Moved

Hey everyone.  Today is day 3 of the big move.  There's not much exciting to report, but I just wanted to let you all know that we don't have internet at the new place as of yet so it will probably be kinda quiet around here.  We could have internet at our place as early as Monday/Tuesday of this week or as late as four weeks from now.  Hopefully, if it does take 4 weeks to get internet, I'll at least get around to posting some pics of our new place before then.

blog template

Hey everyone, I had to change my blog background because the place where I get my backgrounds (cutestblogontheblock) has become too popular and had to change where they stored all their stuff online.  SO...a hasty switch was required.  With our move happening right now, I didn't have time to switch all the font colors, find a perfect background, etc, so hopefully early next week I'll get around to that or maybe even get my old blog background back!  I loved my last one and wasn't ready to give it up yet!  Bear with me...it will get better soon!  In the meanwhile, sorry if it's hard to read.

House pictures, motherly excitement, and a freebie!

Ok, so I'm going to start this post with a great freebie that I got an email about today.  It's for a nursing cover.  So if you need one or if you're going to be going to any baby showers in the next little while and think a nursing cover would make a great gift, check this out!  You go to www.uddercovers.com.  Pick whichever cover you want (or a gift set for $5 more).  Once you add what you want to your shopping bag, add the promo code CUTE and you'll get it for the price of shipping - $9.95.  So technically it's not free, but $10 for a nursing cover that's usually $32.  I'd say that's pretty good.  AND, you can buy as many as you want for this price.  You just need to open a new window and put in separate orders, thus paying $9.95 per cover.  Take it or leave it.  I took it and am looking forward to receiving my nursing cover in the mail in a couple weeks!

A few of you have asked which cover I ordered...I went with the gender-neutral "Porter"

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Next order of business...sorry, also baby related, AND also free stuff related.  I got my first free promotional can of infant formula today!  And a package of rice cereal.  I was so excited when I got that box in the mail today.  I just like free things a little too much.  Oh well.  According to Heinz, I can "Rest easy - my Heinz Nutrition Kit has arrived!"

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And, last but not least, I have "before" pictures of our new place!  I especially would like to draw your attention to the picture of the living room wrapped in its luxurious wood paneling.  A few of you commented that you'd like to see pictures of it so that you could be inspired and thus help me out in the decorating realm.  Well, I've provided pictures.  Now I need (very inexpensive) suggestions!

This is the kitchen.  

I was quite impressed, actually, when I saw this picture.  But don't be fooled.  Yes, it is a cute place, but my amazing photography skills are to thank for the amazing cleanliness and the quality look that this kitchen has. 

Next, we have the entrance/laundry area.

This photo also impressed me, for the same reasons as the kitchen.  If only cleaning was as easy as taking a picture all the time!  That, my wonderful blogger friends, is a brand new washer/dryer set.  Bethany provides only the best for their renters ; )  I might add that the fridge and stove in the kitchen are also quite new...  I look forward to many a day washing diapers in this room.

Bathroom.

By far, the worst room in the house.  If you ever need to use the commode in our new place, you'll have the luxury of deciding whether you want to use the right half, or the left half, or BOTH halves of the polished wooden toilet seat.  Making this decision possible is a lovely crack down the front of the seat.  I can only imagine the pain that might ensue after a late night bathroom trek when one is half asleep and not taking time to choose left, right or both.  Ouch!  The tub is also lovely and, to show off it's loveliness, we decided to go with a clear tub mat instead of a white one.  (oops)  Enough of the bathroom...moving on.
Oh yeah, one more thing about this room.  For the second rental place in a row, I can get a lovely view of my forehead (and nothing else) in the bathroom mirror.  So if my mascara is running and my lipstick is smeared up to my nose, yet my eyebrows are meticulously plucked to perfection, you, my friends, will have the inside scoop.

Doesn't that just look like a staircase to the great dark depths of the unknown?

I hope to keep this door closed and spend as little time down there as possible.  It's dark.  It's damp.  It's dirty.  I don't want to know what's living down there, but we should probably be charging rent.

"Master" bedroom.  

Really this is only a secondary bedroom, but the true master bedroom in this house has no heat vent in it so in the dead of a Saskatchewan winter, it basically becomes a cold storage room.  If we need to (read: if our bed doesn't fit into this room and allow all doors and closets to function) we will use the larger bedroom.  But if we can get away with it, we will just use this smaller bedroom and block off the other bedroom and try not to pay an arm and a leg to heat it. This room will probably get some paint before we move in.

My favourite room in the house.

This is probably the room that's in the best shape, likely because it is the smallest room in the house and therefore the least-used.  This will be the nursery.  It has a south window so, next to the kitchen it will get the most light (and hopefully heat) through the winter months.  It will also fit our nursery furniture perfectly.  All I can say is it's good thing we found some small-scale furniture.  I doubt a "regular-sized" crib would fit very well in here along with everything else that normally goes into a nursery.  This room may or may not get paint...we'll see.

