My Labour Experience

Not going to have much pictures in this post because I wasn’t expecting labour so early.

I remember the night of my contraction. Hubby and I had to go for our last 2 prenatal classes and we had Harvey’s after. The night went by smooth and Hubby slept around 1 in the morning!  Right when he fell asleep – that’s when my contraction started. I thought it was just something small because it didn’t hurt much. But the point was I kept going to the washroom so often. I thought it was nothing and continued watching my TV in bed. I woke Hubby up after 3 to 4 hours of my contraction. I still felt like it was false contraction because it wasn’t painful at all. I felt like it was just period cramps. Till I saw brownish liquid coming out down there. At this point – the pain was bearable. I took a warm bath before I called the hospital. I got dressed and took my hospital bag.

As I wasn’t expecting it to be “real” contraction – I didn’t even bother bringing my camera nor my phone charger with me. I should of though!

During my car ride to the hospital – my contraction got a lot stronger. To the point it really did hurt. It was about 2 minutes apart. I didn’t forget – it was an icy night driving down to the hospital – very cold too. Hub drop me off at the emergency doors and parked. After he parked – we walked to the baby center. At this point – the contraction was insane! We arrived to the hospital around 4:30AM in the morning.

The nurse checked me up and told me I was “3 centimeter dilated”. I asked her “What does that mean? Does that mean I’ll be giving birth today???”. I was beyond scared at this point and her answer was “Yes”! Than I told her “I’m not ready for this yet…………………”. She gave me a funny reply “ready or not hear it comes ”. Than she sent Hubby and I out to sit till the nurses got the room ready for us. When she sent us out to sit – that was the worst contraction feeling! No lies – it was hurting bad. I couldn’t sit nor stand. I didn’t know what I could do at that time – contraction was every two minutes apart.

Twenty minutes later – I was finally given a room. Told me to change into a gown and the epidural doctor was right there for me. When the epidural doctor was preparing his needle – I kept saying “I’m soooooo scared – I’m sooooo scared”. The nurses tried to calm me down and Hubby was holding my hand. After the needle – I was shaking so bad because it felt so cold. I shake for about a couple hours. The epidural worked like magic – I stopped feeling the pain after like 5 minutes! Everything got back to normal – I just waited and went on my phone to update news on Facebook. I was pretty much relaxed by than.Nurses told me that I was dilating really quick and my cervix is thin – so its easy for munchkin to come out.

By the afternoon – the in-laws came to visit. Munchkin wasn’t out yet – we were still waiting. But I did start pushing here and there. So much energy is required in order to push this baby out. I didn’t even eat anything. I ended up puking a lot of water out while I was trying to push.

My last push was at 3 in the afternoon. How did I do it? Well – the doctor threatened to use the kiwi vacuum to take the baby out because I couldn’t push. So I gave it my ONE last push – than there it is. My munchkin came out very slimy but with no blood on him. He didn’t cry much though. Too bad I didn’t have my camera with me! Or else I would of snapped a lot of photos of him while still slimy! He came out weighting 6lbs and 2oz.

My labour experience? Not a tough one I must say. Why? Because I heard worst! Way worst – like those women going through 24hours of pain. Or the baby wasn’t co-operating and needed a c-section. Yep – I was only in pain for a very short period of time – thank god! I have to say – no more than an hour of “real” pain. Really got to thank God for an easy and fast labour experience!

Would I do it again? I doubt it. This one wasn’t as painful but who knows if the second one would be painful right? I’m so not good with pain!!!

My Mommy Life

Our Munchkin is now two months old. I feel like these two months has been one of the busiest time of my life and time is flying by twice as fast than before. Overall – it’s a joy taking care of my little munchkin. The one thing I want to slow down is his growth – WHY do babies grow so quick? He’s now two months and is weighting about 9 pounds. I wish newborns can stay  small for a longer period of time because I won’t be holding another newborn.

Remember how I was so determined that we’re ONLY having ONE kid while everyone says – that’s not going to happen. I do have second thoughts because labour wasn’t as bad and painful. But to be honest – I do want to stick to what we planned out. A kid is a lifetime commitment – there’s no taking a break. When their here – their here forever. Hub and I are not really spending enough alone time together already and with two kids? We gotta say goodbye to our alone time. There’s just so much in raising a kid. We’re always worried about this and that. I do want another one but there’s too much to handle. I never imagine us having two. Maybe one is enough?

