Tuesday, December 22

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

JOYEAUX NOËL!!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
---


Wednesday, December 16

Turkey lurkey.

So, by last week, no one in my family had opted to cook "The Big Dinner".

It seemed as though my parents needed a break from doing it since they have been utterly silenced about the subject and Thanksgiving was boycotted (Jody and I, instead, made it a FUN day of making turkey pot pies and tourteires). And my brother and his wife were "going to the cabin in the bush" given that his wife would be working during most of the holidays and this would be her only break.

So with that in mind and the need for my Type-A list making and planning ahead, I volunteered Jody and I's "expertise" (or just plain ignorance??) in making "The Big Dinner". We've only cooked a turkey once or twice before but we REALLY wanted a nice family din-din this year (last year was kind of a gong-show). So we decided to do it ourselves and have our own shin-dig.

*Of course we invited everyone over if they were, at all, interested....*

And whatya know....they were all gung-ho, able and willing to come on down on the big day! Cancel the Christmas dinner boycott! And cancel that cabin thing in the bush!

Free food brings the masses, I guess, lol!

My mom had the sniffles at the offer and my dad was excited about "not having to cook this year!!!" And of course, my brother's stomach leads him to wherever he goes, so that was a given, LOL! He even offered to buy the biggest and baddest turkey (as long as we were cooking it, LOL)! The Grandpa and his girlfriend will also be showing up which will be interesting as well (he's, unfortunatley, not that tight-knit with us grandkids but Brooklyn loves him so it'll be fun watching her bug the old guy, LOL) ...

I'm not gonna lie: it's going to be a big challenge...thank gawd I have that week off and can plan days ahead as to how exactly I'm going to prepare all the food (side dishes & desserts the night before and turkey & stuffing on the big day itself, seeing as I only have one oven; I did mention I was Type A, did I not?!).

We will be up bright and early with Brooklyn watching her open up a tonne of gifts and then start our preparation and cooking that should be ready by about noon-ish. And with Jody being the brilliant chef he is (seriously, if he wasn't a mechanic I'd encourage him to become a chef because he LOVES to cook and he's BRILLIANT at it!!!) he will be an amazing help in the kitchen as well, if he manages NOT to take over (which he usually does anyways, lol).

I've also got my mom's famous and MOST DELICIOUS EVER stuffing recipe so I think we're all set!

Anyhow, I'm pretty excited about doing this yet reality is setting in and I'm also starting to panic, hehe! But I guess that is what my parents have gone through for the last, hmmmm, 35 years! So I'll take it and make it great for them and for all of us too.

Cannot wait!!! =)

Monday, December 14

Embracing the chubbs...

Here I am with our new camera
taking a picture of more than just my belly.
Back fat and all.
Embracing it, uh-huh! :P

(I swear my metabolism goes into
full-on REVERSAL mode
*the minute*
that I get pregnant!!)


Pregnant chubbs:
I - - once again - - have NO chin.
I tend carry a lot in my face :P
Oh, who am I kidding...
35lbs, at this point, to be exact...at just 6 months.
Still 3 more months to go...
That amount of weight gain is
super harsh on the body,
let me tell you....
I am DEFINITELY feeling it!
UGH.

Ah well.
A temporary thing.

I've figured it out that I pretty much have
slight, yet highly annoying nausea
during my whole pregnancies
and my way of coping with such a yucky permanent feeling
is to eat every 2-3 hours....like ALLLL day (and night).
Hence the weight gain.
Plus I'm short, 5'3",
and so the added weight is more evident.

Am really hoping, though, that
the weight gain maintains itself soon
seeing as my stomach is getting
VERY, uncomfortably squished in there!
(and baby is only getting BIGGER!!)
I've noticed my meals becoming
quite a bit smaller
(thank God!)
so hopefully this is what happens naturally
if I choose to listen to my body.


ANYWAYS...
Enough about the baby chubbs!


