Hello ladies. I have a lovely 7 month old boy and I am scheduled to return to work in 5 months. I have been searching for daycare but most places only accept at 18 month+ or are full with waiting lists. I'm looking into possibly hiring a nanny to come to my home at Yonge & Sheppard and was wondering if anyone else would like to share a nanny and split the cost. I am only looking for one other person to share the service. Preferably looking for a child similar in age so by spring 11 months to under 2 years old.

If you are interested and would be willing to drop your child to Yonge & Sheppard please contact: Suzette at 416-221-0522 (home) or 416-697-5296.

This is just information I am sharing but it is up to you if you wish to consult your pediatrician first.  I tried it on the soles of my baby's feet covered by socks and worn inside his sleeper.  He definitely slept better than the previous night.  See article below.

Some interesting info for your children and maybe worth a try.  Perhaps you have heard it before.
Subject:   VICKS VAPO RUB INTERESTING

During a lecture on Essential Oils, they told us how the foot soles can absorb oils. Their example: Put garlic on your feet and within 20 minutes you can 'taste' it.

Some of us have used Vicks Vapo rub for years for everything from chapped lips to sore toes and many body parts in between. But I've never heard of this. And don't laugh, it works 100% of the time, although the scientists who discovered it aren't sure why. To stop night time coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally), put Vicks Vapo rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime, then cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief. Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.
Just happened to tune in A.M. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good, due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs so, I listened. It was a surprise finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.

My wife tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and  persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100%!   She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her, coughing stopped in a few minutes and believe me, this was a deep, ( incredibly annoying!) every few seconds uncontrollable cough, and she slept cough-free for hours every night that she used it.


DON'T SHUN THIS ONE.. TRY IT THE NEXT TIME YOU GET A BAD COLD

After Liam turned 6 months, my interest in grains has all of a sudden peaked, even though I have always attempted to avoid them. How will he get nutrients in his food? What are some good recipes? What new foods do I introduce to him?

The mom of a beautiful 6-month old shared her recipe with me - Quinoa. Having never heard of it, I turned to my recipe portal - Google. Turns out, Quinoa is a Super Grain.. Driven by excitement, I made a trip to Ambrosia (on Doncaster) the same day. With a great selection of organic grains (sold in bulk), and friendly staff, who opened the store binder and showed me nutrition information and cooking directions, I am now one step closer to having an idea of what to feed Liam in the coming months.

So to those mommies who are wondering the same question, here is some information:

Quinoa is a wonderful grain that just in the past few years has been rediscovered. It was a staple in the diet of the ancient Inca Indians. Actually, quinoa is not really a grain. It is the dried fruit of the herb family Chenopodium. However, it looks like and acts like a grain, and so is used that way.

Quinoa is truly a "supergrain" because of the wonderful nutrition it offers. For minerals it contains more iron than other grains, has high levels of potassium, riboflavin, magnesium, zinc, copper and folacin. It is a great source of protein. Unlike other grains it contains plenty of the amino acid lysine, as well as the other essential amino acids, so it provides complete protein. It is a great kid food, not only because of these nutritional benefits, but because of its light flavor.

Some delicious ways to serve quinoa are in a pudding such as rice pudding, or as a hot cereal in the morning cooked in fruit juice. Add it to soups or stews at the end of the cooking time, or make a cold grain salad out of cooked quinoa by adding raw or cooked veggies and herbs and tossing with a light dressing. Make quinoa pilaf with raisins, carrots, onion and garlic.

When cooking ground quinoa "powder" for homemade baby cereal, use about 1/4 cup of powder per 1-2 cups of water - more or less as you see fit. The key is to whisk whisk whisk as you are cooking to avoid clumping! Add pureed fruits and vegetables to baby's homemade quinoa cereal - ensure that you have followed the 4 day wait rule!

Most grains will need to be combined with complimentary proteins such as nuts, beans or dairy. However, another grain that will provide you with a complete source of protein is spelt. It is very popular in Europe, and in the U.S. it is now found in many breads. It is especially popular among those with a wheat allergy, since although it does contain gluten, it is extremely fragile so many wheat-sensitive people can tolerate it.

