He's starting to come around a bit

A few weeks ago we had some friends with babies over to my mom's house for a morning tea visit and had hoped that having James near some babies would help with the understanding what is going on, but instead it just kind of pissed him off to see Nana holding them! Could care less if Jim or I held them, but damn it he does not want to share his Nana.

So, ever since then when you ask him if a baby is coming to our house he usually says nope. If you ask him what the baby is though he will still usually answer either a sister (most of the time) or occassionally a brother.

We have put a big bear stuffy into the bassinette in the baby's room and we go in and see it and talk to it and tuck it in. Yesterday right in the middle of our cleaning/organizing spree he asks me if I will read the baby a book. I will never turn down a chance to sit down and read to my little people when they ask me so off we went to have a snuggle in the recliner in the sun in the baby's room. My heart just melted as he snuggled up beside me and listened to the stories. I hope he wants to do the same thing when the real baby arrives here in just a few short months!

13/52 - A Portrait a Week

We've spent the whole weekend so far organizing our basement and getting started on our To Do Before Baby list...well we were busy and looked over and what do I spot - James had crawled into our hiking backpack and was giggling at us.

Look at his little smile, he's just too cute!

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

 

Kisses for my boy

The past 3 nights I`ve been out of the house for supper, bathtime and bedtime, which means not only has Daddy had to pull double duty (while being sick at the same time), but also that I haven`t been able to read books or sing songs to little man before bed. I know he is fine without me and Daddy even sings songs to him now that we are onto the Alphabet song and Oh Canada, but man did I ever miss him last night as I sat through a 3.5 hour strata meeting. The two nights prior I was hanging out at baby showers with friends and new babies so wasn`t missing him quite as much :)

As soon as I walked in the door I went right upstairs and kissed him on the head, hoping he would stir enough to say goodnight. Then when I went to bed I again went in to see him and kiss him, and again not even a stir! And the funniest part of all...I almost kind of hoped he would wake up in the night and come and crawl in for a snuggle, but no such luck, he slept right through the night! :)

This morning I was laying in bed waiting for him and as soon as he crawled in with me he wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me the best hug ever and I knew the day was starting off just perfect!

Gonna be a long day...

...but I'm determined to meet this day with a smile on my face! Which may be hard because I'm super tired from being awake in the night for almost 1.5 hours, but I will get through the day, and the next 6 days after today until I'm done work and no longer have to get ready and out the door by 8 am!

Busy week this week with two baby showers for some great girlfriends, a ridiculously long strata meeting on Wednesday and hopefully meeting two brand new babies that other friends are having! One was born yesterday and another will be born in the next day or two. Being surrounded by babies is the best :o)

Really starting to look forward to the next month with so many really fun things to look forward to. Our trip to Nanaimo, being done work, James's 3rd Birthay party, a visit from Jim's dad and sister and the the lead up to baby being born!

Anyways, off to get ready just 1 of the last 6 days I'm going to need to! Here's to a great Tuesday that will hopefully fly by!

12/52 - A Portrait a Week

Two photos this week as I can't decide which one I really like better. This is James with his cousin Olivia who is just 7 months older than he is. I have so many cute pictures of these two together and these two are no exception.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Proud Canadian Kid

Ever since we started going to hockey games more this season he has fallen in love with our national anthem, and I can't say I'm disappointed. For the past month straight we have been singing Oh Canada during our bedtime songs. I love our national song and have always loved singing it. After months on end of singing Rolie Polie and Rock a Bye Baby I was happy to have a bit of a switch in the norm.

About a week ago I realized that he was really starting to remember the words to the song and tonight when I started to sing he sang through the whole thing with me. He's not a great singer by any means, but wow listening to my not quite 3 year old sing our national anthem made me very proud.

I will try to get it on video in the next few weeks before he again changes his mind about what he wants to hear at night, but he is kind of strange about singing anywhere outside of his bed at bedtime. When I start to sing in the car he often yells at me to "Stop singing, Mommy!"

It's my 100th Post!

