Hodge Podge

I'm stealing Christa's title but it's really a good one for my post to fill you in on a variety of details:

Midwives: I just received the call today from the Midwifery office saying they have an opening for me. My first appointment with them will be August 21st. There are two midwives assigned to each person - mine are Shirley and Cathy (I've met them both but I honestly don't remember Shirley at all...Cathy I remember from Olivia's birth). A big relief to now know I won't need to be searching for an obstetrician and worrying about the prenatal care of our baby.

Camping at Earl Rowe: Finally, I've convinced Jamie to go camping with Jenn and Christa and the boys this weekend. It'll just be for Saturday night since he has softball tonight but it's better than nothing.

Lobsters: My sister brought me back, for my birthday, yummy lobsters from Newfoundland on Wednesday. They were so frikkin good! YUM! And the girls gave me some cute presents too - at the insectarium they bought me a necklace that has a real beetle in it. It's orange and creeps me out yet fascinates me at the same time. They also gave me "frog" scrapbook stickers and Erykah made me a cut-out heart and coloured it with bingo dabbers....very cute :)

Kitty: Jamie has officially taken over the duty of changing the kitty litter since it's forbidden and very dangerous to do that whilst prego. He's not too keen on the chore and last night looked absolutely hilariously ridiculous as he wrapped a big towel around his face in an effort to not be grossed out. LMAO!

Stewart and Janet: Guy here at work just told me his wife has stomach cancer. He said she has to have surgery soon to remove the stomach for her best chances. They're quite a strange couple, I have to say, but it seems all they really have is each other. He's very upset and honestly the thought of one without the other just seems cruel. And so I ask for your prayers for them both during this difficult time.

Yogurt: I really don't like it at all and I'm supposed to be eating it. I've tried a couple flavours that I think I could stomach enough to get it down. Now, I like frozen yogurt. Does anyone know if that's equally as good for you as regular yogurt or if it's simply just as evil as ice cream?

Wedding Photos: Now that we've been married nearly a year, I finally did some enlargements and have them framed for our living room wall. They're not up there yet, just sitting propped against the wall but ya gotta give me credit for the slight bit of progress...no?

Maternity Clothes: I don't need it yet but when the time comes I'd rather not spend a fortune. And everyone I know who's currently pregnant, is much skinnier than me (wait...I'm not skinny at all, in fact, not even close) and I therefore cannot borrow clothes from them. My sister has a few things but not much really since she let a friend borrow some and then didn't get it back...and she also used to wear a uniform to work and didn't require a lot of maternity attire. Any suggestions to keep within a cheap budget for clothes when I get that big baby belly?

*Warning: Jamie, do NOT read the following cause you're just gonna be annoyed at me for mocking "Hynes"...*

Name Change: Gotta legally get that done. I promised Jamie I'd do it before we have a baby. Never thought I'd have such a hard time leaving "Goosney" behind but I guess I just didn't think I'd be changing to a last name synonymous with ketchup. I mean, I like ketchup and everything but never envisioned myself being named after it. Oh well, such is life I suppose.

Scrapbooking: Watch for my next post which I plan to be my first submission to THE ME BLOG weekly layout challenge.

Bye for now!

Can't Keep a Secret

Yes, this ( <<----- ) would be a pregnancy test! and
Yes, that is a "+" (positive) sign in the test window!

My initial reaction: Hands shaking, heart palpitations.

Jamie's initial reaction: Oh My God! I'm scared!

My response to his reaction, "You're scared?! I'm the one who has to grow this baby!"

So there ya have it...he's scared, I'm nervous as heck...but we are both very excited. Jamie has been bugging for a week to call and tell our parents. I finally buckled...twisted that rubber arm of mine...and we called and spread the news to our families last night.

