The Hike.

Having spent a significant potion of my life at least close to nature I, of course, like most other B.C.er's have developed an affinity for the outdoors.

I've always felt very at home in both the forest and the ocean. Like most little girls I loved almost all animals - the cute ones for sure. And that love stayed with me as I grew into an adult. Maybe less like little girls I later also made the choice to love most insects and tiny creatures as well.

I say it was a choice because liking bugs didn't come naturally to me. I hated them when I was a kid. Spiders especially. My Dad always had to come and rescue me from them. But he'd never kill God's little creatures and I remember he would always take them outside in a cup.

Back then I always secretly thought, 'Why not just kill them. They're gross.' But he never did.

Then as a late-teenager living alone in a cabin in the woods(ish) I was so bombarded by bugs and so exhausted from spending my nights straining my eyes to see the creepies in the dark and spending my days dreading the night that I finally just decided to like them. I reasoned it would be easier to convince myself that bugs were beautiful than it would be to continue listening with my eyes and seeing with my ears in a cold sweat in the dark.

Whatever. What I'm getting at is that I've always been a nature girl. I love being in the trees, being near the trees, sitting quietly and listening to the trees. I love the ocean. I love the salt in my hair and the seaweed against my legs and the pebbles under my toes.

But since moving to Smithers I've realized a flaw of sorts in my nature-loving.

I was graced with growing up in probably one of the only corners of the planet where both the forest and the ocean hosted really almost nothing at all that could hurt you. Not badly anyway.

Really. Where else is that true?

Most of my nature time has been spent on Hornby Island or much less-so, around the Lower Mainland.

So the feeling in my heart that I am so at one with nature, the confidence that I know the surroundings, that I'm at home in Canadian woods, that the ocean and the forest are my cradle is very much a house of cards. An illusion of strength and very flimsy at best.

This has briefly occurred to me over the years. Like the odd summer when a bear or a cougar were rumoured to have swam over to Hornby. Some sheep would go missing or there would be a few sightings and suddenly my walks home late at night with only the moon as a flashlight would be more edgy. I'd stress a little and once even freaked at a deer in the bushes and ran all the way back to my boyfriend's cabin to make him walk me home.

It was in those moments that I'd remind myself how safe the island really was. But of course I'd forget within days of hearing the beast had been trapped and relocated off-island.

So, I've never really had to worry about nature. Oh, there have been bees and jellyfish and spider bites and rashes and prickles. But nothing more.

Even when I trekked into the Amazon, I took my illusion of safety with me. By then I was so used to being comfortable in the outdoors and so disillusioned both by my crazy island-bubble back home where nothing had ever "gotten" me (because there was nothing to get me) and the general sense of immunity that comes with youth that I felt only slightly out of my element in a land that harbours literally thousands of natural killers. I swam with piraña and caiman and trekked through the rainforest with abandon.

But since having a baby I've lost a lot of my guts. I'm more nervous and much more cautious. and I'll let you in on a secret:

I always have been pretty nervous. What most would probably perceive as bravery or possibly stupidity in me when it come to my boldness with nature, is really just me attempting to counteract all the paranoia that I was raised with.

I had a very, very nervous mother and as I've read somewhere, "How you speak to your children will become their inner voice" which I believe is very much the truth. Probably because of my mother I've always had warning bells in the back of my mind. Goose bumps on my flesh and hair standing up on the back of my neck. Those little warning signs that you're supposed to listen to. Well those are genetically entwined in my existence. I have them all the time. Fears. Worries. So in order to ensure that I wasn't controlled by them the way I saw that my mother was, I sort of got into the habit of forging ahead regardless of whether the danger was real or apparent.

I've always had a hard time differentiating between the two. I can never tell if I'm just being overly-cautious or down-right paranoid or if it's actually common sense talking. In my twenties it didn't help that I surrounded myself with people who took the same risks as I did. So even if my voice of reason was so loud that I did take pause before crashing through the woods in the middle of the night, my friends often made me feel like a worry wort.

