Oh Happy Day

What a beautiful day outside. Today we sort of celebrated our anniversary which is really on Tuesday. After church we went to Stratford to walk along the river and check out some of the shops. It was a perfect day. For lunch we stopped at Pizza Hut, haven't been there in such a long time!

We got a few nice shots of us long the water. Caleb was such a good guy. Didn't complain once, except when there was 10 minutes left in the car on the way home, he was sitting for too long! Sadly enough Rheo Thompson was closed, but lucky enough a selection of their chocolate was sold at a near by Drug Store! So hooray for mint smoothies! Then I was excited to discover the Pumpkin Patch for Sally. I have to call her tonight to tell her! We also had fun looking in the neat toy store, resisted buying stuff, although could have spent a fortune! Dave's parents are going to babysit Caleb on Tuesday so we can go out for dinner and a movie in honour of our anniversary.

It's a busy week this week, I think with summer coming, this will become a normal thing for us. I'm a tired girl right now. I think tonight we'll relax and watch a movie, sit on the porch, just enjoy what little is left of our weekend together.

A Month of Firsts

Last week we started giving Caleb cereal. Then this Monday, he got his first tooth! It seems early, but it actually cut through. Maybe next week eat his first steak?

Swinging

Deb: My parents have a swing set up in a tree, and Caleb goes in that one. He loves it. We give him big swings and he laughs when he swings downwards. Plus Suzie was out with us and he thought she was funny too! Here are some pictures of our weekend!

Wonderful Weekend of Weather!

Man it's been so nice out. I don't know if I can remember everything that I did during the great weather. I know that on Thursday I went for a couple of walks, in the morning one with Christa and Cara and in the evening with Caleb to our baseball practise. Friday again I did two more walks. One to Shannon's and the post office and the other with Dave to his parents place. It's been wonderful.

Saturday we went to my parents place for the day. Dave and I got to sneak out for Super Burger for lunch. We took Caleb out for a short walk to the pond. Then took him back in and the 2 of us went back for a nice walk. Then we got our ball stuff out and I got to practise batting again with my brothers playing too.

Today we walked to church. It was so great! Dave played a little road hockey with the guys while I went to Shannon's and visited there for a short bit in the afternoon. I'm totally tired from all this fresh air, and because of the sun I got, I'm feeling kind of cold right now and I'm thinking a hot bath would feel so good. Maybe I should do that since our little guy is napping.

Not so sure how this week will go. Tomorrow is swimming. Tuesday I am taking Caleb to Adventure Club for the last night, Wednesday the guys have their small group and Thursday I have been asked to be apart of a discussion group to assess our Sunday Morning services. Then it's the weekend. We may be going away for the weekend, to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. But then we've been procrastinating about that, so we may not. Time will tell!

Get out there and enjoy!

4 month check-up

Went to Orangeville today to visit the Doctor. I was a bit nervous for the little guy because the last time we went he screamed the whole time, even before the needles came out! But he surprised me today. He was giving smiles to the nurse and the doctor. He now weighs an even 18lbs and is 27&1/4 inches long. He's in the 90th percentile on the growth chart, except his hieght was off the scale.

He didn't like his needles though. And the one that was more painful was terrible! Caleb cried a cry I have never heard before, so I picked him up to comfort him all the while I started to cry. Dave thought it was funny, I was embarassed when the nurse asked if I was alright! Ahhh, but he's fine now. After the appointment we went to Walmart quick for a few things and then met my parents at Montana's for lunch, it was nice.

Today we gave Caleb cereal for the first time. At first he didn't quite get it, but then by the end of his serving, he was looking for more. He's such a good little guy. He is currently sleeping in his swing, he didn't sleep much in his crib and when he woke up I thought he was done with the napping so I tried the swing and just realized now that he's out like a light!

Yesterday Dave came with us to swimming class. He wasn't looking forward to it at first, but once he was there and saw how much fun Caleb was having, he enjoyed it. It was neat to see that Caleb is becoming more interactive with me and the toys they play with, after 3 lessons. It's amazing.

Tonight we are having some company for dinner. Rob and Julie both work with Dave and their little guy Nathan are coming over. I made chili since it's easy to put in the slow cooker, and a cheesecake for dessert. They will be arriving shortly so I better get dressed!

A Great Day

Today we had Caleb dedicated at church. My whole family came to witness it, as well as Dave's family, and Jay made it extra special for coming too. It was a very special time. I was worried leading up to the event that Caleb would either cry through the whole thing or puke all over the pastor. But our little guy was essentially an angel! After we all went to the Crossroads for lunch. We had a great time.

Then my family came back to our place to celebrate Benji's birthday, he turned 27 today. Caleb is now doing so much better in a crowd. It was a great day. I've included some pictures of the day. As well, Caleb turned 4 months on Friday, so I have some pics of that too. I take way too many pictures!

After reading Jay's blog on Friday, I decided to "check out" facebook, and yikes! I'm stuck! It's totally cool, all the people on there, I've connected with friends and family on there. Very neat I must say!

Dave has the next 2 days off, so tomorrow he will be joining Caleb and I at the pool and then on Tuesday we're heading to O'ville for Caleb's 4mth appt. and then we may go out for lunch and leave the little guy with my parents. I'm really looking forward to having him with me these next few days.

Caleb Stomping

Here's Caleb again. He is just so funny in his jolly jumper. He really stamps his feet and it looks adorable. Please excuse the banana ending, as Dave thought he was being funny!!

99 Balloons

I wanted to share this video because it's so touching and heartbreaking and beautiful.

Easter

Today is Easter. And it was Caleb's first Easter. We got him Thumper from the Disney store, as well as a couple of books about Easter. And here are a few shots of him with his new Thumper. He really likes him!




Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Good Friday

We had a wonderful day today. The 3 of us went to my parents last night and spent the night. This morning we went to the Orangeville Baptist Church for the community service which I always love. I got to experience the nursery too! I saw a few that we knew, like Jay, Mr. Moore and Ian, and Amy's aunt Ruth. I loved the worship so much.

This afternoon my entire family was over. We had a good time, then we took a few "family photo's, which I will share. The one with the kids and my parents is absolutely hilarious, I totally love it! I should blow it up! hahahaha! Brooke is picking her nose, Caleb is crying and Krista is trying to fix my Dad's hair! It's so cute!

Swimming

Today's swimming was as I hoped, a lot of fun! Caleb really liked it (I think), he didn't complain, and he even had a few smiles to share. He definately was the youngest out of the bunch. All the others were splashing and more interactive than he was, but that's alright. The pool was warm too, I'm so glad that we did it. The only thing I don't like about it all is the silly change room, there is only one change table, which is crazy considering they offer so many baby swim programs! Plus you can't wear flip flops and so walking on the wet floors totally freak me out.

Tonight's bath was fun because Caleb was really full of smiles. Overall it was a great experience and I'm so glad we're doing it. I went to Christa and Cara's shower tonight, and she got so many clothes it was crazy! Christa does not have an excuse to go shopping for her daughter for a long time!
Here is a picture of Caleb in his swimmers, it's kind of blurry but you get to see the length of his shorts!

Weekends go Way Too Fast

I can't believe it's Sunday night already. Where does the time go? To the best of my recollection...Saturday my Parents along with Denise and Buddy came to our place and we conquered the Maple Syrup Festival. A festival where they expect 70,000 people. You are right, I was nuts to go! But we did. I wanted apple fritters, and for lunch I had back bacon on a bun. It was good. In the huge crowd I ran into Mary and Al Light, it was so good to see them, since I don't even know the last time I have seen them! The main street of Elmira was wall to wall people, we couldn't really stop to take things in, we had to continue with the flow of traffic. Caleb and Dave stayed home, because I couldn't imagine taking a stroller down there, although, I bet, there was atleast 1000 people who did bring kids in strollers!

