We Have A Baby!!

Jack at almost 2 weeks of age.

Our baby bear finally decided to grace us with his presence :) Baby Jack was born on October 3rd at 4:00pm. Measuring in at 8.95lbs and 23 inches! He was 5 days overdue.

We went into labour late in the evening on the 2nd - it started off with just what felt like Braxton Hicks, but they became regular at 5 minutes for over an hour, so I called L&D as I wasn't sure and they recommended I come in and get checked out. They confirmed that they were indeed contractions, so I got to stay. By morning when my doctor came in,  I was dilated a good 4-5cm, so they broke my water - which made the contractions worse, but I was able to hop in the shower and clean up and the hot water was soothing. I was happy that we did the 20 minute drive while I was not having any pain - I couldn't imagine the drive with full contractions. 

Things just progressed more and more through the afternoon - it was uncomfortable, but manageable with the resources they had available : birthing ball, tub, nitrous gas ect. We gave birth at birthing center, and the nursing care and support was just amazing.  I think that really made a difference - I had always thought that I would be demanding an epidural right away, but we did it without one... and I will 100% attribute that to the support from the nurses and my husband, as well as my very calm and confident doctor. Although, I'll admit the last half hour I was really wondering if it was a good idea. But we did it! I had back labour, so I was most comfortable standing and leaning forward - two things I would not have been able to do if I had an epidural: lying on my back and sitting were the worse when I was labouring. My husband was a tremendous help, applying counter pressure when needed to help through the harder contractions and just amazing overall support.

It got real around 1 in the afternoon, and by 2 we were in hard labour - pushing hard for about 2 hours. Finally Jack, stubborn as he was, came into the world at a very precise 4:00pm with the help of some vacuum assistance after 18 hours of labour. He did not make it easy, that is for sure - but he was completely worth it :)

Because it was a birthing center, we had a huge room to ourselves, with our own bathroom facilities, microwave and everything. I got to stay in the same room where I labored and gave birth to Jack - so it was nice that we could settle into a room and not worry about being moved around all over.

Day One

By the way - those wondering about 'old wives tales' while I was pregnant (we didn't know the sex of our baby during the pregnancy):  majority of the 'tests' said we would be having a girl - James actually almost didn't believe it when he announced that it was a boy - he 100% thought it was a girl. Also, I had zero heart-burn / stomach issues, ect - despite how much hair Jack has. And for those super concerned about pregnancy weight - I was all baby. I gained 20lbs during this pregnancy, and when I left the hospital, we carried almost 9 lbs of that home (baby Jack), and the rest we left there, I came home to pre-pregnancy weight. So moms - do not fret about your weight :)

Jack at one week - I know he's crying, but I love how this photo caught so much expression.

Jack has been doing well, Oreo (cat) and Chewie (dog) are still adjusting, but coming around. He's feeding like a champ, so we have been able to breastfeed exclusively so far. We've introduced one bottle at night, so dad can do a feeding, I can sleep a bit more, and to prep Jack for if there's a reason I can't breastfeed him. We introduced the soothie the second night for our sanity, and it has been a blessing, and there has been zero nipple confusion - our nurse pretty much told us to 'do us', and not to worry about the whole nipple confusion 'ridiculousness' as she refereed to it hehe. We have also started introducing some cloth diapering this week, started yesterday, now that I can move a bit better and have a better handle on the feeding and such. So far I've just done some prefolds and covers - and no leaks or problems (yet). I have some other diapers to try in the smaller sizes - he's not far away from the one-size diapers though with his big birth weight.

One month to go!

I cannot believe that we are less than a month away until Baby C is due! The beginning just seemed to drag, and now things are just going by so quickly! I have two and a half weeks left of work at the hospital (I took a week and a few days vacation before my due date), and I will be closing my Etsy shop this week and taking care of last minute orders. I will keep the shop open for communications, in case there are problems with shipments, but will eventually put it into vacation mode.

I'm really excited for delivery (and nervous as well, of course being a first time mom). We are delivering at a birthing center, and are super excited for the options available to us.  I'm curious to see how our pets, Chewie and Oreo, react to our little one - and super excited to know if we have a little baby boy or girl!

The countdown is on!

Prepping for the baby: DIY mobile and refinished baby furniture

I have begun to work on the various DIY projects in anticipation for baby and the nursery. The coming of our little bundle will probably be one of my biggest DIY projects since our wedding (and will probably trump that too). We are 24 weeks now, and I'm hoping to finish most of these projects sooner than later - in case I don't feel up to it later in pregnancy.

