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Have you been dying to know how the Coffee, Tea and IUDs chat went? I am still getting over the fact that I was actually sitting on a stage chatting about birth control choices on two separate occasions this past weekend at the BabyTime Show but it was actually a lot of fun and very informative. It was great to finally meet Billie Holiday from Virgin Radio and Dr. Sandy Andrighetti in person (we’d met over the phone in preparation for the event) and really good to see all our readers and other expecting and new parents at the event. I was there to represent moms everywhere and the questions they typically have about birth control choices after having a baby. Billie pointed out that just having a baby is a great form of birth control—but eventually we all get back to normal and it’s important to have a plan! There were lots of great questions from the audience about all the different choices out there, and Dr. Andrighetti recommended a very informative website called Sexuality and U, which is approved by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, that I thought I would share with you. Thanks to Bayer Healthcare for inviting me to be part of the big event.
There are a few important purchases we make which can easily define the stage of life we are in. A bike, a car, a ring, a house and then finally, a stroller.
The stroller is the quintessential defining purchase for the new parent and it’s a bigger decision than ever these days because of the price tag and the many options available. These kinds of decisions can be rather stressful for an expecting couple, so we at SavvyMom are here to help with a new contest we have put together where you can enter to win your choice of either an EasyWalker QTRO Stroller plus Carrycot OR an EasyWalker DUO Stroller worth $800.
Just in case you don’t win, we’ve have also shared a few tips and tricks on how to go about making that big choice. Scroll down on the contest page to read our recommendations on what to keep in mind when you are purchasing a stroller. It will make your decision a walk in the park.
Enter now—you just never know if you’re going to be our lucky winner.
I recently had the opportunity to see the feature film Babies at a press screening and found myself thinking about it long afterwards. This sweet documentary follows the milestones in the lives of four babies (Ponijao in Nambia, Mari in Japan, Bayar in Mongolia and Hattie in California) from birth to just past their first birthdays. Shot in a style similar to the stunning feature, Baraka, where music and visuals dominate over dialogue, it is currently in theatres across the country.
My ‘mom’ perspective allowed me to appreciate the concept of milestones. As a first-time mom of an ‘almost’ two-year old, milestones are things I find myself looking at as though through a magnifying glass: when should Ally be smiling, eating, crawling, walking, talking…is she behind? Ahead? On schedule? And while those milestones eventually came, they were always linked with a range of emotions.
Babies shows us four gorgeous little ones in completely different landscapes who all reach these same milestones. Whether it’s little Bayar climbing up on a barrel surrounded by cows, or Hattie crawling after the cat in their sunny home, they’re all the same. It made me truly appreciate the instincts and curiosity of babies, no matter where (or how) they are raised. The film allowed me to enjoy the milestones of these sweet kids and reflect on my daughter’s. It also made me relax a little and recognize that babies are more resilient than we realize, and sometimes it’s okay to sit back and just watch them grow.
You can find more information about the film on the official Babies site.
The smaller they are, the higher they sit. But as they grow, that mighty high chair can become a burden, unless it grows alongside your little one and keeps them level at the table.
We at SavvyMom know and appreciate how great it is when you can find a furniture item that can last beyond the baby years. That is why we’ve put together a contest featuring The Height Right™ chair from Keekaroo™ and all its fantastic accessories.
The Height Right Wooden High Chair can adjust for kids from 6 months up to 250 pounds in size. It features an adjustable footplate, comes with an optional wooden tray, and curves to conform to your child’s natural body shape. We love that the accessories are designed for comfort, security and safety and that it’s JPMA certified.
In case you don’t win, we’ve also shared tips on what to look for when purchasing a high chair as well as locations where you can purchase the Keekaroo range of accessories. With these stylish and practical wooden chairs, meals can truly become ‘high’ society affairs.
Enter now—you could be our lucky winner!
Even at Savvy HQ, where we make it our job to stay on top of all things new in the mom and baby world, we’re having a tough time keeping up with the evolution of the bottle. With all the choices available for water bottles, sippy cups and baby bottles (glass, BPA free, stainless steel and every variation thereof). We have a lot to choose from.
One of our latest fave options is the Pura Kiki range of bottles. These stainless steel bottles offer interchangeable lids for baby, toddler and adult so they are rather versatile and very sustainable. The people at Pura actually go so far as to say ‘Kiki is backed by an unprecedented lifetime warranty. Join the legions of happy Kiki users…your baby will thank you!’