The infamous wood paneled living room.

Suggestions?

Dining room.
We've never actually had one of these since we've been married.  The doorway to the right is the bedroom with no heat that we will close off.  The bright doorway to the left is the kitchen and entrance on the south side of the house.  Nice and bright, just the way I like it!  Our new dining room table and chairs will replace these mismatched beauties.  Sad, I know, but hey.  You do what you need to do...

Hmm...I was both horrified and relieved at the number of mouse traps we have found in this house.  Horrified because, well, I'm sure you can guess why.  But relieved because each and every one of them so far has been empty.  Whew.  Now lets just hope that these traps were a precautionary measure.  In case you didn't already know, mice for me are far worse than any spiders, bees, or ants that could be living in my house.  The latter are annoying, yes, but they don't scare me the same way that mice do.  I believe "heebie-jeebies" is the term I'm looking for.  Ew.

And that is our new place!  We're so excited to move in.  We've been finding every excuse to run over in the last couple days and, if we're going by the place anyway, why not take a load of stuff, right?  Friday is officially our move-in day.  But who knows how much will actually be left to take over by then.  My prediction?  Whatever doesn't fit in (or on) our car this week.

*I feel that I must mention that we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to rent this house.  I joke about its run-down condition and how "terrible" it is, but in all seriousness, it is exactly what we need now and we are very blessed to have found an affordable place to live this year with enough space for us and dog and baby.  Thank you, Bethany!

A House.

Nathan and I went by our new rental place this morning.  Now that we have our keys and can move in whenever we want, we are both dreaming of how to make it our own.  We are still dog and house sitting for Nathan's parents for another week, but we hope to move this next Friday!  Today we decided which rooms to paint, which room would be the nursery and which would be our bedroom, and where our furniture would go.  (Well, we didn't really decide where our furniture would go, but we talked about it!)  I am SO excited.  It's been 9 weeks since we arrived back in Canada and officially were not renting a place of our own anymore.  It is time to move and settle in somewhere again!  I am so thankful that this rental opportunity has worked out.  I'll post pictures once we're in!

Question...does anyone have any decorating solutions to wood paneling?  We can't paint it because it would soak up so much paint and require so many coats that it would be way too expensive.  Nathan likes it...I don't.  How do I make it homey???  It's the WHOLE living room!

Pretties...

I love to sew.  I don't know if I've mentioned that lately.  The thought of sitting at the sewing machine all evening and just going nuts makes me excited.  Seeing stacks and stack of fabric also makes me excited.  Just think of all the things that can be made out of that!  Clothes, curtains, pillows, blankets, purses, ANYTHING!  The possibilities are endless!  I am slowly growing my "stash" of fabrics through project leftovers and the fabric store roll-ends (which are nice and cheap).  I'm pleased to announce that my pile is growing steadily. : )

Here are some pictures that I took tonight as I was sewing...doesn't that fabric just almost make you drool?!

Lovely, lovely, lovely...now I just need to get a job so I can afford this hobby!

More randoms...

Ok, I'll start with this.  Behold...28w2d.  Are we sure that babies never just "pop out" because there's just no more room in there?  I don't feel like baby is very out of room in there yet, but when I see pictures like this and think of 12 more weeks of growth...well, perhaps you can understand my apprehension!  In all seriousness, baby and mommy are doing great.  I'm still feeling good most days.  I've already kissed uninterrupted nights of sleep goodbye as I'm up a few time a night either for the bathroom or from sore hips.  My ribs and back tend to get sore more easily these days, particularly when I'm sitting, but it's certainly nothing to complain about.  Just a little discomfort which, considering the relative ease with which this pregnancy has treated me, I'll gladly deal with!

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Does anyone else with a blog get random Asian people commenting on their posts?  I think it's some kind of advertising and it's terribly annoying.  I usually get a few a week, particularly when I post often.  I've turned on the setting where I moderate all comments so at least I can weed out the junk comments, but still...is there any way of reporting these people so they STOP?!

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Remember way back when, when I mentioned that we had a basement suite all lined up to rent as of August 1?  Well...we found out two days ago (or actually, today is when we officially found out) that the basement suite was no longer an option.  I was pretty frustrated at first because we'd spoken for that particular suite 6 weeks ago and had chosen it over the other places because of a number of factors.  Plus, being pregnant, hormones are raging and I have been dreaming of life in this particular place with our baby and "decorating" our nursery and living space in my mind for over a month!  I've been "nesting" all this time in a home that is now unavailable!  Well, I prayed about it because there's really nothing we can do if it's not available and therefore there is no use in getting upset about it.  I asked God if he could somehow make this whole situation work out better than I could imagine, because at the time I couldn't image anything working out nearly as well as what we had been planning.  

