Joyous!

What do a pretty, snowy landscape with the sun shining, wonderful family time, a superbly behaved 2 1/2 year old, great food, awesome gifts, and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ all equal?

A great Christmas!

I managed to eject the grumpiness that was inhabiting my mind and let joy take over residence. There was a lot of conscious put effort into it, which has failed me more often than not lately -but itworked this time. Feeling joy again is so energizing and refreshing.

I desperately hope this mood prevails now, I've about had enough of being cranky and irritable (as have those around me I'm sure!).
"Get over yourself, your pregnant - what's the problem? Deal with it!" I'm sure people were itching to say.
It's not quite as easy as that but ...yeah, I know.

I'm down to under 8 weeks before baby is due and it would be a blessing to be able to enjoy and cherish the time with Sierra and get myself physically and mentally prepared.

Baby is still nameless. Trevor has unlimited vetoes, as he puts it, and has used them on every girl name I have suggested. He also isn't 100% sure of the boys name. Although I think he's close enough on the boy's name that I chose that it will be the name if it's a boy. I've told him he has to come up with suggestions now because I've tried with no success.
Only one person helped me out last time I asked but I'll pose the question again - any suggestions? We tend to like slightly different names but not weird or completely uncommon - but I'm open to anything.

I have a bunch of pictures and other stuff that I am looking forward to sharing with you in the new year - like Sierra's finally finished bedroom (I love it, it's so "girly".) Pictures may have to wait a bit as we re-formatted our computer recently and can't find the camera software. But our basement is in development progress and it won't be long before the office is set up down there to make room for baby so hopefully the software will surface soon.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Humbug!

That's been about the state of my mind the last couple of weeks, hence the scarcity of posts. I"ll spare you the whining and scrooging about how I've been feeling because I'm sure it's mostly due to my hormones infecting me. I don't know when I'll be back but probably not until after Christmas. I truly hope that my mood improves so that I can entertain you with more light-hearted and fun posts.
Until then...Have a Very Merry Christmas all!

"Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland..."

Actually we're avoiding being outside as much as possible these days because we've been inundated with snow and plunged into a deep freeze over the weekend...but I'm sure enjoying the view out my window!

Friday afternoon a blizzard arrived, it blew and raged with a vengeance for two days, as if it had something to prove. It succeeded in blanketing our driveway in a 3+ foot drift that had Trevor saying enough colourful words to melt it while he shoveled a path for our vehicle (he absolutely hates winter and cold and snow). As it is, only 2/3 of the driveway is clear, the remaining drift is over 5 feet high and there's no practical way to get rid of it. Trevor thought maybe a propane blow torch...
This of course would happen over our busiest weekend of the season. We were required to be out and about way more than was sane with good weather conditions, never mind during a blizzard. Most people I talked to stayed in their homes. Not us! We had five Christmas production performances at our church from Friday night to Sunday night, saddled with a wedding on Saturday. Thankfully we stayed safe.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, we woke up this morning to -38 degrees Celsius, -49 with wind chill. It reached a balmy -19 at one point today.
Burrr!
I don't mind the cold and snow generally but this is a bit ridiculous. I'm quite certain even polar bears and penguins would complain.

Life Lately

Baby did a somersault last weekend and is officially head down. I can now breathe as a result and as wonderful as that is, I am now the recipient of a whole new set of sensations and pains. I've just entered the final ten weeks - yikes!

I am totally and ashamedly not into Christmas this year. I think we have been and will continue to have our plates full of too much busyness to be healthy and top that with a good helping of pregnancy and I've become a scrooge. It is so completely not me to not have the Christmas spirit and I hate it.

Sierra is pretty much potty trained. I say pretty much because there are times when it's on a "if I feel like it basis." Pooping is much easier in a pull-up but she knows full well how to accomplish the same task in a potty. She can stay dry during a nap but it depends how much liquid she's consumed. I'm not even worrying about night yet. On a whole, she wears underwear most of the time. I've packed up all the cloth diapers which is very cool because that means three months before I start that adventure all over again!

The cold weather switch has been turned on in our parts the last couple of days - a frigid -20 degrees Celcius this morning. Brrrr!

Naps are my best friend.

46

For the last few years I have been a part of a Wednesday morning women's Bible study hosted by our church. It's been a great social and personal time for me. This fall I gulped and cringed as I signed up for the class on the book of Titus. The reason for the gulping and cringing was that the main point of this class was to memorize the entire book. Fortunately it is a short book as far as books of the Bible go, a mere 46 verses. But me and memory haven't gone along lately, hence my terror. I have lists and notes for myself and my calendar has absolutely everything we do on it and I still miss things!

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!

I haven't done any real memorizing since trying to cram my head full of useless knowledge for college classes and that was basically crap in, crap out. Honestly, I never have done much in the way of Bible memorization, even as a kid. As I walked into the class for the first time, I was scared.
It turned out to be a great challenge for me. I was relieved to discover that my memory does work but requires a lot of repetition and effort. I have pretty much made it through committing the entire book to my memory. The last six verses need a little more work but I can basically stumble through all 46and I must brag a little and say that I feel very accomplished. Will I remember it past the next couple of weeks? Probably not, especially word for word, but basic ideas will always be with me.

BJ

Mmmmm, pretty - no?
I'm not usually one to swoon over celebrities but I just can't help myself with Jon Bon. Especially when he smiles. And being a music buff that grew up in the 80's I love his voice, the guy can sing!
Trevor and I went to see him in concert two and half-years ago when Sierra was a mere month old. That concert was my motivation for learning to pump my breast milk and ensuring that she would not suck solely from me but also a bottle. The concert was in a city 2 1/2 hours away and not a good scenario for nursing! I was successful on both accounts and with the exception of exploding breasts by the end of the concert and adventures in trying to pump discretely in the car while driving through a brightly lit city I thoroughly enjoyed his show. And his smile.
Guess what?
He is coming again!
I have to go.
Trevor has gotten me into concert going during our 11+ year marriage and 90% of them are for band/groups that he has gotten me into. Not this one, Jon Bon is all mine and one of the few concerts that I really, really, really want to go to.
But there's a problem.
Tickets are of the astronomical price range and seeing as we are a tad tight in that area now....I need to be innovative.
I have to go.
Anyone know of a way to score some freebies...or a fantastic deal at the very least?

C is for...

I had a prenatal check up today and my mind is a bit awhirl. You see, I have not one but two joyous conditions that will create a challenge for a natural delivery.
First of all, five years ago I learned that my uterus thought it would be a good idea to grow these masses called fibroids. Fibroids are nothing more than nuisances made up of uterine tissue. When they are large enough they can put pressure in the wrong places and provide one with wonderful discomforts such as constipation and extra nasty menstrual cycles. Large ones often result in eventual hysterectomies for their hostesses. Although I have two rather large fibroids they have not really been a problem for me - until now. One of those lovely suckers has positioned itself to nearly block my cervix. Translation: no room for baby to pass through. I was told that there is a chance it could move as baby grows and moves.

