The Spirit of the Holidays...

"I hear those sleigh bells ringing...."

Happy Holidays everyone! I know it has been a while since my last post, but I will use my typical excuse....we have been BUSY!!

It's so hard to believe it is Christmas time already! The year has absolutely flown by....they say time flies when you're having fun....they weren't kidding!

And, what a year it has been! It is amazing that this:

Has become this:

In just a few short months....WILD!

With the holiday season upon us, I have been taking some time to reflect on the past year and all of the good things that have come our way. 

Amongst the many good things that have occurred, one definitely shines brighter than all of the rest...#1 - Hands down, Miss Madelyn takes the cake on this one! 

It has been a whirlwind trying to catch on to the whole parenting thing, but lucky for us, Maddie has made it a lot of fun thus far. I have also been fortunate to have a number of good friends and relatives to offer helpful advice and knowledge along the way.

There is one friend in particular that most people close to me don't know about and she has been a godsend from the time I found out I was pregnant with Miss Maddie...in fact, she was the first one to know about Maddie other than Carman and myself and Maddie still plays with the super cute set of farm animal rattles we received from her long before Miss Maddie made her debut!

I am not one for online communities and forums normally, but when I was planning our wedding I joined theknot.com to take advantage of all the great wedding planning tools, tips and ideas. Little did I know, as soon as our wedding date past, I would automatically be rolled over to the thenest.com...a great site for newlyweds and navigating your first few years as a married couple. 

In June of 2008, (when I began to suspect I was pregnant) I stumbled across a new section of thenest.com...thebump.com. The information and planning tools on the bump are awesome and the discussion forums of other new and expecting moms are sometimes helpful, but more often quite entertaining...you think a room full of hormonal girls has drama....try an online community of THOUSANDS of them! Haha.

Anyways, it was on one of these discussion forums that I met "M". We come from different backgrounds...Sunny warm Florida vs. chilly rural Ontario...city girl vs. farm girl..., but somehow we found several things in common (other than babies) and became fast email friends. We have been cheerleaders for each other and sounding boards. We've bounced ideas and questions off each other and shared the "crazy" advice we have been given by various friends and relatives. We even had each other on our text message list for when our little ones arrived. We have been able to share the ups and downs of pregnancy and mommyhood more candidly with each other sometimes than with our closest family and friends, because the beauty of our friendship is that we only know each other. I don't know her family and friends and she doesn't know mine....our secrets are safe!! Muahahahaha 

Ironically though, we have sent enough emails and kept up-to-date on each others Facebook pictures and such that I feel like I know her family and friends....Funny how that works.

Anyways, since 'tis the season of giving, I thought I would share this story in hopes to encourage all the mommies-to-be and/or new mommies or even experienced mommies to check out thebump.com. Like I said, sometimes the entertainment value far outweighs the actual useful information, but sometimes a new friend, a good laugh or an encouraging word is all you need during the long, long, LONG days waiting for baby to arrive, or in the wee hours of the morning when baby is up for the 18th time that night. Besides, you never know who you might meet...I never thought I would find a photography loving, city-dwelling, Floridian version of myself...but I did!

In other Christmas news, it is Madelyn's FIRST Christmas this year and we are VERY excited. The shopping is almost done...I have a few more things to get, but I am in good shape and have even got a lot of it wrapped already! Carm got out our Christmas tree today and Maddie and I spent the afternoon decorating the tree and putting out the other Christmas decorations. The house is now looking quite festive! We even found some Christmas carols to listen to while we worked....Maddie's fav was "All I Want For Christmas is Four New Teeth"...

Yep, she is still teething full-force! She already has two on the bottom and one on the top, but she also has 4 more on the verge of popping through....POOR thing!! She has not been a happy little camper this week, so hopefully they come through in the next couple days so she can be a happy girl for Santa's first visit!

Anyways, I feel like I have provided you all with enough of a novel to read, so it's time to call it a day! Enjoy my pretties!

Decisions of Pandemic Proportions...

...A.K.A. Being a parent during a worldwide infectious disease outbreak.

I know it's been a while, but there's been places to go and people to see folks!

When I was pregnant, I spent nine months mentally preparing myself for labor and delivery. By the time the day came for Miss Madelyn to arrive, I was anxious about L&D, but that wasn't what scared me the most. I could handle a few hours of pain.....but then I had to take this poor, helpless little baby home with me and take care of her. What if I didn't know what to do, what if I did something wrong, how would I know what she needed/wanted? To be perfectly honest, I wasn't scared, I was absolutely terrified. I would be 100% responsible for Maddie's care.

Much to my relief, a lot of being a mommy in those early days came easily (aside from the whole breastfeeding thing). There were several calls to our midwives/moms/sisters and even one trip to the ER, but for the most part, it wasn't quite as terrifying as I had envisioned.

Enter H1N1.

I know many of you have also struggled with the decisions surrounding the H1N1 vaccination and your kids. In the beginning, we were dead against it. We all have received all of the standard vaccinations throughout our lives, but neither Carm or myself get our flu shots, so when the H1N1 and its vaccine first materialized, we thought nothing of it. It would just blow over. When the hype started up about who would get the vaccine and when and if you should or shouldn't get it/give it to your kids, we still brushed it off.

