Happy Birthday My Sweet GIrl

Happy 1st birthday my sweet precious wonderful little girl. Mommy had to work all day today so she and Daddy got up early and sang happy birthday to you when you woke up. You weren't sure what all the fuss was about but when you went downstairs and saw your present you wasted no time ripping off the paper. Mommy made you a special birthday pancake so that we could light a candle and make a wish. You were very curious about the flame as you had never seen one before! Then Mommy gave you lots of kisses and was off to work. You got to spend the whole day at home with Daddy and he had you all nice and squeaky clean at the end of the day so when Mommy rushed home to see you before bed you smelled sooooo good. You pressed your head against my heart and we had a good hug before it was time to sing you to sleep.

One year ago today you were placed into my arms and I knew my life would never be the same.
I am so proud of you Maya, you have grown to be such a wonderful person. It has truly been a miracle watching you transform from a wrinkly little new born into such a beautiful little girl.  You still amaze me every day. I can't wait to see what the next year brings and what you will continue to become. You are going to be such a wonderful big sister, I just know it! You have brought so much love and joy into our home. Keep being your wonderful little self child, cause we would never change you, no we would not.

A Happy Medium

First of all, we were the ones who let her have her pasta and veggies in a tomato sauce - so we kind of deserved the mess after she decided to go ahead and play peek-a-book with her dirty hands. 

After only three days of daycare she already got a monster cold and basically has been a serious snot machine since Wednesday night. So really, who cares about getting food all on her face and in her hair at this point?  

My Mom has a picture of me about this age, eating spaghetti and I pretty much look the same - sauce all over the place. So I e-mailed these pictures to her with the caption: "Does this remind you of anyone?". They had a good laugh. Apparently when I was a kid spaghetti was my favourite thing to eat in the whole world and I would go to town whenever a plate of it was put in front of me. One of my Aunts said that when I was a kid and had something that I liked to eat I would be so serious about eating it, getting every last bite to the point of licking my fingers. She said she never saw a kid enjoy a meal so much. She said I just loved to eat.  I wonder if that is why I have such a hard time putting down the oreo cookies after just one bite. Maybe I have always been like this. 

This is one said picture of me in all my pigging out glory as a child (eating some kind of chocolate pie - chocolate is another one of my weaknesses):

Seriously though, now that I have a little one of my own I am often thinking about the type of eating habits that I want to instil in my children and I am often paranoid that I don't even know what's appropriate eating for an almost one year old. I mean, up until now, we have relied on breast milk (and more recently formula) for her main source of nutrition. The table food she was eating was more like my family physician said: "Solids before one is just for fun".  But now I am extra stressed by the fact that I will have to increasingly look to table foods to nurture my little girl. 

I mean, I have been doing diets and what not for years and I don't even know what is normal anymore. My generation has been so conditioned to look at every food label and count every calorie. For example, when I go to pick out yogurt, I cringe at the idea of buying natural yogurt with 3.5% MF in it because I am so used to buying fat free - even though I know that babies need some healthy fats for nourishment.  I know that all the fat free foods aren't always the best for you, but when you are trying to shed pounds it's what you go for. 

And then there is the major guilt when I get lazy sometimes and give her something like canned soup  (because of the sodium) or grilled cheese (because of processed cheese slices).  Then the other day at daycare they said they gave her Lucky Charms and I was like, "What the hell?".  It felt like she was fed poison. And yet is it really that bad? And don't even get me started on trying to get this girl to eat vegetables. Right now the only ones she will eat are cherry tomatoes or cucumbers. Seriously. She used to love carrots, zucchini, broccoli, etc. Now she turns her nose at it. 

In the last year, I have really been trying to get away from diets that only give short term results and try to just go with whole foods. But old habits die hard. And then there is also the fact that since I have been pregnant I allow myself dessert at family dinners, and hot chocolate at the coffee shop with my friends.  I have the odd take out meal and have been making more processed foods for convenience (like frozen shepherd's pie, for example).  I kind of use my pregnancy as this excuse to let things slide here and there.  So it seems these days it's always one extreme or the other. Not a good thing. And so I often worry that I am going to start setting a bad example for my daughter. But I also don't want her growing up just watching her mother obsess over every little thing that she cooks and eats either. Where is the happy medium? It's what I've been trying to figure out lately. 

