Oz man 10 month stats!

Howdy!

Not much to report here.  

Here are Ozzy's 10 month Stats:

Weight:  25 lbs (back up from 23 when he was sick)
Height:  28.25 inches

We finally seem to all be well, knock wood!
We helped hubby's parents move into our fourplex, yay!  Except now MIL needs a job here so she can stop commuting and living with her sister in law :(

My pain hit an all time low and now seems to be a bit better, I can make it through the day with very little pain now.

Here's a recap on everything I'm doing for my back:

• I'm taking four RegeniFree a day (Univera anti-inflammatory agent)
• I'm taking Xtra (Univera product suggested for all, though I have been taking this for years now)
• I'm taking Iron (not for my back but for my energy)
• I took Bamboosa homeopathic treatment for 5 days as suggested by my Naturopath
• I'm on Week 4, day 2 of Dairy cleanse and Week 3, day 5 of Wheat cleanse
• I am starting physio with the hospital arthritis team on Wednesday
• Weekly chiropractic adjustments, which I've been doing anyway for months

My other remedies are 2 am dates with facebook and my magic bag, though those are only about every second night now.

I would like to be taking more Univera products but alas the cash flow is not currently available for that.

The problem with trying all these things is that it may hard to nail down what's helping if something does, in fact help. 

I am also teaching yoga about 3 times a week which seems to be feeling good while in the past it may not have felt so good.

Lastly, I passed my road test so I can officially drive by meself!  Horray freedom!

I'm going to get a few precious hours of sleep in now.  I forgot to get Ozzy in a night time bum before bed so it's likely he will wake up wet and then wake up more when I change him so we may have a mid-sleep date coming.... *snore

Sweet Dreams! ~*~*~

My List of Top 10 Things To Cherish Before Becoming a Mom

So like most days I was sitting on the couch zoning out today remembering what it was like before I had kids.  Ok I'll be honest I wasn't on the couch, I was uhh... somewhere else but we'll get to that with #1.

I thought to myself, man, if someone told me how much I would miss doing something this little and seemingly insignificant back before I had kids I may have cherished it a little more, revelled in it even, perhaps.  So this one's for you ladies!  To all my girlfriends who do not have children yet but are planning on it, my very own list of:

Top 10 Things To Cherish Before Becoming A Mom:

1. Going to the bathroom by yourself.
   This was probably the one I had taken for granted the most before hand.  I sat this morning in the bathroom looking down and Ozzy is hanging off one leg and Eli is sitting next to the other having dumped out their entire bucket of bath toys.  There's playing, there's yelling, there's laughing.  Who would have thought that the bathroom was the place to be?  You do now!  Treat it very special.
2. Sleeping in.
   Now this one seems fairly obvious due to how much parents talk about being so tired  but I'm not sure you all understand the gravity of the situation!  Let me explain.  If your child does not go to bed until 11pm, that's when you go to bed.  Then you may be up at 12, 2, 5 and 6 (or more *gulp!)  Then at 6:25 when you've just fallen back asleep, jr. decides it is time to rise and shine Mommy.  If you are a lucky one you can sleep during the day "while the baby sleeps".  If you are a normal person you feel too guilty or hungry or in need of a shower to do so.  Staying out late and sleeping in until 10 or even 7:30 must be cherished!  Please in fact sleep in until 7:30 tomorrow for me please?  Then tell me how refreshed you are.  No actually don't tell me, no one likes a bragger.
3. A shower longer than 5 minutes.
   I used to have medium length showers.  A long one would be about 12 minutes and that was definitely taking my time, leaving my conditioner in longer and throwing in a song or two for my fans.  With kids any shower is wonderful, sometimes it's afternoon before you even get one and even then it's with the door open or a baby monitor crackling away and every 5 seconds you think "was that them?  Is it over already?!"  Even when your significant other, if you have one is home, the door usually remains open or you get to deal with the fists pounding at the door with wails of "Maaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" until you get frustrated enough to get out.  So suds up!  Sing or hum a song.  Shave your legs extra carefully, they will be very patchy as soon as that kidlet comes out.
4. Spending time on facebook without feeling guilty.
   Most of your facebook available time will now be spent when your child is sleeping so as I mentioned above it will also be the time when you can eat, shower, clean, sleep etc.  Get used to guilt!  It's all good, it's mainly just your expectations usually which would likely be better to let go of them anyway.  If you do attempt to facebook with children awake it will most likely bring out the side of you that goes "WHATTTTTTTTTT?!" after the 71st "Mama?" or after about a minute of a baby hanging onto your leg crying.
5. Not being sick often and not going to the hospital often (or ever).
   I don't know if this one is specific of boys or not but I have been to the Emergency room 3 times since my eldest son was born.  Two episodes were within two weeks of each other.  And he has also shocked himself twice and had more bandaids than I can count.  Also more colds than I thought possible.  There was a period of 2 months where it was cold after cold after cold.   Before kids I was sick maybe once a year.  Yeesh.  Break out the neti pot! 
6. Wearing clean clothes.
   You will wear clean clothes as a mom but only for about 1 minute.  The rest of the time you will be covered in a plethora of things, mostly bodily fluids and food, lots of food.  You will be ready to leave the house, and excitedly hug your babe goodbye and boom, spit up city, all down the only wearable outside of the house outfit you had clean.  Prepare to improvise!  Oh and when your baby or child is sick prepare to be a human kleenex.  So yes cherish the fact that you may only need to wash those favourite jeans every other wash rather than every day.
7. An uninterrupted meal.Eat slow while you can.  Soon you will be shovelling to get finished before someone wakes up, makes a mess, or cries.  In general you will not finish, you will be interrupted by some emergency so until then sit down, chew each bite 40 times, light some candles and enjoy yourself.
8. Not having to share your food.This kind of goes with number 7 but I felt it needed its own dedication.  You will slave to understand what your child wants to eat.  You will cut it just the way they like it, you will stir things in at the correct time, in the correct order, you will put it on the correct plate of the correct color, on the correct mat, but the second you sit down with your food they will want nothing to do with theirs and sit in your lap while you feed them forkfuls.  It reminds me of a Friends quote.  "Joey. Doesn't. Share. Foooooood."  I think it every time I give my son, the perfect bite of toast that I was saving for last for myself because he won't eat the crusts.
9. Watching a movie from beginning to end in one sitting.
   In my experience if you want to watch a movie, and by watch I mean understand the plot, hear what the characters are saying, and know the ending, it will take multiple attempts.  So sit, have some popcorn now and get involved with those characters lives while you can stay awake enough to do so.
10. Leaving the house in under 10 minutes.
    I remember a time where I would check my hair, find my keys and my phone, grab my purse, put on some shoes and I would be out the door.  Different story now.  I have a huge flight of stairs in my house to get to the front door.  To put it bluntly I laugh at stair machines from the gym.  I start preparing 30 minutes before I need to leave.  Diaper bag packed.  Bums changed.  Stroller/Car packed.  My purse is ready.  I feel presentable.  I take one boy downstairs, strap him in.  I run upstairs grab the other boy bring him down and get puked on.  Strap him in, run upstairs.  Change.  Run downstairs.  Realize I forgot the soother.  Run upstairs grab soother.  Run downstairs.  Toddler tells me he's pooped.  Run upstairs for a lightning quick diaper change.  Run downstairs.  Baby has now pooped.  Cry.  Then run upstairs for another lightning quick diaper change.  Run downstairs.  Toddler now wants favourite toy.  Run upstairs grab Elmo.  Run downstairs.  Now toddler wants his water.  Run upstairs and grab the water and a snack just to try and be proactive.  Run downstairs.  Realize I've forgotten the diaper bag.  Cry again.  Run upstairs grab the diaper bag.  Run downstairs.  Shove double stroller through doorway that is 1/2 inch too small.  Check the time and realize you are 40 minutes late.

