Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Perfect Weekend
This past weekend was a big one for the Eliuk family. David and I had an incredible date night and Sydney had her first sleep over ad Grandma and Grandpa's house.
It was my birthday last Tuesday so David surprised me by planning a very romantic weekend. It began with breakfast with his family on Saturday morning. We then dropped Sydney off at my parents house and made our way downtown. We relaxed with a couples massage and then we checked into our heritage suite at the Union Bank Inn. We had a long hot bath and then got ready for dinner.
Dinner was an awesome three hour meal at Sabor Divino. Lots of wine and food as well as some great live music made for the perfect date. It was nice to sit and have a long conversation with my husband without having to rush to tend to Sydney. Sunday morning, we had a great Breakfast at Madison's Grill and checked out. We spent the rest of the day hanging out with my family and Sydney in my parents bed watching movies and eating Chinese food.
It was so hard to me to leave my little girl overnight but it was completely worth it. David and I had a fantastic time and we can't wait to do it again.
S
Friday, March 25, 2011
We Have Gone Live!!!!
After struggling with the video uploading tool on my blog, I have finally figured out how to upload videos of our sweet Sydney!
I have created a youtube channel and can now embed the videos into my blog for everyone to see.... Sydney is officially online! I have a backlog of videos from the time of her birth and will be working to upload all of them over the next week or so....
Happy Commenting!
S
Thursday, March 24, 2011
My First Birthday As a Mom
This past Tuesday was my 26th Birthday.
It has been a huge year for me personally. I settled into being a wife, celebrated my first anniversary, enjoyed my pregnancy and became a mother amongst other things. It has all been amazing and I could not be happier.
When I was younger, I never imagined that my life would have turned out the way it has. I have an incredibly supportive husband and a beautiful little girl. I really cannot wait to see what the next year holds for me and my family.
S
We Both Cried Yesterday
Yesterday was a hard day for Sydney and I.
Sydney spent the majority of the day yesterday crying. She was having a very off day and there was nothing that I could do to make it any better. After feeding her, changing her, wrapping her in a fuzzy blanket and rocking her, there was nothing more I could do.
I have never been a patient person and I knew that this would be one of my biggest parenting challenges. I knew I would need to learn how to give Sydney the room to be upset and have bad days but it was not easy to do.
At one point I called David in tears while Sydney cried from her crib. I actually had to put her down in her crib where I knew she would be safe and walk away for a moment. It made me feel guilty, which made me feel worse. If it was not for David's encouraging words I would not have been able to calm down.
I know that this was just the first rough day of many to come and each day will be a learning experience.
S
Monday, March 21, 2011
Syd's First Road Trip
This weekend was fantastic. We took Sydney to meet my dad's side of the family in Lethbridge. She was so excited to see her grandpa and meet her great grandma, great uncle, great aunt and second cousins.
The drive to Lethbridge from Edmonton is four and a half hours on a good day and we really had no idea how Sydney would handle it. She was a pro! On the way down she slept until we got to Calgary. We pulled into a Safeway on the south side of town where I fed and changed her and we were on our way. She slept the rest of the way to Lethbridge and did great!
The drive back was a little bit more eventful. We stopped to visit friends (Kevin and Kate) in Calgary where I fed and changed her. We spent two hours hanging out and then it was time to get back on the road... This is where it gets interesting. Alberta was hit with a spring snow storm and we were in the middle of it by the time we reached Red Deer.
The highway turned into a parking lot for about 5km as a result of a huge accident on a hill outside of Panoka. Fourteen cars had found their way into the ditch and a few had hit each other. Traffic was reduced to one lane and we inched along. Once we got through, I insisted that David drive with the four wheel drive on and not exceed 80km. I was really worried about getting into an accident with Syd. At this point she woke up looking for food so I crawled in the back seat and gave her a bottle. We managed to make it home in one piece, 7 hours after we left.