Daycare

My little precious girl is at day care for the first time today. She's a tiny being out in the big world. She's going to turn one in ten days. Say what? Excuse me while I have a hormone driven sad little pity party in my heart.

She will always be our baby girl. Always. 

Back To Work

Since February 11th Chris and I have both been off work together. We still have a week and a half to go before we are both back to work full time. This was possible by a combination of vacation time for me and parental leave for him. It has been great taking turns getting up with Maya and just spending quality together as a family. Sure, we've had a few moments of needing to have a break from each other but for the majority of the time it has been great!

During this time we have been preparing Maya for day care. We have been doing short visits here and there so that she can get used to her teachers and the other kids. So far, it has been a positive experience. We have picked a day care we are confident will take good care of our little munchkin, but at the same time  it is difficult to think of leaving her there by herself all day, on her own so to speak. As my one friend put it, they just don't love her at day care like her parents and family do. They are professionals who like children and do a great job at what they do, but they don't "love" her, know what I mean? At the same time I think socializing with other kids her age on a consistent basis will do her good, and so far she is adapting well. I am not looking forward to the morning when she realizes that I am leaving her there and she starts to cry, but I know that after I leave she will be fine.

Going back to work after having a year off has got me thinking about what our life is going to look like with Maya having two parents working full time. How the heck are we going to get supper cooked every night at a decent time? How am I going to get to kickboxing four times a week and still have some quality time with Maya after work? How are we going to keep this house in order? And most importantly, how am I going to keep getting all my servings of fruits and vegetables in and eat decent? You see, I have a job that  is emotionally stressful and fast paced. It is so easy to resort to bad eating habits to cope with the stress. It is so easy to use the convenience of processed foods and take out when you are in a situation like that. On top of that, there are the pregnancy hormones that sometimes make me make rash decisions and give into cravings (I am wanting sweets like there is no tomorrow lately!).

But I have been thinking about what kind of life I want for my daughter. Do I want her to have a Mom who is always tired because she is not getting enough nutrients? Do I want her to have a Mom that is literally scraping herself out of bed in the morning because she has no energy? Do I want her to have a Mom that feels all gross and groggy because she isn't getting decent exercise? No I don't. You are what you eat right? I have to remind myself that what you eat has a lot of influence on your moods and how you manage stress in your life. If I am having a bad day, that is when I need to grab an apple instead of a cookie. That is when I need to go for a walk on my lunch instead of sit at my desk. That is when I will need to really use healthy food and exercise to stay afloat. And besides, I have a little bean inside kicking me who will remind me to stay on track.

So although I am a bit anxious about going back to work and it's impact on old habits, I know that there are lots of reasons for me to stay focused. Mainly my little girl and the newbie on the way. It's not about me anymore y'all!

On a side note, I was a bit stressed about getting Maya some new clothes for day care. They require an extra change of clothes every day and she is quickly growing out of the stuff she currently has. Now that she is almost a year old all of the nice hand-me-downs and gifted outfits are packed in a bin for the next one so I have to go out and actually buy some stuff for her. The thought of spending a lot of money on baby sized clothes just doesn't mesh well with me since they grow out of the stuff so stinkin' fast - so I went to a local thrift shop during a 50% off sale and I made out with all of this for only $40!

That includes two jackets, five shirts, six pairs of pants, three jackets, and a pair of rubber boots. I also threw baskets for Maya's birthday party in the cart. All for forty bones. Score!  And some of this stuff was brand new with the tags still on! They were all in mint condition (because really, most baby clothes don't get worn out cause they only get worn a few times before they outgrow them). And most of the clothes were from the stores that I shop at anyway. When Maya is older we will shop at regular stores but till then I plan on saving some cash by hitting up second hand once in a while. This stash should last us until we get into the set of spring/summer clothes that we bought in Florida.

