Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 Project Wrap up

So it's official.... 2012 is over and I didn't finish my list. Weather, scheduling and wishful thinking got in the way and left a few items incomplete. But I am choosing to focus on what I DID get done from my list, and in the grand scheme of things I am pretty darn proud of what I accomplished! So what if Ty and I never made it to the Museum of Anthropology....I've been there before and really it was just the thrifty side of me that felt the need to use a free pass. As for the post-baby list....I am a little disappointed that I didn't get those last 5 things in, but I guess that's what happens when you live in Vancouver and try to plan weather dependent activities. And having looked at my posts through the year, I realized that there are also a lot of things that weren't on my list but we did anyway. So really, those last few items just give me a little mini-list to complete next year! 

The List

Before baby:
1. Host a dinner party
2. Purge and organize storage room and dreaded office/filing nightmare corner
3. Spend an entire day in bed watching movies with my hubby
4. Read 5 books
5. Do a belly photo shoot
6. Get a new car
7. Visit one of the Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives recommended restaurants in Vancouver
8. Outfit the house for baby for under $5000
(do lots of crafting, DIY, borrowing, craigslist and second-hand store hunting)
9. Finish the craft projects I started or bought materials for and never got around to
a) make a maxi skirt
b) Vancouver Photo Wall Art project
c) crocheted blanket for baby
10. Continue craft and Bachelor Mondays with Jill and Corinne
11. Seattle Shopping Weekend Getaway
12. Decorate the Baby corner (since we have a 1 bedroom apartment, baby gets a corner)
13. Take a prenatal yoga class
14. Go to the Museum of Anthropology (Ty won free passes at his Holiday Party)
15. Movie Date with hubby

After baby:
16. Blog at least twice a month
17. Learn more about photography and take lots of photos
18. Go to a FreshAirCinemas outdoor movie
19. Do a Family Camping Trip
20. Take Family trip to Ontario to visit extended family
21. Family snowshoe adventure
22. Try and stick to doing family date night once a month
(take advantage of free and cheap activities in Vancouver)
23. Bowen Island picnic and hike
24. Do the 12 Dates of Christmas in December (idea from theRockstar Diaries blog)
25. Cut down our own Christmas tree
26. Buy a condo (hopefully)
27. Have a beach BBQ
28. Start and continue exercise program to lose baby weight
29. Host a waffle brunch party
30. Learn how to make baby food

2012 has been a year of ups and downs. Into my world came a little being that I never knew could bring me so much joy and whom I could love so much, but I also lost someone I loved dearly. Throughout this year and this 2012 list project,  I have learned a few lessons that I will try to take into 2013 and beyond  

1. As much as I try to organize and plan, there are still things beyond my control. Let it go.
2. Some of the best moments are not planned. Embrace spontaneity. 
3. Instead of building up a moment in my mind and being disappointed because it doesn't live up to my high expectations, go into any experience or situation with an open mind and enjoy the moment. Manage expectations and be present.
4. It doesn't really matter what I do or don't accomplish, it's who I surround myself with in those moments. Be grateful and focus on the positive.
5. Life is short so make sure the people you love know it.  All you need is love. 

♥ Lindsay

Ps.....not sure if you noticed but there is a pretty big item on my post-baby list that is crossed off. It's not for sure yet but stay tuned for an update on #26. 

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Happy 1/2 birthday Alexis

I can't believe Alexis is 6 months old today. It truly does fly by so fast!! She is sitting up by herself, has gone from hating tummy time to tolerating it (or I daresay actually liking it on occasion), is discovering new sounds every week (this past week, she seemed to have found the volume button....so that's been fun) and generally exploring the world around her (my favorite moment to date was finding her trying to pick the polka dots off her leggings...too cute). We even started giving her some solid foods on Christmas day... she got to enjoy sweet potatoes just like mommy and daddy and she couldn't have been more proud of herself. She has her moments of quiet observation, but for the most part she doesn't like sitting still for too long and wants to be on the move constantly. I think she will be keeping me very busy once she figures out how to get herself moving....but she has learned so much over the past 6 months, I am excited to see what the next 6 months will bring..... I can't wait!! 
But for now, here is her life in pictures 3-6 months: 



Lindsay

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Family photo 2012

So I have a new found respect for photographers that take photos of babies....especially our little wiggle monster. She would look down, grab at the tree, try and jump out of my arms etc. But I was determined to get a good one. We realized that the key was for Ty and I to look at the camera no matter what Alexis was doing and it would eventually all come together.  









