Decorating Your Nursery – A DIY Craft Idea

What a great way to preserve those precious memories!

DIY: Transform Your Baby Shower Cards into Nursery Art!

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source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/decorating-nursery-diy-craft-idea/

Kids Add a Whole New Perspective

Having kids has given me pause on so many days. Sometimes that pause ends in laughter and sometimes, that pause ends in tears. Usually for me!

One afternoon I needed groceries. I packed up all three and off to the store we went. On our way into the store, my son (4yo) and oldest daughter (5yo) were having a conversation about cows and milk.

Daughter: Mom, how does milk get to the grocery store?
Son: Well, milk doesn’t come from cows.
Daughter: Yes it does!
Son: How do you know milk comes from cows??
Daughter: Cause their white.

I laughed and laughed. They see life as it is. Its only logical that if cows produce milk, white milk will come from white cows. Thus, chocolate milk from brown cows!

Or how about the time my husband and oldest daughter were cooking together. A good chef typically tastes the spices they use and tastes the food they use them in. It gives your palette a good idea of what your dish will taste like. We use two spices that look identical: Paprika & Cayenne pepper. (See where this is going yet?). My daughter asks to taste the Paprika and my husband ever-so-kindly obliges her innocent request.

In the back of my mind, I had the thought “Make sure she gets the right spice! A mouthful of cayenne would suck.” Sure enough, oldest daughter begins complaining “My tongue is burning! It burns!!” Hubby is disagreeing, “no it doesn’t…paprika doesn’t burn.” He looks at the containers of spices and says “ohhhh cr*p”. Queue the glass of milk, or rather, glasses of milk! The poor girl had a sore tongue for a while and the dad guilt lasted even longer.

Beyond all the crazy moments, funny conversations, we’ve had moments that make my heart swell. My youngest is a mommy’s girl. Through and through. The occasions that she holds my face in her tiny, soft hands. Stares me in the eyes and says “I love you mommy” have my heart in my throat. The preciousness of a little one offering the most sincere message, recognizing her own feelings and giving them a voice…has my heart aflutter. She’s 3. Only three and can put me on cloud 9 in a few words. Its incredibly precious.

Unfortunately, we’ve also had moments that my pause is very much “what were you thinking?!” Today, was one of those days. Between my three and our neighbours oldest, they managed to remove 7 fence posts completely. The neighbours boy thought it would be fun. So he asked my three for help and good friends help, right? Yea…that was a definite WTF moment.

To add to WTF moments, my youngest getting into a vaseline jar makes the list. Big handfuls of vaseline…all over her face & tummy. The standing fans, even her change table got a dose of vaseline! Have you ever tried to clean grease out of a frying pan? Or spilled cooking oil on your stove? Notice how its tough to clean up and becomes difficult to get all of it off? Picture that…but on your toddler, the bathtub, the change table, you get the idea. BTW, dawn & vinegar removes vaseline from the bottom of your bathtub quite nicely.

Even with having learned how to clean up vaseline, a skill I would not survive parenthood without, and being educated by the 5yo on the origins of milk…I wouldn’t trade being a mom for anything. Its beyond challenging some days – lets be real, I live some days in PJ’s and use Pepsi as my energy – but its worth every moment of blood, sweat & tears.

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source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/kids-add-whole-new-perspective/

Sleep? I’m Sorry, I Don’t Know What That Is.

As the parent of two toddlers and a 5yo, “sleep” isn’t a word I’m familiar with. Unless its in the sentences of “I got no sleep last night” or “I need 12 hours of sleep!”. I certainly never use it to describe that amazing amount of sleep I got last night. And I used to think I was tired with no kids, working a full time job and then gaming during my free time. HAHAHA. I often have daydreams of going back in time and warning myself of what was to come!

Being a newborn is the first culprit. Newborns have a reputation for sleeping horribly, but there is a good reason for it. Their tiny tummies are the size of a cherry when they’re born. I’d be hungry all the time too if my tummy could only fit a teaspoon of food. Once their tummies finally grow and can hold a fair amount of sustenance…they begin teething. Teething was a nightmare for our family. Lots of crying, very little sleeping. Again, understandable since teething is unbelievably painful!

Even if you make it through the first year of challenges, there is always that odd thing that just happens. Night terrors are a good example of one such thing. Bad dreams don’t help. Lets not forget the nighttime potty training phase and them having accidents at 2am that wakes everyone up. Those are extra fun b/c it requires a bedding change, a wash down of said child & getting everyone back to sleep again. Easier said than done!