Here is a beautiful picture of my
Brooklyn with Santa: she's SUCH a cutie!!
And not even scared!!
(well not after a few minutes of seeing some other kids go up) =)
I was sooo proud!! =D

We have another preschool Christmas party tomorrow
and ANOTHER visit from Santa!
Boy, she is one busy & lucky girl!! =)



Sunday, December 13

C . O . L . D !

Breathless at -52°C with the windchill...!!!
Dear Lord!




Tuesday, December 8

6 month mark & labour scares.

Here is a picture of my baby bump a few weeks ago at the 6 month mark (24 weeks):
Mind the banana in the picture...Brooklyn was hanging around with a snack ;)

My. I do feel larger than I look, whenever I go back and actually look at the picture...however I do get bigger every week, so I guess it's all about the current perspective. You really don't think you can get any bigger...until you actually do in the next week, LOL!

So yesterday was my 31st birthday...and it turned out to be quite the day/scare!

I woke up at 3am needing to pee (what else is new??) but this pee "feeling" never did go away...I woke up several more times after that with nothing happening (no pee). Finally woke up for good and got ready for work with the same feeling but it was turning into a VERY uncomfortable pressure and so went in to the hospital early to see my midwife at 9am. Took a UTI urine test (which would get tested later, of course) and was sent on my way home to relax.

At home, the feeling got significantly worse and more uncomfortable and I swear, at one point, I felt like I was in labour (like I needed to push!) and panicked and went in to the hospital again at 2pm, scared that I was in pre-term early labour stages. Turns out I did, in fact, have a UTI, and was given antibiotics right away...got my hubby to get some cranberry juice but, alas, he came home with cranberry blend (not the real cranberry juice) and stated that he didn't see anything there with a "non-blend" or "non-cocktail" title...of course...this town sucks for getting what you really need.

So once he got home at suppertime, he boiled me up some cranberries that we had in our freezer and made me my very own cranberry juice! What a freakin' sweetheart!!! God, I love that man so much! At that same time, my pains were heightened and all I could do was cry and cry and cry...it hurt so bad. Jody said the last time he saw me in that much pain was during labour with Brooklyn...and let me tell you, it was a close 2nd to the pain of labour...oy. Thank God the pain only lasted about an hour before I was able to sleep a bit of it and the fever off. Antibiotics kicked in shortly thereafter. Went to be early...slept in late. Feeling famished all day. But atleast the infection is going away.

Anyhow, I guess this might be a post of somewhat TMI, but such is life when you're pregnant, lol!

On a more positive note, am really looking forward to 2 weeks off of work starting on December 21st! With zero annual leave left, this "mandatory leave" is an absolute haven to me!!!

Friday, December 4

The Slowness.

So things around here have been suuuuper slooooow.

As you may have noticed....

Well I guess as slow as they can get with a 3 year old, who all of a sudden is a defiant, feisty, crazy, sometimes nasty, often nice but whiney, always funny little girl running around!!

Whoever made up the phrase "terrible two's" must have left the house when the kid got to their three's...because they forgot to make a phrase for three also, which, in my opinion, is wayyyy more crazier than the two's! So far...LOL!! God love her though!

Anyways, I digress...
Back to The Slowness.
It is also, of course, due to the pregnant belly, a fulltime job and a thesis to research and write!
And most of which the pregnant belly is winning out over the rest.

I think The Slowness gets slower with each pound gained.
Sad but true. geesh! But at this point, it is necessary.
Can't wait to work out like a fiend again and get some muscle and leanness back!
Ah, but that is a few months away, yet.

I guess I have just needed to be slow. These physical changes are ROUGH! But necessary, I know. However, I am almost certain (99.9999% sure) that this will be our last "go" at having another baby...I am just too much of a control freak to let my body be "overtaken" like this again. Sounds super silly, but honestly, last week was the first time I've felt like my body was being overrun by aliens! TOTALLY out of my control! It was a depressing night, let me tell you! LOL! But I think I've overcome that feeling for now...but am sure it will creep up again soon...I do, after all, still have 107 days (~3.75 months) to go! (But who's counting anyways, right?!) OY!