We’re not sure your baby will actually ‘thank you’, but you might thank us if you win one of the prizes we have on offer—here’s more about the exclusive SavvyMom contest presented by our partner, Pura.
Once a week for the next 12 weeks one lucky SavvyMom reader will win* a Pura Gift Package valued at $50. Each winner will have their choice of:
Enter to win and get helpful tips on what to look for when picking an infant bottle.
What’s your favourite baby name? With a name like Minnow and a husband named Rupert, we thought it was important to go traditional with our kids names (Ryan and Michael). I always wanted to use the name Molly—but I had to have a girl to use that one so I was out of luck.
I often marvel at how well people suit their names. How does that happen? Parents spend hours and hours thinking about what to name their baby before it’s born; before it has a personality. Then once the name is decided and the child is born, it’s a perfect match. It’s like we already know our kids before they arrive.
Whether the name or the personality comes first, the fact is the name game is a really popular one. So much so that Openfile.ca, one of my favourite new sites (just launched this year) has implemented a handy baby name tool that allows readers to see what the most popular names are in their neighbourhood. It’s pretty cool. They also ask readers to share their own baby name stories and you’ll find lots of good ones.
Check out The Baby File yourself, it’s fun—and if you’re thinking of what to name your next baby, you might get inspired, or at least you’ll be sure not to name him after every other Tom, Dick or Harry.
What’s your favourite name?
It’s a boy! It’s a girl!
Rarely do you hear: We’re not telling.
There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about Derek Stocker and Kathy Witterick, a Toronto couple who made the decision to keep their third child’s gender a secret and raise him or her as, well… an X. The older siblings have free reign at clothing stores, choosing from boys and girls clothing as they please. They started the family trend of living ‘gender neutral’ but are still acknowledged as boys. This prompted the parents to take the plunge with their last child. Their rationale? They feel they’re giving him the true freedom to be who he wants to be without being ‘branded’ by gender conventions. The debate? That the parents are forcing their own ideological values on a child who has to struggle now against bullying and other issues that come with having no ‘gender’. There is also a strong point in favour of the fact that by taking a stand against gender, they are drawing much more attention to the identity issue.
This social experiment has received a lot of feedback from readers who are both highly critical or supportive of the couple’s decision, and the couple have finally issued their own response to the frenzy. Here’s some interesting discussion we found on the mommy blogs including Emma Waverman of embracethechaos.ca and Karen Green of The Bad Moms Club.
There are many potential ramifications for their decision on social, psychological and (let’s face it) logistical levels, but the question I pose is this: are they truly being ‘neutral’ by not allowing their child to have a gender?
The parents claim to be standing up against the societal expectations and pressures that come with gender labels: something that in the 1950’s I could see being an issue. But rather than actually make a ‘neutral’ decision, which would be to not put weight on whatever sex their child is and offer her or him a variety of options as s/he grows up (as they are currently doing with their first two sons), they are going to the opposite extreme and actually imposing a ‘non’ sex on their baby. By doing so, they are in fact putting major emphasis on gender, or ‘non’ gender as the case may be, rather than simply letting their child be a child which, they claim, is their ultimate goal.
Even more so, by introducing the idea to the public, they are adding even more pressure to both their baby as s/he grows up, and their current children who now have a secret to hold. Their psychological experiment has become a political one as well, and is that really fair to put that on the shoulders of a baby?
Parenting has become much more complicated in the past 30 years for a multitude of reasons, requiring all of us to make decisions about things like Internet exposure, organic food versus conventional and more. But there is a big difference between choosing to keep your kids away from watching TV as a learning experiment, and isolating your child in a society that (whether you agree or not) does indeed classify between males and females.
Is it fair to put Baby Storm in this situation? We’d love to know where you stand on the issue.
Just saying that Gender and Sex aren’t the same thing. Denying Gender is your prerogative: i.e. where dresses, play with dolls, if you are male; pretend to be batman, and refuse to wear dresses, if you are female. But denying sex is just stupid; you might as well deny you are of the homo-sapien species.
I think those parents are ridiculous. Whether they like it or not, there are differences between the sexes. Instead of celebrating their baby boy/girl, they’re depriving their child of it’s identity. I fear that this kid is going to require some therapy later.
