House

The inspection went well. There were a couple of surprises but nothing we weren't expecting (roof, electrical). We've accepted the work that needs to be done and we're still buying.
My dad is still being a major ass but I suspect and fear there may be something else behind his anger. Everything seems to turn into an argument and that isn't like him.
I spoke to him last on Wednesday when I begged him to help me move stuff into our storage locker ( he drives a Dodge Ram). His response was "NOT Saturday!!", followed by "NOT Sunday!!!" but it was said with a "you've got to be crazy" undertone. When I tried to explain that we needed the stuff out by Tuesday he proceeded to tell me that we do not need to stage our condo (cue argument I won't bore you with).
Fortunately my agent is coming by to help me move the furniture. That leaves me with everything else and although I got a lot done yesterday it still seems like only the tip of the iceberg!!
I wish I had help. D doesn't drive and one of us has to watch Sadie I wish my dad could get over whatever it is that is making him so cranky because I'm drowning here. Oh and to make it all feel worse my step mom wrote a facebook status saying how much they enjoyed their "lazy Sunday". Really? My Sunday consisted of renting a car, loading the car, driving to our storage locker, unloading the car in the RAIN and being alone for all of it. I can understand my dad saying no to letting us store things at his place and no to us staying there overnight (mildly peeved he said no to that) but sitting on his ass all the while knowing what I was doing was not all that nice of him.
Lesson learned: I will always be there for Sadie. Always.




-- Post From My iPhone



-- Post From My iPhone

Present for you...!!

We love our music class so much I thought we'd share some of the music with you. These files are from the CD I purchased at our class and it includes our teacher!

I'm hoping this works as it's my first time sharing this way... If it doesn't work let me know and I'll try again! EDITED to try again!
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=d95ef9358fb3c2b10f83d91f6dff7c3813fac6635fc4285bb16e5c9d3b204475

FYI - All of the songs are pretty simple to figure out the gestures that would go with them (ie. Hands Together, Hands Apart lol). The Grand Old Duke of York is Sadie's FAVOURITE song. If you haven't participated in this song before you bounce the baby up and down based on the lyrics (dramatically). She giggles like crazy at the "neither up nor down" line because you bounce them up and then bounce them down quickly. She loves it!!

She also really loves "One Button, Two Button". I start at her toes and button her up to her nose and then zippppppper all over her in a zig zag.

Won the house!

Our offer for the house was accepted on our 3rd attempt. We won for the price we wanted to pay and 5k less than our "limit" going in. This is good news but we're not out of the woods yet. I have my fingers crossed that the home inspection will go well and I'm trying not to get too attached (too late).
Are we completely crazy for doing all of this with an (almost) 4 month old? I was really hoping my dad would offer some help but he's been acting so weird about the entire situation. I had hoped he'd let Sadie and I stay in their basement for a week when our Condo is first listed but he said no. I really thought he'd jump at the opportunity to spend that time with Sadie. He also declined to come with me to the home inspection. I thought he'd love the inspection.
In general he's been acting very weird about us moving. In his opinion we should be selling our condo and moving into something cheaper. That isn't reality!!! He also thinks that because my step-mom commuted to Toronto (from where I grew up) for years that we should be able to do it too. I told him point blank that I did not want to be away from my home 12 hours a day. When would we EVER see Sadie? He just needs to deal with the fact that we're buying a house that costs what it costs and DEAL WITH IT!!
In other news, I think I may have ruined my back and I've been OD'ing on Fenugreek.
First, my back is so sore. I've been wearing Sadie a lot over the last week and I think she's getting heavy to the point of discomfort. I'd hoped that I could wear her much longer so I'm thinking of getting something with a bit more support like a Baby Hawk or Ergo. I'm missing Salsa Babies today because there is no way I can put that pressure on my back right now. I need to heal up a bit.
Second, I just noticed today that I've been double dosing my Fenugreek. The new pills I'm taking are twice the milligrams than my previous brand!!!! I actually stopped taking it because it was giving me such a bad headache. I guess we know why!! I need to go back to my lactation consultant to ask what the correct milligram dose should be. I was told 3 pills 3x per day. How does that help when one brand is 300 mg and the next is 600 mg? Yikes!!

Headache

I have the worst headache.
The counter offer on our house came back at noon. They went down 7k which we did not expect at all.!!! We've raised our offer by 8k and now we're waiting until tomorrow morning. They asked for 24 hours for response however our agent cut it back in an attempt to give them less time to think about it. He's a great guy to have on YOUR side. I wouldn't want it any other way!
We also went to see another property today. This house had just been listed and I'm really happy we saw it because it wasn't nearly as nice as "our" house. It's a bummer that there is work to be done (roof, electrical) but it is worth it for what we're getting. It has beautiful hardwood floors in the living/dining/kitchen/hallway, a huge fully fenced yard, a large nanny suite with 2 bedrooms, great landscaping and many other features we love!
I so hope we get it, sell our place and can get on with our lives!!!!




-- Post From My iPhone

HELP

I'm so stressed out!
Offer written!!
OMG!!!

