Vintage baby love

Style evolves and it's a good thing because not everything from the 80's was beautiful. However, when my mom gave me some of the outfits that I used to wear as a baby, it was love at first sight!

The yellow velvet one-piece with embroideries is what I was wearing when I left the hospital in 1980 and our baby will be just as cute in it in 2011!

This week I will watch...

...The First Cry (le premier cri). This documentary by Disney France (2007) looks pretty similar to Babies. However, instead of looking at the life of babies (Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo), the focus is on how women around the world give birth.

During my first trimester, I looked at a lot of "happy" child births on Internet (I didn't know that so many people videotaped this moment...and show the result online!) and read many birth stories (over at Marvelous Kiddo). I'm always amazed by what I see and a few of them made me weep!

However, for a strange reason, I'm a little scared to watch The First Cry. Now entering my last trimester, the concept of giving birth seems a lot scarier and looking at women in labor while I eat popcorn on my sofa doesn't make me feel any better about what will happen to me in a few weeks!!!

Ignorant Claudia - weekly question (week 25)

"There is a cow in the barn"! This is what I told myself when I arrived at Dan's parents (they live on a farm with goats, donkeys, bunnies, etc.). I'm not here to whine about my weight. Actually, for the first time in my life, I'm not underweight (fast metabolism) and people are in awe when they look at my perfect basketball pregnant belly!

So at 25 weeks, I added a "little" 27lb to my skinny frame! Not surprised at all. The doctor told me that I should gain about 40lb during my entire pregnancy.

Now that I said that, ignorant Claudia wants to know, is it normal that I wake up at night to eat? I'm the "reincarnation" of the Canadian food guide (plus the extra portions when you are pregnant) so I know that I eat very well.

At first, a little glass of milk was enough for me to go back to bed and fall asleep without any problem. However, last night, I had a chocolate-banana muffin (made by my mom), a bowl of organic apple sauce and a big glass of milk....at 2am!!! So, in how many weeks will I cook an elaborate meal before sunrise?

Dear friends,

Thank you so much for reading my little blog. Your support is the best present a future mother can get!

I wish you a very merry Christmas !

Claudia xox

Energy over time

I had to share with you this picture from Alice's flickr photostream. She is documenting her pregnancy and is now at 39 weeks. Her pictures always make me smile.

Maybe it is the fact the I eat like a pig (it takes some energy to digest that much food!) but as I get closer to my third trimester my energy level is slowly decreasing. Small power naps are now my best friends...at work, in the bus, at the food court, at the shopping center (I was so happy that nobody took my bag while I was sleeping), etc!

Small magazine

I must be old school. I don't know why but I have a difficult time adjusting to e-magazines. I just love to sit quietly on my sofa with a warm cup of tea and a traditional magazine...a magazine made of paper!!! And don't tell anybody but when I get a new magazine (or a new book), I like to smell it for a second or two. And honeslty, I don't see myself sniffing my laptop!

However, I have a big crush on Small Magazine. It is original, fun and full of inspiration. Oh, and Smaller, the magazine blog, is also lovely.

I don't know about you but so far I didn't find much parent/baby/kid magazines (paper version or e-magazine) that I like. I always find them a bit tacky. Do you have any suggestions?

Patience!

I wanted to order a custom name print for the nursery after our last echography. However, our little bunny was not in an exhibitionist mood that day! Oh well, it is just a question of time before I get my hands on an Alice or Arthur print from The English Muffin Shop.

Bess, a graphic designer/illustrator living in Montreal, creates a name print using the letters from her animal alphabet poster. The result is always delightful!

What a mom should be

This morning, I seriously doubted my ability to be a good mother. Being a parent is supposed to be the greatest job in the world. However, is it not also the most stressful? I'm not talking about the daily anxiety that raising a kid can bring. I'm talking about the fear of disease, accidents...the phone call that turns your parent life into a nightmare.

