Category Archives: family

Spring is Here

Posted on April 20, 2011 by ghislaine| 1 Comment

Looks like spring is finally kicking in over here. The weather has been still kind of wacky (we even had snow last week!) but at least things are starting to look green around here and once in a while we get some warm sunshine when it is not raining.

I love living in Vancouver because one of the most beautiful things about this city are the cherry blossoms during spring time. It is just so magnificent seeing pretty pink blossoms all over town. How I wish to someday live in a house with a cherry blossom tree (or maybe I should one day plant one)!

A few weeks ago, my oldest son and I planted some grass seeds inside egg shells (see this post from last year). This is such a gratifying thing to do with a young child as you can see the results pretty fast! The grass started growing about a 2-3 of days after we planted them.

Once the “hair” of our eggheads got pretty long, my son then gave them a hair trim. Such a fun and inexpensive activity for the kids. I think this is an activity we might try to do every year as it teaches children how to care for plants and how to wait patiently for them to grow.

Speaking of hair, I finally got my haircut today. I really should get my hair cut more frequently but the difficult thing about going to the hair stylist is trying to make the time to go without the kids. Now my youngest son cannot pull on my hair anymore (well at least not as easy as before)! I also think my oldest son kind of preferred my longer hair, but I am just not the type of person who can do “long” hair.

This will be my last month of maternity leave with the boys. Kind of sad but kind of glad to be going back to work. I am trying to enjoy every last moment of it these days. I hope I don’t cry when I am at work thinking about my boys! Thinking about it makes me emotional already.

I also have a big birthday party to plan for in May. Both of my boys are born in May. We decided on a joint party this year and so my oldest son will be turning 4 and my youngest boy will be turning 1. It is going to be a safari themed party. I have been busy planning it already… buying and ordering supplies. Stay tuned for pictures in a future post.

I have also been busy sewing a few items here and there. Perhaps I will also post about my projects in another post sometime later… Anyhow, I should finish one of my many unfinished sewing projects. Bye for now.

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Posted in family, gardening, random

10 Months

Posted on March 10, 2011 by ghislaine| 1 Comment

My baby officially turned 10 months today. This means I have about 2 more months left of my maternity leave.

Sometimes when I look at my youngest son I find it hard to believe that he’s almost 1 year’s old! I still think of him very much as a baby and not so much as a little boy. It is hard not to compare him to my first son but my boys are unique in their own ways.

Some of the milestones or facts about my little J as of today are:

He is a very noisy kid. I used to think that big J talked a lot but now I am starting to think that perhaps little J is going to be the chatty one! He makes a lot of noises and says a lot of “ma ma” and “ba ba” which I think is probably not meaningful at the moment yet. It is quite humourous hearing him chatter. He also does this funny laugh that sounds like a sheep.
He is finally starting to like his solids. Compared to big J, he never ate and nursed as much (maybe that is why he is in the lower 25th percentile in weight), and when we started solids for him he did not seem too excited about food quite yet. The only foods that he really liked was chicken congee (that is Chinese rice porridge) and I had the hardest time thinking about what to feed him for meals. Nowadays, he seems to enjoy the variety of beef stew, lamb stew, chicken congee, pears & oatmeal, cheese bread, Cheerios, etc. He especially likes cheese.
He only has 2 teeth. Big J got his first tooth at 4 months and little J didn’t get his first tooth until about 7 months. Big J also had a lot of teeth by 10 months and was eating a variety of finger foods, whereas little J doesn’t have many teeth so I have not been very adventurous in giving him finger foods until recently. So he basically just “gums” his finger foods by chewing with his gums.
He does not sleep well. At first we thought he would be the good sleeper compared to big J, however after quite a few spells of being sick he hasn’t really slept well for a long long time. I think his longest stretch ever was 7 hours at around 4 months and he only did that once. Ever since then, his longest stretch is usually around 5 hours. Big J started sleeping through the night (8+ hours) at around 9 months of age and little J is nowhere close to sleeping more than 6 continuous hours. *sigh* His naps don’t seem to be so great either. Big J was also never a good napper (however he seems to be fairly OK as a preschooler now – yes he still takes naps!). He generally sleeps in his crib for the first 30 minutes (which big J never did) and then needs to be held for the rest of his naps (big J needed to be held for the entire duration of his naps when he was a baby). I have tried “nap training” a few times but have often failed since he always seems to get sick right after I start the process and then when he is sick I just don’t have the heart to have him cry for his naps. So I am definitely a sleep deprived mother still at 10 months, however I am super thankful for my mom who comes by to help me during the weekdays and holds little J for naps so that I can take a nap during the day too (since I get so much broken up sleep at night). Thank goodness for mothers!
He is not crawling yet. I think most babies are crawling at around 8 or 9 months of age and little J just does not crawl. He is definitely eager to stand but when we place him on his tummy, he will move his arms and legs but just does not go anywhere! Big J used to be a very proficient crawler by the age of 9 months so I find it very different with little J who isn’t quite mobile yet. Perhaps this a good thing so that I do not have to chase after him. Maybe he will be the type of kid that walks and just skips the crawling stage. We shall see.
He likes to sit and observe. As mentioned above, he is not really mobile but he does sit very well and is very good at people watching. He especially gets excited watching his older brother. Little J enjoys watching television (not that we let him watch it that often, just mostly Treehouse in the afternoon after his nap) unlike big J who did not care too much about TV until much later. He must get that from my husband who enjoys TV.
He generally a very happy baby. Besides the sleeping thing, he is always a happy camper. Big J was always such a serious and intense baby but little J loves to smile at people and is super happy when we aren’t trying to get him to take a nap!

