Some women love to shop, others are crazy about bags, or shoes and then there is me, the bottle woman.  No, not the alcoholic kind of bottle (well if it’s Wildberry pass it over quickly), but baby bottles. 

 Having exclusively breastfeed my first six children I was somewhat of a virgin when it came to the whole formula feeding event.  I figured you just pour the formula into a bottle, feed the offspring and viola!  Baby fed, baby happy, baby sleeping – NOT!

 Oh no there is much more to this bottle feeding thing and the first obstacle one must overcome is the actual bottle itself.  It is truly amazing how many different types of baby bottles there are out there and the marketing strategies used to sell these bottles, yet even though I had knowledge of this I become victim to a strange baby bottle obsession.

The first bottle I used was the Medela bottle.  I had the bottle already because it came with my very fancy, very expensive breast pump.  This worked well, however I soon realized I would need to use two different bottles because I was mixing them up between Thatcher and Tanner.  Not good.

So it began.  I stood in the aisle of the store for over forty minutes trying to decide which bottle would be best.  There were the ones that claimed to practically cure colic due to the new ‘air vent’ system – uh huh sure.  Then there are the Playtex bottles with the drop in bags, bottles with the angled neck, the wide nipple that apparently is just like mother’s breast, latex nipples, silicone nipples, plastic bottles, glass bottles (who the hell would want a glass bottle?) 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, 9oz and 10oz sizes and the prices ranging from $2 – $18 dollars – for just one bottle.  Shit this was complicated!

I settled on the cute little Gerber bottles with the latex nipple and different coloured nipple rings so I could colour code the twin’s bottles, but a few days later I was convinced that Thatcher really didn’t like this bottle, so I got him the advent bottle with the wide nipple.  Done.  Or so I thought.  I couldn’t help myself, every time I was in a store I HAD to check out the baby bottles and buy a different kind as I was convinced that they would be better than what they were already using.  It was clearly obvious (at least to me) that Thatcher preferred the wide nipple and Tanner the regular size.  Just because they are identical twins doesn’t mean they like the same bottle. 

An obsession that I call Bottle nippleitis emerged its ugly head. I would go to the store and replace the bottles I had been using with a new and improved one.  The hubby thought I was completely bonkers but being the husband to a post partum wife who had just given birth to twins he didn’t dare complain about the money being spent – that would be way too dangerous.

Two months later I have three bags full of different bottles that have barely been used and have finally settled on a bottle and nipple that I like – The twins haven’t officially let me know but I am pretty sure they like their bottles as well.  As for me telling you the brand and type of bottles I haven’t traded in yet well that isn’t going to happen.  I don’t need you to be influenced by my craziness.

What about you?  Have you ever been obsessed over a baby or child product?  What was it?  How did you get over it?

Until next time, mom2crazy8monkeys

We all have this image of what motherhood is about and whether it is that of the Super Working Mom, the Sports Mom, the Earth Muffin Mom, the Stage Mom, the Stay at Home Mom, or any type of mom that is out there, after joining the ranks of motherhood we all attempt to become one of them. Here is my take on what types of moms are out there.

The Earth Muffin Mom (EMM)

This mother is also known to everyone as the “No one else has given birth before” mom who will immediately let you know that you are not a ‘real mom’ if you didn’t have a home birth with an amazing doula, said yes to the drugs, don’t serve organic food, don’t home school, and don’t give a shit about global warming. After she’s sat down with her organic tea and ensured her second-grader has a good latch, she’ll happily tell you why you failed at breastfeeding, where you are going wrong as a parent and how you can fix it.

The Techno Mom (TM)

This is the mom who has her blackberry, Smart phone, or I phone glued to her ear 24/7 and pretends to listen to her children as she responds with a steady stream of “uh-huhs”, “that’s nice” “one second sweetie” and “mommy’s almost done”.

