Sunday, April 26, 2009

Sunday morning

Good morning everyone!

Yup, another week we didn't go to church. We need to work on that some. Our motivation is low, but we've no one to blame but ourselves for that.

But I do love Sundays! We all slept in until after 8, Duncan came and hung out in bed with us for a bit. Once again proof why he can't sleep with us - it's too much of a game. But he's cute! Bill made breakfast and we also called Grandpa Bob who is coming out in July. I think Grandpa is really looking forward to seeing Duncan. Bean too, but Duncan will be a little more interactive.

I want to do stuff. Bill finished emptying the storage locker yesterday so we wouldn't lose another $100 for a months of storage. We've put a bunch of stuff at Mom and Dads, but need to keep going through things - freecycling, I'm going to try and sell some stuff online, and some is going to the Bibles for Missions Thrift store. But my energy is low, so I want to go go go, but after a while I just need to collapse on the couch. Tomorrow I have someone coming in to do a good spring clean for me. Yay! But I need to declutter enough so she can actually get at the stuff that needs cleaning!

This is Duncan's last full week at Daycare. Although he'll be home Wed and Fri. But I'm glad we decided to send him this month I've been off. It's been easier for me to get stuff done, and it's also just harder for me to run after him like he likes. He'll be going Mondays and Thursdays until the fall and then I think Mon and Wed as he'll have preschool on Tue and Thur.

Okay it is now Sunday afternoon, almost evening, so although I didn't finish this, I'll post it. Bye!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Duncan ramblings and other stuff

Since my friend Nancy just did a post on her son's ramblings, I thought I'd do the same.

Duncan is almost 2 and 1/2! Wow! He's just such an amazing kid and we enjoy him so much. I know, parent's bias, but I'm his parent, and I am biased. Today I went to pick him up from Nikki's and he just gave her a really big hug and said "Goodbye, Thank You". I didn't have to prompt him to say thank you or anything. He's getting better at "please", and is even learning "you're welcome" when you say thank you to him.

He's doing great with his letters, numbers, and colours. Like Zachary, he'll skip a few here and there, but he's good at identifying them be looking at them. He can't say the alphabet in order, but can get about 3/4 of the letters.

Singing is a different story. He still loves music, but he's really, really shy to sing. It's quite cute. He likes this song about Toby the Tram Engine from Thomas, and he likes us to singing it, but is too shy to sing along. But today I was playing the song and he was quietly trying to sing along. Really cute.

As for other stuff, had my weekly doctor's appointment today. I tested positive for the strep B so that means I'll need iv antibiotics during labour, and I also tested positive for some other infection, so I'm on antibiotics for the next week. I didn't even know I had an infection! I'm almost 38 weeks now, so we're getting there! I'm not in a huge rush. I'm getting stuff done, but there is still a lot I want to do. I'm somewhat limited in my moving ability - bending over, carrying stuff, etc... We need to get the storage locker cleaned out this Saturday, by we I mean Bill, but it will save us $100 for another month b/c we're lazy.

Anyhow, otherwise I don't miss work! Not one bit! Now we need to find a way to let me stay home next May (for positive reasons you know, like the lotto or something... but I guess that would mean I need to buy tickets). Hope you are all well!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Nesting?

Could it be I'm experiencing the mythological nesting? Today is the most energy I've had in a long time, and I got a lot done, which was awesome. Okay, I'm not on the floor scrubbing the tiles with a toothbrush or anything, but I was up at 6, showered and had laundry put away before Duncan woke up. After he was gone, I was off to the storage unit, groceries, into town, back home again, sterilized baby stuff, did a load of baby stuff laundry, sorted 2 boxes, and some more upstairs... Yay!

