Alana

32 weeks

2010-03-09T21:08:01Z

And I have the belly to prove it!

Winding down to the final 7-8 weeks. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday, I'm going every two weeks now...wow!
Last time we went, he told us the baby was still breech (with lots of time to turn) but he wasn't sure if he actually WOULD turn bc of the position of my placenta, which is still lying very low. I know for sure he is still breech bc I can actually feel his head under my boob on my right side. I can actually feel the round hard lump of a head, it's really bizarre. I thought last time I was at the dr's that that was his head, and the dr confirmed what I had thought...and he is still there. I have trouble leaning forward and sitting up straight. I have a feeling I'll need a section this time round.

I can't wait for this week to be over. March Break next week, then back for 2 weeks, then Easter, then 2 more weeks of work and I'll be on Maternity Leave!! We're going to go to Halifax for a few days with the kids over March Break. Steve is home this week and next and we'd like to spend some time with the kids ALL TOGETHER! It's really been since Christmas that we had qualitly family time!
I need to pick up the last few things I need for baby (pump, diapers, etc) and then all we have to do is wait. Time is really flying by!

Here's my 32 weeks belly pic :)

Happy Birthday Christine!

2010-03-05T01:43:24Z

It seems like I just wrote a blog entry that she had just turned 12. Now she's 13.

I'm the proud owner of a teenager...........WOW!!

We had a quiet dinner of Chinese at the house. Steve missed it of course! But her god parents came over as did NJ, so she was happy with that! Here's a few pics:

Don't I look impressed??? I thought this picture was funny bc I"m cutting a cake for my THIRTEEN year old daughter while carrying a infant in my tummy!!

New clothes, jewelery and money....what every girls wants!!!

It was a fun day, even though Steve missed it. Lots of birthday phone calls too!
Christine wanted us to take her skiing, so Sunday Steve is dropping her and a couple girls off at the ski hill for the day, she is really looking forward to that!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL!! XOXOXOXOXOXOX

What to do, what to do...

2010-02-27T14:19:09Z

This past few months have been overwhelming to say the least. It often gets to the point where I don't want to blog about it because I don't want to think about it, LOL!

There has just been so much going on lately, my head it spinning.

Steve was offered a SWEET job in both Moncton, NB and Kitchener ON, as I knew he would be. I had a feeling when she started this interchange that SOMEONE had a plan for him. I knew it sounded too good to be true, in a sense. It would be too easy to take a great gig for six months and come home and go back to work. Anyway, we're thinking about moving but again, it's too overwhelming for me to think about right now!!

If we move, it would be a great career move for Steve, and it would also be great for him to be able to advance more than he would here. He is almost at senior management now, which is great, but that's pretty much how far he can go if we stay here. We'd be very happy with him working at a Senior Management level in the next year or so, BUT, if we move, that's where he'd START and move up from there....decisions, decisions.

I love our house, although we're quickly out-growing it, and I have to take that into considertaion. We'd love to build in the country, instead of just moving to a bigger place, but the kids are involved in so many things in tihe city, it's hard to justify moving to the country right now...so we're back at square one.
Plus, my parents are here. My Mom told me her and Dad would rent a place in Ontario for the winters if we moved there, and come home for the summers (as would I!). And Moncton would only be a 5-6 hour drive, so that would be managable from them too.

We're working out al the details now and seeing what the best solution would be, fo everyone involved. It's not easy!!

On a different note, all of this would go on with a NEWBORN!! Another factor that comes into play...

I had my 31 week appt yesterday to find out he's still breech and will probably remain this way bc of the position of my placenta, which is lying low, almost across the bottom. If I need a section, which I'm thinking I will, I'll probably have this baby in 7 weeks. That puts us around the last week or so of April. YIKES!!!

I feel like I am carrying him totally differently than the other three---and I am, but it's bizarre bc I can actually feel his head right undrneath my ribacge and most of my kicks are down below, in the bladder (fun).