His father said, "It has to be a boy!" to which I replied "well it's Jamie's fault if it's not" and then he had to hang up and go get Barb who was "up the road" lol...Barb calls us back and said she looked over towards the house and there's Neil out in the front with arms flailing and waving in the air to get her attention...haha! And then, Barb tells Jamie not to worry about calling anyone else down home cause she'd "take care of that" LMAO!! No kidding eh? Bunch of gossip-mongers...he he :)

I called my mother and the conversation went exactly how I had planned in my head. I said, "So are you coming up next year for Olivia's 1st birthday?"
Mom: "Next year? I dunno...why?"
Me: "Because I'm due 6 days after that"
Mom: "Well I guess I'll have to come up then"
and then she proceeded to tease/give me crap about how I couldn't have chosen a different month than March to have a baby (she already has a ton of birthdays in March) not to mention that Jamie and his dad were both born in March as well as our friends Christa, Kristen AND Chris. This baby might not have a chance but share a day with one of our close friends or family members.
So then my mom congratulated me and asked how I was feeling, etc. I've been feeling good, by the way. I'm really tired the last few days but I haven't been sick or anything (knock on wood!).

According to the doctor my due date is March 19th. I had calculated March 16th so that's pretty darn close. Either way, I am 5 weeks 1 day along (quite early still). March seems so far away but I know it'll go by SO quickly.

I've applied to a midwifery clinic and hope to hear back soon that I've been accepted as a client. My sister had all 3 of her babies with midwives and they are absolutely amazing. Not just a doctor there to basically catch the baby at the end. They support you through pregnancy, are there while you are in labour to coach and assist, are very big on naturalistic methods (no rushing you to get a c-section just because you're a day over your due date) etc. I love them and I really would feel so relieved to be in their hands for this crazy experience.

Just a couple of cute quotes:

Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside.
~Rita Rudner

I realize why women die in childbirth - it's preferable. ~Sherry
Glaser

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever
to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” ~Elizabeth Stone

Happy Birthday to me!

This was a great weekend for me. It was my birthday on Saturday and I love birthdays! (Well so far, at least...maybe next year when I hit 30 I won't be quite so enthusiastic).
I always get spoiled at work with gifts from the ladies in the office - this year I got a garden stone, cookbooks, gift card, a candle, and chocolate!
Friday night we all (Jamie and I, Jen and Chris, Christa and Kristen, my brother Darren and Christa's brother, Blaine) went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean". Fun! Really enjoyed that!
Saturday was an absolute scorcher (40deg) so Christa and Kristen suggested we go to Kelso beach to hang out for the afternoon. Jamie isn't a big fan of the beach but he HAD to comply since it was my birthday. And I LOVE the beach so it was great for me. Certainly a great way to cool down instead of sitting inside all day in a/c.
All day I was getting calls from my family back home. Just makes me feel all warm and tingly inside to feel the love. he he :) And my dear wonderful sister (God bless her) who is arriving from Newfoundland on Wednesday is bringing me LOBSTER!
On Saturday night we had a bunch of people over for deep-fried chicken and french fries (Jen's idea and how could I say No to that dinner suggestion?!). We had some great hors d'ouvres (sp?) of coconut shrimp with thai sauce, grilled shrimp with garlic butter, nacho chips with a couple of dips: Cream cheese with sweet chili sauce and crab cheese dip. YUM! AND, I got some nice gifts. Jamie gave me a "GOOD" curling iron (the salon style ones that actually curl your hair properly). Jenny and Christa gave me a gift card for Michaels (Yay! More scrapbook stuff!), a really pretty sweater and a kick-ass black purse to add to my collection. Above all, I love getting together and hanging out with our friends no matter what the occasion OR for no occasion at all. Just makes me feel great inside to know I have some wonderful people around me to share life with.
Thanks guys for another fantastic year of memories!

Starting Young: Pole Dancer

Jamie had a ball tournament on the weekend so we spent most of our time at the ballpark. And after they lost on Sunday morning, we were all chillin' in the "beer tent" and having hotdogs and such when Grayson, our niece, decides to climb up on the picnic table and starts "dancing" with the patio umbrella. It was hilarious! There she is pulling herself up and sliding down and wrapping her legs around the pole and being all silly. She's so super cute, I just couldn't stand it and had to grab a couple of shots.

