how do i nest?

I remember during the early part of my pregnancy, I nested immediately by cleaning and clearing out our pantry. Suddenly I had the urge to throw everything out and have an immaculately bare pantry. People at the house didn't know yet that I am expecting by then.

Then it stopped. By the 7th month, I have the urge to nest again. I nested by trying to organize everything in our house. I am always searching for storage boxes and storage bags and containers so that everything will be in its proper place even pins and tacks.

I am perusing the Pinterest for inspiration for (shared) nursery and for kids' room (for Kid #1) and just pinning like crazy and planning everything in my head what are the to-do's (and to-buy's?) to make the house ready for the coming wee one.

By the time I have to execute those plans, I am too tired. So in reality, I haven't really done anything yet. Haha. And that, my friends, is how I nest.

I am no Martha Stewart and don't expect me to come up with a Pinterest worthy room make over. But in the spirit of sharing a before and after case, this is how the master bedroom looks right now. We are still co-rooming with Kid #1. When he moves out, we will be co-rooming with Kid #2. The bed will just be replaced with a crib but on the other side of the bed.

And here's Kid #1 room right now. Used to be an in-law suite, so that is why there is a bed. Still a longggggg way to go.

Honestly, getting the house ready is stressing me out. That and Kid #1's halloween costume. I am hoping everything will at least be liveable before the wee one arrives.

I have already started last night on organizing our things. I started with my shoes. I bought this shoe organizer and threw away all the boxes that are occupying too much space. Will post pics some other time.

Happy Hump Day!

baby stuff: bathing and skin care

You know, sometimes, I get tired of looking into baby stuff? Spending time researching the best products to use, reading all about it, comparing products, debating with myself how far should go ... ? It's exhausting. Though, it's a good thing to know about these and that there are LOTS of sources to be familiar with these health stuff,  I know I can't be a full blast dedicated organic earth friendly person. And I am okay with that. I'll just have to do with what I can do.

One of the baby stuff that recently dived into is the area of skin care. They say the skin is the largest organ so we should be very cautious on what we put on our skin. Well, I think I have been for quite some time. But not really what you call "strictly" into it. I buy products that I believe is less toxic than the others. But I haven't reached the point of researching each ingredient in it or calling the company/manufacturer to really inquire about their ingredients/sources.

There are lots of option for toxic free and baby safe skin care (even for adults), one just have to google. My work friend is teasing me the other day, why don't I just use the regular store bought baby products. Anyway, I won't be able to sustain to keep on using those toxic free products on the baby. I jokingly told her,  I will use the regular products on to the new baby maybe after a year. Maybe by then his young body can handle the toxins. She told me, why not introduce it right away so he can adjust easily? I just smiled.

There are websites that I found credible and those are ones that I constantly consult with, they are in my Useful Links page. I read about their recommendations and ratings. And I would like to believe that they know what they are talking about.

After all that reading and deciding which products to use, the next hurdle is to see if those are available in Canada.

You see, my poor assumption before, is that, Canada and US are like sister countries. And since (almost) everything is available in US, I assume that it is also readily available in Canada. Right? Well, no. Some companies do not have a Canadian store and do not ship products in Canada. But as they say, seek and you shall find. I found Canadian retailers that offer those products that I would like to try. I just compare prices and shipping fees to see which is cheaper.

And below are those products. I got all of them from Well.ca. I got the photos of the products from their respective websites. You can click on the photo and it will redirect you their specific website, if you want more information.

Shampoo and Body Wash

Baby Lotion 

Diaper Cream

Sunscsreen

(will be used on Kid #1, too) 

I also bought sample/travel size of these ones. So that I can see and try why they have good recommendations too. 

Shampoo and Body Wash 

Body Cream

Natural Soap

I am hoping I can do my own review on these products. I have tried "organic" products before (remember, A'kin?), And if I remember it right, they are not really like the regular products that I am accustomed of using. Like they are not that bubbly or soapy as I expected it to be. So, we'll see. But don't expect my reviews to be "scientific". My review will surely be superficial and just in comparison with the regular store products, you know. 

HBD

I thought the purpose of our staycation was for my birthday. The hotel is nice. It was one of the newly built ones. 

Here's how I imagined our staycation would be: just the 3 (4?) of us hanging out ...

Kid #1 enjoyed the pool. 

With the surprise shower, he got to enjoy the pool with a friend.

He's so proud with his hand stand. 

While on my actual birthday, J and I got to have an "us" time.

I know sushi and raw are a no-no for preggers but ... i just can't resist it. 

I just so love this beef... 

At home, I insisted on having another birthday cake ... 

My "Celebration"

Kid #1 pointing to his gift to me (aside from the DIY card he gave earlier) 

Oh, how I miss this ... 

Here's to more years of surprises! Happy birthday to us, 'Nay! Cheers!

surprise

As mentioned in my previous post, I have never had a surprise anything before. I am too nosy to be surprised, I guess. But this time, J and our friends at work were able to throw a surprise baby shower for me! Honestly, I didn't have any clue. 

J told me and Kid #1 that we will be having a staycation at a local hotel the next day. That is just fine. Nothing unusual since we have already talked about that several times given how Kid #1 loves staying at hotels. 