I'm so happy today to spend the day at home, waiting for a snow storm with firelogs to burn, steak to BBQ and lots of movies.

Happy Saturday :)

Almost 30 week belly

2010-02-20T16:11:18Z

I'm so terrible for not taking any belly pics, then regret it afterwards! Here's my belly at 3 days shy of 30 weeks :)

76 Days to go!

2010-02-17T00:41:04Z

Talk about TIME FLYING!! HOLY COW!!

Please let there be a snow day tomorrow!! Not that I mind teaching a half day, but the kids are dying to have a stay home day!! We need at least ONE snow day this year and time is running out!

Steve finishes up in 3 weeks...he was supposed to be there until mid-May, but has been wokring non-stop to get everything finished a few weeks early, which is good for all of us.

Christine's birthday is in three weeks, she'll be thirteen, crazy! I'll have one in junior high and one in diapers, LOL!

Pictures!

2010-02-05T02:10:44Z

Christine's new bedding :)

C & A's new bedding and bunk tent...it's SO cool!!

Our vibrant new bedding...I really did go crazy at IKEA!

Almost 28 week belly!

Toronto

2010-02-04T23:49:29Z

Well...........it's been a while since I updated my LJ so I figured since we just got our internet back, it's a good time :) On!Thursday I was leaving for TO and Wednesday night my internet decided to stop working. I spent a good two hours on the phone with our internet company and our router company people, SO annoying. At the end, I ended up hanging up on a stupid techie who was pushing me through all the actions I had already done...pointless. I decided to let it go and let Steve figure it out when he got home (last night).

I flew to TO Thursday morning and am quite impressed with myself that I braved travelling alone at 27 weeks pregnant! The flights were fine and Elaine picked me up at the airport when I arrived. I got the early morning flight and landed in TO at 9:30 am. Elaine took the day off, so we spent the entire day baby shopping---fun and exhausting! I got my new sling (the one I wanted, woohoo!!), tones of clothes and a new diaper bag. We picked up James from daycare and I spent the afternoon and evening with them (and Steve and Charles). The rest of the weekend was spent shopping and eating...both of which were good! We made two trips to IKEA and Steve and I ended up having to each borrow two large suitcases from Charles in order to take the extras home. Luckily too, Steve flies first class and has 20 extra pounds of weight too!! I had to rearrange both my suitcases at the airport o shift my extra weight, NOT FUN!!

Anyway, it was lovely to see my brother, Elaine and James (so sorry I didn't get to see LISA) and it was great to have a bit of time for Steve and I to hang out, it's been a while. It was bitter cold in TO and I'm surprised I didn't freeze to death and die, since I'm used to our mild temps we've been having at home.

Pregnancy wise, things remain well. I'm almost 28 weeks and can NOT believe how fast time is flying. I've been going through all the new clothes and now it seems even more real that in a mear 12 weeks we'll have a newborn in the house!! I have a doctor's appt in the morning and I'm curious to see how much I've gained---I think it might be a lot. But oh well!

Off to get the kids settled and put up some new curtains in the living room!

25 weeks, 1 day!

2010-01-21T00:45:35Z

Busy, but not a whole lot to report. I'm lovin' my belly though...it's BIG and ROUND! This babe is so active, it's pretty nice. It used to be I could just feel him in the morning and the night and now it's all day, everyday! When I lie down now, I can see my belly move, it's pretty surreal. Even after three kids, you almost forget how amazing it is that there is a little person in there.

I have my FOURTH ultrasound tomorrow. My third was last week, where they wanted to check my placenta to see if it had moved--and it did, by 2 cm, so no C-Section, we just want it to keep moving up and get totally out of the way. Now I have to go in tomorrow to get a clear picture of his spine (a little nervous), because the picture was not clear last week and they want to make sure that it's "clear".

Things have been going well with Steve away. We get into a great groove during the week and the kids have been so good. He's actually working from home this week and I keep telling him he's in my way, LOL. It takes a day or two to adjust when he gets home now.