Now that I have Babe it's become even harder for me to distinguish the legitimate fears from the imagined. I can't seem to find the lines between adventure, common sense, parental concern, parental over-protection and paranoia. I'm trying to figure it out but I'm constantly questioning if I'm being too care-free or too-careful. It's a balance that I can't grasp.

So after moving here and starting to explore it became clear quite quickly that I wasn't as prepared for the woods as I would have liked to think I was. All of a sudden there are black bears and grizzly bears and moose (which apparently are more viscous than they sounds when you type out the word) and cougars and fucking packs of wolves.

And here I am, a single mom. No bring-home-the-bacon-fight-off-the-wolf-pack husband to lead the way and break the cobwebs. It's just us.

So now I'm stuck between desperately wanting some sense of the adventure that I had in my old life and needing to protect my daughter from harm. And again, I can't find a balance. You think it would just be common sense, right? But some people would say going for a half hour hike on a popular trail alone with an infant is totally normal and other people would say it's not a good idea at all. And I don't know who I am!!!!

So, we've been easing in with little adventures. But in keeping with the Nothing Is Ever Easy theme of my life, our little adventures so far have been completely just us. It's summer and I've been expecting other tourists to be out in the same areas as us but so far we've been pretty much alone.

Today I took Babe on what the Internet assured me was an easy, family-friendly, all-ages hike. Now, by family-friendly I suppose they meant it's not very steep. But when I read family-friendly I imagined there would be families there. When we pulled off the road to the parking lot(ish) I was a little concerned that the sign said it was two-hours round-trip, but we were already there by that point and I'm really stubborn.

Despite the promise of rain I really did expect other people to be hiking the area. I guess that's the city girl in me, you can never fucking get away from people...EVER.

So my heart sped up a little when it was clear by the lot that, just like last week, we were the only ones out there. But as I strapped Babe into the ERGO I reasoned others would be along shortly.

OK. So Smithers peeps who read this will probably think I'm insane for being nervous in this area but please remember - I just got here. I don't know this area from the next and I do find A LOT of comfort in the familiar and knowing what is around the next bend. In fact, I was much more comfortable on the way back having already passed everything once and being able to picture the area from the top than I was on the way out. New terrain scares me (nowhere more so than with technology but...)

So for the rest of this post I'm pretty much just going to take you along our hike - in my mind. This is it.

So Babe's on my back and it's like 10:00 in the morning. It's grey and a little misty but there's some blue patches

...and I have this folded note with directions in my pocket because they don't believe in signs up here.

I have snacks - But bears can smell food. I also have my period, so...

But I have bear spray so there's a little sense of safety there. And my cell, so that's good.

We start out through a field and it's really pretty.

Those are most definitely some patches where animals have slept. It reminds me of exploring the fields on my grandpa's farm and my Dad saying, "A moose was here last night".

Maybe it's just cows. The instructions said to keep the gates closed. It's probably just cows...

This grass is long. I can't see very far. Anything could hide in there.

Then the field trail transitions into a forest trail.

OK. So the instructions said a narrow forest trail. We're going the right way.

What was that?!

(I'll save you reading that line five thousand times. Let's just assume for the sake of time-saving that I thought "What was that?!" 5000 times on our hike. Please also note that I spent the entire time that I wasn't scanning the bush for bears, scanning the trail for signs of bears; footprints, broken sticks, trees that had been rubbed raw, poop...anything bear-ish. So basically that's what I was doing the whole way.)

Babe is chattering on my back. Right in my ear. It's hard to hear if anything is sneaking up on us. I wish I had a husband to keep her quiet. That makes no sense. He'd probably just be talking too.

Be quiet. I'm trying to hear danger!

Relax. Just get lost in the beauty of it all...

Seriously. Shut up!

This path is longer than the instructions led me to believe. I should've guessed that when they said it was only three km to the lot from the road. Whoever wrote these instructions had no sense of distance. Or didn't care.

Fuck this path is long.

It's probably not that long. It's the fear that drags it out.

Babe says her legs are getting scratched by branches. Shhhhhhhh! Quiet!

