Christmas Cards

One of the many things I love about the holidays is Christmas Cards! I love receiving (finally not just bills in the mailbox!) and love sending them as we don't send enough snail mail these days. I love seeing the changes in families from year to year as everyone's family seems to grow.  I've gone from sending them as a single gal (not with a photo at that point), the first one with our pup, then a married couple, and now this year our little family! 

This year we worked with Carli at PerfectSalt Paperie & Design (go check out her Etsy shop!).  I worked with her a bit this year; first on Greta's birth announcements and then she did some paper goods for Greta's Sip & See.  She did some really great work and was awesome to work with so when I knew what I envisioned for our card I turned to her yet again, with yet another success! They showcased the photos taken by my good friend Kristin at Mallet Photography perfectly.

So here's a little look! 

I got the rubber stamps at Target and they were perfect for a little added detail on the back and front of the envelopes.  I love dressing up the envelopes a bit, kinda wish I'd picked up some washi tape too, oh well maybe next year! (see I picked up my camera for these photos! yay for fulfilling some December goals!)

Do you send out cards every year or is it not your thing? Also, quick tip I seen floating around on pinterest...wondering what to do with those cards after the holidays are over, take a photo of the families card and added it as the photo for them as a contact in your phone for the year - I thought it was a great idea!

Holiday Craft: 2 DIY Ornaments

During naptime over the past couple weeks I have worked on two different types of DIY ornaments for our tree and to use as gifts.

First off were salt dough ornaments. I made these mainly as a keepsake ornament for Greta.  I did two hand-prints and two footprints, we are keeping a one of each and the two other are gifts for each set of grandparents for Christmas.  Before baking I stamped in the letters of her name using rubber stamps and then painted it in after they dried (there are tutorials that stamped using ink and it bakes in as well).  I also did some other shapes and painted them for gifts as well.

Here is the recipe and directions:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 cup flour

Directions:

1. Mix together the salt and water, then gradually add the flour and mix until combined

2. On a lightly floured surface, form the dough into a ball and knead for until a soft dough forms.

3. Roll out the dough to a ¼" thickness and cut out shapes with cookie cutters and then make imprints or stamp with rubber stamps.

4. Use a skewer to poke holes at the tops of the ornaments for string.

5. Place the ornaments baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 200°F for 3 to 4 hours, then transfer to wire rack to continue drying overnight until firm.
6. Paint!

The next type were cinnamon & applesauce ornaments.  These make the house smell amazing while baking and the smell lingers as they hang on your tree, making it even more festive.  We don't have a real tree so we don't get the fresh tree smell to put us in the spirit - so these helped!  I made quite a few of these ornaments and I plan on using them as decorations when I wrap gifts for the family as well!

You can find the recipe and directions for these here.

Have you been working on Christmas crafts?  I can't wait until Greta is old enough to do these things with me! I can see making these two types of ornaments becoming a Christmas tradition!

Looking for some craft ideas? I'm linking up with Michaela & Cassie of Hi Sugarplum so click over for some other craft ideas!

Weekend Recap {...baby it's cold outside edition}

We spent most of the weekend staying warm with the woodstove burning and watching cheesy Christmas movies.  We are in a deep-freeze here (as it sounds like most places are experiencing colder than normal temps across North America) with our temperatures sitting around -40 C with the windchill.

We did venture out for a local pancake breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning where Greta got her first photo with Santa:

{Apparently I'm not doing so well with my December goal of using my dSLR more as I forgot it that morning so this was snapped with the iPhone}

On Sunday I baked and decorated some sugar cookies while Greta and Matt enjoyed some snuggles on the couch.  I'm also loving these cookies and hoping to give them a try next weekend although, I'm not sure mine will ever look as pretty, I can dream though right?!

 Lastly, last night was a bit rough.  This lil' miss was quite fussy and did not go to sleep or stay a sleep for very long. These rosy cheeks appeared yesterday, leading us to believe she may be teething.  We are hoping she is not getting sick - but we are off to the doctor today for her 6 month appointment so we will see what the doctor has to say about it anyways.

{I think the rosy cheeks look pretty cute!}

How was your weekend? Are you in a deep freeze where you are? Hope you have a great Monday to start off your week!

Happy St. Nikolaus | German Christmas Traditions

Happy St. Nikolaus blogettes, today is Nikolaustag or St. Nickolas Day.  It's a German (as well as other European countries) tradition that we plan on celebrating yearly with Greta.  This year (and the next few) she is obviously a little to young to get excited or understand but Matt's mom sent her a package so we are going to start it this year anyways.

What is St. Nikolaus Day?

You can read about it here, but essentially it is a day to celebrate Saint Nickolas (who Santa Claus is based on).  Children in Germany shine up there best pair of shoes and leave them outside their bedroom door  (or some leave a stocking hanging on their door) on December 5th, in the morning of December 6th their shoes are filled with chocolate, small candies or a small trinket/gifts. Fun right! It's not a time for large gifts but just a small toy or candy.

I'm happy that we get to expose Greta to two different cultures and traditions.  We still have to decide how we will plan to celebrate Christmas because in Germany the main celebration and opening of gifts occur on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, I think we will have sometime to figure out what will work best for us and it may depend upon where we celebrate Christmas.  This year we are here in Canada for Christmas with my parents but it will most likely alternate each year, if we can keep affording the flights.  I love Christmas and if I can't spend it with my family, I think Germany is the next best place! Have seen/heard about German Christmas markets (Weihnachsmarkt)?! They are absolutely magical! I can't wait until we get to expose Greta to one when she is older! 

Cologne Christmas Market {via}

Hope you have a great weekend!

Dear Greta: Six Months!