I'm heading to Toronto next week, I'm really excited to just get away for a few days, although I wish I was bringing the kids with me. We're trying to save our Air Miles for June and maybe, POSSIBLY go with Steve to Amsterdam. He has to go for a week or two and I would love to go. If I can bring a newborn with me, I'm there. If breastfeeding works out and I can travel with a little one wearing a sling, I'll go. The older kids can stay with my parents and we can go on a "baby-moon"!

I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow, even though I have the day booked off, I wouldn't lose a sick day and I wouldn't have to get the kids up and ready! And, we haven't had one yet and it's due time!!

23 weeks :)

2010-01-05T02:24:02Z

Only 17 weeks left!! Baby is really active, kicking like crazy as soon as I lie down or anytime I am trying to sleep, LOL! I am starting to feel hiccups now, baby weighs just over a pound. (Why did I gain SO many then??)

Picture GALORE!!

2010-01-05T02:10:05Z

I finally uploaded my pics to the computer...so here's our two weeks in a nutshell!

Our tree before the unwrapping began!!

Looooove those looks os surpirse!

Dinner at Mom and Dad's

Our for some fresh air

Smily boy

Little family bday party

Another family gift exchange

Again, out for a walk in the country

Happy New Year! It was a beautiful New Year's Day, and here's how we hung out!

Hustle & Bustle

2009-12-29T09:43:12Z

Oh my, it's been SUCH a busy few weeks.

Christmas was wonderful, it really could not have been better. We had a great morning, relaxing and opening gifts and just enjoying each other's company. The kids were thrilled with their gifts this year and it was so awesome to see them so excited. Then we went to my parents Christmas Day and did it all over again!

The week leading up to Christmas was beyond busy--I can't ever remember a Christmas so exhausting. We decided to throw a family party for the kids, we went to Steven's parents (for the first time in a looong time) to for the kids to see cousins and exchange presents...I went out for lunch with Lisa, who was home from Halifax, NJ and I went to see New Moon (again!), must have been at the mall or grocery store everday for a week...and had a constant slew of visitors---again, nice but tiring.

The only small glicth was that I found out I have to have yet another ultrasound because of the position of my placenta. I guess it's at the bottom of my uterus, instead of the top, so they have to keep an eye on it. I don't mind having another ultrasound though...and I would like another peek at the boy parts before I start buying blue.

I just booked a ticket to Toronot to go and visit Steve and Charles! I'm going on the 28th of January and I can't wait. I can't wait to do some serious baby shopping too, as I haven't bought anything yet.

I am still having sleepless nights, which REALLY sucks. I either need a nap during the day or can't keep my eyes open by 9 pm. It sucks. I'll have to talk to my doctor my next visit.

We took the kids to see Alvin & the Chipmunks tonight. Actually, there ended up being 10 of us going, so the kids had a ball! They all brought someone with them and since the earlier shows were sold out, got to stay up late and go to a later one!

The rest of the week is going to be busy as well. Our neighbors are coming over for supper on Wednesday and we're heading to my parents on Thursday for New Years. There's a few other things going on I feel bad that I have either missed or am skipping (a friends baby shower--my parents had family out that day) and a girls day out lunch (that I just have no desire to go too!!)...I just can't do everything and am stressing out over. I just want to stay in my PJ's for the next few days and hang out at home, isn't that what vacation is supposed to be??

It's also been super nice to have Steve home, he hasn't been to the office yet, which means lots of time with us :) :) and somehow I have convinced him to stay home this week too. He is able to "work from home" a bit too, which is great for everyone.

Well, it's almost 6 am and I am hoping to fall asleep for a little while before someone wakes up. Wish me luck.

I Hate Pregnancy Insomnia

2009-12-18T08:51:35Z

One thing I never, ever had was trouble sleeping...until now. I can nap during the day fine and usually fall asleep ok, but at some point in the night, I always wake up and then am up for what seems like forever (usually 1-2 hours). I've discovered the worst thing to do is is lie there and try and fall back to sleep, so I've either been getting up and watching TV or going on the computer.

