Mama in the City

Today vs. yesterday are very black and white. Yesterday was filled with many lovely moments and today was stretched out and took a lot out of me. Yesterday gave to me and filled me up so I guess that leaves me equal?

Yesterday Ben and I went around town and had lunch out, followed by some bad toddler dancing in the children's department at H+M. He was on his best behavior and was very fun to be around. I love these days so much and I know how fleeting they really are.

Today I worked and I really worked hard from 715 AM till 730 PM. There was much leg holding to be done, long pushing sessions to get through and the much anticipated delivery. I was Andrea the nurse and not Andrea the mum. I am so happy to have these photos of Ben while I am gone all day. My husband took them while I worked today and I love seeing them as soon as I got home.

This early afternoon when I woke up from my night shift the first thing that my husband excitedly said to me was, 'today Ben did something that we have been waiting 16 months for!!' I am racking my post night shift brain thinking what it could be. What the heck is it?

It was this.



My boy crawled into the dogs bed and started watching out the apartment window. With the Olympics almost here there is a lot of action going on outside. Within 10 minutes he fell fast asleep.




Seriously cute and yes...we have been waiting for our child to do something like this. Love it!

I get to live and experience so many peoples birth stories and it is really a privilege. While I can't share with you the exact details and situations of peoples births I can write fictitious stories that are drawn from my real life experiences as a labor and delivery RN. Here is the first installment. A beautiful uncomplicated natural birth. My ultimate favorite to be part of; unmedicated, lots of movement, trust in your body and support from a partner.

I am the nurse on duty and I see my patient coming down the hallway escorted by her husband. It is her second baby and she is in a good active labor. You don't even need to check her dilation because you can just tell. She is in labor and going to have a baby soon. The pains are rocking her every 3 minutes and she is moving through each of them with courage. Together we move into one of the labor rooms. I am now privy to her personal birth experience and her intimate moments that she will undoubtedly remember forever.

First she is standing and swaying while holding on to her husbands shoulders. Her face buried into his chest as she deeply moans a painful labor cry, it is loud and remarkable. She is in control and is trusting her body; connected but in an 'out of body' sort of way. The pain is deep and ripping but temporary and she remembers from the birth of her daughter that this pain won't last forever and it will end, her body shakes and shivers after each contraction.

The lights are dim and the room is quiet and calm and she moves into the warm shower. Now on hands and knees in the tub, rocking and swaying through each contraction. The pains come every two minutes and there is not much break between the end of one and the start of the next one. She is now crying out and unsure if she can keep doing this. She is lovingly reassured by her partner through his soft words and gentle touch. 'You can do this. You are doing this'. He sweeps his hands down her back and applies steady pressure to her lower back. She continues to cry out with each pain but she knows that she can do this.

Moving from the tub to the bed, the baby is coming. She moves out of the tub and is wrapped in soft warm blankets and sipping sweet cool juice. She curls her toes in pain and feels the baby moving down. The pressure is memorable, out of this world and totally incomparable to anything else. Her water breaks naturally and she feels the overwhelming urge to push and over 8 pushes she births her second baby. He is now crying and is lifted on to her chest where she greets him. 'I am your mother'.

With sickness and low key winter days keeping me at home, I have become a bit of a hermit but I don't mind one bit! It is so nice to just relax in the apartment with my family and watch the day go in and then out. As my husband works from home we do get to spend quite a bit of family time together. There is always breakfast, lunch and dinner spent together as a trio. Plus the occasional walk around the city to get a latte, walk the dog and take Ben to the playground.

With all the recent homebody activity there has also been a major decline in the amount of shopping and spending on my part. I have been watching the savings account grow and it has given me a major itch to go and shop. I know that sounds so backwards and I should really be happy saving but I also like to spend and shop. Surprised?

In my virtual shopping basket I have a few hot items that I am blissfully pining for. My first stop would be Khiels on Robson for their 'Simply Mahvelous Legs' shaving lotion and of course some of their super hydrating facial moisturizer. These are an indulgent purchase but worth every excessive penny spent.



I think after stocking up on these essentials I would head over to the Gap to look for a fun new sweater for all my lounging days spent at home. Maybe something like this would end up in my shopping bag.



I might also go and pick this scarf up on my way home. A pop of colour always helps to beat the grey winter days and I can see a lot of use coming from this silk printed scarf from Banana Republic.