Today we went to church. Then I really wanted chinese food, so we ordered take-out for lunch. After stuffing ourselves, we went into Waterloo, to pick up a few things. Tonight we watched The Pursuit of Happyness. It was good, I really liked it.

Tomorrow is the first day of swimming lessons for Caleb! I'm so excited, I just hope that he will enjoy it. The swimming trunks we bought him look like pants on him. I just can't stop giggling at him wearing them. So we'll see, maybe I will just do the diaper thing, I'll have to look and see what the other mothers dress their babies in. (Knowing my luck, all the other babies will be girls, and I won't have anything to compare too!)

Tomorrow night is the church shower for Christa and Cara. That will be fun, she will be spoiled. I got them the jolly jumper, I know Caleb just loves his, so I'm hoping Cara will like hers!

Did anyone get pranked on today?? It was April Fools, and I forgot about it!

I made it!

Dave got home Wednesday afternoon and I was so happy to have him back! Although I did keep myself busy those days, it was comforting to have Dave home again. Tuesday was amazing weather wise! It was summer out there. I even put Caleb into shorts!

This week has been good overall. I got a package from Lesya the other day, and it was so wonderful to hear from her. She may be relocating to Ontario for next year University, which would be nice to have her close again. (Well Ottawa isn't so close, but still!)

When my parents were here on Wednesday we went shopping. I found some adorable outfits for Caleb, one for Easter and one for his dedication. I need to invent designer bibs, because these outfits are so cute and dressy, but no one will see it beyond his gross looking bib! Oh well.

Tomorrow is the Maple Syrup Festival, I'm looking forward to getting apple fritters! I'm hoping the weather won't be so bad, my parents are coming along with Denise and Buddy, it should be lots of fun.

My eyes are getting heavy, I think it's time to crawl into bed!

On My Own

Dave is going to be in Toronto for the next 3 days. He left this evening after dinner, and I was of course, sad. It's hard not having him here. I get lonely, and now with Caleb here, my days will seem extra long I think. To resolve this feeling, I'm going to my parents for the whole day tomorrow. Then on Tuesday I'm getting together with friends in the morning, then I'm going to the in-laws for dinner, then to Adventure Club for their pajama party. Wednesday my parents are then coming here for the day. We are going to go shopping. I want to get myself a new outfit for Easter, and I also want to get Caleb a special outfit for Easter and for his Dedication. We are having him dedicated on April 15th.

I'm very dependent on my Dave, and I really find it difficult to see him go. But I know that Wednesday will come and he'll be home with us again.

This past weekend was good. Yesterday we were out for most of the morning and afternoon, one thing we did was register Caleb for "Starfish" lessons at the Waterloo Rec Centre. I can't wait for that, him and I will get to spend half an hour in a pool, I sure hope he will like it, I know I will! We will be going every Monday at 11:30am for 11 lessons. That starts next Monday. After that I had to find him some bathers, and we found a couple of cute ones in Zellers, and of course the swimmer diapers!

In the evening we had Steve, Christa and Cara come over. We watched Mission Impossible 3. It was alright. Then today I didn't go to church because Caleb totally slept in! He first woke up at 8am for a feed, and then went back to bed and slept until 11am! This afternoon all 3 of us went out for a nice long walk around Elmira. We even wandered through a couple of model homes, oh to dream!! Now I'm just waiting for Dave to call to let me know he made a safe arrival. I know it's only Toronto, and if I needed him that bad, he would be here, or I could go there, but still....

Tonight is a bath night, Caleb loves his baths!

Discusting and Disasterous

That's right, Caleb had his first disasterous diaper today. Gross! I knew he was poopy, but I had the bottle in the warmer, so I thought I would just wait until after he was fed. I should have known something was up when I was pulling his pants off and he had big smiles. Well he leaked out the side, on his pants and onesie of course. So I removed the socks and shoes and then tried to figure out how I was going to get the onesie off successfully without making a bigger mess. While I stood there thinking, Caleb decided to spew milk all down the front of him, down his neck to the back of his head. At this point I was just thinking BATH! But I knew that would make him tired and I want to go outside with him this afternoon. So I tried to remove the onesie and shirt in one quick motion, I got it off, then I wiped the back of his neck to clean off the milk. Then I removed the diaper, and man, it was all up is leg and foot! YUCK! Then again he spews more milk. So once his bottom end was clean I sat him on his bum and started to wipe his neck again! THEN I discovered I managed to get poo on his head by my "one quick motion" removal! The poor kid. All the while he was smiling at me, he was probably thinking "This is GREAT!!"

So now all that being said, I'm going to get him ready and go out for the second time around the block in his baby carrier. This morning he fell right asleep, so he didn't get to see the little ducks in the stream at the back. I hope this time he'll stay awake for a bit!

Breaking the Addiction

Spring has sprung! With the pooring rain, and dull light, today has been a very sluggish day in our household. The few crashes of thunder I heard early this morning was delightful!

I was reading Deb's blog, and I feel for her. But to be honest, I don't know what it is like for her. I have been blessed with a child who loves his sleep. Currently he sleeps more than he's awake in a day. He goes through the night, but not solidly. He breaks out of his swaddle every night now, and that wakes him up, so I have to go in and give him his blanket (he's attached to a very soft, cuddly blanket) and soother, and he's out, so I'm only up for the same length of time it would have taken me to go to the bathroom.

After becoming a mother, I have become a night person (Dave would laugh at this because I go to bed at 10:30-11pm and he still thinks that is early) We put Caleb to bed anytime after 9:30pm and he then wakes up anywhere from 6:30am-7am for a bottle and then he is back to sleep until 9:30-10am, this means I too go back to bed sleeping that late! Amy called this morning at 9:30am and I let the answering machine get it, because I was still in bed, and when I told her that, she laughingly called me a lazy mother! I love my mornings of sleeping in, I don't know what I'm going to do when the sun rises earlier!

I congratulate both Deb and Jay on their weight loss success, I too am working on getting back to where I was before, I have 9lbs to go. My goal is to have it gone before baseball season starts! It's not easy, I started at the beginning of March, and I gone without chocolate for 25 days now! This has been so very difficult! But I'm hanging in there, I promised myself to get to Easter, and I'm doing it!

3 Months Old, Time Sure Flies!

Here a few pictures taken of Caleb. He's my cutey! If I have a frustrating day with him, Dave comes home and when I finish telling him about my day, he just smiles at me and says "....ya, but he's just so darn cute though!"

My baby can perform

Well I was having a very trying day today. I'm blaming it on this foggy, dismil day outside. Caleb had me on edge all day. He was just cranky, and nothing I could do could make him happy today. And of all days, today was the day that Dave wanted me to take him into his work place to show him off. The whole way there I was worried, the last thing I wanted to happen was him to carry on crying in Dave's office. But to my pleasant surprise, he was his adorable self. He was giving smiles to all of Dave's co-workers, and talking to them. I was shocked!

One thing that made me feel good too was all of Dave's co-workers thinks Caleb looks like me! In the past everyone kept telling me that he was all Dave, "a total Snyder" but today all I heard was how cute he was and that he looked like me! Ahhhh.