(Week Two of Daddyhood)
I begin by admitting that ‘SavvyDad’ is a premature title, but I will strive to earn it in time, proudly ‘settling’ today for just Dad. This in and of itself, is a daunting enough title, bequeathed on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 am when my son Baxter was born at home surrounded by his mom (Amy), two talented midwives, and me.
There’s so much to share. Every new day, every moment brings change and wonder. But let’s begin at the beginning.
Being a good dad through your partner’s pregnancy is pretty simple: do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. For me this was no challenge. Amy is not demanding and rarely complains. But that doesn’t mean that her discomfort, her aches, sleep deprivation and general hormonal sea-change wasn’t making her life just a tad miserable. I tried to take on more chores and assist her before she had to ask. It was just like business management—remove obstacles to create a productive environment. It also meant taking part in whatever preparatory courses or appointments were required.
Beyond the midwife’s clinic and ultrasound, Amy had discovered, through a friend, a book and class on hypno-birthing, which claims a path to a pain-free natural birth. Yeah, I know. But to be honest, Amy did acquire new skills, learned to control her breathing and gained a better understanding of the sensations (pain) her body would go through during birth. These are very useful tools during labour and birth. To make everything more peaceful, the course renames a lot of terms. “Contractions” are “surges”, “delivery” is a no-no (because babies are not UPS packages); and “pain”? Suffice to say I can’t remember what their word for it was, but it’s still called pain to me and Amy has a few more words for it in her vocabulary today.
Labour and birth found me part nurse, part breathing coach, cold compress manager, hand-holding partner, part statistician, tracker of contractions… surge lengths and patterns and part gofer. In a three-story house, after 15 hours of all this multitasking, I felt I had run a marathon.
But the gold medal goes to Mom. Partners, you will feel a sharp and intense indebtedness (for lack of any better word) to the mother of your child. A respect and awe that was previously incomprehensible, and now that the magic moment has passed, even more so.
Next subject: the Push Present—a term so foreign it had to be spelled out to me.
I have just recently heard of the Push Present and look forward to reading your next installment on it!
Congratulations Trevor and Amy! I too tried hypno-birthing, with much the same (lack of) result! Look forward to your next post Trevor!
A month has passed to the day since Baxter joined our family. Time is whizzing past and our routine is no routine at all. Life is lived in small moments, errands are tucked into gaps and the balance serves the needs of this helpless, yet rather boisterous little man.
Moments after his first official weigh-in, Baxter blew out enough meconium to patch the average pothole on the DVP. The regaining of this weight, combined with normal weight loss during any baby’s first week became our priority for the next three weeks.
Who would have thought that feeding a baby would be such a challenge? Big boys aren’t good latchers, we’re told. Finger feeding (a large syringe with a tube filled with breast milk) became the order of the day. Baxter doesn’t chug (he’s a sipper), so combine 50ml (50 min) of finger feeding, with 60 minutes of latch practice, a diaper change or two—then repeat every two hours—and you’ll find an exasperated family (especially during the night).
Three weeks later, Baxter hit his birth weight to the ounce, which means no referrals to specialists were required. Yay! A month down the road and he’s just hit the 10lb 5oz mark on the button. We can stop finger feeding and use a bottle for supplemental feeds which are administered during his ‘cluster feeding’ periods (we’ve dubbed ‘cluster *$%#’ periods). He now sleeps 4 to 5 hours at night, as if to say, ‘Finally you people are leaving me alone to sleep’.
The change is so constant and so positive, we forget the previous week’s challenges. We’re constantly distracted by Baxter’s goofy faces, wild staring eyes, his sleepy Damien Omen impression, his waking dance and random smiles that are for your eyes only. As I write these final words, I can hear Baxter blasting panicked breathless screams upstairs. We continue down the road.
We had the pleasure of having Amy’s mother, Brenda stay and help us out for a full 10 days after Baxter’s birth. She only planned to come for a few days (bless her heart, she didn’t want to be intrusive), but I threatened to tether her to the banister if she planned to leave early. It’s great having a grandma to help out, offer sage advice, expect the unexpected and allow some brief periods of respite and reflection. Brief.
We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family. It’s been a veritable deluge of onesies, battery-operated chairs, teething giraffes, funny hats, diaper layer cakes, cards, cash and well wishes. We’re not sure what we’d do without the anecdotes and advice. We’re not the types to ‘go it alone’, nor are we the types to research topics ad nauseum (my siblings got that DNA). But that doesn’t stop me from making quasi-medical pediatric observations I personally consider as truths until such time that I am told differently.