Beauty Queen Mom (BQM)

Hard to believe but her newborns Burberry sleeper is the equivalent to a monthly mortgage payment on your house, and the UGG boots she sports actually coordinate with her diaper bag and baby bottles. This photo-ready Mommy always looks as though she just stepped out of a fashion magazine and is ready to walk the red carpet, and her children? Well they wear more designer labels on their tiny butts than your closet will ever house in a lifetime.

Sports mom from Hell (SMFH)

Watch out! This is a mama with an agenda, that being getting her child to the Olympics, or to the big leagues and she will stop at nothing. Sideline rage is a daily activity, and she sees nothing wrong with threatening the gymnastics coach.  Just throw on the leotard, get on the high beam and do the damn back handspring connection yourself.  If you actually suspect you may be one of these mommy’s here are a few friendly reminders:  soccer is not a full contact sport, and Tae Kwon Do is the art of kicking and punching for the purpose of self defence – not kicking the crap out of someone because you’ve had a bad day.

Stage Mom (SM)

This is the mother who is living her dreams of stardom through her offspring.  She has them signed up with the agent, rushes around to auditions, and is willing to do anything (and I mean anything) to ensure her child is the next Oscar nominee.

Stay At Home Mom (SAHM)

This is the mother that is fortunate enough to stay at home with her children while her perfect husband goes out and makes the dough.  She is the neighbourhood Martha Stewart, attends all school functions, cooks the perfect dinners, bakes the perfect cupcakes for those school functions and did I forget to mention her house is immaculate as is the Mini Van she drives?

Super Working Mom (SWM)

She again has an immaculate house and Mini Van, (and usually has a sporty mommy car that she drives around in looking so very cool when she is without children) holds down a full time job, has time to bake picture perfect muffins, cakes and cookies for school functions, has time to take her children to evening activities and watch them.  She has the perfect husband and perfect children, and would appear to have the perfectly balanced life and the ability to do it all. 

Recognize yourself?  What type of Mother are you? Do you like yourself or wish you could be another type of mother and if so which one?

CONTEST!!!

Well the Momof6 has started a new journey with 8 children now, and so the contest begins!  Over the next week I would like to hear all of your suggestions on a new name for my website – and please not Eight is Enough – LOL.

The winner will win your choice of one of my original handmade crochet spring hats  or one of my funky crochet sock monkeys!

In order to avoid confusion and not to miss any suggestions please leave your suggestions on my website not my facebook page.

So get your creativity on and help this busy mama please!

Thanks to all….

Chantel

As soon as the twins arrived home the same two questions have been asked by almost everyone I have spoken to.  “Do you plan to hire a nanny?” and “Once the hubby leaves do you have help set up?”

First of all I have never been a fan of nanny’s.  I don’t really know why but I suppose the thought of someone else raising my children just doesn’t sit well with me.  I am fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with my children, so why would I pay someone to help raise them?  Now as for the issue of extra help, I have six other children and let me tell you the fighting has already started.  Yes you read correctly they have been fighting over who gets to help with what and how unfair it is that so and so held Thatcher for 8.5 minutes and they only held him for 8.2 minutes! 

Perhaps it was actually myself who started this family feud, after all I thought it was a great idea to start the assembly line and teach them all how to change diapers, (yes even the 4 year old helps), change Thatcher and Tanners clothing, how to hold them, and how to feed them and burp them when they are bottle fed.  Little did I know that dirty diapers and spit up would have no negative effect on my warped children.  At times I have been slightly overwhelmed as I have had too much help and they want to do it all leaving me with nothing to do but the other household chores such as laundry, dishes and the cooking.

Lucky me.

Then we have the sanitizer police.  That would be my oldest son Joshua.  If you dare visit this household of plenty be sure to put sanitizer on before even thinking about coming anywhere near the twins or you will be attacked with an oversized jar of sanitizer and an 11 year old soon to be black belt informing you of the hazards of touching the babies with germy hands.  Not a pretty sight.

I suppose I should accept this extra help with open arms as I am sure once the babies become more mature and start to look and behave a little less like dolls and more like real babies (the crying spells – colic anyone? No sleeping – getting the picture now?), the novelty will wear off and they will run away when I dare ask for help, or maybe it will be me who will be running?

