I am annoyed that people in the parent groups I belong to say things like "Looking for a girl diaper bag since I am having a girl" or "Looking for a girl baby carrier" etc. First of all, these objects are the parent's equipment, not the child's. Second, what difference does it make whether your diaper bag is girly or just nice or plain? Something CAN be nice and be suitable for men and women. If you want something feminine then own it, don't put that on the child. Third, do we have to drill a child's gender into them before they get to the age where their own preferences prevail (in which case they may indeed want everything pink). I mean come on people. If she was born with a vagina she knows it. She does not need everything in her surroundings to tell her like a billboard that reads "You're a girl and this is what that means."
But then again, who am I to judge? I just felt like putting that out there safely in the comfort of my blog :)
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
So many ideas, so little time
I often come up with (obviously) genius blog post topics and thoughts, but (obviously) don't have the time to apply myself. Ha! I am joking. Well, somewhat. Surprisingly enough, I do in fact have time to post in an average day, but it is the desire to sit in front of a computer that is lacking. It would mean giving up a chance to eat/nap/clean/watch TV/read/go for a walk/make calls, etc. I do really have a million blog post ideas. But by the time I get around to writing, all of them mysteriously disappear and I am left rambling about whatever pops into my head as I type.
Life with the twins has continued to be mostly wonderful. I am in love. They don't give us much trouble and haven't been sick apart from a fever following some vaccinations, so we are very fortunate thus far. We get more and more sleep. (In fact, for Father's Day they let us "sleep in" until 8 am!!! That's the latest/longest I have slept in probably 8 months, since I was sleeping horribly during the pregnancy as well.)
(My babies just started to wake up so I will have to come back to this later on...)
-- Note: I just got called back for a casting call for the twins. We will do our first (and maybe last) TV cameo in a Quebec comedy series. I am doing this for several reasons: a) since I am having them live out my dream of being an actress; b) it gives me something interesting to do with my days; and c) it's money for our boys' education... not much, but it's something. --
And now back to official business.
I've wanted to write about several things: a summary of my pregnancy, my state of fitness, a rant about how pets are NOT children (but with all due respect for my pet-loving friends--I did have and loved pets too--, just a rant about how you cannot compare humans and responsibility for them to caring for a pet, even though they both bring something wonderful to the world), and some other things that have nothing to do with babies, pregnancy or fitness, but that I've long forgotten.
So for now I will just give my usual update. The babies are now almost 5 months old and this is a wonderful time since they laugh and smile and babble adorably. They are also a bit fussier since they are growing/teething/having vaccinations and all that regular stuff, since premies are VERY quiet in the first couple months my experience. I am still exclusively breastfeeding, always simultaneously so I can make the most of my non-feeding time. The babies are awake more hours of the day too, so that means it requires more of my attention. I am now starting to examine the possibilities for future childcare because I see for myself how important it is to stimulate the babies and give them opportunities to learn. I almost feel bad sometimes that I am a little too "no frills" (i.e. cheap/unwilling to buy into consumer society/lazy/unwilling to go shop to buy more toys... however you want to see it). I am trying to figure out what they need as I go, and I am always telling myself to stay between "there are children in the world who spend entire days attached to their mothers learning just from being next to her" and "there are children who have access to brain stimulating toys, have moms who participate in baby/mom activities and create/buy things based on Pinterest". I want to be something in between that. My favourite thing is reading to the boys and going for walks, and I hope to get them into swimming lessons (we're on a waiting list), and that's more than some moms can say, and so much less than other moms who make their own granola and such.
On a related note: I learned from planning my wedding that I am more willing to pay for bespoke items than to DIY anything AND Pinterest is the enemy of people like me and I must absolutely set boundaries for myself when I use it, boundaries such as telling myself I am allowed to look for a specific paint colour for our bathroom and NOT allowed to scroll for hours looking at things I can neither afford nor muster the willingness to craft myself.
I am part of a FB group for parents of multiples. We ask each other questions specific to parenting twins/triplets, etc. as this kind of information isn't as readily Googlable as standard baby rearing info for one child. One woman asked the other parents what they did for their babies' rooms and how to do it on a budget. We all submitted pictures of what we did and I was blown away at how much effort people put into their babies' rooms. I mean these rooms were GORGEOUS and they were inspired by Pinterest and did a lot of it themselves or with a lot of money. I suddenly felt guilty/bad about my extremely simple room that took almost zero effort. But then I reminded myself that the fact the babies have a room (let alone a roof over their heads) and that I put ANY effort into it makes them more spoiled than most children in the world. They will grow up loving it because it is their place just as I loved many of my unimpressive and minuscule rooms growing up. But my oh my is it easy to start comparing yourself to others and feeling like you're not doing enough. On the other hand, I am fairly confident in my mothering ability and I do a lot of reading and asking for advice, so that is really what counts. The babies are getting wonderfully fat and are very happy.