Wow! When I made my resolution back in January I knew it wouldn't take me more than a few months to get to 100 posts but now that I'm here I'm surprised how quickly it happened! I am absolutely loving being an active blogger and recording our family's memories is something I look forward to in the years to come and love reading others blogs too!

So, now what to write about in my 100th post is what I'm stuck on! hehehehehe...such thought went into this post, and now I've got nothing earth shattering to say.

Because yesterday was a crappy day for me I've decided to just focus on a couple of the positives in our life right now and will write them down so I can look back on them if/when I need a little pick-me-up!

(1) I only have 11 more work days left! This is of course a positive, but also a negative for me too in that I am going to miss many of my coworkers very much. But on the other hand I am SO excited to be home with James and then to welcome our new little one in just under 9 weeks.

(2) I am just about 31 weeks pregnant so heading into the single digit weeks! Time is starting to fly by and we have lots to get done so that means the dreaded To Do lists are coming out in the next few weeks. Jim just loves those you know?! hehehehehe

(3) Our bank loan that we've been paying on for almost 4.5 years will be paid off in just 1 month! What an accomplishment and a break of $700/month which will certainly help when I'm off on maternity leave. Jim and I have worked really hard to save some money and be responsible and are so proud of ourselves for this awesome milestone for us.

(4) On my first day/weekend of maternity leave we are headed to Nanaimo for the weekend to visit our family and friends. Looking forward to getting out of town for the first time since November and seeing some of my favorite people and of course getting some shopping in never hurts either!

(5) James is going to be 3 years old in just a few short weeks and as much as I'm slightly sad at how fast he is growing up, I am absolutely LOVING the spirited, funny, awesome little kid he is. I am so proud of the job that Jim and I are doing in raising him and I am often overwhelmed with feelings of joy and happiness when I watch him interact with other people. He is a polite and kind little boy that definitely has an attitude sometimes, but overall is a very loving little guy.

So, there you have it, my 100th post!

And just because a post is never really great without a photo, here is one from this pasts weekend when Cassidy spent the night with us. I love this little girl so much and so enjoy watching her growing up to be such a wonderfully kind and loving person.

My newest babies have arrived...

....and I don't mean my actual real human baby, I mean my new WASHER AND DRYER! We got them delivered yesteray and I was so excited but yet couldn't watch them move them as I was worried about the walls, stairs and delivery guys. 1 hour and 15 minutes later, as well as a slight tear to the lino in the laundry room, and they are in! We ran the first wash cycle last night and then this morning our first actual load of clothes.

Happy to say that my normal 4 loads in our old set was turned into 2 loads in the new ones. Sheets and towels in one, and James and I's clothes for the week in the other. I think I'm really gonna love these suckers...it's just too bad there isn't a magic folding and putting away machine too!

11/52 - A Portrait a Week

Little man stealing my leftovers from supper,

after he had already eaten almost all of his own supper!

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

The Ugly, The Bad and The Good

I know this is the opposite to the real saying but I've decided to write this blog with the crappy stuff first and finish off with the good stuff!

The Ugly
We finally resorted to taking our computer to the local company that was great to us before because the friend we bought it from couldn't tell for sure what the problem was. So, today they called with the ugly news. Best case scenario is it's just the inverter and the cost is around $200 to fix. Worst case scenario is that it's not that but is actually the screen that needs to be replaced, so add another $200 - $250 to that cost, so in the end it could cost us almost as much to fix it as what we paid for it in the first place :o(  Totally brutal and not an expense that we need right now with me going on maternity leave, but what do you do?! All I can say is lesson learned to not buy second hand to save some money. Better to save up and buy brand new. For the cost of the laptop and the repairs we could have bought a brand new computer. Let's hope that once this repair is done that this computer ends up being all that I had hoped it would be when I agreed to buy it, because if it isn't I will feel even more terrible than I do that we spent that kind of money on something that we shouldn't have.