Tonight Lost is on, ohhh I love that show so so much! Confession time, tonight I will also watch America's Next Top Model!! hahahaha, yes, I got hooked. It's totally a comedy for me!

Time Change

Well tonight the time "springs" ahead one hour. The only downside to this is I lose an hour of sleep! I put Caleb to bed at 9pm tonight to help him adjust, hopefully this will work! So far he hasn't complained!

Today we went to my parents for the day. And yes I think it's official that Caleb makes strange. My whole family was there today, and I think the crowd freaked him out. Especially when people got into his face. Other than that we had a fun day. Dave and I went to the Hockley store to look around. There wasn't anything special there really. They have made it into a little cafe too, so maybe in the summer we can ride our bikes there and have a treat!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day. We have church and then we are invited out to someone's for lunch. Should be a nice afternoon.

Whoa I'm feeling so so tired, I think I'm going to crawl into bed now too. Goodnight.

Feeling Pretty Tired

The sun is out shining bright, and I'm here, feeling really tired for some reason. Caleb is sleeping less and less as the days go by, I feel like the more awake he is, the more tired I feel! Oh well, maybe it will soon pass as the days get longer and spring is soon around the corner I hope. I had a busy Monday, in the terrible weather! I went out to IGA to get a few groceries because I was preparing a roast for Steve and Christa, it was my first roast I have ever done! After that I then went back out to McDonald's to meet the girls from work. Caleb cried the whole time. I know he's only 12 wks old (today) but I have a very funny feeling that he is making strange already. Then home again, I waited for Dave to come home and then once he was home we all went over to Steve and Christa's for dinner. The roast was a success which was good. After visiting them there for awhile we then went to Shannon's and visited with her for a bit. We got home around 8:30pm. I was tired! It was a bath night too! I guess it doesn't seem like much, but when I have Caleb to worry about, every chore and outing is tripled it seems!

I'm sad that Caleb seems to make strange, I really hope that it's not a stage that lasts long. But as soon as someone takes him from me, he gets a very huge pout (which is cute and makes me laugh) then turns it into a huge cry. Then I take him back and settle him, and I would then try it again, pass him to someone else, and boom the same thing happens. That in itself is exhausting, I mean I looked forward to people taking him from me, it means BREAK for me! But now I just worry and wait for the big tears.

He's watching his baby einstein dvd right now. He really likes it. I noticed on tv there is a new one comeing out about baby signs. I'm very curious about this one, because I was thinking of learning baby signs to teach Caleb, I've heard good things and bad things about this. I'll read more up on it and then see, in the meantime I may get the dvd and see if he likes it as much as the other 2 we have.

It's been awhile since I have posted anything, I'm sure there is lots more I could write about, like how Caleb got his first international package from Sally's family. They sent him an Emu and Platypus and Sally's sister knitted him a nice blue sweater. He's a spoiled little guy!

Maybe when Caleb goes for a nap, I might join him!

Smart Caleb

He's playing with the round thingy's on the exersaucer!

Oh Dear

I'm afraid that Caleb only likes to be at home. Last night Dave and I took him over to Steve and Christa's after his 6pm feed, and once we got there he cried and cried and cried. He didn't stop! I don't know what his problem was, he was fed, changed, burped, so I'm afraid that because we were in a strange place made him upset? I don't know, I really truly hope this isn't the issue.

Cara is cute. It was nice to hold a brand new baby again. Man what a difference to what Caleb was!

So they say we're in for another storm today. Hopefully it isn't as bad as they predict.

Yesterday I worked on Caleb's scrapbook. I finished two more pages. But there is still lots to do. I have 2 rolls of film to get developed and Dave told me last night there are 200 pictures on the digital that have to be developed as well! That is insane! hahaha, I'll be scrapbooking for a lifetime I think!

Welcome to the World Baby Girl

7:30am I got a call from Steve, Christa had a baby girl 6am this morning! Weighing 7lbs, 10oz, they named her Cara Faith, quite pretty I think. I was so happy for them. Christa was a super woman, going through the whole labour without an epidural.

Yesterday afternoon Christa called me telling me that she thought her water had broke. Since Dave was home for the day I told her that I would come over and be with her until either her Mom or Steve could come. At 5pm Christa called me and said it was a false alarm, the hospital told her that her water did not break. All the while she also said she was experiencing gas like pains. Well these pains must have gotten worse through the night because they went to the hospital at 3am!

I took Caleb out this morning to shop for some cute Robeez shoes. I found some real cute purple ones with snails on them. Now the debate is do we wait until they are home to see them or go to the hospital. If we go to the hospital, then we would have to find a baby sitter for Caleb, as they do not allow children (besides siblings) under the age of 14 in. I'm hoping they come home tonight and that would solve all problems! We'll see, they have huge families on both sides which means, they may not want to see us, so we'll see what they want.

Caleb is now in his jolly jumper, quite happily standing there, he hasn't quite got the jumping part of it. He is a creature of routine which is really nice for me! He eats and then wants to be rotated between his chair, mobile, jolly jumper and then will want sleep, after napping he likes his swing. I have to incorporate his exersaucer in there somewhere. At 2:30 it's our afternoon story time, and I read him two books, and he seems quite interested in the pictures. Late morning and late evening he enjoys the baby einstein, I try him with them during the afternoon, but he doesn't like it then, strange!

Caleb in the Jolly Jumper

My Growing Boy!

Here's a few recent pictures of Caleb. He's changing so quickly!

Another Lesson Learned

Well today I learned that things don't always go the way I planned. All week I had been looking forward to today. My parents were coming early morning and then all of us were going to go to Ikea and then to my Mom's cousin Donna's in Hamilton. I was anticipating looking at the kids section in Ikea, as I never thought twice about it before, now that we have Caleb, I'm sure there are neat things we could get to add to his room.

I continued to plan in my head how things would be. We were taking the truck, and I figured we would leave the stroller behind and I would just use the baby carrier. BAD IDEA!!! He was fine upto feeding time. Then I had to change him. Now the change room in the bathroom at Ikea was great (this is the first time I had to change Caleb in a public washroom) They had put a mobile above the change table, and he was quite happy looking at that. But then I don't know what happened, either is was the noise there, or the difference in change table feel, but he screamed. He screamed and screamed and screamed. I couldn't get that diaper changed fast enough! Then that was it, he screamed the rest of the time there. I didn't even get to the kids section, I was so stressed out that I left everyone behind and took Caleb back to the truck. As soon as I put him in his car seat, he was fine! ahhhhhh. I should have taken the stroller! This was the very first time that Caleb has been this upset, and in public of all places! I haven't heard him this upset ever, not only was I stressed, but I was sad.

From there we went further into Hamilton to find Donna's place. She is a big knitter, crocheter and sewer, and has her own little shop where she hems and alters and sells her knitting. She had wanted us to come since Caleb was born so we could pick something out that she made for him to have. When we got there, she showed us an adorable sweater and hat that she made especially for him. It was sooo cute, I'll post pictures of him in his hat later.

Anyway we got back home and I am just exhausted, and so is he! I feel sad, because I have built this day up in my mind, and was so excited and looking forward to it, and then all this happened. But in my mom's words, "you have to take these things with a grain of salt". Next time I'll try and remember not to be too excited about outings such as these, it all depends on your child and how the day goes for them!

Our Visit to the Doctors

Well yesterday was a long day. I normally feed Caleb his 6am bottle and then go back to bed, but yesterday I had to prepare to leave for Orangeville at 8am, so I just stayed up. We first went to Sally's place so I could feed him before his appt. The appt. didn't go so well. Caleb screamed and cried from the time they weighed him until I got him into the car.