Dear Greta,

I can't believe it has been six months (half a year!) since you entered this world and stole our hearts.  Time goes by to quickly and there are times I wish it would slow down because before we know it I'll be back at to classes and longing for the days spent at home with you. Now, although you are technically six months (only 4 months adjusted) you are not doing everything a typical six month old would do but you are getting close! Everyday we see you change and do things that amaze us - your Dad claims you'll be walking soon as he was an early walker, but I have to remind him that you will do things on your own time.  Although you have been in this world for six months we have to remind ourselves that no matter how clever of a girl you are, you have been in the world two months longer than others and still have to catch up.

Your Stats:

Today, we are headed to the doctor's so we will find out your weight and see if our predictions are right that you around 12 lbs.  You are getting a special immunization today so that you don't get a virus that could make you really sick if you were to get it so we are taking precautions and you will have to get 1 shot a month for the next 5 months (sorry for all the pokes you'll receive but we feel it's better than more time back in the hospital). Your wearing some 3-6 month outfits, more for the length but your growing!

About You:

Your working on learning to roll! We play games on the floor every morning and we do "rolly polly ollie" which you love and giggle throughout.  Your also explore your feet! I made up a jingle bell rattle for your feet and your amazed every time you kick and her the sound.  We also sing this "little piggy" and you giggle every time the little piggy goes "wee" all the way home. Your smile and laughs light a fire in our hearts, your just so precious, my sweet girl!

Naps! Finally naps are getting better, I can't say everyday but more consistently you are taking naps in your crib! As much as I enjoy our cuddles, it is nice to have you napping in your crib - the house has gotten decorated for the holidays and more laundry had been done.

Speaking of laundry, another big thing this month is that we started cloth diapering you! We are trialing it out because Daddy is not so happy about this plan but we will see. You have really cute baby tush is your cloth diapers!

You Love:

• Playing with your playgym
• Sitting in the bumbo while we eat dinner 
• Snuggles with Daddy
• Playing "Super Greta"

Look at the progress you have made! Watching you grow is incredible. We love you so much. Next up is your first Christmas - so excited!

Mommy, Daddy & Milka 

DIY: Burlap Holiday Banner

Today, I put together a simple burlap banner for above our TV.  This area is pretty empty, but I have plans for a gallery wall for the space, so decided to get used to having something there by adding a holiday banner.

It was relatively simple.

 You need:

• burlap fabric
• baker's twine or any other twine/string/yarn
• black sharpie
• stencil (or not if your good at free handing letters)

I just cut the out rectangles (appr. 4x6 in) from the burlap {check out this post for getting a straight cut}. Used a stencil to trace letters and colored in with a black sharpie. Then I threaded a darning needle with my baker's twine and threaded it through the letters. It's hung up by 4 thumbtacks. Voila!

I thought Merry Christmas was pretty long so I went with "Be Merry" - puts me in the right mood every time I look at it!

What have you been working on for Christmas decor and crafts?

December Goals

I can't believe December is here! The countdown to Christmas has begun and I feel like there is still a ton to do this month.  I wanted to write down a few goals for December, when I first started the blog I did a few goal posts and haven't done one in awhile, so time to get back at it -- especially since New Year's resolution time is around the corner

• Take more photos with my DSLR, at least once a day I want to pull it out and take photos. The quality of my iPhone ain't cutting it and I need to get some photos in some frames to make our house a little more "homey" 
• Decrease social media time. I admit it I spend to much time on Instagram and Facebook etc, admission is the first step right? It's unconscious most times and I do it on autopilot and find my self scrolling for no reason at all.  I have this year at home with my daughter so I need to soak in any moment, nothing is more important than her or my husband! Naptime can be my time to check out what happening.
•  Bake 2 different Christmas cookie recipes than usual. Hoping that they will be of a German variety that I can master so that when Greta is older we can bake German Christmas cookies together as a tradition.
• Develop a blogging schedule.  I probably won't post everyday but I hope to post 3 times a week regularly so I plan to sit down and plan some content, posts etc so that come January I can have plan. 

Do you set goals every month? What are your goals? Feel free to share some blogging schedule tips, recipes and how you curb your social media time. I'd love to hear from you!

In other news, we tried our first cloth diaper out today! Trying to convince Matt it's the way to go so I'm borrowing my sister's stash to try them out before her new one arrives in January!

Breastfeeding a Preemie: My Journey

{I'm still working on the second part of Greta's birth story, so today I am going to share a bit of my journey towards breastfeeding.}

This post was sparked by the fact that yesterday I left Greta with Matt while I went for a haircut and she finally took a bottle again with no problem - which with the holidays fast approaching makes me happy, because a) that means I can enjoy a cup of cheer (or two) without having to worry and b) I can maybe get some Christmas shopping done without a baby in tow (don't get me wrong I enjoy every minute with my girl - but sometimes it is faster to get things done when I don't have her with me). It's funny to say that I am happy for her to take a bottle because I worked so hard for her to exclusively breastfeed - but it's good to have the option when it's needed.

I think for some (maybe even most) that even though breastfeeding is a suppose to be an "instinct" it seems that I hear an increasing number of mom's talking about their difficulties with breastfeeding.  Now, add a baby that is 10 weeks early who doesn't have the ability yet to breathe and suckle at the same time and a mother's body who is not yet prepared for this process to begin - then the work and dedication to make breastfeeding possible is tough! Now I'm not not trying to make it sound like my journey to breastfeeding was far more difficult than any other mother (in the end when she was actually ready it was quite easy), I'm just sharing with you what it took to get where we are today.

