Little bug

So I have just learned how difficult it is to be sick and have a baby at the same time...You don't get to take a break from being a mom to rest up and get well, AND you have the added worry of protecting your wee bub from the germs that infect you. Teddy actually offered me a surgical mask the other day...The very mask that he stole from the hospital when Autumn was born haha! Somehow I've managed to keep her healthy sans mask. Hand washing (mine and hers) like a crazy person, wiping surfaces, getting fresh air, etc. I'm also still full-time breast feeding so natural home-remedies are the safest option in situations such as this. This recipe comes from my awesome friend, Kelsey who swears by this sludge and I do too. It works.

1 big ol' pot of boiling water
2 lemons cut up
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 inches of ginger, peeled and chopped roughly
a dash of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons of honey (pasteurized for preggos)

Boil all ingredients together until it starts to look like swamp water. Let it cool to a comfortable drinking temperature and suck it back. Keep it in the fridge in a pitcher and refill your glass as needed.

I also like to swallow entire cloves of raw garlic. This is truly the best cure for a cold. Garlic has amazing healing properties, and will even protect those around you from contracting what you have as your stench will keep everyone farrrrrrr far away. ha!

Anyhew...

Yesterday was a beautiful day and couldn't be wasted indoors so Autumn, Elliott and I hit the park. Squish had her first swing ride and the beast got some off-leash time in the doggie zone. The fresh air was awesome and I am feeling quite a bit better today.
Here's what our trip to the park looked like:

Givin' the thanks!

I certainly have a lot to be grateful for this year and was reminded of exactly how much yesterday afternoon when I bumped into a nurse from the BC Children's Hospital NICU at the pet store. Seven short months ago, we were shacked up in the hospital and baby squirrel was living in her gerbil cage. She was 5lbs and struggled to breathe on her own. We've come a long way since then and I am ever thankful for that.
We spent Autumn's first Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Kellogg and Auntie Kristi and Uncle Jeff. Daddy had LOTS of work to do, so we flew solo while he stayed in Vancouver with Elliott and worked his buns off. Autumn had a little sniffle on Saturday, so I was a little worried that she was coming down with her first cold, but it  never fully developed into anything so that was a relief. Delicious dinner and good laughs were had in Victoria and Autumn modeled for Auntie Kristi in the pumpkin patch...Here's a little sneak preview: *these were taken with my phone, so the quality isn't that great--kristi's pictures will be awesome! will post them when we have them :)

And a few little pictures of Daddy's birthday celebration:

More pictures to come :)

time to fatten up?

Is it just me, or does the rain and cold weather make you want to eat everything in sight?? Thank goodness for the YMCA and their heated swimming pool because all I want to do is bake cookies and eat them all.

Speaking of the YMCA and their pool, Autumn had her 4th swimming lesson last night. She LOVES the water...And I love that she enjoys swimming so much because it is one of my most favourite things to do and I am so happy to share it with my little squisheroo. Autumn is the youngest babe in her class of 7 little guppies and though she can't jump in and kick her feet on command, she squeals with delight when we sing "the wheels on the bus" and "the hokey pokey" and I think she's getting a lot out of the class in that she is getting very comfortable in the water and interacting a bit with other kids. She seems more interested lately in other babies, which is super cool. We spent last Saturday with sweet baby Memphis for her first birthday party and Squish was in there like a dirty shirt hanging out with her friend Ryker and her pal the birthday girl. Soon her boyfriend, Arlo will be ready to sit up and play with her too...Can't wait for that!!! I am a lucky mama to have such lovely and talented mama friends and squish is lucky to have such adorable little pals. Gush gush.

Here is where I plug my pals and their talents:

If you live in or near Vancouver and are looking for some feathers for your hair, go see Arlo's mama:
Feather Fatale Hair Extensions

Another of my mama friends is in the process of setting up her in-home hair salon, so message me here: Squishy Email!! if you're looking for a hair stylist. Her home is baby-friendly and she is amazing at what she does.


ANNNNNNDDDDDDDD, if you are looking for an affordable place to take your tots for some swimming lessons, hit up the YMCA. They offer financial assistance for those of us who are on maternity leave and struggling to afford extra luxuries like gym passes. It's totally worth it to poke your head in to your local Y and inquire.

And finally, some photos of our girl:

Ready for Memphis' birthday party!

"Gimme dat beer, dada!"

Wake up, Elliott!

The protector and her baby

Happy October, everyone!

The Beast is back in town!

Elliott is back to her happy, goofy old self after just five days of anti-yeast/anti-biotic/anti-histamine pills. You'd never guess that she was a sick pup just last week. It's such a relief to see her bounced back...We missed you, dingushead!
The new vet is awesome. For those of you in Vancouver looking for a new vet clinic, Cambie Animal Hospital is awesome, reasonably priced and they really take the time to examine your pet and offer thorough explanations to owners. From experience, this can be VERY hard to come by. As far as prevention of Ellie's skin issues goes, Teddy and I have been making sure that beast gets lots of extra cuddles to keep her anxiety levels down and keep her feeling loved. I've also been trying to be a little more liberal with allowing Elliott to explore Autumn's toys and blankets and things so that she doesn't feel like the baby is off limits. Who knew it would be so hard to keep everyone happy?!

Is a caption really necessary? haha!!