For example, Baxter can get quite fussy at certain times of the day. No matter the time or place however, if strapped into his Baby Bjorn (pre-owned), Baxter will quickly lose consciousness. This is shocking as, until now, I’ve never noticed how terrible my gait is: uneven, clunky and of course, very fast. His head is thrown to-and-fro, yet he remains as limp as a blacked-out rodeo cowboy. ‘Doctor Bond’ believes this is because he slept in-vitro while Amy was out and about, rockin’ and rollin’. It’s his comfort zone. He’ll love my mother’s driving when we visit this summer.
So this post is dedicated to all our friends and family, a wonderful melody of disparate folks that orbit our little Baxter and happily pick up pieces or explain where they go (after we wipe the puke off them).
My job is all about adapting schedules, expectations and deliverables around clients’ unique needs. Adapt and deliver, that’s what I do best…but baby Baxter messes with my head. Just when you think he’s got a schedule, my basis for that conclusion disappears and all new ‘habits’ take hold.
We enjoyed two nights of bliss last week by putting Baxter down rather early in the evening. We cooked and ate our dinner while he slept blissfully in his bassinet on another floor of the house. We nestled on the sofa and caught up on some television (why this feels like a victory, I have no idea) then before our bedtime, we gave him a good feeding and a pit stop. Sweet.
For two evenings, we relished in this newfound routine. We turned a corner. Parenthood was allowing us some peace and time to ourselves. There was no turning back, we could only move onward and upward.
This is where the experienced moms are rolling their eyes or perhaps laughing a little. Of course those two days feel like a mirage now. For a full week we attempted to recreate our fleeting success—to almost superstitious efforts: “I’m sure we turned this light off and had the red blanket over here and, OH NO the temperature and humidity are all off in this room”. We were back to confused, tired new parents, seemingly outwitted by our own progeny.
But last night was different. As always, in our futile robotic reproduction we put Baxter down early and began doing whatever we could before we would be interrupted. Exhausted from a hot Sunday out, we started to do what we could to relax. Having learned something, we sat down to watch Marley & Me presuming it to be a vacuous light comedy we could half-watch. Well we watched it all (I bawled—who knew it was a vacuous modern day Old Yeller minus the froth?). Amy and I were then able to tidy up, chat, snuggle and… well, this is a family blog but let’s just say I can easily adapt to one evening a week like last night.
No road trip can be planned without the Mother-In-Law’s respective doomsday advice about getting our new child over the border. Maybe it’s our natural sinister air or Amy’s impulsive panic-response to border agents, but according to our moms, our baby will be confiscated and the next time we call home, it won’t be on a cell, it’ll be from a cell. Luckily it’s that same paranoia that motivated them to investigate and determine for themselves that a land border crossing only requires a birth certificate. This was presented to a pleasant, young US border agent who wished us well as we entered New York State via Niagara Falls.
I have to admit, seeing The Falls is always a highlight for me. Barring the casino-drama and downtown kitsch (which still has its place), this natural wonder is so accessible and incredible, it makes for fantastic ‘new family photo ops’. Call it our two-hour honeymoon.
The subsequent ride to Albany took all of our gas and ended in a midnight check-in at a rather seedy hotel that took the ‘un’ out of ‘unexplained ankle bites’. Through all the tolls and random pit stops, Baxter was a trooper—our little state trooper. But what will happen after two days of interrupted routine as our overstuffed wagon pulls into the valet parking at Boston’s swankiest hipster hotel?
It’s funny how tourists sit on statues of Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings. Inspired by McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings, the brass mom was just the setting for our family portrait (yes that’s Baxter strapped to my chest). It was there that I realized I can’t smile normally when other people take pictures of me. Can you blame me? I was excited! My new family was traveling in a new town with friendly people. I had a happy wife and a more or less behaved son on my sweaty chest.
Thanks to the generosity of friends on the occasion of our recent marriage, we were treated to a stay at Beacon Hill’s newly renovated former city jail, now the Liberty Hotel. It’s like Toronto’s Drake Hotel taken to the next level with lots of “look-at-me’s” who come out at night to be seen.