I was also just thinking today about the many things that I will miss once my maternity leave is over and I am back at work.

Walking big J to preschool and seeing him wave goodbye to me from the window.
Picking up big J from preschool and chatting with the other parents.
Going for walks along Dunbar after we eat lunch.
Cupcakes and cookies from Butter Baked Goods. Oh, how I am going to miss all that yumminess!
Taking naps with big J in our bed (even though he usually takes forever to fall asleep and sleeps a wee bit too close to me).
Hanging out with little J and just watching him grow every day. It makes me sad to think that I could be missing some of his milestones like walking.
Hanging out with my mom. It has been a real blessing having her help out with my family during my mat leave. It has also been great being able to see her more often and just talking to her more.
Our weekly trips to the library.
Going to Swiss Chalet for lunch.
Going to Oakridge for Dim Sum.
Just being at home more with the boys.

So even though I have to admit that sometimes not working is a bit mundane for me, I am surely going to miss those moments with my family! I get a little weepy every time I think about how I won’t see them for most of the day when I am back at work. I am however also very much looking forward to going back to work again because A) I need the income and B) I need the mental stimulation (not that being with my kids is not challenging enough). I can totally understand why a lot of women are torn when they have kids and decide to do the stay home mom thing. And it is not like I do not want to be with my kids, but I know that I am a very social person that needs to be with more people. I do miss those conversations that I have with my co-workers. And I totally miss interacting with adults.

I think mothers will always feel guilty for whatever decision they make for their kids. Who said having children would be easy? As mothers we just want to do what’s best for our children but I am also of the belief that in order to take care of other people you also have to take good care of yourself. And for me, I need that separate identity of working in order to be happy. If I sacrificed that and decided to work from home and stay home with the kids I think I will end up blaming them for “giving up opportunities”. And I just don’t want to do that to them. So even though big J often says, “Mommy, don’t go back to work.” (and trust me it totally breaks my heart when he says that) I know I have to go back.

Well, before I know it these next 2 months will soon be over…

My boys at Dim Sum today

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Posted in baby, family, son

I’m Still Here

Posted on February 28, 2011 by ghislaine| 2 Comments

Well hello again. It looks like my resolution to blog more has not really made much progress since I haven’t posted yet in 2011 until now! Cannot believe that it is the last month of February and that tomorrow will be another new month. I officially have less than 3 months left of my maternity leave before I go back to work.