So, with my arms virtually strained from carrying around these shopping bags I would head home but not before I enjoyed a delicious latte from my favourite coffee joint. Ahhh, such a nice day. What's in your virtual shopping bag?!

My husbands mother lives in Florida and enjoys sending her 13th grandchild handmade items. I just love little children in hand made sweaters and toques and so recently I asked my mother in law if she could make Ben a toque. Unsure if my Floridian mother new what a toque was I went on to explain this Canadian term. She laughed back and told me that in fact she did and was already making this cute boy his own warm hat.

Here is my cute boy modeling his blue sweater hoodie and winter scarf.







Sometimes I wish I could knit or crochet or do something crafty. I don't have the patience to learn right now but I can see it happening one day. For right now I am more than happy to keep Ben 'Florida warm' with these snuggly gifts.

I've been sick for the last week and I'm just starting to feel like my self again after many low key days. Ben has been a stellar toddler and didn't seem to mind the lack of our usual outings.

He was quite content hanging out with me while I lazed in bed and he helped create the many crumbs that collected in my bed sheets with our impromptu bed picnics.

I was having an apple today and Ben thought it was pretty cool to munch and crunch. The boy is a vigorous eater and always tries to move in on your food.

I have a confession to make and please don't get all judgey on me either. When little Ben is fast asleep and the evening is all mine I turn to a MTV show called Jersey Shore. Yes, you heard me right. Mama in the City is all over the craptastic hour long Jersey Shore.



The show is so ridiculous that you just can't stop watching it. It isn't that it is a good quality show or even that the characters are truly interesting and stimulating people. There is just a little something about the upbeat theme song and the extra orange tans and over gelled man hair that gets me hooked.

So, tell me..am I alone in this confession? Yes, I know it is a vulgar rude show but I can't help myself.

The park, that is our backyard, is a huge perk for our apartment baby and we use it often. When we first moved to this neighbourhood I didn't understand why city planners would put a playground under a bridge. However, the other day while it was pelting cold rain we bundle up and headed to our backyard park. Ben played and ran around and had a grand toddler time.




When the rain clears it is easy enough to dash back out from under the bridge and stroll home along the seawall. I love city living and I plan to live here a long time.

When Ben was 9 months old I was in the full swing of maternity leave and I joined a mothers group that had weekly and monthly meet ups around the city. It seemed like the perfect thing to do and I went to a few of these meet ups and had a really good time hanging out with other moms and babes. There were picnics in Granville Island, moms only martini meet ups, sidewalk coffee dates and community center pot lucks.

It wasn't until the very last meet up back in October that I ended up questioning why I was meeting with this group. I ended up meeting 'the' mother of all mothers. You know exactly the one I mean. She is the one with more advice on a certain topic that you didn't even ask her about. The one who'd openly 'tsk tsk' the idea of your child using a sippy cup and not a regular cup. She is the same women who submits her high opinion of your parenting skills without the blink of an eye. She leaves you confused and she leaves a bad taste in your mouth and ends up making you feel like you just aren't doing good enough.

"Well, my baby Samantha is already reading. That's how we doing things"
"My baby has never had an artificial nipple. I would never do that to her."

I am guessing that when the mother of all mothers was in highschool she was most likely the over achiever. A semi nerd but did well for herself overall. She was most likely the one who wore the latest Coconut Joe pants and always did her homework on Friday night. She grew up and turned into 'that' mother and she is the reason I no longer enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of semi strangers and their babies in the city.

So, today I disjoined the meet up group and I have to say, it felt good to hit that button taking me out of the group. It's funny how one person can give you a bad impression and eventually motivate your decision. Obviously she isn't the only reason I left and I have to say that I did meet a handful of amazing fun moms. I no longer have a baby and talking babyhood is no longer the only thing in my head.

*there is no real baby Samantha but if there was she would be drinking from a cup and reading book by 7 months old*

My husband is our family chef and can whip up some tasty dishes that will leave you feeling jealous if I was to list them (I know, I know). In fact he is such a good cook that in our first year of dating I am pretty sure I gained 15 pounds from all the delicious high fat meals that he made for me. So, it is no surprise that my 16 month old son also has a keen interest in cooking.

I am just chugging through on to my second night shift and am complaining miserably to myself and possibly my husband. I feel gross and unhealthy and am getting ready to go for my final 12.25 hour shift in a little bit. This is the life of a shift working nurse and my reality. No matter how tired I felt in the first year of Ben's life, shift work officially knocks you out.

