What the fuss is all about

We are blessed to be welcoming six little ones (four first-borns, two second-borns) into the world this year, either via family or friends, and we couldn't be more stoked! I never completely understood why other parents were so excited about Lily's impending arrival but now it all makes total sense to me. New babies not only mean that Lily (and her parents) has new friends to go biking/skiing/hiking/camping with, but new babies mean that more people realize the blessing that is parenthood. I completely respect people's decision to be childless but I firmly believe that children add an amazing dimension to your life and I am thrilled when others get to experience that. I was very happy in the life that was pre-baby and I'm sure that I could have carried on with my pleasant existence but now that we have Lily, I truly can't imagine life without her. Having a baby has been the hardest thing that I've (we've) ever done but it has brought me the most pleasure that I have ever known and I can't wait for that same pleasure to be spread to more of our friends and family.

P.S. Welcome to the world Sage Suchy :)

How it all comes together

Watching a baby learn to crawl is an amazing process. Lily is learning how to move her body...how to get up on her hands and knees, how to wiggle her hips, how to put one hand in front of the other. She started by reaching for things while she was sitting up and when she realized that she couldn't reach all that she was interested in, she started leaning closer and closer towards those things. She ended up flopping on her belly and began to move her legs behind her. She started pushing herself backwards and then around in a circle. Bit by bit, she's getting closer to being able to crawl. I figure that she'll be crawling any day but I've thought that since December and while we are closer than we were before Christmas, it still seems like we are aways off. No matter, it's endless fascinating to watch her body develop and gain strength and besides, crawling babies are busy babies and I'm pretty content with my static little Lily.

The daycare dilemma

I called a dayhome last week. I had been seeking referrals from friends and received a number of good recommendations. I know that I have 3 months or so before I have to return to work but I'd really like to get things sorted out soon so that I can rest easy knowing where Lily is going during the day while I'm at work. So, I made my first phone call last week and while the woman that I spoke to was lovely, I couldn't help feeling nauseous and upset. I started to cry when I was speaking to her and had a good crying session when I got off the phone. I honestly don't want to be a stay-at-home mom (while maybe if we had an endless supply of money and both Scott and I could be home with Lily or go travelling with her or if I could go mountain biking every day or something equally as enjoyable) and I do have a great job that I truly enjoy but it's so hard to get used to the idea that I'll be away from Lily all day. Scott and I are both hoping to only work 4 days per week which means that Lily will only be in care for 3 days per week - not sure why this makes a difference but I do feel better knowing that she'll still be with us for the majority of her days (that's if both of our requests are approved). Anyways...turns out that all of this dayhome stuff is going to be a whole lot harder than I bargained for and so I've decided to just hold off on making phone calls to dayhome providers for another week or so.

The roller coaster ride that is parenting

Motherhood is one crazy journey. It was so overwhelming in the beginning - lots of responsibility with little reward or feedback from your baby. You know that you love your baby but it's sometimes hard to always feel that love, especially when you are so tired and unsure of yourself. Then, time passes, motherhood gets easier and your baby changes into a little person who is interactive and enjoyable to be with. Motherhood feels rewarding and life feels good. The love you have for your baby grows in leaps and bounds and you can't imagine life without them. The "shining light of motherhood" beams down upon you and you think that having children is the best thing in the world. You watch your partner go through many of the same emotions as you and you relish in the joy that he gets from being a father. Where does the roller coaster go from here, especially when here feels like the best thing ever?