Rational

I seem to be watching TV way too much these days, well, at least it is on all the time, I only watch a few shows during the day but one is usually Ellen. See, around 10am Greta USUALLY has a nap, USUALLY does not include this week for some reason. She is faking it for a few minutes, for example today she shut her eyes for 10 minutes, pretended to be a sweet napping little angel, but then yikes...the Demon awoke, the teeth are making her evil, or shall I say the lack of teeth. Still only 2 pearly whites in that raw gummy mouth of hers. By 10am I had given her Tylenol, Baby Anbesol, every frozen teething ring we have (which is a lot), watched Baby Einstein, Guess with Jess, dumped 101 blocks out to play along with every toy in her toy box. Had her in the stroller, danced, practiced walking (she, not I) and nothing helped. It was exhausting, enhanced by the fact she woke for the day at 5:30am - I ignored her until 6am, but when it seemed she was not going to drift back to sleep, I was also up.

Anyway, back to Ellen, yesterday she was talking about medical sites and google - and just how dangerous it is to search and self diagnosis (of course, she was making a joke out of the results, but she was talking about me, well, maybe not me exactly, but people like me). I am the pro, I mean honestly, I do what every rational, worry wart does, you know - go to Google and type in my medical ailments of the day...hit enter and what do you know, I have some life threatening rare disease or I am expecting triplets...UMMM, so you think I would learn..but I don't. Now I add Greta's ailments to my insanity...I'm a Google nightmare. In between Googling What to do about teething babies and my liver hurts I am a pretty busy gal.

Small break required from blogging - Greta is up (I didn't even get to explain that I'm now writing in the afternoon and she thank goodness slept for 45 minutes)...be back soon (Pause and think of this as intermission).

I'm back, can you tell I was away - changed, fed, took a few pictures in her cute outfit because she seemed happy after her rest and now she is playing and I'm sitting watching her and able to type away.

I wrote a few posts ago about my favorite things, but seemed to ramble and it had no rhyme or reason, so I thought for the mothers to be, new mom's, people buying things for new mom's, I will give my favorite items that I know I would certainly purchase for others:

1) Sleep Sheep - Since the day Greta arrived home, despite my few complaints, she has been a great sleeper and I thank the Sleep Sheep for playing a part. Now, any white noise would probably do, but the Sleep Sheep is a fuzzy sheep that has ocean sounds, rain fall, heart beat, and there is one other, but for the life of me, can't recall. It is tied to the crib and travels with us if we are doing an overnight trip. I have to say, when Greta is finished with it, I'm going to move it to my bedside table. If your baby needs a more relaxing sleep - who knows, this may do the trick!

2) GroBag - I am currently looking for the next size - this was recommended as a must have and I now pass it along - we love it! Think of SweetPea from Popeye Days in her little bunting bag and you will imagine the look of a sleep sac. The GroBags are perfect, not too thin, not too thick and keeps Greta all snug in bed, we don't need blankets or quilts, she just wears her pjs and in to her sleep sac she goes. Of course, you can't buy them around here, so I have been desperately trying to win one on Ebay - better start bidder higher to ensure I have one ready for her growth spurt.

3) Sophie - So I caught on that all these hip Mom's had Sophie the Giraffe when I would look at pictures of their little babies, so I read all about them (just a fluk, as I didn't really go out and research anything), but we LOVE Sophie. Sophie travels with us, sleeps with Greta and thanks to Nana, Greta has not only the rubber one that she can chew on to work these teeth out, but she has a stuffed Sophie who she chats with each morning when she gets up - and chews on (Can I say now - Sophie needs a bath).

4) Exercauser - Wow, she is getting a lot of mileage out of this item. Our house looks more like the shelf at a Toys R Us these days, but this "I think" has been my favorite item. Toys to play with, keeps her occupied, has been a great learning tool and amazing to watch Greta figure all the buttons and motions and she can jump in it. We also have a Jumperoo, and although she does enjoy it, I don't think I would recommend it as much, I actually think I would have preferred the Jolly Jumper that hangs in the door frame, both for size and convenience, but if you are looking for a fun gift that will be well used, I think the Exercauser would get my vote.