Now it's time to go pick up my boy.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Odds and Ends and Twighlight

Let's talk about Twighlight 1st. Nope, still haven't read the books, don't plan to. Haven't seen the movie either. Just not into the vampire thing. But I find it funny how many people I know have read, or are reading these books, and those who are a little obsessive about them. Sure, I have books I'm fan of, but hey when other people don't like them I don't care. But I find fans of these books take it a bit personally when you say you have no intention of reading them. Even my Mom read the 1st one!! She said it's more like a teen romance, but that's okay.

So last night I had this very odd dream that I was in the movie Twighlight, and all the characters were trying to convince me that I need to read this series of books. You know people are pushing it a lot when it works its way into your mind like that.

For Twighlight fans, I apologize, I have no intention of sharing your enthusiasm for these novels. You know, you're right, I might actually enjoy them, but now it's a matter of principle :)

Otherwise, saw something a bit disturbing today. I was coming of the store with Duncan and saw these 4 guys running like all get out. Then 3 of them threw one into the side of a truck, onto the ground, and starting beating and kicking the you know what out of him. A whole bunch of us saw it - people called 911 right away, and as the 3 assailants ran, someone tried to run them down with their pick up - or at least follow them. The guy seemed okay who got beaten up (he was able to get up and walk) but it still really threw me. Also, the reason I didn't talk to the police is there were 15 people or so giving statements I honestly don't think I would have contributed other than "I saw them kick him". I couldn't tell you much beyond that. That, and I wanted to get out of there with my young son. What was kind of funny though was this little old lady says to me "This town is getting worse than Chicago in the 30s!"

Freecycle... I've been decluttering via the wonderful Freecycle. I'm so glad people can use stuff I no longer have use for. Mind you there is some stuff I haven't been able to get rid of. So we'll see what we do with that. I have a box of audio cassette tapes and from what I can tell, it can't be recycled, so if no one takes that I admit it will end up in the garbage.

Oh and finally, since I pissed people off saying I don't want to read Twighlight, I'll piss even more people off with this:

I don't like hockey.
I don't care if the Canucks win or not.
Hockey is boring.
For those of you who enjoy it - cool. But now you know where I stand.
And yes, despite that, I am a real Canadian. I'm just one who doesn't like hockey.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Look what I just got!

I totally forgot this was coming.

I signed up to do product testing through Urban Moms Go2Girlz. You answer surveys when opportunities come up, and if you qualify they will pick a number of product testers from the qualifying group. This is the 1st time I've been chosen. But look what came through FedEx today! I thought I was going to get a few small sample packs, but not only did I receive 5 full boxes of SnackPaks, but I also received the bag, which is a cooler bag! I think Duncan is going to be quite tickled at "testing" this stuff! I think his Mommy is going to enjoy sampling the Oreos :)

Ignore the blur in the middle of the picture...turns out there was a Duncan smudge on the lens :)

Cereal - an analogy for Life

I was chatting with Bill this morning that I was having a very healthy breakfast (among other conversation topics, I didn't call him to tell him what I was having for breakfast) - multigrain Life with a handful of Fruit Loops sprinkled on top. Duncan didn't finish the ones he'd had, so I just threw them on top of my cereal. So Bill says it's a good analogy for life - kind of plain and wholesome underneath (multigrain Life) with some more of the fun stuff (Fruit Loops) sprinkled on top to keep it exciting. Ain't that the truth? :) Later on I said I should go, my cereal is getting soggy, and he says, that's the truth too - let it sit and life gets soggy. LOL. That's my English degree husband at work :)

Oh boy Duncan didn't want to go this morning. Poor Roo. If I didn't have a doctor's appointment today I would have kept him home, but it's easier for him to go the full day than drop him off later for a short bit. But he was clinging to my legs and just sobbing. Oh my poor boy. He'll stay home tomorrow. And I know he enjoys playing with the other boys.

Girls night out - short version - I'd like to start getting together with my girl friends for dinner or something once a while.

Girls night out - long version - Bill and his buddies have been getting together about once a month to hang out. It's mostly been LAN parties, but they've decided they want to expand it beyond video games - watching playoffs together, going for dinner etc... Now, as I have no problem with him going out with the guys (why do I care - good people, I know who they are, the type of people they are, and know they aren't going to be doing rude and crude stuff), Bill also has no problem with me going out and doing pretty much the same thing with the girls.

