Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone...didn't dress up in the office this year but I did wear black and orange and pinned a spider brooch on my shirt...I think it's fun to join in and celebrate the day.

Here are some pics from the girls pumpkin carving on Friday night:

This first one is of all 5 of us girls...Amanda, Christa, Me (holding poor little Tristan in what Jen calls the "Michael Jackson crotch hold" pose...tsk tsk!), Steph, and Jennifer.














And these are some of the finished products. Sorry, some of the pics are a bit blurry.











And then we decided that a picture of Baby Tristan INSIDE a pumpkin would be the cutest thing - turned out he felt it was really the most cruel thing and cried the entire time. AND THEN, we had a bit of a predicament getting him out of the pumpkin because his shoulder got stuck and we had to "deliver" Tristan again (we tried to reassure him that it was just the same as when he was born but again he wasn't convinced). So, we decided we would be nice and then just put him ON TOP of the pumpkin and Christa got some cute shots.

20 Week Ultrasound

I know they're really hard to pick out but I wanted to share anyways. I was so excited to see the baby on the monitor at the ultrasound clinic (so much clearer than on the pictures). Just amazing to see the heart beating and the baby moving all around in there and all that. Jamie said he was just trying to see if it was a boy or a girl, even though we're keeping it a surprise. lol.

Pictures #1 and #2: Baby Face Pics. I've turned them on the side so you can see the image a little better. In the bottom pic the small white circle you can faintly see in the eye is the iris.




















Picture #3: This is the baby face down. You can see the spine and the shape of the head.















Picture #4: Baby Foot. I'm obsessed with baby feet so I was so happy to get this pic. Just after this one was taken the baby reached down with its hand to grab its foot. So cute!

Cartoon

Saw this cartoon in the weekend paper and laughed so hard because it really reminded me of Jamie and I. Thought I'd share. You might have to CLICK ON IT to make it bigger to read, I couldn't get it to post any larger.

Don't Like Em

Reader Discretion Advised:
Strong opinions expressed in the following email. My apologies to offended readers who disagree (feel free to leave a comment).
Sincerely
Myrna




I know they're all the craze right now.
I know they're supposedly super duper comfy.
I know how Faith Hill was on Oprah saying how she thought they were ugly but she just loved them and that's when it all started.
I know they come in a variety of fun colours.
I know they are approximately $35 CDN for the real ones but only about $9 for the knock-offs.

I know all of this but:
I still think they're ugly.
They still look like my grandmothers green garden shoes.
Still kinda remind me of the pink ducky-boots I got teased about wearing when I was a kid.

I can handle:
The black ones in small doses.
Wearing them in the privacy of my backyard while pulling weeds or hanging clothes on the line.

I can't handle:
Wearing them in public places, not even the grocery store (I am fully aware that I may eat my words on this one).
The pink and purple and neon green ones.
Especially when they are worn to the office with "dress" clothes. Not cool!

And that's my vent for today...thank you for your time and attention in this matter.

Don't Wanna Talk About it

Jamie didn't want to have this discussion but I felt it was necessary. I suppose it really hits home for him since he lost his mom when he was just a little boy. The thought of another similar event in his life was too much for him to want to think about. However, I couldn't help but get these feelings of impending doom, like something could happen to me and I needed to prepare Jamie just in case. I felt a little silly bringing it up. But it really could happen and I don't want to be that naive. And here's kinda how the conversation went:

Me: Jamie, we really need to talk about if something happens to me when I'm having the baby.
Jamie: I don't want to talk about it.
Me: Well I really think we do need to talk about it just in case.
Jamie: Stuff like that doesn't happen in this day and age.
Me: Maybe not very often but it CAN happen. I don't want to one of those people who feels it could NEVER happen to them. So if you don't want to talk then just listen to what I have to say.

I proceeded to tell him the following things I had in mind. I said:

"First of all, I don't want you to get so depressed and lay on the couch feeling sorry for yourself and just hand off our baby to someone else to raise. It would be so easy to tell the grandmothers to take the baby and raise it because you can't handle it. But that wouldn't be right. You can do it with or without me. And you'll need help, don't be afraid to accept it. Of course you'll need my mom and your mom to come and help any way they can but I don't want you to ship the baby home to Newfoundland (except for a temporary summer vacation) just so you don't have to deal with how difficult it will be."

"Secondly, I know you'll be feeling like you don't know what you're doing. Especially if we have a baby girl, you'll be feeling like you're inadequate and need to find a new mommy right away. But, I'd honestly appreciate it if you took at least a year to find someone new. You need time to mourn and adjust. And you don't need to feel like you have to be the dad AND the mom. Just be the dad. Be the best father you can be and between the grandmas and aunties and friends, our baby will have lots of "moms" to fill in until you meet someone else."

And I'd like you to still go to church. This is where he just kinda looked at me and I knew exactly what he was thinking to which I replied, "And not just at Easter and Christmas". He grinned cause I hit the nail on the head. "I mean really going on a fairly regular basis like we do now. It doesn't have to be my church, it can be your church, wherever you're comfortable. But, our child needs to know about having a relationship with God and the importance of religion in a family. "

And I think that's all I said, probably more jumbled and not exactly in that order but you get the idea. I asked him if he was okay with all that and he nodded yes. And then I started to get all teary-eyed so I got up and walked away. I'm really not good at crying in front of him at all.

But I forgot to tell him this one last thing: PLEASE don't name our child Baxter!!

(yes, this is one of the names he keeps bringing up)

Now that it's off my chest, I feel much better. Now, I just have to leave it to God.
Am I crazy for feeling the need to talk about this? Did any of you ever experience this kind of sense that something bad could easily happen to you?

Time to Give Thanks!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all!