Baby vs Beast

I'm sure most of you know that my first baby is a big fluffy wolf dog from Cat Lake, Ontario...My Elliott. I knew that having a baby would throw a tiny wrench into my relationship with the Ellie-beast and take away from my quality time with her, but I didn't expect her to end up in the state that she is currently in...A licky, itchy, allergic, neurotic mess. Elliott goes to the beach usually twice a week and gets hour long walks daily. She gets lots of love and pats from Teddy and as much as I am able to give her as well. We also make sure to give her time with Autumn to sniff and kiss and hang out...She is not a deprived animal by any stretch...But yet she has wound up with a pretty severe case of the baby blues. It's heartbreaking. Today, Teddy and I will be seeing a new vet. Elliott has seen two different vets already about this (not to mention several calls and emails and text messages to Dr. Kellogg in California--Auntie Melissa is a vet) and my pet insurance will no longer cover her rashes as they have now been deemed "chronic". Hopefully this new vet will have the miracle cure that we need. My poor puppy :(

almost autumn

It's hard to believe that summer is just about over. Autumn and I just got back from a few beautiful days in Victoria with Grandma and Grandpa Kellogg. Beautiful, but a little chillier than what we have become used to...Squish even got to wear her adorable and soft fleece coat from Nana and got some use out of her new blankie from Grandma's pal Barb and her mom. I do love the crispiness of fall and the fun flavoured lattes that come with the season...pumpkin...mmmm! I hate to admit that the darker days have actually been helpful in getting her majesty down for daytime naps. I really haven't had to fuss over her too much around nap time now that her room isn't super bright and sunny during the day, which has made for stress-free days and a super tidy home as I have been able to get a lot accomplished.
Teddy just finished up two weeks of Fringe action. I actually got to see the play on Friday--Autumn had a little visit with Liz, Luke, Arlo and Koa and slept the time away until we returned to pick her up--I am so lucky to have such great pals who will watch the squish even though they have a busy 2.5 year old and a 5 month old. Awesome! The play was hilarious and Teddy killed it as Flash Gordon. Sweet silver short shorts and all... :)
I also had my first night out with a group of real live adults for Karina's 30th and Autumn stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Kellogg at the casa. I stayed out super late and was quickly reminded of why I go to bed so early when my girl wanted boob at 4am. Ay ay ay. But the fun was worth the exhaustion. Happy birthday, mama Karina!
I should also tell you that our girl is getting so big and is doing so many amazing new things! She is almost 7 months old now and weighs a wopping 18lbs. She is just about sitting up on her own and has been working diligently with her Grandma on mastering her roll-over. We are almost there. She has also been exploring food and pretty much loves everything...Banana, avocado, yam, carrots, beans, barley, turkey, apple, apricot, peach, mango...It's great! We have just started to incorporate a third solids meal into her day and she is tolerating it really well. It's actually kind of difficult to feed her at times as she gets frustrated that the food isn't coming fast enough. I literally shovel the food into her gob and she gets mad when there is no more. Hilarious. She also cut TWO TEETH last week when we were in Victoria. Autumn and I shared a couple of absolutely miserable nights, but the sharp little buggers popped through and we've been all smiles every since. Teething throws a wrench into everything! I realize that I am blessed with a baby who sleeps well and isn't really fussy but we have worked very hard on sleep training and Teddy and I do our best to keep her schedule and routines as consistent as possible...Our whole regimented schedule went the way of the dodo while baby squish was cutting those teeth. Crazy. I don't know how babies do it. Teething is absolutely terrible. We used frozen facecloths and a couple of teething rings to soothe her but nothing did the trick like my boobs...My poor boobs felt the wrath of her sore little gums, I tells ya. YIKES! It looks like we have a couple more little teeth on their way through as well. GOOOOD TIMES!
Here are some photos...

bounce!

paying a visit to great-grandpa Fred

Daddy & Squish at the beach

Grandma gives Autumn her brekkie

sitting up!

riding the ferry with mama & sophie

li'l cowirl :)

at work with Grandma

best.

sore little gums :(

fooooood!

So our girl has quite the pallet. She has thus far enjoyed brown rice, avocado, yam, squash, turkey, barley, peach and a tiny little taste of banana. Tomorrow we are going to try sweet peas! Excitinggggg! Really though, this whole baby food thing has been ultimately thrilling for me. I love being in the kitchen and cooking for other people is something that I get a lot of pleasure from, especially when those people are my family. There is something really wonderful about putting together a yummy and nutritious meal for the freaks and geeks that you love the most. It's been fun testing out some different flavours on the squish. She hasn't really turned her nose up to much...Except turkey. She didn't love it on its own, but mashed up with some yam and she was in her glory. The faces she makes when a new flavour hits her little tongue...absolutely priceless, hilarious, amazing, etc. I die. So funny!

Anyway, as we embark on this new adventure in food and nutrition, I've been reading up a lot on what nutrients are in what, what babies need the most of, etc. My reading has really made me think hard about the types of food that I like to eat. Teddy and I are pretty conscious consumers and we like to maintain a pretty healthy diet. We enjoy healthy food and we never stock junk in our home. In my reading, however, I have learned that most of the time, cooking really diminishes the quality and nutritional value of food and in the interest of getting the most out of the (expensive) food that we eat, I've been inspired to attempt a few raw meals for Teddy and I. Squish is still nursing as much as ever, so she will reap the benefits of the raw yumminess second-hand. Email me if you have any good recipes!

I just wanna eat my hands, mama!