Then, a perfectly healthy 13-year-old boy got the virus and died two days later. That 13-year-old boy could have very easily been our perfectly healthy 8-month old baby girl. 

That was the first time Carman and I had any real solid talks about whether we should or shouldn't have Miss Madelyn vaccinated. We did our reading and talked to a number of people we trust including our doctor to help us weigh the pros and cons. Ironically, two of the people I figured would talk us out of it, had already received the shot for themselves and their kids. Hmmm...

After weighing all the risks and benefits, we decided to have Miss Maddie and myself vaccinated. When it comes down to it, if Madelyn was to get sick, and we could have done something to prevent it and didn't...we don't even want to think about it.

Today, especially in the western hemisphere, we don't have worry about our kids getting awful diseases like diphtheria thanks to successful vaccination programs. Diseases like polio are almost totally eradicated worldwide thanks to successful vaccination programs. Our generation has really been fortunate to benefit from this, so in a situation where "you are damned if you do; you are damned if you don't," we have made the choice to put our trust in modern medicine. 

It's a personal choice and perhaps the right choice for our family is different from the right choice for your family, but I do encourage anyone on the fence to do their research. Weigh the pros and cons, and remember to take what you hear and see in the media and on the internet with a grain of salt...especially on the internet (you can't tell me "Mary Toko, Vaccine Researcher and Mother of 5 Very Healthy Unvaccinated Children" is the best source of information). Your family doctor is your best source of information on the vaccine and it is their job to give you all the facts and help you make the right choice for you and your family, so give them a call.

It was decisions like this that had me terrified to bring my baby girl home with me when she was born...I can truly sympathize with everyone who is playing the "do I, don't I" game over the H1N1 vaccine. Good luck to all the moms and dads out there with this decision.

On a lighter note, the barn is almost finished!! The finishing touches are currently being put on the new stabling and it really is like walking into a completely different barn. Last night, Carm caught me off guard when he showed up for supper at 7:30 instead of 8:45 or 9:00! Such an exciting change to have daddy home at a decent hour to eat dinner with us and play with Maddie before she gets tucked in for the night!

It's so nice that the construction is pretty much done...the cows will now have nice big comfy stalls for the winter, but just as importantly....the work is done just in time for our favourite time of the year....The ROYAL!!! Did you know there are actually five seasons? Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall and the Royal! This year is particularly special as it will be Miss Maddie's FIRST Royal! We are planning to be there for one day for sure and possibly two. I can't wait!!

To end off, check out the latest pictures I took of Miss Madelyn. We were out taking advantage of one of the last nice fall days. And, of course, Miss Maddie in her SUPER cute pony Halloween costume! Enjoy!

Maddie's friend "Cow" tagged along for some fun in the sunshine and leaves!

Take note of the hat...future competitor!!

Cutest trick or treater EVER!!

Moving and Shaking...

Well boys and girls, it has been a LOOOONG time since my last post, so grab yourself a coffee and get comfy....this one is going to be a doozy!

So just my last post, lots has happened since my last post, so where to start...

I guess most importantly, my baby is seven months old already!!!! Yikes! Where does the time go?It kind of seems like overnight she has gone from little infant to almost toddler! She eats three meals of solids a day (with bottles in between), drinks water from a sippy cup, she yaps away all day long....sadly for me though, she seems to have forgotten how to say mama and everything is now dada....her dad, cows, me, EVERYTHING! Most excitingly however, miss Maddie has mastered crawling and just today, pulled herself up all by herself and was standing in the playpen! I hear other moms talking about their 9 and 10 month olds that are just conquering these feats, so I am very impressed with our little overachiever! 

Look at her go!

Happy 7 Month Birthday Madelyn!!

While all of this is very exciting, at the same time, it has got me in a bit of a panic! Our house is not at all ready for a little one to be turned loose. We have a lot of furniture to strap, sockets to plug, cords to hide, cleaning stuff to lock up....among other things. I was stressing about getting things in order....right now they are still in the middle of barn renovations so Carm is not around a lot to help me out. I was venting to my sister about it and she introduced me to "the FLY LADY." For all you mamas out there torn between house chores and spending time with your kids, you should definitely check out www.flylady.net. It is a website devoted entirely to people who don't like/want to clean, but know it has to be done. It helps you to get organized and develop routines so that your cleaning gets done, but you don't feel like you're spending your entire life doing it. I have it set up so it sends me daily reminders about what needs to be done and the idea is that you are doing some light cleaning of some description everyday, but you only "detail clean" certain rooms each week depending on the "zone" you are in that week. I have only been following this method for a short while and already I am starting to see a difference and I feel a whole lot more organized! Most importantly, I am still able to spend lots of time with the little hooligan. 

As I mentioned, the barn renos are in full swing still at the farm. They were pouring the last row of stalls today already. It's going pretty well and assuming nothing puts them back, they should be milking cows in all three rows by the end of next week!! Check out a few pictures of the progress below.

