I need to wrap my head around everything I have lined up to knit so here goes:
I haven’t updated in forever but I find raising my toddler to be more worthy of my time than blogging about her. Things have been pretty crazy the last few months so I’ll update in point form and just add some pix:
Finally, the thing I didn’t want to write about but have to. When we moved into our new place, Spike was determined to go outside. We had talked about letting him outside if we ever moved to the country so now seemed as good a time as any. He was an outdoor cat for about 6 weeks and I have never seen him happier. He became best friends with the cat upstairs (a 9 month old farm cat named Purr) and they would play all hours together and hunt. We came home from a day trip to Denman Island on August 13 to the news from our landlord that Spike had been hit by a car and killed while we were out. I think part of me broke when James told me. I screamed and screamed and couldn’t even hold Lyric (who was pretty freaked out). I sobbed in our backyard for about an hour. I had a couple of weeks that I felt quite catatonic from it. I still can’t even think about him without crying. It just seems so surreal that he is gone forever. He was my baby before Lyric. I got him as a kitten and he was one of the most important beings to ever come into my life. He helped me through the months and months and months of trying and failing to get pregnant. I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without him.
Things have been insane around the O’Callaghan house for the last few months as we’ve been trying to get ready to move today/tomorrow into our new house (and keep the baby out of the boxes at the same time!). Half of our stuff is moved in now and the majority of the rest will be done by tonight. Tomorrow we move in for real and then our housewarming is on Saturday. Crazy, crazy, crazy. I promise (yeah yeah yeah) to update soon but for now, here is a picture of my gorgeous girl with her gorgeous Mohawk.
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,300 times in 2010. That’s about 3 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 34 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 98 posts. There were 129 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 83mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was October 4th with 72 views. The most popular post that day was In serious need of an update.
The top referring sites in 2010 were marriedme.ning.com, ravelry.com, blogger.com, littlemisskatastrofik.blogspot.com, and katastrofikbabyplanning.blogspot.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for buffy angel cake topper, craft that baby can make for halloween, katastrofik katacombs, amber teething necklace, and cd31 10 dpo.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
In serious need of an update October 2010
3 comments
Blessingway March 2010
3 comments
Wedding Re-Cap February 2009
Attempting an update December 2010
2 comments
30 Days of Thanks December 2010
3 comments
Ok…. so blogs two days in a row. Go me!
As I mentioned yesterday I have been cooking/baking almost every day. I used to cook all the time when I was younger but haven’t for a few years. When I was pregnant, James cooked for me every night as I didn’t have the energy to at all! For today’s blog, I’ll focus on Lyric’s food!
When it was time for Lyric to start eating solids I knew that I didn’t want to use prepackaged foods for her — too expensive and not healthy! I decided to cook and freeze all of her foods. So I bought carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, apples and peas and cooked them all one at a time and pureed them in the food processor. Then I froze them in ice-cube trays and transferred them into large freezer bags. Whenever it is time to feed her, I just grab a cube from the bags and warm it up for her! She has also been eating organic brown rice cereal (Healthy Times brand). I wasn’t planning on doing the rice cereal thing for her but she tried it at a friend’s house and loved it so she has it every morning with some banana or apple sauce. In addition to the purees, Lyric has been eating whole foods as well. She loves big chunks of green and red pepper, cucumber, banana, and carrots (although she hates cooked carrots just like me!) I read some info on Baby-led Weaning and was interested so I just went with what felt natural and we’ve had a lot of success. She gags herself quite a bit but it’s all part of learning. Now that she has a top tooth as well as her two bottom ones, I’m going to have to watch her even more closely because she’ll be able to bite off more!!
Broccoli at Mrs Riches
Rice Cereal!!!
Arrowroot Cookies -- one of Mama's favorites!
Nana's Bracelet -- not nutritious but definitely yummy!
Broccoli Soup and potatoes
aaahhh!!! Lyric is 6 months now and is fucking awesome. I have been so bad about blogging lately. I am going to try to get in on early on my New Years Resolution and blog every day with a tiny bit of info or at least every couple days.
I have lots to talk about so I’ll write down everything I think I need to blog about here and then maybe get around to it all in the next few weeks:
Also, I still need to write out about Lyrics’ birth and Wiccaning which I will do one day but I have to stop stressing about it!
(also, Lyric turned 6 months that day!)