Now, right now, not so much - I wouldn't mind going out one more time before Bean arrives, but don't want to venture too far from home b/c the last time I had a kid, my water broke, and I don't want to be an hour away from home or our hospital if that were to happen again. And I'm pretty sure people don't feel like coming out this way (it's okay, I know we're still technically the boonies). But after Bean is here, and we're kind of settled in (ie, the kid will take a bottle - so at least after the 1st 6 weeks - ah heck, I won't have the mental capacity to do much socializing the 1st 6 weeks anyhow until that fog lifts), I think we should start aiming for this. Doesn't need to be big and fancy, planned crazy in advance or detail (as we tend to do, let's be honest)... but it could be "hey let's all meet at this place for supper" or something like that. I think it's harder for women b/c we're thinking about who is going to watch the kids etc... but really, most of our husbands are really good about doing their bit of parenting and not giving grief over it.

And plus, soon I look forward to being able to have wine now and then again :)

That was far more wordy than it should have been.

Idol - We're not surprised that the judges WASTED their save on Matt, but we do think it was a waste. Oh well. We'll see next week what's up.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I need to make a list

Bill told me on Monday that I need to make a list of stuff I want to get done to get ready for Bean. He's right.

Today I was a bit more focused about making more realistic goals, but yesterday I was kind of flitting all over the place. Getting distracted, 1/2 finished things... so now I've decided that despite everything else I want to get done, I need to focus on baby stuff. Getting rooms cleaned up, stuff washed, sorted, etc... While our place looks like a bomb went off, we can deal with that.

Friday Bill has the day off and so he and Dad are going to focus on finally emptying out our storage locker. A bunch of books and stuff we're going to store at Mom and Dad's - that's the back wall of the storage room! We still need to go through other stuff, get rid of stuff, and clean out our own storage room to make room for what we're keeping. I'm just glad I have this time off work! This morning after I dropped Duncan off I went back to bed for 2 hours! He betrayed himself this morning when one of the 1st things he asked when he woke up was if he got to go to Nikki's today.

Otherwise, hmmm...American Idol - enjoying it. I haven't watched the results show yet tonight, but I think the bottom 3 will be Lil, Matt, and Anoop. I like Anoop, but he seems to be in the bottom 3 a lot. My favourite by far is Adam, although Chris is in 2nd place for me. But Adam is miles ahead of the rest in my opinion. Not only can he sing, he's a performer - I enjoy watching him perform.

Bill has an exam tomorrow, and then is playing tennis at work - so that's a full day for him. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I think we might get a hint as to how much longer it will be. I'm still hoping Bean will wait until May - I don't want the kid to show up too early!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Easter Weekend

Well it's Easter Monday, the end of our absolutely wonderful 5-day weekend together. It has just been so wonderful to get some good Mommy/Daddy/Duncan time in before Bean is going to show up. I think Duncan loved it too. We made sure we got a good balance of getting out (outside when the weather allowed!), playing in, and just hanging out.

We also got some good stuff done. Sorting through boxes, Bill put up some shelves in the rooms, and pulled out a bunch of baby stuff for me. I kind of had a freak out "I'm not prepared for this baby!" moment the other day - in that the car seat was still buried in the closet, the basinette too, etc... So Bill, bless him, says "okay what do you need to feel prepared?" and went about pulling stuff out so I'd feel less panicky. And yeah, I got over it :) So newborn clothes are clean, and the basinette cover, bouncy seat, swing, and soon car seat cover are all going through the wash. We've got blankets, diapers, etc... so while the place is still messy, Bean has a home :)

Easter was good. We didn't make it to church. We had every intention, but I was so totally exhausted (par for the course lately) that I was back asleep by 10:30 AM. We had an indoor easter egg hunt at Oma and Opa's (it was pouring out!) and then Easter Dinner.