This is scary. I'm only gonna go a bit further and then we can just turn back.

We'll come another day when I have a friend here.

No. By then it'll be snowing and it won't stop until July. We must take advantage of the summer while it lasts.

Shhhh!

Quiet! I'm listening for wolf packs.

(It should also be noted that I turned around to look behind me a lot. And not just casually, but like some crazy gingerbread-house witch just tapped me on the shoulder.)

On My God! That bird just scared the shit out of me! My heart is racing.

Is that a moose print? If it is that's a fucking huge moose.

My Dad would probably like to shoot it.

I wish he was here. He'd confirm if there was a moose with dinner plate-sized hooves in the area.

Funny how he won't kill spiders but he is such an avid hunter.

Is that a bear?

Nope. Just a stump.

This path is soooooo long. Just a bit further and then I'm totally turning back.

Where the hell is that gravel road we are supposed to be coming up on?

Is that a bear bed? Was a bear sleeping there?

God. These trees are closing in on me.

That's definitely a dog print. A hiker with a dog from yesterday? Or a wolf?

Why did someone have to mention wolf packs after the city hall meeting the other night? I didn't even think about fucking PACKS of wolves until someone said it. That fear wasn't even on my radar.

I wish I was Mantracker.

I wish I watched more Mantracker.

I've seen enough Mantracker. I can do this.

Shhhhhh! Stop singing Frere Jacques. The wolves can hear you.

We're gonna die and it's gonna be because I taught this kid how to sing.

Fuck. I remember this National Geographic show...or maybe it was Planet Earth, where the one wolf jumps out and scares the shit out of you. And meanwhile, while you're running for your life, the other ones circle around and come in from the sides and take you down.

Yeah. It was Planet Earth. I think it was a baby gazelle or something.

Dammit! I wish I could tell the difference between a wolf print and a German Shepherd print.

I'm just gonna turn around. This is stupid. I should just turn around. I have a child.

Baaaahhh! Stupid bird! Goddamit! I hate birds! I hate all the birds! What? They can't hear us coming from a mile away. I'm stomping through the woods with a 25 pound mini me singing french children's songs at the top of her lungs...like there's not a care in the world...like she isn't just a beacon for the wolf packs to hone in on and these fucking stupid birds are all startled when we land right on top of them. How are they not extinct yet?

Ooooh! I see a house through the trees. Sweet. OK that's nice. I could make it to that house if I had to. They'd hear us scream.

If there were lots of bears around the people who live there probably would've erected a sign or something. They'd warn people. They might even hear us and call out and say it's not safe.

Fuck. If I see that bird again I'm gonna rip its beak off and use it to pull staples in my office.

Hmmm. Fear makes me cranky.

Talk. Talk to the baby...

Sound happy. This is fun. Yay!

Why did I watch the Blair Witch Project so many times?

Jooooooosssssssshhhh?

OK, at this point I can't run back to that house anymore. They might hear us scream but we wouldn't make it.

If we just sit down here how long would it be until someone came by? Maybe we can wait at the top for someone and then walk back with them. No. That would probably be annoying.

Did a bear break that branch? Did a bear push that tree over. Did a bear kill that frog?

Holy Hell! Is that the road?

Yes! We're finally on the road. This is awesome. There's some more space. I don't feel like something can just leap out anymore. I can see further than three feet.

Being on that path was like being one of those horses at Stanley Park with the blinders on. The ones that pull all the tourists.

OK. This is better.

But the directions said it's still 30 minutes to the lookout.

Great. Babe wants to walk. It's gonna be another hour to the lookout.

OK. So walk!

No. THAT way.

Go.

Go.

GO!

OK. This is kinda fun. It's really pretty. Nice fields.

Wolf or dog prints? Wolf or dog prints?

Dog. Surely it's a dog.

Please walk faster baby. You're dragging out Mommy's fear. Let's just get there and get home!

No. Let her walk. This is supposed to be fun.

Hey! Horse poop. Awesome. That means a horse has been through here. Maybe it scared the bears away. Hopefully it was through here recently. It smells recent. Gross.

