Bang Up Job!

It is June 9, 2007, just before four in the afternoon.
I have spent the past 52 hours in labour.
I have had virtually no sleep.
I have had very little to eat.
I can't remember when I last showered - oh yeah, I took a bath at midnight to try and help me through the excruciating pain of the contractions.
I'm in the midst of performing the most difficult task of my life - pushing out my baby. I thank my lucky stars again and again for the wonderful invention of the epidural because despite the intense, extreme work I am doing I feel no pain. I'm in what my one friend calls "labourland". I won't try and explain what I mean by "labourland", if you've birthed a child, you know.
The nurse checks my progress and makes this comment,
"This baby has hair!"
Trevor proceeds to say,
"Rats! I won't even have more hair than my baby!"
(he's loosing his hair and keeps it extremely short)
I was in the middle of a push when he says this and my "labourland" concentration is broken, it is all I can do to keep going and not burst out laughing.
Sure enough, Sierra was born with a nice amount of dark brown hair. This hair eventually fell out and was replaced with the blond tresses that now cap her head. It has grown in fine, and wispy and is usually a bit of a mess. Of late, it has grown long enough in front to go over her eyes. We used little barrettes to attempt to control it. Those fell out of her slippery baby hair rather quickly. We began putting it up in a little pony tail on top of her head. That too escaped its holder. Yesterday my mom convinced me to cut the straggly ends and give her some bangs.
So that's what I did.

Doesn't she just look like little girl? Not so much a baby anymore!
*Sob*

Here's what her crazy cowlick looks like.
She's also sporting a nice mullet. She slept solely on her back for a long time and rubbed her hair in the back off. It's finally growing in.

4a.m.

It is just after four in the morning and I am obviously not sleeping. I wish I knew why. Maybe the lazy, nap-filled Sunday afternoon ruined my sleep schedule. Maybe it's my feet that won't cool off. Seriously, my feet haven't felt like this since I was pregnant and it's extremely uncomfortable.
I have to work at 8:30 so the hour on the clock and my wide open eyes are not pleasing me. It's especially frustrating for two reasons:
1. I will likely feel groggy tomorrow and we do NOT have time for me to be groggy.
2. I count on my weekends to rejuvenate me for the following week which tires me enough on its own without trying to pack up a house. So now I'm going to start my week off after a bad sleep.

Coffee, and lots of it, may be in order. Then again, that might just start a vicious cycle since I'm rather caffeine sensitive. It effectively keeps me going during the day but it seems to carry over to night too which would paint a similar picture for Tuesday, and then Wednesday....
It's a terrible conundrum.
Now I'm blathering on.
It is, after all, 4 a.m.

Splashing Around!

This pool was a birthday gift from her Auntie Andrea and Uncle Stephan.
As you just saw, it is a hit!

Sold - for Good!

Another sunny, warm morning.

I'm once again in the cold office, which is in the basement and only has a tiny window. I'm also amid a mess of half-full boxes, stacks of old magazines, and paper.

Yes, the move is official!

The conditions were lifted on Wednesday and we have to be out by July 8th. The 8th is a Tuesday so we are doing the majority of the move the weekend before which means we have exactly two weeks to accomplish this feat. If I could just toss stuff in boxes to move it from this house to the next this enormous task wouldn't be nearly so daunting. We have to pack our belongings knowing that we won't see them again for up to a year. We are taking quite a bit with us - our bedroom furniture and of course clothes, Sierra's furniture and clothes, probably our dining room set, and a good portion of our office equipment. Beyond that it's a few things there and a few things here that get to join us at my parents but mostly it disappears into the depths of a friends shop in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The up side: in a year I'll have no idea what I own anymore so it'll be like the most fantastic Christmas ever as we unpack. There just won't be any wrapping paper and everything will be used.

Yes, you did read correctly a moment ago - we are moving in with my mom and dad.

Crazy?
Most definitely.
Smart financial decision?
Most definitely.
Survivable?
We'll see.