Second, this baby has decided that breech is a comfortable position. These days they pretty much don't even give the mother the option of a natural delivery. As with condition number one, I was told things could change and baby could do a flip.

Two for two on what "could happen"?
My doctor isn't very optimistic.
Therefore: C-Section.

I will be seeing a specialist at the end of December but for now I was encouraged to get my head into that very real possibility.
Is is my preferred method of delivery?
No.
Do I want as risk free as possible delivery for myself and baby?
Yes.
Am I terrified of the recovery along with having a newborn and 2 1/2 year old?
Yes.

At least it is completely out of my control. It is what it is and I'm thankful for the health care system and professionals we have and I will deal with it.

Finished?

Well, not quite finished because there are no shrubs or anything in the flower beds but here is finally a picture of our house with grass, a tree, and the front rock complete. Slowly but surely!

25 weeks in this picture, although I am now 26 weeks.
I routinely go between feeling as large as a whale and not able to imagine where three more months are going to fit to feeling not so bad and maybe even a little cute occasionally.
Would you believe that I actually had a female customer at work tell me I looked as pregnant as her full term daughter? I nearly fell of my chair because I'd seen her daughter the day before and there is NO WAY I am close to as big as she was. What really gets me is the absolute nerve of strangers to comment on the size of a pregnant lady. What gives them the right? They wouldn't say anything if I was simply overweight now would they? It's all I can do to bite my tongue with these people.
Other than than my size insecurities I feel....pregnant.
Moody, not myself, awkward, sore hips, low energy and enthusiasm, unattractive...yada, yada, yada. Not every day is like this but many are and it's hard. My weight gain has been moderate, however I've had to stop running and I still eat too much crap so we'll see how long that lasts. While there is no chance I would trade the blessing of being pregnant for the alternative it certainly isn't easy on me.

As a side note: I've decided that I need to improve my blogging skills. I've been rather sporatic lately and feel boring and I want to change that. I'm going to try and post every other day or so and see if I can get the old brain and writing skills moving again. Happy reading!

Green Tongues and Ballerinas

Dressed up as a ballerina and ready to go Trick-or-Treating. The fuzzy pink headband thing? Don't ask, my mom bought it for her and she likes wearing it, it really has nothing to do with the rest of the costume! She absolutely loved going to the different houses for candy. She made Halloween fun for us where as in the past we've just hid with the lights off or gone out. Certain things are really different through the eyes of a child - this is one.

Enjoying her loot from last night and thinking her green tongue was the neatest thing ever!

Why I'm Going Through This

I've had a particularly hard week emotionally (feels like I have extreme PMS constantly) and physically (the heartburn) and my two year old was especially "two" this morning so I felt that I needed to post a little reminder of why I'm doing this whole pregnancy thing! I look at my sweet girl and I know it is and it will all be worth it!

Butt Kicking

I decided this afternoon - while watching ten minutes of the 'Dr. Oz' show of all things which I never do but I was procrastinating and those ten minutes were somewhat interesting - that I've had enough. Not only have I had enough but it is time to do something about it.
I've been feeling like the grouch of the century and my mood has digressed to the point where I believe it doesn't even warrant me a can to live in! As I lamented earlier this week this has a lot to do with my pregnancy ailments.
Well, I'm tired of being tired and it is time to take charge and see if I can do something about it besides snap at my defenseless toddler, not so defenseless but no more deserving husband, and nap and feel lethargic and useless. Otherwise it will be an excruciating remaining four months for all who know me!
So what am I going to do?
I'm going to try and combat the heartburn/indigestion. I am going to do that by severely controlling my diet. I have a pretty good idea what causes the fiery burn and bloating that has me feeling like I'm twelve months pregnant so it's mostly a matter of avoiding those things.
Duh!
Not only am I going to avoid 'bad' foods but concentrate on replacing them with healthier choices. I'm normally quite a health nut but have fallen so completely off that wagon that I can't remember what it looks like anymore. I figure the effect will be compounding: by avoiding bad food my heartburn will vastly improve and I'll feel a million times better by simply not being in pain every night and able to sleep, and by adding good food my energy and motivation will climb to somewhat normal levels. Plus, eating healthy can do nothing but ensure that my inevitable weight increase isn't of mountainous proportions, especially since I think my body is starting to tell me to ease back on my current level of running.
It'll be hard to avoid the trigger foods but if I'm tempted all I have to do is remember writhing in bed until 3 am!

Pregnant Prose

I'm wearing sloppy, unattractive, comfy clothes (those of you who know me know that is rare)
The TV is on to amuse Sierra which I really try not to do.
It's cloudy and dreary out.
I'm drinking herbal tea. I'm not a tea person on a regular basis but I've chosen to avoid caffeine with this pregnancy and these days even decaf is too acidic for my temperamental stomach and this morning I need something - so as unsatisfying as it is, I'm having tea.
I've been awake for an hour and still feel like Oscar the Grouch has invaded.
And I have a long list of things I was really hoping to accomplish today.
(Oh, I've just added two frozen chocolate chip cookies to eat with my tea, things are improving a little)
The reason?
I've have had heartburn that rages like a forest fire that began about two weeks ago and loves to flare up at night when I need to sleep! There are some obvious triggers that encourage it but lately it doesn't seem to matter what I eat or drink. Eating soda crackers at 3 A.M. to try and ease the burn is not fun. (Tums which are all I'm allowed to take, are useless by the way). I have acid reflux anyway and am more susceptible to heartburn/indigestion as it is but pregnancy has just fueled it out of control.
I don't know what to do anymore aside from stop eating and that's not a recommended option!

I don't know why but I've been extremely self conscious of my pregnancy shape. I really popped out over the last couple of weeks and it's just so foreign from my normal appearance. I had to convince myself for an hour yesterday that the shirt I chose to wear to church looked okay!
Later on I put myself in check when I looked in the mirror and had the thought that I get to be pregnant. There are many woman that would trade me places in less than a heartbeat - some I even know. Although I would not say that I'm particularly enjoying pregnancy despite my best intentions, I will try to be grateful for it and complain as little as possible.

(Sierra just peed in her potty, the morning is improving!)

Now that you've listened to me gripe and type my way into a slightly better mood I need your help: name ideas for baby! Trevor and I seem to have a hard time agreeing on anything. In fact we're lucky we found Sierra. We have a one syllable, somewhat harsh last name that begins with a vowel so that does tend to limit things. So have fun, encourage others to stop by and offer their two bits as well - I know lots of people love the baby naming game. I certainly don't mind it but it's proving to be a challenge!