Common Babe. Chop, chop. Quick like a bunny.

Common...

This is nice though. Just me and Babe. She's having fun. I'm glad she isn't scared. Look at her. All trusting. She has no idea that I'm putting her in danger. Am I? Am I a bad mom or a good mom? Is this good parenting or bad parenting? Probably good parenting if you're a family and you're all together. Probably bad parenting if you're just a single mom dragging your kid through the woods.

But that's not fair. We don't have a husband/daddy.

But I have bear spray. I'm a good mom.

Urgh! Except I'm out in the woods in an area that I'm not familiar with. And it's just crawling with huge animals out here. And here I am; 5 foot 3 with the flu and a chattering little bundle of blonde, bobbing ten steps behind me who probably reeks of vulnerability and veal-fresh meat.

This. This right here is why people get married. This is the reason.

Shhhh! Quiet. Please. Please. They'll eat us! Don't you get it. There's b-e-a-r-s out here.

No there's not.

Hey! The top! Holy Hell. We made it to the top.

Oh. This is steep. I probably shouldn't be doing this sick. My head feels like it's going to explode.

Who invented going up stuff. Going up stuff is haaaard.

So that's it. Basically that's exactly what was going through my mind on our walk. Honestly. I know because I made an extra effort to remember it. That actually helped keep me calm. Trying to remember my crazy thoughts.

The view was really spectacular. And Babe and I had a little picnic. And a couple other people did come and go. Two on a quad and two on mountain bikes. So on the way back I could see their tracks and I knew they had been through and maybe scared off any creatures.

Actually, when I asked the one bike guy if he had seen any bears he laughed and said no. It kinda sounded like he thought I was paranoid. So I felt a little better like maybe it wasn't likely that there were any around those parts.

And I texted on the way back which took my mind off my fears.

We actually really lucked out because the clouds were coming in fast and I hadn't brought a coat for Babe or myself. And as soon as we got to the truck it started to pour!

What luck.

And just as I was pulling out to drive away...

A black bear! He just meandered across the road and into the woods we had just stumbled through. I don't know if it was luck or a warning. Maybe someone telling me to heed my fears or telling me that everything would be OK. I have no idea.

It did confirm my worries - and calmed them at the same time.

*Update: Last night after this hike I found a list of all the people known to be killed by bears since the late 1800's. Just like a true researcher, I read every one. I doubt that this information will help me at all in the future.

Review: Jeep Liberty Stroller.

OK, as promised but way later than anticipated, here is my review of the Jeep Liberty stroller by Kolcraft.

When Babe and I went to D.C. back in June I used my friend's Jeep stroller for most of the week. And by the end of our visit I decided to buy one and fly it home.

The stroller has most of the features that I was looking for in a jogger:
*note: Jeep says this is NOT a jogger

Parent and baby trays.
Locking and swivel front wheel.
Air inflated tires with decent tread.
Reclining seat.
Large storage basket.
Five point harness.

Most importantly I wanted a jogger with both a locking and swivel front wheel. I couldn't handle the idea of having a stationary front wheel because I also wanted to use the stroller for walks, shopping and errands. But I did want the locking option for running or rollerblading (not recommended uses).

At 30 lbs the stroller is rather heavy for a jogger, which is probably why Kolcraft says it's not a jogger. But it works just fine for my light mommy jogs on even ground. There are times when I'm really tired and I wish it was lighter but usually I don't notice the weight difference between it and other joggers.

It is a little on the heavy side when lifting it in and out of the truck but after a long day with the kids what stroller doesn't feel too heavy? And be prepared; it's still pretty big when folded so if you have a small trunk it's not going to fit (the folded dimensions are apx. 20x26x35). The one-handed fold down is great.

The 12" tires are decent. I've had it for over three months now and I haven't had to inflate them once. And when Babe and I were on Hornby Island I used the stroller at Helliwell Provincial Park and it did a decent job on the uneven trails of gravel and roots. I do wish they were a little bigger and the locking mechanism on the front wheel is a little flimsy.

