a brother or sister is a whole other question :)

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Oh and some of my lurkers have mentioned that they haven't been able to comment on the blog so I changed my comment settings. So comment away!

Spilt Milk

Dear Blog,

Sometimes I just wish I could get through one day without wiping up some type of liquid.

Sincerely,

Stinx's Mom

Sweater Pants

Awhile ago Alisha challenged me to make some sweater pants. The pair above were my first attempt. They actually turned out pretty good. They aren't wool though soo they can't be used as "Longies". But they're still pretty cute. Once I get off my lazy butt I'll make some more.

I also attempted a Mei Tai. It didn't work out so well. The fabric colors and patterns were amazing but just the wrong material. The material was too thick. I tried a 2nd Mei Tai and it worked out pretty good except that the shoulder straps were too short. Bummer. I have started Mei Tai #3 and made sure the straps were long enough... I'll post a pic when I get around to finishing it. That could be ages... so much for my boost of creativity!

Can you help me pluck this plank out of my eye?

So I have been wanting to talk a bit about how mothers judge each other (myself included). And of course, it's not just mothers, it's the entire human race. Everyone does it. Kids judge each other based on the tv shows they watch, or the toys they play with. Teenagers judge each other based on the clothes they wear or the music they listen to. Adults judge each other based on the car they drive, their house or their careers. I would like to think that seniors don't judge as they would have learned better over the course of their life but I doubt it.

Humans just judge one another. Some more so than others. Some judge very rarely, while others do it all the time.

And I think new mothers judge even more so than average humans simply because we are doing something totally new, and we're insecure, and we hope we are doing things "right". Surely we must be doing it right! Mom's judge each other for everything! What you eat during pregnancy! How you have your baby! What you name your baby! How you feed your baby! If you circumcise your baby! If you wear your baby or use a stroller! If you feed your baby solids before 6 months! Or if you sleep train your baby! If you co-sleep with your baby! If your baby sleeps in a crib! If you potty train early! if you potty train late! How you discipline your children! Or if your "strict" enough! Seriously.. everything. And it's only because we hope we are doing things "right". It's an unconscious comparison between us and them (them being any other parent).

Truth is, we all do what is best for our babies and our families. We all do our best, based on the knowledge that we have at the time. That's all we can do. We can strive to learn more and do what we can with that knowledge. We can strive to listen to our gut (as Alisha would say) and not worry about what the other parents are doing.

But certainly, no one, is a perfect parent. And no one goes through parenting without a judgemental thought crossing their mind. It's inevitable. Like I said before, some judge more than others, but it happens to all of us.

I try to remember that we all do things differently, and that's ok, because not one parenting "style" is right, and we are just getting by on the knowledge we have.

And I like to think that as our children get older the less we will judge one another.