Part 1 Part 2

Wet. Everywhere.  I batted Adam awake and told him to grab some towels.  I ran to the bathroom while he changed the sheets.  I changed my pyjamas, and called Claudette.  She said that she would come over and check me.  Adam got dressed and got our stuff ready to go to the hospital.  The contractions started getting stronger and stronger, and at this point, laying on the bed burying my face in Adam’s neck was the most helpful thing.  I threw up a few times, but luckily my uber-prepared self had bought some Gatorade, so I was sipping on that. 

Claudette arrived around 1:30, and checked me.  I was 90% effaced, and at 5cm dilated.  The bag of waters had broken way up high (I’m assuming where Audrey was kicking me – in the ribs) so she could feel the membranes still covering her head.  I wasn’t really aware of the time passing, and I spent most of this time either sitting on the toilet (It was the most comfortable place!) or leaning over the bed. 

Adam tells me I was making a lot of noise.  I don’t really remember, but I do remember Claudette telling me to use low tones, so I wouldn’t kill my voice.  Around 2:45, Claudette checked me again, and I was fully dialated, with just the anterior lip remaining.  She told me that if we were still going to the hospital to deliver, now was the time.  She said “If you feel like pushing in the car, just pull over and stop, I’ll be right behind you.”  I think I laughed at that point and said “Um. No.  I feel like pushing NOW. I’m not getting in the car.  Can we do it here?”  So Claudette called the hospital to tell them we weren’t coming, called the backup (Karline was off call that night, so my backup was a lovely lady named Carolynn, and her student Natasha), and went to her car to get the supplies.  The reason there are 2 midwives is for extra help during transition and delivery, and so that one can take care of the mom, and one can take care of the baby.

Like I said, I was in the bathroom for most of this, but I remember a flurry of activity happening in the bedroom.  Because I hadn’t planned on staying home, I didn’t have a home kit.  Luckily Claudette had most everything in her car, but Adam had to use garbage bags on the bed, covered by old bedsheets.  He had to clear a space for her equipment, and a table in the bedroom to lay the baby on if they needed to attend to her in any way. 

At 3:15, Carolynn arrived, and I started pushing.  I tried various positions, but the ‘traditional’ position (on back, legs up) turned out to be the best.  All throughout this, Claudette and Carolynn were taking my (and Audrey’s) heart rate, to ensure that we were both doing ok.  I guess 3:15 is when I entered “transition”? I don’t know, all I knew was that I could feel that it was time, and my body seemed to know what to do. 

Claudette told Adam that he could catch the baby if he wanted, and he wasn’t sure for most of the night, but he finally decided that yes, he wanted to.  At 3:45am her head was visible when I was pushing, so Adam and Claudette got into catching position.

Part 1

My due date was Saturday April 21st.  However, based on my cycles, my midwives told me that it was more likely that I would deliver closer to the 25th or 26th.  Since the weather was so nice, Adam and I had been going on daily walks so I could get some fresh air and loosen up.

Wednesday April 18th, we went for a walk after dinner as usual.  When we got home we were watching a movie (Mission Impossible 4 – how do I remember that?) and my stomach was upset.  I figured it was heartburn, and we went to bed.  Thursday the 19th Adam got up and went to work, and I stayed in bed, trying to get comfortable.

I bounced around on my yoga ball, ate a bit, and took a nap.  After I woke up, I noticed that the crampy pain was starting to have definite start and stop points, so I started timing them with my phone.  In the afternoon, the contractions were about 45 seconds long, coming every 7-10 minutes.  Adam came home from work to be with me around this time.

We ate dinner, and I called Claudette to tell her that the contractions were getting longer but not any closer together.  She suggested that we try to get some sleep, because things would probably start happening over night or in the early morning.  At about 9:30 we got in bed, and started to fall asleep around 10:30.  At 11, I was woken up by the baby kicking me harder than she ever had before.  BLAM BLAM BLAM!! then…

I didn’t share much about my pregnancy here, but I was very lucky to have the easy pregnancy I did. I had decided that I wanted to try to have the least interventions possible, but was open to using them if I needed them.  But honestly? Getting an epidural freaked me out way more than labour and delivery.  I would deliver in the hospital near my house, and come home the same day. 

I was attended by two midwives during my pregnancy, starting from about 12 weeks.  My midwives Claudette and Karline were two of the most wonderful ladies I’ve ever met.  They were calming, reassuring, and confident in their care of me, and when things took a bit of a left turn, they were there to help.

Typically, the 20 week anatomy scan is the ‘big’ ultrasound.  It is fairly easy to determine the sex of the baby, and things like 10 fingers, 10 toes, and all the organs are determined.  I had (3) 20 week scans.  Each time the technologist couldn’t get an integral part of the anatomy on camera well enough to give the all clear.  After the second failed test, I chose another clinic. 