I like the colour combos of the Jeep strollers. Mine is light grey, dark grey and teal blue. My girlfriend has a black and lime green one which is also cool. I think the colours are nicer than some of the other strollers out there which only come in reds or oranges.

I also like the oversized storage basket. It can easily fit our diaper bag and extra toys, a blanket etc...One great feature of the basket is that it extends out under the feet so when Babe drops a toy or kicks off a shoe it (usually) falls right down into the basket. There are also two saddle bags for extra storage. 

It's a small thing but I like that the stroller has reflectors on the sides. Our last stroller didn't and I had to attach bike reflectors to it because we are often walking in the dark, especially in the winter.

The speaker is a fun bonus. It is removable if you are worried about getting it stolen or if you want to take your tunes with you. Of course it's not great quality (we aren't talking Bang and Olufsen here) and it doesn't go very loud but that's probably to protect delicate baby ears and other people from having to hear your music. It's also a little odd that the speaker faces out towards the baby rather then towards you.

I loved that it was compatible with our Graco car seat (see the website for a list of compatible car seats). It made it easy to transport a sleeping Babe from the car to the stroller and vise versa.

And I also like that the baby tray is removable because it is kind of in Babe's line of sight when attached. The steering wheel feature is fun too but is definitely designed for bigger kids. There is no way Babe could play with it comfortably until she is at least a year and a half - probably older. I took it off until then because it's just in the way.

I also like that the front wheel has a foot rest/shield over it - this prevents bigger kids from having their feet hanging down around the turning tire, an oversight on some three-wheeled strollers.

There are some cons to the Jeep Liberty stroller though. The sunshade could be a lot better, it doesn't go forward enough for my liking. But it does have a peek-a-boo window in the top, which is a bonus.

When you fold the stroller the seat has to be in a recline position. This isn't a big deal, just a little annoying because I always forget and then can't get it to close properly.

The seat is roomy and pretty comfortable but the sides have no padding. Unfortunately the side bars are right at Babe's head level. So whenever we go over bumps or the stroller shakes a bit Babe bangs her head on the bars. This has led to tears more times than I can count. I've finally resorted to folding a tea towel over the bars to protect her head until she is taller.

There is also no hand brake which is an important feature of a jogging stroller. This is probably another reason why Kolcraft doesn't advertise this one as a jogger. That missing feature was the one thing that made me hesitate in buying it because I would like to use it for rollerblading in the future but without hand brake I'm a little uncomfortable about using it at higher speeds. 

The stroller definitely isn't high quality. It's mostly plastic and I can tell it won't last forever. But considering my next best choice was a BOB stroller that cost almost $500 the Jeep was a pretty safe bet. At $175 US I could buy a new one when Babe is two and it would still be cheaper than the BOB.

It's also important to note that Kolcraft was excellent in sending replacement parts. Toys R Us sold me an open box with three missing parts and then I had to call the stroller company to get the parts replaced. I was mad that I had to get the parts mailed out instead of replaced at the store but one call to Kolcraft and the parts were in the mail. They arrived at my Canadian address a few days later. Also construction of the stroller was super easy, took only about 15 minutes and I don't think even required any tools. 

The Conservatory.

Just a short post before bed. 

I recently took Babe to one of my favorite Vancouver places to take kids on a rainy day - The Bloedel Conservatory atop Queen Elizabeth Park. It's a great place to go for a walk and pretend to be on an adventure in a tropical rainforest. I used to nanny two toddlers and on rainy days we would walk up there and do a few laps inside. They called it "going to the jungle". It's cheap, educational, warm and pretty. It's small so you can just drop in for a few minutes or walk the same paths over and over - whichever works.

Anyway Babe loves plants and animals and since the Conservatory is filled to the brim with tropical plants and is also home to many birds, I knew she would like it. 

It was actually a sunny day, we just had some time to kill while we were in the neighbourhood. 

Here are a few pics of the trip. Babe was amazed. We even found a small parrot feather on the ground. You probably aren't supposed to take those but it's in Babe's baby album now. Sorry Bloedel staff.