 It took us a few tries but we finally got a good one....success!
Merry Christmas from the Trudels
♥ Lindsay

Easier than I thought



I was reviewing my list today because we started solid foods on Christmas day and I wanted to cross off learning how to make baby food from my list! It turns out that it was easier than I thought....really the only tough part was deciding how to introduce solids and let me tell you....there are A LOT of opinions on this matter! After much deliberation and extensive reading (most of which gave conflicting advice) I decided to skip the rice cereal and start Alexis on whole foods. I didn't know whether I was making the right decision, but Ty helped me see that you can do all the research you want but there doesn't seem to be a right or wrong answer! Well I guess it could be argued that some things would be a bad decision....like candy as a first food, but in general we realized that this was just yet another lesson in parenting....gotta go with what feels right! So having decided to give Alexis her first 'real' food on Christmas day, the obvious choice for what to make her was some sweet potatoes. So into the baby bullet went some steamed sweet potatoes and breast milk....and voila; Alexis' first meal and # 30 on my list✓ That was easier than I thought! 

Alexis has been lusting after our food for weeks now and reaching for our forks while smacking her lips....so to say she was excited to be sitting in her chair with a spoon going towards her mouth is an understatement for sure. 


Once the spoon hit her lips it was a bit of a different story though! Not sure what she thought of the sweet potatoes at first but she is loving them now.


....and has moved on to sweet peas. Yum!!


Speaking of easier than I thought....#28 Start and continue an exercise program to lose the baby weight was not as challenging as I thought it would be when I made this list!  Apparently I am blessed with some pretty good genes because I was at pre -pregnancy weight just a week after Alexis was born. Let's be honest though....it's probably more than the genes that helped me out with that. I am breastfeeding, eating well and getting out everyday for walks so that in combination with some great genes..... I feel pretty lucky that I was able to bounce back so quickly. However the same can't be said about my core strength....it's a tough road to rebuild your core after having a c-section! So instead of focussing on weight loss I have really been working on regaining my core strength.....and it's slowly but surely coming back! I still  have a ways to go, but I think I can safely cross off #28 from my list too!
♥ Lindsay

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

12 Dates of Christmas

I am a huge fan of the blog Love Taza (just changed from Rockstar Diaries) and that is where I found out about the 12 Dates of Christmas. We decided to modify it a little bit and do family dates rather than coupley dates....the one rule was it had to be under $10 and of course it had to be baby friendly. Thanks to a a random act of kindness we were able to go to a Vancouver Giants game as one of our family dates! I was waiting in line to buy tickets and a lovely gentleman gave me a pair and said his friend couldn't use them so Merry Christmas. That was perfect because honestly I was running short on ideas and with the free tickets we came in under budget, so thank you kind stranger wherever you are!
Here's a little glimpse of what we did.




1. Christmas Tree Farm
2. Make homemade Christmas cards
3. Santa Visit
4. Grounds for Coffee Cinnamon buns and coffee
5. Waffle Party
6. Family trip to winners to buy a few gifts to donate to the CTV Toys for Kids drive (forgot to get a photo)
7. Christmas Tree Decorating and hot apple cider
8. Yummy hot chocolate and drive around to look at lights
9. Christmas craft making (Alexis' first Christmas ornament)
10. Christmas movie and treat night (Elf and peppermint ice cream...yum!)
11. Giants game
12. Take Alexis to see her first snow

I love the idea of this for a tradition because it gives us a chance to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We see it as a time to spend time with family and friends, not necessarily a time to spend money on tons of gifts. It's also a season of spreading love and joy to others, so doing something together as a family to give back to others who may not be as fortunate as we are will always make our list. This year that came in the form of choosing gifts for the toy drive, but in the years to come I would love to be able to help serve a Christmas dinner at a shelter, or collect blankets to donate to the homeless. Really the possibilities are endless and I look forward to continuing this tradition each year!
♥ Lindsay

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Family fun at the tree farm

This year I really wanted to start a new tradition of cutting down our own Christmas tree. I wanted it to be a new tradition for our little family to do together every year. This year Alexis obviously didn't really get what we were doing, but she loves getting out in the fresh air and was a little trooper as we weaved throughout the rows and rows of trees. It was definitely difficult to find a tree that Ty and I agreed on. One of us would ask; 'What about this one?' To tall. Not green enough. Too full. Too sparse. Is that one dying? I like the ones with the stiffer needles not the fluffy looking ones (clearly we know nothing about the varying Christmas tree species). Wait, haven't we looked at this one already? No wait....I think it was that one over there. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. It was no wonder Alexis fell asleep about an hour into our hunt. I can't even imagine how much longer it will take as we have more opinions to take into consideration! 
Hmmm...perhaps we should give ourselves more time next year. 
All in all it was a successful trip and I am so excited to keep up this tradition in the future.
#25 Cut down our own Christmas Tree ✔
♥ Lindsay

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Waffle Party!!