Babies are waking again. Must go. I will stop apologizing after this because it happens every time, but for this and all future posts, I am deeply sorry that it is incoherent and lacks a clear topic.
Oh, I did want to mention that as of today I am starting to try to get in better shape. I have set a goal of 10 pushups, 10 crunches and 5 handstands per day until I am ready for more (apart form my once-weekly beach volleyball matches). Today I have done 5 pushups, 10 crunches and 1 handstand so far. A 2-hour walk as well. I have lost maybe 2 pounds in 4 months and have been gradually getting better but eating rather poorly. So today is the day I start to make a minimal effort until I am prepared for a big push.
Have a wonderful day.
Life with the twins has continued to be mostly wonderful. I am in love. They don't give us much trouble and haven't been sick apart from a fever following some vaccinations, so we are very fortunate thus far. We get more and more sleep. (In fact, for Father's Day they let us "sleep in" until 8 am!!! That's the latest/longest I have slept in probably 8 months, since I was sleeping horribly during the pregnancy as well.)
(My babies just started to wake up so I will have to come back to this later on...)
-- Note: I just got called back for a casting call for the twins. We will do our first (and maybe last) TV cameo in a Quebec comedy series. I am doing this for several reasons: a) since I am having them live out my dream of being an actress; b) it gives me something interesting to do with my days; and c) it's money for our boys' education... not much, but it's something. --
And now back to official business.
I've wanted to write about several things: a summary of my pregnancy, my state of fitness, a rant about how pets are NOT children (but with all due respect for my pet-loving friends--I did have and loved pets too--, just a rant about how you cannot compare humans and responsibility for them to caring for a pet, even though they both bring something wonderful to the world), and some other things that have nothing to do with babies, pregnancy or fitness, but that I've long forgotten.
So for now I will just give my usual update. The babies are now almost 5 months old and this is a wonderful time since they laugh and smile and babble adorably. They are also a bit fussier since they are growing/teething/having vaccinations and all that regular stuff, since premies are VERY quiet in the first couple months my experience. I am still exclusively breastfeeding, always simultaneously so I can make the most of my non-feeding time. The babies are awake more hours of the day too, so that means it requires more of my attention. I am now starting to examine the possibilities for future childcare because I see for myself how important it is to stimulate the babies and give them opportunities to learn. I almost feel bad sometimes that I am a little too "no frills" (i.e. cheap/unwilling to buy into consumer society/lazy/unwilling to go shop to buy more toys... however you want to see it). I am trying to figure out what they need as I go, and I am always telling myself to stay between "there are children in the world who spend entire days attached to their mothers learning just from being next to her" and "there are children who have access to brain stimulating toys, have moms who participate in baby/mom activities and create/buy things based on Pinterest". I want to be something in between that. My favourite thing is reading to the boys and going for walks, and I hope to get them into swimming lessons (we're on a waiting list), and that's more than some moms can say, and so much less than other moms who make their own granola and such.
On a related note: I learned from planning my wedding that I am more willing to pay for bespoke items than to DIY anything AND Pinterest is the enemy of people like me and I must absolutely set boundaries for myself when I use it, boundaries such as telling myself I am allowed to look for a specific paint colour for our bathroom and NOT allowed to scroll for hours looking at things I can neither afford nor muster the willingness to craft myself.
I am part of a FB group for parents of multiples. We ask each other questions specific to parenting twins/triplets, etc. as this kind of information isn't as readily Googlable as standard baby rearing info for one child. One woman asked the other parents what they did for their babies' rooms and how to do it on a budget. We all submitted pictures of what we did and I was blown away at how much effort people put into their babies' rooms. I mean these rooms were GORGEOUS and they were inspired by Pinterest and did a lot of it themselves or with a lot of money. I suddenly felt guilty/bad about my extremely simple room that took almost zero effort. But then I reminded myself that the fact the babies have a room (let alone a roof over their heads) and that I put ANY effort into it makes them more spoiled than most children in the world. They will grow up loving it because it is their place just as I loved many of my unimpressive and minuscule rooms growing up. But my oh my is it easy to start comparing yourself to others and feeling like you're not doing enough. On the other hand, I am fairly confident in my mothering ability and I do a lot of reading and asking for advice, so that is really what counts. The babies are getting wonderfully fat and are very happy.
Babies are waking again. Must go. I will stop apologizing after this because it happens every time, but for this and all future posts, I am deeply sorry that it is incoherent and lacks a clear topic.
Oh, I did want to mention that as of today I am starting to try to get in better shape. I have set a goal of 10 pushups, 10 crunches and 5 handstands per day until I am ready for more (apart form my once-weekly beach volleyball matches). Today I have done 5 pushups, 10 crunches and 1 handstand so far. A 2-hour walk as well. I have lost maybe 2 pounds in 4 months and have been gradually getting better but eating rather poorly. So today is the day I start to make a minimal effort until I am prepared for a big push.
Have a wonderful day.
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