Today was Tim's birthday. He had to work and I'm super sick (again) so we had his party on Sunday with family. We had dinner, cake, and presents. What more could he want right?
Our best friends, Trent & Tara, welcomed a little boy to their family on Easter Day. Blake James was born just before 3:00 in the afternoon on Sunday March 23rd. He was 7lbs 10oz. His mommy did such a GREAT job as her contractions started Friday morning and she didn't deliver Blake until Sunday afternoon. We're so proud of her.
You know, I've been around a lot of babies. It seems like everyone I know has kids now or is pregnant with their first -- even us. However it still feels a little strange when your best friends have their first baby. It's been just the four of us for so long it seems. And now they have a BABY. Tara's a mommy and Trent's a daddy. It's so awesome, but it's still hard for me to really wrap my mind around it. Am I making any sense?
But in a few short month Tim & I will join the parenting band wagon. It's all just a little surreal today though. To think that Tara and I were originally both due in March (last time I was pregnant). I'm so excited for August. Our babies will only be 5 months apart. Just the thought of welcoming our new little one to OUR family makes me tear up. Sheesh, I'm always so weepy these days (still blaming those pregnancy hormones).
CONGRATULATIONS TRENT & TARA! We love the three of you so much!
I know most of you can sew like crazy. Me? Not so much. So the fact that I made a baby blanket all on my own is remarkable.
It all started at Christmas when my mom bought me a sewing machine and told me that it was for me to make baby blankets with. Ya okay Mom!
I headed out to Wal-Mart, and with the help of the kind sales lady there in that department, we figured out how much material I would need and what supplies I should purchase. I came home with this:
I spent so much money getting my "start-up" sewing kit. Oh well. I started on cutting out the 8x8 squares. Ya the first half dozen or so that I cut out I measured a little wrong so they weren't completely square. Whatever! I wasn't going to recut them all. I'll just make them work. See, I told you I knew ALL about sewing.
Then onto the X-ing of the squares. Well let me tell you, by the time I got to the last few of the 35 squares I didn't even need to draw guide lines on the fabric to help me sew in a straight line. I'm such a quick learner -- hehe.
Now just laying out the pattern. I had to lay it out on the table cuz otherwise I probably would have screwed up on the sequence when sewing it together.
All put together. Now onto the cutting of all those seams. My hand cramped during that part.
And here's the almost final project. I had to empty the lint trap on my dryer at least 100 times while trying to get the rag look of this blanket. And now the blanket is all wrinkled *sigh*. I'll take care of the wrinkles later.
Not too shabby for my first sewing project eh? Don't look too closely at it cuz you'll notice all the mistakes, but I'm sure my baby won't mind. Actually now that I made a pink blanket I'll probably end up having a boy and need a blue one. Perhaps I'll tackle blue fabric next....
Wohoo! I can feel our baby wiggling around! I'm so excited. I started recognizing the feeling Friday afternoon at 16 weeks exactly. I don't feel them when I'm up and moving around, but if I sit for a while I can totally feel it now and then. And I've finally found the bonus of having a job where you sit ALL DAY LONG....I get to feel my baby wiggling. Oh and I know that everyone has a different way of describing the feeling, but I totally don't think it feels like butterflies/flutters. To me it felt like a tiny bubble popped and now that I feel it more often it feels just like a little flick. Oh I just love it!!
Yep, I bought this:
I never thought it would be this hard to pick out a car seat. It's driving me bonkers. It's nothing like buying a crib or a stroller or a high chair. With a crib you try and just get the best bang for your buck and a stroller is pretty much personal preference. And then there's the car seat....
Have you tried buying a car seat lately that is NOT part of a travel system? The selection is rather slim. I don't want a travel system -- I want to buy my car seat separate from my stroller. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so. I've gone everywhere and to get a car seat on it's on...well each store only has one there for you to pick from. Nice! And I'm not so sure I want to order one online cuz who knows what it'll actually be like. I wanna touch it and hold it first. hehe And if finding a car seat isn't hard enough...try and match your purchase to the consumer reports and the government recommended car seats. It would be nice if we could buy a car seat from the other side of the border (way more selection)...but NO -- the law makers in Canada don't allow that. And buying a used seat is another huge no no. Sheesh! My head is going to explode.
So tell me...which car seat do you have? I'm talking rear facing (infant) car seats. Do you like your's? Where'd you get it? What suggestions do you have for me? Gah!