The rest of the weekend was amazing. Sydney slept in her pack and play for the first time and had no problems whatsoever. We had a great time hanging out with my Grandma on Saturday morning and then a nice coffee with our friend Jen. Saturday night we had a huge family dinner to celebrate my birthday early at my dad's house. Chinese food and Ice Cream cake made the entire night perfect. Sydney was the center of attention and she even received an awesome gift from my aunt. She made a huge playmat for Syd to lounge out on. It will be great to soften our hardwood floods for her and it will give her space to spread out all of her toys. We can't wait to use it!
We really had a great time and it was a nice warm up for our upcoming trip to Vancouver.
S
Sleep Training
I have decided that sleep training hurts mommies more than it hurts babies.
I have been working very hard to teach Sydney that she needs to have naps in her crib. We had fallen into napping wherever it was convenient and I was also enjoying all of the mommy, daughter naps that we were having in the big bed.
I spent the last two days cuddling with Syd and listening to her cry in her crib. I watch the video monitor while her little cries and sounds break my heart into a million pieces. I know that it will be good for all of us in the long run, but it is so hard right now. I know that parenting is not always about making your kids happy but it is hard to see them sad.
Hopefully we get through this soon.
S
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
One Month
Our little Syndey is one month old today. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. David and I have enjoyed every minute with our new addition and she changes everyday.
Our lives have changed drastically in the last month. We plan everything in advance and it is all about her schedule and what works for her. We are also starting to realize the benefit of having family around to help with babysitting and support. We have attempted to remain as calm as possible through all of the changes. We have learned to take everything in stride and I am learning that I can't control everything. Being a parent is all about going with the flow.
There are days when I look at her and I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that she is ours. I still cannot comprehend how I was able to carry her around for over nine months and that my body was able to create such an amazing little being.
Over the last month I have been exhausted, excited and overwhelmed. My patience has been tested and I have learned how to overcome anxiety. But most of all, I have loved my husband and daughter more than I ever thought possible.
I look forward to what the next months will bring.
S
From Dad
It is impossible to describe how I felt while Steph was going through Labour. We were both exhausted, hungry and impatient, but at the same time I was so proud of her for what she was going through for our family. When it finally came time to push, it was just the two of us for the majority of the time and I will never forget it. I was overwhelmed with pride and happiness.
When Sydney finally arrived, I was trying so hard to see if she was indeed a she. I still remember our doctor saying "it's a girl". Before she could finish her next sentence I was already saying, "Hi Sydney". The doctors clamped the cord and I was ready with scissors to make the cut. They immediately put Sydney onto Steph's chest and all I could do was say her name over and over again, staring at both of my girls and loving both of them more than ever before. I followed Sydney everywhere. Over to the warmer and weigh station and finally back to mom. All of the exhaustion and hunger was forgotten and all I could think about was taking care of my family.
I remember thinking ok we are done, now time for a break. Not the case at all... you quickly remember you have a family to take care of, but it is ok because you have a family to take care of.
It is an amazing feeling watching your wife go through this experience and then holding your little girl in your arms, knowing that she is yours. Knowing that everything you do for the rest of your life, she will be there to watch, learn, imitate, and teach her own family.
Now almost a month old, I cannot wait to get home from work to see my favorite girls. I cannot wait for the weekend to come so that I can lay in bed for hours Saturday and Sunday morning cuddling with my family. She is only a month old and is already my favorite little girl.
D
Monday, March 7, 2011
Fast Moving Days
Days spent with my little Sydney seem to go by so much faster! We wake up, feed, hang out, nap, feed and so on. We usually don't accomplish a lot.... but I don't really think it matters. The house is clean, the laundry is done and there is always food on the table.
Sydney requires a ton of my attention and I love every minute of it. We have spent hours and hours learning about each other and watching each others faces. She has begun paying attention to the words that I say and my facial expressions. Sometimes I feel like she would be entertained by watching me talk to her for hours.
For the longest time I never understood why stay at home moms were always so tired... now I get it. Even though I get a ton of sleep and I live in a home that is fairly easy to take care of with my supportive husband, I am still exhausted every day. I look forward to going to sleep every night and feel like I run out of hours in a day. I love going out to see friends, but dread the amount of work it requires.
I am hoping that once we get into a bit more of a routine and Syd starts napping in her crib during the day, that I will feel like I have more time. Only time will tell.
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