Quinoa (1 cup cooked)

VITAMINS:
Vitamin A - 0 IU
Vitamin C - 0 mg
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - .33 mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - .67 mg
Niacin - 4.98 mg
Folate - 83 mcg
Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS:
Potassium - 1258 mg
Phosphorus - 697 mg
Magnesium - 357 mg
Calcium - 102 mg
Sodium - 36 mg
Iron - 15 mg
Also contains small amounts of manganese, copper and zinc.

PROTEIN:
Protein - 22.27 g

Hello New Mommies to New Moms that have joined lifewithababy.com. I just wanted to give a shout out to those new moms and welcome them to this blog. Thank-you for taking the time to join our group! I am an assistant organizer for working Moms in the Markham area. I am also a proud Mom of a beautiful little girl named Alexis.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself and your little ones on this blog thread........Thanks!!!!

Since I started writing this blog, I’ve been getting the following question: is your husband okay with you writing this stuff? What if someone he knows reads it?  Well,  my hubby and I are very honest with each other – sometimes to the point where I wonder is honesty is really the best policy, but that is why we are so compatible and he knows my feelings about pretty much everything, so if I was to complain about him, he would be okay with it. I don’t think any husband really believes that his wife never complains about him.  We are secure enough with our relationship and our commitment to each other that anything I write or say about our struggles during the first year of parenthood will be honest but respectful. 

With that in mind, the next reason not to divorce your husband in the first year is that perspectives become skewed and we no longer see things the same which affect the way we communicate with each other.  Love is blind and when you have a baby, the rose coloured glasses come off and you see your world in a whole new light…   a personal example,  my hubby is a perfectionist, he expects the best from himself and he expects the best from me … before baby, no problem, during the first year of new baby, big problem, now that our daughter is 17 months, again no problem. It took me 16 months to be okay with my husband the perfectionist. He has been a perfectionist for 30 years. He tried really hard to be understanding and accept the fact that I was no longer the same - but it was hard for him. It is hard for all new dads, boyfriends, husbands to come to terms with how different things are once the baby is born. We had almost a year to get used to the baby, so I figure we should at least give them the same amount of time to get use to the changes.  In the first few months, one of the things I used to love most about my husband became the thing I hated most about him. I knew I had to do something to get the closeness we had before our daughter.   So we go out together every Saturday night (date night), we schedule a talk & watch TV together on Wednesday nights, basically we’re trying to spend more time together, we are falling in love with each other the way we are now, ( not the way we were before)  we are both different now, we will never be the way we were before, but we can be better, so give yourself and your husband the time to fall in love with each other.  

If you were happy before the baby and you really think that you are compatible and right for each other, do whatever you have to do the get the relationship back on track, invest in counseling, go to support groups, talk about your issues.  You are not alone, all new parents go through this… give yourself and your husband the time to adjust to the new dynamics of your relationship.

 

Why am I writing about what we (moms) can do, well for one thing, we cannot control what anyone else does, but someone has to make the first move, the first compromise, the first effort in order to get things back on track – in the end, it really doesn’t matter who makes the first move, the important thing is that the relationship gets better.

Reason numero four... sleep deprivation will turn a sweet, loving wife into a raging lunatic... yes it's true, I've experienced it many times.

It's 3 o'clock in the morning and you are still awake... worst yet, this is the fourth time that you've been up and it's only three... you can't sleep so what do you  have time to do?  THINK!  I would start thinking about all the things that weren't done today, all the things I have to do tomorrow... then I would start thinking that I would be able to do some of those things if HE would wake up, come downstairs and stay with the baby so that I can get some sleep... but NOOOO he has to WORK tomorrow, like what I'm doing isn't work, right... just because he actually goes to work and brings home a paycheck he thinks thats' work... well, I'll show him, I'll leave him with the baby for a whole day and then he'll see what work really is... 