So Bean is good. Nice and busy. T-minus 4 weeks (give or take). Over all, I feel fantastic. I think fatigue is the biggest problem, and I also don't bend as easily as I used to. But otherwise, I'm still sleeping well (enjoy it while I can!), and back pain isn't too bad. So, yay!

Alright... that's about it! Have a good day! Oh, next weekend we're emptying out our storage locker, and will be getting rid of a bunch of blue laminate. We plan on using some in Duncan's room, but otherwise, if someone local is interested in it (we got it through freecycle), let us know. About 100 sq feet worth.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Thursday and a long weekend

Okay, maybe I'm not at work, but Bill has a 5-day long weekend, so it still feels like a long weekend to me.

Let's see... we booked the flights for Bill's Dad and brother to come out in July for a visit, so that will be good. We'll plan on Bean's baptism and a big BBQ while they are out too.

We took Duncan for a haircut today. Oh the drama and the trauma. He just screamed and wailed the whole time. She did an awesome job, and I am so glad the other workers and patrons put up with him. In fact most people were laughing b/c she'd pause and he'd look up through his tears "all done?" She pushed on and got the job done.

We also had him out for his really belated 2 year check up. We're up on his shots, we just hadn't had him in for the over all. He's doing well. We knew this. We had no concerns, but better to have that official. Duncan is doing awesome in his counting (up to 10, usually in order), and with his letters and colours.

I'm slowly getting stuff done around the house. Newborn clothes are clean. I unpacked some of the boxes of my fabric and put them on shelves - it's all in an effort to declutter and organize. I'm, of course, pretty pooped, but still feeling really awesome over all. I'm on an email list for Mom's due around the same time I am and it sounds like I have it pretty darned good right now. No Braxton-Hicks, no cramping... I just have a hard time sleeping, but I think that's to get you ready. I'm looking forwarding meeting Bean, but I'm not anxious to - I'm content to wait and let this kid finish baking.

Ronnie came for a quick visit today. That was fun. I was just sorting fabric at the time so she hung out in our really messy room and we chatted. We don't actually get to do that a whole lot!

I think I'm going to read or something. Good night!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

American Idol and other stuff

1st of all - last night's American Idol. Needless to say Adam is just so many miles ahead of everyone else in that competition. I've been a fan from the start, and last night was no exception. He reminds me of David Cook from last year - just putting his own amazing spins on songs. Good job Adam.

That having been said... how's everyone? We're good. Day 3 of being on "vacation" before mat leave. Ronnie and I were discussing "amazing how you get all this stuff done when you work full time, when it takes up your whole day when you're at home". Shopping, laundry, sorting, cleaning... I think I am going to take a nap today though b/c I've been pretty pooped mid-afternoon. Duncan is still going to Nikki's this month, and then part time come May to keep his spot. Watching him (secretly) play outside with the other kids I know he is having so much more fun with them, so it's all good. And all the fresh air with the weather being better he is sleeping so hard at night. This morning it took me 20 minutes to convince him that he needed pants to go out today, and no, he could not wear his sleepers... but he came around :)

We're trying to book flights for Bill's Dad and brother to come out in July. My Dad called to say there is a seat sale on Air Canada... I don't like AC, but when they are cheaper, how can you not? So I looked it up, and yeah, it's literally $100 cheaper each way, per person (yes $400 total) than it was last week, so I think we'll be getting those tickets soon. They'll be out July 16-25th (or thereabouts), and we'll plan Bean's Baptism at that time too.

Alright.... if I am going to nap, I should do it now! Night night!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Motherhood

I was just watching Oprah. Aside from that fact that I was working, I have kind of lost my love affair with Oprah over the years. I think today's episode kind of confirms that for me.

Today's show was about Motherhood, and kind of the theme of the show was that being a Mom can suck at times. Okay, yeah it can. I'm no perfect Mom. I get frustrated at my 2-year old, I fast forward his movies when he's not looking b/c I want to speed up to the end. Sometimes I'm too lazy to play with him.