So, yesterday while cleaning in my living room, I had the TV on and Dr. Phil was on. Now, normally I really can't stand Dr. Phil and quickly change the channel, but the topic yesterday peaked my curiosity...Working Moms vs. Stay At Home Moms....Hmmm. So Maddie and I took a break to hear what they had to say. Quite frankly, the first woman on there infuriated me. Her opinion was that ALL good mothers are stay at home moms and that basically, unless you are going to quit your job and stay home, you should not have children. Working mothers were poor mothers and by going to work and leaving them with caregivers, they were compromising their children's childhood. Seriously? It didn't take long for three of the show's executives (all women) to march out and share their views with the crazy woman. The three Dr. Phil ladies pretty much tore a strip off the woman and by the end of the show, she was sitting there pretty quietly. I don't know what planet this lady was from...a lot of us would love to quit our jobs and stay home full-time with our kids, but it's just NOT an option for most of us. Does that mean we shouldn't have kids? Ouch.

Well, that should give you all a bit to chew on for a few days! Be sure to check back for more updates soon, and also be sure to check out my photography blog at http://jennkylephotography.blogspot.com ! Until next time my friends...

Breaking News...

I know it has been a while yet again since my last post, but it has been a busy news week in the Modern Mama World this past week! Here is a rundown of the week's excitement!

Baby News: Baby Peters finally made her debut into this crazy world on Monday morning! Miss Hailey Maria arrived at 10:30am and weighed in at a healthy 10 lbs 7 oz!! And, I have to give serious props to her mama Heather who is my new hero....10lbs 7 oz....NO EPIDURAL!!!! Nicely done!! Miss Maddie is very excited to have another little friend to play with and I am super excited to have Heather join the mommy club! Congratulations to the Peters Family!! I have lots of pictures of little Miss Hailey, but since her mama hasn't posted any yet, I will hold on to mine for the moment...

Fair News: Last weekend Miss Madelyn graced the stage at the Drumbo Fair Baby Show. Carm and I weren't able to be at the show with her, but Grandma Nancy and Uncle Curtis did a super job showing the baby. This time, there was better criteria and Maddie won her class! That's right....my baby had the biggest eyes...shocker eh? The three of them had fun and Maddie came home with a bunch of great prizes, so everybody won!

Maddie and Uncle Curtis at the Baby Show

Farm News: Monday was a BIG day! The extreme barn Makeover that is the Ashlawn dairy barn, has commenced! After just a week, already significant progress has been made. We will have new stalls in no time! WOOT! I have started taking pictures to show the progress as it happens, so be sure to watch for the updates. You cannot begin to imagine how excited I am for the day my big black & white beauties can lay comfortably in a big new comfy stall!

Construction Day #2

Safety News: As Maddie quickly approaches seven months, she is becoming more and more mobile everyday. This has got us thinking about all of the things around the house that need to be childproofed and safetied before she can get too far. Shelves, electrical outlets, cupboards, etc....the usual. However, yesterday I was enlightened as to another baby safety concern that has never appeared on any of the checklists I have been reading. Carpet...in particular, carpets of the shaggier variety. Many of you I am sure are wondering how in the world carpet could be a safety concern for your baby. Others are thinking of the obvious carpet hazard...dust and allergens. However, I am positive not many, if any, of you immediately thought "choking hazard." But, as Miss Madelyn nearly proved to Heather and I yesterday, carpet can in fact, be a choking hazard. Sitting a mere 2' from us playing on the carpet, Madelyn managed to pull off a couple pieces of the carpet without us noticing and put them in her mouth. Luckily, her gag reflex triggered and the carpet was yacked back up before any damage was done....other than to Heather's and my nerves as we were panicking wondering what the heck she was sputtering about! So, to all the mommies out there trying to convince their cheap husbands to rip out the old carpet and put in wood floors...here is another GREAT reason why the cheap-o should cough up the cash. Maddie was lucky, but the next kid may not be...

Cow News: This week is World Dairy Expo week in Madison. Now that the border is open to cattle and there are lots of Canadian cows making the trip down for the show, we had planned to go down to watch this year. I have never ben, so I was quite excited! However, a certain little someone threw a wrench into the travel plans for this year, so we will have to go another year. For this year, thanks to modern technology, Maddie, Carm and I have been watching the shows from the comfort of our living room. Not quite the same, but for this year it will have to do...

Maddie takes in her first WDE!

(the cooler was her mama's not hers...)

Tis the Season...

I LOVE the fall. I love the colours, I love that it cools off, but doesn't get cold, I love Turkey Day, I love the Fall Fairs, I love the fruits and vegetables that are in season in the fall...apples and squash...Mmmm! But with the beginning of autumn also comes the onset of a less appealing season...Flu season! Boo! At the risk of annoying everyone with more talk of H1N1, I am going to talk about it for a second anyway...

Miss Madelyn had her 6 month check up last week during which she was weighed, measured and given two more vaccinations...the same two she received the first two times. I was quite proud of Miss Maddie ...all 18 lbs and 27" of her. My brave little baby managed yet again to keep the tears to a minimum! Go Maddie! However, I didn't notice at the time, but it was pointed out to me later that during her visit with the doc, there was no mention whatsoever of Flu shots.