Once you get through the first year and the odd things…then you get life changes. Any major change messes with their sleeping. A growth spurt, a cognitive leap, moving homes, starting school, a life event such as adding a sibling, so on and so forth. Their sleep once again, goes out the window! My husband and I went through a couple weeks of hell with our oldest (5yo). She was up so much it was like having a newborn again! We never did figure out why, she was just going through something and we were along for the ride.

IF you get through ALL of the early years, the random things and the life changes…you get the stage of independence. AKA: The tween/teen years. Now your just awake because your worried, not because they don’t sleep through the night.

What can you take away from this? That sleep is not for parents. I have yet to hear a mom or dad describe parenthood “its the best time of your life! You get so much rest & relaxation, you never do anything, you get lots of free time to hang out with friends. Its the best thing ever!”  While I do agree that it is the best thing ever, it is best to enter into parenthood with the expectation that your mattress is going to miss you dearly, and you, it. You may get to redevelop your sleepy relationship in 10 years if your lucky. Maybe 15. Until then, get used to sleeping standing up.

The post Sleep? I’m Sorry, I Don’t Know What That Is. appeared first on ANU Fertility Consultants.

source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/sleep-im-sorry-dont-know/

Life Hacks

I’m a mom. You might be a mom or a dad or an alien. Heck, you might be a tiger trying to raise cubs that don’t listen…I have no idea what that feels like!

Being a mom of three has lent me many days that ended in wine. Sometimes, anything to make life easier is worth it. KD 7 days in a row b/c the kids asked? SURE! That totally qualifies as a life hack, right?

To save you some time in your busy home, I scoured the internet and found a few life hacks that will hopefully make your life a bit easier. Whether your taming 1 cub or 6 cubs!

#1. Hang your pouf on your shower hooks. 

#2. To avoid the kids opening, shutting & slamming those darn doors!

OR

#3. Use an old egg carton to hold paint for the kids.
**image source Chaunie Brusie

#4. Child got into the Sharpies…again?

#5. Use color coded stickers on food items in the fridge to identify allergens.
**Image source: Megan Bishop

What are some life hacks you use as a parent?

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source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/life-hacks/

Birth and All its Wonders!

There are very few topics that I am passionate about, one of the few however, is birth. Birth is one of those many wonders of the human body. Its a miraculous event to witness and an even bigger miracle to experience.

BUT…

Birth is also a physiological event that a lot of women enter into without a vast knowledge base of what to expect. Birth has a reputation for being long, painful and in a hospital. While those expectations of birth are real for many women, they are not the case for everyone.

Birth itself is 80% mental. No, I’m not joking. Having the right support can make all the difference between having a birth you want and having a birth that leaves you struggling mentally.

There are exceptions to every rule and this is no different. Birth comes in many forms – vaginal, cesarean section, breech, all natural, fully medicated…you name it. Each birthing woman has her own definition of the perfect birth. That being said, there are some factors that can dictate the flow of birth, that are over and above labor itself.

First, do your research. Go into your birth with some knowledge behind you. Do you know if you want medication for pain or not? If you don’t, why not? Is it because of risk factors or you simply want to do labor on your own? Do you want oxytocin to be administered at the end of your labor? Do you know what that oxytocin is for? How about the Vitamin K for baby, is that an option you want to allow or deny? Do you know what it is for? If your care provider comes to you with a potential scenario – lets use “failure to progress” – do you know what that actually means? What are your options? What the risks & benefits for you and baby?

While it is impossible to cover every scenario or “what if”, you can follow this acronym to help you through the situation. BRAIN.

Benefits – What are the benefits to you and baby?
Risks – What are the risks to you and baby?
Alternative – Is there an alternative to accomplishing the same goal? vacuum vs. forceps?
Instint – Trust your instinct! You would be surprised that your body knows what its                         doing.
Nothing – You have the full right to do nothing. Maybe revisit the choice later.

Using BRAIN can get you through a lot of scenarios! Discuss this with your support system if you have one with you. Spouse, Doula, friend, parent. Its good to have someone to discuss things with and bounce your questions or worries off of.

Second, your care provider and you should be on the same page. Find one who will support your decisions and be open to your questions. One who will help you achieve your goals and most importantly…one that you can trust. Whether it be an obstetrician, midwife or even a GP that specializes in obstetrics.

Last, but not least, support! Having support in the delivery room is essential. Having a woman on the brink of insanity making in-the-moment decisions is somewhat precarious. Having someone level-headed and grounded who can balance out the laboring mom while she both labors and tries to weighs the pros-cons of a decision – can help the mom achieve the labor she wants. A spouse is a wonderful emotional support, a Doula can be that physical/educational support you might want, the Grandma or a close Friend can also be wonderful support. In any case, try to have the support you feel 100% comfortable with in your delivery room. I swear it helps!