There are no words that can express the feelings a parent goes through when you are told one of your children may die before they even have a chance to enter the world.  The only words that I can use to express how I felt when told one of my twins may not make it due to him suffering from the beginning of Twin to twin transfusion and being IGUR is complete shock, disbelief and a feeling of complete emptiness.

Every week I would make the trip downtown to Mount Sinai to have an ultra sound to check on the babies development and growth.  Every week I would feel the stress of knowing the ultra sound may show that one of the babies was no longer alive or being told they have to deliver them immediately.  Finding out you are pregnant with not just one baby but identical twins should be a joyous time – not one filled with stress and constant worry.  One of the hardest things that I had to endure each and every day was not just being on limited / bed rest but attempting to appear as though everything was okay for the sake of my other six children.  My two oldest children who are still young at ages 11 and 13 knew more than the others but not everything.

The OB I was seeing each week is one of the top Dr.’s in Canada when it comes to Twin to twin transfusion so I knew being at Mount Sinia I was receiving the best care possible.  I was told from the start that the first milestone to get to was 24 weeks then 28 weeks.  When I reached 30 weeks I was relieved and started to feel less stressed out as I knew if they were to be born my little boys chances of survival were excellent.  32 weeks passed and finally I reached 34 weeks and they had to be delivered.  January 29 2011 at 4:58am and 4:59am Thatcher Ike Kowdrysh and Tanner Adam Kowdrysh entered the world.  Although they were pre-mature we were so fortunate in that they had no real major health issues.  Tanner’s weight was very low at just over 3lbs but being IGUR we expected that.  Thatcher’s weight at just over 5lbs was very good.  They had a few breathing issues, low blood sugar and jaundice and Thatcher has a heart murmur due to some tiny holes in his heart that are known as ASD’s.  These should cause no health issues and have no impact on what his level of physical activity can be.  As well they should close on their own within the first year.

So I had thought I was done having children after my sixth was born four and half years ago, but obviously someone had other plans and I couldn’t be happier.  I have been blessed with not six children but eight and wonderful friends and family that are able to be part of their lives. Once pregnant with Thatcher and Tanner the journey of the 6packmom became a journey of 34 weeks filled with worry, stress, and the unknown, yet we were able to beat the odds and I became a mom again to two beautiful little boys who in my eyes are my little miracles – and now a new journey begins.

            Having six children makes meal times somewhat chaotic anyhow, so having one child who refuses to eat the same food as his siblings due to the smell, look, and whatever else bothers him doesn’t really affect us.  The good news is that the rest of my children are great eaters in particular my two daughters.  They are usually willing to try anything and rarely complain about any food that is put on the table. 

            That being said, every child is not going to like the same foods all the time so I try to offer a variety of choices at each meal.  This avoids me becoming a short order cook and assists in keeping my sanity in check.  For example for dinner I might make chicken, pasta, cooked veggies and garlic bread.  My daughters will gobble it all, some of my boys will avoid the cooked veggies but still get a handful of veggie goodness in the pasta sauce, and Joshua will eat the garlic bread – not much but at least he is eating something. 

            Joshua’s eating issues used to really stress me but over the years I have come to realize that it is due to having an ASD and sensory issues, and has nothing to do with me or how I parent my children.  If my parenting skills were in question well then I suppose all my children would have eating issues, but they don’t they are typical children with typical eating habits.

            Joshua is growing, healthy and strong so I know he is getting what he needs and that is all that matters.  Do I hope he is able to experience more enjoyment in a variety of foods as he gets older rather than just the handful he will have now?  Of course I do, but I am not counting down the days until that happens, but what about you?  Do have picky eaters in your house of plenty, or do you have children that enjoy all foods?  How do you deal with meal times?  I look forward to hearing that I am not the only one who deals with eating issues.

Until next time

The6packmom

I’ve decided I owe it to myself to blog more,so rather than just thinking about doing it, I’m starting right now.  I will be posting on this blog at least once a week for all of 2011.