Back in the Day

I sat back and surveyed the room.
It really hadn't changed much. The kitchen had been remodeled, a large, flat screen TV occupied one corner, and some of the furniture had changed but it was still the same room.
I then studied the people. They really hadn't changed too much either. There was added maturity in each face -heck, fifteen years will do that! Each of us six now wore engagement and/or wedding rings which accounted for the six additional men occupying the room. Those same relationships also explained the six children under 3 that were constantly under foot and interrupting conversations.
Many of us hadn't seen each other in more than a year but that didn't seem to matter. We have a connection that only high school (and longer) chums can have. We went through a very memorable and formative portion of our lives together and know each other in a way no other friends will.
We were together celebrating the marriage of a dear friend, who'd secretly eloped in Jamaica in August. The wedding took place fifteen years to the day that she and her husband began dating. There were all sorts of religious and family reasons that prevented this union from taking place much earlier so we were all elated for them. They are truly a great couple and their love for each other is extremely apparent.
It was a happy occasion that brought us all together and renewed some wonderful memories. It was really neat how we could all more-or-less pick up again and continue the friendships despite being distanced by time, where we live, what we do, and the busyness of being grown-ups.
To old friends!

21

There's no doubting my condition now!

P's and B's (potty's and beds)

After a stress-free weekend filled with shopping south of the boarder (which will stress me out later when I pay the bills!) I decided that I'm not enough of an emotional basket case so I took on two more challenges that are surely going to drive me to drink!
I hauled up the free toddler bed we've had for a few months for Sierra. Trevor was perusing Kijiji one afternoon when he happened upon an ad giving away a toddler bed just as it was posted. He phoned and promptly drove out to get it before anyone else could have a chance. I want to give Sierra plenty of time to transition out of a crib before the baby arrives in hopes that she won't think the baby is stealing 'her' bed. Since it's a new month I decided I'd start now. She had a great time playing on the new 'widdow bed' but when I asked her if she wanted to sleep in it... she ran screaming to her crib and banged on it saying,
"no seep da widdow bed, my big bed!"
I guess it'll take a bit of warming up to this one.

My second endeavor: after a necessary few week break from the wonderful process of potty training I asked Sierra if she wanted to wear her panties again today and she said yes. We proceeded through our morning and I asked her a couple of times if she needed to go potty to which she firmly replied,
"Nope."
Then at around noon she suddenly said,
"wet my simmie!" (she was wearing her swimsuit, don't ask!) and immediately removed it, ran to her potty and peed!
Any more potty training this afternoon was ruined by two bouts of explosive diarrhea, no doubt the result of all the junk food she ingested this weekend thanks to Papa and Granny (they came with us on our weekend excursion). Needless to say we were a little afraid to let Sierra run around without the safety of a diaper.
I'll try again tomorrow.

Frayed

There must be something in the air these days because I've come across a surprising number of people who are overwhelmed with life. I include myself.
At first I blamed my out of control pregnancy hormones that are blasting my coping abilities out the window.
Then I looked deeper and realized there's a lot more to it that is burbling and gurgling and making me a giant crank.

1. We've been dealing with Trevor's inability to secure a teaching job for over two years now. It's been highs and low and ultimately one disappointment after another. I'd say we were old hats at this whole saga by now but it just hasn't gotten any easier. So many people say that he's a great teacher and that there has to be a job for him yada, yada yada. Well, where is it???????? The fact is, the economy sucks and there have been huge cutbacks. This translates to minimal job opportunities and huge competition for the ones that do pop up. A recent posting had 65 applicants.
At the end of this month Trevor will be working permanently (well a one year kind of deal) for the decal shop as a sort of production manager. He'll cease subbing for this school year. The pay will be decent and he enjoys it. The stability in schedule and income will be nice. We're not giving up on him being a teacher and he'll still apply for jobs as they come up (if?) . Couple me going on maternity leave sooner than later with all the randomness subbing includes this option makes the most sense. Am I at peace with this decision? No not entirely but it is what it is and it'll be good.

2. We've been going non-stop on house stuff for well over a year. Yes, I have a house I love and wouldn't change a thing but it sure is a taxing process. It really has been all encompassing. We might a get a bit of reprieve around the time the baby is born but the work isn't really ending any time soon.

3. Because of the house-building and job situation we have not had any significant time off in a very long time. My batteries are running very low, I need a vacation or something.

4. I have a two year old who, although extremely fun and enjoyable, is even more life dominating than everything else combined. And we're having another one?

5. As if the raging hormones aren't enough I also have had issues sleeping, lack of sleep is huge in affecting ones mental stability.

5. Then on top of all that - there are the other "normal" things that still exist. Church and church related activities such as choir, socializing, grocery shopping, cleaning etc.

Combine everything and you've got one very stressed out pregnant thirty two year old that isn't sure how to deal with it. All I know is that I will.

32

As if I'm that age!

I still feel like I just turned - oh - say 25. I definitely don't feel like a teenager anymore (no missing those years!) and I don't feel 20ish either. But I can't possibly be 32. Alas, I am. I imagine that this sentiment of not feeling anywhere near my age will continue for a long time - as long as I don't feel older I'm okay with that.
Yesterday was my birthday. I planned for myself a good day and I was not disappointed. After a good night's sleep I woke up to a gorgeous, hot, sunny, fall day. I pampered myself with a hair cut and colour (sorry no picture yet) while my mom entertained Sierra. Trevor got me a fantastically fabulous lavender set of golf clubs



that we tried out at a nine-hole par three course later in the afternoon. This was followed by a delicious dinner out. We came home to our beautiful little girl



who, although was already in bed, demanded good night hugs and kisses that made me feel especially blessed.
It was nice to simply enjoy myself and life. I've been feeling rather out of sorts these last few months due to these lovely things called emotions that are being rollarcostered around by my rapidly fluctuating hormones so this was a pleasant break.
Today is another lovely day and has been filled with more wonderful activities that will end with a family dinner of homemade perogies.
Yum!

Midnight Mutterings

It's probably too late too late to be typing a post but I'm not in the mood to go to bed and the Cosby Show reruns flickering on the TV in the background aren't engaging my attention.
I'm not even sure what the heck to say. I feel like I have a boring life these days and yet I'm also incredibly busy. Hmmm.
The reason I'm not sleepy is because yesterday Trevor and I went to Calgary to see The Tragically Hip in concert. We only got home at 1:30A.M. so I needed a nap this afternoon which ended up being a too-long nap so here I am.
We had a great evening for the most part. Our anticipated plans of a nice dinner with friends was a disappointment. The company was just awful, and I won't even mention the food...just kidding! Despite allowing ourselves plenty of time to arrive at our destination it was of course the day that not one, but two, accidents had caused the traffic on the major road we were on moving at a very slow crawl, if you could even call it that. After moving 1km in half an hour we finally got off and took a very round about way to the restaurant where we inhaled dinner and crammed in some catch up conversation in 40 minutes. The food and company were great but the time was too short, not quite what we had looked forward to.
The concert was held in a theater where the atmosphere feels more like that of a place that presents Broadway productions like 'The Lion King' - which it does as well - as opposed to a rock concert. 'The Hip' were the only band performing and they entertained us for nearly three hours. It was well worth the money and time but today I paid for it! I'm too old for late nights.
Here I am doing it again though, I guess I'm also too old to learn!

