It is now 2008, and I haven't blogged in over a year. I know that for sure since my baby Alexander just had his 1 year birthday and the last post was the annoucement of his birth.
It is difficult to top a blog post like that, but I thought I would share some of the things I have learned over the past year.
Chris and I have been doing what I like to call "Green Parenting". (doh, I just looked it up and the term exists already).
We realize that during Xander's life time this planet is going to be in crisis, so we are doing what we can to try to minimize Xander's impact on the environment. We are also reducing our own impact, but we want to especially make sure we start Xander off on the right track.
Here are some of the things we are doing

Cloth Diapers

We picked up some unbleached prefolds, and Bummis wrappers from ParentingByNature and we wash them ourselves. (ok, the laundry machine still uses water & power, but the completely diaperfree concept was just not going to happen). It is really not that bad, especially for the first 6 months when all he was drinking was breast milk and the poop wasn't stinky at all).

No new stuff

Everything that is manufactured hurts the environment

Everything that is shipped hurts the environment

Everything that is thrown away hurts the environment

You actually don't need much stuff for a baby (although the stores and the media are constantly trying to convince you otherwise). All you need is warm clothing, a diaper system, and somewhere safe for the baby to sleep.
There is a great second-hand shop near my parents called RoundAbout Kids run by Moms and Grannys. They have been so helpful every time I have visited. They even helped me try on many backpack carriers until I found one that sat just right.

Minimize Driving

We live on the subway and take the subway almost everywhere. We even took Xander on the subway when he was only a few weeks old.

It hasn't been easy, especially since people keep wanting to give us stuff, and it is difficult to balance our desires to be product-free and to be thankful for everyone's kind wishes. However, I think our friends and family have started to understand and we really appreciate that.

Chris and I are very pleased to announce the arrival of our fabulous baby son, Alexander Barnes Nolan.

He arrived Tuesday January 23rd at 1:14pm and this past week has been the most amazing (and terrifying) of my life. I don't know how to put into words what it feels like: suddenly we are responsible for this wonderful tiny little boy. Every waking moment revolves around him and every new thing that he does.
He was born at 38 weeks, by unplanned cesarean, weighing in at 8lb 5oz. It was such a relief to hear his first cry when he was born. He received an apgar score of 9/10

We have posted many of his photos for you to view, feel free to add comments.

It took us a while to decide on a name, we both love the name Alexander, but didn't want something that all his classmates would also be named. Luckily Alexander is not as popular a name as it used to be, he might end up being called: Alex, Lex, Xander, or Alexander. He may even change it as he grows up, like I did with: Jenny, Jennie, Jeni, Jen, and Jennifer. We are using my maiden name as his middle name since we wanted to provide something that provides history as well as something unique. I am also pleased to continue my father's family name in his name.

Chris has also posted an announcement on his blog.

We will continue to blog and post photos as time (and baby) permit.

    Last night I had a fabulous Pregnancy Massage at the Stillwater Spa (Hyatt hotel - Toronto). I got a gift certificate as a gift for Christmas and I strongly recommend it as a gift if you know someone who is pregnant, especially if they are in their third trimester. It is called Stillwater Aqua Therapy, but it is ideal for pregnant women. The feeling of weightlessness is amazing, you can completely relax and just listen to the background music (and occasional low rumble from the subway). The water is kept at around 100 Celcius so you don't have to worry about it being too warm.
They have a small pool, maybe 10ft by 10ft and 4ft deep. The RMT puts floats under your legs and supports your head with their arms. Then you get moved around the pool, and the resistance of the water provides a soothing stretch. The RMT moving your arms and legs into various positions to stretch different areas. It is actually somewhat similar to a Thai massage (without cracking of the joints). It is also like a chinese massage with the pressure points. It was probably one of the strangest spa treatments I have ever had (and I have had massages in Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Tibet and a few other countries).

The hard part was having to get out of the pool when we were done and feel all the weight come back. But I really did sleep well last night. I woke up at 7:00am this morning fully refreshed (and I am not a morning person).