I just want to start off by saying that I am fully aware that many people struggle with miscarriage as well as infertility. I am so incredibly grateful that I am able to conceive and on top of it all, naturally. I don’t share my story of miscarriage as a means of looking for sympathy. I share it in hopes to inspire and encourage others. When I was going through my miscarriage I looked at blog posts and Instagram pics for this same encouragement and sense of hope. It was a means of gaining understanding, not feeling alone but mostly feeling encouraged that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Upon my searches I read many heartbreaking stories of woman who lost babies further along in their pregnancies as well as immediately after their baby’s birth. My heart literally broke for them and it still does. I can’t imagine how hard that would be. This might sound inappropriate, but if I had to have a miscarriage, I am happy that it occurred so early on in the pregnancy. Because as any woman who has been pregnant knows, each passing day, week and month you become more attached to that baby growing in you as your body begins to grow with it. The loss of a baby brought on many emotions and one of the hardest parts I found was the sense of loss related to the expectations, future plans, thoughts and daydreams, so I can’t begin to imagine the pain you would feel being further along. I hope that I don’t ever have to experience another. At the same token, I don’t want to minimize the loss that I did experience. The loss of any baby or child at any stage is awful. I can’t help but wonder what the gender was, what he or she looked like, when they would have been born, what they would have been like, etc. June 7, 2017 was our baby’s due date. And even though I am currently 22 weeks pregnant with my third baby, the ‘what would life have been like thoughts are always present.
Motherhood
Sudio Regent Headphones
Since getting Emsley a pair of on-ear headphones for Hawaii, I figured it was important that I set the same example for her. Because after all, monkey see-monkey do, am I right? Part of how we taught her to use her headphones for the airplane was by wearing a pair ourselves with her at home during the weeks before our vacation. She loves to wear them now and apparently loves my new headphones even more!
Indigo Cozy Favourites for Christmas
Indigo is my go to place for stocking stuffer and Christmas gift ideas because they have such a range of fun items. From winter essentials like mitts, toques and scarves to fun decor items for the home, I can’t get enough of their store! I typically focus my posts on the little ones in our lives but figured today I would shift my focus to us mommas as we deserve some pampering too! And after all, ’tis the season to be pampered!
Tiny Inspirations Giveaway
The teething struggle is real my friends! When Ems was younger she wasn’t really like the other babies I’d see. She didn’t drool like a faucet and she sure wasn’t fussy for no apparent reason like I had heard all the other moms talk about. Our girl was definitely more relaxed in the teething department. She finally got her first tooth around 7.5 months and it seemed like it showed up out of nowhere. Even when the second one appeared at 8.5 months the process seemed fairly consistent. All of a sudden, poof there was a tooth! After those two came however, the teething struggle I had heard about became more obvious. She was drooling, fussy and hard to console at times. It was around then that I started to look for teething options and came across a local shop called “Tiny Inspirations”. Tiny Inspirations makes a whole range of safe and fun teething accessories for both moms and babes. From clips, to bracelets, to necklaces and teething rings; the options are endless!
One Year Anniversary Giveaway
- Madi Grey Bracelet
- Kennedy Bracelet
- Hanna Bracelet
- Madi Blue Bracelet
- Kass Bracelet
This past Wednesday was my one year anniversary of creating augustlace.com and I figured since I can’t invite all of you over to my place for cake and champagne I would do the next best thing and do a GIVEAWAY in honour of our first birthday!
Finding a Balance: Mom Guilt
It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting in a meeting around 3:30 pm shifting uncomfortably in my chair thinking my stomach was upset from my lunch. I remember speaking to a co-worker after that meeting and having to sit down in a chair due to the pain in my stomach. I felt frustrated as I had experienced similar stomach issues in the past and figured that’s what was occurring. I remember apologizing to my co-worker for sitting down in the middle of explaining something but it seemed that she was more aware of what was happening to me than I was. I was frustrated because the cramping was distracting and stopping me from doing my job. I fought through it though and continued to work until the end of the work day.
I wanted Emsley and I knew I was “ready”. I put the word ready in quotations because I don’t think you can ever be 100 percent ready, but I was as close mentally as I’d ever be. Despite this, I was in complete denial that I was having a baby that day. I hadn’t finished the tasks I wanted to finish at work. I hadn’t finished training my replacement or cleaning out my desk. In my head she was supposed to be born in August. Her due date was August 9 and I had wrapped my head around the fact that I would be overdue like many first time mom’s are. Based on this she would be an August baby. This would give me one to three whole weeks of MAT leave to get things in order and finish packing the hospital bag before she arrived. July just wasn’t the right month in my head; it didn’t make any sense in my very pregnant brain. But clearly, like many things in life, I had no say in the matter. On July 28, 2015 at 8:10 pm our little girl entered this world in a very fast manner. It was a beautiful day outside, hot and sunny and I couldn’t have asked for better weather to walk into the hospital with.
The Truth About Breastfeeding Part 3
Well, it’s coming up to one year of breastfeeding and I admit we have come a long way. Well that’s not totally true, Emsley hasn’t done all that much but I myself have come a long way. A lot has changed since day one of breastfeeding, right after giving birth to Emsley at the hospital. If you’ve been following along and reading my Truth About Breastfeeding updates, both part one and part two, you’ll already know that the journey has not been an easy one. Let me take this time to remind you of how the journey has progressed, because although I think you might already know theses truths, the fact of the matter is when you haven’t experienced it first hand yourself, you likely read it, acknowledged it and then forgot it. I however, cannot forget it. It feels as though it will always be burned into my memory…
A Mother’s Promise
We have tried various brands of diapers since Emsley was born and have found Pampers to be the best in terms of fit, breathability, absorbency and smell. Knowing they are hypoallergenic and have extra channels for adequate absorption has put this mommy at ease when we go out and about. The yellow stripe wetness indicator, which turns to blue when wet makes it so easy to know when to change her diaper and has reduced diaper rashes! Today I have partnered up with @walmart and Pampers to challenge myself to create a ‘mother’s promise’ to my baby girl.
Trick or Treat
I’ve always enjoyed putting together my own Halloween costume, even though there are tons of awesome options out there to purchase. The excitement for me is pulling together items from stores that I can customize or finding the perfect article of clothing that screams an idea at me from the local thrift store. For Emsley’s first Halloween I knew I needed to channel my creativity into her costume as these days I no longer have anywhere to wear one! Being that Emsley is only three months old I knew I needed a costume that would look cute on her from a top down view as she spends the majority of her days lying on her back. I randomly saw a picture of a “Cotton Candy” costume from Pottery Barn Kids and knew I could easily make a version of it.
A Love Like No Other
My initial feelings when Emsley was born were shock and disbelief. I truly couldn’t believe that I was a mom. I remember the nurses placing her on my chest and instead of looking at her, I turned to look at my husband with wide eyes and an open mouth. I couldn’t believe there was a tiny human on me. Even though I had carried her in my belly for 8 and a 1/2 long months, it was still such a strange thought to me. I remember thinking, “this belongs to me?”, “SHE belongs to me?”. These thoughts lasted for quite some time, even after we came home from the hospital. I would regularly hear people refer to me as a mother or to Emsley as my daughter but it constantly felt as though they were talking about someone else. People would often ask how I was adjusting to my new role as a mom, but I never had much to offer in terms of a response. Looking back now, I think it was because I didn’t really believe that she was here to stay, that she was really mine to keep.
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