So how many of you were smiling when you read the above paragraph... it's funny because it's true. We have all had variations of this.  What is the solution?  If, you are completely sleep deprived, drained to the point that you need sleep and need help, go upstairs tell your sweet, loving husband to wake up... take care of the baby so that you can get two hours sleep.  In the grand scheme of things, if your hubby has been sleeping regularly, then the two hours that he looses will be nothing in comparison to the benefit you will get from two hours of sleep.  Sleep deprivation is probably the number one reason we get emotional, irrational and moody, so do whatever you have to do to get it. There have been days when I'm too tired to do the pick up put down method, so I've slept with my daughter, I had to get a weekend nanny to come in so that I could get sleep on the weekend, I had my mother-in-law, friend, sister, other moms from the group over so that I can rest for an hour... Do whatever works for you so that you do not become sleep deprived...

On some of the days where I didn't get sleep the night before, I told myself I wanted a separation, divorce, wanted to move out, change the locks on the doors... did I really want these things, of course not, but when you are tired, haven't gotten the chance to take a shower lasting more than two minutes, up every two hours, you think irrational thoughts and in these instances, I'm sure it's the husbands that are thinking... oh my goodness, what did I get myself into, so when you get a moment, do something nice for your hubby... he's been through a lot too...   It's no one's fault and this too will pass because the baby will start to sleep longer, everyone will fall into a routine and hopefully we have some support and coping strategies for dealing with those sleepless nights.

If you need support for those days... ask.  That is what this group is here for. We are a community of moms who connect and support each other. 

If you are following along... here comes reason #3

Before I had my daughter, I heard other women use the term "men are just big babies" all the time. I didn't pay any attention to it, because I didn't have anything to compare it to... but now, oh yeah. I can definitely say that I agree.  How does this affect our relationships?

Well, the first three months, we are too tired, sleep deprived and annoyed to really pay any attention to it, then we start getting some sleep and actually looking around and comparing our babies and our husbands, at this point it is REALLY annoying... we find ourselves thinking... "he's a grown man and he's acting like at two year old", and really sometimes it's like a two year old throwing a tantrum.  Looking back now, I see that men in generally were always like that, but now we have a REAL baby and we don't want to baby our husbands anymore, we want them to grow up really fast and take care of us... but they have not jumped on to the band wagon as yet. They will, from a combination of us bugging them about it, realizing that we need the help, and us not babying them anymore, but it will take some time and it will not come easily. and really why would they want to give up all they had before just because there is another addition to the family?  one of the struggles moms face is that we resent the fact that they haven't grown up as fast as us (even though we had the nine months to prepare). We used to be babies too, we would baby our hubby, our hubby would baby us... then we ave a baby and grow up but our hubby isn't getting it yet. I'm not a big fan of making excuses for dads, but the fact is, we did get that nine months, it prepared us for motherhood, they don't have that same experience, nor do they have the instant bond and link that we have, so we have to try to be patient with them until they get it.

Around 6 month, when the baby becomes more social and starts interacting, dads generally stop acting like a baby and transition to about a four year old. They still would like for you to do things for them, but if they HAVE to, they do it themselves, BUT... and it's a big but... ONLY IF THEY HAVE TO!  So mommies, your job is to show them that they can do it and they will have to do it and before you know it you may have a husband who is acting like a teenager - even doing the dishes once in a while, at that point I say be happy with that for a year and then start the training again... :-)

Around a year, things just balance out, the pressure of the first year is over, your baby can eat most foods, everyone is getting more sleep, there is less restrictions which translates to less stress for mom, meaning less stress for dad. Everyone knows their role in family. By this time, you may (if you are lucky) have a husband who acts his age. Don't be alarmed if once in a while he acts like a baby again... given the chance he will.

Happy Wednesday Evening fellow mommies,
As promised, the #2 reason why you shouldn't divorce your hubby in the first year of having a baby.

You knew his faults when you married him & you did anyways...

Since you married him anyways knowing his faults, that means that you told yourself, "Hey, these faults aren't too bad, I can live with this", all too often when there is a new baby in the picture, it's hard to figure out and find a balance with change in dynamics of the relationship.  We then look at our friend's husbands, ex boyfriends, friends and tell ourselves that if we were with them instead of our current husband things would be different... but would they really?  Maybe they would be different, but would it be better?  I don't think so!  If you talk to ten women in the first 6 months of motherhood and ask them how things are going? Does your significant other help?  At first, we all say yes, everything is great. My husband is great and very supportive ( of course we'll all say that b/c who wants to tell a total stranger that things are not as great as we thought it would be?)  but once you get to talking and one mom opens up about some challenges, everything chimes in and hey, what do you know... We all seem to be married to the same man... the facial features, height, general appearance may be different, but the behavior, attitude, comments, actions are generally the same.