I never actually "met" Greta, other than in a foggy haze post-section and through pictures that my husband showed me, until a day and a half after giving birth.  I never got to hold her or physically see her to help stimulate the hormones that would help my milk come in so I felt that I had missed out on a critical moment that would help me with my ability to breastfeed and was so worried that we would have to formula-feed her.  On the maternity ward of the hospital where I sent for my recovery there was no nurse questioned me about whether I had planned to breastfeed, actually other than continually checking my blood pressure I was pretty much just left alone. It wasn't until I finally made it to Greta's bedside in the NICU that discussions of breastfeeding occurred, as one of the first question I was asked was whether I had any pumped milk for her with me.  Which I did not because no one had yet to bring a pump to my room or even discuss the possibility with me.  I responded no, and they explained to me that she has currently been receiving donor breast milk but they suggestion that as soon as I'm ready that any drop of my milk would be best.  I was totally on board - I knew that two things that were going to help her get strong quickly were one, lots of skin-to-skin and breast milk as I knew my body would produce what she needed. So that afternoon when I returned to my room I asked the nurse if I could have a pump to start pumping. So she wheeled in this ancient looking machine, handed me a bag full of tubes, bottles, and little pieces of plastic and then LEFT.  So there I sat and new mom, not feeling 100% sitting in a hospital bed with a machine and a bag of plastic parts with no instructions expected to know what to do.  I was frustrated, but I opened the bag put the things together and away I went.  I hoped I knew what to do (man I grew up on dairy farm and had milked a cow or two in my day..bad joke?!) . What I didn't know were the settings on the machine were set to high so on the cups went and holy man the suction brought me to tears, but I sat there for 10 minutes, sucked it up and got a few drops from each side. Three hours later, I didn't again but played around with some knobs and found the suction could be reduced and increase. Man, it would have been nice if the nurse gave me some instructions! 

From there I pumped diligently every 3 hours day and night. But it seemed that no matter how diligent I was my milk supply stay low (although I was still able to meet the demands of Greta't tiny stomach so I guess my body knew how much was needed?). I remember one mom bringing her pumped milk in one morning and she had a bag full of containers, there was me with 4 containers not even half full each, maybe 4oz combined, and she was getting 4oz a pump! I was getting discouraged, I was trying so hard, stressed out, and not sleeping great because I was pumping every 3 hours plus on top of that I had developed a milk blister. So I met with a lactation consultant and was prescribed Domperidone (not Dom Perignon which is what I always referred to it as -- the latter would have at least made me more relaxed!) which is a medication to help increase milk supply. It started to help, but the side effect was it gave me headaches so I decided to take half a dose of the prescription and used Fenugreek, a herbal remedy for lactation, as well. I made lactation cookies, ate oatmeal like it was going out of style and water, water, and more water.  Eventually, as we got closer to discharge my supply increased.  

The next challenge, was the latch.  At around 34 weeks we started trying Greta at the breast, as she was doing great on the bottles of pumped milk. Some days she did ok, others it was hard to get a latch so it was suggested by a nurse that we purchase a nipple shield.  We did and it help a lot! Soon we were breastfeed for every feed I was at the hospital for. So when we were discharged we were advised to have her breastfeed 4 times a day max and the rest should be done by bottle as to not tire her to fast.  So I continued to pump, Matt would feed her the bottles while I pumped and the next feed I would breastfeed. It was exhausting, I was so sick of pumping -- I just wanted to strictly breastfeed, especially since I found that due to the nipple shield my supply was decreasing but every attempt without the shied seemed to fail.  I was hoping the local health nurse would help me in my home with some tips to decrease the use of shield but when I contacted her she directed me to a breastfeeding clinic in the city. Now we were FINALLY home after nearly two months spent driving daily to the city to be with Greta and she expected me to pack up my tiny little one and make a trek to the city yet again - give me a break, that is last thing I wanted to do (I understand that the local public health nurse is busy but I wish they would have considered what it meant to drive to the city for assistance).  So I hit the internet, watched videos on getting the perfect latch, read articles and we prevailed around 38 weeks - she just seemed to get it! I was so happy at this point. We were finally exclusively breastfeeding and I didn't want to see a pump again for a while! 

I thought we were right were we wanted to be, exclusively breastfeed but able to take a bottle when needed.  That was until it came time for here to take a bottle again - and she refused - cried for hour refusing the bottle. As a friend of mine put it; why would she want something hard, plastic and that gets cold when she can nuzzle into something warm, soft and smells like you.  I guess I can't blame her but only wanting to breastfeed when we worked so hard for it! I'd rather her refuse the bottle than not breastfeed at all, but am also happy be are back to her taking a bottle for a little bit of freedom after our long journey too!

Have a great weekend! I hope this is not too long and boring for those who stop to read!

Greta's Birth Story (Part I)

I briefly touched on my birth experience in this post, but I thought a longer and more detailed post was in order before I forget all the details of the 5-day ordeal. I'm sorry for such a long post!

First I want to note that I had a great pregnancy up until this point, had a few days of mornings sickness and some fatigue in the beginning but otherwise it was great. I complete all my required schoolwork for the term and had just finished the 4th week of an 8 week fieldwork placement when this all happened.

Last bump photo (taken at 27 weeks)

