Consciousness: that annoying time between naps. ~Author Unknown

I look forward to the day that Leda sleeps for more then 2 hours straight. For the last 3 weeks my little baby has been awake every 1-2 hours to eat. She always goes back to sleep quickly, but I only manage to fall asleep for about 20 minutes before she is up again. I finally gave in last night and made myself go to bed really early and today I feel a little more normal. Being sleep deprived is not fun.
On a more positive note, Leda now joins us at supper and sits in her high chair with her bowl, spoon and cup. In another month or two I will start her on solids. She is growing up too fast.

Leda is changing so much all the time, but it is amazing watching her grow. She is a jumping machine in her Jolly Jumper. Eventually I will have to raise it up so she can jump higher. It did not take her long to get the hang of it. It is great to have a place that I can put her while I make dinner or clean and I know she will be happy and entertained. Even when she gets cranky and is complaining, she will still jump. It is very cute.

I know eventually Leda will enjoy her exersaucer more. She has just started to play with the toys on it, but only enjoys it for 5 - 10 minutes before she wants out. Here is a video of her being miserable and me trying to distract her. It really isn't too difficult to do.

Probably the most fun I have had in the last week is playing "Michael Jackson: The Experience" on the wii. I cant dance to save my life, but it is still fun. I recorded Andrew playing the game and then hid the video camera when it was my turn :)



I know in my last post I said I want to be accountable and I do, but honestly I have done a poor job lately. Here's hoping for a much better week and hopefully more to say in the next blog..

From Boob to Bottle..or in Leda's case Cup..

I was at a breastfeeding support circle last week and felt a little strange because instead of having questions about breastfeeding, I needed information on bottles. I have given countless babies bottles at my job, but suddenly when it came to my own child I realized I had no idea what I was doing. Leda has been a pro breast feeder since the day she was born. I am yet to have an issue (knock on wood) and I plan on giving her breast milk until at least a year and probably well over that. I had no idea how much milk a child of her age would need in a bottle.
I think we always have it in our minds that we need to do things a certain way. Society lays out certain plans for us and we tend to follow. It feels like the right thing to do and then we don't have to deal with the questions about why we are choosing to do things differently, but sometimes those laid out plans simply don't feel right to everyone and you have to do what makes you feel comfortable.
I have been uncomfortable about giving Leda a bottle. I think I have been concerned that she would stop breastfeeding and I was going to loose that bond with her and it made me apprehensive. I love looking at my baby and knowing that she is growing and thriving because of the sustenance that I am providing for her, but unfortunately choosing to only breastfeed Leda also means I will never be able to go out for more then an hour. It was time to introduce another option.
Lindsay, the Doula in charge of the support group asked me an interesting question when I talked about my apprehension of bottles and that simply was "Why do you have to give her a bottle at all? Why not give her a cup?" I had never thought of it. I just figured Leda was too little to take one, but when I thought about it I knew better and suddenly everything made a lot more sense. Whenever a baby comes into the daycare, unless they are really small we always give them a sippy cup at meals, so why did I think my child was any different. As soon as I began to think of the sippy cup as an option I felt a lot more comfortable.
I bought Leda a 'Born Free' sippy cup. The spout is soft and shaped more like a nipple, but it is free flowing, so it is also like a cup. It seemed like a good choice.
This morning Andrew tried the cup with Leda for the first time and it went pretty well. Leda drank just over an ounce, was very interested in it and participated in grabbing it and pulling it towards her mouth. It was very messy and next time she will wear a bib, but she seemed to enjoy it. As soon as she started to complain we stopped because we don't want to force it on her and discourage her, but this makes me feel a lot better that I can leave her and she isn't going to starve.
It breaks my heart that she is growing up and I know that in 1- 2 months she is going to be starting solids. Of course I love watching all of her developments, but I wish I could just slow it down a little bit.

The toy room/office is finally done!

My goal was to have this room done before having Leda, but that obviously did not happen and once she was born the whole project was put on hold...for a long time.
Now that Leda is able to go in her exersaucer and is starting to play more with toys, I thought it would be nice to actually be able to put her down on the floor to do so. Leda does not enjoy sitting on my lap when I'm on the computer anymore either, so I was hoping this would make for a happier baby.

Before..

After..

There is always more work to do, but it is good enough for right now :)

Hearts and Mangos

Happy Belated Valentine's Day everyone!!

Holidays and special days like Valentine's Day are so much more exciting this year. This video of Leda is very mushy with lots of "I love you's" but that only seems appropriate. I love how much Leda smiles and giggles now. She is also wearing her Valentine's Day onesie.



