Father’s Day Craft: Grass Head Family!

We will be celebrating Father’s Day for the first time this year, and I have planned a couple surprises for my husband. Just before I gave birth, my mother offered him a shirt that said ” I am Sixtine’s dad” and he wore it at the hospital. He still loves this shirt and it has a very sentimental value to us.

I decided to have a one done for Sixtine. I bought a bright pink long-sleeved onesie from Petit Bateau and went to L’Antisèche to have it printed. I asked them to write “I am Jason’s girl” on it and it looks really cute. I am sure that he will love it.

But that wasn’t it, I also decided to make our family into Grass Head Guys, idea I got from Family Fun magazine.

Materials

• 2 tablespoons grass seed
• Nylon stocking foot
• 1 cup potting soil
• Plastic yogurt container
• Water

• 2 googly eyes
• Permanent marker
• Double-sided tape
• Card stock, craft foam, and so on, for clothing

Instructions

1. Spoon the grass seed into the stocking foot, and the potting soil on top of the seed. Tie a knot in the stocking, leaving the excess fabric hanging. Fill a yogurt container halfway with water and place the stocking head on top with the nylon tail in the water to serve as a wick. Attach googly eyes to the head and draw on a mouth with permanent marker. To decorate the yogurt container, tape on clothing made from card stock or other materials.Next time I make those, I will draw the mouth BEFORE putting it in the water as it makes it really hard when it is wet.I didn’t use yoghurt containers but plastic cups instead, if you do so, make sure that your guy’s head is big enough! It usually takes between 3 to 5 days before the hair starts growing! 

Tips:

Be sure to check the water level in the yogurt container every day, keeping it at least half full.

Finally, I decided to paint a wooden tray with Sixtine handprints to hold those three little guys!

How will you celebrate Father’s day today? Did you make or get anything nice? Have fun everyone!

Babywearing: The Sling (Mama Kangaroo)

My husband got me a sling when Sixtine was about two or a little over two months old so that I could be more “independent” so to speak and do things around the house as my daughter wanted to be held, or on my chest all the time. I found it really difficult and thought it’d be a good compromise.

I used it a lot around the house, but always took the stroller when we were out because it felt more practical and makes a great cart! I have to say that I absolutely love our jogger stroller.

But  I left Canada for France when Sixtine turned four months and realized how difficult it was for me to go around in Paris. I couldn’t get out by myself – the Parisian métro doesn’t care about strollers.

Last friday, I met with my friend Rachael and her baby Henry in La Défense and felt very nervous at the thought of travelling by myself, by train and spend a whole afternoon there. I knew there was no way I could take the stroller so I decided to carry Sixtine in the sling.

I did have to bring her diaper bag which I probably over-packed, and think I will travel lighter next time, but…

…We did absolutely wonderful. I should have more trust in my own baby. I was picturing a squirmy, whiny Sixtine (and really, she barely ever is) and instead, Sixtine was delightful and comfortable. I had a great time and felt so proud that I was able to travel by myself. I haven’t used the stroller much since.

What I absolutely love about the sling is the closeness it provides and Sixtine loves the motion and being able to look around and be at everyone’s level. She is a very outgoing, sociable, and curious baby and I think this is great for her.

Mama Kangaroo sling (Stretchy Wrap) is a big stretch of fabric that enables you to do anything you want with it.

5 Meters of slightly stretch fabric, one size fits all wearers and babies. This carrier distributes the baby’s weight evenly on shoulders, entire back and hips. It is ideal for longer baby wearing periods and is just as comfortable as you favorite T-shirt! The pouch is a decorative element that was added to help you find the wrap’s center easily and to carry small objects like a bib or a diaper. Many possible positions, same wrapping every time! Best seller!

I have been using it the same way since she was born and it is great. I usually have her in the tummy-to-tummy position but she likes facing the world as well. It took me only a couple tries to learn how to do it and once I got it, it was very easy to put on!

As odd as it may sound, carrying Sixtine this way makes me feel great. I feel like the Mama I want to be, she is so content and peaceful, I couldn’t ask for more.

9 Months On, 9 Months Off? Oh, Oh…

Baby Sissi eating mashed sweet potato like a big girl!

Sixtine will turn 8 months this sunday. Which means that I have one month left to get back in shape. At least, if you follow the saying “9 months on, 9 months off”. In which case, I should hurry up a storm.

The thing is, in my case, it was more the opposite. I started by losing quite a bit of weight at the beginning of my pregnancy (remember, I suffered from severe sickness), and ended up not gaining much and lost it pretty fast. As soon as I gave birth, the sickness stopped and I decided to celebrate in eating anything I couldn’t eat while I was pregnant (pretty much EVERYTHING if you ask me). So instead and losing quite nicely, I stayed rather the same.