Saturday, June 1st

I was awoken suddenly, early in the morning (around 3am) by a sharp pain in my upper abdominal area right below the sternum.  It was a weird pain, it lingered for a bit and subsided only to come back a little stronger.  I jogged my brain to remember what I had eaten the evening before thinking that it was heartburn.  I had never experienced heartburn in my life, but knew it was a common in pregnancy - especially in the last trimester (I was going to be 30 weeks on Tuesday). So I chalked it up to "heartburn" and had a pretty uncomfortable sleep - telling myself I would head to town for some tums in the morning. I really didn't feel well for most of the day, I rested on the couch for most of the morning and then started to feel a bit better after lunch, so I headed to the store.  I had a baby shower for a friend on the Sunday that I needed to provide a dessert for so I got some things that I needed for that and picked up some Tums. I came home took some tums and prepared the dessert as well as started some supper for the evening and was generally feeling better. "Wow" I said to my husband, "heartburn is not fun, I never knew if could be this bad". We laughed, ate supper, and settled on the couch for the evening.  Then around 8pm the pain came back this time along with a wicked headache. I popped a Tylenol and then called my mom.  I filled my mom in on the details and while on the phone with her the pain became extremely intense, nearly unbearable.  My mom suggested that I call Health Links (a local resource that connects you with a Registered Nurse to help with decisions on what care you may require). I told the nurse on the line my spiel, nearly 30 weeks pregnant, on and off pain in upper abdomen below sternum that I would rate a 7-8 at times, swollen feet (don't all pregnant women?!) and answered all her questions, by this point I was actually feeling almost 100% better.
But this was her advice: "take a baby aspirin and call the ambulance ASAP."
Me: "What?!" Yes, that was my response. "you know what..since the beginning of our conversation the pain has subsided substantially"
The nurse then asked, "are you going to take my advice?"
I responded, "well truthfully, I'm not going to call the ambulance. Like I said, I'm feeling much better but if the pain returns I will definitely have my husband drive me to the ER."
Nurse, "so your not taking my advice?"
Me: "No, not at this time."
Nurse: "Ok, but that is my advice."
I hung up the phone, my husband looked at me puzzled and asked what she said, "I think she thought I was having a heart attack! I'm not having a heart attack! The pain is gone now, I'm ready for bed".  My husband questioned me again and said it was up to me, hospital or no hospital, "no hospital" I responded and off we went to bed.
(Note: I know your probably shaking your head at me at this point and I don't blame you.  If I learned anything from my experience it is trust the professionals.  I figured I knew my body -- but now realize I may have been in denial - and at this point the pain had subsided - and didn't want to be over dramatic by heading to the ER. I do wish that the nurse had explained to me WHY she was advising me to call the ambulance, I may have been more inclined to follow her advice if she explained what she thought was going on - she gave no explanation and as I said from her advice I assumed she miss understood where I describing the pain.)

Sunday, June 2

I woke up feeling fine! I had slept well and had no pain. I had sent my friend a text before I went to bed saying I may not make the shower as I wasn't feeling great so I texted her again telling her I would make it and was feeling better.  So my husband and I headed to my parents (the shower was near their home) and I went off to the shower that afternoon. All my friends were there and of course being pregnant everyone asks how you are, I explained my previous 24 hours to most, laughing it off. Most agreed that I looked fine - "but wow your feet are swollen!". After the baby shower, we had supper at my parents and then prepared to head home.  Before leaving though, my mom said that she thought my face was really swollen and even my arms a bit, well I am pregnant mom!
"I don't know, you look so pale too" my mom stated.
"Well, I feel fine right now," I kissed her goodbye and we headed home.
Got home and went to bed.

Monday, June 3

I was again awoken around 2 am, this time the pain was extremely intense.  I went to the washroom and was so dizzy.  When I went back to the bedroom, picked up my iPhone.
I googled my symptoms: swollen feet, upper abdominal pain, headache, dizziness while pregnant.
All my results: PRE-ECLAMPSIA/ECLAMPSIA. (insert panic)
Immediately I woke Matt and said "we need to go to the hospital! I don't care if maybe I'm self-diagnosing and being dramatic but we are going".  We hopped in the truck and made the 30 minute drive to the closest hospital - we arrived around 3 am.
Luckily, there was no one else in the waiting room. I was immediately triaged by the nurse. She took my blood pressure: 150/94. Oh no! I thought it is pre-eclampsia (as a high blood pressure was the link to all the other symptoms). The nurse said nothing, didn't even seemed phased my high BP and sent me to sit with my husband until I'm called.
We waited a few minutes and then we were placed in a ER bed, a nurse checked my stats again, asked me a few questions and then we waited for the doctor.  The nurse and doctor came in about 20 minutes later (it was actually a doctor I had had at another ER visit).
Dr: "So I hear your having some upper abdominal pain ... explain the pain ...where exactly..."
I answered his questions pointing to just under my sternum radiating right and sometimes into the back, can become a 7-8.
Dr: "Well I think we are looking at a case of gallstones - which is very common in pregnancy..either that or you are having a hairy baby" he and the nurse laugh.
Me: "oh really? Gallstones?" (seriously, like I said I had seen this doctor before (not during pregnancy) -- and his answer that time was gallstones/kidney stone then too which was wrong...really Dr..really I'm thinking)
Dr. "Ya, very common, just hang tight I'll be back"...then as he turns to leave he takes a look to the monitors.."HOLY! IS THAT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE?!" (yep, guys -- aloud with a surprised look -- great bedside manner and way to make me panic even more!)
Me: "Um, yep" (while I'm thinking...you still think it's gallstones now doc?!)
He excuses himself.  I can hear him talking to the nurse outside the curtain and hear the words, pre-eclampsia, call obstetrical triage. I turn to Matt, "guess I'm not over dramatic eh? I hope our girl is ok."
The doctor returns, and said that he was sending us to another hospital's obstetrical triage - they are aware we are on route and sent us on our way. Yes, by ourselves - not in an ambulance (people are always perturbed by this -- as am I) so at this point I'm worried but not panicked that out situation is super critical

It was early morning so traffic was light we arrived at the obstetrical triage within 15 minutes. We do all the paperwork, I'm admitted and placed in a triage bed.  A nurse says they will need a urine sample at some point and says she'll leave the cup in the washroom, and a doctor should be with me shortly.  I have to say we waited longer than I would have liked but finally an Intern arrived (*really from this point I'm a little iffy on all the details and order of events). Asked some questions, took my BP, ordered bloodwork.

He then returned and explained, that they believe that what I was experiencing, was HELLP syndrome - which stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and a low platelet count. It's a form of eclampsia that often comes on suddenly and with no previous pre-eclamptic symptoms or concerns.

Then he continues to explain, that if this is in fact what is happening -- the only treatment for this condition is to deliver the baby as soon as possible.

My mind raced, my heart raced, and I looked to Matt thinking is this really happening?




I'll be back later this week with Part II. From here there are a roller coaster of emotions that come back with reminiscing and I think I might find it hard to write, but hope to finish it up!