 One of my favorite things to do in the winter is to go out for brunch. There is just something about waking up late and strolling to one of the many brunch joints in our neighbourhood....then sitting down to enjoy endless cups of coffee and delicious food! These days there is no such thing as sleeping....nevermind sleeping late, so we are often the first customers for 'brunch' (really at that hour, it's just breakfast) and usually Alexis' patience doesn't allow for more than 2 cups of coffee....but it still remains one of my favorite weekend activities. Sometimes though, it's also just as nice to stay in and have people over for brunch, and that's what I decided to do for my birthday this year! We decided to kill two birds with one stone and check off #29 on my list.....so on the menu was the most decadent brunch item in my opinion; waffles and whipped cream. I have hosted waffle parties in the past and usually I like to have everyone bring their favorite topping. From the standard butter and syrup to homemade chocolate peanut butter sauce (YUM!) and caramel pecan dessert topping....we've tried it all throughout the years, but my favorite is good old fresh berries and whipped cream (a la Patisserie Lebeau). I decided since it was my birthday....people could eat their waffles the way I like them dammit! Just kidding....we also offered syrup and chocolate sauce :) Add in some mimosas and some really great coffee and we had a yummy waffle feast....#29 Host a waffle party ✔

Everything you need for a successful waffle party.
 The inspiration
The results....not as pretty but I assure you they were just as delicious!
♥ Lindsay

Monday, December 3, 2012

Guilt, obligation and other things I am letting go of....

Like it or not....I am in the final month of my 2012 list and I have come to terms with the fact that I am just not going to finish my list. Period. I am a pretty competitive person and although this isn't a competition per se, it feels like a personal loss to not be able to finish what I set out to. Dramatic?!? Maybe so, but looking back to January of 2012 one of the reasons I wanted to do this list was to have a reminder to keep doing the things I love, even when my life got infinitely busier as a new mom! However the inevitable happened. Life changed, weather got in the way, and let's be honest I feel like time just got away from me. With those unchecked items hanging over my head come feelings of guilt and obligation.....now how does that enrich my life? It doesn't....so I am letting go of those feelings. I have decided to be proud of what I have accomplished and look forward to the things I have planned for the month of December. As for the rest of the list....there's always next year!

♥ Lindsay


Saturday, December 1, 2012

Touches of Christmas

Is it just me or does Christmas in the retail world get earlier every year? It seems like Halloween is barely over and suddenly there are Christmas tunes in every store, trees and lights on display at every corner....and your favorite Starbucks beverage is now enjoyed in a festive red cup. Now I love the holiday season more than anyone I know, so you would think I would be all for extending it to enjoy for as long as possible, but starting in October is just ridiculous! In our home, the Christmas season doesn't begin until December, but let me tell you..... as soon as December 1st arrives (and not a minute sooner thanks to my stickler of a hubby) our house is filled with the Christmas spirit. As you can imagine November 30th is a busy day for me but this year it was even busier because I decided to make our stockings. So in addition to updating my iPod with a few new Christmas tunes and digging out our holiday decor to display, I also managed to start and finish 3 personalized stockings to hang on our bookshelf with care :) I used this tutorial  and I am so happy with the results!

Side note: Here's how I kept Alexis busy while I was sewing and decorating up a storm. Turns out she loves playing with material....well anything she can pick up really... but particularly she seems to love being able to play with anything that I have my attention on. Laundry, my lunch, a book I am reading....you get the point! 
So I used that to my advantage and gave her the two stockings I wasn't working on, while I was sewing the third one. Love the sneaky mom tricks I am learning :) 



I don't have very many Christmas decorations, but luckily I also don't have a very big space to decorate so it doesn't take much to make our little apartment feel festive! You may notice that a Christmas tree is absent from this collage....well that's because I wanted to cut our own tree this year (see list item #25) so I have to wait until Sunday when the hubby is available to come on our family tree cutting date. So excited for that, but until then I have these little touches of Christmas to enjoy! 
♥ Lindsay