He weighs a whopping 15lbs, 6oz now. I knew he was a pretty big guy. The doctor was very pleased though. He's not an overwieght baby, all his measurements are proportionate to his size so she was happy. I mean he is way off the grid as to normal baby size at 2 months, but he had a good head start.

I gave him tylenol for the rest of the day, and he was fine. He cried more than usual for the day, and required a lot more cuddling, but he's all good today, back to his normal self. It was terrible though, having to hold his legs down while they needle him, and he was screaming that awful cry where he wasn't getting breath, ahhhh.

Last night Steve's (Dave's best friend) mom came over. She made Caleb a rag quilt. It's so cute, it's all little cats, very appropiate! Today I just got home from grocery shopping at Zehrs and then tonight we're going to the in-laws for dinner and then I have Bible study.

It's warming up

I haven't gone outside today, but I know it was supposed to get warmer this week. Today I feel pretty lazy. I'm not 100% sure why I feel this way. Maybe it's because I had a busy weekend, there were things that were actually planned and we were out most of both days. Saturday, Dave took Caleb and I into Waterloo to the mall. We haven't done that together in a long time. We bought Caleb a couple of pants and sleepers. I found that we got a lot of 0-3mth and 6-12mth clothes, but nothing in between, so we had to get a few things that he can more comfortably wear.

We also went to Canadian Tire for a few necessities and then had lunch out. We got home in the afternoon, and I spent the afternoon just resting. I then had a girls night out with a couple of friends from work. We went to Boston Pizza for dinner and then went to see Music and Lyrics. It was a lot of fun. The movie was cute. I'm not a Hugh Grant fan, but he did good in it.

Sunday we went to church and then went to Steve and Christa's for lunch. They invited a bunch of us over. We stayed there until Caleb's 2:00 feed and then we left and looked through model homes. I don't think I want to move, but I like entertaining the thought, especially when we saw a couple of big houses that were soooo nice! We got home late in the afternoon again and then spent the rest of the night relaxing. Dave and I watched The World Trade Centre, it was ok.

Lately Caleb won't let us put him down to sleep in the evening between his 6pm and 10pm feeding. He falls asleep in our arms and then we try to lay him down and he starts crying. He doesn't do this during the day or after 10pm, he is quite happy to be put down to sleep. But it's in the evening where that changes, so I don't mind him doing it at that time, because I can cuddle up with him on the couch and watch tv. There is something so touching when a baby snuggles in for a sleep. I find I watch him sleep more than I do the tv!

Tomorrow we are off to Orangeville for his 2 month check up. I'm a little nervous because he gets his needles, but I know he will be ok. We are going to spend the whole day there afterwards.

Caleb at 2 Months Old!

It's that Romantic Day today

Sure it's supposed to be a romantic day, but somehow it never ends up like that for me. I never used to like Valentine's Day, mostly because I didn't have someone special to share it with. But then Dave came along and I told him that it was a huge responsibility on his part to make this day special for me to make up for all those un-celebrated years! He's tried his best, I got a nice delivery of flowers yesterday from him, they loook very pretty. I guess that is romantic, but instead of going out tonight, he has his men Bible study here! I should see if the wives of these guys feel the same way I do???

Today I was supposed to take Caleb to the doctors for his 2 month check up, but because of the weather, I called and rescheduled, so now it's not until next Tuesday. I bought Caleb "Love You Forever" for his first Valentine's. That's a pretty special gift I think!

I've borrowed "The Walton's" season 1 from my parents, and I have been watching them this week. I love it. I sometimes wish life could be that simple. But then again, it was during the depression, and for many adults that would not be simple. But those kids sure look like they had a wonderful childhood!

Hmmm so how am I going to spend this Romantic day? Well I want to shovel the driveway out. Then I might watch some chick flicks, I borrowed "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Lucky 13" from my brother. So I think I will conquer those two today! That is if Caleb lets me!

I hope you all aren't snowed in too bad! Have fun! Happy Valentine's Day.

It's A Beautiful Day!

The sun is shining, the wind is NOT blowing. It's great outside. Today we went to church and Kayley (Dave's cousin Sharlene's baby) was dedicated. As part of the celebration we were invited to join them at the Stone Crock in St. Jacobs for lunch. I was looking so forward to it, I haven't been to the Stone Crock in ages. But once we were there I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't what I remembered it to be. It was nice to be there with family and friends though.

The shower my co-workers threw was wonderful. Again Caleb was spoiled. As a group they collected enough money to buy Caleb the swing we registered for, and then there was still $75 left of cash! So with the money I already went out and put the money towards the baby carrier that we registered for. Baby Bjorn, it's so awesome I love it! We also were given some personal gifts from my friends at work, he got toys, and clothes and blankets. We got a basket of baby bath supplies and there was a baby bath robe, it's so adorable, I'll put him in it tonight for bath time and get some pictures.

Caleb is in 6 month sleepers now! Isn't that crazy?!?! While I was shopping for some in Sears the size chart says, 6 months or 16 lbs and I think Caleb is 15 pounds already!! We go to the doctors on wednesday, so we'll see!

I borrowed season one dvd's of The Walton's!!! I love that show!

Anyway, that is all I can think of, I'm sure there is lots more I could write, but I'm tired, and Caleb needs a change of scenery I guess.

My Fingers are Cold

Man, it is cold out there. Although I haven't really exposed myself to the cold today, but I did last night and yikes! It is cold! Last night I went over to Christa's so she could cut my hair. Nothing drastic, I was too chicken to do anything, so she just trimmed it for me. Afterwards we went to Shannon's for our small group. We are studying Downpour by James McDonald, and I have to tell you, it is pretty amazing.

Caleb is such a good guy, last night he slept from 10-7:30am. He might have gone longer this morning, but I woke him up. I didn't want to get off too much of his schedule because we have a shower to go to at work this afternoon.

Yesterday he turned 8 weeks old, and he was a cranky guy! I tried getting pictures of him, but he was too busy crying! I may try again this afternoon. Thank goodness for digital pictures where I can delet the terrible ones!

Lost was really good. In fact I enjoyed the re-cap too, they kind of flashed "connections" people had before the plane crash, and some of them I didn't catch onto before, like Locke and Syaid's girl, and the guy who trained Desmond and Syaid in the military. Anyway, I'm glad it is back!

Wild Weather

WOW! that weather out there is nuts! I like it when everyone is home safe, then I can enjoy it. It was mighty windy, and sometimes we couldn't see the houses across the street!

Well last night Caleb did it, he went from 10pm to 6am. He probably would have gone longer, but I had to go and check on him, and I touched him. This didn't wake him right away, so I went back to bed, but 20 mins later, he did start to stir. That was ok, atleast he can still be on his schedule.

Yesterday we had another shower to go to. Dave's side threw this one for us. We got some really nice clothes for him, toys and lots of practical needs like towels and cloths. I don't know where I'm going to put all of this stuff! Thursday this week my work is throwing us a shower too! YIKES!

Ok so maybe my hormones aren't quite back to normal yet. Have you seen the movie Eight Below? The one about the sled dogs in Antartica? Jeepers! I bawled throughout it. Just thinking about some of the moments makes me teary eyed now. Ahhh at one point I told Dave I hated this movie and to shut if off. But he wouldn't listen to me. I actually had to tell myself that this was just a movie, but it didn't help, I cried that terrible sobbing cry! There is just something about all animals that gets me right in the heart!