 The first one I started (I have them all in various stages of progress), is a 'woodland' mobile for above the crib. It will have little critters and such to float above baby while baby drifts off to sleep. I have been keeping track of the felt pieces I've cut out with hopes of sharing the pattern with you all at a later time :)

I was also fortunate to be given a previously loved crib for baby. I decided to refinish it, and being that chalk paint is non-toxic and super easy to apply, I choose that route. It's a nice soft, light grey colour with the slightest tint of brown. I was also given a pre-loved dresser that I am refinishing the same way - this way all of our pre-loved baby furniture will be all matchy-matchy for the amazing cost of a bit of paint :o)

I have a few other projects on my mind - some will have to wait until the nursery room is cleared out, but others I'll begin as soon as these two projects get a little further along.  I am hoping to give each of the above projects their own post when they are complete in placed in their proper new home in the nursery :)

It's A Summer Sale!

Today I am sharing a summer sale! I have never had a sale on my original paintings before - but we are moving things around for the new baby, and I thought this would get a great opportunity for everyone to get some original art for their walls for way less! Some of the paintings are 50% off their original price!

You can find all of the available paintings in my online store, here.  Happy Summer!! :)

And then there was three!

Things have been very quiet over here... with reason. I had a lot of big plans this year for my artwork and art business, but then we got a very happy surprise - we got pregnant! :) Baby is due September 28th, and gender will be a surprise :) We could not be more thrilled! We had been trying for quite some time, so actually *getting* pregnant was far from my mind when I was dreaming up all these plans as it just didn't seem to be happening for us - and then it did :) 

We officially passed the halfway point last week. We did our 20 week ultrasound the other day, and all is well - so I thought I would finally share it here. I won't lie - I feel like I have been pregnant for forever - we found out when I was just 3-4 weeks in mid January - so super early.

The first trimester was a little rough - I had nausea only at night, so I could at least go to work and function during the day. I never threw up, which was amazing. Then around 13-14 weeks, I had to work a week of night shift - and after that week I have felt completely back to normal :) So I am now in what I'm calling my "honeymoon" baby phase hehe. My biggest craving so far has been watermelon.

Being that making a baby is hard work, and I work at a job where it is pretty physically demanding on a normal person - I work in a hospital - I am pretty pooched at night and only do what I have to do, and then go to bed. So that would explain my absence here, and if you follow me on my other platforms - my absence of creativeness over there.

We are creating a 'Woodland' nursery, and I have a few DIY projects that I hope to share - but again, I cannot promise that will happen. ;)

Snowflake Keepsake Watercolour Painting

It has been blustering cold these past few weeks where I live, and the snow has not stopped at all. I've been home numerous days due to roads being closed and poor driving conditions. Last week, the days I did end up going to work, my drives have been almost twice as long due to all the snow. It is scary sometimes, driving and not seeing even the hood of your vehicle. It just sneaks up sometimes too - where it will be nice at work, and nice at home, but somewhere in middle it's not. I go slow, and make it home :)

But once I'm home, and I look out - the snow is beautiful. And I do love being cozy inside drinking copious amounts of tea while the snow falls - or, being out in the snow trudging through it with my snowshoes. It has got to be one of the best outdoor, winter workouts. Especially if you have to break the path yourself!

"Snowflake Keepsake" - Original watercolour painting

It is no surprise then that I painted this Mason Jar winter painting. "Snowflake Keepsake" brings together those huge, fluffy snowflakes that I love so much, together with the Mason jar motif that I have really been feeling this winter (and that has shown up in other art work as well).  

This painting came together so much better than I could have imagined, and I'm so excited to share it with all of you :) 

2017 Watercolour Calendar and FREE print!

I am pleased to be offering a 2017 calendar this year! It was on Pre-Sale in 2016, and I have a few left.

This year's calendar features a lot of new artwork - some that have yet to been added to the store! So a lot of fresh, new artwork to grace your desk and walls with.

As always, it comes with a mini-easel to display the calendar. I've also included the option this year to just receive the cards to display as you wish. That way, those who have purchase the calendar with the easel in previous years can just opt for the cards and re-use their easel if they wish.

As an incentive for the remainder of January and February - all orders will include a FREE 5x7" print of your choosing from the shop. All artwork presented in the shop can be printed 5x7". When checking out, just include the name or link to the print that you wish to receive in the 'Notes to Seller', or you can message or email me after with your choice. You can find this calendar in my online shop, here.