I know it won’t be easy with the twins being delivered any day now but I am sure it will be inspiring, awesome and wonderful. Therefore I’m promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similiar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.

If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.

The6packmom

            When she was 4 years old we moved to Saskatchewan and had to put her into pre-school because the Province of Saskatchewan feels it is better to start kindergarten when they are 5 not 4.  In the town we lived in they only offered Pre-school two afternoons a week.  Not much but I figured it was better than nothing.

            During our 9 month stay in SK I was very focused on my son Zachary who at the time was only 2 years old.  He was following the path of his older brother and showing signs of an autistic disorder.  Signs I could no longer ignore, so the time I wanted to spend with Arielle on building her academic skills in preparation for SK was pretty well non-existent. 

            After 9 months in Saskatchewan, I moved back to Ontario for various reasons which I will save for another story.  In September Arielle was registered for SK but I was shocked to discover after about a month that she was really far behind.  How much do these children actually learn in JK?  I seriously didn’t think that missing a year of JK would be such an issue, but obviously I was wrong as she struggled quite a bit that year in memorizing her letters and numbers along with her ability to comprehend things.  Finally the year ended and appeared as though she had managed to catch up to the rest of the children so I was relieved and feeling a little less guilty.  After all, maybe it was my fault that she had struggled because I couldn’t spend the time required with her.

            I made the decision to enrol her in the French immersion program for grade 1 knowing that we would have to see how she did.  If she showed any signs of struggling we would move her into the English program.  Her first report card in November was great – straight B’s and no signs of lacking behind of struggling.  Phew!  I was so happy.  But my happiness turned to concern by February and March when I started to think that Arielle wasn’t really understanding a whole lot and when you had a conversation with her she would suddenly come up with statement out of nowhere that had nothing to do with what we were talking about and she really didn’t understand what was wrong with that.  She was angry a lot and although social she really didn’t have to many friends.

            I requested that she be tested for a learning disability and the school did some basic testing which raised a few flags but they were not really sure because she had been in the French for almost a year so they felt maybe that may be influencing her scores.  I made the decision to finish the year in French but have her in the English program for grade 2.

            Well here we are at grade 2 and things are worse.  Despite being in a reading program, she still really can’t read and doesn’t really understand what it is she is reading.  She is being bullied in class by a few girls, and is always angry and yelling at her siblings.  I know something is wrong and so I have set out to do something about it.

            Many parents are unaware of the services available at schools free of charge.  One of those services is called a psycho-educational testing.  This is a comprehensive testing that helps establish your child’s strengths, weakness, academic abilities, and establishes if there is any type of learning disability.  It is completed by a psychologist provided through the school board and takes months to complete but it is worth it.  If you were to have this completed by a private psychologist it would cost you about $2000 – $3000 dollars. 

            Any child is allowed to receive this service however schools will not usually do it until the child is in grade 2.  The wait lists can be very long so if you suspect an issue with your child’s ability to learn then you should request it even if they are only in grade 1 and have them put on the waiting list.

            I met with my schools Principal last week regarding my concerns with Arielle and she is on the wait list.  Do not be afraid to approach your teacher and the school’s Principal if you have a concern.  Your child has rights and to be honest most schools are very supportive and really what is the harm?  If there are no issues great, but if there are then you now have it in writing and are equipped with the tools to deal with it so your child does not need to struggle any more.

            Have you ever requested your child be tested?  Has your school dismissed your concerns about your child?  Send me a note and let me know.

Until next time,The6packmom

            First of all I shouldn’t have even got pregnant but for whatever reason some higher power felt it would be in my best interest to get pregnant again but what I couldn’t understand was why I was so sick all the time and so tired!  Being pregnant was supposed to feel wonderful so why did I feel so crappy?  Then something strange happened.  I was out doing some grocery shopping and was getting some lunch meats for the children.  Suddenly I HAD to have the Maple Leaf Natural Selections Chicken, I had bought it several times in the past but this was strange I wanted it so badly!  I could hardly contain myself from dipping into the pack while finishing off the rest of shopping, so as soon as I got into the truck I dug in!  Nothing had every tasted so good.  I am fully aware that given the amount of children I have my local grocery store has a warning poster with my picture on it so I was just hoping that nobody was watching me wolf down this chicken! 

