My First Mother's Day

Last weekend we celebrated my first Mother's Day. Hard to think that only one year ago, we were just finding out we were pregnant. What a difference a year can make! Honestly, the whole thing passed in the blink of an eye..

My Mother's Day celebrations started early - when my mom visited the weekend prior. She surprised me with a beautiful Willow Tree figurine, For Always. She goes perfectly with the Cherish figurine I received almost a year ago.

The first gift Pat gave me was sleeping in - Marc woke at his usual 7:30 and Pat fed and entertained him while I slept. It was wonderful! Once I was up, Pat surprised me with a cheery bouquet and lovely card. He wrote a sweet note from Marc as well as one from himself - I may have shed a few happy tears.

Then, right as I finished changing his bum and was about to feed him, Marc surprised me with another gift: diamond studs. What a sweetheart! Needless to say, I've been wearing them all week (literally - I have yet to take them out. I keep meaning to when I hop in the shower, but inevitably forget in the rush).

What a spoiled mama I am!

The rest of the day unfolded as most days do: feed, play, nap. We did make our way out in the afternoon to stroll through the Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens. It was lovely, but soon the sky started to cloud over. We decided to head back... a few minutes too late. The rain came down as we dashed to the car. We were a little wet, but it didn't dampen my mood - nor did it phase Marc. He slept through the entire thing!

To end the day, we enjoyed takeout on the couch (after bedtime). I couldn't have asked for anything more. I'm so lucky!

Sketchbook Pages: Weeks 13 + 14

Another catch-up post in my sketchbook. We've reached the end of March and are making our way into April. I was much more dedicated to my daily practice in April (and have extended that into May), so I'll have to start posting one week at a time soon.

3/30-31 - 4/1-2 Doodled journaling
4/2-3 How to hem curtains

4/4 Smile
4/4 Marc and mom

4/5 Savour every moment
4/6 Elephant mug

4/7 Protocol fluorescent
4/8 Forest print

List of supplies:

• various scrapbooking papers, paint chips and ephemera 
• washi and masking tapes
• stickers 
• Pilot Precise V5 pens in various colours 
• Sharpie paint pens (white) 

Sketchbook Pages: Weeks 10, 11 +12

I haven't blogged any sketchbook pages since March, so I have some catching up to do! I last posted pages from weeks 8 and 9 - and since I wasn't very prolific back in March, here are pages from weeks 10, 11 and 12. Actually, I don't even have any pages from week 10. So... here we are, starting with one of my favourite pages of the year so far:

3/12 Feminine calling

3/16-19 Headdress
3/19 Everyday utensils

3/19 Baby milestones
3/21-22 Pretty florals

3/23 Napping
3/24 Things I should do more often

List of supplies:

• various scrapbooking papers, magazine pages and ephemera
• washi tape 
• Pilot Precise V5 pens in various colours 
• Sharpie paint pens (white, gold)
• pencil crayons

Cousins

Last weekend, my mom came down for a quick visit and she decided to bring my nephew Edward. He's 10 years old and Marc is his first cousin. We had a great time hanging out, playing games, and going for a nice walk to the park and bakery.

Unfortunately, they had to go home all too soon. Oh how I wish we all lived closer together! Having a little one has made it all too clear to me why many families remain in the same geographic area. Having that support and company nearby would be absolutely priceless. Luckily, we don't live so far apart that we can't make these quick weekend trips - and hopefully Marc will develop close relationships with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins through these visits. I'm not sure when we'll be heading up next... but I definitely want it to be soon!

2017 Goals: April

Here's my monthly goals update - April was such a blur, I'm happy with my progress.