My biggest pet peeve is when people assume you just need a tiny nap after you come home in the morning. I have heard it multiple times from different people and it always grates on my nerves. It usually goes something like this:

Annoying Person: Hey Mama, how are things going with you?
Mama in thy City: Oh, not so bad but I did just get off a night shift this morning.
AP: Oh yeah. So, what are your big plans for today? Since it sounds like you are on days off now.
MIC: Well, I just got off this morning. As in, I am tired and feel jet lagged but didn't travel anywhere. I need to go to bed.
AP: So you will have a nap then? Lucky! A nap is so nice! I would LOVE a nap!
MIC: Umm...well no not a nap a sleep. Cause I worked all night long..like all night long while you were sleeping and relaxing. Know what I mean?
AP: Well, I guess so but it is day time?? ( Looks confused, does not understand the whole night shift deal)
MIC: Yes, after working all night long I need to go to bed. Just like I would at night. For a good chunk of hours. Just like you did last night.
AP: Oh. Well have a good nap then. Lucky you!

This is my real life conversation with an Annoying Person.

PS. One of my girlfriends that I work with is a single mama in the city and she does not get a nap nor a sleep after her last night shift. She deserves a big prize in my opinion!

I would like this part of my life to be about trying to be my best self. Sometimes on the path of trying to learn how to be my best self I find other inspiring women who show qualities that I adore. Personal attributes that I admire and make me think about my own way of life.

Here is my 2010 blog roll of women that I find to be inspirational and amazing. They have all had something big to live through and have allowed themselves to be truthful.

Nie Nie is a beautiful mother who survived a horrific plane crash with her husband. She suffered extensive burns and much suffering but continues to see the beauty in life and in her children.

Gorilla Buns lost her infant son while he was napping and she blogs about her babe and life before and after.

Nugget News is an uplifting look at a mama to four 1 year olds. She experiences all those normal daily hassles that parents have but has them multiplied by four.

The Macs have had a blog for awhile and wrote about the painful loss of their baby daughter from cancer last year. The mom turned her grief into something amazing with her handmade baby items and special playground and she just gave birth to a second child.

Go and check them out and be prepared to be amazed at their life experiences and their continual courage.

Over the holidays we were driving to my parents house and Ben was getting antsy sitting in his car seat and started the annoying shrieking that makes driving difficult. Luckily my husband had his lap top on hand and there was roaming wireless via the iPhone. This made for some instant distraction for a bored toddler and a bit of peaceful driving for me.

Ben became a fan of You Tube's 'Duck Song' and we have put quite a few hits on this little diddy. It turns out that a certain 2 year old and a 5 year old were also very intent on watching the basic graphics and the repetitive song.

So, my gift to you is a link to the 'Duck Song' to play for your little tots when they get loud and screechy and need a bit of distraction. Tell me if you start humming the tune after the 5th time watching this video.

Last June I was on maternity leave and I was starting to feel like I needed a hobby. I had been on maternity leave for about 11 months and was tired of watching TV in my few moments of spare time. Instead I felt like I needed an outlet and something to spark my creativity and let my ideas and experiences flow freely and not become stagnant and forgettable.

The end result was this blog; Apartment Baby brought to you by Mama in the City! The experience has been wonderful and I have loved writing on various topics that I feel passionately about, as well as writing about my growing boy and our daily life.

Here are my top five personal picks from 2009:

1. Maui Magic : Our first Hawaiian vacation left us tanned and loving all things Maui. We were ready to go back the moment we left and hope to go back to island life again.

2. Lazy Saturdays Served Family Style, highlights the advantages of living in the city as a young family.

3. The Period of P.U.R.P.L.E Crying and how 'Wine Friday' came about, this is one of my top viewed posts as many tired parents google the term 'the period of P.U.R.P.L.E crying' and land on this particular post.

4. My photographer husband wrote the post 'How to bring your camera into the delivery room (and live to talk about it). This has been a popular posts on a photography forum and highlights some of my favourite labor and delivery photos from my birth.

5. There Goes The Foreskin got people talking about infant male circumcision. A topic I feel passionately against and apparently so do most of my readers.

Thank you sweet readers for taking the time to come and read my blog. Enjoy the fresh start to this new year!

Sportin' a new polo shirt:




He LOVES his new bookcase from Grandma and Papa:




And he is angry about his sleep schedule being off after the holidays!