A Little O'This...

Here it is Friday again and already!
I had all these great post ideas that I swore to myself I'd inflict upon you to read more often this week. Oh, well, at least I get to it once a week - better than nothing, no? So here's a smattering of what's up with me:

1. Our grass was laid and looks wonderful and we've managed to keep it alive and mostly green this first week.
It actually looks like we have a yard.

2. It has been wonderfully sunny and hot this month, unseasonably so for September. I say keep it coming we still have outside work to do!

3. Sierra will not stop talking these days and you must respond to her or she just gets louder until you do.
"Mommy, choo choo dare." (as we drive down the highway alongside the train tacks every day)
" Yes there's a train there."
"Wowd."
"Trains can be loud, yes."
"Mommy boo eyes."
"Yes, mommy has blue eyes."
"Daddy geen eyes."
"Yes, daddy has green eyes."
And it goes on.

4. Despite my lack of information to you in this area, we are still struggling with job decisions for Trevor. I don't even know what to say or want anymore.

5. I worked almost 30 hours this week and only 5 next week!

6. Baby is definitely growing because my clothes aren't fitting and strangers at work ask me when my due date is.

Happy weekend!

Green - Somewhat Gratuitous Friday.

First of all - we are sodding a generous portion of our yard tomorrow, 3500 out of 5300 possible square feet of planned grass area. (front and back) Trust me, even the planned 5300 square feet of grass still leaves large areas for a garden, flower beds, and a kid's play area. Who's idea was it for such a freakin' big yard anyway?!! I'm sure we'll love it when it's all done, which will be in a billion years of so. For now I'm thankful for the immense amount of work Trevor and my dad have put in this past week to help prep, and to our friends helping lay the sod tomorrow!

I have two friends having babies this month and I've been stricken with a case of envy. It's that nasty materialism that our society loves to breed and nourish coming out. One thing I really wanted when I was expecting Sierra was a fancy stroller/car seat system. We had to stretch our money so we bought nearly everything used, including the stroller system. It actually didn't bother me at the time because I had no idea what was all out there and we were just proud of our thriftiness. After a little buying and selling I have a decent, lower end Graco brand system now which is nice enough, and last fall we bought an awesome jogging stroller at 75% off for a cool $100 - this stroller I love.
Friends' and acquaintances parents are buying them $600 stollers without the car seat, or the crib they want, or all sorts of other things and that twinge called envy has reared itself. Now I love my friends dearly and think the gifts they are getting are great. My close friends are also not rich so what is not given is also used or carefully purchased.
Trevor's and my parents combined spent $300. Now I know it's not all about money and things and I'm super grateful for the relationship my parents have with Sierra which I consider to be the most important. In part I think it's because I thought by the time we were expecting out second child we would be in a better financial place (Trevor - teaching job). We would be able to afford a few more things for the next baby. Here number two is well on the way and we are so not in that place. Does it really matter and do the kids care? No. It's just me being silly and petty and worldly.

And honest about how I feel right now.

16

16 Weeks Pregnant.

In the last two weeks baby moved up, off my bladder (hallelujah!) and out for all to start seeing and wondering to themselves "Is she..?" but too polite to ask. We should have not told anyone just to see how long it would've taken for someone to actually ask!
One day last week, while dressing for work, I noticed that no matter what shirt I put on I looked pregnant. Then I had to remind myself that I was in fact pregnant and should show off my burgeoning bump with pride. I did not have that sentiment with Sierra and consequently refuse to take that attitude with this one. When I drove home recently from buying groceries with my pants button undone I decided it was also time to rethink my wardrobe. My pants options are slowly decreasing and the versatility of my shirts is also disappointing me. I remember thinking with Sierra - and even now - that I'd have more time with my shirts,
"So what if they are a little snug? Shirts are more forgiving that way."
Not with me. Some of them just make me look fat while others are a bit short, or just fit a bit 'off'. Maybe it's the style I wear?
I scanned my maternity clothes that I saved from Sierra and came to two conclusions:
1. I must have borrowed more than I thought because there weren't that many there, especially shirts. Pants I'll be mostly set.
2.Styles have changed enough that I'm not so sure I'll be wearing the shirts I have. Three years ago the style was transitioning to tighter but there were a lot of looser options. Since I was self conscious I erred on the looser side. Hello tent, good bye any semblance of a figure! As I said, I'm not hiding this time around.

So Friday evening I went shopping and lo and behold hit the end of season sale so I went to town. I bought six maternity shirts with short sleeves, a shorter straight skirt, and a pair of super comfy lounging capris. Everything except the skirt was under $15! I'm very excited. I decided short sleeved shirts were the most practical because it's still warm now and I know that as I near the end of my pregnancy, even though it'll be winter, my body will be heating me in overdrive. The best part is that I used a portion of some free money I earned through a promotion at work

The extreme fatigue is abating. I still nap when I can and on the days I don't I'm pretty wiped by the end. I am still able to run on my treadmill four times a week and it helps me feel better. In fact I haven't changed my running routine yet and my body hasn't told me to. I've probably gained close to five pounds by now which I find perfectly fine for only the second time in my adult life!

Hard Workin' Man - Gratitude Saturday

As I've mentioned, we (okay, mostly Trevor) have been working hard - when we can - on our yard. It's been a slow process but there's finally visible results.

Our deck now has a railing and I don't have a heart attack every time Sierra ventures onto the deck.

This particular railing was priced at $25/foot at the store. The store sells it completely prepped so putting it together and up would have been a breeze. Well, as you saw in the above picture we have quite a large deck. So Trevor and my dad put their heads together and came up with a way to bring the cost dramatically down. The main cost reducer is the way they did the spindles. They are made of painted electrical conduit (pipe) bought in 12 foot lengths, cut down, sanded and painted. A lot more work, yes, but we saved over half the original store cost and the look is basically the same.

Our enormous back yard - one corner! Last weekend Trevor and my dad worked on trenching the sprinkler lines in. Trevor's been working on running the hoses all week and is now assembling the heads and such. Once again saving cost by doing it ourselves.

I've grateful for a husband with a great work ethic and motivation so we can have some extras like underground sprinklers. Grass in two weeks???