I have NEVER had a flu shot...at least not that I am aware of. I never had them as a kid and I have never gotten one myself. Mom and Dad didn't seem to think they were that necessary...we knew lots of people that would end up sicker after getting a flu shot than those who passed on the vaccine. I suppose their theory was the old "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"...we were farm kids...we ate dirt and played in the barn...with all that barn dirt around us, our immune systems were fantastic! We all had the flu once in a while over the years, but we were never any worse off than our classmates and friends who had had the shots. I have always agreed with mom and dad's decision to not have us vaccinated against the flu...really flu shots are a crap shoot. The health officials make an educated guess at which strain will be the most prevalent and that's the one they use for the vaccine. If you happen to pick up a strain other than this particular one...you're plum out of luck!

Don't get me wrong! I am 100% FOR getting vaccinated...the flu is the only vaccine I sit on the fence about. Maddie has been receiving all of her scheduled shots and Carm and I are up to date on ours...I sort of sound like I am talking about dogs getting their rabies shots...Anywho...

I had decided that I wouldn't get a flu shot again this year and I hadn't thought about looking into one for Maddie either. However, it was pointed out to me the other day that Maddie is on the priority list for the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available...babies, pregnant chicks and old people. So, now I am a little confused. I hadn't planned on getting her a regular shot...but should I be worried about the H1N1? Everyone I ask seems to have a different answer.

Life was so much simpler when I was only responsible for gambling with my own health...

If you have any opinions on this topic, please be sure to leave me a note...I would love to hear from you all as I weigh the pros and cons!

On another note, Stratford Fall Fair is this weekend!!! WOOT! It kicks off tomorrow night with the annual Fair Ambassador competition. As a past ambassador myself, I am super excited to have been asked to photograph the big event! I must admit that I am also a little nervous...this will be my first big event! Yikes! Here goes nothing!!

Drumbo Fair is also on this weekend. If you happen to be in the area on Saturday, be sure to hit up the baby show and cheer on Miss Madelyn as she takes on baby show #2 on the circuit!...Man, it really does sound like I'm talking about dogs or cows...Yep, we've got her all vaccinated and ready for the show, just gotta load her on the truck and give her a final groom when we get there before the show starts...

Speaking of cows, the boys had me take a couple pictures of one of the Jersey girls this morning. Check out our two favourites that we picked out...

 

Baby Shows, Weddings and Solids....Oh My!...

Well folks, the blog has been on quite the hiatus the last couple of weeks...but, now that a couple of the big late summer/early fall events are out of the way, it's time to get back at it!

Paris Fair has come and gone for another year. As promised, Miss Madelyn made her debut on the baby show circuit...Holy Toddlers & Tiaras batman! I went in there thinking that there would be 40 kids tops and that it would be more of a "fun" competition. Wrong! When Maddie and I got there at 9am to register, there were hundreds of strollers....HUNDREDS! It was like nothing I have ever seen before. There were over 50 baby girls in the "Dressed in My Sunday Best" special class! I also have absolutely no idea how they judged the age classes...I assume the three judges were picking the cutest baby, but one can't be too sure as there was never an explanation. My darling Maddie did NOT win, but had a solid showing earning her very first "thank you for participating" ribbon...BOO! She was the CLEAR winner in my books, but perhaps I am somewhat biased. She was DEFINITELY the most personable and happy little girl in her class....and also the biggest...actually I think she may have been the biggest in the next age class as well... Anywho, we went to the baby show and had fun, but I think from here on out, we'll leave the baby shows to the crazy stage moms that yell at people and have the nerve to call my little Maddie a boy. I'm sorry, I may be biased, but my baby girl does NOT look like a boy. From now on, we'll stick with the dairy shows!

On a VERY exciting note, my very good friend Ursula is now MARRIED! Her and Ted tied the knot this past Saturday in a BEAUTIFUL ceremony in Oakville. The weather was perfect, the party was fantastic and I couldn't be happier to have been a part of it!

One other equally exciting event taking place on Saturday was Miss Maddie's six month birthday! Our little baby is already half a year old...jeez! Where does the time go? Our big girl spent her six month birthday away from BOTH mommy and daddy (we were at the wedding) and much to our dismay, she did just fine without us. I guess we should get used to this since she is only going to keep getting more independent as she grows, BUT there was a small part of me that hoped Grandma Nancy or Auntie Nicole would have to call us...is that bad?

With 6 months comes the intro into the world of solids for Miss Madelyn. On Sunday, Maddie enjoyed her first meal that consisted of more than just milk...Rice Cereal! Yum! Much to our surprise, she dug right in and inhaled the whole tablespoon and half that I made for her. It's a good thing she enjoyed it so much because I sampled a very small amount of it when I tested the temperature and it tastes bloody awful!! It would have been interesting if I had had to convince her it was good... If she is as open with all the new things we give her as she was with the rice, we'll be laughing! Something tells me it may not be THAT easy all the time, but here's to hoping!

Since Maddie is half a year old, it was time for another little photo shoot. Be sure to check out the slideshow below of the pictures!

I Place this Class of Babies...

It's that time of the year again folks...Paris Fair starts later this week! To quote another fellow Holstein/Jersey breeder, "Driving through the gates at the Paris Fair is better than Christmas"...ok so maybe it's not quite that exciting, but it is a lot of fun.

