30 weeks!!!

I am now 7.5 months pregnant! PHEW!

10 more weeks to go, give or take a week (hopefully NO MORE--goodness!!!).

I am actually feeling better with more energy than I have felt for the first time in this whole pregnancy. The second trimester is traditionally *supposed* to be the "honeymoon" period, however, this time with me, it seems that the 3rd trimester is "the one"...weird. But I'll take it!

That is surprisingly nice, especially after 7 months of dragging my behind! I'm still dragging it with being this MUCH heavier and the pressure that put on the body. But I think I quite prefer having this extra energy, regardless. Crooked pains and all.

Anyhow, here is my 7.5 month picture: today.

And BOY, is this baby a KICKER!

I think we've got a pro soccer player cookin' it up in there!! heheh!

Here is my little sweetheart getting caught off-guard.

So pretty, I just love her! =)

She has been quite trying these days...but I've realized that, as a mom, I have been too. So this week I've decided not to be such the strict disciplinarian that I had recently taken on being (due to increased stress levels and feeling so crappy). And to just let go of the little nit-pickity things that I pick at her for doing (you know it's bad when you become VERY annoyed with hearing yourself NAG so much! OY.). And since then, I've already noticed a more positive change with her. And myself too. Parenting is definitely a struggle at times, but when things are going smoothly with less, so-called, head-butting and more gentleness, it really is so much more FUN! =)

AND NOW FOR THE FUN!! =)

Here is Brooklyn playing dress-up

in her new dress-up clothes on Christmas day!

Such a doll!

Her papérè wanted to play along also!! hahah!

(By the way, he naturally has blackish hair, hehe)

This guy is a one-of-a-kind, crazy dude!

I love my daddy! =)

Oh and PS - the turkey turned out AWESOME!!!!

My husband was in control of it and he did a wicked job!

I should have taken more pictures but was so busy I didn't even think of it!

I worked on the homemade stuffing and

we both pitched in for the rest of the dishes & goodies.

And we ended up having WAY too much food for just the 7 of us...

So lesson learned but it was a great experience too!

I hope you all, also, had a wonderful holiday season!!

And all the absolute BEST WISHES for this new year, 2010!!! :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

JOYEAUX NOËL!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

---

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!!! =)

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!! =)