5) Camera / Photographer - Meaning Lots of pictures. I am snap happy I know, always was, just before Greta the subject was the cats and dog so people called me the crazy animal lady, but I'm happy that I have so many pictures and very happy that we have had so many professional photos taken. Greta changes so much on a weekly basis, her hair, expressions, personality, and we have all that captured. Of course, because all my family lives away, and so many people are either too far away or never met her in person, they can catch up on Greta's adventures and changes via pictures. I still am a mail girl too, I love technology, without it, I probably wouldn't SEE anyone, but I love to send letters and mail Greta's pictures...someone has to keep Canada post going! My old co-workers bought Greta a Smile Saver Card, this is from Sears and allows us to go anytime for no sitting fee, get a free pic each time and buy one get one free for any sheets we want...it is a great Shower Gift!!!

6) UGG boots - okay, I just love them and it's been my favorite splurge for Greta. If you are crazy enough to buy them - go to Ebay and buy second hand...makes it a tad more justifiable that the child's shoes are worth more than mine! And for the record - she has tiny little feet and they are miles too big so she'll get a lot of wear out of them. I actually buy tons of things on Ebay, I'm a great bargain hunter and have bought so many sweet outfits for just a few dollars, all with the tags still on them, got to love it. It keeps me going between my USA visits.

7) Toys with limited noise! So I am mean, but there is a lot of annoying toys that make way too much noise, you can only listen to songs so many times before catching yourself singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star at the Grocery store...So choose the toys wisely.

8) We love our Bumbo seat - maybe we will use the Highchair more when she is a bit older, but since she was 7 weeks old, we have had her sitting in the Bumbo and since she started eating, she eats most of her meals in it. Maybe it's because we have an open concept house and the Dining Room Table isn't used much, but it has been a great purchase. I did buy it in the States so half the price we would have paid here, but even at full price - still a worth while purchase, and again, buy second hand...you can't destroy them, they clean up with a quick wipe...Greta's will be on the market soon enough - it is pink of course!

9) Gripe Water - Greta was a frequent user, hiccups cured instantly! I have given a bottle in most shower packages over the years...it's Liquor for Babies!!!

10) Deep Relief - okay, so this is for those who are carrying the 15lbs kid daily in the car seats and your back feels like it's broken in 10 different spots...it's a heat rub...love it!! That coupled with my heated magic bag are life savers.

Well, I am still on the fence on how much I will love the play pen (Or play yard as they are called now) - probably some activist out there said pen was too demeaning to babies, but they were always play pens to me, so that is what I'll call it...anyway, Greta has moved from the floor to the play pen - with about 20 blocks, 3 dolls and 2 things to chew on, I think I'm liking it...it is like a little cage!!!! I'll have to update this list in a few months and see if these are still my fav's or if we have new favorites. I'm thinking Babysitters will be added to my Favorites List!!!!

Have a great weekend...a warm welcome to any new readers out there (start from the beginning of the blogs, much more exciting)...and I'll be back soon!

Toodles.

Photos of Greta and her boyfriend Erik

Teething....oh my word!

I greatly apologize to those paying attention at my lapse of writing on my blog, I don't have a great excuse, would be nice to tell you I have been sun tanning on a beach in the Dominican, or shopping my heart out in New Hampshire, instead, I've been on this side of hell - Teething Hell! This little place, we'll just say T.H for short, has been quite the journey. It started a few weeks before Xmas, and seemed like such a special little place, one where the cute baby gained two sweet little pearly whites on her bottom gum line, no fuss, no tears, just magically appeared one day. You know someone like me should never comment (I was far from bragging) but I was pretty impressed that teething seemed to not phase Greta, and was telling people "they just appeared, you would never know she was getting teeth other than the drool." Well, strike me down stupid Karma, I will never comment on something being easy again, because the punishment for being so overly optimistic has been sweet little baby needs an exorcism.