The blog today is full of odds and ends. This is a picture of Leda that was taken at Rainbow Cinema's. The photographer was Kamini Le Capelain from Silent Poetry Photography. I am in love with this picture. I still cant get over Leda's ears.

*Here is a yummy recipe to enjoy :)

Mango Salad

• 3 cups thinly sliced mango (narrow matchsticks)
• 1 cup thin strips red pepper
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro or mint (optional)
• 1/4 cup cashews (optional)

Dressing

• 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp peanut or sunflower oil

1. In a medium bowl combine mango, red pepper, onion and cilantro

2. In a small bowl combine lime or lemon juice, sugar, soy sauce and pepper flakes, whisk in oil.

3.  Stir sauce into mango mixture.

4.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavours to blend.

5.  Just before serving add cashews. Garnish with cilantro.

ENJOY! 



Motivation and Accountability

It seems we all face similar struggles in life. How can we make more money? How can we find happiness? How can we can find optimal health? And the list of questions go on and on.

I think one of the hardest things to do in life is change your bad habits. Who isn't happy sitting at home in front of their TV, drinking a sugary drink and eating something delicious? It is hard to get your ass off the couch and do something productive and it is even harder to make this part of your daily routine and never look back.

I had two goals when I started my maternity leave:

1) Be the best mother I can be to Leda and devote myself to making her happy, healthy and loved.

2) Loose the baby weight and go back to work feeling like a healthier and more motivated person.

The first goal I find easy. I love spending time with Leda and wanting her to be happy comes naturally and I cant see it being any other way. The second goal of course is a little bit harder. I have managed to loose most of my baby weight. I think I have only 3-5 lbs to go and I am excited about continuing to loose weight after that, but loosing weight/inches is difficult and it is so much easier to indulge then it is to exercise.

Discovering "Life with Baby' was a life saver. I don't know what I would have done without this center. I wanted to become a busier person and I have achieved that and I manage to get most things done at one place which is great. At present my schedule looks like this.

Monday - support group in the morning and a mama and baby fitness class that whoops my butt in the afternoon
Wednesday - mama and baby yoga with Leda
Thursday - yoga just for me and breast feeding support group
Friday - walking at Western
Saturday - Pilate's just for me

You would think with all this exercise I would be doing really well, but unfortuanly that is not the case when I have such little will power when it comes to food. The thing that really bothers me is that I like healthy food, I just tend to choose convenience and convenient food is rarely ever healthy. I used to love to cook and bake, but at some point I lost that passion and I know I need to find it again.

I hope to eventually add another fitness class to my schedule. I have seen results and that's great, but its not enough. I know I could be doing better. Now, I'm not being to hard on myself. I am not beating myself up over it. I am just not blind to the situation either. I know what bad things I have eaten today and I know that if I want to loose the weight, I cant be doing this. It isn't even so much about loosing the weight as much as it is about being healthy. I want to be able to run around and have fun with Leda. I want to teach her healthy eating habits and I want to be an example of the right way to treat yourself, so hopefully she will make good decisions as she gets older. I also want to prove to myself that I can be motivated and I can change these bad habits that I have.

My goal with this blog was not to be overly personal, but I want to be accountable and I am hoping by sharing this, it will help. I am going to list some goals and post a blog once a week on how things are going and hopefully I will be able to note my progress.

These are my goals for the week:

1. No fast food - Home cooked meals only. The only exception to this rule is coffee. I am allowing myself to buy coffee if the opportunity presents itself, but that is it.
2. Do knee exercises every day. I have had a lot of pain in my knees and it is silly that I am not doing anything about it. That needs to change.
3. Practice yoga at home at least 3 times this week.
4. Finish cleaning and setting up the toy room/office

I will now go back to blogging about food, kitties and my adorable baby :)

Thank You for reading this :)

Nesta adores Leda...and I think the feeling is mutual..

While I was pregnant we had Leda's bassinet in our living room. I had been practicing swaddling on a baby doll and had placed it in the bassinet. Nesta jumped into the bassinet, curled himself around the baby dolls head and laid down. It is safe to say from the moment on I had some real concerns about what was going to happen when we brought the baby home. Would the cat be constantly trying to smother my daughter? Would he continue being wild and crazy and attack her like he attacked us every day, several times a day? Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised.

The couple that we got Nesta from neglected tell us that he was insane. They told us he was affectionate and he had a loud, wonderful purr, both of which were true, but they said nothing about his behaviour. While we were at their house all we saw was an adorable little kitten sleeping on the couch. It took Nesta about one day to get really comfortable and show his true colours. Nesta has a lot of energy! And he likes to play aggressively.