But you know, I love being a Mom. I love it. I love that my son is my son, and I love that there is another on the way, despite pending lack of sleep, poop, pee, spit up, throw up, non-stop crying for no apparent reason... I, on the most part, don't mind dropping whatever I'm doing to play trains with Duncan, or watch the "Mission to Mars" episode of the Backyardigans yet again, or watch with amusement when he plays in the dirt.... oh well, it's just dirt! I love the hugs, the kisses, that he likes to hold me hand. It kind of makes the other stuff all worth while doesn't it? I think so.

I haven't "lost my identity" by becoming a Mom. I don't long for the days prior to having kids. It doesn't bother me that I don't really get "me time". Maybe b/c I still do. Maybe we've got a good balance. Maybe b/c I've been working full time with my kid being in day care almost 11 hours/day and treasure every second I get with him. Sure that tune might change being home full time, but aside from the normal frustrations, I'm not too sure it will. It's a blessing to be home.

Anyhow, back to Oprah. I think in order to offset this show they need to have one with the audience full of Mom's who love being a Mom. Who don't feel robbed, or cheated, or anything else. I'm not talking about the super-Moms of the world. Just the ordinary Moms like you and me who enjoy being a Mom. It's not such a bad place to be you know.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Sweet!

My coworkers just surprised me with a good bye baby gift.

It's funny b/c a few weeks ago I admitted to Bill "what if they don't? What if I don't matter enough?" (you know how illogical baby brain can work). I then admitted that I know it's silly to think that way, but there it was.

But I was still surprised today. I stood up to grab something from the printer and they were all there grinning at me. It was just sweet and kind. Alisha and Maria had a blast shopping at the Bay. They were great for getting gender neutral summer stuff. Most of our newborn stuff is more winter-ish, so that's also awesome.

Anyhow, I wanted to share that it was sweet and kind and I thank them all.

But it doesn't change the fact that I only now have one day left :)

2 days left

Two tedious days left. Give me strength!

Tedious b/c I want to be done now. I don't want people at work to think I think they are tedious. Who am I kidding, no one from work reads this anyhow, but if you did, I don't think you're tedious :)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

3 days and counting!

Only 3 days left at work! Not only is it 3 days left until mat leave for 13 months, but also 3 days until I don't need to work downtown at all any more. I've been working downtown for 12+ years (okay, a year off for mat leave before), and it lost it's magic a long, long time ago. For those who probably aren't even wondering, they are opening a suburban office so when I go back to work I'll be something like 10 minutes away from work. This is actually beyond comprehension for me to be so close to work and not have to spend 2-3 hours a day commuting. I'm also thrilled that Duncan only needs to get up silly early 2 more times. He's been having a super hard time with it lately. I can't say I blame him.

But, it doesn't feel like I'm done yet. People ask if I'm excited. Well yeah of course I'm excited about Bean's pending arrival (which the doctor says will likely be earlier rather than later from my due date), but I don't think it will hit that I'm off work until Monday when I'm not at work. Otherwise, it feels like a normal week, and keeping my head down and just plugging away makes the days go quick.

And, b/c again I know none of you are wondering, my thumb is getting better thank you. I no longer have mummy thumb (it was mummified earlier), and I am now sporting a normal looking bandage. It doesn't even hurt - unless I hit it, then it hurts like nothing else... so I'm now quite proficient in non-thumb use. The advantage to this - Bill took care of making dinner last night (which was delicious -thank you again dear), bathing Duncan, and a bunch of other stuff too. Not that he doesn't normally do his share - he does! And not that I'd do this on purpose to get him to do this stuff - I wouldn't! But I dare say he's an awesome husband and father and I'm blessed to have him :)

Alright, back at it, oh cool, Juice Newton "Queen of Hearts" is on the iPod. This song rocks.