Her little mouth is raw, and not one more stupid tooth has popped through, if her cheeks get any redder people are going to start asking if I have rouge make up on her face, the drooling has stopped, but in its place is a cranky, fussy little gal who has given up her 12 hour sleeping pattern at night for a nightly wake up, a wake up that causes her to whine and whine and whine in great discomfort. I feel awful for her, I feel awful for all of us. She isn't 24/7 grumpy, she is still a charmer when we are out, loves to shop and look around (are you shocked), but she saves up her teething hell persona for when we are alone. So, to combat this fussy stage her teeth have caused, we have a few options, I can shop morning, noon and night to keep her entertained, ensure we either have more visitors or get out more often to visit others, or continue to use every teething remedy out there. We really have the full list on the go, frozen wash cloths, frozen bananas, frozen teething rings, pretty much anything from her fist to her toys have acted as items to crunch on, and lets see for meds, I've tried the Naturopathic Dr's solution (didn't think it did much), Tylenol, Little Teethers Gel, Orajel and Baby Tylenol. I have refrained from Rum, only because the only Rum in the house if 150 proof Rum from the Dominican, thought it may burn her mouth a tad too much!!! Some days, we do all of the above (minus the Rum). The Orajel does provide some instant relief, I know how awful it is to have a toothache and sore mouth, so I can't imagine a little one trying to produce a mouthful of teeth, but a little frozen gum line causes instant grape smelling drool. I think it's fair to say teething has been the hardest challenge to date, it's just so exhausting. We just want her to go to sleep tonight so we can catch some ZZZZZZ's.

Besides the invasion of the little pearly whites, not tons happening in our household. Scarlet had a much needed hair cut this week, Darren has been laid up with a bad back and hip(disc and bursitis if you can imagine), I'm down to 1 dose of prednisone daily and finally some water pills to see if I can rid my body of some fluid. When you cry to the Dr. that you are finally going off the deep end because the drugs that are saving your life are making you wish you could just bury yourself in the sand until you look normal again - they finally break down and give you water pills. I would have pleaded my case ages ago if all I had to do was sound like I fully lost my mind. So what if I had to tell them jumping off a bridge was a better option than another day of prednisone, they got the message that I had enough. It's bitter sweet, I know the drug saves lives, and quite possibly saved my liver from total failure, but the side effects are pure hell. Thankfully though, with the help of the water pills, in one week I shed 7lbs of fluid, I feel a bit better, but as it was pointed out to me this week, I still look puffy and not like myself...but at least the pressure in my face and body isn't causing such discomfort.

I am really hoping by the time I return to work I at least look like I did post pregnancy / pre drugs...surely a few more months will do it. As shocking as it is, my return to work is just a few short months away, I will be back in my seat (I really hope my new ergonomic chair was marked with my name, it was set perfectly for me) at the end of May, just a bit past Greta's 11th month birthday. I hope she will do well at the sitters and I will be able to get my butt out of bed, dressed, hair and make up done and to work by 7am...I was thinking of this task as I was heading out of the house for a 10am play date, in which I was late for...I mean, it's not easy to get two of us ready, one of us who has to look cute (I'm obviously not talking about me).

So, that is the life, see you really haven't missed much by my lack of writing. How boring is this blog, I mean, teeth, drugs, whine, whine, whine (would be more fun if I was looped on wine, wine, wine), but that is the life we are living. We don't have much planned for the weekend, Darren suggested going to supper for Valentines Day, he suggested taking Greta as we don't have a sitter to watch her, but after a brief shake of the head when I thought maybe, I opted not to, do you know how annoyed people would get if they get out for an adult dinner, especially for a holiday, and have some kid cry from the next table - well, I would be annoyed, so I'm not going to do it...So for all those heading out to enjoy a romantic dinner for V-day, the kid crying behind you - is not mine!!! Oh, and just because V-day is my LEAST favorite holiday (and for those that know me well, yes we got engaged on V-Day) I still think it's a silly holiday of over priced flowers and over priced mushy cards so it's my obligation to let all you lovebirds out there know....Saint Valentine was eventually imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and beheaded. They don't tell you that on the cards. Happy Valentine's Day...

Toodles - and don't forget, February 17th my article on Push Presents hits G! Magazine. Get a copy for everyone you know expecting a baby - and give it to their significant others!!! And if you didn't get a push present from your significant other, it's not to late - they owe you!!! Let me tell you, Greta's baby book has tons of fun things in it, the story of her alien like beginnings to a Push Present article!

Sleeping Girl

YEAH....My happy baby has returned from the dark side...well, at least she is appearing to be happy again, sleeping again, not in agony. Still no new teeth, but they are either not hurting anymore, or she has given up fussing about it. After not sleeping at all yesterday during the day, I was quite surprised to see her drifting off. I was heating up her bottle, turned around and found her a little wiped out (must have been the Beans and Pears she had for lunch).