            This craving went on for months.  I must have eaten at least four to five sandwiches a day, and it was always the same thing.  Maple Leafs Natural Selection Chicken, on a bun with mayo.  It was basically the only thing I could keep down anyway so I figured this was a good sign and at least it was yummy.

            The whole craving thing got me wondering though.  During the spring I had attended a special blogger event hosted by Maple Leaf Foods (check out the link to read my article on that) where we were given information on what Maple Foods was doing to improve their products and service, served a delicious meal, and given some wonderful products to take home, one of which was the Natural Selections Chicken.  Was my craving somehow related to the blogger event?  Did Michael McCain and his crew somehow brainwash us all with secret subliminal messages? 

            After dropping off my children on the first day of school my OB called to give the results of my ultra sound – I was carrying identical twins.  It now made sense why I had been so sick and tired, but my chicken craving?  No idea.  Although the idea of being brainwashed is highly entertaining it is somewhat doubtful, perhaps it was the twins just letting me know I required more protein, or maybe they just know a good product when they taste it.

            What strange cravings did you Mamma’s have while pregnant?  Did they surprise you?  Let me know, I promise no brainwashing will be practised!

Until next time,

The sixpackmom

            I realize that having twins is pretty not out of the ordinary anymore and not considered a big deal to most due to the incredible surge of woman having supertwins (triplets or more) thanks mostly to the invention and higher use of fertility drugs.  However for me, having twins is a big deal because they are identical and I am now considered High Risk.  I never realized or even thought about how much more riskier a multiple pregnancy could be, but because my two little guys share a placenta and outer chorion (yeah don’t ask me!) there is the chance of them developing TTS (Twin transfusion syndrome) this is when one twin gets more nutrients and blood supply from the placenta than the other twin so the one twin doesn’t grow properly.  It can actually cause a lot of issues but I won’t freak myself out by writing about it. LOL.

            I do think though that my two biggest issues right now are being able to get enough rest while taking care of 6 children all on my own, and then taking care of 8 children pretty well on my own when they are born.  Oh I know I will do what I have to do and deal with it the best I can but shit that is a lot of children! Again I realize that eight isn’t as many as some crazy people out there such as the Duggers but let’s look at that family shall we?  First of all I think she is great and so brave to go through so many pregnancies, however she has a husband who is home on a daily basis and she also has so many older children that they are the ones who practically raise the little ones.  They are also able to help with cleaning, laundry etc..

            Then there is the bitchy Kate + 8.  Okay I guess you already realize I don’t particularly like her.  Again though, yes she has 8 and is divorced but she has exploited her children for her benefit so she can achieve the fame that she wanted.  It worked.  Now she has enough money for nannies, body guards (who also seem to help out) has mentioned things on her show (hmmm tummy tuck anyone?) and presto they happen! And how the hell does she get all these people to help her when she goes on trips with the children?  I have never seen her on her own really with them all. They also have one thing that I do not.  They do not have any children with special needs, that I know of.  I am not saying they have it any easier than I will – okay scratch that I guess they do. 

            I guess my take on these reality shows is that to me they are not really reality.  They are staged.  Have you ever seen their homes in complete chaos?  Maybe you see some toys on the floor but they always seem to be on the floor in an organized fashion.  Parents with more than 2 children can understand when I ask where the hell is the piled up laundry that you seem to be behind on AGAIN?  Where are the clothes that typically appear to be scattered all over the house because your children can’t get dressed in just one room?  The socks that they have taken off as soon as they walk into the house where are they?  Coats, shoes, hats on the floor instead of hanging up or in their assigned cubbies?  The fighting between siblings?  Seriously!  Next time you watch one of those shows (if you do) take a really close look and enjoy the view because you sure as hell won’t find any of that in my house!