Weekend Snapshots

I nearly always have my phone around so I tend to snap a lot of our photos with it and rarely ever pick up my dSLR as much as I should.  This weekend I put down the iPhone (not only to not take photos with it, but to step away from social media), snuggled with my family and captured a few sweet moments. 

top: Matt and Greta snuggling (and lots of bubbles & drool!)

bottom: what a doll! | Milka{I think she often feels snubbed lately and I  feel so bad} | always adoring Daddy

How was your weekend? Do you find yourself absorbed too often in social media? 

Happy Friday!

It's Friday (not that mean too much to me now that I'm a mom..)!

I'm looking forward to the weekend to have Matt home with us where we will enjoy a family breakfast of pfannkuchen (german pancakes), maybe do a bit of holiday decorating and have a good family snuggle as I think it is going to be a bit cooler this weekend.  I also have plans to wrap and package up the gifts that need to head overseas to Matt's family for Christmas...I'm so excited that I'm organized early this year and that they will make it on time, maybe even early..go me!

I was planning on doing a longer post for today, but then I got a little distracted last night with photoshop (which I just installed) and created an new header for the blog! What do you think?!  I'm working on a few other elements to add to the blog and have planned a few posts that you can look out for in the coming weeks.  I'm hoping to sit down to write out Greta's birth story and explain a bit more what happened that led to her being born premature.  I expect it will be broken up into a couple post - that is if I can bring myself to write it out.

I'll leave you with a photo out of little angel from our Christmas photo shoot! I know I'm biased but she really is the cutest thing EVER!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Dreaming of Naptime

First off, I have to say that we are lucky we have a five month old (who is technically only three months gestation) that sleeps through the night (7:30pm to 5:30am then back down till 7:30am)! But....I guess maybe if you get lucky with nights you don't get naps?!

{via}

I really like this quote. When it comes to motherhood there are lots of challenges and right now my major challenge has become naps.  You see, I am type A and therefore love routine..but since becoming a mom I feel as though I have no routine or order to my day. I really dream of naptime to get things done but it seems like it is not in the cards for me.  Yes, Greta does nap but the problem is the naps happen while she is held, which is not conducive to getting lots done (even with babywearing to try to get some stuff done!). I think that the fact she is a preemie has a lot to do with our predicament.  She spent countless hours kangaroo-ed in the nicu so to her it is comfort, it is safety, it is nourishment and it is love.  (And really how comforting is a crib with those bars, and it;s cold and hard...) I've read books, blog posts, websites and done plenty of research but can't seem to figure where to go from here to get her to nap routinely and consistently.  Part of me thinks I'm asking to much from her, as lots of books say consistency of naps won't happen until five to six months then the other part says she needs to learn a routine soon or it will never happen.  Anyone have some advice/tips on a napping routine? This mama would be grateful for some ideas!

Until we get it figured out though, I will continue to indulge in the joys of motherhood -- which happen to be the sweet cuddles I get when she does nap.  They really do melt away all my silly frustration when I breathe in her smell, rest my cheek against hers, and just be with her -- because I know before long those cuddles will be few and far between as she grow into the feisty little girl I know she is going to be!

Winter Mornings

This weekend winter arrived in Manitoba.  Usually I dread the arrival of the snow because other years it meant a longer and white knuckled drive into the city for school or work, but instead this year I am welcoming it with open arms as I have the luxury of choosing when I want to venture out on the roads and into the city.  The other reason I'm welcoming winter is because winter mornings have become my favorite!  The reason: sweet mornings with our little family.  You see, summer and fall are very busy for Matt and now that the snow has fallen things begin to slow down slightly.  This means some extra time to enjoy the morning with us. This morning we leisurely sipped coffee and watched Greta play under her play gym.  Then while Greta and daddy enjoyed some cuddles I was able to get some things around house done before he left for work.  I am seeing that this year winter mornings will be the setting for some sweet memories to be made and this makes my heart is happy.

What are winter mornings like for you?

Dear Greta: 5 months

Dear Greta,

Wow, we are one month away from you being half-a-year old.  Everyday you are changing and becoming such a clever girl as you are grabbing rattles, laughing and smiling at new sounds or faces, and exploring your body - especially your hand which you appear to find quite tasty as they are ALWAYS in your mouth! (You've have been keeping us busy - which is why this months letter is a little late.)

Your Stats:

Well you haven't been to the doctor so we don't have an exact weight on you this month but I'm guessing your around 11 or 12 lbs now.  Your growing quickly out of the 0-3 outfits you've been wearing so you are growing quickly!

About You:

You are learning and growing everyday, plus you finally have a consistent sleep schedule! You go to bed around 7:30pm and you are sleeping until 5:30-6am.  You eat while you are sleeping at 11pm which gets you through the night and allows daddy and I to get a good sleep as well.  You listen to Jewel's Lullaby album every night as you fall asleep in your cradle.  We are hoping now that you are sleeping well that we can move you into your crib in the nursery that I decorated so pretty for you! (We will see if it happens before next month.)

This month you celebrated your first Halloween! You didn't get dressed up in a costume but took pictures with the pumpkin daddy carved (his very first one since being in Canada!).  It is starting to get colder and your about to experience your first winter and first snow! It's exciting at first but Manitoba winter's are so long, you'll probably hate them when your older, haha!

Love you sweet girl,

Mommy, Daddy and Milka

Dear Greta: 4 Months

Dear Greta,

You are now 4 months! It seems like I was writing your 3 month letter just yesterday so time is flying by and you are growing so fast.  You had a busy last month as Oma & Opa came to visit you for 10 days.  It was a great time for them to visit as you began to smile a lot more.  Unfortunately you continued to have some evening fussy time and cried all evening and won't take a bottle the first time they got to babysit you!

Your Stats:

• weight: 10 lbs 7 oz
• length: 21 1/2 inches 

About You:

You are finally starting to look like Mommy! As your cheeks get chubbier you are beginning to look like I did as a baby. You still look like Daddy too but it is so nice to finally see a bit of me!  You are starting to get a more consistent sleeping schedule - yay! You go to bed around 8:30 - 9 in the evening and sleep until 3:30 - 4 when you need to eat so much better than the previous every 2 hour wakings.  