Steve got home last night, and a bit earlier than expected. They added another flight from TO to Sydney that gets in a few hours earlier, so he managed to take that one instead of arriving home after midnight.

Gymnastics was cancelled again tonight, last minute, so I ended up taking the kids to Pizza Delight with Vanessa and her girls. They had SO much fun! In fact, they were so wound up after we ate, we took them to McDonald's playplace afterwards to play. This is a real treat for my (well, two, as Christine decided she was officially TOO big for the playplace now--don't blame her) kids so they had a great night.

Mom is coming in this afternoon to babysit for the afternoon and evening while Steve and I finish our shopping and go out for supper. Dad and Christine will go to the hockey game. The kids are excited to see mom; it's been a while since she babysat because they were away.

Steve bought me some nice maternity clothes at Old Navy yesterday. I think my pregnancy wardrobe is now complete and I MUST start buying things for this baby soon!! I only have 19 weeks left and have not bought a single baby item yet! I hope to GOD I still have the ability to stay awake for hours in the night when Owen arrives and I am awake for night nursings and changings...

Maternity Leave JOY!

2009-12-16T22:39:44Z

I am in AWE at what I can do with my Maternity Leave. I was so scared to find out what was going to happen because I am working 50% this year and *thought* that I was going to get Maternity Leave based on my 50%. But, since my regular full time job is 100%, I will be getting my Maternity Leave based on my 100% position. I won't be getting it for May and June, which is fine, considering I thought there was a chance I would get very little for the year I was off. AND, I can defer my summer weeks-------------8 weeks I can add to the END of my year, which would be the first of May, so I can use the 8 weeks towards May and June, meaning I won't have to go back to school for the entire school year and run into the summer AGAIN. Soooooooooooo, I will get 16 months off!!!!!!!!!!!!! And paid based on a 100% job that I'm not even working right now.....HOW SWEET IS THAT?? I am over the moon thrilled, excited, releived and HAPPY!!!!

All is well!

2009-12-14T00:51:04Z

Thank God everythin worked out okay with the birthday invites--and it didn't storm as it had been here for the last few days! They had a great party and a super turn out!! It was a huge hit!

So yeah, a sea of kids is a good sign!

Also, the Christmas concert was great. I swear, the work put into their concert is amazing. It's funny when I see the kids at MY school rehearse their two songs (usually Rudolf or Frosty or something as equally lame) and see at their concert the fiddle players, the step dancers, soloists, teachers playing instruments, etc...it makes for such a wonderful show.

Annnnnnnd, I had my 20 week ultrasound on Friday. Crazy that I am HALFWAY THERE!!!! Everything looked good (again) and I got another clear shot of the goods...and he still looks like a HE to us :)

Steve left again today but the new dishwasher eases the sting just a little....I only have five days of school left before I'm off for two weeks! Woohoo!!

Here's a cute pic Steve took the other night.

Off to grab my nightly snack :)

SO PISSED

2009-12-10T00:26:18Z

Since I was sick on Monday, I didn't have Calum's birthday invitations ready to be sent out until Tuesday, so I wrote a note to his teacher asking her to pass them out. Calum forgot to give her the note, so they came back home in his schoolbag Tuesday. Today, he gave them to his teacher and his teache FORGOT TO PASS THEM OUT. We were already pushing the envelope with time, now the kids will have ONE day notice, and there is a storm forecasted for tomorrow.

I will be heartbroken if they are not passed out tomorrow and already feel so bad that not a whole lot of people will go due to lack of noticec. My poor Cal.

Sick

2009-12-07T20:23:48Z

Booooo, I'm so miserable!

We had another busy week. I had two gracious offers out to supper this week, it's nice to have wonderful friends :) but by Thursday night I started coughing and it got so much worse by Friday. I was determined to go to my staff party Saturday night, but really didn't enjoy myself as I was congested and headachy all night.
As soon as I got home I went to bed and basically stayed there until this afternoon. I'm not sure if it's just a bad cold or if I have a sinus infection bc I had a fever I could not get rid of yesterday and last night. Ugh.

