Off Road Cooking: Gourds are gourd for you

Following my October post, I thought it would be nice to show you what I've been stirring up in my baby kitchen these days!

Victor is really loving gourds, who doesn't. I particularly love cooking with pumpkins or butternut squash. Not only are they delicious and creamy, they cook so fast and they are easy to cut and peel (I use a peeler). As you all know, gourds can be intimidating to cook with because the skin is so hard and bumpy. An easy trick is to use a good sharp knife, preferably with a ceramic blade. You can cut it in half, remove the seeds,  bake it first and peel the insides, or simply chop it up and steam. I have seen gourds being sold in cubes at the grocery store which is a nice way to eat healthy, save time and avoid the intimidation. Listen, I am all for short cuts, if the end result is worth it.

Last weekend, Victor ate his first traditional Thanksgiving meal which consisted of mash potatoes, turkey breast, brussel sprouts, stuffing and a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. He LOVED it! I brought the baby bullet at the in-laws since I had been anticipating this day for a while now. It was nice to have the evening off in the kitchen. When it came to desert, I felt bad watching V stare at my homemade pumpkin pie, so I gave him a bite of the middle... his arms kept flapping in the air while he rolled his wrists, which is the symbol for "YUM, I WANT MORE!".

Poor thing, I wasn't going to give him more sugar desert, but I did make this for him... my version of Baby Apple Pumpkin Pie.

Are you sick of Turkey leftovers yet? What's your favourite Thanksgiving dish? Are you finding it hard to catch up to the 4-day week? Good news, tomorrow is Friday!

Apple Pumpkin Pie (homemade apple and pumpkin puree in water with cinnamon and nutmeg) 

Thanksgiving and all things October

I think everyone has a soft spot for October. Think about it... it's harvest time, the leaves turn gold and red, the skarves and sweaters come out, turkey and all things pumpkin fills our belly and of course we are gearing up for Halloween!

No wonder it's such a busy time for everyone. I wish October was a longer month, it's so under appreciated.

It's Thanksgiving today and I'd like to take a minute to be thankful for my health, the health of my family, and last but not least my new little man V that has changed my life in oh so many ways!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and in V's favourite words.. Gobble gobble!

Bumps on the Road- The Event (part 2)

This is part 2 from my earlier post "Bumps on the Road- A woman's story"

Here is an open letter than I sent to my friends and family to help me fundraise for "Bumps on the Road 9K Walk for Pregnancy". At this point in my life it's very hard for me to separate my personal life with my professional one. The work that I do is so relevant, and some would say that it is that passion that drives me to love my job!

2012 BOTR Walk- Mayor Jim Watson, Me at 24 weeks
and Councillor David Chernushenko (Old Ottawa South)

Dear friends and family, 
As you know every year I organize the CFWH Bumps on the Road 9K Walk, it's an event that is very close to my heart.
Some of you may already know that I had a miscarriage almost 2 years ago. This walk was inspired by that tragic event and was created to support the issues that pregnant women can face.
Last year, it was bitter sweet, as I was pregnant with Victor and going through so much from pelvic pain, to swelling and even pre-eclampsia in the last couple of weeks. 

This year, I will have Victor by my side and will support the walk to help other women who may not have been as lucky as I was during my labour. 

I hope you can all join me on October 20th and walk not only for me, but for your children, your mother and you!
Please visit our website at www.bumpsontheroad.ca to make a donation or sign up for the event!
Don't forget to share this with your friends too and help us achieve our 9K for 9K goal!
Thank you in advance for your support and I hope to see you all there! Chantal 

If you would like to read more about how this event came to be, check out my in depth interview in 2011 with Local Tourist Ottawa here.

 

Bumps on the Road- A woman's story

You don't have to be a woman, have cancer or be pregnant to support women's health 

On the contrary, if you have been blessed with your health you should be the one to support loved ones affected by women's health issues and recognise that your duty is to help raise awareness for all the problems that may be encountered on the journey to womanhood: her bumpy journey.