Speaking of work, I am kind of excited to go back and yet I am also kind of sad to be leaving my boys during the day. I hold my 9 month old these days thinking about how much I am going to miss holding my baby when I am at work. I think this time around, I might actually tear up more when I am back at work. I told the kidlet that mommy will be going back to work soon and he said, “Mommy, don’t go to work.” That made me a bit sad as I know he probably enjoys having me at home more often. I asked if he would miss me and of course he said yes. But also know the type of person that I am and that I am the type that needs to work to be content. I need the mental stimulation and also the social aspect of being with adults again. (I bet the next time I update I will be back at work already!)

So I do not know why I am so unmotivated to update this blog. Perhaps because I feel like nobody reads this (although I know from my Google Analytics data that there is some traffic here). But then again I also know that without any frequent updates then people don’t read it so perhaps I should just try to update more often. I also got an email this week about some guy who wants to advertise on my site. I wonder if he is for real or just some spammer. I think my dilemma sometimes is whether to write about my family or just keep this blog about my crafting/sewing activities. What do people what to read anyway?…

I have been sewing again lately. Made some dresses, a stuffed toy, and some baby stuff (for gifts). I also quickly made a lampshade cover for the kidlet. He seems to really enjoy the things that I make him. It is kind of sweet. I wonder how long until he thinks it is “uncool” to like homemade things from mom? Hopefully he will appreciate having a mom that can make things for him when he is older too!

My boys are going to be turning 4 and 1 soon. Wow, crazy how time flies. I am going to have to start planning their birthday parties soon. My oldest is constantly talking about birthdays and asking when is his birthday and if there is a birthday today, this week, etc. I think he shows me almost every day the calendar to point out when his birthday is going to be. On another note, his learning has really progressed in the last few months! He loves to draw and is able to write his own name now. He knows the days of the week and can understand how a calendar works now. Pretty impressive for a 3 year-old! I sometimes wonder if he is gifted, but then again doesn’t every mother think that their kids are smart? Well, anyhow it is just really amazing witnessing the growth of children. I cannot help but get a little weepy when I think about how fast my children are growing and how they are no longer going to be babies anymore…

Anyhow, I should go soon as I have to pick up the kidlet from preschool. Thanks for reading and hopefully I will update more often! I leave you with a picture of my boys taken during the morning last week. Bye!

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Posted in family, sewing

Quick Update & 2010 Reflections

Posted on December 27, 2010 by ghislaine| 6 Comments

Wow, where has the time gone? Looks like I have neglected this blog yet again (I haven’t updated since October!).

Well, perhaps I should at least recap some of the major events that have happened since my last update.

We went trick-or-treating with the boys (baby’s first Halloween!)
We went to Hawaii for a wedding (BTW, traveling with 2 young kids is no walk in the park)
Christmas came and went (baby’s first Christmas)

Here are some highlights about the boys:

The kidlet (my oldest son who is 3) loves to draw these days. In fact, he is able to draw people with faces, arms, and legs. He used to just draw squiggles prior to this progress so this is pretty impressive stuff for us.
The kidlet can read. OK, maybe not but he can pretend to read. He memorizes the books we read him (some are pretty lenghty ones too) and recites them back to us.
The baby can sit (started sitting with more balance at 6 months)
The baby’s been eating solids (he didn’t enjoy at first but now seems to like his food)
The little guy got his first haircut. His hair was growing like crazy and his long sideburns made him look like a girl (he often got mistaken for a girl). So my mom chopped off the sides and trimmed a little bit of the front (was getting into his eyes). Now he looks more like a boy.
We can see teeth on the baby’s gums. They haven’t really sprouted out yet, but we can finally see the whites of his teeth. For the longest time we thought he was teething (at around 4 months) but we only started seeing them in the last couple of weeks (at around 7 months).