Toe Tale

On Saturday evening through a totally random, accidental circumstance Sierra got her big toe scratched by our cat. Well you'd think her leg was torn off the way she hollered and carried on until I finally made it all better with a Band Aid. She proceeded to favour that foot most of the evening, even limping around on only her heel.
The next day she'd pretty much forgot that it was supposed to hurt until she woke up from her nap.
The Band Aid had disappeared. Once again life was very traumatic. She needed her
"Bannee".
So I went and got another one and while Trevor held her I put the bandage on the offended toe.
With teary eyes and a sniff she said,
"Tanks mommy."

My heart melted.

Gratitude Friday - Energized!

I am thankful for an energy day today.

It has been a rough week in that department and last night when I went to bed I wasn't sure if I could face an entire day alone with Sierra while feeling like death warmed over. I slept terribly and Sierra decided to wake up and holler for me on her earlier side of wake up times.
Despite all that we have had a great day. I organized our closet, even Trevor's shelves of "folded" clothes because it was driving me crazy and if I left it up to him...well let's not go there. I also unpacked my maternity clothes and made room for them. Gulp! There's definitely a belly appearing but so far my clothes are still squeeze-in-able without being in any discomfort.
Then Sierra and I baked chocolate zucchini muffins. She got batter everywhere. I cleaned up and she helped - getting dishwater everywhere.
Sierra went down for her nap and I had a blissful one hour rest, ran on my treadmill and am now blogging. This evening holds plans of vacuuming and cleaning my floors and if I'm still going than the bathrooms!

Gratitude Sunday

I can't seem to get my stuff together on Fridays..so Sunday it is again!
It literally peed rain all week and was cold and unpleasant. I turned the furnace on and baked bread and muffins and cooked warm comfort meals. Not that those things are bad in themselves except....

IT"S AUGUST PEOPLE!!!!

August is supposed to be hot and we had plans to work on getting a deck railing built and the sprinkler lines in our dirt so that we can get grass and have a yard for Sierra to play in.

Nope.
Yesterday we had brunch with my family, I had a long nap, Trevor played with his new surround sound system, (the previous one crapped out and wasn't fixable but still under warranty so he got his money back and bought a different one elsewhere) we lazed on the couch and read books. We went out to friends Friday night, last night and will again tonight.

All great things I admit....for October/November!

I cannot believe our weather. Our dirt was literally a complete lake by the end of Saturday it rained so hard - and we have great drainage!

Oh well, a nice relaxing time I suppose. I enjoyed it all so other than the weather what's to complain about?
Here's to finding blessings in bad weather!

* We are supposed to get hot sunny temperatures again starting tomorrow.

News

This is the saying my mom got in a fortune cookie recently:
"A short stranger will soon enter your life with blessings to share"

How about somewhere around February 20, 2010?
Yes, I'm pregnant.
Whew I said it! I'm just over 12 weeks and it has been such a hard thing to keep a secret for so long.

That is the reason for my lack of presence 'round these parts lately. I am fatigued beyond fatigued and when I actually have a moment to myself to possibly blog it's all I can do to even push buttons on the TV remote. I am fortunate to not be plagued by spewing episodes in the Great White Throne but oh the tiredness! Mornings are mostly good, if I only had to function mornings I'd be doing just dandy. But no, 12:30 or so hits and I feel like a truck ran over me. It is all I can do to get to nap time (Sierra's that is) and then I flop myself into bed and pass out for an hour. I'm often grumpy and scuzzed out from noon on and simply cannot motivate myself to do anything. It sucks.

Ah and the hormones! My poor husband and daughter. It's not simply a matter of being tired it's seeing all the stuff' that needs to be done and not being able to drag my butt off the couch to do it. Seriously, I'm sure it's glued there some days and that is some good glue! I get annoyed with myself because just playing with Sierra some days nearly kills me. Feeling sluggish brings irritability, lack of patience and reason, and then the tears because men and toddlers just can't understand!

My back and other parts have also begun paining me. This really doesn't help in the area of sleep, funny how one thing is related to another. I feel like an 80 year old when I get up at times - all hunched over and groaning as my body unfolds itself and I limp to the bathroom. I love my bathroom. I'm there so often now, it's great.

There you have it. I am desperately hoping that as I am moving into the second trimester the fatigue ebbs. I know that with that many other unpleasant factors related to being pregant will also lesson. I really want to enjoy this pregnancy. With Sierra it was so foreign and I was very self conscious of my expanding body and I just wanted it over with. Since Trevor is convinced this is our last (me not so much yet) I want to cherish this time of growing a child inside of me.
Bear with me as I get myself out of my slump and back into what I feel is more inspired blogging. It's coming.

*I worked on this post for awhile so it was dated way back when I initially posted it. I re-posted so it would have a current date, if you're seeing it twice that's why.

Gratitude Sunday

These past two weekends have been spent camping with my extended family and Fridays have consisted of madly trying to pack everything so I've been a bit lacking in the Gratitude Friday area.
They were two wonderful weekends of enjoying nature, being away from life, and appreciating one another. We expressed several times to each other how special it is that we have are close enough as an extended family to be able to do things like that together without tearing each others hair out or rewriting our wills at the end.
The first weekend was a long one here in Canada so we drove for four hours to a place called Wasa Lake. It was so hot that we were either melting in the shade while Sierra napped or in the lake trying to keep our blood from boiling. (Okay it was only like 35 C which is around 95 F and I know it gets much hotter for some of you but those temperatures are less common around here so we're not used to them) Sierra had the most fun of all, you would think that the beach was Disneyland!

She had sand in ever possible crack and once she realized that the water wasn't so scary had a whale of time in her little 'boat.'

On the Saturday evening we were hit with a wicked thunderstorm, the rain was so loud that Trevor and I had to yell at each other in our tent in order to be heard. My dad tried explaining to a scared Sierra that the thunder was the clouds laughing - they were gaffawing so hard the ground shook! We unfortunately discovered that our tent does not appreciate torrential down pours and subsequently gave up on repelling the water in certain places. We didn't get wet or anything thankfully and the next day returned to sunny, hot, bliss.
We returned home on Monday to a night of thunderstorms. Most people didn't sleep between 2 and 3 am and we had an awesome amount of rain. Than it rained off and on for most of the week plunging the temperature down to the point where I turned on our furnace and baked bread one day! I nearly cursed.
This past weekend we only drove an hour and a half to a mountain lake where we enjoyed much milder temperatures than the pervious weekend but a vast improvement from the week. At night I wore sweats, socks, a long sleeved shirt, and a hoodie in my sleeping bag with another blanket on top. It dropped down to 5 C at night. I'm pretty sure my nose froze. The day time was nice and sunny and warm whith some circling and roaming thunderclouds Saturday afternoon but all they did was make noise, no rain. Of course this time we had covered our tent with a tarp! Sierra's highlight here was the park. Kid's are so easy to please!
We arrived home early this afternoon and celebrated my mom's birthday this eveninga nd now back to work and reality tomorrow. Thus ends what we get this year for summer vacation. It wasn't long but it was great!