Anyway, if you want to cry, it's a good movie to watch I guess!

7 1/2 hours

Well I had to do a triple take at the clock this morning because Caleb slept from 10pm to 5:35am! I was shocked to the point that I accidentally woke up Dave. He was just a good boy, I fed him his normal amount and then I swaddled him up again and put him down and he slept again until 9am! He's really getting into Mommy's good books! hahaha.

Anyway, today I have my work buddies coming over for lunch. They are brining pizza! Then tonight is a dessert night at the church, I'm still debating about going, but if I do go I'm just gonna whip up some brownies to take. Dave has some guy coming over tonight to talk to him about setting up RESP's for Caleb.

Well, I better go, our ladies small group is studying Downpour by James McDonald and there are daily devotionals to do, so I want to get that done before Caleb needs full attention again!

Where did my colour options go???

Letting Go

While I was pregnant, I never had any intention of putting Caleb in our room. Neither did Dave. But the first day home, we did! Actually it was my mom who had suggested it. It was great, we had him sleep at the foot of our bed, and therefore was easy access whenever he fussed or needed to be fed.

Lately I started to get a bit frustrated, Caleb will grunt and kick and move around and I would lay there awake listening, waiting for the cry. Last night I finally did it. I moved the bassinet back into his room. I felt torn. I actually was sad not to have him with us anymore. But at the same time I didn't hear him until 4am! He slept 6 hours straight. He's growing so fast, I love seeing his changes and yet again I feel sad about how fast he grows out of his baby stage.

Today we had Denise for the day. She came over and we went to the mall and shopped for a bit. Caleb stayed awake the whole morning, and didn't go for a sleep until about 3:30 this afternoon!

Yesterday we met Kathryn, what a cutie! It was just a short visit, but I was glad we could see everyone. Deb, you look great! After that we went to my parents and spent the afternoon. We got caught up with Steve and Sally. I haven't seen them for awhile it seems!

Boy it's cold out there. But it's really nice to see the sun! Hope everyone is staying warm!

Church Shower

Well last night was the big church shower for Caleb. It was so amazing. Caleb was spoiled. I would list off the things we received but there's too many that I can't even remember them all. Tonight Dave and I are going to go through them again. Then tomorrow I guess I need to conquer where to find homes for everything. I few things I do remember receiving is our diaper genie, the exersauser, clothes, a john deere riding tractor, a blow up activity ring. There is so much more, ahh I was so overwhelmed by everyone's generousity.

My mom came over in the morning yesterday and spent the whole day and night with us. We went to the mall and I bought a few new tops that were on sale. I felt like I had a nice break because my mom was a huge help. She fed Caleb the whole day and even took him at 7am so I could sleep more. I was sad to see her have to leave this morning. It is so odd coming home without anyone but Caleb with me. I really felt homesick after she left.

Anyway here's a picture of Caleb in his new exersauser. He's still a bit too small for it, but with help from a pillow I think he'll be able to enjoy it now.

Visits

Today Caleb met Norma! It was really fun getting to see her. We met at my parents place. It was a great day all around. The sun was shining for our whole drive. We took our winter gear, and brought Caleb's new sleigh that he got for Christmas. We bundled him up with lots of clothes and blankets and took him out for a quick 5 mins! It was soooo cold out!

We had a good week. Caleb has been a bit on the fussy side. I think he fights his sleep, as he cries and once I either wrap him up or cover him up in his bassinet then he settles. I too have been on the fussy side! hahaha. Just lack of sleep, I become a grouch. Thank heavens Dave is such a patient man, he balances me out that's for sure.

I find I have to entertain Caleb. I first put him in his rocker with the toys overhead and that lasts maybe 5, 10 mins at most, then I lay him on the ground, again it's short lived. Then I walk around with him talking to him, and then I lay him in the bassinet so he can watch his mobile. At this point I hope for sleep, but that doesn't always happen. So last night while Dave's parents watched Caleb, we went to Toys R Us and I got the new Rainforest mobile for his crib, and we also bought him the "bumbo" chair. Well success, he likes both, so those will be added to his entertainment rotations! hahaha.

Anyway, tomorrow is supposed to be a day of relaxation. Then Monday if the weather is good, my Mom is supposed to be coming and staying Monday night with us. My church is throwing us the shower that night so I wanted her here with me for that.

Until next time...

Caleb Talking

Here's a short clip of Caleb talking. He's just so cute! hahaha

Smiles

Well it is official, Caleb is definately smiling at us now, and he's cooing and talking to us, it's so cute. He is definately up a lot longer now. This morning he was up at 9:30am and then I fed him at 10am, we then went to church, and he was awake that whole time. He fussed in the service so I took him to the nursery for the sermon Then he slept from church to home (a whole 2 minutes) and he was up again until about 2pm when it was time to feed him again, and now he's awake. I'm thinking we'll get 2 hours of sleep from him later before a 6pm feed.

It's so pretty outside. The snow is coming down so softly. Yesterday Dave and I took Caleb out for a walk. We stopped in at Kris and Shannon's for a bit. It was nice to get outside for a walk. I'll have to do that more often. Then last night we watched THe Davinci Code. It was alright. I had read the book about a year ago and I couldn't remember things. But I think they did a pretty good job at it.

I'm not sure how the rest of today will be spent. I feel kind of sleepy, so I may have a nap. I'm not too sure though, because Dave's parents are coming over, and depending on how late Steve and Christa get home at (they were away on a trip this week) we may walk over to see them later tonight.

OH ya, on Friday I went to BookLore. Fern, Nancy and Tracey all got to see Caleb. Nancy was so kind and gave us the big hardcover Good night Moon and the hardcover of Guess How Much I Love You. She told me how much she misses me, and she was holding Caleb and telling some customers about him, she was proud of me, and I really appreciated that. I do miss that store and the whole atmosphere there.

Another Outing

Well today I took Caleb to work. In the morning I was thinking that maybe it wasn't going to work because he was so fussy. But he had a good drink at noon and was great for the entire visit. Then of course once we got home and had another feed he was fussy again! Dave got home and by that time I finally got him to sleep. (figures!) Right now he's sleeping too. He's eating a lot more, so I'm hoping we can finally get some kind of a schedule and maybe even get 4 hours in between feeds. We'll see. So far we have gotten 3 and 1/2 hours, so we're getting there!

I love my baby, but my days seem long and it's not easy! Tomorrow I'm going to meet Shannon for lunch I think. The more I get out the faster the day goes. Plus going out helps me get the hang of things I need to pack and how long it takes to get ready. It's a big event, going out!

Finally snow has arrived. Although I haven't missed it too much, it would have been nice if it showed up for Christmas, but oh well.

Wednesday Caleb will be 4 weeks old. Now that I have said my days seem long, the big picture seems like time has flown! He's definately more alert and responds to my voice and daddy's voice. I think he even tells stories to the toys that hang over his chair, and even though I'm not 100%, I think I was getting real smiles out of him today. Anyway, here he is in bed with me. I love his stretches!

Congratulations Deb, Shaun and Big Brother Patrick

So glad to hear Kathryn's arrival was well and that all is going great! I'm so excited for you all and I can't wait to meet her and cuddle her!

It's 2007

Wow, I can't believe that we're in 2007. Really, it wasn't that long ago that we were celebrating year 2000 right?!?!