The Bad
This one isn't so much a bad, as it is a sad. Today was my last day in my current position at The Peak. Starting on Monday my maternity replacement starts full-time so I will be in training/watching mode while she takes on the job for my last 3 weeks. As happy as I am to be almost done work and ready to be off spending time with James before baby arrives, I am also really sad to leave The Peak. I love my coworkers and my boss very much and will miss my favorite customers. The saddest parts of the day included cleaning off my desk and desktop and by far the hardest was changing my email signature block to not be my name anymore. For the next 14 or so months I'm going to take on my most important role of my life...stay at home wife and Mommy...and I can't wait....but in the meantime I have to pull off the band-aid and just let go a little bit of my control side and let my replacement do the job and help out however I can.

The Good
Now in amongst the really crappy and the sadness of the day there were some really great parts of today too. One was that I had a really great productive day at work. Unfortunately my coworker Maegan was off sick today with a cold, but that meant that I got to do some different work today by doing her job which I really like to do when it's just for a day here and there! It was the kind of day that went quickly and made me remember why I really do like being a working Mommy. Next up at 5pm was a wonderful pregnancy massage that my boys had given me for my birthday. There is very little I love more than an awesome massage and tonight was no exception. From there my boys picked me up and we were off to the mall for me to get a haircut at my sisters salon. For anyone reading that doesn't know...my sister owns Split Endz Salon in the mall here and she is an amazing stylist, so lucky she is in my family and that she loves me so much!
And last but certainly not least we headed to my parents house for James to have his bath, get into PJ's and wait for his Reimer cousins to show up for their Spring break visit :o) James really loves his cousins and talks about them for the months between their visits here and we are really looking forward to spending some quality time with them this weekend!

Plans for the weekend include visits with friends and family...Jim's going out to a friend's house for UFC and steak/lobster supper...and quite possibly the thing I'm MOST excited about....MY NEW WASHER AND DRYER ARRIVE TOMORROW! Woohoo! Sad how excited I am about that but I really am! Will probably post pics of them tomorrow!

That's all for tonight...sending a great big thank you to my good friend Michele who so kindly lent us her laptop while ours is being fixed! I really appreciate it beccause trying to update this blog on my iPod is kind of a pain in my ass!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Belly Comparison Photos

Pregnancy #1 - 27 weeks 6 days along

Pregnancy #2 - 28 weeks 2 days along

I know the picture from last time is a bit further back and although this time I think and feel like I am smaller than I was, this picture clearly doesn't show that. I look like a house, or as James told me the other day "Mommy, you're a window!" Daddy had said it wasn't nice to say that I was as big as a house, so he thought it would be better to call me a window instead :o)

How is it possible?

That my adorable, handsome, troll looking little baby boy is going to be THREE YEARS OLD in just under 1 month?!?!

How has he gotten from here?

To here, in just 3 short years?

He is certainly a little heartbreaker...

I decided today to get dressed up slightly for work, in a nice black skirt and a short sleeved black and white blouse so when I saw James downstairs I asked him if Mommy looked pretty and he said "Mommy, you look like a beautiful girl."  

Aaawwww....his Daddy is teaching him just how to say the right things to make my heart completely melt :o)

Fast forward 9 hours...we got home from work, and before I could tell Jim the story he asked James if he thought Mommy looked pretty and he said "No" and laughed and ran away! What a stinker he is, but boy do I ever love him! 

29 Weeks

10/52 - A Portrait a Week

Happy little boy with a chocolate milk mustache at 7:30 am!

 

 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

What a great way to start a Friday!

I woke up at 6 am to happily realize that James was still sleeping...and he had SLEPT RIGHT THROUGH THE NIGHT! Hallelujah! Lately he's been climbing into bed with me at least once per night and often waking up before 6am. Last night was the first night in probably 3 weeks that I can remember him actually not waking up at all.

Then James and Jim got up about 6:20 and came downstairs to let me sleep for a little bit and the next thing I smell is my favorite breakfast...French toast. Yummy! Apparently James said he needed breakfast right away, and that he wanted 5 whole pieces of french toast :o)

I came downstairs to big hugs and kisses and a wonderful family breakfast, complete with chocolate milk for the boys and a nice cup of tea for me.