Since becoming an official member of team Ash Lawn, it has become one of the busiest weeks of the year for us. As with other years, we have the usual repertoire of events that we participate in...the dairy 4-H show, Holstein show, beef 4-H show, Shorthorn show and the ever important main event at Ash Lawn, the Jersey Show.  

I am still very leery of the whole beef show thing....I'll be honest. I am terrified that the crazy things would run away with me....so I just sit on the sidelines and watch. I told Carm if he had a cute little well-trained one that I would show that one, but so far no dice. He tends to take older heifers and trains them a couple days before the show....not exactly my idea of well-trained!

I am a dairy girl through and through, so I LOVE the Holstein and Jersey shows. We don't have anything for the Holstein show this year (BOOOO!), so I will just be watching, but we have the usual string for the Jersey show....including my very own little brown cow, Brenda, who has graced Paris Fair with her presence for the past 4 years. Go Brendy! 

Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves, but Carm and I are super excited for when Maddie can show a little calf of her own at the show! Both of us started when we were little, so we are eager to share the tradition with Miss Madelyn. Since, she is a little young this year (and maybe next year as well...), Maddie will just have to stick to the baby show for this year. Conveniently, the baby show is held in the morning before the Jersey show starts....Perfect! 

I didn't know much about baby shows until last year when I was asked to "judge" the baby show at another local fair. It was quite the experience. There were babies EVERYWHERE. The categories were drawn from a hat and then myself and the other judge had to pick a winner for each category. At the end of the show there was an award given out for the happiest boy and girl in each of the age categories. 

Now I know there are a number of dairy folks that read this blog, so you all can likely imagine how hard it was to keep from laughing the entire time I was there. Essentially, it was like a cattle show. All these parents showed up with their kids....most were locals, but as with the dairy shows, there were also the "Ringers" brought in from other towns/cities. They would call each age class up and the parents would take the kids and line them up (just like a dairy show!). Then we walked up and down the line and picked out he winners. Good thing we didn't have to give reasons..."Ladies and Gentlemen, I place this class of 0 - 6 month old female babies as you see them here today. I'm starting the class off with a girl I feel comes to the top of the class"....

Anyways, since we are now the proud parents of the CUTEST baby girl in not only Paris, but the WHOLE WORLD (ok so maybe I'm a bit biased), we have to make an appearance and show OUR baby at the baby show....we'll bring her in the car though....not the trailer. If you're in the Paris area on the holiday Monday, be sure to stop in and cheer on Maddie as she vies for the title of cutest baby in her "Sunday Best!" 

Daddy's Girl...

As some of you may remember from a previous post, when we found out we had a little farm kid on the way, Carm was hell-bent that it needed to be a boy...a boy to play hockey and be a farmer. We all know how I feel about this, so we won't go into the whole "girls can do anything boys can" spiel again, but the point is Carm was a little thrown off when we were told Maddie was a girl and not a boy.

It took him a couple of days to get used to the idea of having a little girl....I don't think I can count the number of times he told people I "turned his boy into a girl" in those first couple days after our ultrasound. Eventually though, he warmed up to the idea and the closer the due date came, the more excited he became (well, as excited as Carm can get). He constantly talked about the livestock that he and/or Grandpa George were going to buy for her, what chores she would do in the barn, what shows she would go to, the baby contests she would enter and win, etc. And then the moment Miss Maddie made her fashionably late (she IS a Kyle) appearance, any lingering doubt about having a baby girl dissipated as he was handed the little pink bundle that was Madelyn.

She has had him wrapped around her little finger since the word go.

Within weeks of her arrival, Maddie was a budding livestock farmer with a baby lamb, several shorthorn calves, a jersey heifer calf, a holstein bull calf and 21 baby ducks to her name...her first public outing was to the Spring Discovery Holstein and Jersey show in London!

Carman has never hesitated to help out with any of the "Maddie Chores"...he can change a mean diaper and even tries his hand at picking out outfits for her from time to time....he needs a little work on coordinating the socks with the rest of the outfit, but he doesn't do bad! He is a very hands-on daddy and one of the best parts of being a mommy sometimes is just watching him interact with Miss Madelyn. It can be quite entertaining!

Like I said, she has him wrapped around her little finger. 

But, her daddy is not the only man she has charmed in her short life....Grandpa George and Uncle CK also fit nicely into each of her back pockets. I have quickly learned to dress her in her "barn clothes" when we go down to the farm to visit during the day because between her dad, grandpa and uncle, her outfit is never clean for long! She is well versed in making chop, feeding calves, milking cows and checking the cattle at the pasture farm. 

This past weekend I spent the night away from Maddie for the first time. I was a little worried, but Carm didn't hesitate when I said he would have Maddie by himself for a full 24 hours. His mom was also away for the day, so it really was Maddie and the guys for the day. From what I hear, they all had a great time....there was a pile of laundry to prove it!

It is definitely a relief knowing that I can spend the night away without having to worry about how they're getting along. Next up....Carm and I will BOTH be spending the night away from her next month...will we be as lucky? We'll have to wait and see!