Anyway, I'm hoping the worst is over.

My parents are coming home tonight! I saw Dad breifly last week, he was home for the weekend and went back to TO with my mom and now are both coming home this evening. It'll be nice to see Mom since it's been 5 weeks?

The kids have their Christmas concert Thursday night and their birthday party is Friday. Steve is home this week, thank god, bc I would hate to be sick and alone (but I must day, the house is in MUCH better order when he's NOT here).

I also have my 20 week ultrasound on Friday. Can't wait to see this little guy again (and reaffirm it IS a guy!!).

Our dishwasher is being delivered Wedesday, woohoo!

Oh, and we had a huge snowstorm Saturday night, the kids had tons of fun playing in the first snow of the year! I'm sure we'll be sick of it by March.

And he's off

2009-11-29T23:13:56Z

Again. This will be the story of my life for 6 months, so I"ll just try and deal.

Steve got home at midnight Thursday, and I was sound asleep! I also had to get up and be at work for 8:15 am, so we planned to take Calum out for a birthday supper and spend some time together that evening. We had a great meal opened presents and stayed up way too late. Calum is a little bummed Steve won't be here Wednesday, but we did our best to have fun with him all weekend. Saturday we had to get some groceries and we went to the movies (Old Dogs--it was SO funny, way better than we expected) and hung out at home for the evening.

My Dad came over Saturday night on the way home from the airport. We hadn't seen him in about a month, so the kids were super happy he visited. They had a great trip, but he said it was very tiring. Dad was telling the kids about how he and "Grandma" rode camels in the Eygpitian desert--how cool is that????

Today we stayed at home and put up the Christmas tree. It turned out really nice and the kids did most of the decorating. Go figure.
Dad came over for supper (and Steve was glad bc he was dying for a home-cooked meal and we had been eating out since Friday!) so we bbq'ed salmon and it was delish! He also brought the kids some souvieners from Egypt and Israel. My mom stayed in Toronto on the way home and is visiting with Charles, Elaine and James. She'll be home on December 7.

We ordered a DISHWASHER today!! Woohoo!! We had thought about getting a countertop one and decided against it, and really wanted a built in one, but our countertops are 1/4'' too short for a standard height dishwasher and we couldn't find a shorter one anywhere (that and we didn't want to lose the cupboard space). So we ordered a portable one. It's a full size dishwasher, with a counterop finish and looks really nice. I even got the "tall tub" kind, so I beleive it's a big bigger than standard, which is good for us. We re-arranged the dining room a bit and made a spot it should fit in nicely there. I ordered black so hopefully it won't look too bad!! I'll just have to pull it over to the sink at the end of the day, I'm hoping this won't be a big deal and thinking it won't be bc I do dishes for 5 at numerous times during the day, so compared to that, it should be fine.

Here it is: NEW DISHWASHER!!!!!!

It'll be here on Saturday, just in time for Steve to get it ready for me :)

I also ordered the kids new backpacks (again) from MEC, and some new maternity clothes from Ricki's for me. I must say, retail therapy really takes the edge off being alone :)

I survived!

2009-11-27T01:33:51Z

Four days and nights ALONE. I was so busy this week, thank god it flew by. We were invited out Monday night for supper, Tuesday I took the kids to teh Delta to go swimming (they had a ball!!!), Wednesday I took Christine for her swine flu shot (everyone else had had theirs already) and had parent teacher last night. We missed gymnastics tonight bc I am so tired and a bit worn out. Next week I'll make sure to keep it low key.

Steve will be away for Calum's birthday next week...booooo. We're going to take him out over the weekend to celebrate while he's home and I just booked his and Ainsley's party at Ed's Indoor Play Place, and it's on a Friday, so Steve will be home for that.

