Raising Tiny Humans

If you’re new to parenting, you’re not alone. Whether you have a 5 year old, or 12 year old, you are new at every season of parenting. Seasons are the different “stages” of parenting we go through, such as Newborn, Toddler, etc. You never know just how hard it will be until you are there because no one can possibly prepare you. Luckily there is a whole community of mamas that are there for you, to support you through this crazy journey.

Jackson

Do you ever just sit back and marvel at the little people you made? Everyday I find myself wondering where the time has gone with my 6 year old, who I’ve watched grow right before my eyes but still feel like I missed it. Jackson has always been a sweet and sensitive boy, right from the start. But beyond that sensitivity, he is very persistent. As a baby, Jackson was very attached to me, naturally, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

He enjoys trying new things, gets excited to see people, and even having new experiences. Easily discouraged when things get tough, like trying to be a new level on his Nintendo Switch, or learning a new skill in hockey, he’s is still learning not to give up on himself. Raising him has been an experience, and now that he’s 6 years old, I know we are in for some rocky parenting slopes! The arguments get pretty heated because he thinks he is old enough to do things on his own, but lacks all the maturity still. He never stops trying to get his way. He makes certain situations hard to deal with because we find ourselves torn between making him happy and what will keep him safe and taken care of. Obviously his well being is the most important thing.

Have you ever said NO to something but weren’t even sure why? I do this all the time…when I want to set boundaries but there is no real reason why the answer is “no”. I always have to ask myself, “Will he be safe?, Will this hurt anyone else? Will this cookie ruin his appetite for dinner?” Even if it’s a huge inconvenience for myself, I have to sometimes say YES. After all, he can’t grow up thinking he will never get his way when he asks.

Isabella

Isabella is our Rainbow baby. In case you’ve never heard of this magical term, a Rainbow baby is a baby born after a miscarriage. She is truly a little blessing. Before she came along, we were trying for 3 years to make Jackson a big brother someday, we just didn’t expect it to be so difficult…

Making Jackson was easy. He was a surprise! So naturally we expected our second baby to come as easily. We were wrong! After Jackson turned 2 years old, we started trying. By the time Jackson was in kindergarten we were stressing out, doing doctors visits, getting everything checked, and we couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t happening. The more I stressed about that pregnancy test every month, the worse it was. We did manage to conceive a couple of times, but sadly they didn’t last. It felt like hope was just gone and I couldn’t stop blaming my body for failing me. It broke my heart when Jackson would ask when there was going to be a baby.

When Covid hit in March 2020, businesses were shut down, and for the first time ever, we had no place to be but home. By July, we had adjusted to the new way of living, and I felt stress free from the daily grind. And BOOM! I got pregnant!

Work opened up again, masks and dividers required, and I decided to stay home with Jackson that summer because I knew I would never get this time back with him. It was the best summer! I returned back to work mid September when I finally announced my pregnancy at 14 weeks.

Fast forward to March 28, 2021! Baby Bella came on a cold and snowy night, my labour and delivery went so well, and I can honestly say I would do it all over again.

Isabella turned 9 months just after Christmas and so far we are so in love with this little baby who has been given to us. She is such a good little baby and already such a tough cookie. She enjoys eating, and gets mad when her meals end, but eventually it’s bedtime and she can’t eat all night so… We have been dipping into Baby Led Weaning which is going really well. I didn’t do this with Jackson because I was way too nervous with him. He was on purees for the longest time, and I don’t even remember when I started giving him solid pieces. So with Isabella I chose to let her figure out food a lot sooner and have more variety. Also the sooner she can eat with us, the better. She loves scrambled eggs, avocado, banana, Baby Gourmet snacks and Gerber Puffs, Rusks with peanut butter, plain Greek yogurt with purees, baby oatmeal with peanut butter or almond butter. I have a separate blog entry for what my children like to eat, it’s not a long list. Because, you know. Kids!

Isabella was sitting up unassisted by 5 months, crawling by 7 months old, and standing by 8 months, and now she is walking with a walker toy, and she loves how excited we get when she reaches a milestone. She can clap her hands and has started to point to things she notices, like her chandelier. Her first year is just flying by and it’s so much fun.

Isabella sleeps. Yes she sleeps through the night, every night, 11-12 hours. I did a Sleep Training program with her when she turned 6 months and its the best thing I could have done for her, and the rest of us. She was struggling with sleep, I was a mess, and Jackson was unable to get the sleep he needed. Oh ya, and Tristan too. But no one more than me, was suffering. I wasn’t enjoying my baby and she wasn’t getting the mommy she deserved out of me. Since sleep training, nights have been bliss and naps have been just part of our daily routine. I have a whole blog entry on Sleep Training if you want to read more about that and how I went about it.