Well, today we met with the person in charge of rentals and he "officially" broke the news to us that we wouldn't be moving into the basement as of August 1 but that they would make another place available for us for a very comparable cost.  And the more we've thought about this other option, the more we've seen that there are pros to this place that we skipped right over when we last considered it.  SO, though it's not what I've been picturing for the past month and a half, we now have an entire house that we'll be renting, and we can move is as soon as we'd like!  Though there is no fenced yard and we are responsible for paying utilities for the drafty place (cons), we will have more space, more sunlight in winter, and not have to worry about noise when our baby cries and our dog barks (pros).  It is an older place in worse shape, but I figure we can live in anything and I'll work hard to make it a home.  I'm really excited about this option, which is an answer to prayer because two days ago I just felt like hopelessly crying my eyes out!  Moving day: July 24, 2010.  Yesssss.......

The Birth "Plan"

Oh, the birth plan.  I had no idea such a thing existed until I got pregnant.  And then, suddenly, I started coming across this concept EVERYWHERE!  So for those of you who may have also missed the memo, here's what I'm talking about:

Birth Plan - It's basically self-explanitory.  A birth plan is a written document, prepared by the mother, detailing her preferences for the labour and delivery (and recovery period while in hospital?).  The doctors/nurses have access to this document and follow it as closely as possible so that the mother has a better chance of having a "good" experience with the arrival of her baby.  Am I close?

So what is my birth plan?  Well, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought yet, though I should probably start thinking about it soon.  I am not a very "detail-driven" person to start with though.  I do like to be organized, but when it comes to planning events, I tend to have a fairly loose agenda and a "go-with-the-flow" type mindset.  Too many plans and details just stress me out more than make me feel in control.  For instance, (sidenote) our wedding.  I had some ideas of what I wanted, but mostly I just let things happen.  Some people definitely got more stressed because of this - sorry - not knowing if things were going to get done or whatever.  Totally understandable.  But for me, as long as I know that the end goal with be accomplished (that I'll be married at the end of the day...that I'll have a baby to take home), I'm usually pretty flexible about how that happens. 

There are, however, often a few things that I am particular about...and when I'm particular about something, be careful if you try to change it! : )  That said, I don't have many particulars about labour-delivery that aren't at least somewhat flexible.

So birth plan.  True to my nature, I am pretty easy-going about the whole labour-delivery process.  I am of the mindset that I'll take it as it comes and would rather not have too many ideas about how it is (or is not!) going to go down.  The doctors know what they're doing and have done their job much more than I've done mine so I'll leave alot of it up to them.  That said, my few preferances are as follows:

-  avoid cesarean (c-section) as much as possible...though if, at any point, it becomes the safest option, I'm all for it
-  avoid induction as much as possible...it's easy to say this now, but even if I go past my due date, I'd still prefer to go into labour naturally.  That said, if safety becomes an issue, induce away!
-  the big one: drugs or no drugs?  I'd like to avoid medication during labour/delivery.  This is a tough one, though, because I've never experienced labour before and have no idea how I'll handle the pain.  I'd like to think that I have a reasonably high pain tolerance, but if I find that I just can't handle it and am panicking or unable to cope, I'll not hesitate to ask for pain medication.  There are potential side-effects to drugs, though, so if at all possible, I'd like to go drug-free.  That said, I don't want to make things harder on myself and everyone around me if pain medication is obviously the way to go.  All I can say is time will tell!
-  The ideal place for me to give birth would be a hospital.  While home births sound far more relaxing and natural, I like the security of having medical personnel close by in case of an emergency.  And I would like to avoid a car-en-route-to-hospital birth at all costs. : )  While do-able, I'd just rather not have that story to tell...
-  My top priorities for this birth are: a healthy baby...a healthy mommy...beyond that, I'll just try to go with the flow.  How's that for a middle child personality?

Another sidenote: Pictures of the baby-belly to come shortly.  I'm at 28 weeks already...seriously, where is the time going?  I'm so unbelievably excited to welcome this baby into our lives.  I go through phases when I feel like this pregnancy is a new perma-state and I'll never be able to take drugs or do strenuous physical activity (or reach for something on the floor of the car) ever again, but then I remember that quite soon I will no longer be pregnant and I'll start to feel "normal" again and we'll have a new little baby around!  Someone who will change our lives forever!  A son or daughter!  Wow...on the days when it hits me, it just seems too good to be true.  Well, it always seems too good to be true, but some days it just feels like so much more of a reality!  Whew...this is really happening...

Back in the Kitchen...

Is it just me or is there something about being out of a kitchen for 6 weeks that just makes you want to bake and cook til the cows come home?  Seriously, while I'm "not cooking" I think of a zillion meal ideas and just can't wait until I am cooking again full time.  Unfortunately, I never write these ideas down and, once I'm back in the kitchen, I am searching desperately for meal ideas by the third day.  But when I do find an idea, I go to town!