Nesta stayed away from Leda for the first couple weeks. Every once in awhile he would sniff her, but he mostly kept his distance. One time Leda was in her little crib downstairs and I watched him walk up to it and try to swat at her head through the bars. Luckily after being sprayed with the water bottle, he never tried that again.

Now Nesta is around Leda all the time. I am not sure if he loves her as a baby or as a toy, but he loves her. We went through a small period of time were he kept attacking her feet while she played on her play-matt, but Nesta quickly learned what would happen if he did that. The water bottle really is a magical tool. Nesta is a constant companion to Leda. He lies at her when she is in her Jolly Jumper and lies beside her when she is on her play-matt. It really is very cute.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds as Leda begins to grab at Nesta more. Hopefully Nesta will have patience and will remember what happens if he tries to bite the baby. The video shows Nesta loving Leda a little bit and also demonstrates Leda's progress in her Jolly Jumper. Eventually Leda will figure out that she needs to try and jump with both feet together and I am sure she will be impressed with what will happen when she does and I also think it is going to scare the crap out of Nesta when she inevitably jumps on him for the first time.

                                               

Why the sudden change?

What happened to my happy little girl?

Now, to be fair Leda is still a very happy and relatively easy child, but I have definitely noticed some changes. Not even two weeks ago I was still able to put Leda under her play-matt and she was thrilled at the idea of looking into her little mirror, sucking on the red bird and swatting at her links, but somewhere between then and now...something has changed.
Leda wants attention!! I am happy to give Leda lots of snuggles and I love making her laugh, but while I am busy doing that 24/7 I feel like my house is falling apart. Andrew of course helps out, but there are certain areas of the house that I need to be cleaning because it is all my stuff and I don't expect him to know what to do with it. Leda will not let me put her down. I am able to get about a ten minute break and then she is needing some love again..or rather is demanding love with her pouts and complaints.

• Example #1 - This is Leda sitting in her bumbo wanting my love while I am trying to clean up the toy room/office. 

• Example #2 - This is Leda within one minute of the first picture after receiving my full love and attention.

Please do not confuse my venting with complaining. I treasure every moment I have with my daughter. I take it is a compliment that all she usually needs to make her smile is for me to pick her up. I play with Leda constantly and enjoy every second of it. I just think that personally I would be a happier person if I did not feel like I was living in a chaotic environment. My goal with this play room/office is to have a nice place that I can put her down and she can play in her exersaucer or on her play matt and as she grows, the room will grow with her. I have baby dolls for her and a crib and I am very excited about doing this for her..Leda just needs to let me do it.

Any advice on how to handle my lovely, but fussy daughter?

Leda and her Jolly Jumper

Andrew's sister and her family got Leda a Jolly Jumper for Christmas and I was very excited. Leda has wonderful neck support and loves nothing more then to hold your hands and stand up. I knew that Leda would love her Jolly Jumper!
I thought it would be fun to track Leda's progression on this blog. The first time we put Leda in her Jumper was shortly after the New Year and as you can see she put all her effort into it, but not much happened. When Leda sits on my knee now she rocks her whole body back and forth. The strength in her legs and upper body is increasing day by day and I don't think it will be long until she does her first real jump.

I love New Irene's...

I have always wanted to have a restaurant for Andrew and I that we would go to often and it would be "our" place. Luckily we found that place and it is called "New Irene's."
It is a small restaurant that only sits about 20-25 people, but the food is yummy and the staff are friendly. Andrew and I began eating breakfast there when we moved into our house 4 years ago. I have now also gone with friends and family and it has quickly become a favorite for others we know too. They have a delicious lunch and dinner menu and their prices are more then reasonable.
Andrew and I went constantly while our house was being renovated and we had minimal use of our upstairs for a couple weeks, I went with my bridal party on the morning of my wedding and we brought Leda there when she was only a few days old and have been back with her many times since then. The waitress' adore her and it makes me feel happy to know that they have watched her grow since the very beginning and although they accidentally called her a boy once or twice, I know they still love her. (I blame myself for dressing Leda in mint green rocket ship sleepers. :)
New Irene's has become a significant part of our lives. It is a place we enjoy, feel comfortable and welcomed. Not something you can always find at a food establishment. I look forward to many more palatable meals there with my family and friends and if you ever go I suggest the mushroom and cheese omelet or the fish and chips :)



This is one of my favorite cakes and it was a lot easier to make then I thought it was going to be. This is not a healthy cake by any means, but it is soooo delicious!

Tres Leches Cake

• 1 cup All-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 whole eggs
• 1 cup sugar divided
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cups milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1/4 cups heavy cream

FOR THE ICING:

• 1 pint heavy cream, for whipping
• 3 tbsp sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 inch pan liberally until coated.