Now this was not meant to scare any of you who legitimately want children someday.  When you are ready for kids these things will be much easier to let go of which brings me to my second top ten list as follows:

Top 10 Things You Never Knew You Were Missing Before Having Kids:

1. A sleeping baby on your chest.There is absolutely nothing more peaceful in this world than your baby sleeping on your chest, their breath in perfect time with yours.  Their beautiful face worry free because they have their Mommy and nothing can harm them.
2. The sound of the word "Mama" being directed at you.
   Someone asking for you, being the most important person in someone's life, even if for a short time of infanthood forms a bond that you can never un-do.  And the first time you hear your child call out "Mama" will be the most beautiful sound you have ever hear.  Ever.
3. The ear to ear smile your child gives you when they see you first thing in the morning.
   Sleep deprivation is hard but this can make up for most of it.  There will be the odd day that it won't but those are one-off's in a sea of love.
4. Baby pictures.  Everywhere.
   Your house will be covered in baby pictures.  Frames on the wall.  Books of baby photos.  Your fridge.  Everywhere will be covered in your angel's face.  And you wouldn't live any other way, it's a chance to see your babe everywhere you go.
5. Shopping for baby clothes.
   If you like clothes, shopping for baby clothes is the coolest thing ever.  Babies can pull off anything.  And for about a year and a half to two years you call the shots on your baby's style.  Oh.. the power!
6. Bragging about your kids.
   Everything someone says will lead you back to "Oh you'll never guess what
   did!"  Show restraint, it means a lot to you but maybe not to your work buddy.  Just think silently, my kid is awesome!
7. Kissing boo-boo's better.
   If your child hurts themself the only cure is a kiss and a hug from Mama.  That's some powerful medicine you never knew you had!
8. Seeing the world through a child's eyes again.
   Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Valentine's Day, the local festival, the beach, the ice cream stand!  Anything is brand new to a kid and therefore to you.  The excitement is contagious and you can't help but enjoy it on a whole new level.
9. A reason to thank your parents everyday for what they sacrificed to raise you.
   Seriously.  Mom and Dad.  You are amazing!  Being a parent is hard work and I thank you for every sacrifice you made to do what you thought was best to raise me.  You rock!
10. A reason to be a better person.
    When you have a child you have a reminder every second of every day that someone is watching your every move, every reaction, every emotion and learning from you.  In turn you learn from them and grow, evolve and change into the person who you were meant to be.  I love the saying I read the other day "The way you speak to your child becomes their inner voice."  It reminds me to be mindful every day.  

Well anyway I hope you enjoyed my Top 10 Lists and I hope I didn't scare any of you off from having kids.  I've often felt that way when I've been with a group of families and there are a few friends attending without children.  Am I the best birth control humanity has ever seen with my frazzled ways and frazzled hair and dark circles under my eyes?  Nah.  If it's one thing everybody knows is that kids are tough but rewarding.  Just cherish every moment of life before and after you have them :)