Parent teacher was really good. It's very humbling to leave a school, that your THREE kids attend knowing teachers are all pleased and have NO concerns with any of them. I'm very blessed!! Everyone got all A's and B's on their report cards too, awesome!

Mixed Emotions!

2009-11-23T01:11:12Z

Boy, I've been UP and DOWN the last few days!!!

UP because New Moon was soooooooo worth the wait and I loved every single minute of it and am now reading the book again, LOL! The movie was awesome, even if the reviews weren't great. I loved, loved, loved it!

UP because Ainsley stayed at Emily's all night, and went to Boston Pizza and got her hair done in curlers and had Emily over to play Saturday night. She had a great weekend!

UP because Calum had his first play date with someone from school and the kid is an angel. Not annoying, rude or rough, which we've encountered before, but a truly great little kid. His mother, in fact, is Ainsley's teacher.

UP beacuse Steve could feel the baby move on my belly last night. So far, he seems to be a night owl, great!

UP because I got so much stuff done around the house today--floors washed, all my laundry done (including some jackets, shower curtain, lots of extras) and it's all put away. I also finished trimming the garden for the winter and we decorated!!! We almost put the tree up, but I think I'm going to wait and get a real one this year, it's been a while. Also I'd like to take the kids to pick one out at a tree farm with a friend of mine and her kids.

UP because my kids are so good, helpful and have given me many hugs and kissed and "I Love You's" today when I really needed it.

DOWN because I can't order from Tyme online and am in desperate need of maternity clothes. I might have to make a trip to Halifax of Toronto just to shop!!

DOWN because I haven't booked a birthday party for the kids yet and Calum's birthday is in 10 days!! And I still haven't gotten a present for him. He isn't asking for anything and is in a "nothing" stage. Blah. I need some good ideas.

And my biggest DOWN is Steve left for Toronto today. I have been a crying mess all evening. He will be home on Thursday, BUT, I'm sad bc this is the way it's going to be for the next 6 months. We both had a freak out last night and today and weren't sure if we made the right decision for him to be working away so much. After much talk, we decided that the right decisions aren't always the easy ones and time will tell. It's going to be hard at first, so it's easy to say we made the wrong decision right away.
I miss Steve already. I missed him all day and he only left this evening. I am trying to be happy for him and help him see that his is a huge step in his career and that in the long run, the travel will be worth it, esp pay wise. It's hard to leave though, and the thing we are sad about is missing the little things---Christine's constant word mix-up's, Calum's cute phone calls to his "girlfriend" and Ainsley, just being herself and making us laugh 24/7. It's those things that I won't have him here to share with, and that makes me sad. I will email him a million times a day and we'll call each other in the nights, but I will miss him around the house, fooling around and making me laugh.
It really feels like I am living the perfect life--all I ever wanted was Steve, to be married and have kids and I have both and feel so grateful and blessed. I am SO happy with my life and have to focus on the positive things that are going on, not the fact that he's gone--because he will be back and all will be better!

Will she make it??

2009-11-20T22:11:18Z

Ainsley was invited to sleep at Emily's house tonight, so we packed a bag and E's mommy picked her up a little while ago. They have a whole night of fun planned, so Ainsley was very excited....but she has never slept at anyone else's house before! I'm wondering if I'll have to pick her up later (which would totally be fine!!). I almost couldn't sleep last night thinking--what if she wakes in the night and I'm not there...what if she gets sick...what if ..what if...BUT, I really can't live like that and I am trying to be happy and deal with the fact that I can't control everything!

Christine and I are on our way to New Moon and Calum has a friend from school over...they have been playing the Wii for way too long, but are having a ball!

Good luck Ains :)

Oh JOY!!

2009-11-18T12:46:07Z

It's a BOY!!!