Enjoy the video!

Teeth and Snot 101

Greta has a cold...and new teeth coming.
Gail has a headache....and returning to work is looking mighty good!

Lets just say, this past week has been exhausting, emotionally and physically draining and if these top teeth of Greta's don't make their way in to her little mouth soon I quite possibly will loose my mind. Sweet little Greta - our mild mannered, mellow little gal is hurting and the pain is making her a handful. I feel awful for her, I really mean it, I can only imagine the agony and pain in her little mouth. I had a torture filled childhood of mouth / teeth issues, no wonder I still fear the dentist I practically lived at the dental or orthodontist clinic so I do know mouth pain, but wow...Greta can go from mild to cranky in seconds. It's not all day crankiness, it's more unsettled and she has almost developed a fear against sleeping - I mean it, she is so tired, exhausted really, but fights sleep every step of the way. She is thankfully still sleeping at night, but only because she has no fight left in her. Of course a sign I am a first time mother - I take her to the Doctor because I think she must have pneumonia, or a stomach infection, or best case scenario an ear infection, as no NORMAL baby surely fusses and cries like this. So, off I go with my cranky baby to the Dr, who of course becomes angel baby, best baby patient of the year as soon as we hit the parking lot of the medical clinic. She smiles and charms the Dr as she usually does, thankfully she does tug at her ears so at least I don't look like a complete idiot, and as a bonus, she gives a little fake cough. But low and behold, her ears are fine, lungs are fine, tonsils were a tad red, BUT, it's her teeth...The runny nose is caused by the teeth, even the cough, you got it, the extra saliva from the teeth is causing that too. The Dr sympathetically tells me she is sorry she couldn't give me something for an infection, as that would be easy, nope, I just have to suffer through 20 teeth...oh, I mean Greta has to suffer through them. We are doing everything....frozen teethers, frozen face clothes tied in knots (some even soaked in apple juice), frozen banana pieces, oragel and phew, Tylenol. We also have the cool mist running in her room, the mattress elevated and still, runny nose and sore teeth. The Dr did say the two front teeth are the worse, well, I believe it as the two on the bottom just appeared one morning, no issues at all. Anyway, enough about teeth. I'm exhausted, meant to go to bed over an hour ago, but I was chatting with my friend Jenn this evening, sadly her little guy is in the hospital with a possible appendix surgery on the way for tomorrow AM, even more sad is the Dr who they waited over a day for, forgot about the poor little guy and went home, I swear I don't know how the QEH stays open, we would be better off having home visits from the few competent Dr's around. Anyway, I will send good vibes to Caleb and hopes he feels better and hopes for the Dr's sake that Jenn has a good sleep tonight, as I would love to be a fly on the wall when he finally comes by to see his patient and she gets her hands on him! Jenn actually gave me the snot sucking advice when I told her Greta had a cold - well, she didn't give me the play by play on how to do it, she just said, don't forget the snot bulb...so in honour of the snot bulb advice, and to all those who will have a snotty nose to somehow deal with...enjoy the step by step instructions brought to you by theteethingmom.com .

A New Parent's Guide to Snot Sucking

Suck your baby's snot out in these easy steps and you're guaranteed to have a mucous free baby in no time!

1. Get your earplugs out. Or, don't get your earplugs, it's up to you.

2. While waiting for hubby to finish taking a dump, prepare the following:

-aspirator bulb or turkey baster, depending on the amount of snot sucking you anticipate
-Boogie Wipes
- Handcuffs (in the absence of an assistant)

3. Lay baby down on the bed and let her roll around and play as if nothing's about to happen.

4. As soon as hubby's done taking care of his business, have him hold baby's hands and pin her down on the bed, facing you.

5. Stop. Have hubby wash his hands.


6. With baby's hands pinned down by hubby, straddle your baby's hips and distract her by singing a Black Sabbath classic to help relax her nerves.

7. Hold the bulb/baster with your right hand and hold your baby's head in place with your left. Continue singing your song.

8. Start sucking the snot immediately. Notice the violent aggression of your baby towards you. She wants to hurt you. This is normal.