Keep in mind, sometimes you can go into birth with all the support in the world, all the knowledge you can possibly have and things will still go sideways. Expectations & birth don’t always go hand in hand, sometimes, its better to go with the mentality “If this happens, awesome! If it doesn’t, I will be ok with it”.

I wish you the absolute best with your birth. If you have had a traumatic birth, please reach out for help to get healing from it! Birth can be magical and every woman deserves to know that.

The post Birth and All its Wonders! appeared first on ANU Fertility Consultants.

source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/birth-and-all-its-wonders/

Heritage Day (Alberta)

Today is August 7. The first Monday of August and as such, it has been designated a holiday. It is a Stat holiday in some provinces, but in Alberta, it is considered a general holiday. Businesses have the choice of remaining open or closing for the day and giving staff the day off.

In Edmonton, our famous Heritage Festival is always co-ordinated with August long weekend. Edmonton is filled with a vast array of cultures and the Heritage Festival takes 3 days to celebrate our diversity! The food is always incredible and the presentations each country puts on, are a sneak peek into what each culture is all about. If you can go, its worth it to take in the Heritage Festival.

Calgary has many options for celebrating Heritage Day in Alberta. You can take in Inglewood Sunfest, Heritage Day Festival or Heritage Park Heritage Day! There are many options to celebrating the diversity of Alberta.

Even if you choose to sit back, enjoy the rain (or sunshine if your having any!) and relax…its still a great way to take in a long weekend.

The post Heritage Day (Alberta) appeared first on ANU Fertility Consultants.

source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/heritage-day-alberta/

Ask, Don’t Assume!

Yesterday evening I was pondering what todays post might be. I have a guest post I could potentially put up and a few draft posts in waiting…but I had a conversation with a friend and it was a lengthy one. I asked her permission to post about the topic we discussed, its an important one.

ASSUMING.

How many times has someone cancelled an event with you? A playdate? Babysitting services? Was your first thought “Did I say something wrong?” or maybe your first thought was “But why? Am I that hard to be around?”

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: It’s not you!

I’m a mom of three. At any given moment, one of my children is screaming “MOM!”
– He took a toy from me
– She hit me
– He won’t play with me
– She ran over my toes
and so on and so forth. If I’m in the middle of a conversation, in person or through an electronic device, the conversation stops. I’m sure some of my friends have wondered if I have turrets on occasion. There are constant interruptions in a day, and not always from children. Gracious, I’m drowning in laundry, I have to make 3 meals a day for my family, my floors need cleaning and goodness knows I have a family of dust bunnies under all my furniture. Just because our conversation stops, doesn’t mean that I am angry with you. It means I am busy.

The conversation I had last night with my friend revealed that she had made some assumptions that left her thinking I don’t like her. Based purely on body language she interpreted incorrectly and her own assumptions after that. My main question to her was “why didn’t you ask me what I thought?” and it came to light that the reality of my honesty, scared her.

While that fear is so real, honesty is important. It allows a person to grow, make choices, adjust their perspective even. It allows for vulnerability and openness. Most of all, it provides transparency for both sides!

All of these traits are incredibly important for life, they are also of the utmost importance in Surrogacy. Your role might be an egg donor or a surrogate, either way, truthfulness is top priority. The creation of life is at your fingertips!

When intended parents begin their journey’s they already know what they are looking for. If they’re using an egg donor, they already know they want a brunette with green eyes (as an example). Or possibly someone who is shorter, to mimic the height of one parent. They may have entertained the idea of someone with blonde hair instead. Whatever the case, your honesty alters their life.

When it comes to the contract between a surrogate & her intended parents, so much can get lost in translation. 95% of the communication is done via electronic device – computer, cell phone, tablet, etc – and then to add to that, a large portion of the contract information is passed between two lawyers before it ever reaches the surrogate or intended parents. That is a lot of room for assumptions! The more assumptions you make, the bigger a rift that can form. All because someone assumed something. Its best to be honest and simply ask the question that is on your mind. There will always be fear of insulting someone, hurting someones feelings or possibly sounding rude. I’d rather that though, and getting clarification then letting them assume the worst of me! Who knows, they might surprise you and say “Hey! We were wondering the same thing!” and they might have had the same fears of being rude or insulting to you.

At the end of the day, honesty and truthfulness are a better choice than making an assumption. Be confident…ask, don’t assume!

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source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/ask-dont-assume/