Things you like:

• You smile every time we whistle or click our tongues
• Rattles and anything that make noise

Your cousin Rayden loves you so much! Everytime we visit he wants to hold you and lie down beside you - he can't wait until you can play with him.  You attended your first wedding for Auntie Melanie and Uncle Joe this month.  You got a little cranky during speeches but did good otherwise.

Auntie Sarah hosted a "Sip & See" for you this past month and many people came out to meet you and bring your gifts.  You got so many nice clothes and plenty of books which we look forward to reading to you as you grow!

You change everyday and reach new milestones so quickly! The months keep flying by and I enjoy my time watching you grow.

Love,

Mommy, Daddy and Milka

Dear Greta: 3 Months

Dear Greta,

I have been contemplating writing you a monthly letter since you were born.  I had considered creating an e-mail account to which I'd send this letter for you to read when your older but was unsure if it would potentially get deleted overtime. I have thought I would physically write you a letter that you could hold when your older and cherish the art of letter writing but in the end I have decided to write it here so I can add photos and because you are the center of our Pretty Prairie Life. {also I believe that there is a way I can turn these posts into a book one day in the future}

Today you are 3 months old! You have been home with us now for almost 2 months and you are now starting to experience many of your firsts.  Since you were born early, your development is tracked by your adjusted age.  Your adjusted age is 3 weeks (because you are 13 weeks old but born 10 weeks early). You are starting to notice more of your environment and tracking us with your eyes, you are starting to give us little smiles and you are getting stronger and bigger each and everyday.

Your Stats: {we just visited the public health nurse the other day to see how well your growing and she was so amazed!}

• weight: 8lbs 9oz
• length: 20 1/4  inches

About You:

Just like from the day you were born you look so much like your daddy!  But, as you begin to gain and grow your cheeks are getting chubbier you are starting to look a bit like mommy! You definitely have mommy nose.  When you are tired or upset your "stork bites" on your nose, forehead and eyelids become more prominent but are beginning to fade and you have a birth mark on the back of your head.  Your hair is starting to darken from its original blonde and your blue eyes eyes melt our hearts everyday!  Your sleep schedule is not yet consistent - sometimes you sleep for 5 hours at a time and others you have lots of gas and don't sleep well. We are trying to figure it out and hope that we all start getting more sleep in the coming weeks.  You sleep well during the day when you take naps in your bouncy chair.

Things you like:  

• Your favorite spot is on Daddy or mine's chest - especially when you need to sleep.
• You like when I read "Everywhere Babies" & "Big Bear, Little Bear" to you - your eyes light up at the sound of my voice.
• You listen to Jewel's "Lullaby" album to help you go to sleep.
• Your love sitting in your bouncy chair while mommy bakes in the afternoons.
• You actually enjoy tummy time and I think you would sleep great at night on your tummy - but that is against "doctors orders"          

We are so proud of how well you are growing.  You are full of life and strength!  We cannot wait to see you continue to grow and make gains over the coming months.  This next month is going to be exciting for you as you finally get to meet Oma & Opa Krause face-to-face rather than just over Skype as they are coming to visit you from Germany!  It will be an excellent visit for them as I'm sure they will see lots of changes happen in the two short weeks they will be here.

We love you, Greta and you fill everyday with such joy!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy and Milka

Hello September!

September, my favourite month and the beginning of the loveliest season -  FALL!  Over the last week we have been experiencing record high temperatures for the month of August (everyday above 30 C) and I am hoping that the weather will begin to cool as I'm not a big fan of the heat.  I'm my happiest in a sweater and scarf, some boots and sipping a pumpkin spice latte.  We were married in September as I didn't want to sweat in my gown, and because September in my favorite month not only because of the change in temperature and colors but because I always thought of it is more of the "new year" than January,  I always think that September is a time for new beginnings and changes.

Last September, I had begun my masters program and it truly one of the best first weeks of school during my university career! As much as I love the daily cuddles with Greta and seeing her begin many of her firsts - I do miss the class that I became apart of so fast and enjoyed the company of everyday.  I am lucky that although I am not with them daily this year they still include me as one of their peers and love Greta too! But now I embark on a new beginning.

This September, is the season I will cherish becoming a better mother rather than better student - where I will have sleepless nights cuddling my sweet girl instead of writing papers or cramming for exams, where my lesson in normal development will come from watching Greta grow and interact with her environment rather than from a textbook, and where finding balance will involve finding time to have a shower rather than making time for family and friends amongst endless deadlines and due date {or find the time to write a blog post...as Greta is sleeping on my chest as I write this}.

Next September, I will be a mother AND a student, which will bring about more challenges than I know I can predict.  It will be a season where I believe I will encounter the biggest changes of all.  So for now I will embrace my time as just a mother, as I know the things I learn this year will be more than I will ever learn in the classroom and will help be become the me I'm suppose to be.

Happy September.

Due Date!

Today, was the day Greta was "predicted" to arrive! Which makes her a term baby today.  As rough as the first 2 months of her life have been on our family emotionally - I'm not sure I would change it.  It has taught me how much strength I have to deal with difficult situations and many other things about myself but mostly I wouldn't change it because I have gotten to spend two more months than most parents do with their baby.  We are lucky that she was strong and was able to come home from the hospital after just over a month so that not all of those 2 months were spend in the atmosphere of the hospital.  I cherish every cuddle, every kiss and each moment with my girl in the comfort of our home.

I am excited to see her progress now that she is term.  She should slowly start to reach the milestones that other newborns do - and I am most excited to have her smile, a smile that I know is not gas but a true smile! Now the exciting time of watching her continue to grow begins!

 

New look!