(I missed Day 14′s thanks but I took Lyric to see Santa that day and have her picture taken! It was fabulous!!!)
(I forgot to do my thanks on Day 27 but that was the day I scored Fluevog boots for $6.99 and an immersion blender for $2.99 at Salvation Army!)
Boo. I have some sort of fun news (on theCT front) but mostly I feel like crap because we have to have our angry old man cat, Bean, put to sleep on Thursday. He is 16 years old (and yes, named after Frances Bean Cobain) and has had a wonderful life. I got him as a kitten and have had him over half my life. He had escaped death on numerous occasions, swam across a river to make it back home to the old house wehad moved from, and lived life as the cat version of the angry old man shaking his cane at you and yelling at you to get off his lawn. He regularly goes on “walkabouts” and is gone for days on end (his second-last one was when I was in the hospital with Lyric so that was a huge added stress on top) but after his most recent walkabout a few weeks ago he hasn’t been the same. He used to weigh about 15-20lb but now is about half that and I picked himup yesterday to find that one of his canines had fallen out while cleaning himself and was stuck in his tail fur. He also keeps falling down when he tries to stand and can’t keep himself clean. I feel horrible to have to make this choice for him, but I would hope that if I was in pain and by all appearances wanted it to end, that someone would help me out. We’ve decided that on Thursday afternoon, after giving the boys tomorrow afternoon to come over and say goodbye, that my mum, James and I will go have him put to sleep. We’ll take him to the mountain that overlooks our town where two of our other kitties are buried (Tonks and Bison) and lay him to rest there. I’m going to miss him dearly and I hate to do this, but I know that he is suffering right now and I don’t want that for him after such a wonderful life.
On the plus side, we are starting to get our Connecticut trip sorted out. We were originally supposed to move Dec 6 and James was going to be working on college football for ESPN but now it looks like we are going to be going to Ft Lauderdale in March for 6 weeks of baseball spring training and then move to CT after that. James is crazy excited because baseball is his favorite sport and he wasn’t really looking forward to covering football. I am excited because we get to be around our family for Lyric’s first Christmas and I don’t have to be in CT for the winter! Sorry folks, I am just not a winter kind of gal! Two other bonuses are that 2 of our really good friends are expecting a baby at the end of November so we’ll definitely be around for that, as well as James being the birth partner for our friend Meredith who is a surrogate for a family in TO. I am so fucking proud of him for doing this (he attends all the midwife appointments, texts or calls her daily to make sure she is drinking enough water and taking her vitamins, and is taking the “Birthing from Within” class with her) and she is not due until the end of December. He was going to have to fly back at the first sign of labour and this works out a whole lot better for him. This also takes us closer to the end of the school year soif one or both or the boys come with us, it will be much easier.
On the Lyric front, things are fabulous. I feel blessed because she is such an easy baby. She just turned 5 months yesterday (how did that happen???) and every day is a blessing. She gets funnier and funnier all the time. She plays peek-a-boo now and giggles when I pretend to eat her thighs and give her raspberries on her belly. She is so smart and constantly pays attention to what is going on around her (to the point of making people uncomfortable when she watches them!). Having her has brought me even closer to my mum (we were already super close before) because it makes me realize just how much she loves me and for her she gets to see her baby all grown up and taking care of a baby on her own. My dad on the other hand, is not something I care to think about right now, maybe I’ll write about it later when I’m not so pissed off. Lyric is 21lb already and about 27″ long. She’s wearing all 9-12 month clothes with a few 18 month things thrown in!
We have been cloth diapering full time now for a couple of months. It has certainly been an ordeal as I have tried (and failed) with 3 detergents finally to settle on the one that costs $20pkg (Rockin Green Soft Rock)!! She grew out of her prefolds and fitteds and we just received 10 new pocket diapers from Kawaii Baby in the mail today. They are a great company to deal with (free shipping over $70) and their diapers are cheap and awesome! She also looks ridiculously cute in her leopard print diapers so that’s a huge bonus.
Anyhoo, she is starting to stir and I want to get to her before she wakes up so here are some pix to keep you all happy. xo
mmmm..... peas!
My beautiful boy Bean
Lyric and Daddy getting ready for Halloween
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Absolutely! We tried for about 15 months.
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yup, we had celebrated our first anniversary about 6 weeks before I got pregnant.