There is something about a break from the kitchen that makes cooking and baking new, fresh, and enjoyable again.  Last night I decided that I was going to make sweet & sour meatballs with rice for supper.  It was one of my favourites while growing up and those are the things that appeal to me most these days.  I looked briefly for the recipe but with my Mennonite Treasury of Recipes packed away, I was left to fulfill my craving by memory.  Meatballs was one of the things that I often enjoyed making with my mom while I was growing up.  I loved getting my hands into the meat and mixing it all together (bear with me), shaping each individual meatball, and then plunking it carefully into the frying pan next to all the rest.  Cooking the meatballs was my favourite part, though with the frying pan so hot, I would often get splashes of grease stinging my hands and arms.  Of course it was never enough to burn me, and the fun of watching the meatballs until they were halfway cooked and then flipping them over to cook on the other side far out-weighted any spitting grease that came my way!  And the memory of making meatballs with my mom is what gave me the recipe yesterday.  I remembered mixing the meat with my hands and therefore could picture the different ingredients that went into them.  They didn't turn out quite as yummy as my mom's always did, but they never do, do they?  Some things just need a mother's touch, I guess...

Just now I was making some brownies.  (Have I mentioned how nice it is to just be able to walk into the kitchen and satisfy my cravings?!)  Another memory came to me as I was using as spatula to scrape the last of the brownie batter into the pan.  See, for the first few years that I remember helping my mom in the kitchen, she didn't have a spatula.  Different people have different "essentials" in their kitchens and, in my mom's kitchen, a spatula just wasn't one of those essentials.  I specifically remember the day my mom got a spatula.  It was August of 1994.  My parents were leading a missions trip to Paraguay, South America and our whole family was able to go along.  While we were gone for those 6 weeks, an interim pastoral couple stayed in our house and carried out the pastoral "duties" that my dad was missing while out of the country.  When we arrived home, we found a few new things in our kitchen...things that were obviously "essentials" in this other woman's kitchen that she hadn't found in my mom's kitchen.  Among those goodies was a rubber spatula.  I remember being quite disappointed in this new appliance the next time my mom baked something.  That spatula was far too efficient, leaving next to nothing in the bowl for us kids to enjoy!  My life changed a little that day.  I must say, though, that my mom got quite good at not using her spatula to the best of it's ability.  Somehow there was always a bit of batter left in the bottom of the bowl for her kids to lick out. : )

I hope my kids enjoy helping their mommy in the kitchen as much as I (sometimes) enjoyed helping my mom!

writer's block...

So, I've started writing 2-3 different blog posts just now and I just couldn't get anything going enough to finish it and post it.  Arg...what to write, what to write? 

Any ideas?  Any burning questions?  Any curiosity that needs satisfying?  I'm game.  Fire away.

Picture Post!

I finally uploaded pictures from our camera, so I thought now would be as good a time as any to share some of what we've been up to this past...month and a half.  These were all the "events" that were on my camera.  I just haven't been motivated to take pictures lately.  I hope that changes once McBaby gets here!  I'd hate to miss out on those first few days of prime newborn picture-taking just because I "don't feel like it!"  Anyway, without further ado...pictures!

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When we first arrived back in Canada, Lennox had a close call with a skunk.  Gross.  He spent a couple days outside and got a scrub with a peroxide/baking soda mixture as well as with tomato juice.

The peroxide mixture is supposed to actually get rid of the smell, while the tomato juice apparently just masks it.  It did help alot, but he still smelled like skunk when he got wet until just recently.  Or maybe he still does...I try to avoid wet dog as much as possible these days.  My nose just seems to be extra-sensitive to doggy smells right now...  The white eyebrows in the picture looked so funny!  We put petroleum jelly on him so that he wouldn't get the peroxide in his eyes.  I don't think his eyes burned, but he sure didn't enjoy the cold water from the hose.  He looked at me with such sad, pain-filled eyes and whimpered like I'd never heard before...poor guy.

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The next pictures are from just yesterday.  Nathan and Josh were playing XBOX 360 yesterday morning when one of them (probably that wonderful husband of mine) had the idea to hook up another XBOX to another tv so that they could each play online and be on a team.  Now, our tv was just sitting in the basement, unused, and each of the brothers has their own XBOX, so they shifted around some furniture, hooked up some extra equipment and nerded it up BIG TIME!

Seriously, that was some nerd-fest that was going on down there in the family room.  They each had their headsets on, each had their own tvs and game systems, and they played ALL day.  In fact, they're playing again right now.  I just heard Josh rejoicing quite loudly in what must have been some sort of victory.  Now they're talking through their strategy for what to do next.  Funny guys.  I've been left to entertain myself the last couple days so I've been baking and sewing, which leads me to my next pictures...

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These are the pillows that I've been working on for the past two days!

