Children's Rooms Copenhagen and creative mamas and their offspring

So, I am in my 36th week of pregnancy and starting to feel very, very pregnant.  Each evening the baby  goes up a touch higher in my belly, hiding up under my ribs, going back down when I get out of bed in the morning.  The actual shape of my belly is so different at night.  My ribs are starting to hurt constantly.  My stomach is also feeling sore all over, causing me to really waddle now.  Oh yeah, and my feet are killing me and the joints in my hands are creaky and sore.

Oh poor me!  But soon enough I'll have a beautiful wee baby and I'm SO EXCITED!

The end is near, and I'm starting to think about what life with be like with a kid. Here are a few blogger moms who I find inspiring.

Tape Yourself Silly post on the Dos Family blog.

Oh yeah, and here's a photo from the Dos Family blog of the daughter's room.

And here's a photo of a playhouse featured on the Dos Family blog, designed by Havtorn Design.

Last week I discovered the Journals of Giddy Giddy, a blog written by a designer in California who about the creative projects she does with her kids.  

Lovely pastel tie dye experiments!

Making stencils with freezer paper, printing on fabric.

And my favourite, painting fabric and using it for sewing projects.  I think I will try this soon to make some cute pinafore-type dresses for our bebe.  

On Friday I had coffee with my friend Alex in the Junction at a lovely coffee shop named Crema. We stopped in at the Scandanavian/Japanese design shop called Mjolk (they also keep a great blog that I've been following for a while), where I bought the book "Children's Rooms Copenhagen", published by the Japanese design and illustration publisher, Paumes.

All the rooms showcased are light and airy, with light pine, maple or white painted floors, white walls and pops of bright colours -- everything I want our second floor to be.

Our light birch flooring is being installed as I write this!  Yeehaw!  

Hand-knit baby clothes and home reno - fab garage sale finds and subfloor

Joe is upstairs putting down a subfloor so the hardwood can be installed on Monday.  I feel a touch guilty that I am not up there helping him.  After the plywood subfloor is down it has to be screwed in every 6 inches to prevent squeaks. We worked on this together screwing down the subfloor on our first floor it was grueling. The best I can do it bring him is a sandwich from the Brazilian bakery at Dundas and Sheridan and a beer! We're also off to my Uncle's wedding later this afternoon. I'll post a photo tomorrow of how insane I look wearing a dress and heels with my huge belly. 

This spring I went a little nut-so buying baby stuff at garage sales.  I found some fabulous vintage hand-knit baby outfits that I'm going to try to wash this weekend.  My mom also just found a beautiful hand-knit outfit that my nana made that I wore home from the hospital when I was born. Thank god that my mom is washing that because the knitting is very fine and it's absolutely beautiful.  

Most of these outfits were bought from one person at a garage sale thrown by my brother-in-law's friend Morgan.  I bought a handful of outfits and when her garage sale was done Morgan gave me all her vintage baby clothes she didn't sell!  

These booties were knit years ago by Joe's grandmother before she died. She knit every grandchild a pair for their future kids.

Bye for now!

Lazer

The confusing cloth diaper

I've been casually researching cloth diapering for the last few months, and I say casually because I'm finding it to be an exhausting process, so I've been taking lots of breaks.  There are so many choices of "diapering systems", like so many things relating to a new baby. I really have only the slightest idea of what my life will be like with a new baby. I understand how the diapers work, but I have no idea what type of will work best for us and what will be best for our baby, who I have been toting around with me for almost 9 months but I have yet to actually meet.

Some reasons why I want to use cloth diapers with our bebe:

• Cloth diapers come in cool colours.  
• I've got allergies and some eczema and  Joe has very sensitive skin, so we're expecting the bebe to also have sensitive skin.  I would rather have natural materials next to my bebe's skin.
• The absorbant gel in disposable diapers makes me nervous.  Check out this CBC News article from May, 2010,"Disposable diapers: Are they dangerous? There's a lack of data about the chemicals found in diapers", that discusses claims that a line of Pampers diapers has causes chemical burns on babies' delicate butts.
• Although Joe and I are not broke, I'm pretty cheap.  Buying a set of cloth diapers is a lot cheaper than using disposables, especially considering we may be able to use them with bebe #2
• Joe and I bought an awesome high efficiency washer and dryer combo last year, so I know washing the diapers will be fairly easy and will use less water.  The washer and dryer play a little song when they're done.  How cool is that?  We're also moving out washer and dryer right to the second floor of our house, which will be really convenient.
• And duh... I would rather not add more garbage to the landfills. I like the earth.

THAT SAID--- I get that there is a possibility that, like many people who choose cloth diapers, we may abandon ship and end up using disposables. I don't judge those who have abandon cloth, HOWEVER, I would prefer not to be judged as a total newbie/naive new mom for deciding to give it a whirl.  