How “mommy life” like these days? I’m enjoying it now before he knows how to crawl and walk. He’s a sleeper like his mama and sleeps a lot. Which is a good thing because I get to sleep a lot too and wake up in between to feed him and pump milk. We sleep around 1 in the morning and wake up around 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Yes – I still try to sleep as much as I can. *hehehehe* Can’t help it – I love my sleep too much.

My Mornings or you can call it afternoon – my schedule is according to the time he wakes up in the afternoon. Right when I wake up – there’s a billion things to do. Feed him, change him, pump milk, make the bed, brush my teeth, collect all the bottles, wash bottles, and than I can finally make my lunch and eat it. Yes – I come last now! Even if I’m deadly hungry – I gotta do all that before I eat. That’s my life as a mother – but at the end it’s all worth it. It may seem busy now but it will get more busy when he sleeps less and knows how to crawl and walk around. Than my eyes will be on him 24/7 instead of sitting here doing my online stuff or socializing with friends.

The Smart Way To Find A Mortgage

The time has come and you’re either moving home or taking the plunge and getting involved on the property ladder. Whichever way you are going about things, it is important that you understand that finding a mortgage is tough but there are smart things to do when searching. With mortgage rates in Canada continually changing, it can be hard work to know where to go for the best deal. Save those precious dollars by taking a look through the many things that can change the mortgage you will get.

Get your own house in order

The first thing to look at, before you even consider what rates and terms you are after, is how you are going to look when put in front of a lender. Have you had loans and mortgages before or is this the first time? This is a big question because it’s your history that counts, and what debts you’ve had before – and paid off – are often the difference between whether you are approved for a mortgage or not. Get your credit in order, and understand what you can afford.

Check how the market is looking

It might seem simpler to just head straight into your bank and take the loan that they offer, but that’s not really how it works. Finding the best mortgage rates in Canada is all about assessing your options and knowing where you should look to get the greatest range of terms and rates. When you are borrowing so much more than you earn, it’s crucial that you take the time to ensure that you’re getting the best terms and advice on what you need.

Understand both the decision making and how to be approved

This is all part of sorting out your credit report and making the calculations to show that you are ready for a mortgage. Obviously, the higher your credit score is then the easier it is to get money, however if it’s low then you have a difficult time working through the process. Make sure that you know what should be in the application and why your credit is what it is. If you’re unsure, ask an expert.

So, what’s your strategy?

Brokers and consultants are good options for creating your strategies because the truth is that nobody knows the future of Canadian interest rates. What’s more is that the changing economic climate mixed with your personal situation and goals means that you will need a unique, bespoke strategy when looking for the best mortgage rates in Canada.

Be sure that you consider the cycle of interests – raising, stable or declining? Try to see what is expected for the next decade. And, finally, are you going to go for a long-term mortgage, work it five by five years or pay more upfront than is required? You know your situation, it’s time to take a decision and move to your perfect home!

Looking for homes in Markham, Ontario

We’re not planning to buy a home anytime soon because that’s just not our plans right now but that doesn’t stop us from checking out homes around our area. We’ve been checking out Open houses and Independent living communities around here. I would like to stay in Markham because of the convenience but the husband doesn’t mind living a little bit up North. I’m just not so keen about that idea – I mean – it’s a good idea because it’s affordable and we can have a bigger piece of land. But living up North is pretty inconvenient when you need to see families and friends. I hope within these years – the house market will go down – than we don’t need to move that far. I want my families and friends close by.

Owning a Home in Toronto

Oh – how I wish I can have a washroom like this in my future home – probably in my dreams.

Anyways – over the weekend Hub & I went out to look at an open house near where we live. Boy – you would not want to know the price of it. I was sort of expecting it to be at a price that we wouldn’t really like. I do want to live closer to families and friends. But sometimes what do you sacrifice? Would we want to sacrifice the distance or the stressfulness of mortgaging a home in the future? It’s not what I want – it’s the best for our family. Of course it’s much more convenient to get to places, see people, and run errands if we live closer but if we live further – the pro is – we get a bigger piece of land at a more affordable price. There’s pros and cons for both situation. Both is hard and I don’t even want to think about it right now – it will only add stress. Who knows what three years will bring right? Maybe Hub will double his salary? Maybe our investment will be doing fairly well? Maybe my online work will get to where I want it to be? Maybe the house market will go down?

Although – I’m such a planner and I like to plan things ahead. We seriously wouldn’t know how three years later would be like. I’m just very grateful to have a lovely place to live right now and that we can call home. Plus the little one can spend some quality time with his grandparents till he enters pre-school. I can stay at home and watch his growth while Hub goes to work.