Some random updates about myself:

Still sleep deprived. The baby was starting to wake up every 2 hours at one point after he hit 4 months. We thought he was teething, but he wasn’t yet. Then he kept getting sick (the big one gets sick from preschool and always manages to spread the germs to the baby) and then getting better, and then getting sick again. At the moment, he is sick again with another cold (cough, stuffy nose, fussiness, etc.). He’s been sleeping better lately but not really close to sleeping through the night yet. I guess every baby is different. I am looking forward to the day that I can sleep more than 6 hours straight. Broken up sleep is better than no sleep but not comparable to continuous sleep.
I haven’t done too much sewing lately. I think I made a bunting flag and a small zippered pouch for gifts. Oh, I did make the baby some pants which I had to adjust because his bottom is too big. I had gotten all this Christmas fabric which I didn’t even have the chance to use this year! What a bummer. I guess I will have to save it for next year…
Bought a new point and shoot camera for myself (Canon SD1300 IS). Not sure if I love it. It was at a good price but for some reason it’s hard to compare with my dSLR. I will have to take some more daytime pictures before I can judge.

Nothing overly exciting but this is my life now as a mom with 2 boys on maternity leave. Sometimes life feels pretty mundane but then again I know that this is the season for me to be a mom and be there for my kids and I am trying to enjoy the little joys in life. The boys bring me joy (the giggles, the way I see the brothers bond, the milestones that they achieve each day) and they of course also bring me pain (the meltdowns from my toddler, the sleepless nights from the baby’s wakings). But I know that I would rather go through this in life than never to experience this at all. So I am just trying to take this in one day at a time. Soon enough my maternity leave will be over and I will be back at work (kind of looking forward to working again and thinking of “adult” stuff again if you know what I mean). But for now, I need to live my time as a mom for my boys. And of course I totally appreciate the help that I have been receiving from my family (my mom has been so helpful with the little one this year and the hubby will try to take care of the kids on the weekends when he isn’t working) and our nanny.

I cannot believe that 2010 is almost over. This will totally be a memorable year on many levels.

The Vancouver Winter Olympics! Definitely a highlight for our city. It made our nation so proud to be Canadians. (I think many people had Olympic withdrawal after the Olympics ended!) Watching the gold medal men’s hockey game was the most exciting event ever.
We had another baby! Little j was born in May. Having to care for two children is definitely a different challenge than just caring for one. It has been amazing watching the little one hit his milestones as a baby. How quickly we forget once they happen. Now I know why some parents record everything that their children do. We cannot help but sometimes compare the little guy to our first born. But it is also amazing how unique and different each child can be even though they come from the same gene pool.
First time traveling with 2 kids. We went to Oahu, Honolulu for a good friend’s wedding. We love Hawaii but this was a very challenging trip for me. I had to pack for a 6 month old, a 3 year-old, and myself. We had so much stuff to bring. I have to admit that this wasn’t my most pleasant trip however I am thankful that I was able to witness the union of our good friends in such a beautiful venue. Hawaii will always have a special place in my heart. I am sure that we’ll be back again. My oldest son is already saying, “I want to go back to Hawaii again.”

Looking back on my list back in January 2010, I have to say that I want to do more of the same things that I listed back then for 2011. I think I can honestly say that I have indeed done more of all of the items that I have listed (yay for me!) but of course being the Type A personality that I am, what I have accomplished is just never enough.

Here is the list again (with an extra bonus for 2011):

More photography. I need to take more pictures. I need to take more pictures of my children. I also want a new camera and a new lens. But that’s another post of its own…
More crafting. I love to sew. Hope to have more time for this in the new year.
More reading. I love to learn! I really should do more of this to keep my brain healthy.
More blogging. I should post more often.
More journaling. Writing down the events of your life is important for self-reflection.
More exercise. This is a new item for 2011. It’s not like I don’t run around the house after my kids (well only one kids is mobile for now) but I definitely need to get off my butt more often and just get my heart pumping. I find regular cardio kind of boring these days. Maybe I need to sign up for something fun like hip-hop lessons or something. Hopefully I can find the time when the baby starts to sleep better.

Well, wishing you all a very happy 2011! (I need to go sleep now…)

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Posted in baby, family, random, son

Beach Life and Baby Update

Posted on July 29, 2010 by ghislaine| Leave a comment

We Love the Beach

One of the best things about living in Vancouver is how we are so close to the water. And not only that, we also have the view of the beautiful mountains.