17 GOALS FOR 2017:

1. Read 30 books. (9/30)
2. Finish 2 cross-stitch patterns. (0/2 - still need to finish one panel on the Woodland sampler)
3. Finish Amber art book and start a new one. (no progress)
4. Take monthly baby and family photos. (4/12)
5. Journal or sketchbook daily. (21/30)
6. Set a schedule for blogging (weekly) (1/4), crafting (daily) (21/30) and getting out of the house (3-4x weekly) (3/4 - getting in a good walk almost everyday has really helped with this goal).
7. Make and freeze meals for post-partum. (done - will blog later)
8. Gather 10 good crockpot recipes. (3/10)
9. Set a routine for exercising (3-4x weekly). (0/4 - I'm not counting our near-daily walks here; this is for a yoga and rowing routine that I want to get into)
10. Catalogue library. (no progress)
11. Host Thanksgiving. (looks like this won't happen as there will be a surprise birthday party in Pat's family on that weekend)
12. Organize, declutter, minimize, purge. (not much progress, just packed a few boxes of things to give away)
13. Figure out cloth-diapering (still need to practice with these before deciding if I want to continue with it), nursing/pumping (still need to write a post on breastfeeding) and making baby food (not there yet).
14. Stay in touch with friends while on maternity leave. (yes)
15. Tackle a new "kitchen challenge" monthly (challenging recipe / technique). (1/12)
16. Be intentional deepening relationship with Pat. Set weekly date nights. (4/4 - nothing elaborate, mostly just walks or watching TV together after Marc is asleep for the night)
17. Plan a family trip (overnight, not counting grandparents' house). (not there yet)

3 Months Old

Marc is three months old. I can hardly believe it - a whole quarter of a year. Which means I'm a quarter of the way through my maternity leave... Ugh. I don't want to talk about that!

Marc is growing and changing incredibly quickly these days - he's starting to look like a little boy and not just a baby! He recently went through his 3 month growth spurt. As a result, we needed to up his formula intake. I was really hoping to increase breastfeeding through this growth spurt, but easier said than done. As he gets bigger, he's getting more aware of what's going on. So he knows that he doesn't need to make the effort to breastfeed; if he waits and cries hard enough, he'll get an easier bottle instead. So we are still breastfeeding, but the ratio is skewing back towards formula again. I think I'll write up a post about our experiences.. there is much I want to remember.

This month, Marc figured out how to sleep through the night. The last two nights, he's slept over 10 hours straight, in his bassinet. He'll start shifting around a bit earlier, but if I turn on the little vibrating pod that's attached to his pack and play (which has a bassinet insert, so that's where he sleeps in our bedroom), he'll settle again for another hour or so. I am so blessed! Of course, daytime napping is a completely different story. He'll either resist falling asleep or wake within 20 minutes, making for a very cranky baby all day. We go for daily, hour-long walks during one of his naps, so he will sleep for a bit in the stroller. He used to sleep for the entire walk and then some afterwards, but it's been over a week since he's done that. Lately he'll only sleep for the bumpiest part of the walk and wake before we get home. Luckily, I have a secret weapon: the sling. If I wear him and bounce / walk around, he inevitably falls asleep - and stays asleep for an appropriate amount of time. Of course, I may have to stay on my feet the whole time as he wakes when I sit, but I'll take it!

Other things he loves: bath time with daddy, staring at his mobile and playing a simple version of peek-a-boo. He loves noisy toys (rattles and crackly toys) and flashing lights. He doesn't like the swing or just sitting still in our arms/laps: all too boring for our curious little man. He likes to be entertained. He likes to be walked around in our arms. He loves when we talk or whistle or make funny faces.

Developmentally, he's growing well too. He's grasping more and more things with his hands, bringing blankets or towels to his mouth. Or he'll just suck on a few fingers, drooling all over the place. He's holding his head steady more and more (though it is still a bit bobble-y) and does great in tummy time. He's started lifting both legs straight up, perpendicular to his body, and falling to the side. He's only rolled over by accident so far, but I don't think it'll be long before he gets the hang of it.

That last photo is amazing - I can't help but giggle every time I see it. Marc is so expressive! I love that little face so much!

I'm so so so blessed to be able to watch this little man grow. And seeing Pat as a father warms my heart so much. I am so lucky!