Actually, we get along great with my parents and they have a sizable house with a basement that will become ours. It'll most assuredly be an adjustment for us all, likely with some tense moments. The biggest thing for me will be how to manage the relationships with Sierra. We have to make sure that we are still Sierra's parents and do all the 'parent' things and "visiting" Granny and Grandpa is still special time where she is spoiled.
I'm not sure how that is going to look yet.
I'm in a minor state of panic with all that there is to do in such a short time. I know that we probably wouldn't have given ourselves much more time to pack even if we had it. I like to complain though. This is where it is good that I go to work all day because that leaves the majority of this Trevor's responsibility. Another plus is that I get nostalgic as I go through my things and therefore end up staring into space in a haze of memories which means slow packing. If it was solely me it would never get completed. Trevor on the other hand is a guy and will look at something either fondly or as useless, and than quickly pack it or chuck it.
We have an adventurous two and a half weeks ahead of us.
Wish us luck!

Work, Shmork

It's a beautiful morning with a clear blue sky, warm glowing sun....and I'm inside on the computer in my cold basement. Something is wrong with this scenario. I'll blame the not being fully awake yet, although some fresh air would likely help.
Anyway, I've had a good many thoughts roaming through my head lately that are needing to be released. Here's one out of the plethora of issues plaguing me:
I've thought this before but I believe more and more that work is a necessary evil and a grand nuisance. It simply swallows up way too much time, time that keeps me away from Sierra. I often work from 9a.m. until 5:30p.m and add on a half an hour for travel (fortunately I live nice and close). Sierra has been going to bed late and waking up late so I haven't had the joy of her little smile before I leave each day. She's recently been napping during the late afternoon so she's also asleep when I come home! This does provide for a quiet supper for Trevor and I but I'm starting to feel gypped with spending time with Sierra. It's hard. I so enjoyed being a stay at home mom. I like being responsible for the household duties such as laundry, grocery shopping and cooking. I am not a career minded person. Something is wrong with the state of affairs here.
My consolation is that Sierra and Trevor are getting quality time together. It is really special to hear about their days. Dads often don't get this opportunity so Trevor feels very fortunate and is cherishing it. My fear is that Trevor won't get a job in fall and I'll be stuck working full-time past the summer. I was the breadwinner for three years while he went to university. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again.

Showing Off Sierra

The sun finally appeared and chased away the rain so I took the opportunity to take Sierra's one year pictures. The dress was a birthday present and the location our backyard. I took 77 pictures and it was challenging to narrow them down to these 10.

Enjoy!

Sold! - almost.

Guess what? We conditionally sold our house today! After three and half months we are ever so close to the end of house selling. The people who offered the ridiculously low amount on Sunday re-offered in the 'reasonable' range and we've managed to agree on a price. We have to suffer through a week of waiting as conditions are met but there should be no reason this doesn't go through. I'm a little hesitant to be typing this at risk of jinxing things but.. oh well. Now the panic is setting in. We have to pack up a house full of crap, arrange all that there is to arrange for a move, and get the ball rolling on building the new house.
Aaaaaaaaackk!!

One Down!

Yesterday my darling little girl turned one! Wow has that year zoomed by. Everyone said, and says, that time flies with kids and it is 100%, undeniably true.
I HAVE A ONE YEAR OLD!!!
There is no question in my mind that this past year been the most life changing and fulfilling year of my life. I never thought I'd love having a child and being a mom as much as I do. My heart is just bursting with love for my sweet Sierra.
I enjoy being a mom. I enjoy having a daughter. I enjoyed staying home full time (*sob*). I enjoy watching Trevor be a dad. I enjoy watching Sierra's grandparents interact with her.
I enjoy each moment I have with Sierra and plan to continue that with each day and year to come.
I know this post sounds cheesy and dorky and sappy but, hey, it's how I feel!
I love you Sierra!
(pictures to follow - maybe tomorrow!)

Low Balled!