But I'm trying not to worry about it so much anymore and be more "carefree" and c'est la vie-like. I'm slowly working on that and making some progress. Slowly but surely...(the story of my life right now, hehe!)

Some things help more than others: I just finished 'tweaking' my schedule a bit more back to the 'old ways' and I must say it's made all the difference in the world and am glad that I realized it now. I must have needed for things to go back to the way they were a few months back even though it was only the difference of leaving Brooklyn at her dayhome for that extra hour after work so that I could get in a good workout, in peace (The workout seems to be one of the only things that is keeping me personally sane lately). And I don't feel as stressed or guilty anymore (ah, guilt. a true characteristic of motherhood) because then she also gets to play outside too in that last hour instead of watching tv while mommy walks on the treadmill. It's amazing how much routine and schedule is absolutely a haven at times. But of course, absolutely not, at other times! But I'm sure that sponteniety of life will come, once again, when our two little bambinos are a bit, bit older! ;P

I must say, though through all my complaints and struggles, that I feel SUPER blessed and am REALLY loving life right now, even with all the roller-coaster twists and turns and bumps along the way. I am a truly lucky woman with the most awesome family I could ever, EVER have hoped or dreamed for!!!

*sniff, sniff, sniff*....oh these darn hormones! :P hehe

--- Baby bump pictures and more to come in next post! ;) ---

(Screw it!! I am going to EMBRACE my chunkiness because I AM FABULOUS no matter what, ESPECIALLY while creating human life!!--So there! hehe)

Thursday, October 29

Current day: Thursday, October 29, 2009


Current status:
19 weeks & 3 days.

Current mood:
annoyed as all hell at various things in life. Oh and utterly impatient too...am I 9 months yet??? Geeeez. :P

Current tasks:
working at work, working out at home, cooking, cleaning, caring, freaking out, pulling my hair out, needing to desperately get my pulled-out hair fashioned up & working on my thesis literature review...another words a tonne of reading. Again. ugh. (cannot. get. motivated.)

Current weekend plans:
getting an ultrasound and hopefully finding out the gender of our baby!!!!! (the husband is, of course, wanting to find out and make sure that all fingers and toes and other various parts are all there & attached properly...what is it with the dad's always being nervous about there being an alien in there??? lol)


I especially like that last one about the gender. ;)
I can't believe it's already nearly November!!!

Wednesday, October 14

4 months

Wow...this sure is a 'slimming' picture!
Seriously.
Here I am, at 4 months...
(I must have got lucky with a good angle, haha)
And since I've gained ENOUGH weight already...
and now that I'm not so sick
and not feeling like I need to eat everything in sight anymore,
I am now focusing on eating more healthily
and making sure I exercise
and continue with my strength training
so that I feel strong and fit for the BIG DAY!





PS -
Oh hey...
did I mention that our whole household
(and the whole region, actually)
came down with the H1N1/swine flu two weeks ago!?
Well we did, as far as our regional news coverage tell us...

I actually DO hope that it was the H1N1
because I'd like to now think that I'm immune.
Brooklyn got the worst of it...mainly a fever and a nasty cough.
But basically like a regular flu/cold.
She's recovering quite nicely now.
I had very mild symptoms; tired, sore throat,
and asthma-like symptoms (which was highly annoying).
Jody and his mom got sick too but are all better.

All in all, everyone is a-ok!
The scare (and the constant fear-mongering)
is over for us hopefully.
I hope that people in the rest of the region
and world fairs well also.

Saturday, October 10

And a few days after autumn arrived...

WINTER ARRIVED!!
oyyy!




*HELP MEEE!*



*Hi...can you let me in now?!*

Friday, October 2

Autumn love.

Daddy & Brooklyn making bannock (an aboriginal type of biscuit)
to go with my homemade cranberry jam. YUM! :)

Jody, his mom and Brooklyn
(I ran ahead to take the pic)
walking to my brother's hunting cabin in the bush.
I grew up in this place: it used to be my dad's "tent-frame".

The most beautiful place to be in the fall.
Lots of cranberries too!!