Well currently Caleb is laying on the floor behind me looking at the window, all the light he likes. It's amazing how he changes too. In his face I can really see differences. He's definately got his father's brow. He has a serious look on him all the time. He's telling stories too which is so adorable. On top of it all he's already so strong. He can hold his head up and turn it around. When he's on his tummy he can lift up his head and move it from side to side. It's amazing!

Our New Years Eve was really nice. We had about 12 people over, the girls watched a chick flick, The Lake House, it was a different movie, but I liked it. While the men played poker and watched that Ricky Bobby movie. I'm paying for my late night now though, as our last guest left at 2am! Then yesterday we went to my parents for the afternoon and dinner.

Today is my very first day home alone with Caleb. It's quite nice. I finally can have a bit of "me time" and not have to worry about having to entertain anyone besides my baby. I still have to learn how to do things in a day, but if I don't get anything done today, my excuse is that I'm still so tired from the past weekend, that I just wanted to veg and rest!

Tonight I may go out to Toys R Us to update our registry, take things off that are generic and put little boy things on. I was going to go and do that this afternoon, but have decided that I would probably be more efficient if I were to leave Caleb home with his daddy while I do that!

I loved Deb's journal idea and how she keeps a written one. So I think that for 2007 Dave and I will attempt to try one out, see if we can do one. So I may pick up a journal tonight too. We'll see. I say all this now, but come this evening I may just want to stay in!

Happy New Year Everyone!

First Half Day on my Own

Well today was the first afternoon I was home alone with Caleb. Dave worked from home this morning, we had the Public Health Nurse come for a visit, so he wanted to be here for that. Then after lunch he headed to work. I managed ok. I won't go into the details of my methods of feeding Caleb, but there's a bit more work involved now, so I have to get myself into a routine. I felt the afternoon was spent feeding him. But hey, that's ok, he's so adorable, I love just holding him. And admiring him.

Our Christmas was special. Christmas eve we didn't get to hold much of him. My mom's whole family gets together that day, so there was almost 30 people at the farm, and yes, everyone had to have a hold. Caleb is so so good. He doesn't cry a whole lot, and he's so laid back. The loud crowd didn't seem to phase him one bit!

Christmas morning there was an overflowing pile of presents. I haven't seen so many before. And Dave and I were very overwhelmed, everyone bought something special for Caleb, and we totally didn't expect that. We also were spoiled. Right now I'm listening to a cd that Dave bought me Integrety's Worship Platinum. It is so great I love it! This year was the year of pj's for myself. I got 4 pairs of pj's and they are all pink! Adorable! And most importantly, COMFY!

I'm healing quite well now. I still have to take some pain killers late afternoon, as that's when the stiffness and uncomfortableness hits. Having a baby is such a blessing, but you know, it's very overwhelming. I have been an emotional wreck. I will fully admit that I have suffered with the baby blues. I look at my little man and sometimes worry that I'm not sufficient enough. Then with the struggles we have had with his weight, it was heartbreaking. But now that I have somewhat of a plan, I feel more confident in myself. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband. He has been just an amazing help. He's just so involved. He keeps looking at Caleb and says, "He's cute, I like him, I think we'll keep him, and we should get another one too!" hahaha, I told him that he needs to wait, because my memory is not that bad, it will take a bit to forget. The labour thing was alright, it's this after labour that is so hard.

Anyway, here are a few shots of Christmas for our little guy.

I'm a Mom

Well, I'm now a Mom. It's day 3 and I'm thinking I'm doing alright. Although my Mom who was here helping me went home half an hour ago and I couldn't stop crying. I guess it's what they call the baby blues. I'm confident in myself, and I'm so proud of my husband, we are doing awesome (hence the reason my mom felt she was good to go now as opposed to later) but my Mom is my safe haven, she was the biggest help ever, she got up with me all throughout the nights to help me nurse. Because Caleb is so big, and I'm so sore and weak, it's difficult for me to hold him upto my breast. She helped keep the house tidy, and taught us all she could, so now that she's gone, I just feel a bit nervous.

Anyway, here's the story of Caleb's entry into this world. Irony I say started it off! I was talking to Deb on MSN wednesday morning, and I asked her if she thought I should be taking my hospital bag to my doctor's appointment in case he decides something needs to be done that day, and she said no, that if something were to be done, Dave was going to have to come and meet me anyway, and that he could always get them. Well, I had just finished my shower at 9am, and I was drying off with the towel when I felt a little twitch down below, and pop, my water broke. I immediately hopped over the toilet for a bit. Then stress hit me fast as I noticed my water was a dark brown colour. I first called Dave at work and told him to come and get me. Then I called my Mom to tell her what was happening. (in between those 2 calls I accidently answered a telemarketing call from Direct Energy, but I was kind and said I don't have time goodbye) Then I called the hospital and they told me to come right in. Well I sat on a plastic bag in the truck, got out in the parking lot and lost heaps more water. I was drenched! Then in the hospital they assessed me, because my water was brown, it meant the baby had it's first bowel movement inside. At this point there was no contractions, but man the water kept gushing and gushing out! Then all at once the contractions started to come every 2-4 mins apart just like that. They quickly got me into a birthing room. My nurse went over options with me, and I said that I was going to take an epideral, but that I would wait a bit. I didn't wait long, as the contractions continued fast and they were unbearable. So the anstesiologist came in to do it, and it was awful, I was so scared I was shaking, and I was also going through contractions. But once I was hooked up everything was hunky dorey for the afternoon. It was about 5pm when I started feeling a pressure. I told the nurse and she said that was good, it meant my uterus was pushing down the baby. Well by 6:45 the pressure was so intense, the nurse not to push even though I felt a need to. But at 7pm, I said that I had to do something it was terrible. So another nurse assessed me and by that point I was fully dialated. So I started pushing. My doctor came in around 8pm, assessed me, and told me that he was going to have to help me. So in came the forcepts. I didn't look at them. But it was amazing, he was so great, I didn't feel much, and he asked me to push once and boom out came the head! (although he had to snip me unfortunately so I wouldn't tear) He was a big big boy. I think my doctor was proud of himself! Especially when the nurse said 11 pounds! He was shocked! I cried!

It was an experience I don't know how to descibe. I look at this precious boy and think, that baby was in my belly! I fall more and more in love with him when I look at him. I'm so proud of him and myself. I'm more passionately in love with Dave. He has shocked me beyond words. I was always worried about how he would be with our baby. He is so proud! He wants to show the world first of all. He loves just holding him, and he tells me that he could just look at him forever. Then he told my brother that maybe by this time next year we'll have another one! (I said there's no way of that happening, the after effects on your body after delivering a baby is awful, especially when there's stitches in an inappropiate place and can't go to the bathroom without some kind of terror, and you have to say out loud, "ok ok lets pee, pee pee pee!") He tells me that he loves our baby, and how beautiful he is. When I see him with Caleb, my heart doesn't know what to do with all the love that overflows. God is so amazing, to have created life in this way.

Anyway, I'm going to go and put my feet up, as they are balloons at this moment. I'm sure there is much much more I can tell you about how my life has changed in the past 3 days, but I think my fingers have had enough exercise tonight!

Thank you for your prayers! God answered them with many blessings of a beautiful, perfect, healthy boy.

Good day

Well today was a nice day. My parents came over for the day, they got here early enough to join us for church. We had invited them to because there was special music today. The afternoon we spent just visiting with eachother. While in church it dawned on me, that this time next week there will be a baby in our lives!