She's 22 months old, by the way.

Wanna buy a 2-year old?

That's what my mother asked me when I answered my phone yesterday..."Wanna buy a 2-year old?" I laughed, she laughed and said she was just kidding. I'm thinking a small tiny itsy bitsy part of her may have been serious.

Tracey and the kids are in Newfoundland right now visiting Grandma and Poppa and so continues the crazy shenanigans otherwise known as "Isabella".

Before I begin, here's the theory broken down into sections:
a. Isabella is a Middle Child....I am a Middle Child...I completely relate with the syndrome.
b. Erykah couldn't be like this because she was the first child and always had someone watching her back and front and sideways and upsidedown...Someone always guiding her to be "a good girl"..."No, don't touch that". "Oh please be careful". "Don't do that" etc.
c. Isabella CANNOT be watched constantly because she now has an infant baby sister who requires a great deal of attention.
d. Isabella has that glint in her eye telling of a natural mischievious (sp?) nature.
e. Isabella is actually acting in an age appropriate way: Exploring her world, being curious about the things around her, climbing, jumping, running, pushing the boundaries, etc.

And with that explanation I will now recount what has happened by way of Isabella so far on vacation:

1. She has locked my mother out of the house (she inside, my mom outside)
2. She has, without crying or sulking or any signs of discomfort, seriously scraped and cut her knees while playing outside.
3. She has to be watched constantly outside rather than be content to just play in the yard. As Dad put it, "If you don't watch her, she'll be up da Roy's or down da Don's" (interpretation: She would be walking BY HERSELF ON THE ROAD either one way to the convenience store or the other way to the Gas Station).

And the craziest of all (to which I laughed hysterically when my sister told me because it's one of those things that's so bad that you just have to laugh out loud):

Isabella flooded her grandparents basement!!! Yes, that's right...
How? you may ask...
Simple: She plugged the bathroom sink and let the water run.
When it was finally discovered the cupboard door of the bathroom cabinet was ruined and the water had spread almost to the back corner of the basement!
My sister was so mad she said she didn't even know what to do with Isabella.
So, she decided to put her in Uncle Darren's bedroom downstairs to sit for time out.
My sister then closed the door.
The door then locked (which I'm not certain was done by accident by my sister or purposely by Isabella)
Either way, my sister goes to get Isabella out of time out and the door is locked.
So, they go around the side of the house to peek in the window to Uncle Darren's old bedroom to make sure Isabella is okay, "Isabella, are you ok?", "Isabella, can you try and unlock the door please?!"
And what is Isabella doing?
Sitting on the bed watching TV
And how does "punished" Isabella respond to her mothers request?
Hands over ears saying "I can't hear you!"

Honest to Goodness, I totally laughed my ass off. And really, what do you do? My poor sister had no idea, not the slightest clue. I mean, you have to punish her because what she did was wrong, right? but how? And did she try to do that on purpose? Probably not. But still it's wrong. So how do you discipline a two-year-old for being two? I dunno...And I'm no help at all in the discipline of my nieces cause I always laugh at their "bad" antics. tsk tsk tsk! I guess a part of me hopes that Isabella will continue to be her silly and happy and curious self with safe and moral boundaries, that her personality won't be stumped because we don't know what to do to bring out the best in her, that she'll just be "Isabella", the one with the gleam in her eye of mind-turning mystery, that she'll always give me stories to tell and laughter to share.

And how can I possibly be upset at a little girl who wants to call her auntie on the phone and then hugs and kisses the receiver to say bye because it's the closest she can get to me right now. How? How? How?

All I can really say is this: God give my sister patience and understanding and give Isabella an extra angel to keep her safe and sound.