So we went to the hotel, with me hoping that I can just lounge and do nothing but eat and sleep. Just as we've stepped in to the room, I told J that I will change into my jammies and officially start the staycation. He told me not to and to just have some pictures taken first. Ok, fine. Whatever. Then somebody knocked on the door and J asked me to open it. My wild guess is that it's a surprise delivery (purse? jewelry? hehehe). But still, I told J I am too lazy and heavy to get off the bed to open the door, can't you just open the door yourself? 

So there, entered our work friends. Greeting me with all smiles while holding the balloons and stuff -- the food, decors and gifts!!!! Awwww...... Just scroll below for some of the pictures. 

I had the sapin-sapin saved for me. Hehe.  They had the cake custom-made . 

These are our well-meaning friends. Honestly, I've met a some of them, I guess, twice? They have more interactions with J. But still they care enough to throw a party for me. 

With the guys

I didn't even have my brows and lipstick on! 

So thankful for these people. For the effort, time and money spent. I wasn't expecting anything, really. Though it is customary here to throw showers, I did not expect to have one for me because, I was not really into those. I know what it takes to have something like that. Even I, I've barely participated to showers. But having experienced people getting out of their way to make you feel special, well, it really made me feel special.

So, thank you. THANK YOU. You made my heart swell.

life happened

No, I am not abandoning this blog again. Hehehe I'm still here, it's just that life happens and I can not post it right away.

I will post the details in the coming days, just letting you know that we went to a corn maze and I had a surprise baby shower. How cool is that! I have never had a surprise anything before. So, that's new :)

That's all for now, Happy Hump Day!

baby stuff: mattress

I am hardly having a good night sleep these past few weeks. We are on our 3rd trimester, that's why. I remember the joy of having slept on my back again after Kid #1 was born. Can't wait.

Talking about sleep, as I have said from my previous post about baby stuff, that it seems rather best to have the baby sleep on the papag and banig. Why? Because the crib mattress is another baby necessity that is stirring up controversy in the "baby products" world.

There has been a study released by Cockrell School Engineers that "Crib Mattresses Emit High Rates of Potentially Harmful Chemicals".

Excerpt:
Analyzing the foam padding in crib mattresses, the team found that the mattresses release significant amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially harmful chemicals also found in household items such as cleaners and scented sprays.

In summary, there are chemicals in the mattress composition (foam, the glue, the covering) that might trigger allergic reactions (lung complications, asthma) or may cause long term effects (hormone disruption) to the baby sleeping on it after inhaling all those fumes.

There is also a theory that SIDS is caused by the toxic chemicals released by conventional crib mattresses. They said that the chemical fumes being inhaled by the baby just shuts the baby's system off and might have causes the SIDS. Read here.

So parents, what to do?

Here's a link on How to Buy Non-Toxic Crib Mattress

And here's another list of Recommended Crib Mattresses

Other suggestion is to air out the new mattress months before the baby uses it (we won't be able to do this anymore).

Or opt to use an old mattress (crib mattress or your own mattress) but be sure that it has no molds as molds are known to eat up chemicals and release toxic gases, increasing the risk of -- you're right -- SIDS.

A New Zealand scientist, Dr. Sprott, have discovered and invented a crib mattress cover -- the BabeSafe® crib mattress cover, which is a non-toxic plastic cover that seals the crib mattress inside resulting of no gas generation occurring in the mattress that can reach the baby.

Of course, we have already bought the mattress before I have read all about this. And here's what we bought.

Simmon's Peaceful Slumber 2-sided Crib Mattress from Sears

Description from the website:

Featuring healthy support with lightweight sleep technology, this two-sided Simmons crib mattress gives growing babies a restful and supported sleep 

Thermo bonded polyester core; Recycled polyester fibres are compression packed for firm and uniform support 

Polyurethane foam free

100% certified organic cotton cover is cool in the summer and warm in the winter; Phthalate and PVC free -- but not necessarily VOC free. There are lots of chemicals that are considered VOC. Not just Phthalate and PVC. There's phosphorus, arsenic and antimony, to name a few.

Innovative two-sided design; one side for baby and one side for toddler for just the right amount of support

I believe it is made in Canada.

We haven't picked it up so I guess we still have time to change our mind because it is not on the "Recommended" list? I don't know. Or should I buy the said mattress cover/protector?

I have talked about this with J and he said that too much reading is giving me more anxiety and more things to worry about.

I guess I still won't be having a good night sleep even after the baby is born.

what i love here: government support

By November of this year, or earlier if baby is too excited to see the world, I, again, will be a stay at home mom. For a year, at least.

One of the perks of being a Canadian resident/citizen, is having maternity leave that lasts for 15-17 weeks and an additional 35 weeks parental leave that can be split/shared both by mother and father.

In our situation, J and I decided that it is best that I should be the one to take all of it, so .. lucky me! That is also one of the reasons why I decided that it's high time to revive this blog. I feel like I will have more time to blog again (really???).

On top of that, if the parent who is taking the maternity/parental leave was working for at least the required minimum number of months, and has contributions to Employment Insurance or EI (click on the link if you want to know more about it) prior to the leave, that individual would be able to receive benefits while on leave. That is up to 55% of the individual's taxable income before going on leave. This applies to individuals who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are adopting a child, or are caring for a newborn.

Some companies have a "top up" option. That is, aside from the 55%  or so, that the employee will be receiving from EI, the company will chip in an additional percentage to complement the income up to a certain period of time. And I believe, employees who return to work after the leave provision shall be placed in the same or like position at the same rate of pay.

Different companies mean different rules, regulations and benefits. But the EI is one thing that is universal here in Canada.