I have mentioned the problems we have had with our neighbour and their stereo system? They play it so loud that we can practically hear what the words are, and of course, they play it sometimes at the most inappropriate times (such as 2am in the morning). Sometimes they play it late in the afternoon, where I feel like I need to turn up the tv volume to drown it out! Well this morning, Mert called and said that this neighbour was robbed last Thursday in the middle of the afternoon! The odd thing was I was home that day, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Then Dave asked me if I had heard the stereo since then, I don't think I have. This is the bad part of the story, I kind of started laughing! I thought, "was this my answer to prayer?" Would the stereo have been stolen too? Oh dear! I don't think it was because I'm thinking that I have heard it since Thursday, but I'm not 100% sure.

Anyway, Christmas Vacation is on tonight! I'm looking forward to watching it!

Question

Dave and I have been thinking of getting something special for our little one's First Christmas. Do people do that even though it will have no concept what so ever? If yes, then what do you suggest? My brother has already provided a "Baby's first Christmas" ornament for the tree. Grandma Fern has already bought a First Christmas outfit. And Dave has come home with a book of collected fairy tales from around the world.

If you have any good suggestions let me know.
Let me know if your suggestion would be to not worry about it and do nothing, because I honestly don't know what we should do!

Saturday Night

Well, no news to share as of yet. I'll just say that right off the bat so you're not wondering.

Today I didn't do much in the morning. Dave went to the church to work on the computers there, so I actually crawled into bed again after talking to my mom for awhile. After lunch, Dave went to the Card shop for a couple of hours while I cleaned the house. It needed to be vaccuumed. I also sifted through the millions of flyers we received in the last 3 days. When Dave got home we decided to go to Kelsey's for dinner. I wanted the spinach dip. Then we wandered around Home Sense and we bought Good Night Moon, as it was half the price on a discounted table. Then Dave took me for a drive, it was nice, we looked at all the rich houses on the north end of Waterloo. I just finished watching Home Alone. It always makes me laugh.

Last night we were treated out for Swiss Chalet by a couple from Church. Dave and Dave H. go way back, as Dave H. owns the Card shop (when I say that I mean like sport cards) Because my Dave helped him with his computer issues, he and his wife wanted to treat us out for an evening. It was lots of fun. Dave H. is a retired police officer and he has some pretty funny stories to share. His wife Pauline seems to be serious when you look at her, but the things that come out of her mouth can be hilarious! Late into the evening she decided to do the needle and thread thing over my belly. It swang side to side which we all thought indicated a boy. Well her husband thought she was making it do that, so he had to try, and so here I was reclined in a chair while the two of them hovered over my belly, intently watching this needle, and Dave H's amazment over the needle moving side to side was so funny. So he then made my Dave do it just to see, and sure enough, it went side to side again! So all three were hovering over my belly, just thinking about it makes me laugh, it was so funny! So it looks like were having a boy, that's what everyone is telling me, so I'm believing it. Only maybe 4 people have told me otherwise, out of all the tonnes of others!! Only a matter of short time will tell at this point!

Tomorrow my parents are coming to me for a visit. I mentioned that I wanted to go to the farm, but Dave is a little leary of going too far in case something does happen. So my parents are coming here for a change. I'm really looking forward to that.

Day 2

So I'm on day 2 of my maternity leave, without baby in hand! Oh well, I'm still waiting. On Sunday the pastor's whole message was waiting on God. And so that is what I'm doing. Yesterday I accomplished my thank you notes from my Mom's shower. I also had a couple of nice chats on the telephone, one with my Mom and one with Amy. In the afternoon I was feeling sleepy at 2, so I crawled into bed and slept for an hour and a half! Shocking! But much needed. I don't sleep well at all anymore. My hips just kill me at night. Last night was terrible, I couldn't sleep in the same position for long at all. I don't know how Dave stays with me in bed! He must be so tired that he sleeps through it!

Today I've been to Zehrs and back. I thought I would try and stock up on food for when the baby comes, but when I get to the store, my intentions fly out the window. I don't think I was sucessful for a food stock up. Oh well! I think I'll probably sleep the afternoon away. I'm expecting a phone call from my co-worker who needs help. I told her to call me if she had any questions while I'm gone. While I was out, she left me a message to call her, so I returned a message! We'll play phone tag.

Tomorrow I've got my last scheduled doctor's appointment, however I'm sure I'll be told to make another one for next week! hahaha. I'm gonna ask him what he thinks of only allowing me to go only 5 days over! I'm also hoping Christa will cut my hair maybe, we'll see, I'm feeling kind of attached to it right now, maybe I'll wait until after the baby and it all falls out! At that point we've been toying with the idea of perming it! I'll see, we'll be preparing for our small group party which is that night. I'm taking a salad.

Anyway, I'm still "hanging in there"! So many people come up to me and say that to me! Ahhh, it's kind of tiring! Dave made us go to his boss's Christmas party, and I totally didn't want to go, he didn't either, but because it's his boss, there was an obligation, and you know, you just totally reach a point where you're sick of talking about being pregnant. I had many wives asking me how I've been doing, that was the conversation for the night. I survived, but didn't want to talk about it anymore!

I really like the Dave Matthew's band. I'm listening to one of his Christmas songs, and I just love it! Hmm, I need to tell Dave this, so he can maybe get another Christmas present for me :)
hehehe!

Finally

Ahhh, after downloading this new blog version a week ago, I tried to get into my account tonight and it took me forever to figure it out! I'm tired now and I don't feel like typing! hahaha.

So tomorrow is my last day. It hasn't sunk in yet. Today my department was kind and brought in Swiss Chalet for lunch and a cake wishing me all the best. We're so busy at work, that I feel kind of bad leaving them swamped as they are, but oh well.

It's been an emotional day, I'm tired. I have developed a sinus cold, and so I don't feel so great. When I got home today, my stomach started turning. And sure enough, I puked! So I crawled into bed, and when Dave got home I just burst out into tears. Which of course didn't help the sinus thing and now my eyes are burning. I don't know why I waited for Dave to get home before I cried, but as soon as I saw him I just cried. This poor guy, having to put up with me over the past 9 months have been a challenge for him. But in the end, I know how much he loves me.

Well it's one week today for this little one to come. But I'm thinking we're going to be waiting a bit longer. So we'll shall see. I admit there is a little part of me that hopes it's tomorrow! I've had many discussions with this baby, detailing how I would like it all to happen. We'll see if it listens to mommy or not! hahaha. But I know God has it all figured out, and I'll shall wait on Him. I'll keep telling myself what my doctor told me, babies are much easier to control in the womb than outside! He's a good doctor, and makes me laugh.

Christmas is Coming

Only one month away until Christmas. Can you believe that? Dave and I added a few more touches to the baby's room. I finally have a couple of pictures to share. And a couple of me. 38 weeks pregnant!

Yes I just took this one 10 mins ago, I'm tired and ready for bed any moment now. Maybe tomorrow when I'm nicely dressed I'm might look better. As you can see my pj's aren't very flattering.

Cars

Dave and I just finished watching Cars. It's a cute movie. Speaking about Cars, I had to take my car to Honda last night for service, and it turned out that the front brakes needed work. So I left it there over night, and Val from work was kind enough to drive me there on our lunch so I could retrieve the Plum. I took Val to Harvey's for lunch since she drove into Waterloo in the first place. She's so kind!