So it’s Saturday night and there’s a buzz of multiple parties going on inside the chic, modern hotel with seventeenth century granite walls. In walks the Bond family with a stroller the size of a Humvee. We’re a little sweaty and we smell like pretty-good Indian food. 90 feet under the soaring cupola and guard’s catwalk, we weave through the sudden evening crowd, past the white leather high back chairs, around the Bloody Mary Bar, and past the friendly concierge on our way to the elevators. Once settled in our room, we attempt to keep our uber-cool neighbours awake with baby Baxter’s screams. Now this is living!
In our two-day visit, Baxter made one very fancy dinner miserable but the lack of any discernable schedule excused his evening exorcisms. All in all, he was a gem. He always drew the attention of adoring fans and we began to understand the depth of this new fraternity we’ve joined as we came across so many sympathetic parents with kind, silent stares that communicated a book-full on patience.
As the mercury rises we drive up the coast to Topsham, Maine where we will visit friends who are also new parents. Excited to continue our journey, we’ll be totally oblivious to their lack of air conditioning and lovely loft accommodations.
Have a great vacation! Say hello to the fam! See you all when you return home ;). Big hugs and kisses from your god daughters and friend xoxox
It’s fair to say that my life at this time is all about precious moments—and capturing them in between the chaos. For years, I studied photography and used to love to take my time setting up shots, but nowadays, I’m lucky if I can find my camera in time to take the picture. When it comes to capturing the energy of my three year-old daughter who is always on the move, I like to use the high speed shooting mode. This one worked perfectly for her (and was great for me to use because the camera itself is easy to hold).
Then, there was the birth of my son. I had less than five minutes to explain to my husband how to use the camera before we went into the OR to give birth. The trick? Put it on the SR Auto option which means it will automatically choose the best format for the picture. There’s even a ‘warning’ that lets you know if your subject has blinked or not. I think Luke is forgiven for setting that one off in this picture.
The natural lighting option was one that I really gravitated towards because I’ve never been one to really have great success with a flash. I really liked the final effect.
Of course, I have to say the one I was most eager to try was the baby option—creating a softer-light effect on the subjects. Here are my two fave shots from that series.
So while I loved exploring the range of options on the S2950, what I love is that it’s a camera that can make the smart decision for you during those times when you’re running on three hours of sleep and you’ve spotted a moment you just must catch.
Want your very own Fujifilm S2950 camera? Enter our Capture Your Memories with Fujifilm contest for your chance to win one of two family friendly digital cameras.
Wondering how you can improve your picture-taking skills? We asked the Fuji Guys for some tips on the best way to take pictures of kids on the move, get creative with composition and best capture the moment. Capture your memories with these tips from the Fuji Guys.
Note: No children, spouses or significant others were embarassed (that much) in the production of this blog post, sponsored by Fujifilm.
If you’ve been following our gripping tale, you’ll know we’ve been traveling up the eastern seaboard of the United States of America from Boston to Topsham, Maine. At this stage in our journey, we switched from interstates to smaller highways, really enjoying the scenery, fudge shops and cheese dispensaries along the way.
Stopping in Freeport for lunch, we discovered just how hot it was. On the advice of ‘experts’, we have yet to apply sun screen to Baxter. Instead, we covered him like a vampire and scurried past factory outlets to the extremely air-conditioned restaurant. There we saw a family with a Snap-N-Go, a clever stroller that lets you snap a car seat on a stroller frame without removing your child. Knowing we could never check the Humvee (a.k.a. our over-sized stroller/pram) for our upcoming flight to Vancouver, this seemed the perfect solution. (We ended up acquiring a Snap-N-Go for $40 from our local used shop when we got back home.)
Amy’s good friend and fellow glass artist, Stephanie Sersich, her husband Tom, and their two children, Obi and Amos, warmly welcomed us to Tompsham. Obi (pictured with Baxter) is a month older than Baxter and Amos is 13 months. An impressive signer, with his a goofy smile and jerky arm movements, Amos can communicate that it’s raining outside, or that he wants juice versus water, or that he’s sleepy. Hands appear easier to control than tongues, a trait that remains as we age.
I have begun signing with Baxter in an ad hoc manner, as there is no doubt in my mind how effective it is. (Granted, ‘sky eat’ is as good as we’ve got so far.)
It was a great visit with generous hosts and a peek into our future should Baxter become a big brother—one step at a time people.
Comments
Looove winning free things hope I get this one! As a single mom do not spend much on cosmetic things would be a treat!