Decisions

As you all know, Trevor and I have struggled greatly over the last year with his lack of a permanant job. It has affected me particularly hard and I've been through a myriad of emotions and personal turmoil. I can't even fully explain why. It really wasn't about not being able to pay bills or eat or have any fun or what we could or could not have. Yes, we had to be careful with our finances but we were never in trouble. Heck we were even able to build a gorgeous house! I believe that it was more to do with the fact that we had plans for our life, gosh darn it! Trevor was to work full time as a teacher, and I was to work very part time mostly to get out of the house and less out of financial necessity. Yet those plans just weren't working out. Whatever the reason, I felt how I felt. Near the end of May, I think it was, I reached my breaking point and basically shattered. Everything had culminated and came exploding out. I ranted and raved to those close to me and I especially had it out with God.
I was done.
The worst day of my erupting emotions actually ended with one of the best talks Trevor and I had on the topic. We conversed in such a way that I felt like we really heard each other and took to heart what we were saying. We were able to express how we felt and not have it come across offensive or hurtful. We worked through our thoughts and feelings and came to the mutual conclusion that we would plan on Trevor substitute teaching for another year for now. If a job came up than there would be much jubilation but we would plan on him subbing. (although with our track record for plans...) He has had enough affirmation in his ability as a teacher from other teachers and students that for him to pursue another career just didn't make sense. The next day I was filled with a complete sense of peace and renewed vigor for life so I knew that for now the right decision was made.
Then a few weeks ago Trevor was given a job offer of a different sort. He's been working at a decal shop off and on for a couple of years and is full time for the summer. The owners openly acknowledged that production goes up significantly when Trevor is there and asked if he would consider committing to full time work for them in a management type role. They wanted him to sign on for one year and there would be a significant wage increase.
Talk about out of left field! Trevor wasn't surprised but I blindsided.
There was much more thought and discussion between the two of us and we were able to reach a unified conclusion. Despite the appealing fact that this opportunity would provide stability in several ways we didn't feel that was the direction God wanted. We agreed that Trevor should not give up teaching entirely to do this because that is still his first love and we're still hoping there is a job for him. To not sub at all would greatly reduce his chances at any possible positions. He came up with a counter offer of a three day a week option explaining that he wasn't quite ready to give up on teaching yet. The owners are currently contemplating it. It will come down to wage if they agree this is a viable option.
My first thought when this all came up was.
"Is God testing us or giving us an opportunity?"
How in the world does one discern that?
Prayer and the power of reasoning is how we came to our conclusion of the compromise offer. I've come to terms with this job issue and if the decal shop option falls through we will both be okay. We've made our decision and are hanging on to that certainty for now. Interestingly enough a few people have expressed feelings that we are close to concluding this job issue for good - by way of a teaching job. I want desperately to believe them but I've so hurt by this whole thing that for now I can only cling to what is certain. Anything more will be a huge bonus.

Giveaway

No, not by me but my blog friend Kash is celebrating her 100th entry with a prize. Check it out!

R and R

A few weekends ago we decided to take a break from the rat-race called life and go camping. We had no idea how it would go with a two year old but decided to chance it anyway. We all had a really nice time enjoying wonderful weather, family time with no distractions, and the beauty of nature.

Family resemblance?

Rocks, dirt, a pail, and a shovel - what more does a kid need?

Gratitude Friday - Excitement Over Certain Bodily Functions

If you would have talked to me three years ago the words "poop" and "pee" would rarely enter the conversation. Little did I know that just under a year later those same words would come up with frightening regularity as we entered into the realm of parenthood. Oh, the encounters with those two functions.....
I'll spare you the details but any squeemishness that I may have had over those two excretions magically vanished within hours of giving birth. The enormity of being responsible for this tiny thing overwhelmed me and poop just became one faction of the whole experience. If that was all I'd had to deal with I likely would've developed post-pregnancy morning sickness and there would've been violent rock-paper-scissor wars between Trevor and I over diaper changes. It feels wierd saying this but it's a good thing there are a multitude of other mind-overloading adjustments with a newborn because the poop...
Anyway, the reason for this discussion is that after "playing" on the potty for months Sierra has finally, deliberately, and knowingly used her little potty for its intended purpose. For the last couple of weeks when she would ask to sit on her potty we would comply. There was leg swinging, getting off, back on, taking the seat off - everyting except going potty.
We could sometimes tell when she had to poop and would take her to the potty but she couldn't quite figure out how to get out at the appropriate time. Often, and quite soon after several ten minute potty sessions, she would go in her diaper.
Today during supper I heard her pass gas and asked her if she had to go potty.
"Uh huh," she said.
So off we trucked to the bathroom. I stripped her and she sat down on her potty and asked for a book which we read repeatedly. She appeared to be straining many a times but I was convinced it was all an act. Then she started wiping her bum every 3.4 seconds because she'd seen me do that (not wipe every 3.4 seconds, just wipe in general) and figured that's what's done when on the potty. I would periodically ask her if she was ready for her diaper back on and she kept saying
"More potty."
Finally, after what felt like eons I hollared at Trevor that it was his turn. Not five minutes after he took over there was victory. Sierra pooped in her potty and was quite marvelled by it. Than later, before Trevor changed her for bed he put her on again and she peed! Twice in one day she produced in the appropriate place! Let the bells ring out! Now I'm not naive to think she's trained just like that and am off to buy underwear first thing tomorrow or anything. But this is a very exciting start to an end!

I'm also grateful for my mother-in-law who's visiting for entertaining Sierra this morning so I could sleep in. What a luxury!
Happy weekend all!

News

This is the saying my mom got in a fortune cookie recently:
"A short stranger will soon enter your life with blessings to share"

How about somewhere around February 20, 2010?
Yes, I'm pregnant.
Whew I said it! I'm just over 12 weeks and it has been such a hard thing to keep a secret for so long.

That is the reason for my lack of presence 'round these parts lately. I am fatigued beyond fatigued and when I actually have a moment to myself to possibly blog it's all I can do to even push buttons on the TV remote. I am fortunate to not be plagued by spewing episodes in the Great White Throne but oh the tiredness! Mornings are mostly good, if I only had to function mornings I'd be doing just dandy. But no, 12:30 or so hits and I feel like a truck ran over me. It is all I can do to get to nap time (Sierra's that is) and then I flop myself into bed and pass out for an hour. I'm often grumpy and scuzzed out from noon on and simply cannot motivate myself to do anything. It sucks.

Ah and the hormones! My poor husband and daughter. It's not simply a matter of being tired it's seeing all the stuff' that needs to be done and not being able to drag my butt off the couch to do it. Seriously, I'm sure it's glued there some days and that is some good glue! I get annoyed with myself because just playing with Sierra some days nearly kills me. Feeling sluggish brings irritability, lack of patience and reason, and then the tears because men and toddlers just can't understand!