On another note, I had a couple of photo shoots with Mandy and Drew and Suzie and Swithin over the weekend, here are a few of my favourites:

Mom's the Word...

That's right folks! At a mere 5 months and 5 days, miss Maddie has given us her first word...a resounding "MAMA"....much to her daddy's disappointment! I think this milestone has been my favourite so far. Since it's difficult to capture first words in a picture, here is a play-by-play of how it went down...

Maddie: "Mama"

Nancy and I look at each other...

Me: "Did she just..."

Nancy: "I think so..."

Maddie: "Mamamama"

Me: "Holy crap!"

Ten Minutes Later....

Me: "Carm, guess what Maddie said a few minutes ago! She said mama!"

Carm: "No, she didn't."

Maddie: "Mammma"

Me: "Told ya"

Carm: "No Maddie, don't say that. Say papa"

Pretty much it has been the above scenario over and over again all day today! Now, we are pretty sure she doesn't fully understand what she is saying or the significance, but nonetheless, she has said her first word and keeps repeating it....much to her daddy's dismay! I think we will have a little chatterbox on our hands in the very near future and I couldn't be more excited!

On another note, "Operation Turquoise Shutters" is now complete! A big thanks to Chris and Steve for all of their hard work on the painting! Our little hobo hut has now been transformed into a classic country cottage.

Now we just have to learn how to garden so our flowerbeds look like flowerbeds and not jungles...

We have also had a couple of unusual "hot" vehicles stop in at Carmalee in the past few weeks. One was some sort of hotrod thing (I didn't get pictures) and the other a hot air balloon. The hot air balloon landed on the laneway right behind our shed! I quickly got over the embarrassment of answering the door in my pajamas when I saw the multicoloured balloon in the backyard!

I don't think you would ever get me up into one of those things, but they're pretty neat and they can land in my backyard any day!

Dirty Laundry...

Last week was chaos around here with all of the last minute things to get done before the wedding. Maddie, Carm and I spent the majority of our days down at the farm helping put the finishing touches on the beautifully manicured yard where the ceremony was to take place. Friday afternoon and evening, I finally had to take a few hours to tidy my house and get ready for the visitors that would be in the following day. I dusted, vacuumed, did dishes and did load after load of laundry...with things looking neat and tidy, I was ready for bed as soon as I switched the last load of laundry into the dryer...

I reached into the washing machine only to find my quilt sopping fricken wet!! UGH!! Just what I needed at 11:30 pm the night before the wedding. After attempting to restart the spin cycle a couple of times I concluded that my two year old washing machine was broken. Again...UGH!!!

I had a call into the washing machine repair man first thing Monday morning, but laundry is not classified as an emergency, so I am sans washing machine until Saturday morning for sure. At first, I didn't think 5 days without a washer would be a big deal, but as the week has gone on, the temperatures outside have got hotter, the baby and the husband have both gotten sweatier and the laundry pile has gotten BIGGER. I had to breakdown and haul a load of Miss Maddie's stuff down to Carm's mom's since we were down to her last pair of summer pjs. Tomorrow I will likely have to do some towels as well. Another crappy thing about the washer breaking THIS week...humidity! Normally, you can get two showers out of your towel before it needs to be washed as long as you hang it up....when it's humid our towels do NOT dry.  If you shower in the morning, the towel is still wet at night and has a beautiful musty smell....that's right, musty not musky. I HATE that smell. So, since we're down to two clean towels in the basket, a trip to Nancy's Laundry Mat is on tap for tomorrow.

On another note, today is Miss Maddie's 5 month birthday!!! YAY! I can't believe the little wiener is almost half a year old. It seriously seems like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital...a mere 8 lbs 1 oz then, little miss Madelyn has skyrocketed to over 16 lbs already!

Have  look at some of my favourites from our 5 month photo shoot yesterday!

Let Them Eat Steak...

That's right...steak, not cake. Anyone can eat cake, but you need to have good teeth to eat steak....two of which my darling Maddie has now! I know my last post was about teeth as well, but teeth are a big deal in our house these days. After being on the receiving end of several good steak-worthy bites...per feeding!!, I have decided that enough is enough with the whole breastfeeding thing. I have managed to wince my way through every other breastfeeding blunder thrown at me for the last 5 months and call me a wuss if you must, but this mama draws the line at being bitten. "They" say that you have to let them get one good bite in in order to teach them not to....well my little diva baby looks at me and laughs after she bites while I am telling her sternly that she shouldn't bite mommy...I think I am in for a lifetime of defiance if she is starting already...uh oh!

Anyways, I have cut back to just one nursing a day for now and will drop the last one in a couple of weeks. I am still pumping enough that she gets only one bottle of formula and the rest is breastmilk...so I am not a complete failure as a mom. I also have quite the supply in the freezer for her, so I should be able to keep her on minimal formula until she is well over 6 months (my initial breastfeeding goal).

I may have "given up" just shy of my goal, however, I am ok with my decision. I stuck it out through a lot of tears and crappy booby trauma, so I am saying "job well done" to myself. Not only am I much happier when bottle feeding miss Maddie, but I have a 5 month old that is happy, healthy and well over 16 lbs, so she is off to a good start. 