My dad and my big brother.
Your typical Northern hunting dudes.


Papere and Brooklyn by the river
checking out the mint leaves.

Thursday, September 24

Teehee!

And voila!
Here is a touque! ;)
Look! It even has a pom-pom & a polar bear on it...
Which is the symbol for living in the Canadian North.

Did you know all of our license plates in the territory where I live
are shaped as polar bears?!
I will take a picture of mine someday.

So I call this a touque.
What do you call it?
Hat?
Cap??
I'm curious now. =)

Calling for snow.

What's that you say?!
Snow flurries at the end of September??
Preposterous!

But...
We have had crazy, abnormal weather overall this year.
So this just looks like more of the same crazy...

Note to self:
Winter is coming early...
And most likely staying late.
*sigh*
Get the mitts & touques out, ASAP.

Sunday, September 20

First days...

Beautiful smiles =)


Crying out of happiness (???) while we sang "Happy Birthday" to her...
(this one was difficult to interpret!)


In her princess birthday suit looking like Goofy and acting goofy!


First day at Nursery school: fits right in like flin! hahah!
(how cheeky, huh?!!)





Tuesday, September 15

3rd time is a charm!!!

My first-ever home made cranberry jelly initially turned into syrup...
It did not set.

I found out later that I should not double recipe's and/or skimp out on sugar both of which I had done. So I re-boiled the jelly a second time this time adding more certo preservative.

Still syrupy.

Frustrated, I was ready to throw the whole batch on a huge bunch of pancakes the next weekend that I was going to force my husband to make (he's the best chef ever).
But I managed to get enough patience to re-boil the mixture again on the 3rd day after the hubby phoned his Grammy back home in Newfoundland who said to add more sugar as it is the main thing that helps to set it.

So I added a bit more sugar...
and VOILA!!
1 hour later I could see the mixture in the jars starting to set!!!!
WOOP!


And OMG, is it EVER good with homemade bannock!!!!
YUUMMMMMY!!
It's was so good that I went out again yesterday and picked some more cranberries!! Made another batch, this one less sweet and a bit more tarty....Mmmmmmm!!

I must say that I am tickled pink with myself...and so glad that I did not give up!! I think that I want to jam and jelly everything now! heheh!


She's more interested in making faces & looking at herself in the computer than she is of singing her "favourite song"! lol

Monday, September 14

Can I just complain??

Please.

My morning sickness is back.
I thought I was "home-free" at the 3 month mark...for a few days only.

Made my first-ever batch of homemade jelly (low-bush cranberry) last night.
And it's just a syrup...have to figure out if I will be able re-boil it and add more certo.
Crossing my fingers!

Grey hairs are showing pretty nicely...hair is a mess.
Cannot manage it as it's a limp and lifeless since getting pregnant, WTH?!
Maybe I'll just CUT.IT.OFF. ??
Need to find me a hair-cutter....

I haven't post pics again...boring I know.
I am just too busy when I'm at home, entertaining the mother-in-law etc.
Lots going on though!
I've been blogging mainly from work lately...but mostly because I'm crazy bored. Even though I could be doing more productive things...just can't seem to concentrate with this constant icky feeling. Or get motivated lately.

Plus, it's Monday. :P

Thursday, September 10

AAAAACK!!!!

EMERGENCY!!
EMERGENCY!!
My hairdresser is no longer available!
AAAAACK!!!

She is off of work preparing to have her baby
and now I don't have a hairdresser for a whole year or more!!!
Only one other lady in town has a salon
and you don't go to her unless you want to hear the town gossip
and get a crooked cut.

What is a girl to do?!
I am going to have to settle for store bought goods...
Should I go for blondish to help keep my highlights????

Ah, this sucks...
I can never do my own hair properly.
*sigh*

Wednesday, September 9

3 month mark!

Hello all,

It's been awhile...I haven't been posting much or even online much lately due to my morning sickness and overall yucky feeling. Basically everything was making me feel yucky. I could barely bring myself to even look on Etsy. It was repulsive as was doing my hair and eating food. But things are looking up and the yuckiness is nearly gone!! :) Hence my new Etsy purchases this week...just have to keep that nipped in the bud before I go all purchase crazy again.