9. When using the bulb in a lighting fast motion, please note that it is also normal to confuse your baby's nose with her mouth and remnants of the snot may end up as dinner. Don't be alarmed. From what I hear, this is good protein for underweight and premie babies. However, an overweight child like mine does not need the extra calories. If this is the case, extract the snot from her tongue using the Boogie Wipes.

10. If or when baby manages to escape, this means that you and hubby are weak and will need to spend some serious time in the gym. Repeat steps 3 to 9.

11. If baby shows exacerbated aggression, rendering this procedure unsuccessful, have hubby suspend baby upside down, like a pendulum, for five minutes. Sway from left to right. Wait for gravity to do its job and wipe the snot before it rolls down her eyes.

Hope you enjoyed...I have to admit, I needed the chuckle!

Toodles...oh, and non baby news, my new kitchen counters are just 5 days away, yahoo.

Long Week

Just a quick stop by the old Blog to say hello! I don't have much to say, it's been one hell of a week. Tonight an old friend posted a status on Facebook that read:

"Ever have those days when you feel annoyed, unhappy, not positive, not thoughtful etc..but suck it up cause you don't want to make your day worse expressing it..."

I read that and thought, that sums up my week, maybe it's why I haven't written anything on the blog, the old saying if you have nothing nice to say - say nothing at all. Well, it's a good saying but if you have been reading along with my journey you no doubt have figured out I don't mind saying what I think. Greta had her needles last Friday and although she didn't experience any fever or major trauma, she has been "off" ever since. AKA, grumpy little bear! Sure she still smiles and grins and giggles here and there, but as quick as her smile can appear, so too can the crying. We are dumbfounded (well, I am) as I don't know what to do with her when she gets upset, we don't see it often, so to have her crying at night is puzzling and of course I think she is in pain or has a medical issue. Thankfully we are seeing some improvements, two nights since the needles our expert 12 hour sleeper was getting up during the night, but that has reversed back to normal (thank goodness)...but she is still a bit off and it doesn't bring out the best in me. Darren is a lot more calm and cool than I, I seem to get frustrated and hear my voice rising and my blood pressure along with it. Teething is not helping the little thing, believe me, I have had enough teeth torture in my childhood and adult life to write a book on Dental practices, so I can only imagine the agony of trying to get these little teeth through the gums, as hard as it is on Greta, its hard on the adults too. I have tried everything, and I must admit, may have found a few good ones that seem to help (that don't include drugging her with Tylenol - which I have resorted to on occasion). I have the common frozen teething rings, but I also have froze carrots and put them in the mesh food holders so she can chomp away like a little bunny, I have soaked facecloths in water and apple juice, tied them in knots and froze them (got to love the Internet Google Search) - this one seems to be the favorite thus far! And can I praise Sophie the Giraffe a thousand times over. For those who had kids pre-Sophie, it's a rubber giraffe, that is over priced - but worth every cent! She munchies on that thing like it's a gourmet meal, I almost want to tie him to her outfit with her soother clip, a little leash of sorts! But enough about that. I am just happy the week is coming to an end and fingers crossed for better moods, activities and things to do.

SIGH...you can't tell, but I'm here to tell you, this blog was interrupted by a screaming baby! What is going on, can babies have nightmares and if so, what are they about, the Public Health Nurse perhaps who was rude and told me her soft spot was closing in early and would mean her brain wouldn't have room to grow (I have refrained from writing the whole story - but they should be charged with stupidity for telling first time parents stuff) - and for the record - she may not be able to find the soft spot on her head, but I can in one second and the Dr saw her the week prior and said nothing, so I'm confident we don't have to have a piece of her skull removed to allow her brain room to grow! Anyway, I'm back to writing, Darren is with Greta.

As for other stuff, well, another friend said tonight she is going to try to not care what others think! I've said that every year and wish I could follow through with this task, my life would be so much better if I stopped caring about other people's thoughts, actions and comments, I have come a long way though. I had lots of time to reflect the past few months and you no doubt have heard (or read) me comment how having a baby was interesting on the friendships. It is an ongoing discussion in our house (me discussing, Darren telling me to stop caring) but people have really surprised me, some good, some not so good. Greta is 6.5 months already, I really have to wonder just how busy people really are...I mean, 196 days is a long time to be busy every single day. So, my new thought, I'm not going to make any efforts either. I have lots to do and people to see and I really need to get over things....so...presto! I'm over it! HA! Life is too short, both to not make time to get out and do things, even if it's a quick hour for coffee or supper, but life is also too short to waste time caring about the actions of others or lack of them in some cases.