Last night, on our way to the ER (again), I must admit that I gave up. After I saw the blood between my legs I totally lost control. I became a scared little girl that wanted to crawl under the sheets after a bad dream. But a mother can't do that. She has to be strong, calm and ready to fight back. Instead, I holded Dan's hand and cried nervously while we walked in the snow to get a taxi cab.

And just like our last visit to the ER, everything went back to normal after a few hours: baby kicking, dog snoozing, cat eating the Christmas tree, husband painting the baby's room, wife writing about her pregnant life!

Dan told me that we are a team and as long as we are together everything will be fine. When one team member is in trouble the other is there to support him. This is exactly what he did for me yesterday.

But because life is still full of cuteness, look at that lovely baby hat that I got by the mail. Thank you Ingrid. I love it!

Week 24

WARNING...this is a post about boobs!

Yesterday, in the changing room at prenatal yoga class, the "belly club" had a discussion about how great it is to be pregnant on a breasts aspect. I must admit that it is pretty impressive to have a C cup when during your entire life you could have lived off training bras!

However, in my case, the fun kinda stops there. At 24 weeks, the blue veins on my breasts are slowly starting to look like a road map of Canada! Well, it could be worst, I could have a road map of New York.

And I never believed that I would talk about my nipples on Internet but this is a maternity blog after all. So I looked at the "belly club" and asked if their nipples also looked a bit strange? I told them that I needed to get pregnant in order to fully understand why they call the top of baby bottles a nipple. Yep, no confusion possible now!

But don't get me wrong. I'm super happy to be pregnant. You have to understand that I use my maternity blog to vent a bit so I don't annoy my lovely husband too much and I remain a radiant pregnant lady most of the time!

So thank you so much my dear Internet friends because without you I would be a bitter and freaked out knocked up woman.

Love,
Claudia xox

Right this second I want to get...

...well, right this second, I think that in a year or two we should get a Wheely Bug. Every time we visit a toy store, we take a second and day dream about our kid rolling around our condo on a...we just can't decide which model we like the most!

Really? At 24 weeks!

Looking at my maternity calendar, I realized that I will start my third trimester on Christmas day. Another reason to be festive! So I made two soft trees (the red one is from Ella), carefully decided which critters would be in my little forest and while I was taking a few pictures of the result...my morning sickness decided to pay me a visit! Are you joking??? At 24 weeks!!! Not nice :(

Ignorant Claudia - weekly question (week 23)

The first thing Dan and I started to do when I got pregnant is to visit Value Village after brunch on Saturdays and get little bodysuits and one-pieces. How can you say no to almost new baby Gap outfits for 2.99$? However, one rational person must eventually ask how many striped PJs is too much.

This week question is a little tricky but if you want to give it a try I would really appreciate it. So, what should I buy for my little one's closet (for the first few months)?

And talking about closets, it is getting more and more difficult to create appropriate outfits for the office. For a strange reason, the dresses are getting shorter at the front ;)

Yeah, no! I don't think so!!! In 4 months, I should give birth to a small pumpkin??? Pardon me but I shall go in denial for a while!!!!

Love at first sight!

I like everything about the French company Janod!!!

The fine art of swaddling

In a world of plastic-fantastic baby toys (or glorified dog toys that my cocker-poodle mix will destroy in 5 minutes), purple giraffes with blue polka dots bed sheets and psychedelic mobiles that would give a newborn epilepsy, it is refreshing to receive as a gift a simple pack of bamboo muslin wraps.

I didn't know much about the fine art of swaddling until I got preganant. As far as I understand the concept, swaddling is the age-old practice of wrapping a baby like a burrito!

I obviously didn't try the muslin wraps from little bamboo yet but the lovely couple who gave them to me really enjoy this product because it is super soft (like silk), breathable for more comfort and helps the baby stay warm in winter and cool in summer.

And as they said when they surprised me with the present: "It is a great gift for you because we know that you are picky and a little hippie"!!!