My back and other parts have also begun paining me. This really doesn't help in the area of sleep, funny how one thing is related to another. I feel like an 80 year old when I get up at times - all hunched over and groaning as my body unfolds itself and I limp to the bathroom. I love my bathroom. I'm there so often now, it's great.

There you have it. I am desperately hoping that as I am moving into the second trimester the fatigue ebbs. I know that with that many other unpleasant factors related to being pregant will also lesson. I really want to enjoy this pregnancy. With Sierra it was so foreign and I was very self conscious of my expanding body and I just wanted it over with. Since Trevor is convinced this is our last (me not so much yet) I want to cherish this time of growing a child inside of me.
Bear with me as I get myself out of my slump and back into what I feel is more inspird blogging. It's coming.

Summer Random's

I feel so out of the blogging routine that I don't even know what to post about anymore! I'm in the mood to type so I'll simply subject you to whatever comes out of my snot-filled, groggy head. Yes I have a lovely summer cold, thanks to Sierra. We're both busy going through a box of tissue per hour and making attractive sniff sounds in between nose blows. Well in Sierra's case the snot just runs down and into her mouth and then she smears it all over her cheek with her hand when she scratches her itchy nose. I love it.
Trevor came home with a laptap for me this week! I've been wanting one for a long time because Sierra gets positively irate if we try and sit at our computer while she's awake (all but maybe two hours a day). With the long daylight hours she's been going to bed later and by that time I'm often too tired to stare at a computer screen for too long. Now she is sitting, eating an apple, and watching T.V. beside me while I type! I'm in heaven.
We just had the pleasure of a visit from some friends who moved away on us a year ago. We were reminded why we like them so much and why it sucks that they now life so far away. At least with friends like them we'll be sure to keep in touch and make deliberate effort to see each other.
We finally have our heat wave around here. It's sunny and 30 degrees and our a/c needs to run and I love it! Earlier this week it poured for two days and turned our yard into a mud bog and we were all bemoaning the fact that summer hadn't really arrived yet. Here it is!

As for it being Gratitude Friday - I am happy for all the friends I've been fortunate to make so far in my life. They all enrich my life.

Gratitude Friday - Part 3 and On Time!

My parents have been gone for two weeks on vacation and Sierra has missed them like crazy. Every day she asks, "papa ganny?"
Every day I have to answer, "No, they are still gone"
To which Sierra replies, "In aiwpwane...high,high, (points up)...wi da sun."
"Yes."
It is so neat that we can live near my parents and that Sierra has such a close and special relationship with them.


In other news...remember how I said I spent nearly all of our grocery budget at the beginning of June? I did really well at buying the bare minimum until the last week and then I failed and gave in, so I ended up $100 over. Sigh. I'm not doing to great so far this month either. Then again I just bought a lot of meat which is a major expense so we should be ok for July aside from fresh fruit, veggies and milk. I'm pretty sure I can stay within budget this month.

Check it Out!

There's a cool giveaway over at Frugal Frog - if you like free stuff and wish to enter, go see what it's all about.

Gratitude Friday - Two Days Late

Friday was chaos beyond all chaos so I officially missed Gratitude Friday. I haven't had a moment alone with my computer for a long time so my blogging in general has been somewhat lagging. Things are just overall...crazy. I hope to fill you in and be back to my old self soon.
We spent some very much needed R and R as a family this weekend enjoying each other and the beauty of God's creation. We are incredibly fortunate to live only an hour and half drive from the Rocky Mountains to where we retreated for a brief reprieve from the insanity we call every day life. Even though our escape was short I am incredibly grateful for it and feel a little more capable of facing another week.

Gratitude Friday - Part 1

I still have 11 minutes of Friday left so even thought most of you will read this Saturday or later I did actually make it! My blog friend Kashoan has inspired me to participate in Gratitude Fridays so here I go:

I am so thankful for an energetic little girl that I get to enjoy running around with at the playground.
I am super stoked that it turns out our house/property taxes were automatically being withdrawn along with our mortgage payment so we have some unexpected money!
We spent a fun evening with friends.
The upcoming two months keep having more and more exciting things added to them so what was once looking like a dull summer will be a shiny, happy summer!

Happy weekend all!

This and That

I've a bunch of random thoughts swirling in my brain and they need to be spewed so here they are:

Our ridiculously unjust provincial law system has deemed me 100% at fault for the vehicular incident three weeks ago. Since I was backing up and the other guy was moving forward he technically had the right of way and therefore I am the guilty party. As soon as the insurance adjuster heard that his ears turned off to the rest of the story and a big fat "At Fault" was stamped across my file. The law is the law and is doesn't matter that the other guy wasn't looking. Stupid. So we take a $1000+ hit one way or another. If the other guy does not claim for his damage (if has any kind of heart he won't!) we will likely pay for the repairs ourselves because going through insurance is not worth the increase in rates for the next six years (the length of time is shows on you record). Like we have that kind of money! Bah! But the vehicle is a lease and has to be repaired.

It was cloudy on Sunday and rained cats and dogs all day yesterday and it was great! Today the sun is back and tomorrow the heat returns.
I can actually see that I have some tan but I need more.

The cloudy Sunday meant that I missed the longest day of the year. Around here the sky will retain light until after 11P.M and show light around 4 A.M for May or so until July. I love it.

Last week we thought our garbage can had been stolen. Our town uses those fancy ones that the truck just picks up and dumps with a set of "arms", no touching garbage for those guys. The cans are $250 to replace and this was after we found out about our vehicle -we were starting to get really grumpy. It turns out that the can was mistakenly put in our neighbour's garage (unfinished, unoccupied house), probably by the guys who did our concrete. The can must have been in their way because it was garbage day and was on the curb. Relief with that scenario.

My mom and I joined a ladies golf league at a local par 3 course this summer. We took lessons about three years ago and haven't had too much time since then to practice. This was my mom's idea for us to do and after the first three weeks we started to enjoy ourselves. None of us ladies are very good so it's very laid back and relaxed and fun. It's 'our' time each week. The social aspect and the scenery is why women golf. Hitting a tiny white (okay not always white) ball with a stick across a vast expanse of grass into a small hole with as few strokes as possible is not particularly enjoyable because it rarely goes as one plans and gets extremely frustrating. But the one spectacular shot out of 25 does make up for the 25.

That's all for now, my brain is slightly lighter, thanks for reading!

More II

"Two year" pictures of Sierra in her birthday dress in my parents back yard.

Why Are People Like This?!!!!!!!!!