I had an ultrasound this morning and we were SO surprised to find out it's a boy! I was sure it was a girl, and had so many girl dreams, I was shocked!! The tech did her thing, then asked Calum and Steve to come in and see the baby, so we asked her if she could show us a shot between the legs, so when she did, his legs were wide open, LOL, and you could clearly see boy parts. Then the tech said "I bet you can guess what it is now!!!" So yeah, we're stoked! Calum had a perma-grim on his face the whole time and I was so glad I brought him with us.

I have another ultrasound in 4 weeks, when I reach 20 weeks and I can't wait to see him again! His name will be Owen Joseph and I'm so in love....

15 weeks pregnant

2009-11-11T00:55:05Z

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 4 inches and she now weighs approximately 1.75 ounces. Your baby is close to the size of a softball and you can easily tell that you are pregnant now! If you wear maternity clothes or a swimming suit, other people will be able to tell that you are pregnant also. You can probably feel your uterus about three to four inches below your bellybutton.

Where does the time go???

So busy this last week--between the dog and school, it's been a hectic week!

We went to see A Christmas Carol this week, which I was dying to see, but MAN! It was so scary!! I would never have taken Ainsley had I known it was so frightening! It was even scary for Calum, but he didn't seem to mind. I really liked it, but would not recommend it for anyone under 6 or 7.

I'm starting to feel better this week, and am weaning myself off my Dicletcin.

Calum, Ainsley and I got our H1N1 flu shot last night. Poor Ainsley is terrified of needles so she really had a hard time. C and I got along fine. The kids have to get our regular shots on Thursday and then go back in three weeks for the second half of the H1N1 shot. They better not get sick after all these shots.

My ultrasound is next week and I really, really don't want to find out the sex but Steven is insisting we do. He also wants to do the UC baby in Halifax, which is fine by me, since if I DO find out, I'd get some good shopping in while we're there :)

Winston got his stitches out today and he is back in wild dog mode.

We went to East Side Mario's for supper, since I was craving their garden salad, lol and we had such a nice meal. The kids are such good company and so well behaved when we're out, it's actually quite enjoyable to go out with them.

Steve starts his new interchange term on Monday. We're not sure if he is leaving for Toronto next week or not, but he will be on the books for the next 6 months as a Commerical Account Manager, woohoo! (Now I just want him to stay home and do the same thing here, not away).

Can't wait to stay at home tomorrow and relax. I need to do some work on my report cards but am glad to not have to leave the house.

We picked up groceries for Christine tonight, she needs to bring ingrediants to make "Chicken Cordon Bleu" at school on Thursday. How fun is that???? We buy the ingrediants and she takes them to school, makes supper and brings it home for us! And this is part of the curriculum!! I love that school!!! And, I don't have to cook Thursday night, even better :)

Ohhhh and I'm super excited that I am finding out all these people are pregnant at the same time as me!! Last night we found out my SIL (on Steven's side) is pg, a dear friend of mine in Halifax is pg with #3 and another friend in Halifax is pg with #1. YAY!!!

Well...

2009-11-06T00:14:34Z

Winston is cancer free! The vet called to say the tumour they removed was non-cancerous, which surprised both the vet, and us.

He's doing well, his personality is back--and his energy level is almost back to normal too. You would never know to look at him that he is stiched from the top of his stomach to the bottom.

This last week has been so busy. Halloween was good (although it's my least fav holiday!), I managed to plug through and trick or treat with C & A, while Christine went with Bethany and her older sisters (alone, agh!!). They got more treats than they will ever eat, and I'll be sending 90% of them to the food bank before too long.

I had full days this week (up until yesterday), which made for a tiring week as well. We also went out Christmas shopping two nights this week to get a start on things.

Christine has her first babysitting gig last night. She did great. She babysat two kids (5 & 2) for about 4 hours and got along fine. She took crafts, books and her first aide kit with her, lol, and she seemed very comfortable going. Maybe this will turn into a regular thing!

I came home early from work yesterday bc my stomach was very sore--cramps and sharp pains. It was off and on all day. My parents came in for supper last night, we ended up ordering Chinese since I didn't feel like cooking. They left this morning on their journey to Egypt!!

