It seems like just yesterday that my two tiny humans were in the throws of the "4th Trimester" a.k.a the newborn phase. Now my youngest is 4 days shy of being a threenager! Holy shit. I vividly recall a the love/hate relationship of that newborn phase. The endless cuddles were absolute bliss. The delicious smelling newborn head. Oh my. The wee baby grunts, yawns, stretches and coos. Adorable. But there was also the struggle of sleep deprivation, the feeling of constant dependency, isolation and the weight of maintaining a household while also keeping this new tiny human alive. At least when my family was experiencing the newborn phase, we weren't also surviving through a bloody pandemic. The isolation then was very real for me. I cannot imagine the feeling of going through this phase in today's world. As if Mother's weren't already wearing a goddamn cape, bringing new life into the world right now takes on a whole new level of divine strength and resilience. Lindsay is 8 weeks into this Ultimate Momming Level 104. Sleep? What sleep? She closes her eyes when she sneezes. That counts, right? It's hard to get into any sort of routine when fatigue is the in the forefront. So let's talk routines. When I was pregnant with Odin (now 4.5) I read "The Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau. I don't read much - it's just not my thing - but I read this book cover to cover. Take it with a grain of salt. It's not everyone's cup of tea. Tracy's parenting style is very British but has a middle ground, commonsense approach. I wasn't on board with some things and I'm a true believer of "To Each Their Own" in that what works for me and my family might not work for yours and vice versa. And there's certainly nothing wrong with that! Tracy suggested the E.A.S.Y method - a routine to follow with a tiny human. Let's be honest, a baby can't follow a schedule. They can't tell time. They don't have an alarm. But they can get into a routine and for a new, sleep deprived Mom, a routine might be the medicine for not just surviving but thriving as a parent. E - Eat. A - Activity. S - Sleep. Y - You time. E stands for Eat. When a baby first wakes up from a nap or bedtime, the first thing you do is feed the baby. Whether it's a snack or a full blown meal (milk or solids, depending on the age), it's important that this is the first step. A stands for Activities. After eating, it's time to play, run errands, or do any other activities that are not eating or sleeping. The amount of time spent doing activities will vary depending on the child's age, as very young infants cannot play for long without becoming tired, but older infants and toddlers can often go several hours. With Odin, our newborn activities included staring out windows, tummy time, looking at black and white high contrast books, listening to nursery rhymes and going for a walk outside followed by a diaper change. S stands for Sleep. Tracy stresses the importance of sleep directly following activity. When a child has played until they begin to show signs of tiredness, and then transition directly to sleeping there's no need to feed to encourage sleep. According to Tracy, bottles and nursing to sleep provide "props" that a baby relies on to fall asleep, preventing the baby from learning how to self-sooth. Take it with a grain of salt but this is what worked for us! To each their own. Y stands for You Time, and it's what you get when you follow the rest of the routine. For me, having a structured routine was crucial. Knowing what happens next helped me feel like I had a wee bit of control of my new life that I really actually had very little control over! So wear that cape with pride, folks. And don't let the tiny humans kill you. Jade + Lindsay xox

My garden is going to be interesting this year. The kids helped me plant the seeds. I had a plan of where each veggie seed would go and researched “companion gardening” because turns out some veggies thrive beside their friends and some don’t do so well. Well I’ll be damned. All the seeds went everywhere. It was as if a confetti seed bomb went off. “To hell with your plans, Mom. We run the show now.” Okay, they didn’t actual say this but I’m pretty sure this mantra was playing in their heads. A few weeks ago I would have taken over and done it my way. Oh my, have things changed. I took a course a few weeks ago (The Landmark Forum!) that has really allowed me to be free of the need for control over each and every little thing. It’s so incredibly freeing. It really opened my eyes to my blind spots - things I had NO IDEA we’re controlling my life. I feel like I’m able to enjoy these tiny creatures for who they are instead of incidentally and quietly (or not so quietly) stressing over the little things. So stay tuned for a wild crap shoot of growth in our garden. Don’t let the tiny humans kill you. Jade + Lindsay xox

Okay, so things got a little bit crazy these past few months. We registered Odin for Kindergarten. (Um, what the hell?!) He had been calling it "Flower Garden" for the longest time. We swapped daycares, bought a new car and have been working on the house exterior. My photography stuff has exploded for the better too. Okay, maybe that’s it but it sure as hell seemed busy. We’re about to get even busier with our newest little bundle! Lindsay had a baby boy! And, in true Lindsay fashion, she has the most epic delivery story. She had a rocky pregnancy right from the start. An early diagnosis of cholestasis, a shit tonne of puking her guts out, a quickly thinning cervix- all that super fun pregnancy stuff that we quickly forget as soon as babe busts out the gate. She was expecting to be put on the induction list on April 4th at 37 weeks to decrease the chances of complications from the cholestasis for both her and the little bub. Bub had different plans. The nurses noticed mild contractions during Lindsay’s Non-Stress Test early that morning but was ultimately sent home to wait it out. The contractions grew stronger on the drive home. Yes, she drove HERSELF home while in early labour! She’s a bloody warrior. As she reached her house, the contractions grew more frequent and much stronger triggering a call to the hubby, Trevor, to get his ass home. This was happening all too fast. She called her Mom to update her on the situation. Baby was definitely coming and 4 weeks early to boot! Mom’s neighbours happened to be a Nurse and a Paramedic. They urged Lindsay to call for an ambulance as Trevor arrived home. The paramedics pulled into the driveway. They got Lindsay into the back of the ambulance. She knew she was at least 3cm dilated from an exam earlier that week but now she felt her body urging her to push. The paramedics were hopeful to get her to the hospital in time but NOPE. Lindsay’s body knew exactly what needed to happen and 2 pushes later a glorious baby boy was born. Owen William 7lbs 9oz - 36 weeks gestation March 30th, 2021 - 4:10pm Everyone is settling in nicely. And by nicely I mean there is utter fucking exhaustion, heaps of laundry, spit up everywhere but an immense amount of love. Stay tuned for more adventures. Don't let the tiny humans kill you, Jade + Lindsay xo

Okay, guys. Hold on tight. We're gonna try something new. Blogs. This'll be some very real life tips and tricks, what we found worked us, what didn't etc but more of a collection of stories of what our littles are up to and what we're doing to help maintain some sanity in the glorious chaos that is life with littles. Not for the light-hearted, might be an f-bomb or two. We'll see how goes. Don't let the tiny humans kill you, Jade + Lindsay xo