We had four throw pillows in our old house that were in need of rejuvenation.  They were a bit faded and dirty and, while I could have just thrown them in the washing machine and at least had clean pillows, I felt that they needed a bit more.  Besides, it was something small that I could do already to work toward making our new place our own.
 

Three of the pillows are the grey plaid fabric above.  It was a bit frustrating to work with because the fabric wasn't square.  I would cut straight along the lines of the plaid and hold the fabric up and it would have an obvious slant to it.  I don't really understand, because surely the lines of the print would be straight, but in fact it was the fabric itself that was stretched or just poorly made.  Anyhow, I managed to get all the plaid lined up squarely on the pillows and even matched the pattern on the front and back of the pillows.  If you'd seen the crookedness of the fabric I was working with, you would be impressed.  I certainly am!  I'm just hoping that the next time I buy plaid fabric I won't have to deal with that!

This is the yellow fabric that I used the other two pillows.  When I found the grey plaid, we both liked it, but Nathan felt that it was a bit boring to just use grey.  He's usually the one in this relationship who loves to spice up our decor with some bright colors.  I usually appreciate his opinions, but gently gear them toward classier designs that aren't too tacky (as bright colors can be if done wrong!).  For instance: Nathan wanted something more "fun" than the grey so we picked out this yellow with a swirly white design to go with the plaid.  It's a pop of color, it matches the yellow thread in the grey plaid fabric, AND it isn't over the top.  It's a nice fabric that I can live with so in this case I'm glad that Nathan suggested something bright.  It worked out perfectly and I love our new cushions!

I also tried piping for the first time with this project.  I learned a few things throughout the process of sewing on piping...let's just say the second pillow is better than the first.  And if I were to make a third pillow at some point, I'm sure it would be better than both the first two combined!  I think the piping adds a nice, finished edge and I won't hesitate to try it again.  It does take practice, but I definitely suggest going for it if you ever find yourself thinking about it.  I'm no sewing pro and I did it.  It's always worth a try!

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I also mentioned that I have done some baking in the last couple days.  I baked burger buns yesterday for our Canada Day bbq and also made the following recipe of cookies.  They are SO good.  I suggest only doing a half batch, as the full batch made me 4 dozen good-sized cookies.  And while freezing cookie dough for baking later often works, I don't know that it would work in this case with the corn flakes in there...

Buffalo Cookies

• 1 cup melted margarine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 11/4 cup oatmeal
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 11/4 cup crunched cornflakes
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips.

Instructions

1. Cream margarine with sugars, adding eggs.
2. Add vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and mix.
3. Add flour and mix.
4. Add the additional dry ingredients and mix well.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, till they are lightly colored.

The recipe is from this great site called Mennonite Girls Can Cook....you can find the recipe HERE.
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There...how's that for a long, hodge-podge of a post?  Hope you're all having a good Canada Day long weekend!  If any of you have any suggestions for what kinds of projects I should do next, I'm all ears!  I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting things to make.  Right now I've got a baby blanket for McBaby on the go and I'm re-doing an afghan that I made last summer because I just don't really like how it turned out.  But I'll be done those in a matter of days/hours, so seriously...anything interesting that you've been making/doing lately?  Let me know!

Who's on third?

Third trimester already?  Where has the time gone?!  Months 3-6 just flew by and now we're in the home stretch!  The thing I find most amusing today?  How pregnancy websites/books try to reassure third trimester women that certain less comfortable pregnancy "symptoms" will go away shortly after birth... as though there aren't still 3 MONTHS still to wait!  Yes, I'm nearing the end.  But I DO still have 13 weeks to go.  That's plenty of time to lose sleep, have leg cramps, and deal with swollen feet.  But don't worry...they'll ease up oh, say, near the beginning of October.  No biggie.

Important sidenote:  I have been incredibly blessed with this pregnancy and I take none of it for granted.  No, not everything in pregnancy is rainbows and roses, but I will take every ounce of discomfort if it means that I am experiencing pregnancy and will soon hold my baby in my arms.  I still think of my friends who are waiting and hoping and praying and hurting and mourning loss.  May God bless you beyond your wildest dreams... 

A wonderful few hours...

I just had the most wonderful time with my husband today.  We went to the city for a doctor's appointment (each one means a month closer to D-Day!) and took our time wandering through a fabric store - pictures to come on what I bought for my latest project - having a picnic lunch by the river while listening to jazz music and grocery shopping.  It was so much fun to just spend a few hours with Nathan without homework needing to be done.  (I was able to forget about it...were you, honey?)  It was perfectly sunny too, which made the day even more wonderful.

Now, of course, it's back to rain, homework, and routine.  But at least I have a new sewing project to look forward to!  Oh the joy of little things...

p.s-As I was sitting in the car while Nathan filled us up with gas today, I realized that I've been married to him for 20% of my life already!  That number really took me by surprise.  By the time I'm 38 I'll have been married to him for half my life!  I love that we got married so young.  It certainly isn't for everyone, but it has turned out to be the best thing for us. : )  I love you, Nathan!

