Mummy Madness

I got married and had two children all in 3 years. My son, also my first child, was born with a health condition that required surgery and we spent our first 6 weeks of parenthood in a NICU at a children’s hospital. It was the most difficult time of my life. Even after he came home I struggled with anxiety, depression, fear and anger. I turned to writing and my words slowly allowed me to crawl out of the hole I had dug myself into. I was forever changed. I began to realize that I had the ability to help others who were struggling with their journey in parenthood. As parents, we all have moments where we aren't sure what we are doing. I continue to write and share my experiences in hopes that I can help part the clouds for someone who is struggling.

Mr T. was two years and a day old when Ms. J burst into our lives. Two years and a day where it was just him. Him and us. We were a threesome and I worried how changing to a foursome was going to impact him. I had heard horror stories of toddler jealousy when new babies entered their lives. One friend even telling me of a toddler who tried to bite off his baby sister’s nose. I did what I do best. I worried. I tried to prepare him as...

I can't believe that it's been an entire month since my last day at work. Time is certainly flying by as a stay at home mom. Having said that, it definitely hasn't been easy. Let me explain. Not only does my full time job now entail a full day of fun and craziness with my own two kids, but I've also offered daily daycare for my niece. She's one, they're two. If you think your day is busy, try coming to my house for an hour! I try to...

I recently had my third baby. He was born very quickly and shares a birthday with his older brother. When we were having Henry (number one!), we toyed with the idea of storing cord blood, but the price tag actually scared us off. This time around, we were given the opportunity to bank with CReATe in Toronto, and after meeting with them, learning about the program and company, we made our decision. CReATe Stem Cell and Blood Bank is part of a...

Our baby’s gender was a surprise the first time around. In the months leading up to the due date Mr. C and I were making lists of baby names that we liked. Settling on a name for a baby girl was easy. In fact, I had a name picked out for a baby girl from the time I had to take care of a flour bag baby in high school parenting class. Lucky for me, Mr. C. loved the name and it ended up on our list. When Ms. J was born we had multiple names on...

How my third baby changed my mind on labour and delivery. My first babe, Henry, was born on a freezing winter day after a long and anxiety inducing induction that I did not want, but had to have due to his being 2 weeks late. That, my first labour was totally against everything I wanted as a mother (you know, like never co-sleeping, exclusively breastfeeding and more). The hospital birth was not what I wanted, but thankfully, I got to have...

Six months ago I wrote my blog entitled 'Toughest Decision Ever.' It was based on my decision to go back to work full time after being home with my twins for two years through mat leave and then an unpaid leave of absence. In January we started the task that many other parents endure of transitioning our kids into daycare. I returned back to work, to all of my colleagues, to my old desk that had barely been touched. To a career that I had...

I love to travel: Day trips, weekend trips, week-long trips to sunny destinations, our honeymoon in Ireland and nearly a month-long tour in Australia with strangers who became friends. My husband travels quite a bit too. He travelled a lot before we met, and now his work has him out of country every couple of months or so. Because I love to travel so much, it actually took me by surprise when I realized that the last time I had been on a...