I've done a few changes to the blog as I wanted a more streamlined and simple look.  I really am not that great at the customization of the blog using HTML but I think I figured it out?! Let me know what you think and if you have any tips on customization, I really want to change up the header but not sure how to do it.

Have a great day. Be back with some updates and posts soon!

Settling into being home

Greta has been home for over two weeks now!  I thought by now we would have been settled into a routine, but she seems to be a very different baby than I knew in the hospital.  In the hospital, I would frequently ask the nurses if it was normal for her not to cry a lot and they would say don't worry - she does!  Well now that we are home - I know she does!  She is a lot fussier, whether it's the change in environment or routine, I'm unsure.  But, I am not going to complain because she is HERE with us so I will deal with it all and take it in stride.

I am so thankful for my husband.  He has been amazing at night, helping out and even taking care of her while letting me sleep.  Soon harvest will start and he won't be around as much so I will soon have to do it on my own - so I hope we get into a routine soon!

Greta is growing fast - and I feel we are starting to see her personality.  She is my sweet girl and the love I have for her is indescribable! She changes everyday and every morning I look into her eyes - I fall even more in love with this precious gift.  She is so strong and makes me want to be a better person, mom and is teaching me more about myself each day.  I can't wait for her to grow - but while I wait I will enjoy our daily cuddles, her smell, her tiny hands and feet because it all reminds me of the pure bliss I feel having her in our lives.

I'll leave you with some sweet photos I took for her birth announcements

Day 38

So it has been over a month since I posted last {wow - it seems like that went fast}.  As much as I thought I would have time to write about this experience - it just hasn't happened.  My daily routine has become getting up at 6am to pump (which means I'd also been up at 12am and 3am - if I didn't sleep though the alarm), going back for a little snooze time 730 when we get up, have breakfast and I call in to see how Greta did overnight.  Then I do some things around the house like a load of laundry or something in the nursery before having a shower and pumping again at 9.  I then pack up for day and head to the hospital to be with our girl.  If, Matt comes in with me that day we generally leave later and I have time to do more things around the house. I stay with Greta until 5 or 6 then head home for the evening.  I am usually beat and have to admit that we don't generally have very good suppers if any at all - especially when it's hot in the house.

It has been quite the month but have to say that Greta generally had good days - which we know we are lucky to experience. She has had days where she is tired but no major setbacks in her progress.  Which means that we hope this routine will soon end and we will start a new one that will generally involve being in our own home. 

 

 

 

Hopefully we have this sweet face at home by next week.  I know again it will be busy and I will not post frequently but hope to be back to share Greta's nursery and other experiences of her being home.  In the interim you can follow me on Instagram {@prettyprairie} to see Greta photos and stay updated.

Hope to be back soon!

Day 12

Today, is the twelfth day that Greta has been in the hospital.  The first 10 days were spent in the NICU and yesterday (because we have been waiting for a bed for a week!) she finally was transferred to the Intermediate Care Nursery.  This is a step down unit as she does not require as much one on one care (yay! progress!).  It is much calmer on this unit, less beeping of monitors as many of the babies here don't require them anymore.  I am more relaxed and I feel Greta is too.  The only downfall is that there seems to be less room around her isolette and the chairs are far less comfy to spend the hours I do with her skin-to-skin.  Our next mission is to see if she will nurse or take a bottle so that we can get her off tube feeds and one step closer to home!

I'm starting to recover from my C-section and able to a bit more so during the times I'm not with Greta, I'm working on preparing her nursery for her arrival home...on and the rest of my time is spent pumping.  I am a slave to my alarm and the breast pump every.two.hours!  Ugh, I would so much rather be awoken by my sweet girl and cuddle her instead of the constant hum of the pump.  It's funny, I've read other "baby/mommy" blog and their constant obsessions with pumping or breastfeeding. Now I see where they're coming from, you want to provide the best nutrients for your little one and can come obsessed.  But, at the same time I grew up a farmgirl on a dairy farm and I definitely feel like a dairy cow hooked up to a machine at 2am (is that a bad analogy?)! haha!

It's been a while: school, pregnancy and a baby!

I started this blog as an outlet to share some of what was going on in my life, and then I got busy with school and had not time to write.  A lot has happened in the last 10 months since I last posted.

School was going great.  I absolutely fell in love with Occupational Therapy and my classmates were amazing - I love the relationships I have formed with this group of people.  September to November was full of school assignments, exams and learning so much information.  Then November and December I got to put that knowledge to use as I complete my first stretch of fieldwork at a local hospital.  It was a great experience and I was so happy to have found my groove and then get a good Christmas holiday in Germany with my in-laws.

Then, 24 hours before the wheels were to go up on the plane that would fly us to Germany, it donned on me - I had been so busy with school/fieldwork that I hadn't realized that I was late (yep - that kinda late).  So, just a few hours before we prepared to fly to Germany (the time in Germany and the flight is enough for a post of it's own!), I'm taking a pregnancy test and finding out that we are expecting! That was one Christmas present I tell ya! We were surprised (which is a whole other story about being told I would have trouble getting pregnant..) and ecstatic!  But, I was also confused - I had one more year of my Masters to complete, what was I to do?  The pregnancy couldn't have been better timed as 9 months meant that I could fully complete my first year; finishing my second fieldwork at the end of June, having July off and baby would arrive in August. I would take the next year a maternity leave and go back with another class to finish my second year.  After meeting with the Dean, when we started tell people it all fell into place.  My classmates were all supportive - threw us a baby shower and were happy to have an honourary OT by the way!

Everything was perfect ... and then ... four weeks into my eight week fieldwork, I woke up in the middle of the night with what I thought was terrible, terrible heartburn, but after over an hour of pain and no relief we headed to the ER.  I was quickly diagnosed with HELLP syndrome - and told that the only treatment for HELLP was to deliver baby as it was her placenta that was causing my symptoms.  So, there I was 30 weeks pregnant, facing the reality that I was one, not going to have the natural birth I had anticipated as I was told c-section was our best option and two, going to be the mother to a preemie born at 30 weeks and would be spending up to the next 10-12 week in the NICU/hospital with our baby girl.