SO, if they are all the same - which we have already figured out, then why would you think that if you were with someone else things would be different? 
Let's say that you're husband doesn't do the dishes or help with household chores, if he was like this before the baby, you can bet the farm that he'll be like this or even worse in the first year...  but on the other hand he's really good with the gardening & fixing things around the house. So maybe you're thinking of kicking your hubby out and getting together with someone who does the dishes and helps around the house... well guess what, he doesn't fix things, nor does he do the gardening... so now what? do you then start looking for someone who will do both?  NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!  There are no perfect men out there.  There are people with whom we are compatible, and if you had this before the baby, have patience, invest in counseling, talk, work it through... it will get better and we all go through it. 

On a personal note, there were times when I thought to myself, this sucks, this is not what I signed up for, I thought it would be different, maybe it would be different if... but then I remember that I LOVE my husband, I was crazy about him before the baby, hormones, stress, sleep deprivation and the huge responsibility of taking care of a new baby can make us new moms think and act in crazy ways... I personally thank my husband for putting up with some of my very, very hormonal completely irrational days.  And I thank Masha (one of our members) for reminding me that even though I have expectations that aren't being met, so does my hubby b/c whether we want to admit or not, we have changed too and maybe their expectations are not being met.

I'm not saying that these are our issues only, of course there are things that we would like our husbands to do differently, and I do believe that our husbands need to be more supportive to us during the first year, but we do not know what they are thinking, we can only control and better ourselves. Once we have coping strategies and support in place it's a lot easier to communicate and work through challenges.  There is a great support group for new fathers called Focus On Father's. It's a support group for dads with children 0-18 months.  This is a great way for dads to meet with other new dads and also realize that "hey, my wife is not the only one having difficulty". It can be reassuring to dads to know that other dads are going through similar problems as well.

Just a reminder that these postings are based on relatively happy relationships before the baby arrived and these are just my thoughts on some of the reasons why we shouldn't make any rash decisions in the first year. If you are in an extremely unhappy relationship, it's best to get professional help because the best thing for our babies are happy, mentally healthy parents.

Hello Fellow Mommies,

Recently I found out about Organic Vegetables and Fruit delivery.

It's an Ontario Organic Farms program where you can get a weekly supply of organic veggies, greens and fruits delivered to your home (extra charge) or to one of many pick up locations across the city.

Singe box is $25

Regular Box -$35

And Big Box for a big family is $50.

You can try it for one time and then sign up for a program that last about 2 months called Fall Share, Winter Share etc.

Yesterday I got my first box and it looked pretty good and fresh and smelled great!!!

I took a single box b/c it seemed enough for 2 adults and baby and I didn't see a big difference between single and regular box.

So the single box included: 2 big sweet potatoes, 3 zucchini, 2 big tomatoes, lettuce, bunch of spinach, bag of mixed greens, bag of mushrooms, 3-4 pears, 5-6 apples, 2 oranges, 2-4 bananas and maybe something else...

The difference I noticed between the regular box that it had broccoli and leek.

The box contents vary from week to week, sometimes they put grapes, mangoes.

You can customize your box for extra 3$.

I think it worth give it a try.

Check the web site: http://www.planborganicfarms.ca/

Let me know what you think.

Marina

I went to the gym last night and when I got on the elliptical machine Bones was playing on TV, so I thought to myself, why not. I have an hour to go, I normally don’t watch this show, but it was pretty interesting. Everything was fine until it got towards the end of the show.  This episode was about an 8 year old being kidnapped and when they rescued him safely I had to get off the machine and go to the change room to wipe my eyes and wash my face.  Since I had my daughter I’ve noticed that I get misty and sappy at anything that has to do with kids.