2.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.


3.  Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour   egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

4.  Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peeks form.With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

5. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

6.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

7.  Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture-try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

8.  Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.

Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate the cake with whatever fruit your heart desires. Cut into squares and serve.

*My pet peeve for the day - Buttons that are shaped like bows! Although Leda's new outfit that she got to wear today was adorable and very much appreciated, the buttons drove me insane! Bows do not fit well into button holes. What is usually an enjoyable morning routine with my daughter quickly became chaos as she tried to wriggle free from my grasp while I took a very long time attempting to button up her new outfit.

We will of course go through this again..probably several times, because the outfit is simply to cute and much to appreciated not dress her in it again and again...but whoever designed the bow buttons obviously does not have a 4 1/2 month old squirmy girl to get dressed in the morning.

Well worth the battle with the buttons :)

Now that we are up to date..

It is hard to believe that Leda will be 5 months on February 17th. I miss my little lump that spent all her time sleeping, grunting and eating. It is hard to believe how tiny she once was. People say how little she is now, but Leda looks HUGE to me and she is only 12 lbs, 12 ozs!

Some of the greatest moments with Leda since she was born are:

• When Leda was 1 1/2 weeks old she began to make a neighing sound like a little horse and this lasted for about 2 months. I miss that sound.

• Leda is the gassiest child I have ever met. I love when we are downstairs watching TV and she is asleep in her bassinet and you can see the noise bar on her monitor go into the red because she just let out a huge toot in her sleep. She is a very quiet sleeper, with the exception of her constant rumbling.

• I love Leda's smile. As much as I don't like her growing up there were a few exceptions I am willing to make and her smile is one of them. I eagerly waited for the day that it wasn't going to be a gas smile or a sleepy smile, but a real smile that was just for me. Now I get those smiles all the time and I enjoy every one of them. I get a big smile when she wakes up in the morning and Leda's newest thing is to try and engage me while I am trying to put her to sleep at night. She will stare at me and if I look at her she will smile and if I don't manage to resist her adorable charms she will coo and laugh. Should I be worried that she is trying to charm her way out of bedtime already?

• Another wonderful thing is Leda's laugh. I am still waiting for that big full belly laugh that I know I will hear one day, but I am loving how she is laughing and squealing right now. The video on here is my favorite video of Leda at the moment. The pig noise seems to be Leda's favorite noise to laugh at.

The Beginning....

I have never had a blog before and decided now was a good time to try doing one. I am on maternity leave so I have a little extra time and it is also the most exciting time of my life to date, so why not take the opportunity to share with family and friends?
My goal with this blog is to connect with everyone and keep people up to date on what is going on in our lives. So much changes every day with Leda and it is such an exciting journey. I want friends and family who are not close by and who do not get to see Leda often or have not even had the joy of meeting her yet, be able to share in her milestones and little adventures.
I also want to share my own personal interests with you. I want to share my first experience of being mother with you and look forward to hopefully getting some feedback and advice from people. I want to post recipes, information and share other areas of interests. I feel like the best place for me to start is at the most important moment of my life...the day we welcomed Leda into our lives.

LEDA DEVON MCARTHUR

Leda joined us on September 17th, 2010.

I loved being pregnant. I loved every second of it and was not ready for that part of my life to be finished. I started timing my contractions at 4:55 am and was in complete denial for a long time. I kept thinking it would stop, it wasn't time yet. Leda was 10 days early. I was not nervous. I was ready to give birth and meet my daughter, but at the same time I loved the security of having her safe in my tummy. I adored every kick and wiggle. I remember that on the day she was born I could not feel her move at all until I was in active labour, but I could feel her hiccup and I found that very comforting.

I laboured at home until 4:30 pm, until my contractions were anywhere from 4 minutes to 1 minute apart and we decided it was a good idea to make our way to the hospital. 

Giving birth is an amazing event. I felt well supported by Andrew, my Doula, the nurses and my doctor. I felt that people respected my choices and did their best to follow my birth plan. Although I think I would have accepted an epidural had anyone offered it, I managed to have a natural birth and I consider that to be a great accomplishment.

Leda was born at 8:38 pm and she came into this world very health and well loved. Time goes by to quickly and even though she only arrived 4 1/2 months ago, part of me feels like she has always been here. Becoming a mother was the easiest adjustment I have ever made. Nothing feels more natural or right to me then loving my daughter and being her mama.

* If anyone is curious "The Calm Ninja Turtle" came from a blog name generator. I filled out a survey about me and it told me if I ever had a punk rock band, this is what it would be called.