26 weeks

Ok, I officially think I'm going to be HUGE in 3 months when baby is starting to think about making his/her appearance.  I see this picture and I think I already look pretty large.  Thankfully the baby doesn't weigh too much yet, so my back is still feeling good as always.  I'm now starting to outgrow the pre-pregnancy tops that I had been still wearing (stretched to the max, of course).  I guess that means that I'll need to buy a few more tops before the grand finale.  Other than that, not much new to report.  Doing good, looking good, feeling good.  ; )  What more is there to say?

Countdown Status...

We're down to under 100 days before baby arrives!!!  Considering that the "countdown" starts it's journey with around 280 days to go, I'm feeling pretty optimistic!

Pregnancy Don'ts

Every website or book that is written for pregnant women is filled with do's and don'ts to keep you busy following instructions for the full nine months.  Some of these are more obvious than others (for instance, DO eat healthily...DON'T drink alcohol).  But two don'ts in particular have just got me baffled.

1.  Don't reach for things on the top shelf.  
          Hm.  Well, being 4'10" I have to reach for stuff on the bottom shelf.  The middle shelf is somewhat do-able but the top shelf?  I would need to climb at the best of times.  (And apparently climbing is out of the question while pregnant as well)  I believe they mean that you are not supposed to stretch your abdomen trying to reach things that are out of reach.  Point taken.  But, as helpful as Nathan is, he's not always around to reach things for me.  For instance, every morning when I need to tilt the shower head down so that I can stand in the shower without being sprayed straight in the face.  Some things just need to be done, pregnant belly or not. 

2.  Don't get bitten by mosquitoes.
          Ha.  I live in Saskatchewan.  To say to someone who lives on the prairies, "don't get bitten by mosquitoes" is like saying to someone who lives in California, "don't go out in the sun", or to someone in the landscaping business "don't touch grass".  Seriously?  I would love to send out a memo to all mosquitoes everywhere saying, "Sorry, guys.  You'll have to find another meal.  I've got a baby-on-board and therefore am not allowed to be eaten by you."  But sadly, mosquitoes don't respond well to memos.  It seems I will have to find another solution...

My new friend...

I really wish that I could get paid for all the promotional work that I've been doing for my new friend, Kijiji, lately.  But then again, that's not really how friendships work, is it?  No.  It's not.  I am simply letting you all know how much I have been enjoying spending time with (and reaping the benefits of) my new friend because I care.

In the last week, Nathan and I have purchased our nursery furniture AND a dining room table with 6 chairs.  Both are in great condition.  Both are exactly what we were looking for.  And everything for under $300.  Now, with my purely Mennonite roots, how can I not rejoice in these great finds?  And I just can't wait to share pictures until August when we move, so here are some sneak peaks!

Where our baby will sleep:

Where our baby's clothes/blankets will be stored:

Where our baby's diapers will possibly be changed:

And, our latest purchase from earlier today, our new dining room table and chairs:

I think our shopping is done for now.  Our storage space here at Nathan's parents' place has exceeded its limits already.  I just can't wait to see it all come together in our basement suite!

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disclaimer: I am really not as addicted to Kijiji as I may appear to be (at least I don't think so...)!  It's just that if you're planning on buying any number of things (furniture, vehicles, maternity clothes, pets, books, etc), it could be worth doing a little looking here first.  It's basically garage-saling from the comfort of your own home, so you don't have to literally pick through other people's junk and drive all over the city to find your gems...unless that's what you enjoy about garage-saling.  If it is, maybe this isn't as much for you...