Side Note: The reason I don't want a travel system is because I must have a stroller with the rubber inflatable tires (a jogger) and there is only ONE in Lethbridge that's a travel system and the reviews I've read on it are terrible and my sister-in-law has it and she doesn't like the car seat. And I found the one I really want and it's not part of a travel system. I don't want a jogger because I plan on jogging all the time, but because where I am planning on using a stroller there are no sidewalks or cement. I live in the boondocks with gravel roads and I want a stroller to take camping (gravel & dirt) and to take to my parents (no sidewalks - just rocks). And in all those places those plastic spinning wheels don't fair so well. They're great for the mall and sidewalks...neither of which are me.
I was in awe last Sunday. Remember this Primary lesson I taught and how I thought they got zippo out of the lesson. Well this Sunday I asked the question to the class, "What has Heavenly Father given you?" Right away a little boy in my class that is usually standing on his head or twisting on his chair sat up and said, "During the war in heaven he gave us a choice to follow Satan or Jesus and now we can make our own choices today. Oh ya, and he gave us our bodies." I couldn't believe it. He was listening to the lesson I gave a few weeks back when I thought NOTHING was sinking in. I was so pleased I almost cried right there in class. (I'm blaming that on the pregnancy hormones though.) The class is still a handful and they are so very busy. They keep me on my toes. But the joy I felt on Sunday when I saw how they ARE listening and learning is beyond words. I pray I can make a difference in their 6 year old lives because I'm so grateful for the Primary teachers I had growing up. Just like the saying goes, "Everything I know I learned in Primary."
On Tuesday I had my prenatal visit. Everything went very well. The doctor says it all looks good. Tim and I were able to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. What an amazing sound! We were both so excited. I was a little nervous that perhaps they wouldn't be able to find it, but the nurse did right away. She let us listen for so long too. And before she took the doppler of my tummy she asked if that was a long enough listen. She was great. And I love my doctor too. He's so good. He answers all my questions. I'm really happy that I switched. Oh ya, and the heart rate was high again...so still looking like a girl.
So here's a belly pic at one day shy of 14 weeks. It's not a very good one. It's hard to take them of yourself. My tummy just decided to poke out this week. But if I wear the right shirts it's not noticeable.
And now you ask what I got him for Valentine's Day. Well the day before we had this crazy weather in Stirling. I was honestly snowed in and couldn't get to work. I stayed home and baked. Tim has been asking since Christmas for some sugar cookies with icing on them. So I made heart-shaped cookies with pink icing. My dear husband has already eaten all of them. They were a hit.
So just like her and her, I've been sick. Super duper sick. Not able to function sick. Can't lift my head off the pillow sick. It's been a week and a half and I'm still not over it. But I am out of bed now. I didn't leave my bedroom in an entire week. My husband didn't dare cross into our bedroom as he was so afraid of the virus. He slept in our Winnie the Pooh room that I have set up for my niece, Jayda when she comes for sleepovers. I'm not sure what I had/have. It started off very much like the flu (fever, throwing-up, ear ache), then turned to a cold...sorta (sore throat, head ache, running/stuffed nose), and then has turned into this horrible cough. Plus I liked to add morning sickness on top of all that. And like she said here: Tylenol doesn't help the nose, the congestion, and the cough. Being sick when pregnant blows. I remember that from last summer. I had a fun week. But not as much fun as Tim who was the lucky duck who got to teach my Primary class. He got home from church and I asked him how the kids were. His reply: "They are insane!" Ya, I know.
Wanna know how I got so sick? I picked it up in BC when I went home for this:
Danyca's blessing. Everyone there was so sick...and I brought it back to Alberta with me. However it was worth it. I'm so glad I got to go and see little Danyca be blessed. She's beautiful eh? I bought her that little pearl bracelet. Totally LOVE her! I love going home to see the family. It's so great. I didn't see much of Tim though. When we put him and Brendan (my brother-in-law) in the same town they seem to get lost together -- like at Christmas. Kimmy and I become single when we go home for a visit. Ya, the sickness was totally worth the trip!
Wohoo! I had my ultrasound today. I was so nervous. I really didn't want to get crappy news like last time. But it was ALL GOOD this time. We had the same ultrasound tech as the time before and she remembered us. She said she was sure I was going to get good news. Right away she found our baby and showed us. She was so good. I asked her about a million questions cuz I couldn't make out what I was looking at. The baby had a strong heartbeat at 167 bpm. So if the old wive's tale is true about high heart rates then it looks like we're having a girl. We'll see though. The ultrasound tech would show us how our baby would wiggle around if she poked my tummy. It was great. Ahhhh, I'm so excited!!