Why is "Bumps on the Road" such an appropriate title for a woman's story? Well, it seems that women can not get away from them. Big or small, safe or alarming, metaphor or realistic a woman will be faced with many "bumps" from puberty to menopause and everything in between.

The Early Year Bumps- A young woman going through puberty will develop breasts, which later in life may become a threat to her health. As her hormones come flooding in, she may be blessed with a stubborn bumpy friend called acne. She will start thinking about her sexuality and will need to learn about ways to protect herself against any transmittable diseases like bumpy genital warts (HPV) that may lead to cervical cancer.

Planned and Unplanned Bumps- You made it through puberty, you finished school and all the drama it brings. You are set in your career, you are in a blossoming relationship and now you want a family. You may be among the lucky ones who gets pregnant on the first try and delivers a healthy baby without a breeze. You may be the one who struggles with Infertility or faces a devastating miscarriage or dare I say it: a stillbirth. You may have some challenges with your health and need to manage your endometriosis, fibroids, cysts and every other literal bumps that gets in the way.

Now you're pregnant and guess what? A whole new set of complications come rushing in. Don't get me wrong, pregnancy is a wonderful experience, but people surrounding you don't always understand all the issues and fear a woman can face during pregnancy, not to mention during her delivery. Genetic complications, hyperthyroid, hypertension, obesity, gestational diabetes and pre-eclamspia just to name a few.

"Pregnancy isn't fatal, why should I be alarmed?" It shouldn't be, but in most impoverished countries it is. Thankfully, we live in a country where we have access to quality care and have the privilege of surviving something so natural as childbirth. But truth be told, this is a whole other ballgame.

You survived childbirth, and now you have to take care of a new baby. You may struggle with depression, anxiety and may have bonding issues with your baby. You may have difficulty with breastfeeding or have to take care of a colicky baby while being sleep deprived. Not that I am trying to cut this paragraph short, but I am sparing you the details. I could write an entire book about all the life adjustments a new mom has to make while discovering the new person she has become.

The Later Year Bumps-  Not to alarm you, but it seems that as you get older the bumps in your life get bigger and scarier! While I am not in this part of my journey yet, I do know that I will have to face Menopause, and maybe even Osteoporosis. I will have to avoid deadly cancers on my breasts, ovaries and colon. I will have to ensure that I lead a healthy lifestyle and take care of my heart. All of this while I nurture my growing family and people around me. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

I am so lucky to be a woman, and even luckier to work for an organization that looks after my health and well being.

Please join me, on October 20th for the 3rd annual Canadian Foundation for Women's Health's "Bumps on the Road- A 9K Walk for Pregnancy" This year we have partnered with Life with a Baby and our local presenting sponsor Heritage Education Funds. Remember, you don't have to be pregnant to support the cause. We encourage men, women and children to participate. Come walk 9 km to honour the women in your life! Who knows, one day it could be you!

Why Starbucks is a new moms BFF

If you're pregnant and expecting soon, here is a list of things you should do or either start thinking about:

1. Locate all the Starbucks that are a either walking distance from you or a short drive away.
2. Buy a SB gift card.
3. Register said gift card and download the Starbuck app.

Why? Well, you will soon realize that Starbucks will be your home away from home once you have baby and you want to get out of the house. And because you will be spending a small fortune there, you may as well start earning points towards free drinks!

One day, you'll be walking along the street and you'll feel lost, because it's just you, baby and the fully loaded stroller. You spot a Starbucks and immediately you'll feel safe. Here's why:

1. You need to go to the washroom, check!
2. Baby needs a diaper change, check!
3. You need a cozy drink, a CUSTOM, cozy drink, check!
4. You have unlimited time in the world. No time limits, check!
5. You need to breastfeed. Find a seat on a cozy couch, check!
6. You need to bottle feed. Ask friendly staff for hot water in a cup for free, check!
7. You want a treat because you deserve one.  After all you gave birth to a human after carrying it for  40 weeks. Buy yummy treat, check!
8. You need entertainment. People watching, check!
9. You want to catch up on your phone. Free Wifi, check!
10. You wanna catch up with your mommy friends, check!