It was an awesome long weekend which began with my hubby bringing home flowers for me on Friday evening. It was such a surprise. He said he knew I would love them because they were the colours of fall (mostly orange) and I LOVE fall colours. He was right, they are beautiful and they made a really lovely centerpiece for our dining table for thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving dinner was hosted by yours truly - with Jamie doing MOST of the cooking. I must take some credit, of course, for helping peel veggies, mixing bread pudding (duff, as Jamie calls it), preparing the gravy, setting the table, etc. But he did honestly prepare the turkey and take care of most of the cooking stuff...and then the girls helped as always...Christa made stuffing, Jen and Tracey made yummy cheesecake desserts. Phew! Cause although I LOVED the idea of having everyone over, I really didn't feel like cooking. And if I must say so myself, everything was rather yummy! Our guests - my sister and Richard and the 3 girls, Jen and Chris, Christa and Kristen (who arrived later after hunting for the day), Blaine (Christa's brother), and my brother - all seemed to enjoy it too. Thanks everyone for coming!

And what else do I have to be thankful for besides a group of fabulous family and friends to spend these special times with:
1. Jamie and I starting a family of our own with the new baby on the way.
2. A nice house that keeps getting more and more like home with each added touch.
3. A heavenly father who supplies all our needs even when it seems like we're broke all the time.
4. Knowing we are really among the wealthiest in the world even when it seems like we're broke all the time.
5. Health and strength
6. Employment
7. Good food *Chocolate* almost being in a category on its own.
8. Good fun - smiles, laughter, and all of the warm fuzzy feelings that go along with it.
9. All of the gazillion little things I love about life right now - like the changing colours of autumn, having time to scrapbook after a busy summer, Jamie noticing how my belly is being to "pop out" and seeing him smile because of it, the bugs going away, our first cute little trick or treaters soon to be at the new house, making Christmas lists, taking walks with Christa in the cool air, etc. etc....I could just go on forever.
10. Did I mention awesome family and friends...whom I love and adore beyond anything and everything?

Hope your Thanksgiving was an occasion marked not only by turkey but also by time of reflection and gratitude and fellowship.

Sometimes Life Stinks

My Uncle was telling us about a stinky situation he encountered during the summer. He and my Aunt couldn't help but notice the pungent smell of a certain little black and white creature permeating their backyard day after day. This, of course, is not necessarily unusual for city life as "forest" animals find themselves needing to adapt to the ever-growing urban sprawl. Raccoons and skunks and opossums are regular backyard visitors - but it's the skunks who have been cursed with that undeniable signature odour.

And when the odour didn't eventually start to fade, my uncle investigated and found the little intruder huddled beneath the bushes against the fence in his adjoining neighbours backyard. And so, he called the local animal control.

Animal control came and said they couldn't get the skunk because it wasn't in HIS yard and his fence was blocking her access. So, like anyone desperate to relieve their nose, my Uncle basically says, "Oh yeah, watch this!" and proceeds to tear his fence apart against the back.

The little skunk didn't even spray them. Just sat there huddled and scared under the bushes. The animal control lady had a towel (not sure what that would prevent) to try and protect her against the spray should the skunk decide to let loose. But, he didn't. The lady pulled him out with that little noose thingy they use and put him in a cage.

My Uncle and the Animal Control girl couldn't help but notice that the little skunk looked rather distressed. It was weepy eyed and just plain down-and-out. My Uncle said it looked like the skunk was crying, Miss Animal Control said he was probably really ill and no longer had any control over his gland function. And that's why it couldn't help but continue to spray even though not particularly threatened. A skunk will not spray on purpose unless absolutely necessarily because, apparantly, they don't even like their own smell.

And as I'm hearing this story, my mind immediately begins thinking of how bad that little skunk must have felt - scared and huddled all alone under the bushes, not knowing where to go. Perhaps it had a disease like Trimethylaminuria and was shunned by all its skunky friends and family and banished from the forest. Perhaps, THAT'S why it was crying. Perhaps (at least in my head) hiding in the backyard of a human was the only place the little skunk had to go, it's last hope in being "rescued" and being rid of its lifelong misery.

And then, when Miss Animal Control put the skunk into the back of her truck, he once again (involuntarily, I like to think) released his musky scent. A final goodbye.

16 Weeks

Well I have to say I do feel a smidge weird about posting this pic of me with my belly exposed. But, I suppose it's not really much different than pics of me in my bathing suit. And so far I really don't see that I look much different than the normal me in my bathing suit, belly "pook" and all. lol :) I'm told that skinny girls (a category into which I do not fit) tend to "show" much sooner. As for me, baby is just growing into the not-so-flat belly I already had.

Anyways, so far I hadn't taken ANY pics at all of my growing baby belly. And after looking at prego pics of Terri Hann (Martin) on her website, I was inspired to finally take a few of my own. I realized that later down the road I would be really disappointed to not be able to look back and see what I looked like on my journey to becoming a new mom.

Sorry if anyone's offended at seeing me with my boobs hanging out...he he :)


UPDATE: added a few minutes later when Jennifer tells me that I should post this one because the different angle makes it look like I'm actually pregnant. (Please excuse the blinding flash of me taking pics of myself in my bathroom mirror...lol) Here it is:

Grayson's Birthday Pics

I'm a little late and unfortunately my camera died and I didn't get any pics of the cake. But here they are, pics of Grayson's little party:

Under the coffee table to get the balls for her new tent (you know the ones that are enclosed and filled with those little balls that kids...and possibly some adults...just love to roll around in.)

Didn't I tell you how scrumptious she is, even when all messy with watermelon!

Wow! A pink car! Immediately she says, "Daddy open it!"


Doesn't want to open more boring gifts - just wants to play with her new pink car...who can blame her? lol :)