Gosh, thank goodness for Facebook, or there would be nothing to write about. I'll end with another status, "If you and I were to wake up in jail, in 4 words what would you say" - my response - Yahoo, a night out! I really need to get out of this house, as sitting in jail for a night actually would mean a little human contact, someone to cook for me, I wouldn't have to worry about laundry as surely they would give me a standard jumper, I bet for good behaviour I'd even get to watch some TV, ummm, sounds like a great plan to me! Now, I will apologise, I was suppose to make that status my new status...I failed....I didn't - only because I figured some may say, Throw away the key, It was your fault, You are royally screwed...I didn't need to hear them all !!!

Of course, I've been snapping pics and shooting video's...so enjoy the little Banana Taste Test Video at the end of this post. We'll try bananas again, our Dr told me to slice banana's and freeze them, but I thought I would see if she liked the flavour...she didn't! I have a nice jar of them ready to try out on another ocassion, maybe with better reception. It still cracks me up every time I watch the video, hope it puts a smile on your face too.

Oh, and watch for the February Issue of G! Magazine (an Island Magazine). My blog on Push Presents is going to be published! I took the swear words out...I promise!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things (The Cheaper Version of Oprah's list!!!)

I have been thinking about blogging about my "Favorite Things" for quite some time, I had a few old standby favorites, but of course, with a little one in the house along with my shopping habits I think I have tried just about every brand and baby item on the market. For years I wrote a cookbook, but this year I just didn't get it finished (okay, I didn't get it started or finished)...but my opening page each year was all about my favorite things and a few things I was thankful for, so I only thought it appropriate to share the 2010 opener of my cookbook (I promise to finish it sometime in 2011).

Welcome to the first page of What Should be my Annual Cookbook!

What a year, one full of fear, happiness, new life, health challenges, friendships, loss, new beginnings and lessons learned. A standard line in all my cookbook openers must show it's face again - It was once said to me, “If you didn’t have bad luck, you would have no luck at all.” Well, that is true, this is my 5th year of dealing with Dr's, Nurses, Specialists and Needles and realizing that when they call it a medical practice - it's really because the health professionals are practicing, BUT, I squeezed in a few positives in 2010 and of course, I still can find much to be thankful for:

“I’m thankful for the healthy arrival of our little miracle baby Greta Claire who took a chance at choosing Darren and I as parents and has so kindly been a wonderful, easy and pleasant baby making our transition to parenthood so much easier. I'm thankful that I didn't end up in Unit 9 during my pregnancy, although I begged to go there on numerous occasions. I'm thankful for my darling Scarlet, my blue eyed handsome boy Casanova and the joy and love they show me each time I walk through the door. I'm thankful that my beloved big boned cat Paris was the most amazing companion for 15 years and provided me with affection, a furry head to cry on and a devoted friendship that humans only wish they could experience, of course, it makes his death this past September that much tougher, but I'm grateful we did all we could. I'm thankful to the Vets who saved Scarlet after an incompetent Vet almost killed her, of course, I must point out how thankful I am that the Vet College took MasterCard when I heard the $5000 estimate to save her and to my Mother and Darren for helping with the cost of saving my furry baby. I'm thankful for online shopping and the Fed Ex guy who delivers my purchases on a regular basis. As always, I’m thankful for MasterCard, Visa and American Express....just because they make my life so much more complete! I'm thankful for the Confederation Bridge that allows me to escape the fair isle to shop at Costco and for the SUV I drive to bring home all my goodies. I’m thankful that I don’t know everything that people say behind my back, and for the cliche that Karma will catch up eventually. I’m thankful I have the right to vote, even if I don't like any of the candidates. I'm thankful for the renewed friendships, the new friendships and the realization of who is a true friend during a year when we really needed a good support system. I am thankful my hard work and years of studying have afforded me an amazing career that I look forward to returning to, but for this year, am thankful for the full pay while I'm on maternity leave. I’m thankful for The Bachelor (yes I said it, everyone needs a ridiculous show to yell at, talk about, get annoyed about and swear you'll never watch it again) - but the new Season starts tomorrow!!! I'm thankful for an all too patient husband, who despite taking vows that included sickness and health, surely didn't expect our years together to be all about my sickness. I'm thankful he is also the most amazing and loving Daddy to Greta, and when my patience and energy runs out he takes over with his calm demeanour and makes me realize just how lucky our little girl is. I'm thankful for hot chocolate, Twix Bars, Motts Freezies, Pizza Dough from Buns and Things Bakery, New Hampshire Outlets, Facebook, my camera that I capture our little gals firsts with, my comfy home, the birds that visit our feeders, primitive decor, and dare I say prednisone (for despite my complaints, puffy face, water filled body, mental breakdowns, mood swings, aches and pains - this damn drug has kept me alive and functioning with an okay liver). For all those who invited us to share in your lives this year or who made efforts to be a part of ours, I thank you.