A Few Things

1. A while ago I talked about getting onto Pinterest. Well I've been on it for over a month and at first I thought, although the site was cool, I didn't see why people were on it so much. But then as time went on I started spending more and more time pinning things as I began to think about nurseries and birthday parties and all that jazz. Now I totally love it, such a great way to organize my ideas and to exchange them with others. Great for when you are say, planning a wedding shower with your sister who lives in Nova Scotia for your SIL and you need to share ideas. Or when you want opinions on nursery colours. You just call the person up and be like, "check out my boards, what do you think?". So convenient! Check out my boards yo!

2. I have finished weaning my little precious baby girl who is not such a little baby anymore. The last feeding was the morning of February 14th which I will always remember cause it was Valentines day. Although trying to get her to switch exclusively to the bottle was a bit rough, but she is getting used to it now. It was a bit sad but at the same time I was ready, I knew it was time for me. Last night I went to bed without a sleeper bra in like a year! I actually walked around the house bra-less this morning. Was a weird feeling but very liberating! Although I wouldn't be caught dead being braless in front of anyone else now. Have you ever heard the song, "Do your ears hang low?". Well apply that to my breasts!  This person's post has inspired me to do some bra shopping!

3. I think I have a problem with pictures. You see, I take a gazillion, just to get one good shot. Then when I make a scrapbook or whatever I can't narrow it down and I end up putting way too many pictures. It's a bit redonkerus actually. The same thing happened when I recently made a photobook of Maya's first year, which, by the way, was crazy to look back at how friggen much she has changed even since just the summer time!

4. Omigod this and this has to happen!

Ok, carry on.

For Comparison Purposes

So here's what I looked like when I was pregnant with Maya around 26 weeks, 36 weeks, and 38 weeks. 

First of all, I look back at these pictures and think, "Wow!" I was as big as a house. How could my belly get that big, seriously people!". But the part that really stands out is how unhealthy I looked cause of all the extra weight. I thought maybe I would see how I look with this pregnancy and compare later on, just to see if I will look a bit different or not this time around since my weight loss. So far my pregnancy weight has been wavering back and forth in the 4 lb range. Some days I am up 4 lbs since my pre-pregnancy weight, others I am down 2. But the past week I have mostly been up. I already feel blah when I look in the mirror. My waist is completely gone and I am already popping out a bit, depending on what outfit I wear. I feel flabby because the foods I have been eating have dramatically changed since I was on my weigh loss meal plan. I have been eating way more bread and pasta. Still can't seem to get into eating a lot of meat. It's been hard to get all my servings of fruit/veggies every day. I have no problem with fruit, but veggies is a bit more difficult. I have been going to kickboxing regularly - this is the only thing keeping me from feeling completely gross. I keep telling myself being in the second trimester (I'm now 14 weeks) I will be able to eat more normal again but thinking back to my pregnancy with Maya all my tastes were changed just like this time. As soon as I was no longer pregnant with Maya I craved salad and apple sauce and meats - all things that I couldn't get into when I was pregnant. Anyway, the point of all this rambling is that pregnancy has changed my eating and I am going to have to really make an effort to stay afloat in order to maintain and give my little bean all the nutrients he/she needs.  When I go to my first OB appointment in a few weeks I am going to ask them how much I weighed at this point in my previous pregnancy just for comparison purposes. I think I need to use the numbers to keep myself focused. I have been feeling the baby move a lot earlier than when I was pregnant with Maya - just little pops here and there. But last night when was taking a bath I felt full out movement. Oh how I missed that feeling!

Not So Tasty

So my husband was all excited to make this dinner on Valentines day. He had talked about it for a few weeks, and had carefully shopped for all the ingredients. I was super psyched because since I have been on parental leave I have made 99% of our dinners. He got the recipe from a magazine I had laying around, House and Home. We even waited until after Maya was in bed before sitting down to dinner that night so that we could actually take our time and enjoy it. When he was cooking it my stomach was a bit queasy but since it looked good in the picture I was still excited to give it a try. As soon as it hit the table, I knew that as yummy as it looked to my eyes, my stomach was saying "ooooh gross!". You see, I have been taking this pill called Diclectin for morning (all day sickness). I have been feeling pretty good lately so I stopped taking it for a day. Bad move. I immediately started feeling sick again, and my appetite just went with it. The aversion to certain foods was back full force! I took one bite of the dish and had to slide the plate away. I felt horrible and you could tell Chris was a tad bit heart broken after all the work he put into it. In the end I settled for a pb&j sandwich. But since it looked like such a good recipe I thought I would share it anyway. Chris loved it and had lots of leftovers for the next day. I'm sure after this pregnancy I will give it another try.