In any case, I am now 3 months into my pregnancy. Most of the miscarriage worries are now over, thank goodness. And I am already starting to show, oy! Much faster than the first pregnancy but I guess for some women this is normal in their second and subsequent pregnancies. I don't mind the belly sticking out, I just gotta try to keep my butt the same size this time around, hehe! I kinda went crazy in the maternity clothes purchase dept this weekend while in the city, but oh well. It is my incentive to try and look nice while feeling COMPLETELY out of my element. Pregnancy was never kind to me. Or maybe I wasn't kind to it...I am definitely looking into that possibility and into the fact that I can make this pregnancy a little more (or a lot!) enjoyable than the last!

As I just mentioned we were also in the city; we drove the long 14 hour drive on the Labour Day weekend to pick up Brooklyn's Nanna [my mother-in-law] who flew over from Newfoundland. She got to experience for the first time the long flight and then the super long drive that we have to deal with every time we've ever visited them. Not very fun. But necessary. For a few more years anyhow [until we eventually move south].

Nanna is visiting us for a month. She didn't want Brooklyn going to daycare as she wanted to spend every waking hour with her granddaughter. This was very touching yet very difficult for me to comprehend since my mother, who just lives 5 houses down the road, does not spend more than 2-3 hours at a time with Brooklyn. Not a huge deal anymore as she is not really a 'kid person' [and now that I'm totally used to it]. But, with Nanna, the situation is quite the polar opposite and I'm not really used to it. Always worrying if it's too much for her when I know it clearly isn't and that she clearly enjoys being with her granddaughter (not that my mom doesn't enjoy Brooklyn, she sure does, but it's just that she has a time limit, haha). But it's super nice at the same time having Brooklyn spend time with her Nanna that she hardly gets to see and vice versa. Nanna wants to come back over when the baby is born in March, so that is exciting and will definitely be a blessing for both me and Jody when that time comes.

Also, Brooklyn turned 3 a few days ago on the day that Nanna flew in! I can't believe she's 3 already!!!! We didn't do much for her birthday but we are having family over tonight for her birthday party; supper, cake and presents!! It should be a blast as Brooklyn has been so excited and wanting people to sing "Happy Birthday" to her after going to other kids' parties and singing that to them. She is ever so patiently waiting for her turn, hehe! Pictures of that to be posted soon. :)

That's it for now...this is long enough! :P
Hope all is well with all of you in blogland!
Vita (with the top button on my jeans un-knotched and hooped together with a stretchy hair tie...hey, it's better than suspenders at this point! lol!)

Monday, August 24

Daily grind.

Well. Back to work I am...
We had a nice visit with my sister and her family.
Her little boy,
who is 1 year younger than Brooklyn,
is sure a cutie and it was so nice to see them play (& fight) together, heheh!

& I sure ate my share of cravings in the last 2 weeks! Oy!
Back to having will power & eating the healthy stuff now.
I definitely don't need to gain another 70lbs
this time around with this pregnancy!

Friday, August 21

Mmmmmm....

bon-bons..... :)

(or as the kidlets - my 2 year old and my sister's 1 year old -
this week called them "bum-bums" because they couldn't pronounce bon-bons!
hahahaha, om-gosh!)

Thursday, August 13

Positive!!!! ;)

Sooooo.... :)

This is what I've been 'hiding' for the last month! hehe!


I'm just over 2 months now.

We've finally told my parents so I guess the word can come out now! hehe
It was tough seeing as I'm such a blabber mouth!!

But luckily the parents and siblings who live near us and my other sibling who I phone every week were all on vacation and I haven't seen or talked to them since we found out! It was definitely easier that way to keep it at bay, hehe.


Now that I've got FULL-ON first trimester symptoms starting 2 weeks ago!!! UGHHHHH!!!