One of our favourite things to do as a family is go to the beach. We’ve been heading down to Jericho Beach (or I think it’s actually closer to Laguno Beach) numerous times this summer already. It’s a short drive for us, and my 3 year-old son can easily stay there for hours (good entertainment value). We especially enjoy going during low tide when we can walk far down along the shore.

My 2 month old baby is a bit too young to enjoy the beach so he mostly just sleeps in a baby carrier when we go. If he is anything like the rest of his family, he is also going to love the beach. Cannot wait until he can sit up and play with sand!

I cannot believe that the month of July is almost over already! I thought I would post more often this month but I guess not. We’ll see how busy August will be…

Baby Update

My baby is almost 12 weeks old. Time flies. He’ll be turning 3 months soon. He’s also been sleeping a bit better lately. Not exactly sleeping through the night yet but if I’m lucky I will have nights where he will sleep 5 hours straight through. The worse nights were the ones where he woke up every 1-2 hours. That was so brutal.

My mom and nanny have also been helping a great deal during the day with the baby. This allows me to get a nap during the day time when the baby needed to be held for naps. He’s been transitioning to sleeping in his crib more often for naps and that also really helps (he has been sleeping in his crib at night for a while). Yay baby! Not sure if this is because it’s the second baby or if he’s just “easier” compared to my first born. I hope his naps will be more regular so that we can schedule some activities and outings in between naps.

I have always found the sleep training thing to be the hardest thing with babies. My oldest son was never really a good napper. Luckily, he eventually slept through the night (8+ hours) at around 8 months but from what I remember it was pretty tiring before that. It’s funny how easily we forget about the pains and woes of parenting as time passes. Perhaps that is why people have more than 1 kid, because they forget about how miserable it can be with those sleepless nights! Or some are lucky are and have babies that are easy to soothe and that sleep well from birth. Not my children! (I won’t even go into the details about how my oldest son has been waking up at night lately…)

It also helps that baby #2 seems to be mild tempered. Little j seems to be generally a happier baby than big J was when he was a baby. My second son is pretty cheery most of the time (he loves to smile at faces!) and can sit still in a car seat, stroller, or baby rocker for long periods of time whereas my first son was a very serious baby and hated sitting on his own and always wanted to be held (I used baby carriers a lot with my first son).

This being very likely my last child, I think that I have been trying to savour the moments of having a baby a bit more than the first time around. I just love those little fingers and toes, and especially all those cute little noises that my baby makes. Little j loves to coo and “talk” to people. It’s just the most adorable thing! Makes those sleepless nights not as miserable when you look at your baby and realize how helpless and sweet they are. How could I be mad at this little guy for keeping me up at night? Or maybe I am just getting softer now that I have been a mom for a while.

Anyhow, I leave you with a couple of pictures of the little guy. Isn’t he adorable? I know that as a mother you’ll always find your own children cute but you have to admit that he IS pretty darn cute!

P.S. The baby room is almost complete (have a few final touches that I have not been able to hang up yet) and hopefully I can post more pictures soon.
P.P.S. Been sewing again lately! Maybe I will write about some of the stuff I have been sewing in another post. Bye for now!

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Posted in baby, family, son

Curiosity

Posted on July 20, 2010 by ghislaine| 2 Comments

My 3 year-old son asked my husband a question the other day before bedtime. My husband usually tucks him in to bed and before he goes to sleep, they cuddle on the bed and chat for a bit.

My husband told me about this conversation that they had the other night:

J: Daddy, who bought J?
D: What do you mean who bought J?
J: Who bought me?
D: Oh, we didn’t buy J!
J: You didn’t?
D: No, we made J.
J: How?
D: Um.
J: How did you make J?
D: …

I cannot help but laugh at that. I wonder when is an appropriate age to tell children about the birds and the bees. The joys of parenting!

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Posted in family, random, son

End of June

Posted on June 30, 2010 by ghislaine| Leave a comment

Cannot believe that it is the last day of June! This month really went by fast.