They were totally right :)

Merci beaucoup Jacinthe et Simon...et bébé PO! xox

Mommy talks with Martha (part 1)

Martha has it all! She is a creative photographer and blogger, a wonderful crafter, a lovely mother of two boys (A is 5 and W is 3) and she naturally incorporate eco-friendly actions in her everyday life...and she has a beautiful collection of wooden spoons (totally jealous)!!!

Did you do any eco-friendly initiatives when decorating the nursery?
We didn’t really have a nursery (just a crib and a rocker in a room that weren’t used) and we lived in an apartment where we couldn’t redecorate. But if I had one I would have used low VOC paint.

Do you think that going the eco-friendly way is more complicated?
Of course, things have to be on a budget, but you do everything you can to have a healthy pregnancy, why change that when the baby is born? Feeding organic foods, nursing/breast-feeding when possible and using reusable objects are really important in my mind.

I feel very strongly about having eco-friendly options for childhood, especially about not using plastics. If you decide to use bottles, there are a lot of glass options with silicone holders if you’re concerned about dropping them. Also once baby is eating solids there are wooden dishes or sturdy pyrex bowls that won’t break if dropped.

Did you buy any second-hand items?
We do buy a lot of items second-hand. However, there are safety precautions you have to take, so I would be careful buying a crib second hand and you should always buy a car seat new, unless you know its exact background.

Did you opt for cloth or disposable diapers?
We used both cloth and disposable diapers. I highly recommend the cloth diapers, especially the fitted ones with wool covers over top. It is not that gross to dump out the yuck and you get used to it. You have to change them more frequently but I never worried about a chemical rash from the absorbent gel inside the diaper when I used cloth - not to mention the environmental hazards.

The expense of disposable diapers is outrageous. We estimate that we spent over $2000usd on diapers for the time we used disposables, while a whole set up of cloth diapers is just a few hundred. I really liked buying diapers off Etsy (my favourite were from fluffymail). There are great wool soaker patterns for knitting on Ravelry and in books.

However, you may want a package of newborn disposables until the meconium is gone – that tar-like poop is difficult to wash out. I would also recommend trying a few different models of cloth diapers until you find one that works well for you. I know our local cloth diapering store has trial rentals that give you a chance to find a diaper that suits your taste.

What is your favourite eco-friendly product?
Oh boy, that is a really difficult question! There are so many great options out there; I’d have to say anything reusable is what I like best: cloth diapers, burp cloths, wipes, etc.

What is your best baby / kid eco-friendly advice?
Be open to spending a little more for quality and sustainability. And keep an open mind when it comes to things like cloth diapers, if you can find another mom that uses them it will help tremendously.

Thank you so much Martha.
xox

I didn't know what meconium was until I read your text. Yeah, it is good to be prepared!

Squirrely love

I always had a thing for squirrels. However, most people think that they are only glorified rats. I totally disagree! I would be more than happy to have this little critter in my tree this year.

from Le Souk

Week 22

When I started to write about my pregnancy I decided that I would not shy away from any subject or picture. After all, maternity is not just about the quest to find the perfect stroller. It is also (mostly) about femininity, self esteem and empowerment.

When I think about it, pregnancy is a lot like being a teenager all over again. I remember, when I was in high school, looking at myself and having a difficult time processing what I was seeing. Many moons later, when I see my reflection, I gasp at my new silhouette: a round belly, a wider torso, a few blue veins on my chest and obviously much bigger breasts.

After 22 weeks, I'm slowly leaving this awkward acceptancy phase and I'm starting to fully embrace pregnancy. As soon as I moved on, I became much aware of the natural strengths given to me as a pregnant woman. This morning, with my 34C (and not 32A) red bra and my full panel maternity jeans, I looked at myself in the mirror and felt pretty sexy! And it made my day :)

(and yes, I know, the bra is badly adjusted...oups!)

Right this second I want to get...

...an awesome pigeon onesie for Dan, well for the baby (Dan has a soft spot for pigeons) from Designedthreads.