A list (the random kind) - in no particular order

• I love sunshine.  Today there is sunshine.  Therefore, today will be a lovely day.
• I bought a sewing basket yesterday.  My sewing supplies were taking over the denim bag that I was trying to keep them all in so I splurged and spent some of my allowance (yes, we do allowances...best idea ever!) on one.  But don't picture a typical "basket".  Oh no.  This is a heavy duty plastic one with compartments galore!  If you couldn't tell already, I'm pretty excited about my purchase!
• We are now back in Hepburn...for another week.  And then we head to PA!  Time for a visit with Marsha!
• I dreamed last night that my mom was having another baby just a couple weeks before I was due.  I was pretty excited because I would get to spend tons of time with a baby but didn't have to wait ALL THE WAY until my due date.  Random crazy dreams I have these days.  Nathan thinks it's something that I eat before bed (no clue what that would be???).  I just tell him that I've always had random, weird, vivid dreams and pregnancy probably just isn't helping matters much these days!
• We bought our nursery furniture yesterday!  We found a great deal on Kijiji (of which Nathan and I are rapidly becoming fans) and went to see it/pick it up yesterday.  We got a crib, armoire, and small cupboard/change table all for less than we were hoping to spend on the crib alone!  And I really like it too!  It's really simple, but I love simple.  I'll post pictures once we have it all set up.  It'll be more exciting then anyway... : )
• I realized yesterday that, when we got pregnant, I was super-excited but the idea of this pregnancy actually ending one day with a real, live baby was a pretty abstract thought.  Have any other women out there had this feeling?  It just sorta feels surreal and like this pregnancy is a new reality that you just have to live with now (forever!).  Well, I'm over the halfway mark now, almost in the third trimester, and time is flying!  Seriously...there are only 15 weeks left until we meet this little person who likes to punch and kick and squirm in there.  Fifteen weeks is a long time and yet...it's not really that long!
• Nathan and I have been enjoying having our dog back.  True, he does spend alot of time outside, but last night Nathan made a comment about how he's glad that we have such a decently well-behaved dog.  It really is a good thing that I had so many hours to spend training him when we first got him.  For the first few weeks/months (starting September 2006), I would spend literally hours at a time just working with him and training him.  And as a result, he (usually) does listen to me quite well.  I'm so glad for that.  I don't think I could ever keep a dog that doesn't listen!  I've been on farms with untrained dogs (or even worse, been with untrained indoor dogs) who just don't respect and listen to humans and I just couldn't do it.  There are certain habits that, if our next dog had them, they would be out the door in a matter of weeks!  Really, the longer I have a dog, the more convinced I am that the joy in having a dog comes from having a well-trained dog.  There's my little rant.  I guess now I should actually make a point of spending some time with Lennox today!
• I guess I should also give a little update on McBaby.  He/she is around 2 lbs now and 9+ inches long.  I'm definitely feeling the extra length.  When baby lies sideways across my stomach, I am quite comfortable and marvel at the feeling of movement both on my far right side and, at the same time, near the middle of my belly...about 9 inches apart.  When the baby decides to turn, though, and goes into the "upright" position, life is quite a bit less comfortable.  My ribs have been sore the past couple days as the feet/head press and push and try to make room in there.  There's no slouching now when I sit!  Baby needs all the room he/she can get in there!  Sleep is also progressively more disturbed.  I haven't slept through a night in months already.  And some mornings when I wake up, I'm convinced that my hips are only a fraction of an inch away from being dislocated.  Ouch.  But oh the joy of knowing that this pain and discomfort is due to a tiny baby growing in there and needing more space.  What a blessing!
• Let's see...what else?  I mentioned a couple months ago that I love to read during the summers.  Well, I haven't been reading anything interesting lately.  Ever since the end of last semester, I just haven't been able to really get into a book and have it hold my attention.  I used to get lost in books for hours upon hours.  Now my mind just wanders while I read and I end up having to re-read pages over and over again just to track with what's happening.  I think I may pull out some of my old childhood fiction.  Maybe that will be able to hold my attention!  I got a few suggestions back when I last posted about summer reads, but I'm open to more suggestions!  One of these days I hope to stop by the library, pick up a stack of books that you have recommended, and spend a good long time sitting on the deck, with Lennox at my feet, reading the summer away.  Ideally I would be in a hammock, but I doubt it would be very comfortable at this stage in the game. (game being pregnancy and stage being 6 months)

June days

June: our month of running around.  We spent the first five days of June in Manitoba.  The next four days have been back at Nathan's parents' place.  Tomorrow we head to my parents' place for about a week.  Then we'll be back at Nathan's parents' place for a few days.  There might be a trip to E-town after that to pick up a crib (though I found out last night that the very crib I wanted is nowhere to be found - discontinued) and to celebrate our 5th anniversary which passed by in May with hardly a moment's notice.  And, of course, there will be a drive out to visit my good friend Marsha.  She's been saying that she wants to see me, but I have a feeling that it's really McBaby that she's interested in seeing.  : )  So June is a traveling month.  But I'm excited about it.  I'm sure by the end of the month I'll be happy to just sit and be in one place for a while, but right now the thought of seeing so many people who I haven't seen in a while is just fun (even if I DO have to sit in a car for hours to get to them!). 

So, all this busyness and traveling means that the blog will oft be silent in the next few weeks.  I'll try to update as regularly as I can, but hey, that's life.  As my brother-in-law once said, "Some people live life, others just document it."  I believe he was referring to photography/scrapbooking at the time, but I think it still applies!  What a wise 10-year-old he was...