Did I ever mention how much I despise morning, afternoon and evening sickiness (whoever named it just "morning" sickness must have been a man!)??!! ACK!

I just don't know what to do with myself while feeling constantly sick like this during all my waking hours...it's either severe heartburn (which I never ever get in normal everyday life) or that nautious puking feeling if I don't eat or severe bloating where I look 5 months pregnant if I eat too much (which is a fine line since my digestive system has also slowed down or gone kaput). OY! It's tough to find that middle ground or to find that one comforting drink or food that will help to ease the feeling...especially when I am extremely tired and just want to pass out at my work desk (I seriously thought of bringing a pillow to work for fear of calling in sick too many times since they don't know). The past few days my main tolerable food has been toast. And now I'm thinking soup too. If I eat anything else that is difficult to digest, I feel complete crappola. Coffee is also a bad culprit for the heartburn much to my despair (no I don't give up coffee voluntarily-just reduce it). I think I have to give up my oatmeal though for awhile because it's just too heavy. I am going to try ginger ale today and see how that helps because I've also been super thirsty and it seems to ease stomach sickness too. And, omg, all of that is not even half of it! Ok, well maybe about half.


But aside from all my whining and complaining, I know that all this annoying sickness and physical marathon that I am 'running' while I lay on my couch is SOOOO worth it in the end. ;)


I remember when Brooklyln was born; the birth (c-section) was the most devastating thing I've gone through yet when I held her, it all just melted away. I can't wait to feel that again. *sniff sniff*...


As for Brooklyn, she's so proud to becoming a big sister!! :) Always asking "mommy, does your baby like yogurt?" while we're eating yogurt or whatever it is that we're eating, lol! She's too darn cute! Lately she's been asking me, "did you eat your baby?" I guess because it is in my belly, hahah! But have since tried to explain that the baby is protected and growing in my 'uterus'...you should hear her try to say that word! LOL! She kisses my belly and hugs it and gets excited that the baby is growing bigger just like her!! heheh! Oh man, I never knew how fun this would be with a toddler around!!


So, in any case, wish me luck with the rest of the first trimester (1 more month to go!) as I realize that it's still a bit early! I just can't keep a secret any longer!! LOL


I would like to thank my husband who is basically superman to me right now (oh, he always is though) while I lay around trying to get energy to do the everyday things that I normally do. Now he does most of them while also renovating our basement, making a new backyard deck, fixing our furnace chimney, entertaining our 2 year old and, om-gosh, every other related parenting task that I am feeling so guilty for not doing lately. He is just the BEST!!!! I could not have picked a better human being to father my children and to be my husband! :)


I would also like to thank the heavens and my late father-in-law for being the guardian angel to make this happen...we conceived the day after Jody came back from his funeral, the exact day that we also decided we could try getting pregnant again. It is truly a miracle and a blessing.

Saturday, August 8

So...

So I've finally completed my paper and edits and all...it's handed in. Although a few days late of which I kinda got crap for. And now I'm not sure if it will officially be marked. Hopefully it will. Just a little slap on the hand, right. Rightly deserved, I feel pretty crappy about it.
But oh well. The stress is gone for now. It was bad. Lots of things are going on so needless to say I've been super stressed. Will post more about the shenanigans later on.

In any case, here are some fun pics of our trip to the lake last weekend...unfortunately we didn't stay long. The bugs were HORRENDOUS!!! But it was fun while it lasted and good to get out and do some family things.



Gassing up the truck.

Driving to the lake.

We, of course, came across a few buffalo.

And finally at the lake!!

I just wish the bugs weren't so crazy up here.
Ah well...such is life while living in the North.

Thursday, July 23

Hilariousities and such!

No, hilariousity is not a word.
But it is my new favourite expression! :P

And ok, so these pics are from about 2 weeks ago...

They are of me and my girl
having a blast and being funny
using the Photobooth effects
(while I took a well-needed
break from reading my articles).

If the last photo is any inclination,
at that point I was laughing so hard I was crying!
And boy, did I need that! :)









We are definitely related!!
hahaha!!