And I’m thankful always for white bread, comfortable shoes, color in my hair that covers the grey, musicals and theatre, Buttercream Yankee candles, all the seasons, holidays, sick days, and that lucky penny I pick up in hopes of future dreams. I'm thankful that I catch 11:11 on the clock at least once a week and I always make a wish. I’m thankful for my scars (although it's getting a tad insane), as it means I have survived something small or large and that pain can be taken away with tiny little pills. And this year I'm thankful that Mommy is my new title, I have survived nasty diapers and power puking and had wonderful followers sharing the experience and my adventures through my blog. I'm thankful for Carters Baby Clothes, Huggies Snugglers, Gripe Water, Baby Oragel, Organic Baby Food, Evenflo Bottles, baby socks and tights that look like there are shoes built in, Little Bee's Owl Hats, Itty Bitty Head Bands made by Krista, Rachel Peters lovely photos who have captured Greta's first few months, Bouncey Seats, Baby Einstein Video's, Guess with Jess Cartoon (I actually really like it!) Cradle Swings and Aveeno Baby wash...Phew, how is that for a favorites list! I’m just thankful I have so many to share things with...my cup runneth over."

May 2011 be a year of new favorites and many more exciting things to be thankful for.
Toodles!

A New Year...PHEW!

WHAT A YEAR!

HELLO 2011! What a year it has been, this very day, one year ago, I sat at my computer writing an announcement I never dreamt would be told....We were expecting a baby! The shock of friends and family closely equaled ours, some were speechless, some laughed, some said OMG you are screwed....and here we are, one year later, with a cute as a button little girl (what a silly analogy - what button is cute) who has stolen the life we once had...for the better! It certainly has been a year of ups and downs, Greta being the UP part, everything else being the DOWN....so thank goodness we had a healthy beautiful little girl, otherwise, 2010 would be in the history books of being one hell of a shitty year. It was a year of renewed friendships, new friendships and the ending of others, nothing like sickness and having a baby to realize who your real friends are, I was told it would be an eye opener, but I was in denial and never really believed it, but wow, "they" were right. But I start 2011 believing those we have in our lives as the New Year starts are the ones who are suppose to be there, the others were part of our past journey...and that is a good thing. So, lets see what we can put in the 2010 vault...

1) January: Prego - mental - scared - mental - skinny(even if I was 4 months along)!!!!

2) February: My Darling Scarlet is sick, but thankfully survived. We are officially in the poor house after thousands of dollars worth of Vet Bills but it was worth it because she is alive. Really MENTAL and we are having a girl! The 3-D ultrasound although confirming the sex, also confirmed the child looked closer to an alien than a baby, oh dear, what in the heck have we created, when the technician said look at that little alien I was scared, really really scared....I couldn't deny, if there was a baby joining us, I really wanted a girl, I think a shopper needs a girl I can't help it.

3) March: A few trips - My last flight to a conference in Montreal, lots of fun and a great experience, followed by a trip to New Hampshire - yikes, can you say baby shopping!

4) April: I'm 36 - Advanced Maternal Age according to the Baby Dr's (I swear, it was on the referral sheet to the IWK), pretty low key b-day, starting to plump up, not enjoying one minute of being pregnant despite not having one day of morning sickness, puffiness...just mental.

5) May: Oh my goodness, we are really having a baby, the countdown is on. I started my blog, finished work (which ended my already bland social life), confirmed the baby would be born via C-section, MENTAL.