Last Wednesday, at approximately 6:30 P.M., after a particularly enjoyable round of golf with my mother, I was involved in a vehicular collision.
Here's the story:

I prepared to back out of my parking stall by checking all around me for other vehicles as I always do. I saw a car pulling into a spot a bit over from me on my right, and even further over on my right, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a truck pulling out of its spot. Seeing no reason to wait, I slowly began backing out, continuously checking for other vehicles in my vicinity. I'm always cautious when I drive our SUV because it is larger. I was more than two thirds out of my spot when I began turning the wheel counterclockwise. After another all around check I was certain I was clear to proceed so I concentrated on the driver's side front end of my vehicle to avoid scraping the vehicle next to me and continued backing out. I was nearly clear when I felt and heard a bang as my vehicle was hit. I gasped, thinking at first,
"What the heck did I just hit?"
I turned over my right shoulder and noticed a truck had hit me . I was slightly relieved to realize I hadn't hit a parked vehicle. It was a hard enough hit that my vehicle shook, and loud enough that my mother heard it from two rows over.
I exited my vehicle to inspect what happened. The male driver of the truck, who I won't name because his name makes me shudder, (I know I won't be naming any possible future children his name that's for sure!) was already looking at the damage. He immediately said (not exact wording),
"This may be one fo those times where we are glad vehicles are mostly plastic, I think my truck took the worst of this, your looks fine."
My mother then arrived and the man also said (again not exact wording),
"It happens so quickly, I was watching the other car park and bam!" (however this is worded he very obviously admitted to being at fault)
My mother and I inspected my vehicle more closely and noticed a dent and some scratches near the back passenger side wheel which we pointed out to the man. I said that we should exchange phone numbers, which we did. When I requested his insurance information he refused. My mother recognized his name as someone my father knew so I wrongly assumed that all was okay at this point. The damage also didn't appear to be very major so I naively left things at that and we parted ways. There are a million and one things I should have done but I'd never been in that kind of situation so didn't have a clue.

Trevor has since gotten quotes on repairs. $1700 - highway robbers those body shops are! But it is what it is. We notified the man and he began backpeddling something fierce saying that I was partly at fault for "backing out into the driving lane which he was clearly in."
Um, no.

Did I not say that I was mostly out of my parking stall? I drive a large, white SUV which is kinda hard to miss! (apparently not) Did I also not say that he admitted to that he wasn't paying attention? The force of the impact proves that.
When I reminded him of his admission of guilt he again agreed that "yes, (he)was distracted, but (I) still did not have the right of way in backing up."

"BULL@#^%!!!"

He began attempting to intimidate me with claims of his partial innocence and saying,
"You don't have a leg to stand on," and "you would never win in court," and "just ask the cops of your insurance agent."

NOT ONCE during our so called conversation did I admit to being even remotely at fault.

He suggested two options, that we let it go and each deal with our own vehicle separately (which I'm sure he hopes happens), or file a police report and allow insurance to take it from here.

At that point I said we would think about it and let him know.

We thought for two minutes.

I refuse to speak with him again if he's going to talk to me like that. I will be calling my insurance agent and likely filing a police report and having them deal with it. I realize it's my word against his at this point which sucks. Worst case scenario is that they deem it my fault and my insurance takes the hit. Seeing as I have the cleanest driving record possible my premiums shouldn't suffer to greatly.

I'm off to find all this fun stuff out tomorrow.

At least no injuries occurred.

II

My darling girl is officially two years old. While I was pregnant with Sierra, everyone, and I mean everyone with kids, warned me that time progressed at warp speed as soon as you become a parent. I scoffed those people.

Not anymore.
There's something about watching how much they change from a helpless newborn, to a cuddly baby, to an independent toddler in such s short span that sets time on 'fast' mode.
Two years ago, after 64 hours of labour, Sierra Mary was born at 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and 21 inches long. She was perfect and healthy. We named her Sierra simply because we loved the name, the name Mary came from my maternal grandmother, Trevor's maternal grandmother, and my mother's middle name. I remember marvelling at this tiny creature and seeing immediately how she was so much her own person even though she was also a part of Trevor and me.

3 days old

Sierra has never ceased to display her unique personality; she is very definitive about her likes and dislikes. We didn't start calling her "The Small Boss" for nothing!That assertion is manifesting itself more and more each day, especially now as she has hit the dreaded "two". She frustrates me to no end at times and has even reduced me to tears but I wouldn't wish her any other way. I pray that her strength and gumption carry her through her entire life and are beneficial to her. No one will take advantage of my girl!

3 months old

Sierra is incredibly happy and gleeful. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, she is such a joy to be around. Her enthusiasm for everything is heartwarming. There truly is nothing like seeing things through the eyes of a child.
Around 9 months old

She also oozes sweetness. I want that sweetness and innocence to stay with her forever. Unfortunately I know that life and experience will have to challenge that. I pray that the joy of Jesus takes over her heart and that she draws on Him for everything.

One year old.

I never in a million years thought I would so completely enjoy being a parent.
I never in a million years thought that a child could enlighten me so much.
I never in a million years thought I could love a child as much as I love Sierra.

Nearly two.

We had a birthday party for her last Saturday. My parents, Oma, and some close friends came for pizza, Shrek cake (Sierra's most recent obsession on TV, I was so sick of Big Comfy Couch one day I popped the Shrek DVD in and it was an instant hit) and good times!

No I did not make this, I wish! A local bakery that specializes in cakes came up with this lovely creation.

Blowing out her candles was too much to ask so I had to do it!

Opening presents though...she was right into it!

I love you Sierra!

A Challenge

There are over three weeks left in June and I've already managed to spend nearly all of our grocery budget! Last month I was so careful week to week but then all of a sudden we were out of many major items and before I knew it my allotted amount was nearly depleted.
In my own self defense, I did mostly purchased wisely and items we needed. Boxes of chicken were on sale at Safeway, we ran out of all our cereal at once , we threw a birthday party for Sierra which added some expense, and the list goes on.
My self-challenge is to go through my cupboards and freezer and be as creative as possible with what we have and buying only fresh fruit, veggies, and milk which will easily take up half that. We have food so there should be no excuse. Can I spend only $50 on food over the next three weeks? It'll be tough.

I'll let you know.

Sierra--ese

I'm subjecting you to the language of Sierra because I'm her mom and I think it's so darn cute and I feel the need to share!
Burp: belt
Burbur: bellybutton
Moush: mouth
Wee: slide
Jumjum - said with a soft "J" like in Angelina Jolie: swing (not sure why)
Byby: blanket
Soo: soother, although soo-er is starting to emerge.
Chacha: chocolate
'No (besides the obvious meaning which she knows all to well): snow
Hophop: walk, although she's going with wha more and more.
Key: kitty
Tee: t.v.
Schraa: Shrek
Dat: Dad
Hone: home

Sierra melted my heart on Sunday when out of nowhere she started calling me Mom-mee. Now she walks around saying it constantly and it almost drives me crazy but it's way sweeter to hear that than the drawling "Maawm" I got util now.