Anyway, I'll end with a question, seeing as I'm now on the hunt for the perfect crib all over again.  What, in your opinion, is the perfect crib?  I'm looking for a good balance between style, cost, and quality.  Also, any insight into crib mattresses?  Anything to avoid with those?  I've spent alot of today looking at different cribs and have a pretty good idea of what style I would like, but now I just need to find an affordable and good-quality version of it to buy.  You'll have to wait until we find it before I reveal what style that is, though!  Nothing like a good surprise to keep you all coming back in anticipation...

a time to weep and a time to laugh
       a time to mourn and a time to dance

Ecclesiastes 3:4

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(23.5 weeks)

I am dancing inside.  I am laughing with sheer joy.  I am getting to know this little person who is growing inside me.  I am noticing when Baby is awake and Baby sleeps.  I know that the most active parts of Baby's day are first thing in the morning and right after supper.  I know that certain types of music will make Baby move like nothing else and that loud drums played by a 3 year old make Baby go absolutely crazy.  And Baby is getting to know me too.  He/She is starting to respond differently to my hand than anyone else's.  When I put my hand on my belly, Baby moves.  But when anyone else tries to feel movement, even Nathan, it often takes longer for Baby to respond.  Our son or daughter is getting to know their mommy's touch!  How amazing!

I am feeling so good these days.  Aside from a few "scares" earlier in this pregnancy, it has been perfectly smooth.  I feel so at peace and am just so unbelievably thankful for this little miracle.  My body handles pregnancy so well and I've been experiencing no sickness and very few aches.  I feel more comfortable in my skin now than ever.  I get such great joy from seeing this little bump growing and feeling the kicks getting stronger every day.  Almost every day I spend time just sitting and staring at my belly, which is already starting to visibly bounce and ripple!

The fact that we're going to be parents has been becoming so much more real lately.  We are slowly collecting little clothes and blankets and other baby things, and my mind keeps wandering back to the nursery.  It's hard to believe that we'll meet this little person face to face in just a few months.  What an unbelievable blessing...one I feared I might never experience.  I am humbled that we are able to have this experience and joy.  It is something I will NEVER take for granted.  I know that there will be days when I'll be frustrated or tired and life won't always be picture perfect.  But wow.  That's all I can say.  WOW.

All praise to Him!

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P.S-I have been hesitant to share about my pregnancy too much here on my blog because I've been afraid to further hurt my many friends who are already hurting.  Infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and many other fertility-related struggles are painfully common and the last thing I want to do is make it harder for anyone.  That said, this is a huge time of rejoicing for me and Nathan and I do want to be able to share openly on my blog with those who would like to know how things are going.  If reading about pregnancy (and soon life with a new baby) is going to be painful for you, I'm so sorry.  But I long to share the joys as well as the sorrows here.  Being real and open isn't just about sharing the struggles in life.  We also need to rejoice together in our blessings!  Thank you to everyone who is following along with our story and offering words of advice, encouragement, etc.  I look forward to sharing more of our stories as time goes on!

Away...

Nathan and I just got back from a week away in Manitoba.  Nathan was taking a class at CMU last week, so I went along and caught up with friends in our old town.  It was alot of fun to see so many familiar faces and to hear how people have been over the past year since we moved...but it was also tiring!  We stayed with some wonderful friends and their three kids (who have grown up SO much in the last 12 months).  It was nice to stay in an area where I knew people so I didn't just have to sit around a hotel room bored every day.  Thanks D&M for opening your home to us!  You really have become like family to us over the past few years!

A common question that we were asked by people in A-town was, "How does it feel to be back?"  I always had such a hard time answering that question!  Of course it was wonderful to be back and to see so many good friends again, and to be in a familiar place again was oh so nice.  In many ways it felt like we'd never left.  On the other hand, it was a bit hard to figure out what our place was there (or if we even had a place there anymore).  The larger question that came out of our trip for me was "Where is home these days?"  Manitoba is not home anymore.  And California isn't home anymore either.  We have our "stuff" in Saskatchewan, but even that isn't quite home yet.  I joked with Nathan that we had almost as much stuff in our car on the drive back from MB as we had unpacked in our room here at his parents', therefore making our car a close contender.  We joke, but the car is one place where Nathan and I have actually been able to spend a few uninterrupted hours (or days) together without being a "guest" in someone's home.  We very much appreciate the people and places where we have been over the last 3 weeks since coming back to Canada, but I must say...it will be nice to be in a place of our own again!  Three weeks (and another few weeks to come yet) is a long time to be in the middle of a transition like this!

Let's see...what else?  Well, this morning Lennox got sprayed by a skunk.  Thankfully he wasn't right next to the skunk as it sprayed, but to be in any proximity to a spraying skunk is too close and this afternoon he got both a peroxide bath and a tomato juice bath.  I don't know if I've ever heard him whimper so mournfully/painfully as when he was being rinsed off with the hose.  Makes me wonder how I'm going to handle seeing my children in pain when there's nothing I can do to help them...

Well, I think I'm going to take off and do a bit of cleaning.  What is it about traveling that just makes your surroundings into complete chaos?!  Ugh.  And I am so tired!  I just want to sleep instead...we'll see which side wins today...it is Sunday, after all, so perhaps a nap it will be! : )