Right before Christmas 2011 I got a call from Karline, telling me that I had partial placenta previa.  (I’ll let you read up on that at your leisure)  Because of this, I had to go for an ultrasound every 4 weeks starting in January 2012.  At the beginning of March, it was determined that the previa had resolved itself, but wait! Something else! Suffice to say, I was having bi-weekly ultrasounds from 30-38 weeks.  It was always “something else might be wrong.”  Nothing serious, but things to watch for.  Adam and I were so stressed out, why couldn’t out baby just be healthy?? 

After many many scans, and many appointments with Claudette, Karline, and a lovely perinatologist named Dr. Costa, it was determined that our baby was healthy, and shouldn’t need any interventions at or after birth.  What a relief!

“They” say that since it takes 9 months to put on the baby weight, it should take 9 months to get it off.  It seems to have worked that way for me.

That’s Adam and I at Easter, 2 weeks before Audrey was born.  I gained 35 lbs during my pregnancy.  Almost completely in the belly, boobs, and face. 

This is me 5 days post partum with my little snuggler.  At this point I had lost about 20 of the 35 lbs I gained.  My first post-baby visit to the chiropractor was this day, and she re-aligned me so well, all the water and everything I had been retaining just came right out. 

So really, it’s taken from May until now to lose those last 15 lbs.  Remember in my last post how I talked about being in a black hole of baby? Yeah, that involved eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and actually cooking food too.  That hasn’t happened as much as I wish it had in the last 9 months. 

Over the summer we went on lots of walks, but I wasn’t too concerned about working overly hard to lose the weight.

In October, I joined ZBC Fitness, which is a cross between bootcamp and Zumba.  It is so. much. fun!  Although, I do feel like a goof doing some of the Zumba dances.  But hey, who’s really watching, right? I started losing weight very slowly, and losing inches and toning up pretty quickly.  I’ve been doing it 2x per week since then. 

So that brings us to now. 

I’m back to the weight I was before I got pregnant.  Still heavier than I want to be, but at least I have proof that I CAN lose the weight.  I’m looking forward to the weather getting a bit better so I can bust out the jogging stroller, and I’m looking at the spring and summer races and considering my options.  I can’t wait to get back to running. 

I’ll post about my food and eating in another post, this one is getting long!

I know I know. It’s been… 7 months since my last post? I was in a black hole of baby.  It’s taken quite a while to get into a real routine with Audrey, being able to take care of her AND myself, AND my relationship with Adam, AND taking care of the house/food/life. 

The good news is I think I’m finally there.  Life is SO much easier now that Audrey can move around and entertain herself.  I’m getting some time in the kitchen to cook and bake and experiment, which you know I love. 

I am feeling so inspired right now.  January is such a time of renewal and refreshment.  I’ve got a lot planned for you all.  New cookbooks, weight loss, exercise, baby tales, home care.  All the stuff I’m passionate about.  I have my passion back, and it feels great!!

Plus, more gratuitous baby pictures!

This is from our Christmas card.  Her shirt says “Best Gift Ever.” Which she certainly is. 

I wanted to share this recipe that I have been eating for breakfast since Audrey was born.  It’s quick, delicious, and really nourishing.  The original recipe was from Good (Cheap) Eats, and I doubled it and made a few modifications.

This recipe is really easy to modify to your tastes.  Use flavoured yogurt, almond or other nut milk, different sweeteners, and whatever berries you prefer.  I cut it into 12 portions and freeze it to have breakfast for the week.  It reheats really well!

Yummy berries!

PC Greek yogurt – cheap, and delicious

Costco is the best place to get vanilla

Dry goods – Oats, sugar, salt, baking powder

Wet goods – Eggs, milk, oil, yogurt

Combine with raspberries and chocolate chips

Bake! It doesn’t come out this green, I’m not sure what happened to this picture.

Ingredients

• 6 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 2 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups raspberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Grease a 9×13 inch glass baking dish
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt.
4. In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
5. Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry, and add the raspberries.
6. Fold gently to combine.
7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.

Nutritional tidbits

1. The oats and Greek yogurt provide a good dose of protein
2. Raspberries are a great source of vitamin C, Folate, and Fibre
3. Oats are great for nursing moms – they promote milk production

Soooo… this happened.

Audrey Margaret Georgia was born on April 20th at 4:05am.

She’s pretty amazing.

9lbs 5oz at birth

11lbs 13oz at 3 weeks.  She’s a little porker!

I can’t believe she’s finally here, and she’s all ours!

Birth story coming soon!