The top of Queen Elizabeth Park.

Bamboo.

More beautiful flowers than I could ever post here.

The First Trip: part two.

See Previous Post For Part One.

So after hauling ass on the Vancouver Island highway we caught the ferry to Denman Island and actually managed to make the last ferry onto Hornby Island. Babe had her first three ferries in one day! We even saw a pod of dolphins leaping in the waves off the side of the big ferry - a rare sight these days. I think they came out just to help celebrate the occasion for Babe.

When we finally arrived at the cabin it was dark and stormy and I was thoroughly exhausted. So I was irritated to find a big white van blocking the driveway. It turns out that a pipe had burst in the cabin and one of my uncles (who was staying next door) had called an old family friend to come help get the water running again. It was great that the men were trying to fix the problem for us, but it was sucky that after such a long trip we arrived to such chaos. Soaked floors and wet carpets, boxes pulled out and tools everywhere.

And to make matters worse the little bassinet that I brought to put Babe into while I unpacked everything and got her bed set-up had managed to get soaked by the leaky window in the canopy on the truck, so I had no where to put Babe down when we arrived. AAAGH!

But finally the guys managed to get the water running again (thank you, thank you, thank you) and I had dragged all our gear from the truck to the cabin and set up mine and Babe's beds. Babe and I were ready for sleep.

But...I didn't get much sleep. Babe seems to be sleeping less and less as the days go by and on our trip she was waking up every 20 minutes or so all night. Which drove me nuts. On top of her waking up constantly I hadn't packed enough blankets for myself because I had planned on arriving in the daylight and unpacking the extra bedding that I store in "my" little cabin at the back of the property. But when we arrived it was too dark to try to and find the blankets, so I was making do with one thin one and after the fires burnt out I was freezing.

Babe was OK because she had her sleep sack plus some extra blankets but even so her little hands were icy cold and I tried to warm them up every time she nursed.

And as if the cold and the baby weren't enough to keep me out of dreamland the wind was also playing with me. The property is just filled with tall skinny pole trees and in high winds they sway like flowers. I spent almost all of the precious moments that Babe was asleep laying wide awake terrified that a tree would crush us in our beds!

I've spent hundreds, probably thousands of nights on Hornby before and never worried much about the trees, but now with my darling daughter to protect I worry about everything - falling trees included. I'm actually going to talk to my counsellor about how much I am worrying about Babe's safety, I think it's getting too extreme.

Anyway, that first night really kinda sucked. I prayed a lot and the trees on the property were still standing by morning.

Here's some of the trees outside the bedroom Babe and I were in. That's my Grandmother's cabin in the background.

I had a lot of things I wanted to do on the trip: Take Babe on some beach walks. Collect shells at low tide. And take advantage of all the family babysitters on the property to go for some runs by myself. But the weather didn't really co-operate. It was too wet and slippery to walk the rocky beaches and try to bend down to collect treasures with Babe. And I was so tired in the days that I didn't have the energy to go for any runs. I never even unpacked my iPod.

But it was still nice just to hang out on the island with my family and take Babe on some of her first Hornby Island walks.

Here's a pic of Babe trying to keep her eyes open in the high winds at Helliwell Park. The family was doing the whole walk through the forest and out around the cliffs, but because of the nasty winds Babe and I just walked with them through the forest and then back by ourselves.

And Babe asleep on her very first walk on Hornby.

It was also nice to watch all my little cousins play with Babe. She loved listening to their little voices and watching the funny faces they made at her. All in all it was some good family bonding time.

We also visited with my good friends and Babe loved playing with their kids too. We got together to eat Hornby's famous pizza and my friend J knit Babe an adorable hat but it's still a little too big.

The rest of the nights were variations of the first. Cold, windy and a lot of fussing on Babe's side. But it was still great to get out of the city and take Babe to my beloved Hornby for her first visit. I can't wait to go back this summer!

Babe chilln' out on the last ferry home. She's already logged six ferry rides! An old pro, just like her Momma.

The Push Before the Pushing.