We were able to hold off delivery for two days, allowing me to receive steroids that would help the baby's lungs develop quicker and prepare for life outside the womb. 

Then on June 5th, 2013 at 7:01pm out little miracle Greta Elyse Krause arrived into our lives weighing 2lbs 9oz - and changed our lives in the blink of an eye.

This blog will now be an outlet for me to share out experience of parenthood, the NICU and raising our baby girl. So follow along and watch our little girl grow and become the strong little, feisty girl we know she'll become.  Our pretty prairie life is about to become a lot more interesting!

Saskatoons!

Hey Y'all!

 

It's the end of my third week of school, and it's been keeping me super busy.  Busy working on assignments and papers that blogging has taken the back burner, sorry!  I am really enjoying school, I have an amazing group of classmates and have really enjoyed getting to know them and making new friendships.  I am definately super happy with my decision to enter this field, almost everyday for the last few weeks I've had a "OT's do that?!? Wow!" moments.  There are so much diversity in this program and I enjoy learning it all.

 

We have been talking a lot about culture and cultural awareness, due to the diversity of the clientele we will meet.  As part of this week had a cultural potluck, where we were to bring food that were culturally meaningful to us.  As I mostly identify myself as a Canadian I decided I would take something they felt was quintessentially "Canadian Prairie's" -- a saskatoon pie! Mmmm..have you had saskatoon's?!? Best berry ever and add it to a pie -- be still my heart, get me my fat pants it's chowtime! LOL. It was nice to take a break from the books and hit the kitchen, which is my happy place! 

 

But, it's back to the books again today.  So I'll leave you with a little saskatoon food porn, in the form of a pie, galette and turnovers.  Feast your eyes my friends and if you like follow me on Instagram @prettyprairie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy weekend.

 

xoxo

lyrics

So I'm a HUGE country music fan and I know a lot of people out there are not. Lots of people think that country music is the stereotypical stuff of beer drink, wife leaving and truck driving songs. Yes, they exist and I like some of those too. But, there are some that come along that have great lyrics that really stick with you. Currently I am loving the song, "Glass" by Thompson Square. Here is my favorite part:

I've had the song on repeat, go check it out!  What is your favorite genre of music? Do you like country music?

Hoping for the perfect fit.

I am about to embark on my journey of returning to school. I have been prepared for the fact that I would return to school to complete my Masters, but I wasn't prepared fully for it to be in the particular field I will begin my studies in, in just a few weeks.

You see, for the last 10 years, since I graduated high school {mind blown - time flies!} I've been preparing for, immersed myself in and urned passionately to become a Physical Therapist. That has been the career I have dreamed of.  Now, I guess fate - or life - had another plan for me. It seemed no matter how many times I had applied, how many course I had redone, or how many years I had waited for this program to become a Masters rather than a Bachelors degree the stars never seem to align.  So this past year after 5 applications, 3 interviews, 5 years of school, 3 or 4 retaken classes to improve grades and being waitlisted once - I gave up.  Well maybe not gave up, but I surcame to fate.  In addition to applying for Physical Therapy, I also applied to another department in the Medical Rehabilitation Faculty: Occupational Therapy.  Luck would have it, I applied, had an interview and got accepted!

Now, over the last couple months since accepting the offer, I have to admit that I have not been elated - to say the least. I have hummed and hawed, over and over again.  I have cried, I have been angry and I have wonder how I could just give up on a ten-year dream and move on.  Moving on is hard, especially from a dream that I have told every soul I have met and talk about all the time. How am I going to face people? What are people going to think? These questions have continually crossed my mind.

Then after talking with friends - and of course my mother - I realized, that many peoples lives changes paths.  No one is going to hold it against me that even though my Dream/Future Plans in the high school yearbook states Physical Therapy and I am not on that path. Newsflash - half the peoples lives are nowhere near what they had planned.  My problem was that I had planned my life so fully around one idea/concept/dream that I never gave anything else a chance. Plus, for those of you who know the fields, Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) are similar and also have differences - and maybe the differences and ideas that set OT apart from PT are where I will excel.

That is why I am hoping that this choice is the perfect fit. You see my main focus on PT was because I love learning about the body, and in particular how it works {hence my degree in Human Movement} but I also wanted to help individuals restore movement to continue with tasks. Now in PT I would be doing this by using exercise, soft-tissue techniques and other health care related modalities to help recover from injury.  Now with OT, I will be trying to restore movement to complete tasks, but be going about it using different methods, some similar with exercise, tissue work - but the part that I think has helped me realize that this may be the perfect fit, is that I will get to use some creativity - bring in some arts and crafts ideas and brainstorm different ways to approach the tasks at had. In the end, physical therapy would have left me doing just that a lot of physical work that may be hard on my body in years to come, but with occupational therapy I can use all of my body: physically, mentally and creatively. 

So I'm putting on my creative hat, using my love and passion for the human body and keeping my will to help others regain their lives - and letting fate take its course as I begin my journey this August - hoping I have found the niche to excel my career!

So tell me: Have you stayed on course and never gave up? Have you flip-flopped careers, life paths? Do you believe fate has a way of getting you on track? I would love to hear your experiences and ideas!

Happy Friday.



wow, it's August!

Wow. It's been a month since I blogged, and what a month it was!

Africa, was ah-mazing. Best experience of my life. I hope to share the details and some photos from the trip but things are in full swing around here with harvest. I quit my job before we left for Africa in order to prepare myself for school, but I am working this August on the farm with my husband. It has (and will continue) to be busy until we get the crop off.

Just stopping by to say, "Hi!"

Also sitting on the combine, gives me a great perspective of the prairies I love - so I have been "clicking and driving"! Here are some photos I have snapped while on the big machine.

Enjoy!

Hope to be back soon with some Africa photos and stories!