Two great stores that have been helpful to me:

Baby on the Hip at College and Ossington:
I attended a cloth diapering workshop that gave a pretty good overview of the main types of cloth diapers. Their in-store selection is not so good though.

Diaper-Eez at Runnymede and Bloor:

Amazing customer service!  The woman helping me gave me a 30 minute demonstration of all brands they stock (it seemed like at least 15+ brands and styles) and answered a lot of questions I had. She even offered to stop midway through her demo, asking if I needed to pee.  

After the Baby on the Hip workshop, I was thinking about buying Bummis prefold diapers, which are basically a big cloth you fold in three, put on the baby and then put a waterproof cover over.  They are by far the cheapest type of cloth diaper "system" to use.  However, there are multiple sizes, whereas other diapering "systems" are one size, so one set will last through all the diapering years.

While at Diaper-Eez a few days ago, I starting thinking about  forking out the extra dough and buying all in one cloth diapers, where you don't have to do much but scrape off the poop and through the diaper in the wash. I'm over pre-folds, especially once I starting thinking about how our bebe would eventually be in daycare.  I decided the easier the better. 

Now I'm deciding between these two one-size diapers. They're pretty similar in function and price, so now I've got to look around online for some reviews and see if that will help me decide.  Aesthetically, both brands have bold, bright colours, which I am a sucker for.

 Bummis Tots Bots Easy Fit

Omaiki

I think I may buy a few of each and test them out. 

If anyone reading this has experience with cloth diapers, I'd love to hear about it!  

Bye for now!

Lazer

wall art for bebe's room

Hello friends!

This morning I am dead tired, but determined to enjoy this not so hot morning and brainstorming ways to shake my tiredness (and heartburn and barfyness). I'm blasting some very upbeat classical music and pumping myself up to take on the day.  Outside the cicadas are making their strange buzzy-screechy noise. I can't believe it's August.

Joe and I went to an appointment with our midwife this morning. Everything with the baby is A-OK. I'm going to have an ultrasound next week because the midwife wasn't 100% sure of the baby's head-down position, although she's fairly positive she is head down.

Did I mention that we're considering having a home birth?  Joe and I are still undecided, but keeping our minds open.  One issue we're keeping in mind is that we live in a row house, connected to other houses on either side.  There is not brick wall between the houses, only drywall and insulation, so sound travels easily between the houses.  On one side we have a little old Portuguese lady, who I'm not too worried about her hearing my in labour, but on the other side our neighbours are doing a complete renovation of their house. There are at least 2 or 3 contractors at the house every day and the noise they make can be pretty loud in our house. Vice-versa, this bunch of beefy contrator men will be able to hear me in labour.  Something to think about...

I have a list of topics I'd like to post about, including home birth, breast-feeding, my hopes/worries/excitement about labour, etc. I'd also like to post about different myths and rituals surrounding child birth and motherhood. I'll have to put these off another day because my brain is just not up to it.

So... I've decided to show you some ideas I've gathered for the baby's room... The hardwood floor is going down on Monday, and we have new windows to be installed. Hopefully we'll be able to start putting the room together in 2 weeks or so (crossing my fingers).

DIY potato printed polka dots from the blog Oh Happy Day.

Recycled dinosaur planters. 

You can find them on Etsy.

12x18 handprinted letterpress poster

from Roll&TumblePress, available on Etsy

8" x 10 digital print

Etsy

Amethyst, 8X10 Art Print

Etsy

DIY paper lanterns

instructions from Martha Stewart website. These seem super easy to make: tissue paper cut in circles secured to a paper lantern.

This image is from a house tour on the Apartment Therapy blog. As soon as she's old enough, doing something like this would be SO MUCH FUN!

This DIY project is pretty neat. We could spell the baby's name. I don't like the shape of the letter but that could be changed. 

Ok, bye for now!

Surrendering my body + wedding anniversary

Surrendering my body

I'm 34 1/2 weeks pregnant and entering a new and scary territory:  I realize that I have to completely surrender my body to my baby. I am no longer in control... 

I had idyllic ideas of my last few weeks of pregnancy... riding my bike around the neighbourhood, catching up on reading, sleeping a lot, going on little day trips around the city... wearing cute summer outfits that show off my baby bump.  

For the last two days I've been feeling hazy-headed and unable to concentrate. So much for the intensive reading I was planning.  

I've been experiencing heartburn all day and night. If I lay down without a gazillion pillows I nearly throw up.  

So much for getting all that great sleep. I get up at least 5 or 6 times a night for a pee and a Tums.  

Riding my bike is proving to be too strenuous an activity in the summer heat.  This really stinks because I love to ride my bike around everywhere, and I generally dislike walking.  Now I'm starting that preggo waddle, arghhh...

