SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
freakin excited! Yeah Yeah Yeah! We're moving Sept. 31st or earlier. Such. A. Relief. I am so grateful we've been able to stay at the parent's house for this long and this cheap, but it's so time to move on. This place is so unhealthy mentally and physically. Everyone in this house is aggresive. The energy just feels angry and tense all the time, and we only have the one room for ALL of our stuff! 2 beds, 2 dressers, a portable closet, a desk, a shelf, three mini dressers for Clay, a dining room table and chairs, a bedside table, and a playpen. Plus 1 cat. *sigh* it's been reeeally hard. Clay has like 2 meters to roam, and he's full out crawling now. He wants to get into everything, and I feel so bad because he has no room to cruise around, since I can't let him on the ground outside of our bedroom due to the cat pee in the carpets.

The place we're moving to has hardwood floors, 2 bedrooms, a big kitchen with space for a table, a big living room, a beautiful view, it's cat friendly, there's no mold, and there's laundry machines on site, all for $750.00 a month, heat and hot water included. Hell yeah! I am over the moon with excitement, I want to be there now.

Now, if we were to do laundry as much as we do now (pretty much a load a day :S) it would cost us about $120.00 a month, assuming the dryers would thoroughly dry our clothes, which I doubt. Soooo, I've decided to hand wash most things, excluding items such as jeans, towels and adult blankets which would be harder to wash I think. Now, by handwash, I mean make my own bucket washer! Check it out here: How to Make a Camp Style Bucket Washer and here: How to Wash Clothes in the Bucket Washer

So when it comes to drying the clothes, there's this!: The Indoor Clothesline!

Pretty stoked to try it, I hope it all works. I know it's gonna be a lot more work, but I think it's worth the extra $100.00 some a month!

Baby Led Weaning is Awesome!

Yes, Clay is now on solids! He started maybe a week before he was 6 months old. At first it was scary... now I just sit back, relax and eat my own meal while he eats his. It's so much fun preparing his meals alongside ours. Anything we're using for our meal that he can eat I put on a small plate for him, like so :)

He has had plum, banana (which was absolutely disastrous lol), peach (his favorite), watermelon, plum, bell pepper, swiss chard, spinach, strawberries, blue berries, grapes (in little chunks), cucumber, onion, garlic, mushroom, potato, sweet potato, oatmeal, quinoa, tomato, avocado, carrot, squash, lemon, orange, and more that I can't think of at the moment lol. 

We have done spoon feeding with things like oatmeal (which he finds hysterical or some reason lol), so it's not like I think the spoon is evil lol, I know some people who do :P He's gonna use a spoon one day, so I see no point in avoiding it all together. The reason we do BLW is because in my opinion babies should learn to chew before they learn to swallow, they should be allowed to make a mess and experiment on their own (under supervision of course) and fully "experience" food lol. It's fun, just as safe if not safer than puree, and babies learn to eat until they are full, not beyond, so it's a great start to healthy eating habits down the road.

Won't he choke? abies have a gag reflex that is closer to the front of their mouths then adults'.So in doing BLW or spoon feeding, you may notice some gagging. But the difference between gagging and choking is thatif a baby is choking they will not make a sound and you will hear no breath. When a baby is gagging they may stick their tongue out like they're about to throw up, they may cough, but as long as they are breathing and making noise they are perfectly able to handle it on their own, do not interfere unless they are obviously choking. In that case, be educated on what to do in case of emergency. This goes for puree 100% as well. 

Here are some pictures of baby boy eating all on his own *tear* ;)

Clay's First Tooth

All in all his teething ha been an alright experience so far. I do believe the amber necklace and chamomile tea help!!

Clay's First Tooth!

Air Travel was a Success :)

So when we went to Ontario, Clay was perfectly fine on the airplane, just like on the bus. He even had a nap both ways. Landing and Take off didn't seem to bother him it all thankully. The fact that there wasn't much room was annoying but what can ya do. Also, he had to pee like 3 or 4 times during the 2 hour light lol... maybe the air pressure made a difference.

Going through security was flawless, but one thing I found... funny... maybe? Kind of ridiculous actually, was when this security woman asked if I had any liquids for me or for him, and I said nope, nothing. She looked at me like I was a horrible parent and said it must be a short flight then..... Come on people. I wasn't sure what to say since this was the first time anyone has suggested I use formula..

Everyone was really helpful at the airport, so it was an unexpectedly pleasant experience, despite my anxieties about the trip.