I love the house and everything about it but I'm now in panic mode over air quality in the neighbourhood. Motherhood is making me INSANE!!
All I want is the best for Sadie. I can't believe how protective I feel. It's scary to have such intense feelings. Is this still hormones or am I losing my mind?
Ithink I'm losing my mind.
I need cheesecake.

-- Post From My iPhone

Bullet Post

My silence has been brought to you by BlogPress for iPhone. I've written two LONG entries and both times I've had issues saving them. I didn't have these problems on my Touch!! Ugh. It's so frustrating to lose what you've written!!
Moving On... Bullet Post:

Salsa Babies: Lots of fun and a great way to meet people. Our instructor has encouraged us to get together after the class so we're doing coffee and are even planning a girls night out (without babies - the horror!). The class itself is GREAT. I can hear Sadie giggle as I dance (when she isn't sleeping). It's a great workout however I have two left feet and salsa dancing is NOT easy. It's fast!

Music Class: Sadie LOVES this class! It's so adorable how much she gets out of it! I felt so bad for her today because she slept for 40 of the 45 minute class. When she finally woke up she was all smiles and excited but we were singing the GOODBYE song. Poor thing didn't get a very long class!! Only one song! D has assured me that she's too young to be disappointed but I still felt awful for her. We hung around and she watched the other babies. She still had fun, I hope.

Baby Time: We've added Baby Time to our schedule. It's a free program at the Library that is a story time with songs and games. It's not nearly as good as our music class but it's still fun. I know that probably sounds crazy but the music class goes by so quickly while this class seems drag on and on.

Breast Feeding: I haven't given up. Not at all. I still offer Sadie breast milk before every bottle and lately I've been able to give her a full meal at least once a day. Right now it's midnight and she hasn't had formula since 6:00 pm.
I switched to a new brand of Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle yesterday and I'm noticing a huge difference in my milk supply. My breasts HURT and I'm leaking like crazy. Totally NOT normal for me. Also, I was told that I'd smell like maple syrup using Fenugreek and I hadn't up until now. When D gave me the first pill yesterday maples syrup is all I could smell. I hope I haven't been wasting breastfeeding opportunities on crappy supplements! I guess only time will tell!!!

House Hunting: We've found a house. I think. We're still undecided if we're going to put in an offer but it's likely. There are a few things that are issues: 1) Needs a new roof, 2) Air-conditioning is on the older side, 3) there were Ants, 4) Electrical Service Panel needs updating and 5) there are some against code outlets that do not work in the kitchen. If we do put in an offer we're going to go in low - about $35k below asking. As my agent said, "We're not here to make friends" so we're going to see what happens.
Overall I really love the house. D is still on the fence but admits she may be suffering from unrealistic expectations. I personally think the house has everything we need within our price range and I can see us living there. Our agent thinks we should put in an offer quickly but the house has already been on the market 40 days. I don't want us to seem too eager since we had two showings today. We also really need time to think this over and make sure THIS is the house. If it isn't we at least know we've found the neighbourhood we want to live in!

to be continued...

(sub)urban Baby

We're over downtown and we're ready to move. We're going suburban!!
This has been an agonizing decision to make because we love Toronto. We used to dream about raising children here but now that we have a child it doesn't feel right. The reality is that we can't afford a home in a neighbourhood that meets our needs. Toronto is just too freakin' expensive and the real estate market is so cut throat. We don't want to spend half a million dollars on a shitty house in an "up and coming" neighbourhood.
Unless we win the lottery the plan has been set in motion! We've contacted our real estate agent and a mortgage broker! We had previously been told that my mat-leave pay would decrease our mortgage but that was wrong (thank you Angele!) so we do not need to wait until the new year. We're going to take our time and focus on a closing date in the fall.
I'm not sad about this at all however I do not want to put down Toronto. It's a GREAT city with a lot to offer. I think that living as far downtown as we live has worn us out! Although we feel safe in our complex and on our street it's not the same for the general area. We went for a walk the other day and saw a drug deal in a playground and last week D was run down the street by a drunken bum calling her a "whore" and "cunt" for not giving him money!!!
I can't wait to start looking at houses!!!

Easter, etc.

Happy First Easter Sadie: We went in to see my parents on Saturday. It was a beautiful day! My dad and I went for a bike ride, my brother drew with chalk on the driveway and we took Sadie for a walk in the neighbourhood. We had a really good time.
Sadie and my brother on our walk:
On Sunday the Easter Bunny came and spoiled Sadie! I think next year we'll tone down the gift a bit and make it more traditional (Easter basket, small toys etc.) but this year I've been online shopping - a lot. I kept adding things to her present and it kept getting bigger and bigger!
Sadie with her Easter Loot:
We really love Sadie's "My Pal Violet". It's a leap frog toy that can be programed with your child's name. How cute is this:

The Easter Bunny brought us iPhones and I'm totally in love with mine! Cellphones are a technology we had not really embraced. We'd been a couple with only a single cellphone for YEARS and it's really hard communicating with only one phone! Our excuse had generally been that "wer'e always together" but now that we have Sadie we really felt that we needed to be in constant 24/7 communication. That constant communication comes with the bonus of a really cool phone and mobile internet/blogging! Yay!!