Now, we're all ready for the day and I'm headed off to work, then to the Dr. to hear little one's heartbeat, lunch with friends and coworkers...just an all around great day if you ask me!

Daddy and Son chocolate milks with breakfast!

What a bummer

Another blog post from my iPod because even though I got my computer back from my friend it's still not fixed even after two reformats. The last time this happened the reformat worked but this time no such luck. The computer is still useable but the font is fuzzy and hard to read so awkward to use for more than a few minutes. Looks like our next step is to take it to someone else to look at it. My friend who we bought it from is great and is trying everything to figure out the problem which I totally appreciate but it really does just suck and I'm just super bummed out about the whole thing. Hopefully the fix will be something small in the end once we figure out what the problem is.

For now I'm going to bed to cause I'm super crabby...and definitely ready for this week to be over!!

The 3rd Trimester Fun Begins...

...and with it has come the dreaded overheating, leg cramping, vivid dreaming and NOT SLEEPING!!

Other than those things which are annoying I have to admit that this pregnancy is going really well and I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. The 3rd trimester annoyances which have started just make me remember that really I am just about done and before I know it my new little man or little lady will be here and in my arms and heart forever. I can't wait to meet this baby and to start our lives as a new family of 4!!

Me and James a few days ago snuggling on the couch.

28 Weeks - 7 Months

28 weeks

Due Date: May 22, 2013
Total weight loss/gain: + 12-14 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yes of course, still loving them too!
Stretch marks? Sadly yes...and getting worse near my bowel resection scar beside my belly button.
Sleep? Still happening but the dreaded leg cramps have started the past 3 nights so up at least once per night with that :o(
Best moment of this week: Having Jimmy talk to baby and every time it heard his voice it would kick at his face laying on my belly.
Miss anything? The feeling of not having to pee all the time!
Movement? Still not a ton of kicks out of this laid back little one but tons of rolling movements
Food cravings? English muffins and chips (staying away from sugary stuff the past few weeks after hearing I failed the 1 hour gestational diabetes test - still awaiting official results about whether I passed the 2 hour test)
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope, feeling really good these days in regards to this.
Have you started to show yet? Hahahahaha...yes! I had my first customer at work ask me about it, instead of just staring. And the first person reach across the counter and touch the belly too (don't worry it wasn't a random stranger, it was the mother of a childhood friend)
Gender: No idea...and hoping to keep it that way. Found out in the last month that we will need at least one more ultrasound so really hoping that at 34 weeks I can still resist the urge to find out.
Baby's name: Still open to boy name suggestions! Comment on my post on FB if you have any really cool names you think we'd love.
Labor signs: No, and hoping to have no signs of any labor (or pain for that matter)
Belly button in or out: Still there but definitely getting shallower by the week
Wedding ring on or off: Still the same...way too big so careful where I wear it. Will get it resized after baby is more.
Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy these days, with only about 6 weeks left of work and then 6 weeks of quality James/Mommy time coming my way.
Any mishaps due to pregnancy brain: Nothing that I can think of in the past month.
Similarities/Differences between pregnancies: Very little heartburn this time and feeling smaller than I was then. Definitely more tired this time though with an active almost 3 year old.
Looking forward to: one last trip to Nanaimo at some point and James's 3rd Birthday Party!
Next doctor's appointment: Friday, March 8

9/52 - A Portrait a Week

Happy little guy having a chocolate frosting fight with Nana!

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

As requested...I've added a photo that includes Nana too! These two are so cute together and you can tell just how much they love each other whenever you see them together.

Had hoped to put up a new post but...

tonight after backing up and updating my iPod and Microsoft programs the computer is once again dark and the screen is fuzzy :o(

My friend who sold it to me has done all that she can in trying to determine what the problem is but unfortunately nothing has worked to permanently fix it. She's done at least 2-3 complete system reboots which have resulted in having to reinstall everything again which is time consuming and frustrating.

Not sure what the problem is but just super bummed out about it. Maybe I'll try to work through it tomorrow but for now I'm going to bed.