Well today is my due date and for the last two weeks I've been trying to gently nudge my body and Baby into action. Like all preggos at the end of the journey I'm exhausted, sore and completely ready to get this show on the road. At 36 weeks I had many pre-labour symptoms and I thought for sure that I would deliver early. But everything stalled and nothing has changed in weeks.

I'm not ready yet to take any drastic measures to jump-start labour but I have been trying a few things this past couple weeks to get my body "ripe" for action.

Walking

The beautiful Minoru Chapel on a fall afternoon

I have been on the big side through this entire pregnancy. I guess because I had a small frame and torso to begin with there was nowhere for Baby to go except straight out in front. So exercise really slowed down for me early on because the extra weight out front put so much pressure on the ligaments in my abdomen and pelvis. Even walking a couple blocks back at 15 weeks was too much some days.

But since my due date has been approaching (and is now here) I have been trying to walk for a little while each day. Some days I feel fine and other days I get a block from home and the pain is so bad I have to sit on the curb until it subsides and I can walk back.

Since we moved we are close to Minoru Park and it's nice to walk over there on the good days.

Pressure Points

J has been pressing some pressure points in my feet and ankles that are supposed to help prepare the cervix for labour, help the baby drop into position and induce labour. If you're interested in trying these techniques get the OK from your doctor. We watched some videos on YouTube to learn where the right spots are. Click here to see one of the videos we watched. However it certainly hasn't induced labour and my lady bits didn't change much from one week to the next so either we haven't actually found the right spots or it doesn't always work.

Lemon Verbena Tea

A couple weeks ago my midwife gave me some verbena oil and a recipe for a cervical-ripening tea in the hopes that it would speed things up a bit. Again I don't really know if it works but I'm still trying (got a cup of the brew beside me right now). The recipe calls for a stick of cinnamon, cloves, ginger root and the verbena oil. You brew the tea and then add a couple drops of the oil afterwards. My midwife said to drink it at most only every other day so make sure you find out how much is too much before you start downing it every night before bed.

Acupuncture

After finding out today that there is still little sign that Baby is on the way my midwife suggested I try some acupuncture. I used to go to a great acupuncturist in West Vancouver because I hate needles and he was/is well-known for getting them in without the patient feeling it. But treatments are really expensive so J and I couldn't afford to splurge on this method of labour-induction.

But my midwife told me about a place in Vancouver called Poke which calls itself community acupuncture. It's a really cool little place at Kingsway and Main St. where you sit in a room filled with comfy recliners and other patients and one acupuncturist treats everyone. The atmosphere is super quite and chill just like a spa and everyone was so relaxed they were sleeping.

The best part is that the price works on a sliding scale so you pay between $20 and $40 per session -- whatever you can afford. Poke makes acupuncture available to people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford the treatments so it's a great service to the community. But...

I hate needles. I don't find acupuncture relaxing at all. While everyone else lay peacefully in their recliners with eyes closed and blissful smiles on their faces I sat upright, frozen, with eyes as big as saucers scanning the room for a distraction. I had flashbacks to my past acupuncturist in who was so irritated with my inability to relax during his treatments that more than once he threatened to not allow me to return. I remember he used to leave the room and I would spend the half-hour of "relaxation time" laying perfectly still so as not to shake the needles and counting all the right angles in the room. There were a lot because the neon ceiling lights were covered with those grates with all the little squares. Pathetic, I know. But his treatment did work and so I have hope that the lady at Poke made some progress today.

My eyes still feel a little crossed from spending twenty minutes staring at the needle jutting out of my forehead. When she put it in she said that most people get one in that spot because "it feels so good". Uh huh. It freaked me out so much I finally took it out and then at the end of the session I lied and said it fell out. Of course by then I had pricked my fingers several times because I was nervously playing with it while I waited for my 20 minutes to be up.

FYI: If you're one of those freaks that find having needles stuck in your body enjoyable, Poke allows you to stay for as long as you'd like. Apparently many patients doze off for an hour or so. I did not. But I do have another appointment in a couple days.