Now I am just looking forward to having my boobs back to myself and wearing REAL bras again! La Senza here I come! Woot!

On another note, I have another sister!! My brother-in-law's wedding was this past Saturday and despite the rain, it was a BEAUTIFUL day and a great party!! I happen to know the photographer personally, so watch for some pictures coming soon!

Well, time for a little "mommy time"...Confessions of a Shopaholic! Until next time my friends... 

Dental Drama...

It seems like a long time since my last post....but we have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!! Being in two weddings really has kept us hopping the last couple of weeks. Wedding #1 is T-7 so the countdown is ON! My blog will likely be on hiatus again this coming week as we get ready for the wedding on Saturday! But, should I find a spare moment, I will be sure to post something!

We have hit another milestone with miss Maddie. As the title of the post suggests, the teething process has begun. My darling 4.5 month old Madelyn has not one, but TWO little teeth popping through her poor little gums. I have read about and heard a lot of horror stories when it comes to teething. I am likely getting ahead of myself, but so far it doesn't seem to be TOO bad. Maddie is noticeably grumpy and seems a little off her game, but compared to some of the stories I have heard....she is taking it like a champ! These two teeth have been bugging her on and off for a few days now, but tonight is the first night where she was cranky enough to warrant a warm bath, some children's advil and early to bed after an uncharacteristic snuggle with mama bear. Miss Maddie is NOT much for cuddling, so that was the big tip off that she just isn't feeling like herself. Poor little spider monkey!

Lots of the baby literature talks about the babies' reactions to getting their teeth, and I would say that a lot of the information is bang on. Luckily, so far Maddie has been on the happier end of the teething trouble spectrum...THANK GOODNESS!

However, there are a few items that the literature does not cover...

1. The literature generalizes by saying that babies TYPICALLY start to get their first teeth between 5 and 7 months. Now, obviously every kid is different and they do imply that this is not true for all children, BUT since there hasn't been anything to convince me that Maddie is not a "typical" baby...we were quite surprised to discover two little teeth in her mouth at 4 months! After talking to a few different moms about this, I discovered that the majority of the babies I know...including myself, had their first teeth between 3 and 4 months....and a handful not until 8 or 9. Perhaps they should just scrap the "typical" stuff and just say that your kid will sprout teeth any time during the first year....and for a few unfortunate nursing mamas...your baby will be born with teeth! Creepy I know, but my doctor says it happens from time to time.

2. Also on the topic of timing, the books don't really mention that your baby can start "teething" a long time before they actually "cut teeth." According to my doc, if you x-ray a newborn's head, she will have a full set of teeth already, but they are WAY down in her jaw and have a long way to come up before they actually break the skin. Therefore when your precious little babe starts drooling like Paula Deen at a Butter Sculpture Exhibition at a mere 9 weeks old, don't worry because chances are her teeth are already on the move. Where were you on that one "What to Expect the First Year?"

3. It's a bit of a bittersweet milestone for mommy and daddy. On one hand, it is SO exciting that our little baby is getting her first teeth. She is growing up so fast! On the other hand, it's the first real realization that time is really flying...she is growing up so fast! I would not consider myself a real emotional person a lot of the time...generally I am a pretty cool cucumber, but I have to admit that I got a little teary eyed upon discovering Maddie's cute little chompers. Now, part of that probably has something to do with the addition of teeth to the already heinous breastfeeding  experience...whoever says they should "get one good bite" is nuts in my opinion...but part of it is also the newfound "mommy emotions" getting the best of me. You know, the ones that make you misty eyed while singing along to the Darius Rucker song or make you bawl like an idiot during a TV commercial! We used to make fun of my mom when she would blubber away during the Hallmark commercial where the mom is ignoring her kid all day and then realizes at the end of the day that he is down in the dumps and gives him a sappy greeting card with the wind-up butterfly that flutters out when he opens it. Admit it...you have all seen it...cheesiest ad EVER! But, now as a new mom, I better understand why it made my mom grab for the kleenex box!

So, all joking and emotions aside, Maddie has teeth!! Craziness! I just hope that she is over the worst in the next couple days (for these teeth anyways), or the next week could be interesting with that on top of all the wedding chaos!

Many of you have probably already seen this video, but for those who haven't seen it check it out!! Since we are in full on "Wedding Mode" this week, I felt it was an appropriate way to end...Enjoy!

Can't you just picture the Kyle boys pulling something like this off....HA! Not so much!!!

Cheek Pinchers vs. Soccer Moms...

I have always enjoyed grocery shopping...really, who are we kidding...I enjoy any kind of shopping! But, in particular, I do like to grocery shop. I love to cook, so I like taking my time and picking out the ingredients to try out a new recipe. I will stand in an aisle and compare products for a half an hour to make sure I am getting the best product...not the best value or the cheapest, the BEST product for what I am creating. While a lot of people dread doing their groceries, I find it relaxing and look forward to my weekly trip to the Sobey's in Paris...even if it is in a rush after work or at 10 pm on the night before a holiday when EVERYONE realizes they are out of milk and hamburger buns and the store will be closed the following day. I don't usually mind waiting in line and find it entertaining watching the other shoppers far more frantic than myself.