The dish was called, "Ginger Scallion Beef with Oyster Sauce".

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, trimmed
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
7 snow peas, strings removed
4 green onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp sake

Cut the flank steak in half lengthwise into 2 long pieces, then cut across the grain into thin slices. In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, ginger, and mirin. Add the flank steak, toss to coat and let marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat the oils over medium high heat in a wok or large saute pan. Working in 2 batches, sear the beef slices until no longer pink, add the snow peas and continue to cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sake and cook for 2 more, until the beef and vegetables are saucy and hot. Serve.

I would show a picture of it, but I couldn't find the same recipe online, you will have to take my word for it, that it looked good!

Here is a similar picture I found on this site.

Today is a rainy day around here. The snow is melting and it is just blah. Our solar panels are finally done and we hook up to the grid next week.

I'm kind of sad that these things kind of mess with the view out my back windows, but they are starting to grow on me. Once all the leaves grow on the trees and our grass is green again I'm thinking it will blend in a bit better. The good news is with this investment we are hoping to pay off our mortgage earlier and we are promoting sun energy!

Bad Hair Day

Hey it's Miss Maya here! It's been a while since I have said "hi", so thought I would tell you about my day so far. This week has been a good week because my Daddy has a month off of work and my Mom doesn't go back to work for another four weeks so I get to see both of them all day every day!  If I had it my way, there would be no such thing as work for adults to go to. Anyway, today has been pretty uneventful, but I wanted to mention a problem that I have been having. It's called a BAD HAIR DAY! Well I pretty much have a bad hair day every day, usually my hair sticks up all over the place. No matter what my Mom does, it won't stay put! But this morning after my nap it was especially unruly and I asked my Mom to take a picture for you to see. 

What is a girl to do with such hair?

Mom tried a few different things to get it under control. Sometimes she puts a little pony tail on the top of my head just so it will stay out of my way when I am eating and playing.

But it still looks kinda funny.

We tried piggy tails and that looked a bit better but I couldn't help myself and I started playing with them until they fell out.

There's always the classic barrette to use when trying to keep bad hair under control, but they are so small sometimes Mom get's worried I am going to put them in my mouth (and sometimes I do!)

This clip is my Mom's favourite, but it doesn't match a lot of my outfits.

So most of the time my Mom just ends up wetting my hair and brushing it down like this until it gets crazy again!

I can't wait for my hair to get longer so it won't stick up so much!

So today we spent some time on my hair and now I am just getting ready for another nap. Mom and Dad have been talking a lot lately about a "new baby" that is coming but I'm not really sure that that is about. They seem to get real excited when I clap my hands lately or when I say the word banana. I don't see what the big deal is but I go along with it. I hope you are all having a great day!

Valentines Day

Valentines day is usually not a super huge deal at our house, no crazy sing-o-grams or lavish gifts, but Chris and I always do a little something to acknowledge our love for one another. Before we were married and living in different cities Chris would send me flowers and we would be all lovey dovey and be all like, "I miss you". After we moved in together and got married we would use it as an excuse to go out for a nice dinner. Now that we have a kid we are mostly just focused on showing Maya that we love each other and that she is loved. I think that is important for kids to see at home. Anyway, one thing that I have done over the years is make a pancake breakfast. I cut the pancakes into hearts and then set the table with a nice card and maybe some candy and then Chris comes down stairs to pig out.  Here's how it turned out this year.

I made sure to have a serving of fruit with my pancakes and I had some leftover grilled veggies and pork for lunch that came to about two servings. So two more to go at dinner. Chris is making some ginger beef chinese dish something or other. 

Hope you get to spend valentines day with your loved ones!