Reclaiming Sleep

From the second night after the Bug was born we have co-slept.  That first night in the hospital was awful, they wouldn't let DH stay with us and I was tired and emotional and they took her to the nursery.  I stood my ground after that and she stayed with me every night thereafter. 

I love co-sleeping and before Bug got teeth, nursing at night was fine by me.  It meant sleep.  Now that she has teeth, not so much sleep for me.  It's not that she bites me, she is really good about that.  Once she falls asleep after nursing she doesn't quite let go, and she tends to rub her teeth in her sleep.  Not so nice after awhile.  It wakes me up quite a bit, I have to switch sides A LOT and I get up in the morning sore and tender.

Last night was particularly rough.  Bug woke up around 3:30 and I mean wide awake.  I was sore, I didn't want to let her nurse.  So she whined for an hour and a half before I finally gave in.  And only because my MIL was sleeping (trying to) downstairs and hubby was getting frustrated.

Tonight will be different.  I will not give in.

DH and I have talked about it, he's in.  No matter how much crying, no "boob juice" as Bug calls it.  No more night nursing.

Our goal is to have her weaned off feeding at night before we are ready to buy a new house (crossing my fingers it will be soon!).  Then once we move we plan to convert her crib to a toddler bed and make a big deal of her new bedroom.

So I just finished nursing her to sleep in bed.  That is it now until morning.  I am praying for the strength and patience to stand my ground and not give in.  Wish me luck!

Night one, here I come.

MMM Tea...

I used to think that loose leaf tea was a huge hassle and that it wasn't worth the time.  Then a friend brought tea and her steeper to a playdate.  It was SO good!  I had it again the next time I was at her house and was sold.  The next day I went to Teaopia, bought their steeper and a few flavours to try.

I have officially converted to loose leaf tea.  My newest purchase from Teaopia is brewing as we speak and I can't wait to try it out.  I picked up the Slim & Slender tea today. I have 10lbs left to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight and I am hoping this will help.  The ingredients are supposed to boost your immune system and help burn fat!

I also discovered Koo Tea (which you can buy at ECS Coffee if you are in Burlington or Ancaster).  Between Koo Tea and Teaopia (and countless other brands out there) I will never go back to tea bags.  The flavors are so rich and you just can't compare.  

A side note to enhancing your flavor: use fresh water in the kettle every time. I just learned this and it really does make a difference.  

"Previously boiled water has lost most of its oxygen and therefore tends to be flat tasting" -Koo Tea

Want to win a Kid's Starter Tea Set from Teaopia?
Check out That Mom Blog's giveaway by clicking here.

Or don't... because I want to win!

Just Can't Wait To Share...

Today we went to the park to take some pictures for my new blog design.  My wonderful *and amazingly talented* brother came over and took A LOT of fabulous pictures and I just couldn't wait to share::

Just a quick taste!  It's going to be hard to choose which ones will go in my header!!

Amateur Chef Here

DH was the head cook in this house before his car accident.  Now he can't do much in the kitchen so it's up to me if we want to eat something that isn't frozen... M&M's has been a very good friend over the past two years.

I went on an adventure in cooking tonight.

I've always wanted to cook with wine.  I don't know why, I guess it just seems so classy and upscale.  Delicious in restaurants, easy to screw up at home.

So I googled "white wine pasta sauce" and all that came up for me was alfredo sauces.  Well do I have the ingredients for that?  Of course not, I have wine and garlic, that's about it on those ingredient lists.

I decide to wing it.

I'm terrified.

Pizza on speed dial...

Yes, I could have asked Chef Hubby for advice but I wanted to do it alone and surprise him.

Success!!

It was actually delicious!

What I had on hand::

Jackson Triggs Sauvignon Blanc - I used a cup and half though next time I think a cup would do fine

One red pepper, chopped

Two chicken breasts - from M&M's so cooked according to the directions and then cubed

Chopped garlic (not fresh unfortunately) - I used about 2 teaspoons

Italian Herbs (in the tube from the produce section of the grocery store) - I used about 1/2 tbsp

What I did::

Chicken in the oven, 20 minutes per side.

While it was in for the first 20, I washed and chopped my pepper.

Once I flipped it I started my sauce.

Heat a large skillet with some olive oil.

Add garlic and peppers and saute until the garlic is golden.

Add the white wine and whatever spices you are going to use.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Don't be like me and forget to put the water on to boil for the pasta!!

Once the chicken was done I cubed it and threw it in the sauce to simmer away until the pasta was done... 

because it was late getting started and all that...

Once your pasta is done (or if it's done at the same time as the chicken like it should be) throw that in the sauce as well.

Simmer for 5 minutes or so

Remove from heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes for the sauce to thicken up a bit.

Voila.

Just like the pros...

Kind of...

This Day In History...

Right about this time the Bug and I landed from our trip to British Columbia.  I got my new Blackberry ( I was excited), she got her first experience with Sophie and I snapped this picture to test out the BB Camera::

Dear M

A little birdy told me that you like to read my blog.  So, thank you and this post is for you

You are a strong, beautiful woman.  You have been to hell and back in the past month and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it has been.  I'm sorry if this is too soon but I think about you all the time, when you are ready and if it is okay with you, we would like to adopt you as our surrogate sister and aunt.  If you ever need anything at all, I am here for you.

I am grateful that you have someone like V in your life, and that she has you in hers.  It is comforting that you two can be there for each other and support each other through thick and thin.  I know that she is safe with you.  You will keep her sane and happy and I thank you for that.

Take care of you

Take care of her

Love Always,
A

Lesson Learned

#1 Check the weather forecast before doing outdoor crafts.

#2 Water-based yellow paint turns an awful colour of mustardy-beige when it gets rained on.

I was painting branches for a window display I am setting up tomorrow.  I got halfway done painting them yellow for Easter, the dog barked, woke up the Bug who was sleeping in her stroller and my painting was interrupted.  We went inside, the blinds were closed, I didn't know it had started to rain.  When I went to check if my branches were dry, I found them ruined.  

Plan B:: paint them brown

I hope it turns out the way I had hoped...