Recently, however, I have been introduced to a new type of grocery shopping.... Grocery Shopping as a Mommy! I thought that grocery shopping at rush hour was fun...man was I missing out! Now that I'm at home all day with miss Maddie, we have started to make grocery shopping a fun weekly outing for mama and baby. We spend easily an hour to an hour and a half wandering through the store picking out Carm's and my meals for the upcoming week. If I happen to go by myself without Maddie, I can be in and out in half an hour if I need to, but it is much more social if I have my sidekick along. Madelyn is like a magnet. Every little old lady, recent empty nester, little girl, pregnant chick, new grandma, new mom, cashier and even the odd man needs to stop and coo at Maddie...one lady even sniffed her....that was weird. Something about loving new baby smell...

One person that has yet to stop us though is what I call the Super Soccer Mom (SSM). You have all seen this woman...she fires into the parking lot and screeches her mini van sideways into a parking spot as close to the front door as possible before jumping out on her cell phone and running full tilt into the store dragging three kids under five with her. She plops the little one into the "race car " cart while the older two (both in soccer jerseys and cleats) squabble over who gets to ride on the front of the cart. She blazes through the store throwing the most obscene amount of food into the cart before standing in the checkout line checking her watch every three seconds and sighing loudly to let EVERYONE know that she is in a hurry. While some may find her rammy and a bit obnoxious, others admire her. "Look at her go! And with three little kids even! How does she do it?"...others like me? "Aww the kids are cute! But thank god it's her and not me!"

It's not that this lady doesn't want to stop and coo over MY cute little baby, she just does not have the time. Clearly. Once through the checkout line, she fires out of the parking lot just as quickly as she fired in...narrowly missing the cart boy and the next crazed minivan flying in on two wheels. Have you ever noticed that 90% of minivans have a ding on them somewhere? You aren't a true SSM unless there is a ding on your minivan from backing into the garage door in a rush to get little Sammy to soccer (or hockey or ballet or whatever).

Having A baby is a lot of work. It's a lot of fun and can make normally mundane tasks like grocery shopping a lot more entertaining, but it is a lot of work. I cannot imagine what it is like having two or three. Maddie is only 4.5 months old, but already she keeps us hopping. Those who have met the little monkey have seen the bald spot on the back of her head that she has given herself moving all over the place!

Lucky for me, I was raised by an SSM...with four active girls each less than two years apart from the next, it was a given that Sherrif became an SSM. She tackled things like her groceries flanked by four little "helpers" and naturally drove the van with the signature dent. She often had four different activities to be at at once, but rarely were we ever late for any of them. So, it's in my blood I guess...hopefully someday when we decide Maddie should have a sibling or two, I won't have a huge problem adjusting to life with more than one little sidekick. There is, however, one thing i will NOT be adjusting to though...I will NOT drive a minivan. Truck or small SUV maybe, but no minivans.

At a mere 4.5 months, Maddie is already super busy. Are we destined for chasing after her constantly? I think so!!

Back in the Whites...

At the beginning of each show season, I am ALWAYS plagued by the same worry...will I be able to fit my ever-widening butt into my white show pants? Or will I be sentenced to the task of trying to find a new pair of decent white pants that fit. I LOVE to shop, which I have already made clear, however, I HATE shopping for white pants. First of all, depending on the year, there are often no white pants to be found...anywhere. Secondly, if it happens to be a "white pant season" the pants are often "trendy" and not necessarily flattering on all body types or showring appropriate. My 5'3" "athletic " frame can't really pull off a skinny, tapered white jean and billowy white linen beach pants are not exactly the showring look. Whoever thought that it was a good idea to make white the colour of choice for showing dairy cattle didn't really think things through.

Needless to say, when my sister called to see if I would like to go to Listowel Fair and show a calf for her, I was a little worried I would be forced on a wild goose chase for the elusive white pants. One year and a baby since I had put them on the last time, why should I think anything different?   

After hanging up the phone, I pulled my whites out of the drawer (and boy they smelled like they had been in a drawer for a year!) and skeptically pulled them on...SURPRISE! So, in a previous blog post, I talked about the thrill of fitting back into my pre-pregnancy wardrobe one piece at a time. Well, last week's item was my show whites! Woot! Oddly enough, I feel they actually fit better now than they have in a LONG time...

So off Maddie and her pack mule (a.k.a. me) went to the fair. We piled (literally) into the truck with Jill, Heidi and Matt and headed to Listowel. It was great show! The white pants fit, the weather was perfect, there were lots of old friends to catch up with and to top off an already great day, it was a super day for Team Shylane in the ring! Mandy was working and unable to come to the show, so I got to show her heifer...which I led to victory! Shylane had the 1st and 2nd place intermediate calf, 4th place senior calf, 1st place group of three and GRAND CHAMPION!

It may have been just Listowel Fair, but it was a fun day and a great way to start off the show season.

My assistant photographer, Heidi, and I managed to capture a number of the moments throughout the day. Below are some of my favourites. I think this is the first time since Maddie was born that there isn't one picture of her...does that make me a bad mom?