Light, Darkness, and House Plants

I have never had a house plant before. I know, I know, it sounds crazy and silly. I've lived on my own since I was 19 (well, minus the couple of times I moved back in with my Mom, but those are stories for another day.) I have always assumed I would be no good at keeping them alive, and so when people asked why I had no plants I would just fib and say that I kill them all, and there's no point. This is all a precursor to explain my naivety when it comes to plants, which is probably why this is a brand new concept to me...

A few weeks ago I brought home my very first house plant. I planted it myself in a pot that I painted myself (well, partially. I mean, I totally helped paint it) The first few days I was diligent in watering it. It had a few tiny flowers on it when I first brought it home, and I was excited when a few more popped up. I was rocking at this plant thing! Until... I forgot about it. I don't know what happened, but I'm pretty sure I should have watered it more.

Elliott: Two Months

Two months already? Time is literally flying by. It's amazing how much this little man has grown and changed in the last month. I've been jotting down notes as the weeks go by which I am so thankful for because I'm not sure I would remember what happened in weeks 4-5 if I hadn't!

Why I Chose A Midwife (And Why I Would Do It Again!)

I don't know exactly when it happened, but sometime in my early twenties I found myself leaning towards a more natural lifestyle. You might call me a bit of a hippy, or "crunchy" as they call it these days. I prefer to eat natural, whole foods (organic when possible/affordable.) I look for eco friendly products, and/or use natural products (vinegar) to clean with instead of chemical laden alternatives. I make my own granola bars rather than buy the ones in the stores that are choc full of preservatives and ingredients I can't pronounce. Also, Chris and I see a Naturopath- in many cases we feel this approach to our health that we feel is more effective than traditional medicine alone.  I'm not 100% with any of this, but it's something I try to be intentional about, and something that I enjoy.

When we started thinking seriously about having a baby, I had a couple of friends who had experiences with midwifery vs. doctors and I was intrigued. After asking a couple of questions, the reasons they had for choosing a midwife over a doctor seemed to line up with my beliefs and way of living.

"Is He A Good Baby?"

I can't count how many people have asked me this question. Young and old alike, it seems they all want to know:

"Is he a good baby?"

Oh dear friend. There are so many things I want to say when you ask this...

Is he a good baby? Well, he is a good and perfect gift from above, if that is what you are asking. He is perfect in his parent's, and more importantly in his Creator's eyes. We could not imagine hoping for or wishing for anything to be different about him. Is he good? Oh yes friends. He is good. Could you really picture me, his mother, answering any other way??

Elliott: One Month

We can hardly believe it, but Elliott is one month old already! In similar fashion to my pregnancy updates, I want to update once a month on Elliott to keep track of how he grows and changes. I think the categories will probably change each month to suite his needs, but we'll start with the basics: Eating, Sleeping and Likes & Dislikes

When You Hear God Wrong And Get Mastitis

Almost a year ago our lead pastor and lead associate pastor went to Southland Church in Steinbach Manitoba for a weekend long retreat. They both came back and said that they will look back on that weekend as a turning point for them. To understand how impactful that statement was on me would mean I would need to explain how much I respect both of these men and their individual walks with God. Frankly we don't have time for that, so just take my word for it- that's a pretty big statement. Right away I wanted to go. I told Chris immediately- if there was a way for me to attend a weekend like they did, I wanted to be there.

A few months later our church sent the rest of the pastors and a couple other staff members to the same retreat. I knew I had a chance to go if I paid my own way, but we had just found out I was pregnant, and I was sick all the time, as well as feeling nervous about our budget once baby arrived. Spending $400 on a plane ticket to Steinbach didn't feel wise. So, as much as it broke my heart I stayed home. Thankfully there was already talk of us hosting the same retreat (with the pastor from Southland!) at our own church in the future. I was so excited! ....Until I heard the date was set for March 28 & 29th.

My due date was March 27th.

Elliott's Birth Story

I'll start by saying that I fully expected to go past my due date. I very intentionally told myself over and over that pregnancy was 42 weeks long, and anything before that was a bonus. I know way too many mamas that got really antsy when they didn't deliver by their due date and I didn't want to feel that way. I think I legitimately convinced myself, because when I started having contractions 8 days before my due date I certainly was surprised!!  

Wednesday turned out to be a very busy day for me. I joined a mom's group that meets on Wednesdays and they were kind enough to let me in before baby was born! So Wednesday morning I went to MOPS for the first time. The group is held at the church I attend and work(ed) at so there were many familiar faces, and I met a few new ladies as well. It was a lovely time! After staying late to visit a little I didn't have a lot of time to get home, make and eat lunch and get out the door- I had a massage booked for 2 pm. Somehow I did have enough time to wipe out the oven that I had turned on self clean the day before. Aaahh... sparkly oven.