I stayed home from work today and will tomorrow as well, I'm still not 100% and want to rest a bit more. I went to the dr's this morning and everything seems great. I was a little worried about the cramping, but he thinks it's just something going around. The baby's heartbeat was 161 and loud and clear! So far I've only gained ONE pound. I have no clue how, I would have guessed at least 6-7 by now. I actually lost a pound in the month too, so I went up one and lost one. Go figure.

Lots of rain and yucky weather tomorrow, I'll be SO glad to stay home in bed :)

Sooooo....

2009-10-28T23:31:46Z

What an emotional 2 days!

Yesterday morning, the vet called us first thing and said that they did another XRay and that the tumour seemed more "managable" so they were going to operate. Phew. We of course, ok'ed this and thought about him all morning. On Monday night, they weren't sure that he would even make it through surgery, so we really didn't want to get our hopes up.

The vet called a little while later to say they successfully removed the tumour (and subsequently the spleen, as it had been damaged as well). The tumour did however rupture, and that's a concern bc the vet said that his insides were full of blood clots and while they tried to get all they could, it's likey that if the tumour is cancerous, that cells would attach themselves to other organs and begin to grow more tumours, so best case scenario is that he would have 3-4 before we'd see them return. We're PRAYING that is wasn't cancerous; we'll find out within a few days.

We went to visit him today (the kids drew pictures for his cage) and he seemed ok--he was wagging his tail when we walked in, and even came out to see us. He looked sickly and I'm sure he's in a lot of pain. But, he's here and I know we made the right decision to operate and not put him down right away.

Hopefully we can take him home tommorrow and we'll care for him at home and make the best of however long we have left with him. It's sad that is took this to realize how much he does mean to us (ME in particular).

On a bright note, I'm just over 13 weeks! YAY I'm in my second trimester already!! Where does the time go??? I guess I"m just so busy, that the days are turning into weeks. My pants are all tight now! We can pick the heartbeat up right away now, and the kids have heard it a few times now.

You would now recognize your little bean as a miniature but fully formed looking baby if you were to peer into your belly with a microscope. Your baby is actually quite large by now, a whopping 3 inches long in some cases and weighs in at roughly .7 ounces. Still, this is small potatoes compared to how large you're baby will get in the upcoming months.

By 13 weeks pregnant your baby's intestines are working on maturing and your baby's tiny pancreas is working hard to produce insulin. This will help your baby regulate her blood sugar levels in the months and years following delivery. During pregnancy week 13 your baby's eyes also start to move closer to the center of your baby's head.

Steve is leaving the week after next for Toronto. He is going or 2-3 weeks, then working home for 2-3 weeks, which is awesome, so much better than leaving for 6 months!! He still gets the same benefits he asked for, woohoo (we can pay the $1800 vet bill now!!). So, while my parents are going to be in Egypt for the month of November and Steve is leaving me, I'm still optimistic things will work out :)

Sad news

2009-10-26T22:16:49Z

I came home today to find Winston almost lifeless on the floor. I immediately put him in the van and took him to the vet. The vet told us he was in shock, he needed IV fluids and we had to leave him to have XRays and and ultrasound done. He went from fine yesterday to awful today.

We got a call about an hour later saying there was a large mass (grapfruit sized) in his stomach, which they thought was either his spleen, very swollen, or a cancerous tumor. Keep in mind Winston is only six. We were so sad. They told us it wasn't good news either way. We could either put him down or they could operate and they can't give us any idea of how that will even turn out (let alone the $1200 cost).

We went back in to see him, and possibly say good-bye, and poor Winston was hooked up to an IV and totally out of it. I was almost glad he wasn't "happy" to see us, it would have been even harder to leave him there.

They will do another XRay in the morning and we will see if the mass has gotten any smaller and we'll make a decision then.

As much as I joke that Winston annoys me, Winston is an excellent dog, excellent with the kids and very much a part of our family.

We're so sad and hope that God give us and Winston some peace in the morning.