The day after I got back I went on a week long camping trip hahaha... I was relieved to get home. But after all the chaos, and Clay learning how to crawl through it all, not to mention he sprouted his first tooth shortly after we got back, he refused to go potty at all for a good week or so. At first I was kinda bummed, but I knew it was normal. So I just let him go in his diaper and did diaper free observation time once a day to try to get a new grasp on his cues and timing again. It took a little while but we're almost back to normal, although we've been missing a lot of poops recently and that's no fun with a baby on solids... :S

Work It Girl! ... :P

So, there are a few things that have motivated me to get back to my pre-preggo weight and health... 
1. Breastfeeding has stopped shedding the pounds... I think the majority of what got me from my preggo weight of 175 to my postpartum weight of 145 so quickly was the sheer amount of blood I lost lol, plus a little extra calorie burnin' from BFing. I am now back where I started, around 170... :P
2. "No, I'm not pregnant"... yup, this woman was pretty convinced I was having another baby, whilst my 5 month old is chillin' next to me. I mean I know it's possible, but it's not exactly the next thing on my to do list. 
3. I just want to be lighter again. I want more energy, I want to be stronger and more vibrant, and I want to feel good. 

So, I'm gonna try my best to dedicate myself to doing Zumba every Wednesday, hot yoga every Friday, and maybe something on Sunday when daddy has a day off ;)

Ouch >_<"

WHY does it feel like I'm all the sudden starting all over again with breastfeeding!? Seriously, I thought it was gonna be smooth sailing from here on out, but man was I wrong. Every time Clay latches on now and for the first little while during feedings my tits feel as raw as they were postpartum! :( I think perhaps aunt flow is about to stop by for a nice cheerful visit ^^.. >:| If that's why I'm in so much pain, I sure as hell hope this doesn't happen every month!

If it's not my period, maybe it's thrush... I guess I could go to the Doctor's office... Then again it's not like the last 3 times I've gone have been of any use whatsoever. If it continues to get worse over the next couple days I'll go in for sure, I don't want anything getting in the way of our nursing relationship.


LATER THAT DAY...

>:( Now I don't think it's aunt flow or thrush! I just finished feeding Clay and now there's a small blood blister on my nipple!! What the heck is going on here? I've tried making sure his latch is spot on, it is! :( *sigh*... I'll keep you posted on what's going on :P... and if anyone has any suggestions, help please ._.

Air Travel... o.o Nervous!

So next week I'm going to visit my whole family in Ontario. I'm super stoked! Everyone gets to meet Clay, we're going to the zoo, and I get to see my three year old cousin and his new brother, my 5 month old cousin (same age as Clay). I'm counting down the days, but I'm a bit nervous about the whole ordeal of going through the airport... checking in, and going through security, mostly. I'm worried that even though I've called the airline and asked them exactly what I'll need ID wise for both of us, I won't be able to get through because I'm missing something. :P I know it's silly, but I'll call again before I go, and get the name of the person I spoke with and the time, just in case lol.

I'm nervous about security, because I don't want to be that person that they choose to pat down and search :P I'm not taking a stroller, Clay will be in the ring sling... I'm not sure if I'll have to take him out... Once I get past all that and I get to my gate, I'll be much happier I think :)

I've been going kinda crazy with my packing list. I just want to make sure I have everything... I've never traveled this far and for this long with a baby! It's better that I have it all written down too because then when I go to pack I don't have to think much lol, I've already gone over and over what's going to be packed where.

I sure hope Clay doesn't have a cold when we fly... I've been sick a few times while flying and it SUCKS. It's horrible! I've had such intense sinus pain because of the cabin pressure, it felt like my eyes and forehead were slowly exploding, while simultaneously being stabbed by tiny needles and at the same time my brain was imploding in on itself. Yes it was that bad! Which is why I REALLY REALLY hope Clay is healthy. I know breastfeeding is supposed to help, thankfully.

I just thought about how I may be seated next to some disapproving old lady who gives me nasty looks for whipping my boob out in public without a cover ;) mwahahaha! Let her stare till she learns something! xD

I'm not to worried about the fact that Clay will most likely cry a some point on the plane ride. Go ahead and glare at me, I'm not gonna hold your feelings over my baby's any day. Honestly I think just pretending no one else is on the plane is the best idea, so that I can focus solely on my baby's needs.

Anyway, wish me luck! I'll tell you how it goes!