As you may have guessed we have not sold our house yet. With working full-time and adjusting to the new routine it is no longer at the forefront of my mind. My new job has provided us with the means to afford our current situation so I've no reason to be stressed about it. We're definitely anxious to get on with building but these days patience is the game in the house selling market.
Last night at supper I prayed for a glimmer of hope with house selling and Trevor's job search. Our glimmer appeared almost immediately. We had the same viewers come yesterday and today who appeared to be extremely interested in our house. As with every viewing we cleaned the house thoroughly and vacated it during the requested time. It's often rather inconvenient with Sierra's schedule, (as it was today) but we make it work because we want to sell the house.
This afternoon we finally thought all our efforts had payed off - these people made us an offer. We knew one was in the works two hours before it was officially presented to us. So we sat on pins and needles and waited.
The phone rang.
It was our agent....
with the most insultingly low-ball offer possible! He said he didn't even really want to say the number to us but legally he had to. Trevor told our agent to tell these people what they could do with their offer.
What were they thinking?
This whole thing is ridiculous! Did they have wild hopes that we were in the throws of desperation and ready to give the house away?
Ha!
No way!
I'm very angry. Why did God allow this? It seems like a mean trick, not a glimmer of hope! We have another showing tomorrow.
Another trick in the works?

Vicious Attack Cat!

I've always like cats.
Cats are generally quiet. They are good for a cuddle. They're not overly needy animals. In fact, I can leave our cat for a few days and not come home to any retaliatory disasters. (I've heard of dogs deliberately sabotaging their owner's homes by chewing sofas and 'messing' on the floor and stuff) They don't need walks or to play fetch (although my cat has played fetch with a Q-tip!)
Cat's are known to catch pesky mice and assist in keeping the nasty rodents from infesting one's house. They also catch birds. Birds aren't usually considered a nuisance but there's oodles of them so what if a few are killed and consumed by cats? My childhood cat used to eat bugs he found in the house.
I've had cats since I was seven and now have one of my own. His name is Vader ( blame Trevor for that) and he is about nine years old by now. Vader is by no means the spunky, rambunctious kitten he once was but he's certainly got a lot of pep left.
We raised him to be an indoor cat and have never purposely allowed him outside. Nevertheless Vader loves the outdoors and tries to get out whenever he's sneaky enough to evade us.
What's so great about outside? Grass is the apparently the best tasting stuff ever and he'll quickly chew down as much as he can whenever he escapes. And rolling in the dirt...well...never a more luxurious feeling!
This evening Trevor was BBQ'ing and Vader cunningly got out. The weather is lovely so I couldn't blame him. Catching him is next to impossible so we left him. He always returns. Vader was outside about half an hour when he comes trotting back into the yard and to the back steps with his kill.
A mouse?
No.
A bird?
No.
A gopher?
No.
.
.
.
A rabbit!
Yes, you read right. A rabbit.
The crazy cat killed a rabbit that was bigger than he is! Why take out his hunter instinct on a poor little rabbit? I don't know.
I don't want to know.
I do not like cats anymore. Especially mine!

Green Bananas

There was this great old guy that was in our church choir this past year. His name is Bill and he's 85 years old. Despite his age Bill is remarkably spry and has an extremely good tenor voice. His only handicap is that he suffers from hearing loss and subsequently wears hearing aides. You might justifiably ask how this works with singing? Music - singing - tuning - all requires listening which requires hearing....I can see how that question would arise. Fortunately his hearing loss does not seem to be bad enough to cause Bill major problems.
One challenge that I have regularly observed is Bill fumbling through his music not knowing where we are in a song or even which song we are on. This is, in part. because our choir director is very soft spoken and hard to hear even for those of us with good ears. Bill will often belt out a solo note that is not meant to be a solo note because he is not in the same place as the rest of us. Bill is good natured about it and laughs. A choir neighbour is often trying to ensure that he knows what's going on but occasionally fails and then we are blessed with Bill's solo notes. Hey, if an 85 year old is capable enough to be in a choir, what are a few mistakes?
Last night as we were leaving church we encountered Bill and he asked if we planned to join choir again the fall. We said that we were and asked if he was.
Bill chuckled and said,
"At my age, I don't even buy green bananas!"