Another Important Life Lesson: Lobster on Ice

For those of you who, like me, (Mr. Samms, this means YOU) are deeply disturbed by the way we've always cooked lobsters (you know, just throwing them screaming and tails flailing into a big huge pot of salty boiling water) you'll be happy with my new-found knowledge as learned on my favourite new cooking show, the TAKE HOME CHEF a.k.a. Hot Aussie, Curtis.
So, according to Curtis, the most humane way to cook a lobster is to first put the lobster in the freezer. The cold temperature makes the lobster go into a deep sleep/state of unconsciousness so then it's not aware of what's happening as it plunges into the scorching water.
And now we can just enjoy our yummy lobster instead of feeling guilty about how cruelly we cook them...Amen!

Save your Scissors

Not that I like this song particularly but it's playing on the radio now and I needed at title for this post.

Anyways, just wanted to let you know that there are a bunch more pics of our girls cottage weekend on Christa's blog for your perusal. Good times!

Also, I forgot to mention and post pics of Logan's baptism we attended 2 weekends ago. Logan would be Mark and Kayla Knott's little man. I was quite pleased with a few of my shots. Unfortunately I'm really an amateur and it takes about 50 shots for me to get a good one still...lol...good thing I have a digital to delete all the bad ones!
Logan with Mommy, Daddy, and Godparents, Kelly and Rick

Congrats from the Priest

Logan in his little white suit almost always chewing on his hands...cute

George Grouse

Kinda funny story...
John (guy at work whose cottage we stayed at) was telling us about this grouse that suddenly appeared out of nowhere this year and constantly chases him around when he's outside - the grouse will jump up on his shoulder, chases his truck down the road when he leaves the cottage, follows the kids on the 4-wheeler when they go for a ride, just hangs around, etc. John doesn't have any clue where this bird came from or why it's so tame....we've decided that it has an identity crisis and thinks it's a farm chicken...lmao! John's sister studied native history and believes it could be their father come back to hang out with his family in the north country he loved so much.
Here's a cute video clip of the kids playing with "George Grouse" outside our cottage.

Girls Cottage Weekend

Here are just a few pics of our annual girls cottage weekend. It is so much fun! We stay in a nice cottage, our hosts are fabulous! We go boating and sea-dooing, eat lots of junk food (and some good food too, of course), drink a bit, sit in the hot-tub, and just plain relax without worries and without boys!
(Of course, I missed Jamie but I'm not one for the mushy gushy "Oh I just miss you OH SO MUCH! How can I live without you for a weekend?!" type of girl. Totally love hanging with the girls as I'm sure Jamie also loved hanging out with the boys on their GUYS ONLY a.k.a. NO NAGGING WOMEN camping trip...and then it's nice to be home with the hubster again at the end of it all...lol).

So here it is:
One of the little shops we visited on our boat ride...Happy Canada Day!

Christa on our visit to the Pointe au Baril lighthouse

Shots

Knot on dock...notice the flies attached to the rope, apparantly those things hatch in the water and then are everywhere along the shore.

The Girls, after our day on the seadoos we're a little sunburned

Miss me?

It seems like FOREVER since I last posted a blog entry. So unlike me. But last week was kinda hectic and then I was away for the weekend with the girls for our annual cottage trip. And now I'm back with tons of pics to share.

First of all, I would like to say (belated)
HAPPY CANADA DAY!!
Everyone has been driving around here with various country flags in celebration of soccer so it was great to see when some people also decided to fly their Canadian flags.

And on Canada Day, another celebration: Happy Anniversary to Tara and Jacques! Here's wishing you many more!

Before I start a new post with camping pics, I just have to share this one photo of my potato heads. I have a total of 4 in my cubicle at work (much to the dismay of my boss who VERY subtley "complains" by pointing them out but will never actually come out and tell me to get rid of them). So I come in the office one day last week and here they are totally gettin it on, on top of my keyboard! Maybe they're trying to get into making me some baby potato heads for my collection. lol ;) Lucky for me my boss didn't see them...Phew! I think that MAY have been the last straw.














(Promiscuous potato heads compliments of P.DaSilva...tsk tsk tsk)