In other news: Any apprehension I may have had about Sadie's new attitude has disappeared. She is turning into the sweetest, happiest baby ever! She's all smiles and is laughing quite a bit now. Here she is laughing as I tickle her:

Sadie's sleeping is improving so much. I'm starting to feel fully human again! Unbelievably she let me sleep in until 10:00 am on Good Friday! 10:00 am!!!!! She's generally going down at 9:00 pm, waking up between 2:00-3:00 am for a feeding and then sleeping until 6:30 am. We've even had an afternoon nap (co-sleeping). I haven't had any success with daytime naps in her crib so I've given up. If she'll sleep in the big bed that is fine with me.
We've also had a tummy time breakthrough. We'd been having a hard time and I'd been feeling very guilty. Tummy time used to be about screaming/crying and a suffocating baby who would face plant on the floor. I thought for sure there was something wrong! We've started using her Boppy and she's improved so much.

Drama: This weekend was not without a bit of (avoided) drama. I need feedback here and I apologize if I anger anyone with what I'm about to say because I know this is a sensitive topic.
Sadie's Great Grandma chain smokes. We went in to see my family on Saturday because we knew Great Grandma would be there on Sunday. I don't want someone who smells like a walking ashtray near my daughter. The result so far has been avoidance because I'm not sure how to approach this subject. I honestly think my stepmother's head will explode if I tell her mother she can't hold Sadie. Am I being completely over-reactive or would you do the same? It's not like Sadie has a choice about who holds her. We're the ones that make that decision for her and I wouldn't want to be pushed up against a smelly, toxic shirt. I wish there was an easy way for me to say to an elderly woman "You can't hold her, you smell and are toxic". The truth hurts.

10 Things

I was tagged by Jen, Tiff and Mr. Munchkin and Creating a Miracle.
I tag 2 Girls in Love and Other Motherhood!

10. I play ice hockey. I'm hoping to get on a team for the 2010/11 season after taking 3 seasons off for TTC/pregnancy.

9. I've seen the same Broadway Musical over 3 dozen times (lost count) and many other musicals multiple times. I know most people will not understand this and think I'm crazy but I love seeing shows with different casts and understudies. It's never really the same show twice.

8. D and I went to the same High School but didn't know each other until working together at a part time job after graduating.

7. When we first moved to Toronto I worked as an Assistant Store McManager. I have very good things to say about working for the McCompany (I wasn't at a franchise) but the job itself was horrible. I lasted just over a year before officially entering the rat race.

6. When I was a younger I wanted to be Jewish. I got in trouble for asking a Rabbi to convert me.

5. I got my beginners license at 17 but let it expire. I finally got my full license 6 years ago and bought my first car last year.

4. I used to hate cheesecake but now it is my favourite dessert. When we get Sadie's passport we're heading straight for The Cheesecake Factory!!! Yummmmmmy.

3. D and I go to Walt Disney World every chance we get. Our next trip will be in December 2011 for Sadie's 2nd Birthday!

2. We're currently house hunting. We want to move out of the city but may need to wait until I'm back at work so we can get approved for a higher mortgage. Until then we're enjoying our last year in the condo while keeping our eye on the market.

1. We plan on TTC#2 starting in September 2011! I will carry and we will be using the same donor.

In other news:

Stars and Strollers - Apparently suburban moms prefer Jennifer Aniston over Miley Cyrus because there wasn't a single baby in our theatre! I hadn't expected there to be people without children but I wasn't alone. WTH? At first I felt like we had to be quiet but then I thought about it and the 7 childless viewers were coming into a movie for babies. I had every right to have a loud baby! Although Sadie didn't cry she did make every baby noise possible including a HUGE frat boy burp!! GOOD GIRL!

Music Class - Music class was so much fun!! Sadie was the youngest by probably 6 months but still really enjoyed it. We sang a bunch of songs and also played with instruments. Most of the songs included the babies being lift in the air or bounced on our knees. One thing I found interesting about the class were the names of the other babies. Old lady names are clearly IN this year! The other little girls were: Esme, Ida, Gwyneth and Beatrice.

Nap/Sleep etc.
Our movie going messed up Sadie's nap times yesterday and I'm hoping music class will not do the same today.
After Music Class we made it 2/3 of the way home from the class before Sadie had a major meltdown in the car. Thankfully I found a parking spot and pulled over so ended up having lunch at The Royal Conservatory Espresso bar! Sadie fell asleep after she ate so I delayed going back to the car for an hour. We walked around and went into the Royal Ontario Museum boutique. We've been home for over an hour now and I've left Sadie in her car seat. She's sound asleep!!
The result of yesterday's nap disruption meant our bedtime routine was ruined. Sadie eats at 9:00 pm and goes to bed immediately after. She would NOT go to sleep last night! I think we finally had her in bed by 10:30!!
I think it is OK for Sadie to be out during nap time but she still needs to be able to sleep. The movie didn't allow for that because she was so interested in watching it!! I think she's been able to catch up since our outing today so we may be ok tonight.
How on earth does "Super Mom" keep up with that crazy schedule of hers???????