Oh ya, and someone in our department got fired today :( I can't help but feel partly responsible. She was an assistant, and she made a few brutal errors when it came to sending out important things, things that were accomplished by my team. So when I had my annual Performance Appraisal (which went very well, I'm going to brag, if it was like a report card, it would be straight A's) I had to tell my boss about the one huge error, only because for us to correct it, we had to do it all over again, very time wasting (especially when I have a million things to do before I leave). Anyway, my boss thanked me, and asked me from now on, any more errors I come across to please make copies of them and give them to her. When she said that, I knew there was an issue. I didn't have to make copies, but apparently there was lots more that were discovered for all teams.

My doctor did an internal exam on Tuesday, he told me that my baby feels as though it would currently weigh in at around 8 pounds! Ahhhh. And I haven't dropped yet. Babies gain 1/2 a pound a week at this point. If I go over, Dave may be right, our baby could weigh 10 pounds!

One way to avoid induction is to walk (yes Deb, I know all the other methods, I just won't mention them here hehehe) so I walked to Bible study last night, hoping to promote this litlle one to drop, even a bit. But I think all it accomplished was a numb left leg!

Oh yes, and you can laugh all you want with this one, I don't fit into an Elmira KFC booth anymore. My belly has totally shot out in the past week. So much so, that my brother's jacket that I could do up last week, I no longer can. And because the baby hasn't dropped it's realy high up! I love feeling it though. The head is down, and I constantly get to pat the bumb, as it on my left side all the time. It sticks out lots. Needless to say, when it does that, I kind of look lopsided!

Ahh well, one more day of the week to go, and then one more week of work to go! Benji is coming over tomorrow, we're gonna decorate the house and then go out to the movies together. We're going to see Santa Claus 3. Yep!

Ok I'm Ready

Dave and I just finished our prenatel class with a Doula. It was very informative and I enjoyed listening to her. Last night she left Dave and I with a video of 3 births. I must say I didn't enjoy that so much. Ignorance is bliss. I was almost ill watching these births and I don't know how I'm possibly going to get through it. At the same time I remind myself that it's done all the time. And women do it over and over again. These were Dave's words to me tonight "You are going to breakdown and take any and all pain medications at the drop of a hat when you first feel a contraction!" I said "No I'm not!!" and he just gave me that smile of his and said "I know you Charlene, you're a wimp!" hahaha, I just love the faith he has in me :)

I was proud of Dave too. Over these past 2 nights he was very involved, asked questions and that made me feel even more confident in having him by my side. See we have had this discussion. In the beginning I wanted to have my Mom there with me, she is my best comforter. But as of late with time drawing closer, Dave has expressed to me that he wants it just the 2 of us. I was upset with this idea, but he proceeded to tell me why he felt this way and so on. (And you know men, they never tell you their feelings, so I had to listen) So after watching him interact and ask this Doula questions, I feel much better with the idea of not having my mom there but Dave.

Deb, I typed a nice long comment about your Friends post and I must have typed the silly word code thing in wrong because my comment didn't appear. But what I wanted to say was, I know how you feel. I've been lucky in finding good friends through church and work, but they aren't the same as what I have in the O'ville crowd. I'm a physical kind of person, so I love the hugs and stuff like that, you know the cuddling under blankets, sharing the same foot rests, I can't do that with these girls. But I'm so thankful for email! I still feel apart of your life when we can write short little emails telling eachother what we did in the day!

Tomorrow is another doctor's appointment. We'll see if there is anything new to report!

I have 2 weeks of work left! Amazing!

Busy Day

Well today I had my whole family over (minus Denise because she unfortunately had to work) to celebrate my Mom's birthday. I provided dinner for everyone. I made a big thing of chilli and a loaf of bread and rice. It was very good and there are no left overs!! Steve and Sally once they arrived went with Benji and Buddy and the girls to St. Jacobs. Then Dave and I took Mom and Dad to the hospital to show them how to get there. After that we went to Burger King for lunch and then to Babies R Us. Dave and I bought a change table mat and a breast pump! We got money from a couple of my aunts and I said it will be funny to write in their thank you cards, "thanks so much for your gift we bought a breast pump with it" hahaha

We all met back at the house and we had Mom open her gifts, then we had cake. It was a great day, I love having my family here. As I'm here typing, Sunshine is looking at me oddly. Poor girl is getting so old, I hope she's ok! Actually she looks really ticked off, probably because of Krista and Brooke running around! hahaha I love cat personalities!

Well back to work tomorrow. I think I have decided that I will make December 1 my last day of work. I originally thought I would work until I went into labour, but I didn't realize how exhausting it can be. I struggle everyday there, if I don't have anything to eat every 2 hours I'm a zombie! So I'm looking at the paperwork I need to complete and hopefully tomorrow I'll get to meet with the guy to help me fully understand how things will work, and get everything organized.

Also tomorrow is another Dr. appt. Like I said before, I really enjoy going to these appointments because I get reassured that everything is normal. I'm gonna ask him if he thinks I've "dropped" much and ask him how much he thinks this little one is weighing. Dave told me this morning he's betting on a 10 pound baby. I smacked him and said he better not be hoping for that or else I'll kill him!

Well my eyes are getting heavy, and it's only shortly after 7pm. Benji brought us Cars to watch, but we have another one of his movies called Unfinished Life, so I think Dave and I will watch that one first before Cars. I'll let you know if I like it!

Only the Lonely

Yes I'm here all alone. Dave had to go to Milwalkie for a couple of days, he gets home late Wednesday night. Thankfully I have a full agenda outside of work that keeps me busy. Tonight was a ladies night at the church. It kind of reminded me of the girls cooking nights that Amy would host where we all helped to prepare the meal then eat. That's pretty much what happened at church. There was 4 stations you could choose to help with. I wanted to work on the main coarse which was pork tenderloin maranated, but I arrived a bit too late and there was too many hands helping in that area, so I went to the salad station that needed help. We made that yummy oriental salad with the chinese noodles and really yummy dressing.

I got to know a couple of the ladies better. One sweet old lady, Doris, who I've gotten to know from our shopping trip has the most amazing memory, she knew that I was due in a month, without having to ask me again, and she teased me about taking me for long walks come early December and then show me how to breathe properly! She's funny too, and had me laughing. She had 8 children and I asked her if that was a number she just thought at the time was how many she wanted. She immediately responded, "I had no time to think about something like that, back then I was just doing what women were supposed to do, reproduce, and by the eighth one I finally got it!"

My friend Lesa has always told me how very badly she wants to witness a childbirth in person. She's had 2 of her own, but one of her life goals is to see someone else through that situation. Well as soon as she found out Dave was leaving me this week, she joked with him saying that her and I were going to go out for a vigerous jog, followed by a round caster oil drinks, hoping that would put me in labour so that she could step in for him while he's gone!

Reality is starting to sink in, as last week my Doctor gave me my medical records, that I now have to carry with me everywhere in case the time comes. He said it's at this stage where I could go anytime, although he's still tells me that my chances of going over due are pretty high. But I think we're ready. Well I still need to pack "the bag" but other than that, I think our house is ready for this little one.

Sleep is very difficult, bathroom breaks are hourly and feeling hungry yet eating two bites makes you feel that "uncomfortable full" is very tiring. I'm an emotional wreck. I cry over silly things. As most of you know, I am a girl who needs her sleep, and this lack of it is making become a different person. My humour, which I find usually at the expense of others is getting worse. At work I make humour mean! It's bad, I mean it's funny, but bad! hahahaha. Oh dear!

No more complaining! Tomorrow night is Adventure Club, then Wednesday night is Bible study. It's good to be busy and not home alone. Plus I'm kind of looking forward to sprawling out on the whole bed without feeling guilty of moving a lot! Dave probably will have the greatest nights sleep on this trip!