We celebrated my baby’s one month birthday, my dog’s 7th birthday, my birthday, and father’s day. There was also my BIL’s birthday and a little girl’s 1st birthday party. June is a busy month!

The weather in Vancouver has been sort of crummy this year. Feels cold for summer. It is supposed to be sunny tomorrow for Canada day. Hope that’s true because we want to hit the beach. One of the nice things about living in this city is that there is always a beach closeby.

Anyhow, hope to update more in July!

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Posted in family, random

Sewing Books & Baby Room Upate

Posted on May 20, 2010 by ghislaine| Leave a comment

Here are a few sewing books with projects that I cannot wait to start trying once I have more free time again for some sewing.

Clockwise from top left: Doll Coordinate Recipe Volume 8 from Dolly*Dolly; Softies Only a Mother Could Love (borrowed from library); Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner; Built by Wendy, Dresses by Wendy Mullin.

Baby #2 has been really good so far. He sleeps and eats well and is generally good tempered. I think he is going to be a more mellow baby than my first born (thank God!). I have actually enjoyed being a mother the second round better this time. I remember struggling a lot with my first son (he was a pretty fussy baby and was – and still is – what I would call a high maintenance child). I guess I can understand why some mothers enjoy being stay at home moms now.

Anyhow, I hope to start some sewing projects again soon. Still need to complete decorating baby’s room. Just a few more final touches and I would call it complete. We just moved the crib today from my oldest son’s room to the baby room. I am so glad that my oldest son is so thrilled about his new bed and about sharing his things with his baby brother. He is taking upon the role of older brother really well. I have a feeling that he is going to be a really great caring older brother!

I feel very blessed for my family.

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Posted in baby, blythe, crafts, dolls, family, sewing, son

Tagged books, makeover, room, sewing

Mother’s Day Recap

Posted on May 15, 2010 by ghislaine| Leave a comment

Mother’s Day this year was definitely more memorable than most other years. First of all, being a mom myself makes it more special as you get to be honoured by your husband and child. Secondly, being pregnant with another baby is a reminder of things to come again with a newborn baby coming soon.

My morning started off well with some extra sleep (the hubby and kidlet went to hang out at the coffee shop in the morning so I could sleep in). Was greeted by my son and my husband with my mother’s day gift of a digital photoframe (because I am a photo person). My husband and son put together this photo montage for Mother’s Day (see pic below). My son is such a goof! I think he gets that from his father.

We went to church, had a nice lunch (Japanese food), and then dinner at home (yummy steak) later. It was almost like our normal Sunday.

We were planning for our last evening at home before our scheduled C-section appointment on Monday morning with the baby. We decided to go with a C-section because my first son came out as an emergency C-section (due to fetal distress). And even though the stats for a successful vaginal birth were high we really didn’t want to take any risks at all for chances of an uterine rupture and possible fetal brain damage should it occur. So we felt that the safest choice for the baby was to choose another C-section.

Sunday night was supposed to be our last evening at home before the baby came and our last full night of sleep. Well turns out that it didn’t quite work out as planned.

While reading books and getting ready for bedtime with my toddler, my water broke! As I was telling this to my husband I couldn’t help but think how ironic this all was. My son was like, “Why did mommy pee in her pants?” Oh how blunt little boys are! I was laughing when I heard that and then of course he asks, “Why is mommy laughing?” You have to admit that it is pretty funny if you were in my situation.

So off to the hospital we went at around 9 o’clock in the evening. Turns out I was in very early labour. My contractions were very mild and it would probably take another 12-24 hours minimum before I could do any pushing if I wanted things to progress naturally. Since we were planning to come in anyway on Monday morning at 8:00 AM we decided to proceed with a C-section anyway. Otherwise we would probably have to wait around in the hospital for another day or more for real labour to kick in. So at 1:02 AM on Monday May 10, 2010 my second son was born. Born about 7 hours earlier than expected but he came out at a healthy boy at 7 lbs 8.9 oz.

That was my Mother’s day. My son wasn’t exactly born on Mother’s day but it was pretty close. Definitely a Mother’s Day to remember!

Hope you all had a good Mother’s day too.