HIS NAME: Timothy Ryan
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER? Married for 3.5 years
HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? When you know, you know...right? We were married one week shy of knowing each other for 5 months. Ya I know it was quick. And I ALWAYS swore I'd never be one of those girls to get married so quickly to someone I just met. I was wrong.
WHERE DID YOU MEET? A YSA dance. Lame I know. Tim stocked me there, but I thought he was stocking my friend. Then he asked me to dance the 2nd to last song (a slow song). He asked if we could hang out sometime. I said sure. He found me later on and asked for my number....in front of the guy I was seeing at the time. The guy and I were pretty much fizzling out so I gave my number to Tim. He called the next afternoon. Where was that wait to call for three days rule?
HOW OLD IS HE? 27
WHO EATS MORE? Tim picks and eats all day long. Never a bunch at one sitting, but little bits all the time. I could probably out eat him in one sitting, but I don't. I have no problem with eating till I'm so full it hurts. While Tim refuses to get full. He hates the feeling.
WHO SAID I LOVE YOU FIRST? Well you decide. After knowing each other for a week (ya I know) Tim said to me "I'm falling in love with you." I replied with a "Well, I love you." He says he said it first cuz what he said was close enough.
WHO IS TALLER? Timmy
WHO SINGS BETTER? We can both hold a tune, but Tim doesn't sing in public. At least not anymore.
WHO IS SMARTER? I dunno cuz our "smarts" are so different. I'm really good at some things that Tim's not and vise versa. We've never had to be smart at the same thing. hehe
WHO DOES THE LAUNDRY? Mostly me and I hate it. Tim totally helps out tons though.
WHO DOES THE DISHES? Once again, mostly me. Tim will help out, but it stops at loading the dishwasher. He doesn't do the dishes that have to be washed by hand.
WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? Me cuz it's closer to the bathroom. I get up and pee 100 times a night.
WHO PAYS THE BILLS? Me. I just seemed to get that job. However I actually pay very few of them cuz I've got them all set up on automatic withdraw. Ya, I'm lazy.
WHO DRIVES WHEN YOU ARE TOGETHER? Tim about 95% of the time. I only drive when he's too tired to drive.
WHO IS MORE STUBBORN? Ya, that would be me.
WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? Tim kissed me. Took forever though. I don't blame him cuz I had a nasty cold sore at the time.
WHO ASKED WHO OUT? Tim asked me out. He called the very next afternoon. I was screening my calls and let him leave a message. Then I called everyone that I knew who knew him and asked if I should go out with him. Everyone said go for it. So I did. We went horseback riding.
WHO PROPOSED? Oh Tim. We went to Waterton on the May Long Monday and he knelt on those rocks on the beach of the lake and asked me to be his wife. We noticed afterwards that some old guy was watching us from the deck on his cabin.
WHO IS MORE SENSITIVE? Me for sure. Enough said about that.
WHO HAS MORE FRIENDS? We don't really have a huge group of friends...either of us. We have a few close friends that we love and that's it.
WHO HAS MORE SIBLINGS? Tim wins...hands down. I have 3 sisters. Tim has 14 brothers and sisters.
WHO WEARS THE PANTS IN THE FAMILY? It's all pretty equal. However when it comes to big purchases I usually make the final decision. We've never faught over finances cuz we made that promise to each other before we were married.
Tim quit his job on Monday. And today he started a new one. Not a huge career change or anything like that. He’s been hired as a Journeyman Electrician for Lamb Weston. It’s a huge potato plant ("Where every day's a fryday!") and he’ll be doing maintenance there instead of construction like he’s been doing for the last 5 (or so) years. He’s excited about the change and to learn some new stuff. The crappy part is now it’s shift work. Yep 12 hour days (or nights) plus a 45 min drive to work each way. So he’ll have to work some night shifts and he’ll work every second weekend. Totally crappy, but we both feel shift work will work very well for us when I’m at home with our baby. (That day can’t come soon enough.) I’m so proud of Tim and the hard worker that he is. I hope his first day is going well. It’s so strange for me not to be able to call him whenever. I’m sure I’ll get used to it though.