3. WHAT WERE THE REACTIONS? It was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I cried in the doctors office and the nurse wasn’t sure whether she should congratulate me or comfort me.
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Absolutely not! I wanted her so badly.
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? We’re pretty sure I got pregnant on my 29th birthday.
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I ovulated late (I was charting) so I waited 14 days after and took a test. It was faint so I took another one the next morning. It was faint as well so I went to the clinic to take a test as soon as they opened. Sitting in the waiting room was the most anxious I have ever felt in my life
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? I told James there was a faint line but it just seemed to good to be true! He was at work when I went to the clinic so I texted my best friend who was 6 months pregnant at the time. It was so awesome to share that with her. Then I called my mum.
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Absolutely! I have 2 step-sons so I wanted to know if I was going to have another boy!
9. DUE DATE? May 1 2001
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yup. Not a lot of actual vomiting though. I was just ALWAYS on the verge of it. I kept trying to make myself puke to feel some relief but it wouldn’t work
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Kit Kats and Skor Blizzards
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Mostly the “you’ll see” comments. And strangers trying to touch me.
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD’S SEX? a girl!
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No way! I was terrified it would be a boy and I would be disappointed.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? over 40! But I only have 7lbs left to go!
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? heck yeah. I opened presents for 3 hours straight.
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew. I helped my mum and MIL plan it
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? no real complications. I hated being pregnant though, which I felt horrible about because I had wanted it so badly. I went on sick leave from work though because my swelling was so bad and I couldn’t be on my feet for 8 hours.
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, BC, Canada
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? about 18
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? James
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? James and the OR staff
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? a Supernatural Ceasarean Birth
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yup, I was induced with Cervadil and Pitocin so the contractions were intense the whole labour. I had and Epidural after about 10 hours or so and then a spinal block before my surgery.
27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 9lb 6oz
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? May 11, 2010 6:41am
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Lyric Sinead Maggie O’Callaghan
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 5 months today!
Crap! I feel like I never get an actual change to update. There is so much going on on a daily basis that I feel bad because I’m not documenting it but I also feel good because I am actually living it and enjoying it.
Notes to self:
- I need to post about Lyric’s Wiccaning
- I need to post about Lyric’s Birth!!!!!
Update:
Lyric had her first actual food today and she loved it. We were at my friend’s baby shower and it was one of those “guess what baby food this is” things and I let her have some organic peas afterward. She actually cried when I took the food away so we just kept going until she was full
Cloth diapering is going fabulously. We’ve had a few issues with stink while trying to figure out which soap to use but I was able to remedy it by stripping the covers and bleaching the microfiber inserts (not necessarily recommended but definitely worth it. I also have stopped using disposable wipes most of the time but I keep running out since I broke my Serger (grrr….) and I need to make more.
We think Lyric is teething. She chews on everything and drools up a storm. I bought her an Amber teething necklace and it seems to be helping.
I’ve been knitting a lot lately. My friends are having a baby soon and I knit them a couple hats and some booties. I also knit myself a hat and am knitting a bit for Lyric. I bought myself an Amber bracelet and it has been doing wonders for my tendinitis.
ummmm…. what else…… We’re moving to CT but more on that to come when the details are sussed (is that a word?) out.
Lyric smiles and laughs and talks so much (not sure what she’s saying but it’s obviously important!) and it makes my heart melt. She has the greatest smile on the planet. I love her so much it makes me cry sometimes. I just can’t get over how awesome she is. She rolls over from back to front and holds herself up with her arms. She gets better with tummy time all the time. She has been in her Jolly Jumper and loves it. But she seems to love everything. She is seriously the easiest baby ever!
I cut off ALL OF MY HAIR!! And I fucking love it. I love love love love love it!!! I was so scared but I feel like a fucking goddess!!!
We got a new carrier. It’s a BabyHawk Oh Snap and I love it. I had wanted an Ergo but this one is even better because it has skulls on it!!! I can carry her around for over an hour and not feel her at all.
uhhhh…… That’s all I can think of for now. I’m going to leave you with a ridiculous amount of photos.
Cloth Diapers! or "did I mention my child is 20lb at 4.5 months?"
Our new BabyHawk
Jolly Jumper Time
Lyric had her first cold. She kicked her medicine's ass!
Chillin' with Nana in my Halloween head. It's going to be an Ewok, I swear
New hair... yeah.... I'm hot
Booties for my friend
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