As for the cute summer outfits, I am feeling like a whale.  This has more to do with feeling like my body is over-expanding and puffy than feeling fat.  I know I don't look too bad, and I know it's important to gain weight during pregnancy, and that I'm on target for weight gain. But, I'm starting to feel so rolly polly and bloated.  Also, my abs don't work all that well anymore, so I literally have to roll out of bed.  I feel like a Weeble.  Joe can attest to the fact that our bed is constantly covered in clothes from my fits of trying to find an outfit I feel comfortable in.  I have been heard on occasion to ask Joe, "does this outfit look too slutty?"... what is wrong with me???  

I think I'm just having a bad few days. I'm trying to transform my thinking by getting into the mind frame that I am surrendering my body for my baby, who I know is happy as a lark because she's moving around growing and growing like crazy. 

Happy Anniversary!

Joe and I were married two years ago yesterday.  We celebrated by going to Sauble Beach on Sunday. We were going to go to the restaurant Barque on Roncessvalles last night for a super meaty meal, but I was feeling so yucky we decided to stay in and order a super meaty (and organic!) pizza from Magic Oven.

Here's Joe and I at our wedding...

Joe and I in NYC last year for our first anniversary.

At beautiful Sauble Beach on Sunday.

Bye for now!

Lazer

dizzy dizzy with the third trimester bluezzzzz

Hello friends,


I woke up this morning bright and early after a great night's sleep, wrote the last blog entry and left the house to get an iced coffee at the Common.  While drinking my coffee I started to feel woozy and I left to walk the block or two home.  It is SO HOT out today.  I knew as a pregnant lady I would feel hotter than the non-preggers, but today I read that in the third trimester one can feel up to 20% warmer!  I decided to walk through the Dufferin Mall, just down the street, to take advantage of the mall air, and while walking through there I still felt terrible - a little nauseous, light headed and my heart was racing.  


I went home and called my midwifery clinic to run my symptoms by a midwife (my primary midwife is on vacation).  I was told that my symptoms may be a combination of the heat and low iron, and that my iron levels were on the low side when I last had blood drawn 5 weeks ago, and that they often go down in the last weeks of pregnancy.  She told me to rest, keep hydrated and eating.  I have an apt. on Thursday morning with my midwife and she'll test my iron then to see if I need supplements.


SO... on this beautiful summer's day, on my second wedding anniversary, I'm laying down all day in front of  a portable air conditioner feeling out of it, drinking a lot of water and going pee every 20 minutes.  I watched a terrible movie that I ordered from Roger's on demand called Modern Romance, and at one point when there was music on in the background of a scene and a phone rang (in the movie) I tried to use my TV's remote to turn down the volume of the music in the movie.  


Looking at these charts, I think I'll make myself some quinoa because I sure as hell am not going to be eating canned clams or turkey or chicken giblets.

Our Brockton Village row house renovation

Joe and I live in a little 100 year old row house that is 13 1/2 feet wide in the Brockton Village neighbourhood of Toronto.  We bought the house about a little more than a year ago knowing that we'd have to replace the kitchen and take down a few walls, but with the help of our talented, amazing and supportive family, we're more than halfway through gutting the whole house, transforming it from a very dark former rooming house to a light-filled and airy, contemporary and comfortable family home.  

Because our house was divided into two units, we had kitchens on the first floor and second floor, so we decided to renovate one floor at a time. We worked on the first floor first and lived completely on the second floor.  We finished the first floor in December. I'll post photos of that later.  When we found out we were pregnant, with the support of our family, we decided to tackle the second floor so we could get rid of all the nasty 100 year-old plaster and lathe and the many layers of paint and flooring.  Joe and I are now living completely on our first floor, with our bed in our den.  We have a trap door separating our first floor from the second floor.  Our room and the baby's room will be done in a few weeks. 

My dad build us a set of beautiful stairs made of steel, powder-coated in a dark grey colour, with thick walnut treads. My dad is amazing...

Left: Removing the original stairs

Centre: Our new stairs, covered with plywood until our renos are complete. Note the fabulous hand rail!

Right: The walnut treads of stairs seen from above.

Right: The original hallway. Note the lower ceilings

Left: Our new hallway. We lifted the ceiling to the original height and moved all the walls.  The openings at the top of the walls are going to be fitted with transom windows.  Because the house is a row house, attached on either side, and we face north-south, these transom windows allow light to pass between the bedrooms.  

Bottom: The original master bedroom.  Note the sticky tile stuck directly to the original hardwood, ruining it. 

Top: The new bedroom, a bit larger, with a few more feet of ceiling height. The window you can see is going to be replaced with an awning window that is a big bigger than the one shown here.

Reverse angle of new master bedroom.  

Right: The original middle bedroom. Yuck! Look at that weird closet!

Left: New bedroom that will be the baby's room.  

The view towards the back of the second floor.  We're going to tackle that later this year.  We're doubling the size of the washroom and the very back room will be our third bedroom.