Have I told you about my new calling? Well I'm no longer teaching Relief Society. Much different. I'm in the Primary. I teach CTR 7, which means I have a bunch of 6 year old boys and only two girls. Oh wow are they....hmmm what's a good word.....busy. In Sharing Time I had to move seats 4 times. And that was to deal only with my entire row of kids. Our Primary is large. Over 100 kids. It's crazy in there. Last Sunday they were off the wall. I got all sorts of 6 year old answers to my questions during our lesson. (Note: names have been changed)
Me the Teacher: Johnny, can you name a body part that we all have that is just like Heavenly Father's? (Now I'm looking for answers like: eyes, ears, legs, etc.)
Johnny: Butts!
(bunch of 6 year olds bursting out in laughter)
Me: Now Johnny, don't be silly. What about eyes?
Johnny: No, boogers!
Me: Never mind.
And then we were doing a little coloring activity after our lesson and I over heard this conversation:
Tom: My dad's a cowboy. (I know Tom's dad and he is the furthest thing from a cowboy.)
Jack: You're dad's NOT a cowboy.
Tom: Ya well your dad's an indian. (Jack is not, nor is his dad, native american.)
Jack: My dad's not an indian, because if he was one he'd be dead.
Me: (very shocked) Why would he be dead?
Jack: Because cowboys and indians only lived in the old ‘n' days.
Me: Oh that makes sense.
Freddy: You guys are insane!
Ya, I'm not sure how successful the lesson was last Sunday. The kids were wild, but we did get through the lesson. Maybe I'll take a treat next Sunday. They sit much better when they know there's a reward at the end. Oh except it's our turn to do the class presentation in Sharing Time. It should be interesting.
I had my first prenatal appointment last Thursday. Things went well. Met my new doctor. Yes, this is new doctor #96 – I think. I’ve lost track as to how many different doctors I’ve gone to. This one seems very good and I’ve had a bunch of people recommend him to me.
He didn’t check for a heartbeat though. I’ll admit I was disappointed. He said it was too early on to hear it and he didn’t want to make me worry because he couldn’t find it. I guess that makes sense. BUT...the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I told him how incredibly nervous I am because of the whole miscarriage last time. And he scheduled me for an early ultrasound. Yipee! I’ll be 11 weeks and he said that obviously it’s no guarantee that I won’t still miscarry, but I’m crossing my fingers and praying like crazy that this ultrasound will show a baby and not me...empty.
IT'S A GIRL! And she's finally here. Danyca Rose was born at 12:15pm on January 11th. She was 6lb 8oz and has tons of black hair. Both Mommy (my sister Jenn) and baby are doing well. Danyca looks just like her big sister Jayda.
The Saturday before Christmas Tim & I headed to Jaffray. We were going to BC in search of a White Christmas. Boy did we find it! They had a crazy amount of snow. So awesome!
Every Christmas Eve my family goes carolling to all of my mom’s side of the family. (We have a very large extended family.) All the families wait for us to come. Our crowd is getting pretty big now and we were even missing Kimmy & Brendan as they spent Christmas with Brendan’s family in Alberta. After carolling we ended up at Granny’s house. We took some snacks down there and spent the evening with her. After Granny’s we headed back to Mom & Dad’s and we had to do a little Christmas sing-song. Jayda just loved the mic and Parker thought he was Rod Stewart dragging his mic stand all over the place singing Rudolph. It was so cute.
After my venting this morning and my update on Friday of what we were up to mid December. Let’s move on to the end of December and talk a little about getting ready for Christmas.
We went out and bought a bunch of outside Christmas decorations. Of course the day we plan on putting them out it had to have been the coldest night we’ve had all winter. That wind cut right through ya. But we got them up with our frozen fingers. It for sure wins over last year’s. But I'm no photographer -- I find it VERY difficult to take a picture of outside lights. So just trust me that they looked good in person. See the presents under the tree in our yard?
....have an early ultrasound with any of my pregnancies? It seems like every pregnant lady I know has had an ultrasound by 13 weeks. Why can’t I? Once again I have to wait until forever to find out if my baby even has a heartbeat. Last time I could’ve found out by 5-6 wks that their was no heartbeat, but instead I didn’t find out until I was in my 14th week. Harsh! The doctor says I can’t have an ultrasound this time too until I’m 20 weeks. And he probably won’t be able to hear a heartbeat for another few weeks or more. So all you ladies out there that have gotten your early ultrasounds.... how’d you pull that off? How did you get your doctor to let you have one? And why can’t I have one?
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