6) June: A Mommy and Daddy are born on June 24th, 9:46am - Greta Claire Edgett-Gallant entered the world - with just a little bit of hair and amazingly cute, her alien looking beginnings were gone and she had all the right digits, her eyes were in the right spot, she has my niece Haley's nose and my complexion and green eyes and phew, it was a girl!

7) July: The baby weight is gone but my health takes a turn. After two biopsies and CT Scan it is confirmed my liver is failing and I have been diagnosed with AutoImmune Hepatitis, a chronic liver disease with no cure other than transplant that is going to be controlled with Predinsone and other immune suppressants in hopes of putting it in to remission. My body is attacking the liver, I didn't "catch" this awful disease from someone, my own stupid body is turning on me. The drugs are making me MORE MENTAL.

8) August: Summer - it's come and gone and I missed it. Anniversary comes and we get out alone thanks to my Mother. Treatment sucks, I'm starting to puff up, my skinny post baby body is starting to balloon - MENTAL

9) September: I lost one of the most loyal companions of my adult life, my beloved cat Paris went to the Rainbow Bridge after having a wonderful life but struggling for a few months. It was the most difficult thing I have experienced to make the decision and then to take Paris to have him put down is something I hope I never have to do again. I always thought my pets would live forever, but now I hope the other furry family members just fall asleep when their time on this earth is done. I am so happy Paris lived long enough to be a pet to Greta, even if it was just for a few months. Greta is doing well, we are surviving as parents much to everyones surprise. 1st Babysitter for Greta so we can enjoy a night out to the theatre, making plans for the winter ahead....TV, online shopping, ummm, that about sums it up.

10) October: Tons of birthdays, Darren is 37, Haley is 11, and many others celebrate this month. Our little Greta is a cute kitty kat for Halloween.

11) November: Thank the lord, I get to return to New Hampshire...Baby free, thanks to Mom, Sharon and Haley who babysit Greta for us so we can take a much needed vacation. Sadly, nothing fits as the damn prednisone has me in a ballooned puffy state, so Greta is the winner of my shopping experience. Xmas Decorating starts upon our return home.

12) December: Just like that, 12 months have passed us by, we have a darling, pleasant personality, adorable 6 month old who sleeps through the night, loves her new foods, has a shoe and clothing wardrobe that I'm green with envy about but she sadly has a very sick Mommy who has found herself in and out of the hospital for most of December. We celebrated our first family Christmas, tons of presents, tons of decorations and tons of Doctors, but thankfully she is too young to remember all the hospital stays (although all the nurses loved her). Our home was put on display for over 350 "strangers" during a Christmas House Tour which was a wonderful experience and at least my hard work of decorating was seen by someone. We have a quiet holiday, few visitors, but tons of pictures taken.

Wow, 12 little sentences and the year has come and gone. I will be off work with Greta for 5 more months, here is hoping the next 5 will feel more like a maternity leave and not a sick leave. I hope to return to work in May when she is 11 months old, health permitting of course, not too fond of being on Long Term Disability at 37. Lord, that sounds so old, 37! My hope for the new year, despite it maybe being wishful thinking, is that I'll return to my post baby body (how many can say that!!! HA). I am carrying around a significant fat chubby face and body full of water from the drug treatment that makes me cry every time I look in the mirror, it must leave soon. I am tired of it and it's not wanted. I'm not one for resolutions, so I'll aim for a few things that I might have a hope of seeing happen in 2011, lets call them, things I will attempt to obtain/try/ pretend to accomplish:

1) I'll grow my hair - and get it cut.

2) When someone says something funny to me, I promise not to say LOL, instead, I will really laugh.

3) I vow to shop more for things I really want, not just buy for the sake of buying.

4) I will continue to support Ebay and various online shopping stores!

5) I will try not to google Health Related Symptoms on a daily basis, every second day will suffice.

6) I will try to balance my checkbook - on my nose!

7) I will stop worrying about the stuff in the past, instead I'll focus on worrying about the future.

8) I will stop considering other people's feelings who obviously never consider mine.

9) I'll try to refrain from mentioning the words divorce, dying and moving on an on going basis, I'll wait for a really big fight and appropriate time!

10) I will get my affairs in order and my will written, so you better be nice or you won't make the cut!

Happy New Year to all my Followers, may your New Year be prosperous - I may need a loan!

Toodles!