Hips don’t lie (do you know this song by Shakira?) and it is true. I had hips (which wasn’t always the case) and stretch marks (and bigger boobies but that, I don’t mind ) It really saddened me. The first thing I thought was: “I will never, ever, wear a bikini ever again”. I realized it wasn’t just about the weight, but more about the fact that my body had tremendously changed and would, well, never be the same again.

I think it is the hardest part…I should have appreciated my body the way it was before, instead of complaining about it all the time, when really, it was a great body. Yes, I said it: I was fairly lean.

Now, my husband says that my stretch marks are a tribute to our daughter, which makes it so beautiful. I was so lucky to be able to conceive and give birth to a healthy baby that it really helps me see things differently.

And you know what, I went from hating them to be ok with them. And yesterday, as I was lying in bed, I realized they were so much lighter than they used to be. I even thought: “I might be able to wear a bikini again”…

I think I should lose about ten pounds to feel great again but right now, I have absolutely no interest. I think I don’t look that bad and that the weight will come off someday somehow. I think I should enjoy the time I have left in Paris with my husband and make the most of it!

My question is: how did/do you feel about your body during pregnancy, after, and nine months later? 

ps: another 4 comments, and I will be at 1000 comments! Thank you everyone !

16 Things I Have Missed About My Husband

Today, next week, I will be reunited with my husband, after over three months of being apart. Having met in Iceland, you would think I’d be used to it…I am absolutely not, to be quite honest, I don’t know how I could live without him.    We both agreed on my going to France so that I could be with my family and get better, but we both know it was a very decision to make. I left with a tiny baby, and I am going home with a little girl who has her own personality, has two teeth, eats, laughs, tricks, crawls, sits, drinks from Mama’s glass and even pulls herself up! It breaks my heart that he had to miss all this…she is just not the same baby! It was really hard for him to see her on Skype but I am sure the excitement she would express whenever she’d hear the computer ring was priceless! She just knew it was him. And it made us happy. In about a week, we will be reunited as a family.

1. His love. His arms. His support.
2. Parenting as a couple.
3. Talking his ears off until 3am after drinking Red Bull. He’d say “Deb, we are not getting you Red Bull anymore. Ever.”
4. Sleeping in on the weekends while he looks after the baby and serves me breakfast in bed. He makes the best pancakes!
5. Tickling him. He hates it and I love to annoy him.
6. Our talks about our dreams and hopes for the future.
7. Watching our favorite shows together.
8. I missed cooking for him. I can’t believe I am saying that because before him, I didn’t know how and I was interested in any ways.
9. His smile. He and Sixtine share the same dimple cheeks, it is absolutely adorable.
10. Bedtime. There is something about the night that makes you want that special someone was there.
11. Bottle washing. I really don’t like washing them…and he probably doesn’t love it either but does it out of love!
12. His interaction with the baby. I just love seeing them together, there is so much love between them.
13. His family. I love his family with all my heart.
14. I missed not being able to enjoy my friends, my family and the things I love with him. It was like being at a great party without your best friend.
15. His optimism.
16. The little things he does everyday that say ”I love you”

What are the things you love or would miss the most you had to be separated from your husband/partner for three months?

Giveaway! Enter to win a cute pure cotton Petit Bateau onesie for baby!

If you have been reading Sixtine and The Little Things for a bit, you know that I love children fashion, especially French fashion!  To celebrate the start of the summer, I am running our first giveaway competition with my favorite French brand Petit Bateau!

For over a century, France’s beloved brand Petit Bateau has favored comfort and quality for its cotton knit clothing and underclothing.

You will win a white baby chemise bodysuit from Petit Bateau, pure cotton, great for the summer (up to 12 month or a toddler/kid sized white chemise)!

To enter, please:

• Suscribe to Sixtine and The Little Things by entering your email address in the “Suscribe and don’t miss out section”
• Follow me on Facebook and share the giveaway!
• Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway
• Write about the giveaway on your blog  if you have one

And leave a separate comment under this post to let me know you did so for each entry. The more entries, the better chance you get!

Make sure to mention size required in your comment! Feel free to participate for your friends, pregnant friends or nieces and nephews!

The giveaway starts today (Monday, June 4th) and will end on Sunday, June 24th! I will announce the name of the winner on , Monday, June 25th .

Giveaway closed. The lucky winner is: Jana! Congratulations.

Good luck everyone and thank you in advance for participating!

 

Sticking Tongues Out On Mother’s Day

Oh la la, my baby daughter has realized she could do stuff with her tongue and stuck it out all day! It was too funny to watch!