So, you're not just paying for an expensive drink after all... think what you are getting for your money! Not a bad way to spend your day if you ask me.

Don't get me wrong, I love supporting local shops, but sometimes they are not set up for the things we need most. I just gravitate towards Starbucks because they have consistent standards of service all across America!

Where do you like to hang out during maternity leave?

Nick names and funny games

Here are Victor's nicknames:

1. Bunny Rabbit
2. Honey Bunny
3. Honey Rabbit
4. Monkey
5. Little man
6. Little V
7. Nugget
8. Mon amour (d'amour d'amour)

Here are random things that I say to Victor:

1. Sing the Victor song I made up for him. This song works for everything!
2. Sing the Bath Time song I made up for him.
3. "Victor is a Honey Bunny"
4. My Kermit the Frog voice that he loves
5. My Elmo voice that he smiles at. Although, Elmo at our house is annoying because he always wants hugs and kisses... haha
6. "You're not big, you're small" When he tries to be big and walk.
7. "You're not small, you're big!" When he gets too big for his small clothes :(

Nostalgia setting in

Gawd, I look awful. I wish I had some nice
candid artistic shots done.

I am feeling a bit nostalgic these days watching Little V growing up so quickly. I try to hold him in my arms and force him to fall asleep like he used to when he was a small nugget. Now, he just wants to look around and play... I call him "Bajiggity". And inside I'm like... SLEEP and CUDDLE with me!!!! hahaha

I try to squeeze him in my favourite clothes of his that I don't want to let go, and lately I just can't stop taking pictures of him! As a friend said, "I'm trying to memorize his little face"... I couldn't have said it better myself.

The first three months for me was tough. Breastfeeding was a challenging nightmare, little man used to wake up every 1.5 hours to be fed at night and I was just plain scared and tired all the time. At three months, we developed a routine and now at 7 months, I can finally say that I know who my son is.

It's such a strange adjustment to have a piece of you living in the outside world. I have to say, at first I just wanted to run away and be alone. I did not have post partum depression, but I was struggling with myself. I knew that I loved my son unconditionally, I just wanted to be selfish. I wanted my arms to myself. I didn't want to hold anything, lug anything, push anything, clean anything... I just wanted to be the old me. I think it takes a lot of courage to openly speak your mind, because you feel like you are being judged if you don't "fall in love" with your baby immediately. I also struggled with attachment issues, I felt like I didn't HAVE to be with him 24/7, I was more than happy to leave him with grandma and go run some errands.

Mind you, running errands when you are a new mom consists of slapping lipstick on to go to Walmart and do a quick one stop shop grocery. Thank goodness for their new produce section!
"Diapers, maybe a new t-shirt for me, get milk, check if the formula is on sale... wait I have coupons and flyers for price matching!" This was me for the first few months. What a nerd!

Little V, now at 7 months

You know how in Twilight the werewolves imprint themselves on the vampires... well this sounds dorky, but I think something like that happened to me and V recently. I just can't get enough of his little face. I think now that we have a routine and I am not sleep deprived, I have more time to enjoy him. I think it helps that he laughs with me, he eats my face (and drools all over), gives me squeezes (while pulling my hair) and pets my arm hair (hahaha). I think I needed that reciprocal interaction with him to compensate for the lack of bonding we missed out on since I did not breastfeed.

Just a little heads up that the next few posts will be dedicated to remembering things that I used to do with V, so one day, on the eve of his wedding I can look back and remember my little blue eyed monkey.

Happy 7 month b-day V! Mama love you bunny rabbit xox