 (source)

Cleaning is something that we all have to do, and can be a pretty tedious chore.  Lately I’ve been looking for more eco- and wallet-friendly ways to clean the house.  I’ve recently fallen in love with a new all-purpose cleaner.  It’s cheap, environmentally friendly, and non-toxic.  Some people don’t like the smell, but it doesn’t bother me much, and it goes away pretty quickly. 

What is this miracle product?

 (source)

Vinegar.  Plain, ordinary, white, put-it-on-your-fries vinegar.

Here are my 5 favourite ways to use vinegar to clean around the house:

1. Clean your microwave! put a micro-safe dish with 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar in your microwave.  Set the microwave to full power for long enough that the mix boils (usually about 3-4 minutes.)  Keep the door closed and let everything cool for about 30 minutes, remove the dish, and wipe clean!  The steamy vinegar will loosen any stuck-on gunk, and take away any lingering odours. 
2. Add it to your laundry! We all know you’re not supposed to use fabric softener on towels right?  The chemical softeners get sucked up by the towel and decreases its absorbency.  To fix this, pour about 1/2 cup of vinegar into your washer’s ‘softener’ section (or add it when you usually add the softener).  It will help remove the softener residue, and make them nice and soft.  If you use the dryer sheets, make sure you don’t use one when drying these towels, or you will be right back where you started! Vinegar can be used in place of fabric softener for all your clothes and washables, and it’s really beneficial for towels.  I promise it doesn’t make your clothes smell like vinegar either!
3. Clear a slow drain! Everyone remembers making a baking soda and vinegar volcano at some point, right? These two common items react very strongly with each other, causing lots of gas and bubbling.  This is perfect for a slow-moving drain.  put 4 tablespoons of baking soda in the drain, and follow with 4 tablespoons of vinegar.  It will probably bubble back up into your sink/tub, that’s ok.  Boil the kettle while the soda and vinegar are working away, and pour the hot water down the drain. Voila!  This should clear any minor-medium slowness in your drains.  If you’ve got a major blockage, try it again!
4. Clean glass and mirrors! Use vinegar on your mirrors and windows to avoid the streaks that can come with soap or commercial glass cleaners.  Make sure you use a non-linty cloth, such as microfiber to ensure you don’t leave anything behind!  I haven’t tested this out, but I’m also told you can do this with the windows in your car, and they will resist forming frost and ice in the winter. 
5. Clean everything else! You can use a mixture of 50% water to 50% vinegar to clean countertops, faucets, cabinets, door handles, sinks, showers, tubs, and toilets.  Basically anything you would use a commercial cleaner for, try vinegar first!  (Except marble.  Please don’t use vinegar on marble.  The acid can permanently etch it.)

So there you have it!  My newest favourite cleaning product that doesn’t harm the environment, is ok to pour down the sink, and is totally edible! (drinkable?)

What is your favourite green cleaning tip? I can’t wait to hear them!

Last Thursday Adam and I took the train to NYC as a “last trip before baby”.  I was worried about finding healthy snacks on the train (the trip was 8 hours!) so I made sure to bring a bunch of my own:

Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

Wine gums – not that healthy, but my favourite candy

I also mixed up some trail mix.  It consisted of:

Roasted Almonds

Roasted and salted sunflower seeds

Dried Cranberries

Raisins

And leftover Valentine’s Day smarties.  It was a good mix that kept us from starving, and kept our blood sugar even so we didn’t get cranky with each other during the 8-hour trip.

More NYC coming soon!

One way my nesting instinct is manifesting itself is by getting as much food prepared in advance as possible.  I wrote out a list of meals we like to eat, and notes about ways to adapt them to the freezer. 

Remember the Lazy Girl’s Lasagna from the other day? Here’s how much extra I made at the same time:

4 2-portion trays, and 2 larger casseroles.  Plus, 2 extra lunch-sized portions from this one I baked for our dinner. 

There are 2 different ways I’ve been freezing meals so far. 

First, I got these restaurant-grade aluminum trays. 

They’re just large enough for 2 portions, and small enough to not take too long to heat back up.  I packed them all up, and wrote the contents and directions on the top.

The second way I’ve been freezing meals is in our casserole dishes.  I don’t remember where I read this tip, but it’s a pretty great idea.  First you take the casserole dish:

line it with aluminum foil.  I use 2 sheets to make sure nothing escapes:

build your meal inside.

Cover the top with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. 

After about 24 hours, remove the dishes from the freezer.  Take off the plastic wrap which will have collected all the condensation.  Wrap the foil over the top of the dish (use more if you need to) and pull it out of the dish.  You’re left with a frozen casserole that you can put into a ziploc bag and put back in the freezer.  When it’s time to cook the casserole, put it back in the casserole dish, and bake as normal. 

This tip works great for larger portions, and makes it so all your casserole dishes aren’t tied up in the freezer!