Planning a kids future

As I’m counting down each day for his arrival – I’m really counting down for a lifetime commitment. Having a kid is a lifetime commitment – even if they’re in their 20s – 30s – 40s you constantly worry about them. It’s just part of being parenthood right? I didn’t understand this when I was a teen but since being pregnant for 8 months – I’ve realized a lot. A lot – so much of what parents are worried about. Parenthood doesn’t stop when they graduate, when they get a full time job nor does it stop when they are married. Being a parent is a life time thing – it never ends.

We’ve been planning a lot of things for this little one. Being a mom – I never had the things his father had. I want this little one to appreciate what was given to him and live a happy and normal life with lots of love and care from the both of us. When I plan – I plan far far ahead. It’s just very satisfying to me to know what is up ahead in life for all of us. I don’t like the “unknown”.

As of now – were holding off on the music part of his life. I don’t want to push this little one into doing something he doesn’t enjoy or like. We do have a list of instruments in mind though – piano, takamine, violin, flute, and etc. But this is all up to him. I just believe that if I push a kid into doing something he doesn’t want or enjoy – he’s just wasting your money. Like my husband – he was asked to learn piano when he was a kid but he didn’t enjoy it. Piano lessons ain’t cheap these days eh! So when he’s old enough to know what he likes – he will eventually tell us.

Valentine’s Ideas for Meals

Isn’t this heart shape pan cute? When I see these things in store – I just can’t help myself but get it. I don’t necessarily need it but I don’t mind having it. Do you call this crazy buying? I’m not even sure. But I did try this pan out – it’s not that bad. I thought I would just wake up and make Valentine’s day breakfast for my hubby – but I’m not too sure if I would wake up on time. *heheh* I’m still not a morning person till this date! But I’ll make him a heart shape egg one day – just not in the morning.

I’m planning to make his favorite lobster and steak dinner for this year’s Valentine’s day. The first year – I’ve made seafood dinner for him and the rest of the year – we just went out to eat. I mean -I love going out to eat but I hardly make dinner at home for him. So making dinner at home is a little more special on special days. I’ll see how that goes cooking in the kitchen with a big belly this year. What are you planning for Valentine’s day? I know there’s still a month to go – so still lots of time to plan!

Going on vacation on trimester 3?

Sadly, we didn’t get to go on our honeymoon this year – don’t really know when we’re going anymore. Maybe next year? I hope! One of the freedom I miss is being able to go on vacation whenever I want to. There’s still a lot of places I want to visit with my other half and friends. Having a baby doesn’t mean we’re not going on vacation for a couple of years. Just means – when we do go on vacation with this little guy – we gotta carry a lot more stuff and bare with a crying baby while traveling. A lot different than traveling alone right? I told hubs this “I don’t care what it is – we’re going somewhere once a year!” That was my demand. I used to travel twice a year – so once a year is good enough right?

So my girlfriends was asking if I’ll be able to go on a resort trip to Cuba in January and that’s when I’m on my trimester three. I got really tempted and I said I’ll confirm it with them after I ask my doctor if it is safe to travel during trimester three or would I even be able to allow to be on the plane?? We always wanted to go on a trip with the three girls but never really gotten the chance to. Now that I’m preggie – I don’t know if I can go. Yikes – just gotta see what my doctor says. What is your suggestion on this? Trimester 3 and traveling? I need your advice!

Christmas in 26 days!

Yeppers! Nearly a month! I’ve got all my events and gatherings organized this year – have you? This time of the year is just going to fly by so quick because everyones busy! Either out getting presents for others or having get together dinners! It’s been an awesome year and I’ve been counting my blessings! For wonderful friends, awesome families, and a wonderful husband. I can’t be greedy and ask for more right?

HO HO HO Merry Christmas! Merry early Christmas everyone!

Christmas in a month

Yes – Christmas in a month! Time is flying by so quickly. Hubby just told me that he felt like our wedding was just a month ago and look at the date now. It’s been four months of marriage and so far – its going pretty awesome. Christmas is on the way and I’m finished with most of the shopping already! What’s left to do is the holiday photo cards I got to customized. Other than that – I’m ready for Christmas holiday this year. I got a lot planned out – a lot of meet ups and special events before I end 2011. 2011 has been such an awesome year to me. I’m hoping 2012 will be the same as well!